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Udupi Palace
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Vegetarian Indian, Vegetarian [Edit]
1460 Gerrard St EToronto, ON M4L 2A3
(416) 405-8189
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
One of Toronto's premier creperies. We offer both savory and dessert crepes. Stop in and indulge in our frosty flake, italian espressos, and french… read more »
35 reviews for Udupi Palace
Review Highlights
"We'll definitely return for buttery masala dosa goodness."
(in 9 reviews)
"...was apart of the UYE Little India Crawl: Burn that Dosa."
(in 3 reviews)
"Tried the Idli Manchurian - yuuuuum."
(in 4 reviews)
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35 reviews in English
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Review from Jay A.
Markham, ON
1/31/2012
The best south indian food in the GTA, period!
We go a couple times a year and order the mysore masala dosa, masala dosa, szechuan dosa (very hot!) and some appetizers. The sambhar and chutney are great - we often ask for several refills before our meal is done.
They have a variety of options, friendly staff and good prices. -
Review from Eric L.
1/22/2012
This is by far the best dosa joint in Little India.
Although the best dosa's are in the 'burbs, if you are looking for some quality close to downtown, then head over to this place. The place has a cafeteria feel to it, with bright lighting and cheap seats, but thankfully that is where the "cheap" stops.
The service is always friendly, quick, talkative, and informative about the menu. I usually have the masala dosa, but the last time the waiter suggested the paneer masala dosa. The food arrives very quickly and the bring out a decent selection of sauces and chutneys for dipping. The dosas always fresh and crispy are almost comically large, but once you taste them, you are laughing with joy at having so much dosa to eat.
I'm never disappointed with this place, and I highly suggest it.
p.s. The dosa pizza is actually very good!! (Flat, round dosa topped with veggies and cheese) -
Review from Peggy W.
Markham, ON
1/7/2012
I came to Udupi Palace, which serves vegetarian Indian cuisine with a very cafeteria-style atmosphere, as part of my seasonal Leslieville trip (having said that, Gerrard St. E. and Coxwell ain't exactly Leslieville, but I digress...)
I tried the samosa chaat. I may know very little about Indian cuisine in general, but I know that I like my samosa flavourful, crispy, and piping hot. While Udupi Palace's samosa chaat was certainly imbued with interesting spices, I found the samosa to be somewhat soggy, and the temperature ran the gamut from being decently hot to lukewarm to just cold, which I don't really enjoy in my Indian food. In fact, I think I might actually prefer Amaya Express's vegetable samosa plate (with chana masala) to this...
I think next time if I'm in Little India, I'll try more Indian places before coming back to Udupi Palace.
(By the way, if there's a place that does great vegetable samosa with chana masala in Toronto, please feel free to let me know... I'm always open to suggestions!) -
Review from Gokul M.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2012
Don't like the place much. Experienced much better Dosa joints in Toronto. Find the food a little bland. Atmosphere is not great, and isn't the neatest place in little India.
Conclusion: Below average.. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I feel like a high queen here. There were ample servers on guard, ready for the task, just watching to make sure I was having a satisfactory visit. Water glass was kept full throughout the entire stay.
Also, had the chana batura dish - I was so full my cheeks almost exploded. As in traditional thali-style joints, the server was at my table when I'd finished wiping the plate clean, asking me if I wanted more chana so I could use up the leftover bread.
I wonder if I can take a raincheque on that offer. -
Review from Fern H.
11/7/2011
We came to Udupi Palace for a ladies' brunch and I couldn't be more impressed. I love Indian food in all its forms but I realized that I had never tried a dosa before. This was also a good opportunity for me to be schooled by my friend in the differences of North and South Indian food.
We were seated right away and I noticed that the decor was very minimal. It reminded me a lot of the langar hall in a gurdwara at a Sikh temple I visited last year which could only mean comfort and good food to come.
We started our meal with the sev poori chaat ($4.95) and steaming hot mugs of chai ($2.45). I would have been happy to eat just chaat as my meal. Each bite was crispy, salty, sweet and savoury all at once.
Next, an appetizer order of the chilli paneer ($5.25). It was okay, albeit on the small side. And then the mains - I ordered the Udupi Special ($9.95) which came with my choice of dosa and some extra sides (sambar, vada and idli). I chose the Onion Masala Dosa. We also ordered the Paneer Masala Dosa ($8.55), Vegetable Uthapam ($6.65) and the Rava Masala Dosa ($8.55).
Once the food arrived, it was a non-stop feeding frenzy as we sampled each dish. I was not disappointed with anything and couldn't stop scooping the coconut chutney directly into my mouth. Portion sizes were pretty huge and we left completely stuffed and happy.
Service was efficient and adequate, even as the busy room filled with hungry diners.
Udupi Palace is heaven for vegetarians and I also recommend it as a change of pace for carnivores and butter chicken/tandoori chicken lovers. Very thankful to find this place and will return with friends who live in the East end. -
Review from Art L.
1/14/2012
Oh yeah!. You want to taste and feel India. Here's the place. Down to earth, unpretentious, cafeteria like atmosphere, with seating arrangements changing by the minute, kids and family thoroughly enjoying themselves, just like most places in India. Oh, and the food is awesome. I can't begin to know where to start. Just go and experience a fantastic culinary force. Not for those into formality, dress codes and chi chi.
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Review from Erin B.
I tried Udupi Palace a little while back and I was a bit disappointed. I had a thali - lots of little dishes of different things - which was totally fun to eat (I love eating little bits of lots of things). But it didn't blow my mind - most of the little dishes seemed a bit flat in the flavour department. Fine, but not great.
I was a bit afraid to get anything that seemed bread-like when I was there last because i didn't know if those things were gluten-infesteted or not and the staff, although efficient, were a bit intimidating. A man who does not have time to stop at my table while he pours my water (he grabbed the glass and filled it while passing by, then set it back down), does not have time for pleasantries or questions. Yelpers seem to think that the dosa is fantastic and Wiki tells me that dosa is made of rice and bean, so I'll try those on my next visit.
The basement rec room vibe was a bit much for me, but I was cranky and eating alone - I might feel differently an another day and/or with company. We recently moved to the area and Udupi Palace is now right on our corner - the instant my fella saw it he declared that we MUST eat there soon. So I guess I'll have a chance to reevaluate the vibe and try dosa sooner than later.Listed in: 30 Day Yelp Challenge!
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Review from Roma M.
10/15/2011
This restaurant belongs in that "I can't believe I haven't yelped it yet" list. More like "Madras Dosa Hut" than "Saravanaa Bhavan", Udupi Palace fills the gap for a decent Masala Dosa in the little India neighbourhood*.
I appreciate the nod to authenticity here, as the dishware and flatware is all stainless steel and the service is efficient and hospitable during busy hours.
I recommend the Masala dosa, their onion dosa, (though the onions are raw!), and their idli, though I do agree with Marilyn in that their rasam is a little on the watery side. Having taken a glimpse at some of the photos, it seems like I ought to try other dishes for a change. Their thali looks like it could give Saravanaa a run for their money.
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*If you're not a tourist you'll know that Little India is definitely not home to the better Indian restaurants in Toronto.Listed in: My 30-Day Yelp-athon, Indian Food, Vegetarians
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Review from Maheen M.
10/29/2011
I was in the mood for from some killer dosas, I brought the SO to Udupi Palace as he has never experienced a real dosa before. Udupi is know for one of the best south Indian in Toronto and our visit today they did not disappoint.
Our appetizer mix was a great starter and sampling of the yumminess of fried south Indian goodness. It was quite filling, we had to make room for our masala dosa. As mentioned previous, the masala dosa was delish, crispy and with all the various textures and flavours.
They also makes a mean masala chai as well as mango lassi.
Udupi is a place checking out when you are in Toronto! -
Review from Marilyn R.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2011
Ok- I see a lot of mixed reviews about this place and I think I know why. If your not married to a southern Indian, and you don't have a mother-in-law that cooks amazing southern indian food; well, I could see why you would give this place 4 stars. I'm Latin and I can make much better Sambar and Rasam than they do. So watery and with no flavor- and that's ALMOST impossible with Indian spices, unless you're a really bad cook. And who screws up papadums? Twice they've been somewhat soft and stale. The first time I was dissatisfied, I thought maybe the chef wasn't feeling it that day, but the second time 5 months later?
Roger- we have a problem. -
Review from Elise R.
Pickering, ON
5/10/2011
Love it! This place is wicked.
For any vegetarian, this is great. They have a whole variety of food you can go regardless of your mood. Not only do they have the dosa and idly like other South Indian food restaurants but they have curries and tandoori foods like kababs.
One of my favourite things to eat is the idly manchurian. Fried idly in a manchurian sauce is to die for.. almost.
I have had a bunch of stuff and can't recall it all, but the other thing we like to get when we go is the Chana Batura. (I must have a thing for fried food... yum!).
As others have mentioned, the atmosphere is a bit like a cafeteria, but once you have been a bunch of times, you barely notice it... it just feels comfortable.
The service is very good. They are very good at refilling your water and leave behind a menu after they have taken your order.
The biggest downer for me is finding parking. There are spots where an hour is free but trying to find them and navigate there can sometimes be a challenge for me.
Definitely worth a stop... especially for the vegetarian friends.Listed in: Pure Veg...
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Review from Priya B.
4/10/2011
Took my friend here for her first South Indian food experience and she's definitely a fan!
We started with the dahivada; this was probably the low point of the meal. The vada was not very crispy and was pretty dense inside.
We also got the masala dosa and vegetable uttapam. The dosa was good, but not exceptional, and the uttapam was amazing. It had a perfect crispy exterior and was soft and fluffy inside...probably one of the best I've had. We ended with south indian coffee which was good as well.
The restaurant itself is a little sparse, but that has been true of every South Indian place I've been to. We were very happy with the service, everything was served quickly and they were very good about topping off my friend's rapidly consumed glass of water :)
I would definitely go back. -
Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
5/1/2011
Yup, this place looks like a basement banquet hall, so be prepared. The service was very casual and inattentive. Of course, none of this would matter if the food was great. It wasn't.
My wife and I shared 3 dishes -
Cashew Pakoras - we'd never had these before, so can't really compare, but they are very dry and dense. Interesting, though.
Masala Dosa - we weren't crazy about these either. The potato stuffing was pretty average, but the "crepe" was softer than we like it. We both prefer the crispy variety.
Vegetable Uttapam - this was the first time we tried this dish, and although they were tasty, it's not a dish for which we would rush back.
Having had mango lassis many times before, I thought I would try a sweet lassi after enjoying them home-made by a friend on a few occasions. Udupi Palace's version is basically a sweet yoghurt shake. There was no discernible cardamom or rose water (both optional in some recipes), but a disappointing omission, from my perspective.
We would try this place again, but would order different dishes. -
Review from The Vong Choice I.
Toronto, ON
6/22/2011
f you haven't eaten a dosa, you must head over to Little India and look for Udupi Palace. It may not resemble much of a royal palace with it's basement location that more reminds you of a bare bones banquet hall but seriously, no one comes for the decor! They know their dosas with a variety of 15 to choose from on their menu alone! This is even the home of the annual "Spicy Dosa eating contest" where every summer, dosa connoisseurs alike gather to gorge on these delicate Indian crepes.
Honestly, this visit to Udupi Palace was an education in Southern Indian vegetarian cuisine! Now carnivores, there's really no meat on this menu but trust me, once you have tried the different dishes on this menu, you will start to crave them like I do. -
Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
I had been to Udupi Palace once before, while on the UYE Little India crawl. I'd totally forgotten about it until I logged onto Yelp this morning and noticed that Kat T had a ROTD for this place, and I thought to myself: "Self! Let's go to Udupi Palace for lunch today!" Luckily, self (and my husband) agreed.
I'd forgotten that Udupi Palace was a vegetarian joint. As a meat eater, this made me a little bit disappointed, but once I stuffed my eager piehole with delicious dosa, I'd forgotten all about the lack of tasty animal. My husband and I split the Masala Dosa, which was huuuuuge but a little skimpy on filling.
For my entree I decided to go North Indian and have the Matar Paneer, which was excellent. A little lacking in peas, but plenty of cheese and spicy sauce.
Yum. I can't wait to go back! -
Review from Mama t.
Toronto, ON
9/10/2011
Great vegetarian restaurant. Love to have fully vegetarian places to make sure that the food does not touch where meat has been cooked. The food is great (sooo many options for vegans), service is fantastic, and everyone is so friendly and welcoming,
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Review from Vikas I.
Pickering, ON
9/19/2010 2 photos
Wicked Indian food with a twist.
This is a vegetarian restaurant, and they will modify their items to meet Vegan / Jain needs.
For those of you that don't know what Jain food it is they are a group of people that don't eat anything that destroys the plant, so they won't eat potatoes, onions, but they will eat tomatoes apples etc.
We ordered Chole Batura (Chickpeas and Fried Bread), if you have ever had puri's a Batura is a giant sized puri, it is pretty wicked and I beg you give it a try, I think you will be in love.
We also ordered Vegetarian kebabs! They were spicy and cleared my sinuses but it was worth every penny.
And we ordered Manchurian Idli's (Manchurian - This great sauce made out of garlic ginger and vegetable broth, Idli's - Rice pancakes that were deep fried)
I highly recommend any of the above, and the total with a $4.00 tip came to $27.Listed in: Indian Restaurants in Toronto
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Review from Stephanie C.
Toronto, ON
8/10/2010
It's a good place to get cheap and delicious food.
It was also stop number 2 in the UYE Little India crawl and a good place to try a dosa for the first time. The food is all vegetarian and you have a good choice of fillings for your dosas. I ordered the masala dosa, which had a potato filling with masala spices.
But if a dosa doesn't fancy your palate, there are curries, and even some dishes that infuse Cantonese dishes. I even had a bite of Idli Manchurian that Cecily Z ordered and it was good.
I can see this place being very busy during the dinner hour. But for a Saturday afternoon, it was filled with solo eaters, small families and an eager group of hungry Yelpers. -
Review from Cisi Z.
Toronto, ON
8/7/2010
This was apart of the UYE Little India Crawl: Burn that Dosa! (Many thanks to Roma :D)
Tried the Idli Manchurian - yuuuuum. I got several comments on the very scent of this dish as it wafted around the table. Mouthwatering? Yes.
At first I was rather skeptical at the size (pretty small, imho) of this dish but it was exceptionally filling. Almost couldn't finish!
Having read the other reviews, I'd love to come back to try the other options on the menu, e.g. Tokri Chaat (via Gavin), Mysore Malsala Dosa (via Jennifer M), Pani Puri (via Kat T.), South Indian Thali (via Krishna N.) and much much more!
The decor ain't much but wow, the service was really good (the servers are very attentive): our waters were constantly being refilled. Plus, they dealt well with our some 15 person group, :). -
Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
This is hands down, the best indian food I have had since Malaysia. ( Malaysia, especially the west coast is very heavily populated by south Indians. Thali on Banana Leaf for lunch is prevalent , cheap, delicious and very popular.) The food here is completely vegetarian, and full of flavour. My meat-eating significant other was wary at first, and now suggests a trip to Udupi regularly.
The Mysore Malsala Dosa is incredible. Spicy, not too salty, with the most wonderful coconut dip. Paper thin, lots of filling, perfectly made, always warm. The Saag Paneer is delicious, never oily always fresh. The Chana of the lighter variety and has incredible depth. We have tried other currys and random starters and they were all good as well.
The service is great, very friendly guys and they refill your water glass after nearly every sip. The decor is nothing exciting, but its clean and comfortable enough. Love the tin plates.
Thali is $8.99, dosa is $6-8 or so, Curry (with rice, bread etc) $8-9.
So good. Soo Soo good. we have had takeout, but eat-in is much better.Listed in: Best of the Best, If I was a Tourist, Indian & Pakastani Food
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Review from Kat T.
9/15/2009 ROTD 9/5/2010
As many other South Indian places, Udupi is very cafeteria-like in stylings. I don't know who did the design for all these places, but I'm pretty sure living in south India is much like being an elementary school student and eating at sterile tables with paper streamers and home-made decorations on the wall. I' m not complaining, and I've never been, just sayin'.
Still, I can totally get past the decor when the people are so friendly and the food is so amazing. I really like Udupi Palace for the Pani Puri- I could do shots of that green liquid!
The Uttapum are really the highlight here. If you've never had a Thali, I highly recommend that, too. I spent my 2nd wedding anniversary here, because we couldn't make it back to San Francisco to eat at Dosa, "our restaurant".
Again, it's not fancy, it is just really good. Oh, yeah, my friends were dissappointed in the lack of Alcohol- drink a lassi instead.Listed in: ROTD's, Dosa- Not a Somasa
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Review from Nicole H.
Toronto, ON
8/17/2010 1 photo
When I have a craving for Indian, I make a point of heading out to Udupi Palace to get my fill. I believe this is Toronto's only vegetarian Indian restaurant (please correct me if i'm wrong, i'm always looking for more!) and their menu selections offer a great deal for vegans too.
The menu is quite large, so it's often the case where i'll order a lot more than i'll be capable of eating. My usual mistake is trying to get a good variety of appetisers, but many are just too dense or oily in large quantities to have in addition to a main.
The dosas at Udupi Palace are basically what drives me to visit - so many varieties to choose from! And you can get a nice bit of heat with the Mysore dosa. For spectacle alone I generally lean toward a paper dosa. If you can bring yourself to order outside the dosa section, they have a small selection of curries and their breads are amazing. I'm not much of a fan of the Uthapam, I find if I want something heavier i'd rather a curry/bread combo.
The food can be quite rich, but it's definitely great to occasionally calm the Indian food cravings. Surroundings are very basic, but the servers are friendly and helpful and the location smack bang in Little India is easy enough to get to. -
Review from Krishna N.
6/23/2009
The restaurant is reasonably priced, and has a vast menu, which for the most part is mediocre as far as South Indian food goes.
That said, they have the best "South Indian Thali" that I have ever had in my life (apologies to my Mom, but it's true). That dish itself warrants five stars in my book, and I will make a special trip to Udupi for this dish whenever I am in Toronto again. -
Review from Greg F.
Toronto, ON
3/2/2009
Udupi surely did live up to the vast menu selection as posted on their website. When I walked into this Palace dawned on me that this might actually be a hall. It was huge! But the place was packed!
The boys took excellent care of us and our group - a great location for large family gatherings! Very attentive to everyone's needs!
This place is also very affordable. The group as a whole ordered a variety of dishes to share. They are on the small side, but we managed to order enough to make up for it.
We tried the Masala Dosa, Mysore Masla, Pizza Uthapam, Idli, Banana Lassi, Chat Papri, Sag Paneer, Rawa Masala and Pineapple Lassi. The Vegetarian cuisine never tasted better! I am just glad I wasn't the one that ordered...as it can be very confusing!
It was well worth the $20 is spent, and would definitely recommend the Palace to anyone looking to explore South Indian Cuisine! -
Review from John M.
9/15/2008
People living in towns across North America, and who are blessed only with North Indian restaurants, I'm sorry. You see, like J.W. I was also drawn to Indian food by my vegetarianism, and have since discoved the joy of dosas and uttapam. To be honest, I have yet to really tap into south Indian cooking as much as I'd like, but my town has only one and it's not that hot.
So I've had south Indian in Ohio, Chicago, and now in Canada, where I've found my favorite south Indian joint. We're a pretty predictable pair, and weren't super hungry, so we split a paneer dosa and veggie uttapam. Both were really good - the paneer dosa has just the right amount of cheese and was perfectly seasoned, and the uttapam had lots of veggies, and the soup of course, oh the spicy soup and coconut chutney that accompany these delights - so nice.
Certainly one of our food highlights, a simple lunch in a great and colorful neighborhood, it really was a near perfect lunch. Good service, so-so decor, inexpensive and great food. Wizard. -
Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
11/3/2010
Having "Palace" in your restaurant's name and the decor resembling a large basement seems odd but hey, the food is fantastic! My husband and I ordered the Idli Manchurian. It came in a small tin dish on top of a round metal plate. think we were the whitest people in the restaurant (I'm actually yellow but really white on the inside). We looked around to see if anyone was eating off of plates. We just decided to devour the Idli Manchurian right out of the dish, only realizing after that there were metal plates under the dish. duh! The Manchurian dish was my absolute favourite. Crispy on the outside and a delicious garlicky glaze sauce on the outside. I think my eyes were bulging out of my head when i had my first taste.
We ordered the saag paneer and the spring dosa. The saag paneer comes with a small dish of rice, pickle, chapati, yogurt and papad. quite a good deal! I'm not sure which was which (chapati/papad) but one was crispy and thin and the other was thicker and chewier.
The spring dosa was good but a touch too greasy. The dipping sauce was pretty tasty too! I'm not sure what the second dipping sauce was but it was porridge-like and grey. It tasted better than it looked.
The 3 dishes was perfect for two people. We could've ordered an appetizer but I think we would've been aching so I'm glad we stopped when we did. I would love to come back and try the kofta! -
Review from Mika D.
Toronto, ON
3/12/2011
awesome!
very authentic south Indian food, has fast and good service, big portions - come hungry if you order the tali, and everything I tasted on the menu was really tasty thus far. Really loved it.
Please open a branch downtown! -
Review from Boonie W.
Toronto, ON
1/4/2011
Our favourite south Indian vegetarian place
The tali plate is fantastic and inexpensive while the dosa's are large and filled with many great options. Udupi is a vegetarian gem that looks like a prison cafeteria.
We only wish they served alcohol. -
Review from Mark V.
Toronto, ON
9/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
The staff is very attentive at this gigantic cafeteria of a restaurant, but don't let the decor fool you the food is authentic and tasty especially since they added manchurian iddly...Yum!
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Review from Chetan A.
Mississauga, ON
11/5/2010
Food: Ok
Creativity: Limited
Space: Lot
Price: Ok
Service: Good -
Review from kelly h.
Toronto, ON
5/25/2010
I love this place. Prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious, but I sometimes become overwhelmed by the large menu and order way more than I can actually eat (note to self: paneer masala dosa + saag paneer = too much paneer. Try not to order them together again). The restaurant is oddly enormous, but I kind of like its cafeteria-ishness.
Staff are all very friendly, and service is pretty speedy. -
Review from Gavin B.
Toronto, ON
7/3/2010
This is the real deal. Udupi food made in a restaurant run by a Mangalorean family. The uttapams are perfect. The masala rava dosas are a crisp crunchy bite of spicy urad dal heaven. And then I love the walk they've taken on the wild side - Indian Chinese Udupi style, with Idli Manchurian and Schezwan Kotfa. But the crowning glory has to be their unique Tokri Chaat. Imagine poutine married to bhelpuri. Well, this is their beautiful, brilliant child. Go and tell Hubert (the owner) that Gavin sent you. Other favourites of mine: upma, poori bhaji, pav bhaji.
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Review from F C.
Toronto, ON
6/26/2010
I ordered a large selection of food, wanting to try as much as I could. It's relatively inexpensive for the neighbourhood, and you get the decor that you pay for. It is very much like others have said; a big white hall from the 70's. But the dosas are fantastic! Seriously delicious. Trust me, if you can handle poor decor in order to eat cheap and cheerful Indian deliciousness, come and check it out.
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Review from Cristina K.
7/23/2010
We had chai, veda with sambar and coconut chutney and masala dosa. We really liked this place. The servers were fast and friendly. Lots of other diners enjoying all sorts of family meals. Most seemed to come in, order their faves, devour them and head back out onto Gerrard. I cannot wait to go back! Another reviewer commented on the kitchen noise. We heard some noises, but nothing that would've changed our mind about the food. We'll definitely return for buttery masala dosa goodness.
