Udipi Cafe

We love the buffet. And the person running the restaurant is so nice, as well as the rest of the staff. Most dishes are 100% vegetarian… Which was exactly what we were looking for. We were happily surprised the first time there when We found out a dosa came with the meal. made to order. It was light and crispy. Loved the sauces with it.

I love Indian food, and trying new places. Have driven by Udipi Café so many times, but I’ve never pulled the trigger until today. Perhaps it was because I like my meat, and I’m not always in the mood for vegetarian. I’ll start with the good. The food was tasty… My favorite item on the buffet was probably be the paneer masala. I also really liked the halwa that was offered as dessert. I have had halwa made from carrots, and from cream of wheat. I don’t think this was either of those, but it was delicious.
Since dosas were on the sign outside, I asked if one was included with the lunch buffet. I was told that it it was, and a gentleman asked me if I preferred plain or spicy. When it arrived, it was fresh and tasty, but lacking any hint of «hot.» I don’t know if they just forgot, or assumed that a non-​Indian really didn’t know what he was asking for.
Lastly, I will share the reason why I probably will not be back here. For the buffet, this restaurant offers both china plates, and the sectioned metal plates that are used quite a bit in India. Both types were clearly not washed very well. Further, the china plates or old and worn, with a lot of the glazing worn off. I looked at quite a few plates and there was evidence of staining and/​or dried food on many of them. It almost put me off my lunch.
If I’m at a restaurant, and I get a dirty plate or fork, I will say something about it, they won’t bring me a clean one. I didn’t bother saying anything here, because it is clearly a widespread problem. There were a lot of plates that were dirty on the stacks available for the buffet. Perhaps someone from the restaurant will see this, and they will improve their procedures.
Otherwise, it’s not a bad place. Just too many other options around Dallas for good Indian food, so I am not likely to be back here.

My partner and I have been to this place three times for the lunch buffet since moving to Dallas late last year. Here are our thoughts:
Food: Really yummy vegetarian food. Great way to expose yourself to real ethnic vegetarian cuisine rather than just eating salads. Definitely do your homework before coming because the buffet does not have a small description of what is in each dish.
Service: Just awful. All three times no one came to greet us. We literally stood in the middle of the restaurant to get someone’s attention. Service was haphazard, not very attentive. We had to keep on flagging down the waiters to get water, our check, etc.
Ambiance: Don’t expect much. Just your regular buffet. It was really hot the last time we went in mid August. Felt like they didn’t turn on the a/​c. Definitely go early because it gets crowded with kids.
Overall Thoughts: Very authentic food. Basic experience. Will go back once in awhile when we crave vegetarian Indian food, but not our favorite.

This place is a gem and the waiter is adorable. The vegetarian food is so good. If you want to get exposed to some really great southern Indian food this is the place to go for the lunch buffet. We went there for dinner last night bought 2 entrees, 2 appetizers and they gave us complementary soup and this really tasty tapioca dessert as part of the meal. We were so full and our whole meal was only $ 20! Amazing bargain for everything being so fresh. If you are American, and don’t really know what to order, then just give the waiter an idea of what you want and what kind of veggies you like and they will pick you the right meals. That was the advice one of the Indian guests gave us and it was very helpful. We ate the cauliflower and potato meal and the chickpeas. Also get the pancake (it’s an Indian tortilla) with the potato stuffing. Yum! Love the kindness here, was also very relaxing.

This place has two listings on Unilocal.So, I am posting my review on both.
I had one my my worst restaurant experiences at this place. I went here for a dinner at about 8.40 PM.
First of all, the timing listed for this place on google-​map and Unilocal are not the actual time this place closes. I relied on what Unilocal said and assumed this place will be open until 9.30 PM (on a weekday).
Here is a list of what I found unprofessional.
1. As I was beginning my order, I was asked to make this my one and only order since they are closing by 9 PM and they cannot encourage any more follow-​on orders. ( Unilocal /​google says closing time is 9.30 PM). When I ask the waiter about this inconsistency, he says he has no idea about it.
2. I was given my check and was asked to pay, even before all my orders were delivered to me. I was just starting to eat, and the waiter hands me the check. That is not professional at all.
3. It was 2 minutes to 9 PM and we were almost done with our meal. Out of no where, they shut down the lights in the dining hall fully. Will it even happen anywhere else? We (group of 4) were still not done with our meal, but the lights go off. That is not good. I then asked them to give me two more minutes to finish off my meal and got the hell out of that place.
4. At this point, I was talking to my friends (with me at the table) that I will sure be writing a review about this online. I guess the waiter overheard what we were discussing. When I went out and was waiting near my car, the person who runs the place comes out with a box of Indian sweets trying to bribe it to me and said «Sorry about that. Things happen». Really ?? Bribe?
Anyways, this is gonna be my last visit to this place. The food was okay. But, I cannot tollerate such behavior just for food that is not bad.

Masterfully created authentic Indian flavors available here. The sauces I tried were amazing and sophisticated. Fresh veggies and ingredients together really made for some of the best authentic Indian cuisine I’ve had in sometime, definitely top 5 Indian cuisine in Dallas. Totally gourmet flavors and quality at totally reasonable prices. This place is a jewel folks, yummy food, good people, good prices, two thumbs up!

Great vegetarian cuisine! We came at lunch time — so had the buffet. The food was very «clean» in a way that makes your body feel better — for having eaten it. Service was friendly and the crepes were an unexpected surprise. I had mine mild, and she requested hers as spicy. Both were fantastic.