Saravanaa Bhavan

Great spot to be at if you want to get some good Indian breakfast items. The uzhunnuvada was fabulous. Warning: the kesari portion is ginormous. Make sure to order and split it across folks. Hard for one person to finish one on top of a regular meal. Service was very quick in general.

Been to this restaurant in India when I lived there. Was happy to finally visit this one here in the States and have all my favorites again. Will be able again next time I’m in town!

This is my go-to for a reliably delicious meal of idly, dosas and masala tea. The lassis are also very good (cold, thick, and rich in flavour, not thin and dilute like in other places). The dosas are always crispy and delicious; masala mix is very good. These are my mainstay. Idly are a staple comfort food and the accompanying chutneys and sambar are well done. Finally the masala tea is very good - lots of cardamom which is just how I like it (and not watery at all, so has a nice, creamy, full bodied flavour). We’ve also enjoyed the paratha, channa, and a few others - all very tasty. Prices are a bit higher than some restos with comparable fare, but I guess you’re paying for reliability (quick service and easy parking).

Been here twice. Both times I wasn’t disappointed. Their sambar is pretty good. I would say the best Tamil sambar in Bay Area, close to Mylapore and idly express. Friendly staff and plenty of seating for all group sizes. Dosas are great. Chutneys are perfect. Could do better with vadas. They are definitely underrated. I hope they get more popular.

Their food is far more delicious than Mylapore. Not sure what is the attraction for Mylapore where the sambhar is meh and the chutney is blah. Here you get table service and the sambhar chutney are delicious. The thali was very good too.

Highly recommend this place to satisfy your dosa cravings. They have dozens of varieties, along with other delicious South Indian food. Fast service, clean place, helpful staff.

If you're looking for authentic, flavorful South Indian cuisine, this restaurant is a gem! Their commitment to freshness is what sets them apart. The manager revealed they prepare everything from scratch daily, even grinding chutneys hourly. I could taste the difference! They also use a variety of high-quality oils, enhancing the dishes' flavor. All the things we ordered were fantastic. The chocolate dosa was a huge hit with the kids!

The experience we had with this restaurant is mixed. First of all the food was good. We had veg biriyani, onion uthappam, mixed vegetables porotta, masala dosa, porotta and veg curry. Service was terrific. We waited there for more than half an hour to get the first dish and there is another 10 mins each waiting to get other items. At the last they missed one item and when we say that, a person with spects ( looks like manager) come and saying, you would have to inform the missing item upfront, then we would have served you pretty fast.. which makes no sense to me and no restaurants service person has ever said like this.. Funny thing is we waited for another 10 more minutes to get the bill :) Apart from that they charged 17% gratuity on the bill since we were of 9 ppl team.

Saravanaa Bhawan (Sunnyvale) - their food always hits the right spot when craving south indian food! The service is great and they recently made some updates to their interior so the ambiance feels fresh and cleaner. The reason for 3 start only is - I do have some historic experience of difference in quality and taste each time I have come here - not sure if their chef changes frequently or something else. But I hope they can make it consistent because they are a global chain and known for their great tasting food. This time when I went, I found the dishes a little too spicy than usual. Wish they can maintain same levels of spice for each dish every time and keep the taste consistent. That would be a great improvement!

We have been coming for years. It never disappoints. My son moved to Oregon, and every time he is back to visit, we are sure to make a stop here for a yummy dosa!

Saravana bhavan is our all time fav and go to place for authentic south indian tiffins. The quality and freshness of food is still consistent. Rava dosa was crispy and all the items that we ordered were very tasty. Enjoyed their awesome food and memorable hospitality. Many many thanks for the restaurant staff and chefs for wonderful and delicious experience.

I love South Indian food. It's my comfort food of choice! I love their mini idlis l with ghee and enjoy them with filter coffee! The service is fast and the ambience comfortable. If you are in the South Bay this is a great spot to savor South Indian food!

Awesome food. Chutneys and sambar are the best. They should consider serving take outs in eco friendly containers than plastic.

The place is a classic South Indian restaurant found in every major city. I got the paper masala dosa and it was good. Vada and Idlis were decent too, nothing special. If you want low key good South Indian food, then I would recommend this place. It's not too crowded. The interior could use an upgrade. Service was okay too.

I would give it (-10) stars This place is bad; smells bad, food is bad, the guy making the food is so mean. There were only 2 families there. Skip it 100% No amount of fresh paint and new landscaping with change the inside. Next day: we are all sick.

Very delicious food and great customer service , very fast friendly service . We love to go there for our family gatherings

The quality of food has gone so down its such a waste of time and money. This place is off my list now.

This place will probably shut down soon. This always was the less preferred alternative to Madras Cafe but it used to have less crowd and decent food for reasonable price. So, it was great when you were in a hurry. Few yrs ago they introduced chaat and it was tasty. I recall telling the owner that if priced right they might do well but the pilot price was too high for this tier. Now, they have simply lost touch with reality--charging $15-20 for Uthappams and $7 for lassi. Portion size has shrunk too. We only drove here because Mylapore had a 90 minute wait time. Food was ok but not worth returning. The place hardly had anyone as you can easily get to Madras Cafe in 2 mins. I hope Mylapore buys out this location because the current owner seems disinterested in running the operation. It used to be busy even after Covid but it has run its course.

I had a great meal and great service - just myself so I could not try much. Another group of severn seems quite happy.

As good as it gets with South Indian food. Try the Rava Dosa - nicely crisp with the right amount of 'holes' if you know what I mean Was surprised their chhole Batura was better than I expected. Not too spicy chhole and bhature was done with well. Oh, and don't forget to order their suji halwa! Service is ordinary and courteous and ambience is normal. But beware of the floors, they can be sticky and slippery

Visited twice during this trip. Good food. Quick service. Overall great experience. Will be back next time I visit Bay Area.

Their menu has a good selection and the restaurant is located in the heart of sunnyvale/santa clara. They have a huge seating area too, but I wasn't impressed with the service. They canceled our original order after 20 mins of wait time and then another 15 mins for the change order to arrive at our table. The food tasted authentic and delicious. But just because of the half hearted service, I am not sure if I want to come back.

Surprised to see the low rating and thought I'd add my $.02. The food is actually comparable to Madras. The wait is always lower. The service is comparable, if not better since it's full service unlike Madras. Only thing is that Chole is better at Madras. But, who goes to a South Indian place for Chole. It's all about the dosa and the chutneys. It's amazing!

Mediocre at best; avoid, avoid, avoid. I wonder how this place is even open anymore, after it went downhill in the 2000s (everyone defected to Madras Cafe eventually). And in 2024, why go here, when you can go to Sri Ananda Bhavan and Mylapore for similar but way tastier meals with better ambience? Dosa was limp (this despite the stuffing being served on the side) and not crispy, and the idlis were too soft. Sambar was too strong in spice. Service was efficient, but nothing special. Ambience is that of a dark, glum Denny's. Clearly the attention to detail and passion for excellence is missing at this restaurant. A sad turn since the 2000s for what I'm told is an iconic franchise in South India.

I love this place. Only place that's serving the freshest food in the Bay! Must try. I personally loved vada pav, mini idly and cholay bhatura. Filter coffee is a must too.

One of the better places for hearty, south Indian fare in the Bay area. The service was flawless and prompt tool. This is our go to place for comfort food. Highly recommend it.

Great food and service! We love south Indian food and this place has best Dosas and utthapan!

If you're looking for some authentic South Indian food then you must definitely visit Saravanaa Bhavan. I highly recommend their filter coffee and tomato onion Uttapam and Vadapav. The ambience is warm and welcoming and prices are reasonable. Everything here is made fresh and served piping hot as per order. Below are a few things we tried here: Idli/Medu Wada Rava Onion Masala Dosa Tomato Onion Chilli Uttapam Vadapav Dahi Puri Sheera Filter Coffee Overall experience was amazing. Definitely a must visit.

When I think about what makes a place worth coming back to it's not just the food even though that's a big part, it's also how they treat people and here they really nailed that balance between being kind and letting you relax without fuss, I noticed how the staff moved around quickly but still took a second to smile or ask how the food was without it feeling like a script, the food was really well put together with good texture and flavor that didn't feel like it came from a freezer, it tasted homemade in a good way, the seasoning was spot on for what I like and I didn't need to add anything which is rare for me, the place had a chill energy and even though it was a bit busy everything moved along pretty smoothly, not everything was perfect like one of the dishes was a little cooler than I'd like temperature-wise but honestly it still tasted good and I didn't feel the need to say anything, just a good place overall with people who seem to care.

Spicy story time! But first, tldr; they are absolutely a dosa factory, so many types of dosas (from Masala to chocolate!) service is fast and fair. No checks, you pay at the front counter on the way out! I started with the SPECIAL meal, which is similar to the executive meal but on steroids. Ok wtf are these meals you speak of? Second pic, it's essentially a massive tray with tons of different samplers of Indian dishes. Everything from chickpea-based soups, to sweet pumpkin-like desserts, flavorful rice dishes, you name it. There's a side of yogurt to help cool down, as the overall spice level can be insidious and creep on you. It also includes two pieces of bread, one is more fluffy and pita-like. The other is rather airy and thin. I found myself enjoying the food a lot, and as someone with a relatively big appetite who's usually finishing others' plates, I found myself stuffed to 100% satiety by the end of it. Something made me LAUGH however at the end, and all the spices got into my nose somehow, resulting in me half choking/laughing while also coughing and trying not to regurgitate my food. My SO was very understanding but I felt awful for the surrounding tables who witnessed that 5 second fiasco. (s/o to her for the beautiful first pic). The dosas here are also delicious but the potato filling is separated and isn't given in high quantity. Dosas are absolutely huge tho as per pic. Mango lassi was good, will definitely come back!

I would not revisit. Just a hyped Indian place but nothing bad about the food. I hated the parotta which my partner likes. It's one of their famous dishes but unfortunately to me it was super weird and I kinda disliked it. The thali was just somehow filled with curries - it was just okay. The ambience is pretty good for family gatherings.

Craving a South Indian veg thali on a recent trip to the South Bay, I dug deep in the Yelp reviews to find the right spot. I know there are probably 5 places one can find a S. Indian veg thali within a 5-mile radius, but I was totally satisfied with my choice. Their thali has lots of variety and all the dishes were served hot (have you ever encountered lukewarm thali items? *shudder*). They give you two desserts too. Super comfy and cheerful joint, and it was easy to snag a table for a Saturday lunch. Overall a positive experience!

The service is generally very poor and the place still expects tips. The main person at the counter has no service ettiquete or experience. The ambiance is terrible and very noisy. Will not recommend this place at all.

It was my first time going there with my friend. The person who took the order had no manners and was rude. I chose the combo option and asked him what 'sweet idly' was. Actually, their combo options start with 'Sweet, Idly... but I missed the fact that there was a comma between Sweet and Idly because of my eyesight. However, I have never seen a menu that starts with 'sweet' first. He made fun of me, started laughing, and said I didn't know how to read English (even though he himself was speaking incorrect English). Food was ok. I've had much better food at other restaurants. I won't be coming here again.

The food is delicious and tasty. Service is quick and server friendly and I love the tranquil ambiance. My boys are picky eaters and they loved it! We ordered masala dosa, uthappam, and the special!

Came here for lunch on Christmas, they had some specials! Food mostly we're good quality except for few items like paneer subji, channa subji, rasam, kootu were very spicy. Sambar, thogaiyal, spl sambar, beetroot poriyal (very oily to my liking) and mix veg rice (looked like tomato biryani, again this was oily to my liking) were good. Service was prompt and excellent! Krishna helped us get the orders in and got some sides, including ghee to help the little one! Way beyond normal service. At least three others helped with food and togo containers. Would love to come back here again !

Food was great but service was sorry to say that, but servers I ordered one Ghee masala dosa and one coffee, they took long time to take my order, long time to serve, they gave me my coffee and even I left the restaurant, she didn't gave me sugar, I paid but coffee I didn't enjoyed . Really bad customer service

There are plenty of South Indian restaurants in this area but none as clean. Plus none of them have an open kitchen. We loved these things about this restaurant. The food was super fresh, ambience was pleasant and everything was super clean. The food was tasty! The sambhar made us nostalgic, reminded of homemade sambhar. Portions sizes were good as well. Addition - the manager thanked us by sending over a complimentary Kesari which was amazing! We couldn't believe it took us so long to try this restaurant.

Service is brusque at best or non-existent at worst, as other reviews mentioned. If you arrive within an hour of closing, you will be asked to pay up first and then get no service. Also they start washing with heavy cleaning liquids, so the dining area stinks up because it's an open kitchen. Food is average and tastes blended together. Spice level is high. Not basmati rice - boo!

The latest chef is excellent. Over the years that has not always been the case. They are always good. But as I say the current ones are excellent. But the music is too loud. Really too loud.

I love South Indian food and can eat it for breakfast, brunch, dinner anytime any day and I always frequently go to Madras cafe... I tried a couple of other dosa places in Bay Area too but never found that perfect place which satisfied my sambhar cravings.. I never liked the sambhar at Madras cafe but their food is fresh and good and kids enjoy it so I would go.. When hub told me to go to Sarvanaa Bhawan today for a family get together, I wasn't really looking forward to it... somewhere in my mind, I had this image from some old reviews that it will turn out to be a failure but boy was I wrong.. amazing food.. perfect flavorful sambhar without just being too spicy.. kids enjoyed dipping their mini idlis in it too and they don't do that of the sambhar is too spicy without any flavor in it.. All the chutneys served with dosas ( coconut, green and tomato chutney) were great too... the service can definitely be improved a little and felt a little disorganized somehow compared to Madras Cafe but the Sambhar made for it.. I am definitely going here again for my South Indian food cravings.. Oh and not in the photos is also the sweet ping Al that we tried and that was also really good

Went here with a group of 8 and 2 kids and the restaurant was very accommodating. It's pretty large inside and spacious. I got a milk tea, the vegetable chilli uthappam, and the rasa vada. They were all good! The uthappam was pretty spicy with a lot of chilies but it was yummy. Everyone else liked the paper dosas and thali. Very casual spot and quick service.

The food is amazing and authentic south indian taste. They use fresh ingredients everyday and the service is also good. Best part is their chutneys and filter coffee. Paper dosa and rava kesari is to die for

I absolutely love the masala dosa at this place. Combo #1 is so good that I haven't brought myself to try anything else at this restaurant. The host took my order, later on I asked her for extra coconut chutney and I was told I should ask the server boy instead. Unnecessary waiting time while my food was getting cold. Several times the servers got yelled at by the host while they were serving guests. All together this is good place for groups, and small family gatherings. There's plenty of parking spots though most of them are marked for 20 minute parking only!

Service was bad as usual, which was expected. But the food was too oily and salty, which i didn't expect from saravana bhavan. I got parotta which was raw in the middle. Both side dishes - channa masala and kuruma were very oily and salty, I couldn't finish the dish. Considering how much they charge for each item, both quality and service should be significantly better.

Get their special meal (thaali). Seriously, that's it, that's the review. Get it and remember the fond memories of your grandma's cooking. I can think of no higher praise. The idli and vada and dosas were mehhh and at par with most other restaurants, nothing to write home about. Skip those. GET THE THAALI! Every single thing on that plate was perfection. How I wish there was one in Seattle. Oh, and the portion is huge. It easily feeds two people with a couple of extra pooris/chapatis.

My review is based on food quality relative to other restaurants in Bay Area. In most other places in the US, this food would be great and they would be lucky to have a place like hsb. We tried the following: Plain dosa 3/5 . Dosa was ok. Could have been crispier Mysore masala dosa : 3/5 Adai aviyal 2/5. Not sure if the Adai was really Adai. More like uthappam Special meals : 4/5 . Good taste and quantity Butter milk : 4/5 good but over priced at $7

I have never felt the need to write a review for a restaurant until today. The entire dining experience was HORRIBLE. The host/server was VERY rude! We walked in and asked to be seated for a party of 4. There were 3 of us but the 4th member was less than a minute away. The restaurant was EMPTY and he looked at all of us up and down and very rudely asked "where is the 4th one?" After we got seated it seemed like he wanted us to order right away without giving us a chance to even glance at the menu. He kept pacing back and forth and It seemed like he was annoyed that we took few minutes to decide what we wanted. The worst part of this whole experience was the way he was talking to my parents as if they were dumb while they were trying to figure out what to order. The food was nothing special. The food came out within 30 seconds of us ordering it which makes me question how long the food was just sitting in that kitchen.

Really delicious authentic food. I had to ask so many questions since I really didn't know the menu. The thali is great to sample a lot of dishes. The nicest hostess! Food came up piping hot. I loved it. And I am a meat eater. Such depth of flavors. Dipping bread in sauces at its finest. Everyone was getting dosas and they all looked different. The chef was holding a rope from the ceiling to lean over and make the giant dosas! Well worth the price point.

I know a lot of other reviewers had issues with the service and quality of the food, but our experience was perfectly seamless! We came around noon on a Friday, and the restaurant was pretty empty. You do have to flag down a server when you're placing an order, but it didn't take long. This was our first time at Saravanaa Bhavan -- and my first time trying a dosa! -- so we ordered what appeared to be the signatures: I got the combo meal #1 (with the mini dosa), one friend ordered the paper dosa, and another got the Saravanaa special dosa. I also ordered a madras coffee and we split the mysore bonda (lentil donuts). The food came out really quickly, like a few minutes after we ordered, and I thought everything was absolutely delicious. The lentil donuts were hot and perfectly fried (crispy on the outside and soft on the inside). I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I adored the madras coffee, which is beautifully frothed and spiced. And the dosas... my goodness. Our jaws dropped when we saw the portion sizes. My "mini" dosa looked full-sized, and the actual full-sized dosas were the length of a giant kite or a human wingspan. They also tasted incredible: thin, crispy, with a light tang, and paired so well with the chutneys and sides. At only $15 each, I think these are some of the best deals in the Bay Area. Also, because they're thin and relatively light, we left feeling full but not over-full. They also have a takeout container section that's freely accessible to customers, so you can take leftovers home. All in all: I'm a huge fan, of dosas in general and of this place in particular. I can't wait to be back!

Gave this restaurant a second chance and tried south India means today which is worth $20. This food made me sick and caused upset stomach Very disappointed. My money has gone in drain. None of the items taste good. Sambar was stale. They gave one cheap carrot Vegg on the side. None of the items were fresh not tasted good. Never go to this restaurant. You will fall sick as they serve stale food. I prefer chat Bhavani meals over this any day.

This place never fails to disappoint. I have been there multiple times (due to a lack of options). Either their service is pretty bad. Or their portion size is pretty small for the price. I ordered a thali and it was really as if I was scraping to eat. I won't recommend it at all.

upon walking in we noticed that we were the only 2 non-indian people in the store. this is certainly always a good sign, but what i didn't quite expect is how spicy everything would be. it is spicy, though i admit i'm a bit of a weenie when it comes to that sort of thing. but even my friend admitted it was spicier than we were used to. i found the service to be good, helpful and prompt, and the portions to be of good size as well. all in all, i thought it was a very authentic experience though next time i will make sure to get something less spicy.

Best place in south bay for dosas! For less than $15, you get a dosa bigger than the giant tray they already serve it to you on, with an array of flavorful chutneys. Though it may be scary to navigate the many dosas on their menu, I'd recommend the masala dosa to get a good understanding of the essence of the dish. My only complaint is that their coconut chutney can be very hit-or-miss, as sometimes it comes out a bit too watery. But the tomato and mint chutneys are consistently S-tier. The service here is decently fast, making this great for a quick meal as well.

This restaurant was one that my girlfriend introduced me to, and for good reason! I went pre-covid so the place was pretty crowded, but we were still able to be seated relatively quickly after we got there. The service was alright, though it did take a bit of time for our food to arrive. For the food we ordered their paratha, special Madras coffee, and the 14 piece mini idly. I have to say that I really enjoyed the paratha, as it was super crispy and went very well with the sauce that was served. I would highly recommend this dish and would get this again if I came here again! The Madras coffee was very smooth and was served in a traditional tumbler, which further supports the authenticity of the cuisine. The idly was pretty good, although I enjoyed the other dishes we had more. Saravanaa Bhavan is a great Indian place to check out if you're around South Bay, especially if you get their paratha! However, you may have to wait a bit for the food so just anticipate that.

Sadly, this place has gone downhill. Food was off (burnt madras coffee, super garlicky rasam, cold dosa...) and service was offensive (didnt serve our party together, asking me to pay when I had just started eating, flicking lights to get us out...). We clearly didn't belong to this country club. Will never go back.

Writing this review after a recent UberEats order and in person visit. In-person: 4-star The Paper Dosa was phenomenal - humongous, thin and super crispy!! UnberEats: 1star Taste was okay but quantity was an issue. Overall quantity of Sambhar was an issue - but in person we could ask for more and they were gracious to bring more but can't do that with UberEats order :(