Shri Balaji Bhavan
| Address: | 5655 Hillcroft St, Houston, TX 77036, USA |
| Phone: | +1 713-783-1126 |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
| Working: | 11AM–9:30PM Closed 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 11
SI
Sing Review
We went to this restaurant 4th July 2014 long weekend after seeing all the online reviews. I would say this is one of the worst Indian restaurants that i visited in the recent years. We ordered Madras Thali [meals] and it was very bad with no salt and we returned it. After returning the food they started behaving weird and they didn’t respond well. Since we were hungry e didnt step out and ordered Dosa. I have never eaten a worst Dosa like that in Texas Indian restaurants, it was like a card board and the sambar served was bad. The coffee cup [traditional tawara] looked like rusted and had cracks all over and the cushion sponges were out in the chairs, ambience was pathetic. Not sure how they are in the top 50 restaurant lists that were published couple of years back, may be they have gone down badly in recent years. I wish they retrospect and come back with a better food, service and ambience.
AY
Ayaz Ghouse Kalsekar
I went to this restaurant twice because i like their Masala dosa but I had a terrible experience both the times as my family and I were not treated so nicely. The first time i visited this place, we were served our order late and upon asking the server would not tell us why. Customer service was unsatisfactory and we sort of felt "unwelcomed" due to our ethnicity. The "meet and greet" concept is unknown to their staff. The second time, they treated us even worse. They would not reply to our "thank you" or "hello". The quality of food is inconsistent. The second time, we felt that masala dosa served too us was overspiced and the bhelpuri was stale. Food prices does not make sense for example, when you order a drink, they would charge different rates if you order a fanta instead of a coke or sprite. I would never want to go there again as I was disappointed by their "racist" behaviour.
PR
Pramod Krishnan
Not that great. This is a self service place which is ok but at least take the orders fast. The line up was getting longer on a Fri afternoon when we were there. To make it complex, the ladies in front of us were new to Indian food and were asking lot of questions and wanted to see photos etc. Perhaps its a good idea to have the menu items posted on screen like other fast food places. The lady at the counter was slow as well as she was checking the menu for prices at least three times before billing us. Come on we r Indians, use technology!! Food was ok. Dosa was good but Madras Thali was passable and I have had better Thalis elsewhere in Houston. Coffee came with no sugar even after asking for it at the time of order. High time they improve in order taking and adding an extra counter during peak times with experienced staff.
A
A Private User
Ive traveled to South India several times over the years and have always been disappointed in not being able to find the kind of food served in homes in South India here in Houston. Sri Balaji Bhavan exceeded my expectations, I was blown away to find somewhere that finally got it right! They even serve the food on banana leaves and those metal plates like they do in India- it just does not get any more authentic than this!! Food is served quickly and is always fresh. Also theyre serving the best chai in Houston- really you dont know what chai is unless youve had theirs. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the music they play is great! A+++ Highly recommend. (PS- Negative reviewer: they promptly dropped their 10% surcharge when commodity prices recently came down).
AV
Avni
PATHETIC and super SLOW service I have been there three times with a hope to have better experience next time but they are always so slow and indifferent that you feel like unwelcome . Had to wait for more than 45 minutes even when there were only two customers before me. Both of them were served on the table and they even finished their food and we were still waiting and when our order( just two dosas; which should not have taken much time as dosa better is prepared beforehand) was ready the lady on the counter called us to take it from the counter. I just couldnt understand why they treat two customers differently :( Highly DISAPPOINTED Will never visit AGAIN!!!!
JO
Jon Freeland
Authentic Indian food. The menu isnt even in english. Pro-tip: they just got on Amazon now so go look up the dishes there for descriptions in english. Everything is spicy. I dont think Ive ever had an item and thought, "Oh, this is a tolerable spice level, finally". That being said, the food is delicious. I cant blame them for having spicy food though, since it is very authentic. We like the dosas (big Indian pancakes with dipping sauces) and the paneer pakora (fried cheese nuggets). The lassis are good as well. Somosas are good but spicy. I know, I sound like a broken record.
SR
sree lakshmi
The place is poorly lit and congested. Any average Indian restaurant back home is better than this. The ladies at the counter are not so good at customer service. They make you wait as much as they want. They forget orders and simply say sorry. Dont know about north Indian food but orderd Dosa varieties couple of times. All the chutneys and sambar taste hot with no salt. I can handle spicy food. But this is just too hot with no taste at all. People dine out expecting a better and tasty food than home. Even I can cook better than them. Not going to go there anymore.
DI
Dipesh Sharma Batalvi
The best place for south indian food in Houston, I have come across so far. Great tasting dosa and sambar chutney. Also ordered a Madras thali which was too good. Tasted like home cooked food. Very light and fresh, nothing too processed or spicy. May be too hot for many but perfect for me ! Will be back to try other items on the menu. Something tells me they are not so good with chaats... coz even though our papri chaat tasted very good, it still wasnt like its supposed to be.. (Mumbai or Delhi style). Having said that... surely not going anywhere else.
A
A Private User
This place is nice if you want to sit and eat. However, I used their catering services for a party of 15 people. Their food serioussly sucked. I ordered 6 dishes and all but the sweet dish were pathetic. Samosa were oily and greasy. Pooris were oily and not cooked properly. Chana was cooked bad. All my guests were disappointed. I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody planning to use them for catering. However, I have eaten at this restaurant many a times for dinner/snacks. Their food is usually good.
SH
Sharad Mulchand
I have come here many times before and usually eat the same dish, Rava Masala Dosa. This time the Potato Masala was Spicey beyond reason. It was almost like going to a Thai Restaurant and ordering 10 out of 1 to 10 for how hot/spicey you want them to make your dish. I did tell the lady at the counter nicely that it seemed like they had put a lot of Thai Chillies. I hope she will pay heed to my feedback. I will come back here one more time to see if this was an aberration. If not then I will stop coming here.
AS
Ash
Excellent food - the most authentic tasting dosas, chutney and sambar. A super very inexpensive menu and great service. The idlis could be fluffier. Being a South Indian, I always despaired that the many, many places we had tried out in Houston, and even in Sugarland, didnt come upto scratch. After we discovered Shree Balaji accidentally, because Saravanans was closed one particular day, we have gone back at an average of 3-4 times a month!!
