Chennai Dosa Hut Vegetarian Restaurant & Indian Food

This is an all vegetarian restaurant that offers excellent tiffin choices such as Idli, Vada, pongal, Dosa (so many varieties), South Indian Thali etc. During today's visit, we tried Chole Bhature for the first time and it was awesome. The chole had a nice onion flavor and bhature was super soft! We also ordered plain Dosa and Mysore masala dosa, they also have a self seve chutney (onion and garlic free) and sambar station that goes well with the dosa.

Excellent experience! I liked that this was an all vegetarian restaurant. I ordered the thali with dosa — included many items- all delicious, including a very flavorful chutney made from gourd. The dosa was not hot tho — room temperature. Overall presentation was appetizing. The portion size was great and extra sambar /chutneys were available. Service was quick. Appreciated the extra gourd chutney which was brought out for me to take with my leftovers. Atmosphere / appearance of restaurant is okay — could use an update. Definitely recommended — get the Thali ! Great value.

Great experience! We went out as a family and most of us had the South Indian Thali. I had the paneer spinach dosa- it was nice. Only wish it had little more paneer and spinach and little less dosa- I hadn’t informed at the time of ordering for my preference. So that was okay. The filter coffee was nice and strong.

I visited this restaurant recently and ordered the tomato onion uttapam. Unfortunately, it was overcooked and the taste was very disappointing. The quality of the dish did not meet my expectations at all. I had looked forward to enjoying the food, but the experience was unpleasant. Based on this visit, I would not recommend the uttapam here. I hope the restaurant works on improving the preparation and taste of their dishes in the future.”

Try Pizza Dosa.. it is super tasty.. and filled with so many veggies. I am not a big fan of potatoes and hence I prefer other veggie dosas.

We visited for Dinner Mid week and they had low crowd in the house but decent pickup orders. Order Podi Dosa which big and tasty but the chutneys were below average. They had the worst sambar I have ever had at any south Indian restaurant. What they had barely qualified as a Sambar. Ordered Meduwada which is okay, and a bit bland. Ordered Chhole Bhature which is 3/5. Bhatures were hot and fresh. So we ordered it again only to be made waiting for 15-20 minutes mid dinner. We again made a mistake of ordering filter coffees, and they didn’t even care to serve it until we got up and payed the check. After asking repeatedly, they served the food. For billing, serving food, giving out orders, and table cleanup, they had ONE GIRL doing all these works. Needless to say, the service was horrible. The other lady probably the owner/manager would hastily put food on the table and before you can even open a mouth she would ignore you and run away. You are not doing charity, you are serving customers who are paying. Have a decency to ask how they are liking the food, if they want something or at the bare minimum have a patience to listen when they are trying to ask you for something. No way I am ever setting my foot again in this restaurant or recommend any of my friends to do it.

We ordered a nimbu masala soda and a filter coffee to go. Unfortunately, the filter coffee was undrinkable and we had to throw it away. When we informed the staff, the management was polite but unwilling to help resolve the issue. They insisted that this is how filter coffee tastes and said that everyone drinks it. As someone familiar with authentic South Indian filter coffee, this explanation was unconvincing and disappointing. They only offered to make a fresh coffee and clearly stated that a refund was not possible. Adding to the frustration, we had to wait nearly 20 minutes for the order. Poor service and bad coffee overall. Would not return again.

$16 lunch special Very delicious thali with free 3 chutneys and sambhor soup. The thali portion is so much and wvery dish was delicious. Worth trying and will definitely go back to it.

If you are looking for delicious South Indian vegetarian food, check out Chennai Dosa Hut. I loved the taste of their sambar (vegetable soup) and chutneys which I ate with the masala dosa. The dosa itself is about 2 ft wide! The potato filling is very generous (unlike some other local dosa places). The Chana masala (curried chick peas) were delicious with just the right level of heat. We got it with chappatis because we find the puris/baturas too greasy. The food service is fast and efficient.

Worst Avail ever seen or eaten in my life! Extremely watery, 90 % potatoes, two pieces of carrots and green beans each for adding some color. No flavor or taste or aroma! The staff was at sweet though but that does not satisfy ones hunger! I would never spend any money at this restaurant again.

Visited for lovely sunday brunch today. Everything was very tasty and I noticed new items like the crispy dosa and kala channa salad. The spring rolls and vada were a little cold. The sambar and fresh puris were delish! And I absolutelty adore the filter coffee, I must have had at least 5 cups!

We haven't been to Chennai Tiffins in ages and decided to dine here one week night What we ordered - -Onion Pakora - Onion Fritters -Aloo Bonda - Potato Fritters -Dosa - Rice and Lentils Crepe -Onion Rava Dosa - Semolina and rice flour Crepe. If I had to pick one, it would be the Onion Rava Dosa. It was perfectly done! -Mini Tiffin with Idly, Vada and Pongal - For those unfamiliar with South Indian cuisine, this sampler is the best. Everything was very well done and the Dosas both Plain and Rava were a big hit. Special mention to the Chutneys and Sambar. With its authentic taste, generous portion sizes and moderate pricing, Chennai Tiffins checks all boxes!! Chennai Tiffins might be my new favorite! Looking forward to dining here more frequently.

I had ordered tomato chilli uttapam. I eat the borders first .. once I started moving towards the middle.. its raw .. So raw that you can pick up the liquid raw part with one finger. I called the owner and told her about it. She did not apologize .. She was so rude that she "You're telling now? You have eaten 20 % of it already .. you should have told us earlier instead of eating it". I picked up the raw part with my finger and asked her if she wanted me to eat it? She then said she would ask the cook to make a small uttapam for me ... She brought a very small uttapam with a little tomato on it. So thin that it was a baby size now .. took full payment for it !!! Terrible attitude ... terrible business ... be aware of this business !!!!!

It was a very strange experience. Pricy for just butter paneer masala, and it only comes with rice. The curry was okay. No one came to the table during the meal to ask how it was or if we needed anything. The restaurant was empty besides one large family, and there was no music or ambiance, just stale silence. Their napkin dispenser mentions that you get a free lassi with your meal if you give a review on Google Maps. I gave a review, showed them, and they refused to give me the lassi because I did not give them 5 stars in my review. I've since updated my review and lowered the ratings further than what I initially gave them, and have now decided to leave a review on Yelp as well.

Good service and ambiance. First time trying food, got rava dosa. Will come back again.

Tomato chutney used to be really good but now since they have stopped putting all the chutney in the ice, it was sour and not good. Peanut chutney was warm instead of cold (which it was used to be). Sambhar, idli and dosa were good.

Every time we go to the Mandir, me & my family we eat here. Food is beyond excellent, good quantity and quality has stayed the same for years. Service has never been there, I'm not sure if they are always short of staff or not trained enough. Ambiance is good. My 5stars is for food.

Best masala Dosa & Rava kesari !!!!!!!! Absolutely love this place when I am craving Dosa.

I like the food here. The service is great. The music is fun. The style is Indian style.

Best South Indian food I eat here every time in the area I love their sambar and chutneys

Food was delicious. Great service. Cutlery did not look so clean. But the food was not too spicy, just right.

My heart has been broken ever since we lost Surati Farsan, which was located just across from Chennai Tiffins. Thankfully, Chennai is holding it down. Chennai Tiffins is a family style and child friendly South Indian restaurant that is vegetarian with so many options: Idlis, dosas, vadas and sambars -- lots of appetizers and full menu items. The restaurant is on the smaller size, and there is one table outside I have never seen anyone use. I always come for the thali, and also very much enjoy the dosas (lots of options here) and the gobi -- all excellent. It is a heaping serving of delicious home cooking at less than $20. The thali is served with two curries, idy, papad, rasam, dal and white rice, among other tasty items. Highly impressive, and the largest thali I have seen served in San Diego. Thali is served every day, which is also unique. Other places in souhern California will only serve thali on the weekend. Chennai Tiffins also has a weekend buffet that seems popular, also for less than $20. Service can be hit or miss, but the food is always delicious. The restaurant caters, and closes after the lunch hour for a break before dinner. I recommend showing up close to opening because it does have a tendency to get packed, and keeps busy with with to go orders.

Ordered Paneer Dosa for dinner. The dosa had a good quantity of paneer in it so it was worth the price. But the paneer stuffing was bit dry as the paneer and onions were mostly separate. If the paneer had blended well with the masala it would have been even better. I have been to Chennai Dosa hut multiple times for their South Indian Thali and Parotta with Veg Kurma ( must try items from this store ) The restaurant has a pretty decent seating arrangement and their service is also good in general.

Tried it again. Iddli, Sambar, Oothapam It should be hard to mess those up. I threw the sambar away. No flavor and tooo much chile...The peanut chutney tasted stale and the coconut chutney was rancid, like old dried grated coconut.. The oothapam was edible but not delicious The waitress was fairly ok...

Ghee roast dosa is supposed to be crispy and not a regular dosa. Dahi vada should be cold and not hot vadas in the dahi. Sambhar should taste like sambhar not like bland lentil soup. Deeply disappointed, never visiting.

The food and service is so good and fast and the food is amazing! Pictured: Papadum and Gobi Manchurian

This place totally satisfied my dosa craving. Yes, I have. been to San Idli too but that place is too crowded for me. This was our second time here and the dosas are consistently delicious. Service is quick and the waitress was sweet. The table and the restroom were spotless. We ordered the spring dosa which is basically veggies sandwiched inside a dosa. It was a bit spicy and so yummy. We ordered a side of the masala potatoes which we did not need as it had some potatoes inside. I also ordered the onion chili rava dosa with a side of potatoes. This baby was so tasty and crispy, i was in dosa heaven! Everything came with tasty spicy, sam bar and three chutneys. We had tons of leftovers so we could have managed just fine with just one order. Dosas reheat really well so nothing will be wasted! if you like dosas give this place a try!!

We went for brunch. While there are options I felt overall taste was okay. There's an old uncle who very sweetly asks if someone wants fresh hot dosa or Bhatura. Service is decent. It was a buffet. Price didn't feel right to me as I have had much better vegetarian South Indian lunch buffet in Atlanta. Ambiance is normal.

We love all the dosa varieties at this restaurant. The peanut chutney and Sambar are also extremely delicious. I highly recommend that this restaurant be visited at least once.

I have been here several times. And for the 1st time, I m disappointed with the food quality. Sambhar was cold and food was served cold. Staff was not approachable.

Great food, tasty dosas and delicious Sambar. Highly recommend it! I brought my friends to enjoy the dishes. They will return.

I like authentic Indian food, and this place has been on my bookmark list for a while, recommended by a friend at work. Two of our family members are vegan; I try to avoid bread and potatoes and starch, but they won this round. My wife doesn't like spicy food so she lost. This is one of my sister's favorite places in the area. We ordered some dishes mild and some spicy, but they were all too spicy for my wife. The fried cauliflower was good, the dosa were good, I guess the potatoes were ok. Pickle sauces were good, and family liked the soup. The bathroom was strange, a single room with an outer washroom, and someone was in there for a while. All in all it was okay, my family liked it but I'd choose somewhere with more protein and less starch.

Waited over 25 minutes for medu vada arrived when restaurant opened and we got our masala dosa first And butter masala dosa we were disappointed with the wait but food was delicious and piping hot Vegetarian cuisine

Terrible customer service. It took forever to get the order, water and process the payment.

Amazing service and food! My favorite dishes here are the chili dosa and the paneer butter masala. The spice level is perfect. I'll definitely return whenever I'm craving a great vegetarian Indian meal.

The food was excellent, love the chutney sauces esp the peanut chutney. All you can drink soup was tasty with a little kick. We got the mysore masala dosa, poori channa, onion & tomato uthappam, paneer butter madala, all were great. Will be back

Had good food and good service At this place. All family members enjoyed delicious dosas here. Would love to come back for delicious dosas.

Excellent food! I would recommend Thali! The food is very tasty and authentic and the portion is very generous.

Amazing ghee dosa and rava dosa. Overall all the food is great. Amazing and flexible service. Always ready to accommodate modifications.

Food: 5/5 Service and Setting: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Seeing many of the negative reviews especially from those I assume to be Indian, I was sort of afraid to try Chennai Tiffins as food is becoming more and more expensive. I want to be the first to say that the viral 3.5 rating phenomenon for Chinese food does seem to apply for Indian food as well. Chennai Tiffins is in a plaza with easy parking surrounded by other delicious South Asian eateries. One strange moment I had was as I took a picture of the entrance, the hostess aggressively asked/accused me of taking a picture of her. Strange, but I guess be careful taking photos and try to not capture the staff. After clearing up the ordeal, she was very kind and even shared with me that they have an all you can eat buffet on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The overall dining area was clean and the food is bomb! Lunch Thali: 5/5 What I love about Indian food is how vast their cuisine is. I have tried Southern Indian food before, but not like this. The curries are all very rich and flavorful without being overindulgent. Coconut and peanuts take the place of dairy in the more typical types of Indian fare offered around here. The Dosa and the Vada were deliciously crispy. My favorite dish in the Thali was the Chana Masala. Chana Masala is normally in a rich tomato gravy, but here, it is deeply savory with boiled peanuts, a true treat. I am not sure how to explain the food as I am not familiar with it all, but the flavor profile is a bit more nutty and a different vibe than others, especially Northern Indian foods. The yogurt rice, this sort of sour soup, and sambar were all incredibly delicious. I am a huge fan of Indian buffets as I get to try a bit of everything, but this Thali has changed my mind and this will be one of my go to places. I am a big eater and I was stuffed after this meal! Highly recommend and please come help out a small business that has been serving the community for a while! Sweet Lassi: 4/5 Thick and sweet, I prefer my Lassi to be a little more tart, but this is a great way to end your meal. Nothing special, but nothing bad! Buffet: 5/5 I have returned to eat the weekend brunch buffet and it was honestly very good. All you can eat idli, vada, puri, dosa, pongal, sambar, halwa, dal, and chutneys. The food is good, but the vada and idli do taste not as good as their freshly made versions. The buffet itself was clean and there is this charming grandpa who comes around every few minutes with fresh poori and/or dosa asking, "would you like Dosa roll?" I honestly like the thali better for the freshness and variety, but I will definitely come back if I have a huge South Indian craving! Falooda: 4.5/5 A very interesting drink/dessert, the falooda was filled with I think chia seeds, noodles, and delicious rose flavored milk. The ice cream on top felt a bit much and made many of the toppings freeze, but it something you should try at least once!

Food is amazing, so many options to choose. great veg food. very fast service. Ambiance is nice.

Amazing dosas and medu vada. Service was quick and the food was great. The ambiance was very lively.

Amazing food and great service!! I really enjoyed the dosa and samosas. Chutneys were so fresh!

What a delightful treat!! I've never had Indian breakfast. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I honestly don't know what I was expecting. But this is a very good surprise!!

It was amazing. Food was great! Service is fantastic. Its our go to place for vegetarian food. As family we enjoy the ambience and food

Good food and service. With good cleanliness, would recommend to my friend and family

A serious let down after enjoying a great meal at Mylapore Express in the Bay Area! The dosa did not taste sufficiently fermented and felt heavy ..not so sure about their batter. The masala stuffing was flavorless. The 'sambar' vaguely tasted of the real stuff. The chutneys were OK. South Indian-ish food at best, hard core south Indian food aficionados please stay away...

Food and service was very good especially the Dosas was crisp and tasty. I tried the Chole bhatura and it was really good.

The food is very palatable. Service is excellent and they are kind . I enjoy eating Indian style food with my family

Chennai Dosa Hut has very delicious food, and the waiters bring it very fast. The menu is very vast with almost all south indian vegtarian food. The interior is very spacios and designed giving a perfect meal.

And this is my happy place. The best Dosa in SoCal. Whenever I visit San Diego, I make sure I have to visit this place. My all time favorite Dosa is Pizza Dosa. Being a Sambhar Vada lover, I tried it this time. It was good but could be more crispy. However, no complaint the taste was really good. The place is following all necessary COVID norms and helpful staff. Looking forward to see you soon!

Update : i am here again on 2024 and i have to say that this feels like a completely new service from the entire team. Food was excellent! Better than what it was in the past, folks were very nice and kept checking on us on what we need, if we were doing good and kept bringing Dosa and Puri! Will definitely return for the weekend breakfast buffet.

Walked in and was excited to try the masala dosa, I was seated and a menu was given to me. I touched the menu and put my hands back on my lap and my pants were DIRTY! I looked a the menu looked like someone dipped it into their plate. There was huge chunks of food and sauce all over. If they cannot clean a simple menu before handing it to guests that makes me wonder how they're cleaning their kitchen. We immediately thought "food poisoning" and got up and left. Not worth it!

Idli was great and experience was very good and sweet was nice and nice view from window high quality food

It's lunch time! I have been craving some idly and meduvada with sambar and chutney. My normal go to for these was Surati Farsan or I used to go to Rasraj. However I decided to try Chennai tiffins today. The idly are really fluffy, perfectly steamed soft and delicious. It has good fermentation, soft sour notes, overall a very delicious idly. Sambar and coconut chutney should've been a little thicker with more punch, but overall they were decent. Now normally I'm not a peanut chutney fan but I have to say I really like their peanut chutney, it had a nice kick to it and will definitely be eating the rest. The meduvada were also perfectly cooked but it lacked in flavor. I couldn't taste the chilly or the curry leaves. Over all I will definitely be coming back to try out the rest of their menu. I can't wait to dig in to the rest of this food. I would've actually given them a 3 star but anyone who can get to me to like peanut chutney deserves a 4.

Amazing food and service! Would highly recommend. Delicious vadas, dosas, and puris. Wonderful ambience.

Tried the dosa and idli sambar. Dosa was superb and huge but not a big fan of idli. Sambar was nice and hot. It was self service for sambar and chutneys.We sat outside and enjoyed the food with the lovely weather. The server was very polite and kept checking if we were doing ok.