Saravanaas/ Saravana Bhavan

Great selection of options, food comes quickly, and it is very tasty. The Hampton Chutney Co is a poor quality rip off compared to this place.

This place is very expensive as compare to the food choice, services and portion they provide. there are many more places nearby with competitive price and excellent food choice.

best south indian food in NY. mini idli and the chole bhatura are to die for!

Saravanas was once a no-brainer. They had great south indian food and good value for money too. Things seem to have changed since last 6 months. The food quality in terms of taste has fallen drastically. I had been going there for years but in all my last 3 visits I have come out of the restaurant disappointed. The first time about 6 months back, they had unusually high salt content in chole bhatura's chole. I had to return the dish. Considering it an one-off event I continued my loyalty to the restaurant but things have only gone worse. On my last visit a few days back, the sambhar was stale, low salt, high spices and sweeter than it supposed to be. I just had the gosa without it. That's it for me. I guess when a south indian restaurant goes wrong with sambhar, it must be a sign of many a things more wrong with the kitchen. The madras coffee is still good though. I won't recommend it to my friends anymore.

I hate to confess that when it comes to quality of food, I am very very picky. Also, the fact that I am essentially a non-vegeterian makes me wonder why am I writing this review. The answer is quite simple. This is the BEST South Indian vegeterian cuisine in New York. Period. You can literally order anything - ANYTHING from their menu, and I can promise you won't be disappointed. There is a minor caveat: the service here is weak; especially one of the waiters here is extremely unprofessional and rude. several times he has even asked customers to "leave, if you won't be ordering anything more". I wonder why the management has put up with him for so long. Apart from that, this place is a real TREAT !

So after reading all the positive reviews on menupages & chowhound, I decided to give this place a try. Glad I did - best South Indian food in NYC (probably which I've eaten) hands down. My husband ordered their most popular dosa, Mysore Masala Dosa. Deliciously filled with potatoes, onions and served with the most flavourful chutneys and sambar. I opted for the "South Indian thali". Although I don't even know half the vegetables that I was eating, each and every dish was scrumptious. Love this place - can't wait to go back!

I went to Saravanaas for the first time just a few wknds ago, based on several reviews I had read online. Although I am of North Indian descent, I absolutely love South Indian food (it's a whole different taste), especially dosas and thaali (a big plate with small portions of many items on the menu -- both savory and sweet). I brought along a couple of non-Indian friends and had them try the thaali as well. We all just loved the food. Yes, the service is mediocre but the food is delicious...and spicy! And I'm a foodie...so definitely check it out! I wanna check out the dosas...mysore masala is my favorite so I will be back soon! It gets packed on weekends so be prepared to wait!