Chennai Masala

🌴 South Indian Gem Near Portland Stumbled upon this spot by chance — and what a delicious discovery it turned out to be! If you’re anywhere near Portland and craving authentic South Indian food, this place deserves a visit (or several). ⸻ 📝 Things Tried: Chinese Spring Dosa, Medu Vada, Idly Sambar, Rava Onion Dosa, Filter Coffee ⸻ 🔥 Verdict: • 🥯 Medu Vada – Perfectly executed. Crispy outside, soft and airy inside — a rare and satisfying balance. • 🌯 Chinese Spring Dosa – Fusion done right. Crisp dosa filled with flavorful, stir-fried veggies — bold and delicious. • 🥞 Rava Onion Dosa – Ultra-crispy with just the right hit of saltiness. Every bite was on point. • 🍥 Idly Sambar – Soft, fluffy idlis paired with comforting sambar and chutneys. Classic and well-done. • ☕ Filter Coffee – Strong, aromatic, and smooth — exactly how filter coffee should be. A satisfying end to the meal. ⸻ ✨ Ambience & Service: Clean and cozy interior with a pleasant vibe. Service was on the slower side, but the quality of the food makes it easy to overlook. ⸻ 🎯 Final Word: Authentic, flavorful, and comforting — a spot I’ll definitely revisit whenever I’m in Portland. If you’re nearby, don’t miss it.

Excellent restaurant with fabulous service!! Every meal we have had here has been absolutely incredible. They really go out of their way to serve you with true Indian hospitality. It is my favorite restaurant in Orenco!

We had the Chicken Makhani and the Lamb Kheema Dosa, and a side of paneer naan. The dosa was impressive in size, with crispy buttery edges, dipping sauces, and a well spiced ground lamb in middle. It was less spicy than I expected but that was not an issue for me and it was still delicious. The chicken makhani was fantastic with the naan. The dosa is something I haven't seen before, but I loved it. The owner was so friendly and we had a lovely chat about the food and what regions the dishes are from. We will be coming back again!

I love the service and the food a lot. My favorite is Rava Dosa and Thair vada,. The owner is real nice, visits every table and checks on every guest. Highly recommend to anyone for their dosas. Their curries are also outstanding. Great staff working the front. Give them several 👍.

Great service wonderful food. We had the chicken tiki for starters. I had the chicken curry with just the perfect amount of spice. My grandson had the chicken masala he really enjoyed it. We also had the garlic naan. Our server came by a couple of times to see if we needed anything. Just a very pleasant lunch.

Loved it here! Their spice level is fantastic and the way they layer their flavor is divine! The service was very friendly and super attentive. Prices were very reasonable with great portion sizes. Ambiance was nice and the restaurant was clean and warm. It was a great experience overall and I can't wait to go back! You must try the vegetable samosa! So delicious!!!!!

THE best Indian food you can get in Portland and the surrounding area. Top notch staff and service, and the caliber of the food is incredible - you can tell that quality is never sacrificed in favor of cost-cutting. Portland peeps - it's well worth the drive!!! Get extra curry and take it home for leftovers.

I had the chicken makhani (butter chicken) and garlic naan. They were both amazing. The garlic naan had plenty of garlic and the chicken makhani was a good portion size. The service was also incredible. This is definitely being added to my repertoire for dinner restaurants. ❤️

[ food ]: 8/10 * chicken tikka: The chicken was tender and very flavorful, with good presentation. Creamy and satisfied that sense of comfort food that I was looking for. * lamb biriyani: This was something I'd never tried before but was extremely impressed with in terms of flavor, texture, and presentation. Again, meat was very tender and had a really nice heat to it even at the middle spice level! * garlic naan: so yummy! Compared to other naan I've had in the Portland area, this takes the cake! I'd definitely recommend this with any main dish you order or even by itself! [ service ]: 10/10 * As soon as we walked in, we were kindly greeted by many staff members and they were more than attentive about keeping our water glasses filled and making sure that we were enjoying our food! Everyone was kind and welcoming! [ ambiance ]: 8/10 * I loved the bollywood videos they were playing on the tv, the tall vaulted ceilings and big windows, along with beautiful decor really brought the place to life next time I'll be sure to try the chicken makhani! I've heard great things!

Food: mid Pricing: a bit haughty Customer service: makes alligators seem like they graduated charm school

Wonderful Indian restaurant with typical cuisine done well. House special are the South Indian dosas with a large variety of fillings. They are huge and the best I have ever tasted. Worth a visit for this dish alone. Easy parking.

10/10. I like all Indian food and thought the food here was delicious and comforting. The curry and garlic naan were good sizes. The service was friendly and polite, with a little extra good service. And the interior was fun and beautiful. I think it sets a warm environment.

My wife and I had Chennai Masala cater for our wedding weekend, with lunch after our ceremony, appetizers at cocktail hour, and dinner plus dessert at our reception. All of the food was amazing, and our guests absolutely loved it. In the 50-degree cold during our outdoor ceremony, Sumi and her team managed to keep the channa poori and sambar piping hot! Our guests raved about the lamb rogan josh, chicken tikka masala, and malai kofta during our reception dinner, going back for seconds and thirds! But we would be remiss if we stopped there. Sumi is a delight to work with. We taste tested at a few different Indian restaurants for our wedding, and Sumi's approach to her business and clients, plus the fact that her food tasted the best, quickly won us over. This proved to be the right decision during our wedding on two fronts. First, the food was amazing. But second, and more importantly, Sumi was able to handle some mis-steps on our venue's part. She stayed through both events and didn't say anything to us until after the events had completed. An Indian wedding is all about the food, and Sumi ensured that we had the best dishes all served with the best presentation. She's a great vendor to have on your vendor team!

I came to eat lunch at Chennai Masala today for the first time. My manager said this used to be one of her go-to spots before the pandemic, so I was excited to try it. We were greeted by our server immediately after walking in the door and had the whole restaurant to ourselves. They had a hot bar set up with multiple entrees to choose from. Our server gave us a short rundown of all of the options, and then we were each able to pick two. All of the sides shown in my picture were included. It was so nice to be able to try a bit of everything. While I did enjoy my meal, it wasn't up there with the most flavorful Indian food I've tried. I would come back again, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way.

I have been coming here for 14 years and this place never disappoints. Although I miss the buffet ,their new combo plate offering is not lacking in the flavor that I have come to know and love.

Got a pick up order here. The food was pretty good! My favorite was the butter chicken. It was seasoned well and the chicken was very tasty. The naan could have been better I think. The rice was tasty, and Lassi was pretty yummy as well. The Dal was alright. That said, I would go here again.

Some of the tastiest Indian food we've had. Our first time here and the Butter Chicken (Chicken Manchurian) was our favorite. We also had chicken tikka masala and the regular curry. Garlic naan was also delicious and the yogurt lassi.

Good food. Attentive service. Unfortunately no more lunch buffet--which was very cost effective.

This is me, Waleed 5 stars because, the tika Masala is so good! Have you seen me? It is one of a best place ever! There is Some TV there too! By Waleed Abu Khater!

My uncle treated us here the other evening and it was absolutely delicious! The server was nice and the interior had a nice ambiance. Potentially the new spot for the indian

I'm extremely sad that their standards and taste have gone down. We stopped eating here 3 years back when we got spoiled chutneys. When we reached out to them, they said their fridge/freezer went out and they didn't have any more chutneys. Acceptable, but we just stopped going there. I was craving for Parota kurma and wanted to give them another try. Unfortunately, this time, everything was subpar, and most of the food we ordered was inedible. Chutneys were spoiled, masala for dosa lacked flavor, and thayir vada was so sour (it was just vadai in sour curd, no garnishes) that we just threw it away. The Parota was so oily, and kurma was barely edible. We used to love eating here 6-7 years back, and so sad to see their taste/standards going down.

I stopped coming here after the first few tries, several years ago, due to getting sick repeatedly-but I am so GLAD I gave it another chance. As of now, it's the best Indian food in the area I typically order over the phone, but the staff is always accommodating of specifications (my mom likes her Indian food mild, for instance), and patient with questions and lengthy orders. My only complaints would be a little inconsistency in quality (but still good) and portions. I have unfortunately had a few orders of chicken entrees, for example, with very little chicken in them. For the price of food today, I would hope that wouldn't be an issue. Hopefully it's not ongoing. I also have experienced spoiled chutneys (multiple times) as mentioned in other reviews. When I have popped in for a pickup, the ambiance seemed fresh, light, and contemporary compared to the "throw away" style of a lot of such places that don't seem to put thought into the fixtures or decor. Overall, it's still worth it. Relatively with a great menu and typically good quality.

Good food and service but the place is very noisy and you probably will not be able to talk to the people you go with. Also the tables are very small, in trying to adjust more tables they have made the tables so small that its difficult to adjust things there.

We were visiting from Seattle area and nothing was open for thanksgiving so figured we give this place a try. The food is overpriced and taste is mediocre. We found better Indian places that are reasonably priced in the area that are more authentic tasting. The coconut chutney was the only thing that we liked but overall not happy with the food or the prices. Wouldn't try again.

This is an updated review post pandemic, and I am so sad. This used to be the best Indian food in Portland and my solid go to. Unfortunately, it is now a no go. Went there for lunch today, and not surprised the famous buffet is gone and that is understandable. What wasn't understandable is why the food tastes absolutely nothing like it used to! I think it's the same owners, but the tikka masala was awful. A flavorless, brownish soupy sauce instead of the robust and sublime, thicker red/orangey masala sauce they are known for. In the old days you had to get there at 11:30am or you may not get in. Now, however, we arrived at 11:30 with friends we hadn't seen since the pandemic and left at 1:30 because we were talking. In that entire time there were a max of 5 tables filled. I guess I know why, and it really does make me very very sad.

Food is great. Customer service and general staff attitude are trash. I watched the couple next to me get their food and the staff dropped it all over them....and they still came to deliver the bill after. Owner/manager dipped out real quick after giving an "I'm sorry" and not even offering to cover the meal. That owner or manager needs to go back to customer service school and be better. Staff who dropped the food was giving attitude when he finally comped the meal for them. Yikes.

Ordinary food and overpriced. This place serves poori bhaaji 2 counts of poori with a little serving of bhaji, which they do not refill for $17. Are you serious? Other times too, when I have tried their other food items, they have tasted very ordinary. Everything seems so overpriced.

My boyfriend and I brought his parents here for dinner. This was there first time here. None of the staff was smiling. Customer service was trash. They were placing drinks and food that had been ordered in front of the wrong person at the table so we had to do our own switching around. I ordered a side of mint chutney to go with the Dosa that I ordered. While I was enjoying my coffee, the waiter spilled the chutney on my expensive chenille cream colored sweater and jeans. I had to sit and eat my food while covered in chutney and being wet. Needless to say, it ruined my dining experience and wanted to leave. The owner/manager tried to make small talk but the whole ambiance at our table was ruined because of the incident that had occurred. Not once did she offer to comp our meal. Normally I love coming to this place, but because of her lack of professionalism and lack of sympathy I will not be coming back.

The food here is some of the best Indian that greater Portland can offer and with so many good Indian restaurants that says a lot. Try the Dosas! The owner Sumi is a real sweetie and loves on her customers and shares her passion about the food she brings from Chennai. 100% Woman owned business.

I loved the masala dosa and one of our family members had navratan korma which was also delicious. We liked the casual colorful atmosphere and the friendliness

We would give less if possible. What terrible customer service. We called in to get a to-go order for pick up. My husband drove 20 minutes to pick it up. He took it home and I discovered that it was all the wrong food. He called to tell them they gave us the wrong food. They told us to bring the food back and he drove the 20 minutes back to pick up the correct food. When he got there, they told him they had made no mistake and would not replace the food with the correct order (there were four of us: me, my husband and our two sons, $60 order). This, even though he had brought back the entire order and the ticket attached to the food matched what he had ordered but the food itself was incorrect. So 40 minutes of wasted time, we had to spend time calling our credit card company to report the fraud, then find some other food for dinner for our family at 8:30pm on a Friday night. Never ordering from this place again. Terrible customer service.

Huge portion sizes, great vegetarian options and nothing too spicy. The service was quick. The vibe was very casual. None of the dosas we ordered were spicy. I would like if they had an option to customize the spice levels. Will definitely be coming back here!

My family have loved this restaurant for over 20 years. In that time we have not found a better Indian restaurant in the entire Portland metro area. Love the dosa, chicken tikka masala, biryani... honestly it's all fantastic. I have found the staff to be very friendly - not sure why there are negative reviews in that regard. The Bollywood videos they play are a hoot. Many years ago I convinced them to show some cricket videos and they humored me. The owner sometimes comes around to make sure everything is OK, she is so sweet and chatty. Thank you for all the fun memories, we will always return here as long as it exists.

The best Indian food, IMHO, on the west side of Portland. The Malai Kofta was terrific, and my husband's Korma, was also quite good. Can't wait to return.

I love this place! It hasn't disappointed ever. The flavors are amazing and they do not skimp out on portions. They are seriously amazing. It's not loud and the lights are low enough to give you just enough light to see but it's not overbearing. The service is great! They are super quick and kind and they make sure your order is right the first time. We will continue to go back.

Not sure why this is rated so high. We ordered Palak paneer and paneer makhani and both were super creamy and tasteless. In paneer makhani they added so much food color that it stained the fingers. We told it to the restaurant staff and they did nothing about it, didn't even offer to replace paneer makhani, so we just left it uneaten.

I was craving Indian food and one of my favorite place closed for good... so I wanted to try this place, recommended by my Indian neighbor. We order to take out, given time for 20 min to pick up but it was longer than it took so add 5-10 minutes to pick up? Food was fine, but my saag was a bit sweeter and mild than I like. Tikka was fine. Samosa was good with some spices. They have many dosas option and biryani, so I should give another try.

Went with a coworker for lunch. First impressions were great...from the immediate greeting at the entrance, to the environment. Our server was fantastic. He stood with us at the buffet bar and explained what each item was. We then took our seats where he went thru the menu giving us some recommendations. Our food was very good! We will be back for sure.

This has gone down hill. The shrimp was tiny and hardly any. Like dime size. Same with the scant eggplant. The Nan was skimpy. While many of the flavors were good, It was disappointing.

Great experience here. Despite being relatively busy, they provided personal attention to be sure the dishes we ordered matched our tastes (not too spicy, etc). They gave us tastes and suggestions. Just a very nice experience.

After almost a decade, I went to Chennai Masala as I had fond memories of that place when they were a "mess type eatery" way long ago. The quality is still the same- outstanding food. Bajjis and samosas were done to perfection. My biryani had the right flavor, and my kids loved their dosas (get the spinach dosa). Best place for South Indian food in the Pacific Northwest.

We were there last week and very disappointed. Not only it is over priced , the quality is very average. Samosa is bland , no flavor and no taste. . It is just filled with mashed potatoes.!!!! Egg Dosa hardly had any scrambled egg in it. They give very little Chutney and Sambar.. They charge for extra. Don't waste your money going there.

It has been several years since I have eaten here, but it is the same as I remembered - bland. I am ok with it being spicy or not being spicy, but I don't ever think of Indian food as bland. We ordered the chicken tikka masala and the fried cauliflower. The cauliflower was actually very good. The batter had a nice peppery taste to it and the sauce was really good. However, the tikka was extremely bland and a little sweet. It was filling and rich but extremely bland. Maybe I will try it again in 5 more years.

Second time here, food was yummy! The kebab chicken was deliciously tasty. Had a chicken tikka dosa with sauces to dip and it was delicious. Also not pictured an order of delicious garlic naan and butter chicken! The flavors are amazing!

Went to Chennai Masala with couple of friends to spend sometime in the evening. Ordered Indian Beer (Tried Hayward 5000 and Taj Mahal brands), had Lamb Chukka and Paneer fry as appetizer. Food was great and we had good time. staff were friendly and enjoyed the ambiance.

Best chicken and lamb vindaloo I have ever taste they make it so good That's the only thing I eat there for the last two years I'm kind of addicted to this dish especially with the crispy made naan bread

They've been on my radar for quite sometime especially because there's a lack of quality Indian food options in Portland Metro. The Mango Lassi was just the right consistency and sweetness and is served in an generous tall glass with thankfully no ice. It's quite the deal for the price. I suggest NOT gulping this heavy drink. It counters any spicy food well, so sip it with the meal and finish the rest after. They knocked my favorite Indian dish - Mutter Paneer - out of the park! Ample cheese cubes in a thicker than usual, buttery, sweet sauce. So good. Don't let the small serving dish fool you as it goes a long way. As like at most Indian restaurants the rice was bland. If you've experienced Persian, Afghani, Japanese or Indonesian then you know what I mean. The Samosas were good. This popular appetizer tastes about the same from place to place. It wasn't too potato heavy so that was a plus. The same goes for the naan, it's usually a side show and not very memorable. You could barely taste the paneer cheese here. This was my first time ordering the cheese omelet: it didn't knock my socks off, but a pleasant side dish nevertheless. It seems that the dosas are one of the stars of the menu, they looked so delicious at other tables that it's a future must order. Another Yelper mentioned they still use styrofoam, and while I didn't see that I did notice they're not on board with the new anti-plastic straw trend. Service was friendly and fast. Great place!

Been here a few times, always for the lunch buffet. Love the Tandoori chicken, the Butter Chicken, and all the other Masala's on the buffet. (Did get a broke chicken bone in one of the dishes so -1 star.) Is easy to get in and out quickly for lunch, good variety and good food!

Average indian food The sambar was meh Service was decent Ambiance was decent Nothing extraordinary

I am new the the area, originally from LA, and I must say, Chennai Masala is hands up my new favorite Indian restaurant. The food is incredible! My favorite dish is the Dhal Makhani with a side of Aloo Gobi. The flavors in every dish I've tried is always perfectly in balance. You can taste the love that creates each dish. The staff are very sweet and attentive to their customers. I'd highly recommend this restaurant!

I think they do a great job at service and ensure you leave happy. I have dined here a few times and have always been satisfied with food and service both .Highly recommend their south Indian fare - sambhar vada , Masala Dosa , Idli , medhu vada etc . Other food item are ok as well , I have not tried the lunch buffet ever so Can`t really comment about that . The serving sizes are small for Sambhar however they do refill it for you if you ask. There is ample seating and the food comes out fast which is always a plus .

I had the best chicken tika marsala in my life. Price is little high but it very worthy it. Lunch buffet is supper good as well.

Not completely sure what I was hungry for, I popped into Chennai Masala thinking that the aroma of Indian food would convince me I was in the mood for Indian. Chennai Masala didn't disappoint. The naan was so delish-light and almost fluffy, with a texture I'm going to crave !! The Chicken Tikka Masala came in a wonderful-perfectly spiced masterpiece. The Raita was served cold, with bits of cucumber in the mix. Because I put Raita on everything, it has got to be good, or my meal is ruined. This Raita was perfect. And finally, the tell-tale sign of any good ethnic Restaurant are the ethnicity of the guests eating there. In this case, I dined with no fewer than nine tables-seven were made up of Indian Families. Great food, great service, very reasonable prices. I'll be back!!

Delicious food. Service is just ok. The server was fine, not too friendly, tho. I told him I was vegan and asked what was vegan on the menu. He said many things could be made vegan and assured me the dosa, chana masala and other lentil dish (forget the name) could be made vegan so I went for it. They were delicious but I couldn't help be suspicious that they were not vegan because I know those dishes take a long time to stew and our food came out in 10ish minutes. I really hope he was being truthful.

This place is THE BOMB. Similar to thanksgiving meal, I always leave sick from over eating here. The food is that good. I always get naan and chicken tikka masala. However the Marat paneer and goat Biriyani are outstanding together. If the spice levels are too much for you (moderate), then do yourself a favor and get the mango lassi. This sweet soothing drink will cool you right down! Fantastic restaurant and I will always recommend

I think my days at chennai masala are over. The food taste has gone down. We ordered a dosa and found that the tomato chutney had gone bad from the smell and taste of it. When we let them know, we never heard back from the service about the issue.

hello recently I visited the Chennai masala restaurant service was great the waiter he gave us excellent service, but the only thing that I have to say about the food and just because I know the flavors of lamb which is my favorite meat in the whole planet and I know the way it should taste and smells , and how it should looks like and I'm pretty sure it's not lamb and that was a great disappointment for me. Lamb should never be replace for any other meat now my doubt is what was I eating ? I couldn't finished it because I didn't recognize the flavor of the lamb please if you advertise and your menu and offering lamb, please be served lamb. Thank you

We ordered the chicken tikka masala and it was outstanding. Ohmygod I ate all of it. So delicious. And friendly staff too.