Samburna Indian Restaurant

I’ve been to this place more than a couple times now and has become my go to for South Indian cuisine. It’s not a fancy place and has limited sitting capacity but food is tasty and decently priced. During our recent visit, owner - a genuine and nice person - came to greet us, gave us good recommendations and we had a nice little chat. We ordered Kuzhi Paniyaram, Medhu wada, Idly and their Mega (3 ft) Masala dosa. Everything along with Sambhar and both coconut and red chutneys were really good!

Good location, limited seating area, not so much crowded. Will recommend for mostly South Indian dishes. They serve fresh food. Dosa was crispier than expected. Ordered Samburna Special Mega Dosa, it was more than enough for 2 of us. Gobhi Manchurian was ok in taste. Vada & Rasam was also ok taste.

I had disappointing visit to Samburna tonight around 6:30 PM for Dosa Night. We arrived early, hoping for fresh food, but what we received was cold and clearly leftover from the morning—especially the sambar, vadacurry, and khichdi. The dosa tasted like it was made with refined oil instead of butter, and after eating, both of us felt acidity and discomfort. This experience shows a lack of care for quality and customer value. If Samburna can't maintain standards, they shouldn't offer Dosa Night. I don’t recommend it. I have a video for foods as well, it’s not allowing me to upload. :(

I had idly, dosa, Vada, paniyaram, indo Chinese rice and chicken 65 here. I ordered masala dosa and they served plain dosa and masala was given separately in a small bowl post checking with them. The ambiance was not appealing, will oily greasy walls. Their washroom lock was broken, order taker wasn’t attentive and asked for clarity several times. Service was slow and dull.

I placed a catering order from Samburna for a housewarming event and the food was amazing! I want to take a moment to thank Madhi who helped throughout the process. The food was delicious, prepared and packed with care, it was ready on time and had great quality. The quantity of chutney and sambar were ample; the idli, vada, puri, rasmalai and payasam were great. The chole curry was the highlight, it was delicious! I’m extremely thankful to Madhi and team at Samburna for making the food and our event special. Thank you and HIGHLY RECOMMEND for catering!

We dined at Samburna Indian Restaurant and enjoyed a delicious South Indian meal. Though it’s a small place with limited seating, but food was great. We tried the medhu vada, chicken Chettinad with Malabar Paratha, and Szechwan fried rice. The medhu vada was crispy, and the Chettinad chicken curry was flavorful. Overall, we were pleased with the food, though there’s room for improvement in the service.

Probably one of the best restaurant experiences I’ve had in a while. The hospitality was amazing. The owner came to us and was very kind. The butter chicken was really good. I also highly recommend the Indian coffee they serve. Not many Indian restaurants serve it around here and it is a gem. 💎 I didn’t think to take a picture until I was all done eating everything. But, here are some pics nonetheless. Overall, a great classic place that I would go to again :)

This restaurant offers several varieties like crab curry, notu kodi soup etc which are not typically found in other Indian restaurants. However, I am disappointed with the service. First of all, the plates are not clean which makes the experience unpleasant. The starters like chilli chicken, chicken 65 have too much food colour, too dry and leaves an unpleasant taste. Main course is delivered first, we had to keep reminding them about starters ordered. However, the items in main course are delicious especially prawns curry but I wish there are more prawn pieces and less gravy. Overall although several varieties are available but still the experience will be enhanced if the service is better and starters are improved.

Love their Indian cuisines of butter chicken, curry eggs and fried rice. Their popadom is crispy and well spiced. Service is very friendly and involving. Enjoyed the personal hospitality of their manager Paul. Ambiance is typical Indian restaurant coffee shop. I highly recommend this venue.

Went here for quick byte, last year before the 4th July fireworks, Food quality was below average. Not sure if it was due main chef not available or what, but based on yelp review I came and was disappointed!!

Wow. Sorry forgot to photo the food. We love Indian food and have been to Indian restaurants in Miami Seattle, LA, SanFran, Detroit, and this is THE BEST Indian food we've ever had all of us agreed. Two of us got butter chicken, I got the Malabar Chicken, dad got chicken biryani. The Malabar is a really good flavorful coconut curry base chicken I never tried it but gave it a shot. Very good. The butter chicken is dense and you can taste the butter. One of the best butter chicken I've ever had. The biryani is a rice bowl dish that comes with a very good warm brown sauce and then the white yogurt sauce, it was quite flavorful but I am more of a curry type dish guy. We also got the samosas which comes with mint green sauce and Malabar Parotta bread to dip. Service was excellent. If you are looking for Authentic - this is it.

My belly is full and happy! The service was awesome and the food tasted delicious! They were friendly and helped us order.

This place has been a hit or a miss for us! Its a nice dosa place around bothell area with decent service and ambiance.

Great authentic food. Took Podi iddli which was amazing , egg as appetizer and masala dosa. I still feel they can improve on dosa freshness to taste it not sour. Service was not very quick as it looks like they have lots of delivery order and it's a small place. Ambience is small decent restaurant .

Authentic Indian restaurant, famous for dosa. My Indian friends recommended this one. Come early like 6 PM to avoid the crowd. They have dosa night on Wednesday. I believe it was a buffet dosa, but not anymore. You will get about 5 kinds of small dosa for around $15. I found there are not many meats for dishes like chicken or lamb dishes. Hence taking one star out for the value. Service is average, not above or below expectations.

We tried to go here a few weeks ago and it was packed with no one helping the people waiting at the door, so we went somewhere else. The crowd spoke well for the food which is why we decided we'd try again! The first thing I noticed was water bottles on all the tables, which raised a few questions. Bad water? Less care for the environment? We were seated awkwardly in the middle of the small restaurant. The sound of clanging utensils from the kitchen was loud and there was no music to balance out the chatter. We ordered Malabar chicken and paneer tikka masala promptly. While we waited, one of the waiters was extremely pushy about us trying to chickoo shake and mango lassi. I said no thanks (not a big sweet person) and he kept insisting. We finally said sure . The chickoo ($6.49) was very grainy and the mango Lassi ($3.99) only slightly cool. I checked in while we tried the drinks and discovered a 5% off deal - "sweet! Something to offset the drink cost!" The food arrived within reasonable time. The rice was fine - well cooked, nothing special, somewhat bland. The paneer had a good texture, but the tikka masala lacked flavor. The Malabar Chicken was spicy and tasty. While we were eating the same waiter tried to insist we order their bread to go with our food, but I refused this time. Upon paying for the check I tried using the Yelp 5% off deal. After talking with three separate workers, I was told the owner wasn't here and he was the only one who would honor the Yelp deal. I won't be back to find out if that's true. If you like a peaceful vibe or sustainability for our environment, this place is not for you. I really didn't like being sales pitched to about ordering things we didn't want while trying to enjoy a meal.

It's a small hole in the wall place. I went there as someone had recommended this place, but walked out unimpressed. We went there as soon as the place opened in the evening. I ordered the chicken lollipop and the Samburna supreme dosa. The chicken lollipops were dry I believe they over fried it. The samburna supreme dosa, came in 2 plates, but a significant part of the dosa8 inches on each side was sticking out of the plates. It was touching the tables, which made it unhygienic. They just bought 1 tiny bowl of chutney and 1 bowl of aloo masala. The dosa is definitely good for 2 ppl , but the chutney and masala was too less. The server didn't even ask us if we needed more.

Samburna located in Bothell serves Tamil food, a region that I am unfamiliar with. One thing I noticed is that they don't serve naan amongst their comprehensive menu. I generally prefer to eat pescatarian, but they had limited options. For fishes, they use golden pompano for whole fish dishes and tilapia for filet dishes. We instead opted for curries that are unfamiliar to us. I am not complaining; those dishes are flavorful and excellent choices. For water, they provide bottled water for each dinner; I'm not crazy about that but ah well. Three ladies serviced the dining area. They are very nice, and enjoyably chatty without being intrusive. At one point, my husband's dish provided to be a bit spicier than he can handle. The observant server offered a cup of yogurt to calm his spicy curry. We rarely see this level of attention unless at high end restaurants. Bravo! The interior is basic and functional. They are located at a strip mall where parking is plentiful, especially during dinner hours when adjacent businesses are closed. Side note: Reading the reviews, they seem to have a consistency issue with their food and cooking. We lucked out with a good experience. Their food leans towards true spiciness, not reduced Americanized spiciness. Be sure to ask for every dish even if the menu does not specify. The Food: Mutton Chettinad, $16.99 - 4 Stars This was noted as a signature dish on the menu, so we tried it. Whatever those secret spices are (simmered with onions and tomatoes), this was very flavorful. This is the dish that hubby needed some yogurt. That's on him, not them. :) Melagu Kozhi Curry, $15.99 - 4 Stars Menu: Aka Chicken Pepper Masala - Bone-in chicken pieces in a fiery curry with black pepper & fennel This is also a signature dish and new-to-me. I enjoyed the fiery and the heat of the curry. Not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy the burn, this is flavorful. Masala Dosa, $11.99 - 3.5 Stars A legit and crispy dosa, served with 3 kinds of dips. Their cooktop is uneven, though. You can visually see one end of the dosa is pale vs the rest of it. Mango Lassi, $3.99 - 4 Stars Perfectly good lassi

Samburna was on my to-try list for a long time after I read about their mega dosa. We went for lunch on a weekend and the restaurant was packed. It's a small place with 10-12 tables, so be prepared for a wait during weekends. We were lucky to get a table with a short wait. Pros - Clean place, food was served piping hot, friendly staff Cons - long wait for the food to arrive Coming to the taste, Gobi 65 (5/5) - best dish of the day, perfectly seasoned and crispy. Not excessively doughy or oily. Generous portion size as well. Chicken lollipop (4/5) - pretty good, could've been a tad more tender. kuzhi paniyaram (3/5) - I've had far better ones in India, but it was decent for a dish that's hard to find in the Seattle area. The tomato chutney was a total miss for me. kids coco dosa (4/5) - the kid loved it, but thought it was weird to serve a sweet dosa (dosa spread with nutella) with ketchup, and I have to agree with her! Goat thalapakkati biryani (3/5) - we loved the rice portion, it was perfectly flavored, but the meat sadly wasn't tender and was on the chewier side. Sweet pongal (complimentary) - perfect ghee dripping sweet pongal. We had a good experience overall and would definitely return to try their mega dosa and other offerings.

I'm giving 5 stars for great food, but I was pretty upset when I found out the owner keeps all the tips. This is against the law. Your employees are earning this money and you keep it for yourselves knowing how expensive the cost of living is in Seattle? When I was a waitress, I made $3.35 an hour and relied on my tips in order to live. This is not your money to keep. Under state law: Employers must pay all tips to employees. The employer may not take tips for company use, or to pay employee wages. https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/tips-and-service-charges#:~:text=Under%20state%20law%3A,or%20to%20pay%20employee%20wages.

The Chennai style chicken biryani recently added as a weekend special is my favorite! I was super excited when I tried it since I had been looking for this style of biryani for many years and hadn't found it in the Seattle area until now. Did not disappoint! Will try the mutton variety next time. Please make the Chennai style biryani a permanent item on your menu. Their thalapakati style biryani, shrimp biryani, parotta, chicken and masala dosas are our usual go-tos and they are all amazing! Great food and consistent quality. If you are planning to dine in, be ready to wait since the place is usually always packed. Not fine dining but good service and great food.

A good South Indian restaurant in Bothell area, dosas are okay with ghee roast dosa being the best and most crispy. Other dosas are not that crispy and on the soggy side. The chicken curries are amazing and we order those a lot, also loved the chilli mushroom appetizer last time we went there. Highly recommend to try out.

Tried this restaurant and the food is amazing! Never knew this gem existed right in Bothell. Their Mega Samburna Dosa is huge - literally a table and a half long and its delicious, crispy and has the perfect texture. We also tried their filter coffee, Ghee Dosa with podi on it, Medhu vada (one of the best ones I have had in a while) and Paniyaram - which were all a hit for our family of 3!

What a fantastic experience! I came here based off an article I read on-line about Samburna's dosas. I didn't know what a dosa was and glancing at their menu I saw more than a half a dozen items I wasn't familiar with, so off I went! This was a very enlightening and delicious experience. Our masala dosa ended up being a thin flat bread loosely rolled with the most flavorful potatoes inside. Our waiter described it like a pancake, but it isn't nearly as spongey as a pancake is. It has more of a crepe consistency but firmer. It was amazing and incredible and also absolutely giant. I ordered the classic butter chicken with malabar parotta. The butter chicken was very nice - the sauce a bit sweeter than I'm used to but still very good and the chicken was fantastic. I was a bit surprised how little chicken was in my butter chicken as the chicken to sauce ratio was quite a bit of sauce and chicken I had to hunt for in the bowl. That said, it was plenty of sauce for me to take home and mix with my own chicken breast for future meals. It was awesome in that regard and considering inflation I get why they may need to cut back on chicken since their price point is low. The malabar parotta was another new experience and a delightful surprise. It was like if naan and a croissant had a baby. It's flakey, buttery, tears easily, and is a must if you love bread. As mentioned the price points here are low considering the cost of eating out these days. Considering how much food we ate and the leftovers I was duly impressed. It is amazing food for an incredible price. Our server was delightful. At first he was very formal with us, but he warmed up to us quick. He made fantastic recommendations, helped us understand how to eat the masala dosa and also explained the chai tea approach too. He never made me feel stupid and I appreciated that! And for those not familiar with dosa if you get one with a filling like we did the trick is to crack it in the middle with your fork to be able to spread the goodness inside! It was amazing!

Dindigul thalappakatti biryani is what earns them 4 stars -but i am sticking to a 3. Dosas/idly/vada which I maintain are really easy dish to serve and I feel this place does a perfectly fine job of the actual items | But the chutneys leave me wanting for some more flavor, spice. The Sambar lacks enough vegetables and were filled with potato, and onion rather than what i expect from a traditional south indian place. The chicken 65 was tasty but sooo damn dry. I know they probably want to serve properly cooked chicken but this one time i ordered somewhen went to town on the chicken and fried the hell out of it...hahaha

This review is for their wednesday special dosa night. The food is good value for money..I only liked 2 of the dosas , while the other 2 were very basic plain dosa and masala dosa had literally 1 spoon masala filling( very less). The dessert was super tasty and so was the filter coffee. I wouldn't go there again given how far it is from bellevue but if I am in the area will try again. The ambience is also very basic and the washroom was not well maintained.

NOTHING SHORT OF EXCELLENT! The people who serve here are so kind and friendly. Don't let the laid back atmosphere fool you this is the most top notch traditional Indian food you'll find in Seattle.

We were visiting from LA and craving some good Indian food like the kind we can get back home. This did not disappoint! We did take out and it was such a classic, clean meal. We ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer. This was worth it and we highly recommend! :)

It's been 10years in Seattle and still just a handful Indian restaurants that are worth mentioning. Samburna is definitely one of these. It's been our go to place when we want some South Indian style food. Chicken lollipop was just about ok, but Chicken Malabar and Meena Kolumbu were pretty good. Chicken Malabar with Malabar paratha has been our favorite so far. The owner is quite friendly and had a good conversation with us. He was recommending some dishes which we would be sure to try out next time. I would say the ambiance might be a bit better than the other Indian places around. But only a tiny bit :) We want to come here again for Dosa night! Looking forward

A previous good experience had really heightened my expectations about this place. So we ordered Chicken 65 biryani, lollipop chicken and Malabar Chicken Curry. Although everything looked delicious, Malabar Chicken Curry was the only saving grace. The lollipop Chicken was dry and chewy. As soon as I opened the lid of Chicken 65 biryani, the stale smell hit me. The rice was definitely stale. Given the strong smell, the fact that the food had gone bad would have been apparent while packing. I know restaurants are facing tough times and Indian food has a lower shelf life, but please don't serve stale food. Regardless to say, I'll be steering clear.

Tried several different dishes from here. Quite honestly we prefer takeout or Uber Eats. The food is delicious but vibe at the restaurant itself is OK. Went there once for a dinner with my sister and the service was alright but food was great. Highly suggest you try their coffee or chai - they are so good! In terms of food, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. And they'll make the food spicy too!

We were super excited to try this place. They told us 20 minutes for a takeout order. We tried to cancel when they were running behind, but they said the kitchen was almost done with it. Over an hour later, we still didn't have our food. I want my Friday night back.

Another nice Indian Restaurant in Bothell area. We were coming back from a long trip and this was only the opened restaurant having decent rating & reviews. Small restaurant, hardly 5-6 tables. Waited for around 10 minutes to get a table. The menu is online and they will take the order when ready. Menu looked very decent. Some very good South Indian options. Chicken 65 Biriyani, Uthappam and Masala dosa were our order. The food arrived pretty fast. They served the Biriyani first and rest of the items followed. Liked the tiffins as well as the Biriyani. Service is very professional. Totally loved it. Major concern with this place is the lack of space. Very small restaurant and when it's crowded, you may feel that suffocation. Not many will be comfortable in such an environment, especially in this post-pandemic time. Ambience is nice, food is quality and service is good. That ticks all the boxes.

Went on pongal day their sarkarai pongal was amazing. Authentic South Indian restaurant.

I have a new favorite Indian restaurant. It's tiny, quirky, and the food is fabulous! That food. OMG. It's amazing. Deeply flavorful and complex, yet clean and not greasy. Clear flavors like you may have never tasted before, or only tasted buried in some greasy avalanche of stuff at other Indian restaurants. I can especially recommend the goat curry. Stunning! Everything we had here was good to great. The dine in atmosphere needs some work, but I am not going to deduct for that in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. They follow protocols well and are limiting seating capacity even when they do not have to do so. But the service is S-L-O-W, painfully so. And the music is ukulele instrumental renditions of christian hymns playing on endless loop. The music really did degrade the experience. No issue if they want to listen to that in the kitchen, but it's grating on endless repeat in the dining room and not the type of music I want to listen to while I eat. The amusing thing is the kitchen was playing an Indian news and music station. The sublimely superb food makes up for everything. And they have a great takeout system for those who prefer that. You should try this place if you like Indian food even a little. We'll be back. Soon.

We came in for lunch on a Saturday and it was busy but not packed. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant so the door was right there, and every time it opened the chilly draft was definitely felt. It took a while for them to come and take our order, even longer for us to get boxes and the check at the end, and the staff were cordial but not exactly friendly. The rose milk tasted exactly how it sounds, a perfume-like floral rose flavor in cows milk, unfortunately it didn't blow me away like I had hoped for when ordering it. The samosas were overcooked, and the peas inside were very well done to the point that it was difficult poking them with a fork. Both entrees were bland, and even the plain rice wasn't as flavorful as expected. Everything came out hot, but still disappointing. The restaurant is well lit and has nice decor on the walls, but it would be nice to see glasses on the tables for water instead of individual plastic bottles of it. It's nice that this place offers 5% off the bill for checking in on Yelp, but I don't think we'll be back.

My go to place on east side for south Indian food. I I love that serve delicious and consistent food Tried their Gobi65 (4/5) - spicy fried cauliflower florets served with a tangy tamarind sauce. It was crispy and yummy . I'm not a fan of orange coloring they use but I guess that's how it is made traditionally Rasam (3.5/5) - A huge punch of spice It had good flavor of garlic, tomato and spices but It was a really spicy and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who can't handle spice Masala Dosa (5/5) crispy dosa with potatoes served with sambhar (lentil soup), red ( Tomato and onion) chutney and white (coconut ) chutney

Great South Indian restaurant with extensive menu! Want to go back and try everything else!

Terrible service and ambiance. The food was just okay, but I wouldn't waste your time here. We came here on a Saturday night and got a table right away. It ended up being quite busy of a place, but that was due to the restaurant not turning over tables efficiently. You could tell the wait staff were not happy to be there. I didn't hear a word from them, except from the gentleman taking our order. The restaurant was incredibly cramped too, and tables not laid out appropriately spaced. We got water bottles instead of actually water glasses and were never given plates for appetizers or entrees - we specifically had to ask for them. We got: - Gobj Manchurian, Prawn Masala, Veggie Pakora, - Mysore Masala Dosa, Plain Dosa, Gongora Mutton, Chicken 65 Biryani, Iddiyappam, Paratha, and one other thing I'm forgetting the name of. The dosa and gongora mutton were pretty good, but the mutton lacked salt and had lots of fat from the goat. All the appetizers were terrible, and veggie pakora was just onions and bay leafs - too small of pieces to use the chutney it was served with. We also waited 30 mins for a check, and they never mentioned a service charge so we ended up over tipping for a place that didn't warrant it based on our visit. I understand places are struggling now, but the lack of service, and terrible ambiance was enough for me to write this review. Please spend your money elsewhere!

This place is the real deal! If you want really authentic South Indian cuisine this is it. I knew it would be as soon as we walked in, the smells and ambiance made me feel as if I had arrived to India. We had butter chicken and tikki masala and it was delicious and we had leftovers. We also decided to try the lentil doughnuts. They came with three different sauces and were really yummy. The place was packed at 8:15pm on a Friday so the servers were struggling to keep up but still did a great job considering. Everything on the menu sounds delicious so will be back.

Samburna is a really good south indian restaurant in Bothell. I never heard of this place until a friend of ours recommended this place to us. We stopped by Sunday for a late lunch in a group of 8. We were promptly seated and ordered the following items: Appetizers: Paniyaram (amazing tasted super fresh served with a sauce which wasnt great and the sauce could have been better), Medu Vada (the best crispiest medu vadas I have ever had and loved eating it with the chutney and sambar), Mega Ghee Podi Dosa (delicious huge dosa which can easily be shared by 3-4 folks), Chicken 65 (tasty boneless chicken with spices kinda like chicken popcorns), Chemeen Fry (shrimp in a spicy dry sauce. This was delicious and the shrimp was cooked to perfection and the spices complimented the shrimp very well) & Chicken Chukka (this dish lacked seasoning and would have tasted 10 times better if it had a little more salt. This was a common feedback from all of us who had this dish. The spices were great but lack of salt sadly did not bring out all the flavors) Main Course: Melagu Kozhi Curry (chicken curry with amazing spices - pepper and red chilli), chicken chettinad & samburna goat curry. All the 3 meat curries were delicious, well seasoned, tasted amazing and the meat was cooked to perfection. I really liked the goat curry but seemed liked we got only 2-3 small pieces of meat while the rest was all bones. The chicken curries did have a good amount of chicken though. We devoured the curries with malabar parota (very fresh and tasty) and some steamed rice (served complimentary with the curries). The vegetarian folks ordered an eggplant curry (Gutti Vankaya) and paneer butter masala and both curries tasted great. Dessert: Gulad Jamun (fresh and tasty) & Mango kulfi (delicious but a tad too frozen - understandably so). Both the desserts had a rose syrup drizzle over them which was I think not required but thats fine Beverages: Madras Filter Coffee (amazing and one of the best filter coffees I have had for a long time), Majjige (buttermilk was good and tasted fresh) & Lime Soda (this was bad it was just soda and lemon not lime mixed and served with no salt or sugar or any flavors. Will not order this again) While we loved the food here, there were some dishes that could have been better but nevertheless we enjoyed our meal here. Service was okay - one of the servers was really good while the rest did not seem to care much but we got our cood out in a resonably good amount of time. My reasons for reducing a star - some meat curries having barely any meat for the price and lack of seasoning in some dishes and not figuring out how to make a simple basic lime soda apart from the not so great service. The majority of the food items we ordered were a hit though. I would recommend this place if in the area.

We were the first ones through the door for lunch the other day. Sat for 10 mins before anyone took our order. Then we sat for another 30 minutes waiting for the food while other diners ordered and ate. Good thing we weren't in a hurry. My eggplant dish was amazing. A little on the spicy side for me but the flavor was excellent. My wife ordered a masala dosa and while the dosa was giant, the potato filling was only literally about 2 Tbsp. Three bites of filing in a 24" dosa. Really? I have a feeling most of the food is tasty, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to go back. The walls and tables had dried bits of food on them and the floor was really dirty, despite the fact that the restaurant had just opened for the day when we walked in. They're cleaning definitely leave something to be desired. And in this day and age of plastic bottles polluting the earth, I was bummed that they served bottled water as a matter of course.

Wow this was soooo good. We got the Masala Uthapam and Mysore Masala Dosa. Both were excellent. The spice level on the Sambar soup was perfect too. I definitely want to go back on a Wednesday for the Dosa Night! Sounds like a delicious time!!!

Some of my favorite Indian in the area. Service has been prompt, menu is flavorful and they have a lot of unique (to me) dishes. Have tried: - Butter Paneer: Very creamy and a more subtle flavor than I'm used to. good size chunks of paneer (sometimes places "crumble" it in so it's very tiny). - Paneer Tikka Masala: I liked this better then the Butter Paneer. More spice-forward (not heat wise but flavor wise) and less herbal than the Butter Paneer. Yummy sauce and same comments on paneer. - Shrimp Fry: Quite tasty. Plump, well-cooked shrimp. I expected them to be "fried" and crunchy but they were not. Coated in a very flavorful curry. - Veggie Biryani: Incredibly flavorful. Only downside: Lots of cloves in the rice so be careful where you're eating. - Dosa: I've ordered these 2x now and just don't get it. Both times we ordered crunchy and both times it was like a big, soft crepe. Maybe that's a challenge for take out? - Other pros: They usually offer a free soup. YAY. Note I would highly recommend avoiding caviar (their preferred ordering service). I ordered food through that and told me 90 minutes. Uber eats and door dash said 30. I showed up after 40 and my food was already cold :(

I wanted Medhu Vada and brought us to this place. We haven't been back here for a while now and decided to get dinner along with Medhu Vada. We got 2 Medhu Vadai, Mysore masala dosa, Chilli Onion Uthappam, Chicken Lollipop (Spicy & Crispy), Samburna Goat Curry, Malabar parota, and Chicken 65 Biryani. Medhu Vada was great, I ate one as soon as we picked up the food, before driving back home. Samburna goat curry was black pepper based which we loved a lot. We loved the Chicken Lollipop, the right amount of spice and crisp. Mysore Masala dosa and Chilli Onion Uthappam were good. I loved the 2 chutneys that came with the dosa. Malabar parota and Chicken 65 biryani were only okay compared to all the other items we got. We will be back for the ones we loved.

Have been staying at Hilton in Lynnwood for last 5 days with other guests as part of thr wedding party. The first night we ordered thalappakatti biryani mutton chukku from this place. Turned out to be just the best biryani that we have tasted in this part of US. Two days were wedding food at the wedding party. Balance two days every guest wanted biryani with mutton chukka from Samburna. Will surely visit this place again whenever we are in this part of the world.

Wow what a complete let down. I wished I had paid attention to another reviewer who posted just a couple hours before me on another platform saying the food was stale. Based on my previous experience that was wonderful, I decided to explore other dishes. This time I ordered Chicken 65 biryani, Chicken Lollipop and Malabar chicken curry. Chicken lollipop was good but the chicken was a bit chewy. The taste was good so I ignored the chewiness. Malabar chicken was good but had a sweet aftertaste which is fine but I prefer spicier food. Chicken 65 was a complete disaster. The moment I opened the box, I smelled the overwhelming stale smell. The smell just couldn't be ignored. I separated the chicken from the rice just to understand where the stale smell came from but it was from both, particularly the rice. I am so pissed. I referred this place to a few of my friends based on my first experience and this time it was a complete letdown. I traveled so far and had such high hopes but unfortunately won't be going back here again. I wonder how these guys can sleep at night knowing that there might be small kids eating this stale food.

We recently tried Samburna restaurant for south Indian food and had a decent experience. The portions were generous and the complimentary water bottles were a thoughtful touch. The service was friendly and helpful, adding to the positive atmosphere. The food quality was average, with the idli having a texture that was neither hard nor soft and the sambhar being strictly okay. The onion uthappam was fine.

Love this place. We've spent time in South India, and this is delicious authentic South Indian food.

Amazing food - sambhar was light and tasty , chutneys flavourful and dosa was crisp .. authentic south indian .

We always enjoy their Malabar parata and ver kurma . And their tiffins are good . Briyani not great I won't recommend .

Fantastic restaurant to get your dosa fix. We recently moved here from NYC and there was an Hindu Temple that served dosas in the basement. They were the best dosas ever and this place definitely matched up. Friend service and a nice chill environment to boot.

Have been ordering delivery few times now and visited the restaurant once. In general, it is very difficult to find an Indian restaurant in the US who can provide authentic South Indian food. I have found Samburna to be closer to that. Here are some items I have tried: Idiyappam with Coconut Milk - This is one of my favorites. It is also called String Hoppers in other restaurants. They were very fresh and soft. The coconut milk that comes with this dish is a huge plus - mildly sweet flavored with cardamom. Great dish. Chicken Thalapakatti Biriyani - made with Jeeraga Samba rice, I found this biriyani to be close to a home made version rather than the restaurant versions. Not too over powering in spices. Overall a simple and mild biriyani with good amount of chicken and an hard boiled egg. Dosas & Tiffin - they do have a few options. I've tried the Onion Uthappam, which I found to be very good. Their set dosa and ghee dosa are what you can expect from a proper South Indian restaurant. While their coconut chutney is very good, I'm not a big fan of the Sambar. Other tiffin items I have tried are Vada and Idly - delicious and good. Their Fish Fry and Meen Kolambu (Fish Curry) are one of my favorites. I think I got Pomfret in both (I could be wrong). The fish fry was very good and well cooked. Meen Kolambu was perfect with the right amount of spices and heat. If you are looking for proper Tamilnadu style Meen Kolambu, then this is it. Another dish to try here is the Malabar Parotta. I try to avoid this dish in other places because most of the time it turns out too oily, because they are very difficult to make. However, these parottas were not oily and they were flaky as they should be. I did try this with their Samburna Vegetable Kurma - perfect combo. Not to mention their packing for delivery orders - never had any issues, thanks for paying attention to providing good service to delivery customers as well. Overall a good south Indian restaurant in Bothell with good food.

The food is great! Average dosa but great kurma and malabar parrota. Their vadas are the freshest I've seen among the South Indian restaurants in the greater seattle area. They lack severely in the cleanliness and ambience, so temper your expectations. Service is also average.

Three weeks ago while I was on vacation visiting my best friend she took me to her favorite restaurant, Samburna. I actually still remember our waiter's name - Sai - because he was such an enthusiastic and social participant in our meal. He ensured we tried all the best stuff (the homemade mango lassi is a prize winner!) and he got an order in to the kitchen for us after it had technically closed (the biggest dosa - or for that matter biggest food item - I've ever helped to consume!) He even got me to try masala infused Diet Coke, which was frankly hideous, but I felt like I had an authentic cultural experience. I can certainly understand why my friend wanted to take me to Samburna. I'm sure she will visit again many times.

I came by for a Friday lunch. Lots of people came in and out picking up take out orders but there was plenty of space inside to sit and eat. I tried a masala dosa and the palak paneer. Dosa was perfectly crispy on the outside and the potato filling and chutneys were so flavorful. Rice came with the paneer. The rice was perfectly fluffy and palak gravy was so creamy and rich. Absolutely get a dosa!

Was here on a Saturday for lunch, and I feel responsible to write this review so others don't get fooled by the rating this place has. I honestly don't know why or how this place has such good rating because food, service and ambiance were all pathetic. Forget about ambiance, but the least you'd want at a 4.2 rated restaurant is good food and service. The serving staff said weird stuff and totally racially profiled me. He acted funny the whole time and was super judgemental. Made us feel really uncomfortable. He acted really funny. Nothing under the weekend special was available and even half the regular menu wasn't available. The plates they brought were dirty, so definitely hygiene is an issue here. The food we ordered was very very below average Indian food. The dosa was soggy and cold. The biriyani was cold and had a cold boiled egg. Disappointing! Never going here again.