Ah!! I wonder why they actually have a restaurant. It should have been a take out place. We went in to try this place at night. A lady showed us a way for seating and left us with a water and Menu. and that was the end of the whole positive experience. We were on our own after that. After 15-20 min when no body showed up at the table, my wife gave in and went to ask for someone to take the order. A guy came over and took the order. We ordered 2 appetizers and a dosa and chole bathure. Partial order came thru' a "delivery man". I think he worked in kitchen and came , left partial order and vanished before we could ask for more water. Till the end, there was no soul who came to our table to even ask if we would need anything. Food is just OK. Sambhar, the basic "soup" in every south indian restaurant was just ok. Nothing special, not worse but no good either , Chana bathure were nice. Dosa never came and so did any live person. Finally after eating our partial food, we went to check counter to pay and leave and they had Dosa in the charge which was ofcourse taken off but this just goes on to show how careless the service can be. This is a restaurant, not a take out place and service was ZEROOO. read more

Food was good, but they have the same food everyday. When we came a man sat us down and didn't ask for any drinks or if we anted to order a dosa or something else. I had to get up and ask for 2 dosas. Then when we got the dosas it barely had any potatoes in it . It was as I was only eating the shell. I wish they give better service next time. I love the fact still available read more

Not my cup of tea but it seems like vegetarians craving Indian food absolutely love it. I might have enjoyed it more if we had ordered from the menu. Instead, we went with a big group and ate from their buffet. Nothing stuck out to me. I prefer Shaan or any other delicious Indian options in Cincinnati. read more

Amma's kitchen has the most delicious vegan indian food!! Our friends from Cincy introduced us to Amma's the last time we were in Cincy and it was soooo delicious! It's also great for big groups and fun celebration dinners! There are SO MANY vegan options and the staff is so nice! read more

Great place to eat when you are craving Indian food and vegetarian. This is a vegetarian place! One of my favorite dishes I usually order from here is the malai kofta (I hope i spelled it correctly). That dish is worth trying!! read more

Excellent vegetarian Indian. You won't miss the meat. It's one of our staples. We like paneer butter masala and malai kofta, as well as the samosas, of course. The crepe and pancake uthappam and dosas with the sambar (Indian soup for the soul) are also excellent. read more

YUM! Samosa chat was a fab way to start and everything we tried was Delish! My new favorite Cincinnati Indian restaraunt.....oh and did I mention everything is vegetarian? Meat eater or not, it was totally satisfying and more!! read more

Proper south Indian cuisine.. loved the pongal.. vadai I missed during buffet.. but overall good quality food with authentic flavors from southern India read more

The vegan lunch buffet on wednesday is amazing. I can't wait to come back

This restaurant is great, though they could be just a little better staffed with more than one English speaking waiter, unless you speak Hindi read more

Great service. The food is always ready quickly, especially when ordering over the phone. This restaurant is vegetarian, but the gobi manchurian (fried cauliflower) tastes like spicy chicken! I've never gone wrong here. read more

This is one of Cincinnati's "secret" places where you would never expect really good food. Only discovered it this week! You wouldn't expect a place with food this good to be in such a slime-pit of a neighborhood. However, be prepared. They have RULES there. And you had better obey or that guy in the guard tower gunna take you down, bruh. These guys have more rules than HowAffle House. Firstly, no reservations. Second, it's a buffet, so take a hanky or a box of latex gloves, because fifty people just touched that ladle you just grabbed, and half the men just got through snotting their noses with that hand. Third, you can put as much on your plate as you want, but the sign says you have to eat it all. Don't waste, you stupid Americans. Fourth, do not EVER ask for any items on the buffet to be take-out. It's dine-in only. Fifth, BYOB. Sixth, guys, when taking a leak, flush the urinal once and only once. Yes, there is a sign that actually says that in the men's room. The hours are kind of weird too. But the food is deeeee-lishus!! (Seriously, it's good!) read more

I took my Indian family of 20 adults & children visiting from out of town to this restaurant. It was a complete let down and embarrassment. The restaurant looks old & dingy in a dilapidated strip mall. Still I thought the food may be better. The buffet is very limited with very few options. The food did not seem fresh. The complimentary masala dosas came out after we were done eating. Some of the kids ordered off the menu. Those were better: a kids meal that included a small kulfi; and fried rice. The mango lassi was watered down. Their Madras coffee seemed like it was made from instant coffee packets. Lesson learned: don't take your out of town guests to a restaurant you haven't tried. There are couple other Indian restaurants on Rt 42 that are splendid. Go there instead. read more

Great for South Indian Dishes like Idly, Dosa, Vada and Pongal...

Food: 3 + stars but definitely below 4. Service: 4 + stars* Area: 2+ stars* [Perhaps I am spoiled by Chicago's Mysore Woodlands :-) Also, FYI, I am Indian.] read more

Love that they have an ALL VEGAN lunch buffet on Wednesdays! Just discovered this place last week and will definitely be eating there regularly. read more

Great for vegans and non vegans too. The naan varieties are yummy and the service is attentive and efficient.

Very authentic South Indian food. Great buffet at an affordable price, and friendly staff.

My very first time eating South Indian cuisine, and it was wonderful! I got the masala dosa and mango lassi. The potatoes were seasoned perfectly, the dosa was both crispy and soft in different parts, and the sides to dip the dosa in were all delicious as well. The lassi was great as well, perfectly tangy. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Went with a colleague who is not Indian for dinner. The staff was very friendly and explained things nicely. We ordered idly, dosa, and upma. Everything was superb. The sambar was great. This is my first time going there for dinner and I am impressed. read more

Delicious Indian food! They had a good selection of food, the staff was very nice, and the dosas were great. Will come here again.

I had come over here on a business trip, searched fr Indian restaurants,and finally got Amma's kitchen,i really loved the food here its like typical south Indian cuisine which i wished for,and u have got the buffet every aft noon on weekdays which has variety of dishes u can taste... If u are a vegetarian an love Indian food i bet u have to visit this place u love it... read more

With Cincinnati overrun with Northern Indian restaurants, Amma's Kitchen is a nice change of pace. I've only been there a few times in the evening and have not had the buffet, but I've heard it's excellent. As a warning, the food is not spicy, which some of my friends found out to their disappointment. While I agree the food might seem bland to somebody used to spicy Indian food, once you get past it you'll be able to taste the freshness of the food that I feel is lacking in other restaurants. The atmosphere is one of the best. Amma's staff are always smiling and friendly, in contrast to some other Cincinnati places where the owners try to kill each other or yell at patrons for parking in the wrong lot. My father once told me that if you want the best ethnic food, go where the immigrants go. Amma's is always filled with Indian people, so that gives it the highest recommendation. read more

My favorite Indian in Cincinnati, and that is saying something. The dishes are very good but ordering can be intimidating -- it isn't the usual Indian restaurant menu. The descriptions of various items don't really explain what you're getting. If you're lucky, you'll end up with a delicious entree. Good luck and try it out! read more

Used to have lunch buffer... best south indian items in the Dayton and Cincinnati area. North Indian items are also just ok.

This was my first visit to Amma's kitchen, my friends suggested that I should go for lunch buffet! I felt like the food was not fresh ( Gobi Manchurianand & Idli) was cooked a day or two before. I only liked the Dosa and coconut chutney! I would probably not prefer going again! read more

The prices are moderate Food taste is good. But the hospitality is the worst. They don't treat you with care.. The way they talk and their service is rude. We went with my family and my cousin's and our experience was terrible. I dont think we will visit again. read more

If the owner is reading this..... Please bring the old cook/chef back.. The quality and taste of food has significantly gone down in the past 2 months.. The sambar is worse than what you get at a punjabi joint.. What the heck? read more

They serve good Indian food. Their south Indian food option are better than the North Indian ones. The buffet has lots of variety read more

I have been their last weekend with huge group of friends. Its tasteless food lunch buffet very limited items the cost is really too high. paying $11.99 + tax for that food is not really worth and just because of HIPE and reviews we been their but very much disappointed also they add too much of baking soda. i believe its better to have fry's at McDonald rather than eating lunch at that place. guys specially who go for their weekend courses think twice before you go, you drive all the way 30 miles in huge traffic and you wait at restaurant for a very big dissapoinment. read more

I absolutely love Amma's Kitchen. I lived in a South Indian neighborhood in Mumbai a few years ago and was never able to find something that tasted like home until I ate here. I'm a sucker for good idlis, chutneys, and dosas, and Amma's does them all just right. read more

Had a wonderful lunch, freshly prepared, curry, vegetable pancake, and naan. Coming back soon, with friends!

If you want authentic and delicious South Indian, vegetarian food this is the place. We were very impressed by the large menu, almost all of which is South Indian cuisine as opposed to North Indian, which most Indian restaurants are. They uniquely have dosas (large crepe type dish filled with delicious items) Sambar and idlys (soup with steamed rice flour cakes) and salty lassis- my favorite! They even taste like they are made with full fat, homemade yogurt which makes them especially good. If you are more used to the typical North Indian fare, found at most other Indian restaurants, they have a large selection of those dishes as well- so fear not. We were seated quickly, the food was brought out promptly and the prices were great! We ate like pigs with plenty of leftovers and barely broke $30. The downside is there is not much ambiance to speak of but it is clean, quiet and pleasant. We will definitely be back soon. read more

Food is good . But the people who work there are so rude . The lady who works there is rude to almost every customer .

I tried Amma's while in Cincinnati for business, thanks to finding a review on Yelp. I won't pretend to be a connoisseur of South Indian food, but I absolutely loved my meal. My mango lassi was so delicious that I actually thought I was going to cry. I also had the Special Vegetable Curry and the bread filled with cheese. Both were perfect! read more

We ordered Naan, Veg Kurma, Paneer Kadai, Sambar, Gobi Manchurian. Naan & Paneer were ok..but veg kurma & Sambar were horrible..this kind of sambar was not at all expected from south indian restaurant. Overall ok.. read more

Visited Ammas Kitchen for the first time though I am in Cincinnati for past few years. Being Saturday, restaurant was pretty crowded. Hence we were seated towards the back of the restaurant which itself kind of dampened my appetite and mood to eat. On top of it when I started serving myself I saw that quite a few dishes had the same gravy. Commonly known in Southern India as Avial gravy. Being South India focused restaurant in Cincinnati area I was hopeful to enjoy the medu wada and Idly as these are the Delicacies from that region. But somehow I was not completely satisfied with these items though I must say that sambhar was Ok. And yes I must alert you that do not even try their Dahi Wada as it's very sore and nowhere close to the original dish and recipe. All in all unless you're really hungry and other restaurants are closed I will not suggest you to visit this place. No hard feelings for the restaurant owners. read more

It's kosher and soooo delicious. We drive from Indy to Cincy just for the food. The decor inside and out isn't so beautiful, but the food in all its glory makes up for it. read more

Amma = Mother in my native language....unfortunately there was nothing motherly about the food we had today. We decided to stick with Southern Indian food and ordered Dosas. I had the Mysore Dosa and my wife ordered the Rava Dosa. Though palatable, the food was bland and lacked flavor as well as salt. The coconut chutney tasted stale while sambhar was underwhelming. Finally, I had a cup of hot tea which was spicier than the food that we had! Overall, this restaurant barely makes the grade for South Indian style food. read more

Very bad customer service. We had done a reservation for 10 people, only to find when we all arrived that it was done in error. On top of it they were not at all accommodative. Sucks !! read more