The food was great. There was nothing we didn't enjoy. The best was the service - her name is Shweta . Shweta was amazing. Her attentative, friendly style made not only the food experience great. I want to thank her for making our dinner so much fun.

As you walk around this block of the UWS Amsterdam Ave, you get amazing scents of India and great south Indian cuisine. I'll give you a heads up that most of the negative reviews are related to the service at this restaurant. I honestly expect poor service at most NYC restaurants. I expect worse service if I ever go to an Indian restaurant. However, read all the reviews for Saravanaa Bhavan. VERY FEW are negative about the food. The food is awesome. It's authentic, it's flavorful, it's CHEAP, and it's fresh. The place itself is small, service is slow/inattentive, but the focus is on getting your order right and done WELL. I personally have no major complaints with this place. It's great Indian 'soul food' with great prices for NYC and fresh quality and good location. You can't miss the smells wafting down amsterdam! Good thing is that when we entered very first, a staff came to check vaccination proof from individually each of the group.

Excellent food and very authentic. If you want good tasting South Indian food, this is the place. They also have North Indian items on the menu that I didn't try. The service is very basic. I wish they had a proper seating space outside on the streets with heaters and shade. The outside seating space was on the curb and next to a loud machine that can be heard inside or outside the restaurant.

The food is as good as Indian Saravana Bhavan. A little pricey but not bad for Manhattan. The north Indian food is alright but then why would you miss out on dosa, idli, or vada. I would prefer the sambar a little spicy but then it's not bad. They also give filter coffee (cothas), but I found it relatively pricey as compared to lattes from coffee shops. Still nice people, decent atmosphere, and good food.

We went here for dinner and ordered Rasa Mili Idlis which was extremely tangy and just impossible to eat. Later we ordered a Chili Rava Dosa which was again very very spicy - seemed like they dumped all the chillies they had in their kitchen in one dosa. They were famous for south indian food but couldn’t even handle their expertise well.

This is the place we were looking for during our week long trip! Finally, got to the right place and had a excellent experience. We really enjoyed the quality and taste of the food! Mr.Vijay was very helpful and made sure that we had a good experience. Had been to the other location but had a very disappointing experience! We highly recommend this place if you want to taste the authentic south India food! We will sure visit this place during our next visit and also highly recommend this place to others😊

The place has one of the best Indian food I tried in NYC. I would recommend this place to anyone craving for Indian food, specifically South Indian cuisine. I came here at their opening time and they didn’t disappoint. Tea and Filter coffee were really good. Tea was really flavorful. In main course, had masala dosa and Chole bhature. Dosa was crispy and delicious. Bhatura was fluffy and amazing. Service was really good and the place got really busy after we arrived. Ample seating outside and inside the restaurant. Restrooms were clean and in usable condition. Ambiance was okay. Disclaimer: if you don’t like oily food, you can skip on bhature

Nine of us showed up at the restaurant and the wait staff was happy to seat us. I ordered the lamb rogan josh, which was quite tasty, but almost not spicy at all. And I wasn't asked how spicy I would like the dish to be. Nevertheless, I recommend the restaurant if you're looking for good Indian food.

The food is awesome. The portion sizes are great and the taste is very authentic. This is a great place to try South Indian food. It was my first time at this location though, and the service was meh. It was 95 outside and there was no ac inside. We were sweatinggg. The Lexington Ave location has more seating and seems cleaner and more open. The masala cheese dosa and mini tiffin are my favorite things to eat here. So the food is awesome, but service and seating are just okay at the Amsterdam location.

Great south Indian food. Their uthappam and dosas were very authentic, and I’d specifically recommend the onion chili uthappam. I’ve been twice now, and both times have been great, although the service is questionable. The manager likes to stand in the middle of the restaurant and stare around the place, and you only get one pitcher of water. Otherwise, the food was great, and I would consider going again.

I’ve never had dosas before but this was rather filling. I enjoyed dipping the dosas into the sambal sauces they had to offer. I particularly enjoyed dipping this into their lentil soup, it was quite hearty and I was pleasantly surprised that vegetarian dishes like this could get me so full. This dining experience was unique, but I didn’t really appreciate the service provided. The servers were not very accommodating, and it took quite a while (about 30 minutes) to get the dishes delivered to the table. Whenever we needed particular sauces, they were already out, which was rather suspicious because the same sauces were readily available for the other diners. There were not enough napkins on the table, and this was necessary because the dosas were rather oily. Hand sanitizer should have also been provided since this meal involved eating with our hands, and that was not offered. The waiter also did not have a welcoming attitude, which I felt took away from the meal we’ve had. Would I eat here again? Probably not, but I’m glad I got to enjoy this unique dining experience. I would recommend trying out the Indian restaurants in Jackson Heights, their selections are more extensive, the hospitality is better, and the food is more affordable.

Great food and friendly staff as always! I always enjoy visiting Sarvan Bhavan on our trips to NYC. We ordered the idli-vada platter, masala dosa, rasam and payasam. All dishes were authentic tasting and delicious.

WOW! I really liked this place. Came here a few times and each one did not disappoint. It's comfort food that I don't feel 100% awful about eating. Each dosa is incredibly delicious, as well as the curries and sauces that come on their menu. I had their signature puri w/ the chana masala curry and it was divine. In the past, I've also tried their cheese dosa, masala dosa and the thali. Each one was better than the last! You really can't go wrong with anything on their menu. And to top it off, they are also very reasonably priced. I'm so glad there are amazing plant based options this delicious! This place has definitely become a regular for me.

Food is ready very fast. If you like spicy make sure to ask for it because it is quite mild. Their dosa always hits the spot.

Worst Paneer Makhani and Kadhai of my entire life. It almost felt like soup. Dosa may be good here, but don't order punjabi sabjis. A restaurant should focus on few items and serve the best version of it...rather than offering everything out there and suck at 95/100 items on the menu. The host didn't even acknowledge our complaint. Would never go back here. Also, their filter coffee is 2/10

I recently visited Saravanaa Bhavan in New York, located at 413 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024. I ordered Idli with rasam, Milagaipodi Masala Dosa, tomato onion uttapam, and rasa mini Idli. Overall, I loved the Idli with rasam and the Masala Dosa the most. The rasam was spicy, light, and delicious. It was a pleasant change from the usual pairing of Idli with sambhar. The Milagaipodi Masala Dosa had a generous amount of potato filling and gunpowder, which made it very tasty. However, there was a bit too much powder, which made it slightly uncomfortable. Despite that, the flavors were great.

Prompt service, polite staff and good South Indian breakfast food. Expect 15-20 mins of wait time during weekend lunch hours.

I had been there for punch with family after having a tiring day at central park. But i didnt liked the ambience at all there was no ac working, service was slow, the surrounding as well was not maintained, restroom was not clean, staff was little rude(well i can give a benefit of doubt) fod behavior as fhat might be fhe case of miscommunication. I went following the name sarvanaa bhavan, i guess i had a better expectation. Lets come to taste in food, so i will say ifs somewhere between below avg to avg. I had ordered yogurt rice, few dosas, chana bhatura, sambhar vada and filter coffee. Yogurt rice and vegetable dosa truly disappointed me. Rava dosa was good, chana bhatura as well was okay (bhatura was thick). Also i dont know why they gave very little sambhar and asking extra means they charge extra. Is that a strategy?? If yes then very bad! Anyways, this was the honest review from me word by word, rest is up to you.

Nice Indian restaurant. All the dishes are vegetarian. The food here is different from the common tandoori kitchen that most other Indian restaurants in the city have. You can't get chicken tikka here, but you have many spreads and dips with dosa, tali and paratha to go with them. Nice place, but I still prefer tandoori personally.

Simple, delicious and well priced vegetarian Indian food. The dosas are very nice so it the thali

Saravanaa Bhavan is a South Indian iconic restaurant and this branch here in NY does justice to its reputation. We were served by Vijay and his service definitely made the entire dining experience truly memorable. We had the Thali lunch and uttapam for the kids. All our plates went back completely wiped clean! Definitely put this place on your list to eat when in NY.

Must try dish: Paper Masala Dosa. Having the nice aroma of Ghee, it's as super thin and Crispy as it could get. They also serve additional rounds of Chutneys and Sambhar (for free) Waiters are nice and courteous. They did ask vaccination proof for allowing dine-in, which is a good thing.

Excellent dosas in the UWS! I was having a pregnancy craving & usually have to travel to Jackson Heights to get dosas. Luckily I found this little gem in the city. I had a Rava Masala Dosa with onions, chili’s & potatoes & it was delicious. My husband had a Masala Dosa with potatoes & chili’s, which was crispy & buttery. Totally recommend if you’re in the city & craving dosas.

Great little spot with warm staff and tasty food. The dosas are so fun! Giant crepes that you dip in delicious chutney. It’s definitely a unique cuisine (for me at least) and worth trying. I’ve been a few times now and the food has always been fresh and flavorful. Get the dish with the giant puffed up bread if you wanna be wowed. I’ll be back :)

Food is good and fresh but quantity too much for a mid-size diet. 4 people can easily feel full by ordering 3 plates. This is just an example of what to expect in terms of quantity.

We stepped into Saravanaa Bhavan exhausted from a packed trip. And thanks to Dr. Pal YouTube shorts, wherein we knew that Saravanaa Bhavan would have filter coffee. It is a pleasure to find filter coffee in the USA!!! Much needed Indian refreshment, especially after a tiring day! Dosa are delicious, chutneys are amazing! Everything is fresh and stomach filling!! We had Almond halwa, which was yummy as well!! Kesar and cashew halwa was mouth-watering, too😋 staff is considerate and very friendly, although we reached 15 minutes before the closing time, everyone was generous to serve us with a smile! Cheers to a fantastic and hospitable staff! Looking forward to having Saravanaa Bhavan at Chicago!!