Very mixed reviews of this place overall to be honest. The forest service was really quick and they delivered the food piping hot much faster than we expected. Food was also quiet, flavorful and the good amount of spicy as well. Some items were fairly oily but I guess that's just how these things are made so there's no going around it. Really like the variety of dishes they had and we got to try a lot of new South Indian options that we had never heard of before. Taking off major points here because of the dessert. We ordered the falooda ( actually wanted some specialty item they had but they said they were sold out of that). When we asked for the Falooda they said they had it and it actually took over 30 minutes to bring it out!! We kept asking for it and they said they were preparing it and what not, but we believe that this item was actually frozen and they were now waiting for it to defrost. The only reason I see this is because when they did bring it to the table, IT was actually semi-frozen and definitely not worth the weight of almost 30 minutes. As for the vibe of the place, it was like your typical Indian restaurant. Not super aesthetic or anything We were in the back room and it felt a little enclosed but I guess there was no way to avoid that. Clearly a popular place though because by the time we left it was very packed in the front side. read more

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Terrible restaurant. Don't bother coming here. My friend wanted to come here so we did. Food took forever to come out. Server was rude when we asked how long it would be. When the food finally came out it tasted terrible. Sour taste to thr sauce. Dishes undercooked too. Don't waste your time. read more

The restaurant needs to improve both its food quality and service to stay competitive. While the menu has potential, there were noticeable issues with execution. For instance, the Schezwan noodles contained excessive food coloring, making them appear unnaturally bright--almost like carrots--which affected the overall appeal of the dish. However, the more significant concern is the waiting service. The staff seemed undertrained, particularly in their knowledge of the menu and their ability to communicate effectively with customers. Given that this is an Indian restaurant serving a largely non-Indian customer base, it is essential for the staff to be more proactive--explaining dishes, making recommendations, and guiding diners through the experience. Basic service fundamentals also appeared to be missing. For example, there was no clear understanding of the proper sequence of serving food--appetizers, followed by the main course, and then dessert. The overall lack of attentiveness and initiative made the dining experience less enjoyable. This becomes even more noticeable considering that a nearby restaurant delivers excellent service despite being a pure vegetarian establishment. With more Indian restaurants opening up in the same area, Anjappar needs to significantly improve both its service standards and food presentation to remain competitive. Coming to the ambiance, this isn't a fancy restaurant, but it does bring back the feel of a generic local restaurant back home. While that can be nostalgic for some, the setup feels quite basic and could benefit from some improvement to enhance the overall dining experience. read more

Great place and great food !!! It would be nice to reduce oily levels and a little less spicy - so that everyone can enjoy your super flavorful food! read more

Multiple visits later, we continue to appreciate Anjappar's South Indian menu. While this is quite different from the stereotypical Indian restaurant fare, it is unapologetically authentic and packs quite a punch in terms of spice. My family enjoys the mutton and fish thaalis, while my go-to off late has been the Schezwan Chicken Noodles. While these noodles are a staple part of IndoChinese cuisines, Anjappar's interpretation of this dish is unique in that it is not one bit greasy and at the same time doesn't compromise on flavor. The kids have also been enjoying the Appam combos - appams are always perfectly pillowy in the middle with the thin lace like trims. Service can sometimes be a spotty if the restaurant is packed, but the staff are always very polite and welcoming. read more

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We were at the temple next door for the Diwali celebration and decided to come here for dinner afterward. We ordered family style and got two orders of rice, kadai paneer, bhindi masala (dry), dal tadka, and a couple orders of garlic naan. Food came out relatively quickly. The kadai paneer was tasty and heavy as expected, but it didn't have that many pieces of paneer. The bhindi masala felt a bit undercooked to me and was on the chewier side. The dal tadka is kind of hard to mess up, and it was solid. Overall the meal was decent but nothing particularly memorable. We asked for the check a few times and the waiter kept saying he was coming, but it took nearly 15 minutes for the bill to finally arrive -- and they didn't seem that busy. Overall, 3/5. read more

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Ordered Paneer Tikka Masala to go for $15.95. The cashier lady was surprised I also did not order rice and/or naan. (I was surprised the food did not include rice or naan.) The Tikka Masala was very good, but I was disappointed no rice or naan was included for the high price I paid, which was a total of $17.19 with tax. read more

Anjappar - Receipt - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

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My mouth is on FIRE!!! For those who love Sri Lankan food, you need to try their Ceylon Mutton dishes. It was spot for taste, and for spice! I walked away with a full belly and my mouth burning but it was totally worth it. There were a steady stream of patrons who came in to dine and if you've been here before, you knew to just grab a seat. We didn't and wait a couple of minutes (no biggie), and a really sweet young woman made her way to the front and seated us. It's very clean and everything is made to order. Hubs ordered the masala dosa and it came out piping hot. We also ordered mango lassi which was authentic (yay!!!) and their teas were sooooo good. 100% I'll be back! read more

I ordered the mutton biryani and the chicken Sukka Varuval through Uber Eats. The biryani tasted a bit sour. The quantity was good, but there were very few mutton pieces and it felt mostly like a box of rice. The chicken appetizer had decent flavor but was very oily. I have had better Anjappar locations in other cities, and the quality here felt a bit underwhelming. read more

Worst mutton biryani ever. Mutton pieces are not properly cooked, seems like paragon chappal pieces!!! And also the food doesnt feel fresh so Expecting a better cooked meat and fresh food !! read more

Good south indian food option Goat dum biryani - 4/5 If you like thalappakatti style biryani this is excellent. But if you love biryani with basmati rice this might not be up your alley. Mutton Kotthu parotta - This was tasty but was a really big portion. Chicken 65 - 5/5 Undeniably the best dish here. 100% get this. read more

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I ordered Indo-Chinese thinking it will be like Sunnyvale Anjappar. And Boy..!! They just nailed it. Better than Sunnyvale. Had an amazing conversation with owner who was simply passionate to serve best food to customers. I went ahead with his choice for us to try. Kadhai Paneer, Appam, Mango Lassi. It was very fresh, in house made mango lassi, best appam and curry was just the best. Quantity was very generous. This my one of the place now for San Diego. read more

Anjappar - Baby Corn Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

My friend invited me to try an Indian restaurant while I was waiting for my car maintenance. It was my first time trying the Anjappar Mutton Thali, nice to experience, but I'll try something else next time. Even though I ordered the mild version, it was still spicy. Hehe. The place has a nice and relaxed atmosphere, and there are so many dishes to choose from. read more

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This is a yummy dosa place that actually serves meat dishes as well. Most of our dosa places here are vegetarian so this is a pleasant change The service is pretty good and the place is clean and roomy. There are no outdoor tables. The dosas we ordered, podi masala and the onion rava masala, were both tasty. Unfortunately i can't give five stars here because the dosas were not crispy. The bottoms were pretty soggy. read more

Anjappar - Ghee Podi Dosa - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came here on Sunday around 230 for lunch with my dad. It's a very casual dining spot with plenty of indoor seating. We got the lamb vindaloo, chicken karahi, side of rice, and a garlic naan. The food was good, tasted authentic, and I felt like the portions were decent sizes too. The menu is only available via a QR code and a lot of the items don't have pictures or descriptions which is tricky for someone who isn't as familiar with Indian food - I would encourage them to update this! The service was also pretty slow but the servers were still friendly. read more

Anjappar - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Excellent food ! Everything we've tried from this place and that's many dishes have all been great. Hard to find good South Indian places and good non-veg places to eat in San Diego. This one is a sure winner. All Their seafood dishes, Medu Vada, dosa, appam, prawns are fab. Highly recommend. read more

We came here because a friend from India recommended it. The food was great! There are many many options, if not familiar with the food. I think anything will be good, go by the pictures in Google from this place or ask for recommendations at the place. I suggest everything we tried: - Ghee Masala Dosai - Chicken lollipop - Thali w/mutton Service was great, waitress recommendation on point! We even got chance to talk to owner, he's passionate about his food read more

Anjappar - Anjappar Mutton Meal (Thali) - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Used to love the place but it's not the same anymore. I've tried their Biryanis and chicken 65, Manchurian, Daal. They absolutely have no spice, tastes very bland. I do enjoy their biryanis, my biggest reason for one star is their pricing. It's very expensive for the quantity they offer. Disappointed that this is a place I used to love dining/get a take out but considering there are many other Indian places in the neighborhood I'm going to pass. read more

Amazing! The food was amazing! The service was amazing! They stayed open for us right as they were about to close for lunch. The food came out fairly quickly and was so good. The samosa was perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. The paneer was flavorful. The garlic naan was the perfect amount of garlic and perfectly crispy without being hard or burnt. The restaurant is very clean and bright. Nice spot! read more

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Delicious authentic food. Gobi 65 and the lamb kuruma are must gets. Extremely generous portions. So happy to live close by.

Worst service ever. Fried rice was delivered after we are done eating the other dishes. Chai was delivered few minutes before russ malai was delivered. Chai got cold by the time russ malai arrived. Good thing the place was not crowded. read more

Ordered the "Nattukozhi Rasam Soup" and the "Chettinad Fish Curry" with steamed rice. Both the dishes were delicious and authentic. The spice level was perfect for me. I have been here multiple times and feel that the quality of the food has improved a lot. Service was fast and good. read more

I would never have guessed this South Indian cuisine restaurant was part of a worldwide chain that has been in existence for nearly 60 years. Anjappar Chettinad occupies a fairly small suite (about 40 customer capacity) at the Little India San Diego shopping plaza in the Miramar neighborhood. With numerous Indian-owned businesses in the area, it's hard to stand out from the crowd so I thought they should have established a larger presence. If you arrive during peak meal hours, open parking spaces in the lot will be difficult to find. During the soft opening period, a menu card listed select items, however if you go to their website, more choices were available to order. I asked about the Country Chicken (Nattu Kozhi Biryani), but the server was not able to provide a succinct description of that item. The lack of information made me pick the Chicken Dum Biryani with an Egg Kalakki as an appetizer. The latter was an omelet cooked with spices. I enjoyed the mild flavors from the seasonings. The biryani was prepared at a specific spice level with no modifications available. That ended up being a negative as the heat was more than medium, bordering on hot. Even with the sauces served on the side, I found the dish difficult to consume, and I was not able to finish even half of the serving. More chicken was needed to balance the amount of rice which was clumpy as another reviewer had described. The service was hit or miss as one man seemed knowledgeable about the menu while the ladies were not as well-versed with the offerings. That should improve as the restaurant moves towards a full grand opening soon. For the price and quality of the food I sampled, it's a three star rating with plenty of room for improvement. read more

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Great service , cozy ambience and tasty south Indian cheetinad food for the first timers only. The dishes do need to improve. We had mutton sukka which were cubes of boneless lamb build and mixed with some masala. The original dish has stir fried mutton with a good layer of masala to wrap the stir fried meat. Again the restaurant doesn't serve any condiments like chutney etc. I guess this is their soft opening and they are testing waters. A good attempt that needs some improvement. read more

Anjappar - the interior of the restaurant - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Anjappar whether it is Artesia location or San Diego.. they both are big disappointment. We ordered Mango lassi Nannari sharabath Family pack boneless chicken biryani with chicken-65 as appetizer Drinks were ok and chicken-65 was fresh and tasty... but the main dish boneless chicken biryani is awful. First of all the food is not at the right temperature and what are served is way too spicy basmati rice with leftover chettinad chicken curry (because it has boneless chicken pieces) the chicken is stale not a single piece is fresh. I doubt how they received 'A' rating for food safety. They know it is stale so obviously didn't even bothered to ask if we need a togo box. We were so very hungry after a long day at the zoo with two young kids and accidentally went to this restaurant as the other restaurant in the area was super crowded. Never going to get into any other anjappar and will try our best to keep ourselves to vegetarian restaurants. read more

If you feel like having some home made South Indian food anjappar is the place to go. The food is really tasty, even though they take some time to make it which we didn't mind because it's worth the wait. The owner was very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend this place! read more

Got the butter chicken Marsala which was a favorite last time, however some pieces of the chicken were burnt black this time and affected the taste. Need better cooking consistency. read more

Anjappar - Butter Chicken Masala - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

The food was SO good and authentic! Staff was very nice and the best part other than the food was how affordable everything was! My friends and I left super full for only about $26 after tax and tip! read more

Anjappar - Chicken 65 Biryani - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

Terrible terrible service . The girl who takes order has no basic manners and ethics . Food is good . read more

Anjappar is a well known chain restaurant from south India with a big fan following!! It's about time they opened a branch in San Diego. It was our first time here and we were impressed by most things we ordered. Onion Pakoda (Onion Fritters) 5/5 As good as it gets Onion Uttapam (Savory rice and lentil pancake with onions) 5/5 As good as it gets Idiyapam with Veg Kurma (Steamed rice noodle cake with side of vegetable curry) 5/5 Definitely a must! This dish is only served at a select few restaurants, not to be missed. Veg Koththu Parotta (Chopped up bread sautéed with vegetable and spice) 3/5 Even though this sounds delicious, I thought it was on the bland side. This was the one not so great dish I ordered. Maybe I had to eat it with a side, not sure. Definitely give Anjappar a try if you are looking for Indian food that is different from the usual Samosa/Naan/Butter Chicken ! read more

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Something has gone drastically wrong here since my last visit and review. Food this time tasted bad and wasn't prepared well. The appams looked bad, the parottas were super greasy and the curries tasted stale. I hope they rectify these issues as this was one of my favorite South Indian restaurants. read more

The butter chicken was pretty mediocre the goat curry was a lil chewy but not bad, ordered a cheese naan didnt taste any cheese in there

The best authentic Indian experience I've had in SD. It's spicy but they'll help you out if you need more mild. Order the masala dosai, the chicken biriani (spicy), and the Indian beer to help with spice!! read more

Tried their gobi manchurian, chicken lollipops, and country chicken Biryani.Yummy lollipops and Biryani could have more meat. While rose milk was good, nannari sharbath was tepid. No spice level was asked while placing the order. All dishes were moderately spiced for someone who eats 10/10 spicy food. read more

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Disappointed!! The Paratha was no closer to what you would ideally get served at Anjappar nationwide. Jigarthanda drink for desert was terrible - don't get it. read more

We had a great experience with Anjappar we ordered food for camping for around 50 people , checked with Raj and he gave us really great recommendations with food options so the whole crowd can enjoy as we had lots of kids, per his recommendation we ordered Malai kofta (one of the best kofta I ever had ) Chettinad egg masala (authentic taste) veg kothu parota (amazing ) and veg kurma . All owners are really friendly and customer service is top notch Dinesh did the delivery and the food was warm and ready to served delivered early and make sure the order was correct . A must recommended place for catering and dine in too read more

Anjappar - Indian Near Me - San Diego, California

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One of the most authentic Indian restaurants in San Diego! We asked Anjappar to cater food for my aunt's memorial service, and the food was so good. Many of our guests asked where it was from because they enjoyed it so much. A big thank you to Ramesh and his team for preparing such wonderful food to honor my late aunt. read more

My indian coworker took me here first time and since then been here few times. You get properly cooked fish curry, good lassa paratha and authentic drinks from South India. Servers were extremely polite and cleaner than most other indian restaurants. Goat curry was tasty too. Again one of the few place where they cook after they receive the order. read more

Service is amazing! They are very attuned to customers needs and are always recommending dishes to make it the best culinary experience. Food is delicious particularly the Meen pollichathu (fish in Banana Leaf). Ambiance is very cultural as the music is a nice mix of Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. read more

I lived in Chettinadu over 3 years. None of the food here is reminiscent of the food i used to get there. Worst was the korma, which just tasted like red chilli, no aromatic spices. ditto the biryani. the chutney was really tasteless, how do you do that with chutney. the food server needed a bath, and kept scratching his head, for Christ sakes.... The only decent thing were the iddli themselves. would not eat here again, to be honest read more