Indian

[VDobnik]

Folks,
What is the best South Indian restaurant in Manhattan, and why?

[parth]

Really depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for the usual "dosa/uttapam/idli" kind of place then Sarvanas and/or Chennai Garden. I prefer the latter.

Although, Chola on 58th and 3rd has pretty good non-vegetarian south indian dishes. Look at the back of their menu. Many of them are mangalore style fish curries and they are delicious.

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Chennai Garden
129 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016

Chola
232 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022

[rarotonga]

I'm not a NYer & therefore not qualified to say which is the BEST south Indian in Manhattan, but -- based on rave reviews here I went to Saravanaas for breakfast when I was in town in August and it was wonderful; brought me right back to Kerala.

For one thing it's marvelous to be able to get breakfast in an Indian restaurant at all -- such a thing doesn't exist here in DC to my knowledge -- but the food was exactly how I remembered all the wonderful breakfasts I've had in India. The idlis were light, the uppuma was fantastic (with lots of curry leaves and chillis), the coconut chutney was just the way I remember it, and the masala chai was the best I've had in this country. I now will always stop for breakfast at Saravanaas when I'm in the city!

[Pan]

I like the food at Saravanaas very much, but I have gotten tired of the very slow service. I've found the service much better at Chennai Garden, and the food equally good, on balance.

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Chennai Garden
129 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016

[anil]

Efficient service is not the forte of Sarvanas Bhavan, except if you are ordering Thalis. Once you overcome the anticipation of efficient service, the food is overall better than most. However, I am disappointed that they have started serving North Indian fare, and failing as do most south indian restaurants even in India.

[Pan]

I have no complaints about the food that I've gotten there, but when I'm regularly waiting 30 minutes for a chance to get the check, or at least what seems like 30 minutes, that's a problem for me.

[hofame]

My wife and I had lunch at Saravanaa kast week. She had the Masala Dosa which was very good and I had the Dried Fruit Rava Dosa which was outstanding. The memory of he tastes remained with us for quite a while. Highly recommend.

[foodwhisperer]

Saravanaas is a good one. Not sure if it's the best. It's vegetarian, located in the Indian area on Lexington. The lentil patties are good ( idli). Worth checking out.

[tinarampal]

its the best, i agree