Saravana Bhavan

This is the WORST place to go. I do not have any word to compare with. I have ordered veg thali last friday and i got 2 empty bowls in it. When i called to ask if it was done by mistake… The lady was very rude and she doesnt have a minumum common sense on how to speak to a customer.
She did not understand what i am
asking for and started screaming instead. When i asked why are you screaming, she replied saying What do you want now? refund or one more thali for free… she sounded very rude… on top of that she says most of the customers who complains are just to get some free food…
How can she just say that to a customer? . when i asked for the manager, she said i am the manager. I couldnt spend any more time speaking to her as its waste talking to such people!!!
It was waste of time and gas to commute to the place!!!
I thought the better way to handle is to reach out better bussines bureau. I am doing it right now!

I can only say so much without visiting other sarvana Bhawan’s in NJ but the food is stale. Tried the onion dosa and it was salty and barely crispy and the sambar is old and barely any good. The famous Bismila bath looked like it was 2 days old and I had to ask for it to be hot as it was served cold. I can only expect so much coming on a Saturday afternoon. I’ve visited sarvana Bhawan in many places in Chennai, India and dubai but this is not acceptable. Sorry sarvana I’m not visiting you again in the US.

I am a big fan of saravana bhavan franchise. I have been to numerous times to the NYC and Edison saravana bhavan, both are good.
This place is bad. Once we went with friends and got a subji which was spoiled. Next day my friend got stomach upset. Never again to this place.

The quality of food in this restaurant used to be amazing when it opened but has substantially deteriorated over last 12 months or so.
I’ve seen a gradual drop in the make and taste of a classic like Millagaipodi Masala Dosa; yesterday it was so tasteless and I had to send it back. Sambhar served was cold and horrible; a South Indian restaurant which can’t serve a good sambhar ought to be out of business. Finally, the dessert classic like Badam halwa was equally disappointing. It seemed they took this out of freezer and microwaved before serving leading to uneven temperature and staleness from the frozen ghee/​oil.
I’d not be going back to this location.

The food is average and so is the service. You will get the usual, one good thing is that they are consistent with the food. We go there for Thalis which are decent and different from what you would get at other places. A tad bit expensive as compared to other South Indian restaurants. The filter coffee is disappointing, you expect much better from a global chain like Saravana Bhavan. Try it if you are really craving for South Indian.

Excellent South Indian food, severed with traditional India sambar and Chutnies, friendly staff and the price was very economical, I would definitely visit this resturent again… Amazing work guys

Excellent food. Quick service. It was incredibly hot, busy but quiet in the restaurant. The food was so good, I’m sold. I’ll go back again and again.

Their food is highly inconsistent. We visited Saravana yesterday with our parents and the entire experience was very forgettable. All the Dosa’s were super soggy and soft. Their medu vada’s were soft and spongy and definitely refried.
My father ordered parrota which comes with 2 curries. One of the curry was chana masala, probably the worst of the lot. The chick peas weren’t cooked at all and completely hard.
In the end I discussed it with the manager and he removed just one order of medu vada from our check.
A complete waste of time and money. Avoid it and go to Dosai place down the road.

Worst sarvana bhavan to go to. We arrived at 11:30 and were told the restaraunt wont open doors till 12 as the food was not ready

Pathetic place… they don’t know how to serve and the staff is not at all attentive. I would really like them to keep the place clean and tidy.

There is no better brand of quintessential South Indian Vegetarian food. If anyone can lay claim to serving consistently authentic idli, vada, dosa with their chutney and sambhar, it is this place.
The service can vary by location. A trip here is like a trip to Madras, so the service is expected to be anything but just utilitarian.
You can try the North Indian items and they might not taste bad, but that’d be like going to Scotland for trying their tea.

I think the saravana bhavan in Edison is better, but this trumps the one in NY in my opinion plus it’s 5 minutes away from our house. That said I come here all the time.
My family is from Chennai and we have watched the quality of saravana bhavan in India slowly decline over the years (it’s a chain there). The good news is the ones in NJ are pretty good and comparable to what you used to get in India (or maybe it just seems better because there is not as much good Indian food here).
When I come here I always get the madras coffee, as its one of the only places I can get real filter coffee here. The chai here is also good.
My go to meals are the thali, onion rava dosa, kitchadi, ghee pongal, Chana bhatura, poori, and mini idli.

The food here is very good compared to other Saravana Bhavan in NJ. But you shouldn’t go for lunch on weekdays. Even though they open at 11:30am you won’t get the food until 12:15pm.
Be prepared for it. Why not wsit and pre-​plan to have delicious South Indian meals

We cousins were driving from Hartford back to DC where we live. Suddenly one of them sowed the thought of Indian Food in our minds. So we hunted for an HSB.
A Monday evening and the crowd being much lesser worked at our favor. We ordered for a Sambhar Vadai, Bisi Belebath, Parota with 2 curries, and a Milagaipodi Dosa. The waiting time wasn’t much at all and the food, needless to say was at its best.
The Sambhar was full of flavor and blended well for the Bisi Belebath. My craving for the Parota was definitely justified. Simply loved the authentic vegetable korma and the potato curry.
We finished the food sharing a Butter Milk and my cousins opted for a steaming Masala Milk.
My only disappointment was the service. They servers hardly showed interest and weren’t communicative enough. Not that it stopped us from getting what we want, but a restaurant meal isn’t complete without a good service.
I definitely left the place with my tummy full and would recommend this for the taste of food.

Have been here a few times with mixed results. Usually got channa bhatura which is chick peas and puff bread. Spice level was always fine. I’m Indian l, grew up eating spicy food with no issues. Ordered take out of it tonight and it would have been less hot if I just ate some burning matches. When I called about it I was hung up on and then rudely talked down to. I don’t need this from a restaurant to be treated like trash. They won’t be getting a second chance and I’m calling their corporate head quarters about how I was treated. Be warned. Would love to hear from a manager about the hostess

Disappointed with some of the items we ordered. The waiting staff seemed disinterested and the service was generally not up to the mark.
Here is how I would rate the food we ordered:
Mango Lassi — ²⁄₅
Special Thali — ³⁄₅ tasted good although the portions do not justify the price.
Pav Bhaji — ¹⁄₅ the lousiest I have had so far
Mini Idli — ²⁄₅ average fare
Don’t think I will repeat this joint.

My go to for dosa. Never disappointed. Sambar is spicy and flavorful. Chutney is pretty good too.

We had dinner here on Friday and the woman at the front desk was downright rude. First when we wanted to sit at a quiet corner booth, she reluctantly let us. We waited quite a bit before someone came to take the order. Then before we had finished our dinner, she plopped the bill in the middle of the table as a signal for us to finish eating asap. Then when that did not work, she asked us to pay the bill and started coming to the table every 2 minutes.
This woman’s behavior was appalling, she even started shouting at us when we asked her why she was giving us the bill when clearly we were not done. Her explanation — «It’s Friday and you took that 4 seat table.» Let her keep her precious table and restaurant to herself!!! Granted it was a busy night for them but this is not the way to treat customers! Never ever going back.
And the food is just ok. Nothing special. The Saravana in Edison has far better food and hygiene.

–very good South Indian veg food
–love the special thaali
–coffee is very good
–crushed paratha dish is great
–awesome badam halwa
–good ambience and large seating area

Sarvana Bhavan is part of a chain of South Indian vegetarian restaurants with outlets around the globe. West Windsor is in (and has) good company.
Their website talks of, «a synergy of taste and quality.» I concur that the cuisine in this shop appears and tastes colorful, fresh and energetic. The décor is simple, without pretense. It is designed for efficiency, if not long term comfort. It is clean. The service is prompt, and the menu organized around the Indian breads you wish to eat. That concept is unusual. It is obvious as the aluminum trays of food are served, that great visual cueing is paramount to the uniqueness of the product. You see the Dosa, Poori, etc., from across the room, before the veggies come into sight. They are oversized and dominant, while the curries and sauces are in small dishes not seen until the tray reaches your table.
That works as long as the object of all eyes actually deserves the credit by tasting good. It succeeds. The variety of Indian oven doughy creations are really the stars of the show; served hot, fresh, light and tasty — the perfect tools to absorb the spicy flavors that come to complement the bread (clearly not the other way around here). It makes perfect sense when realizing that fingers are the way things are transported to the mouth in much of India. The variously textured breads scoop, pinch, fold, and spoon easily. Dexterity and sensitive digits are prized virtues.
Not surprisingly, although the accompanying vegetarian dishes are well done, they are something of an afterthought with so much attention grabbing by the breads. My Potato and Cauliflower Curries were quite good, but came in very small portions — like butter and jam for your bread. The Uthappam with Onion and Chili was a tasty Frittata-​like pancake; big, thick, rich and fun to rip apart and devour. It came with 4 small dishes of sauce in different shades of color and taste.
All in all, Sarvana Bhavan delivers an enjoyable and entertaining lunch at a fair price. I am a bit unsure how long the novelty will work for me, and will return again as it is near my Jersey office. I am always on the lookout for a strong veggie meal alternative, and SB certainly is that.