Whoa! I used to like the buffet cause it was different. I guess that they don't have it often now, though. Big issue was other patrons. Only one other 4 top with 4 loud wine people. Loud. Lots of bragging about how long they have been gluten free with their purposefully undiagnosed celiac disease and what symptoms they had. Yes, I heard all of this without trying. This is sometimes an issue with health food places. People want to testify. This was super intolerable. We moved to the staff/work area. Food was not much to write home about. Feel sorry for the owner/cook/waitress. She looked a bit shook when we moved, but we actually couldn't have a conversation at our table. While paying the bill, the loud mouth walked through and apologized for "running us out". How about you modulate and then you don't have to pretend that you are sorry. Never. Again. read more

I love this place. I bring someone new here every week. I even gave a lecture here a while back. This is the ONLY place on Devon that will actually eat. I might even give you a business card. Gary J. Clyman, "The Chi Kung Guy" Come by and say hello! read more

Incredible food. The best garlic naan I ever had. Highly recommended! Malai kofta and palak Dal were amazing. read more

See all

The restaurant owner claims that their food is 100% vegan but that is not true because I ate there and had an anaphylactic allergic reaction to dairy and ended up in the ER. I ate the carrot halwa for dessert, which was likely made with real milk instead of soy like they claimed. Do not trust their menu. read more

So - let us assume that you're in the mood for an experiential history lesson - you'd like a taste of life back in the days when how a business treated you depended upon how much melanin was in your skin. Humor me some more and lets say you'd also like to experience stale food, assorted floaties in your water, dried food from previous meals on "fresh" plates. Yes? Well then Arya Bhavan is your place. Still with me? Then here is my experience: We walked in here on a Saturday evening. There were 2 tables occupied - we were the third party. While being ignored by Kirti (who really has no business being in the hospitality business), we found the old busboy (whose service was quite good by the way) and found ourselves a table. The dinner buffet was cold to luke-warm. The avacado had gone black along with the carrots and turmeric. The carrots were shriveled-up as well. The first couple of dinner plates where damp and smudgy - one even had some food leftover from previous meals. The small steel bowls were quite dirty - wet and with some dried food sticking to them. Wonder how this place even passed the health inspection. We really should have walked out then but then everybody makes mistakes - so after wiping these we collected our food and waited at the table.... for the next 10 minutes watching Kirti joked around with some visitors. Finally we waved to her only to hear her shout from across the hall that the naan was coming. Apparently after another 5 minutes we asked the busboy who went and actually got the naan. Now I can understand something like this happening in a place bustling with customers - not in a place where just 2 tables were occupied (1 party had left by now) At one point, we again waived at Kirti to get her attention - and again she curtly informed us "one second" and promptly disappeared in the kitchen for another 5 minutes. She came out with a beer for the other party at the restaurant once again totally ignoring us. As the evening progressed Kirti made it abundantly clear by her behavior that she wasn't interested in our business at all. Only the busboy (and at one point in time even the cook in the hairnet came over to service us) - but Kirti was too busy only to serve the other table - chatting them up, asking about the food, and the usual service you'd expect in any restaurant worth its salt. When we called her, she brusquely said, be back in a minute and then about 5 minutes later she sent out the cook to find out what we wanted. The last straw came when we asked for water and the jar came with unknown stuff floating around. That is when we got up. Kirti saw me waving the water jar - heard me ask the busboy about the floating particulate matter in the drinking water - but she simply wasn't bothered enough to come to the table to find out what was wrong. Well - enough was enough and we got up to pay the bill. That was the only time Kirti bothered to treat us as paying customers and said Thanks. To which I replied - "No thanks needed, we aren't coming back again" Now a business owner who truly cares about customers would have bothered to find out why. Oh not Kirti. She likes to service only a certain category of people. She simply snapped - "that's your choice". Very true - and I've made the choice to publish my experience wherever this business is mentioned - so that others can make an informed decision. I've also made the choice to file a complaint about this business with the Chicago Health department. Well Kirti, if you're reading this, you know exactly what I mean and I hope that you get treated better in a restaurant than the way you treated us. People who come to your restaurant give you your livelihood - they are PAYING customers NOT beggars. read more

Located with a strip of other Indian shops and restaurants Arya Bhavan offers a good selection of vegan options. The place features a large dining area with windows that look out to the seat and further seating in back. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and they had a buffet with a selection of their vegan dishes. The service was polite and attentive and the food was delicious, offering an assortment of dhals, Curry's, tandoori and veggies. Everything was yummy and they had something for everyone including dhosa on their regular menu. read more

Wish I could give zero, inexperienced waiters, poor and very very slow service, they changed order themselves even though they confirmed the order with us 3 times. The lady- may be owner ( not sure who she was ) blamed the wrong order on waiters says they are new. Would never go there again , was surprised that's a place like this even exists in Chicago Devon avenue . Then we saw ajwaah sweets just across the street and had samosa papadi jalebi there . Please go to ajwaah which would be worth spending money and time . read more

ordered in uber eats and waited an hour and a half with no updates. called and asked what was going on to ask for an eta, since things take a little longer these days for delivery i wanted to make sure we could pick up if needed since the restaurant would close in 30 minutes. the lady on the phone was very short and hung up on us after saying they are not taking uber delivery orders and they received our order but don't deliver. they gave no updates for an hour and a half however on this, they accepted the order and payment and just let the order sit in their system. called back to ask if we could pick it up since we already paid and waited an hour and a half. said it is too late to order and they only have naan now for pick up. if they are not taking delivery orders that's okay, but customers should probably be informed. down $60 since they already accepted the order and other restaurants are now closed /: read more

Another one of my favorites in Chicago, this place is all you can eat vegetarian. It isn't the best Indian on Devon, but it makes up for that with a great selection (bigger than the buffets in Lakeview), some unexpected treasures, wonderful drinks, and kind service. I've been here many times, and will keep going back. ...until the day I find some meat in my masala. read more

I went here with my mom yesterday, and as soon as we walked in the door the service went downhill. The hostess/greeter didn't greet at all. A lady who was waiting for her pickup told us to sit down anywhere. Menu's were not offered, so I guess they just assume everyone wants the buffet. That isnt business savvy because their entrees cost more than the buffet, and you would think they would make more money if they allowed their customers to order from both if they wished. So I opted for the buffet and wanted to try the a tofu dish. I placed my order with the unfriendly greeter (oxymoron) and she told someone else, then someone else told someone else and guess what? Everyone forgot, so I did not get any tofu dish. Fine...okay..... Next I ask about their detox monthly plan, but there is no nutritional values available. I wanted to know about the protein content, no info. Then I ask what are the "special meals" they cook...no info....okay. Okay so thats fine....okay... Heres the cherry, the unfriendly greeter is tallying up our bill and charges us for the tofu that we never received. So we correct her nicely and she says, "oh you didnt get it? well thats not my problem!" Look Arya Bhavan owners, please do yourself a favor and get rid of your horrible greeter. She has no customer service skills at all. And shes a little creepy with the customers trying to sell them her belongings.... I'm sorry for being so harsh, but I would like to see a Vegan Indian place succeed because I can tell that they do want to make a change and promote healthy living. read more

My fiancée and I absolutely love the vegan buffet on saturdays. There is such an amazing selection of flavorful dishes and I love that you get to try a little bit of everything. At $15 per person it's a steal. The owner of the restaurant is so sweet and makes sure that you are taken care of. She even brought us out a raw dessert made of pistachios and mint at the end of our meal. Make sure you try the samosas with the cilantro chutney. They are heavenly pockets of potato goodness. read more

So - let us assume that you're in the mood for an experiential history lesson - you'd like a taste of life back in the days when how a business treated you depended upon how much melanin was in your skin. Humor me some more and lets say you'd also like to experience stale food, assorted floaties in your water, dried food from previous meals on "fresh" plates. Yes? Well then Arya Bhavan is your place. Still with me? Then here is my experience: We walked in here on a Saturday evening. There were 2 tables occupied - we were the third party. While being ignored by Kirti (who really has no business being in the hospitality business), we found the old busboy (whose service was quite good by the way) and found ourselves a table. The dinner buffet was cold to luke-warm. The avacado had gone black along carrots and turmeric. Actually the carrots were shriveled as well. The first couple of dinner plates where damn and smudgy - one even had some food leftover from previous meals. The small steel bowls were quite dirty - wet and with some dried food sticking to a few of them. We really should have walked out then but then everybody makes mistakes - so after wiping these we collected our food and waited at the table.... for the next 10 minutes watching Kirti joked around with some visitors. Finally we waved to her only to hear her shout from across the hall that the naan was coming. Apparently after another 5 minutes we asked the busboy who went and got the naan. Now I can understand something like this happening in a place bustling with customers - not in a place where just 2 tables were occupied (1 party had left by now) At one point, we again waived at Kirti to get her attention - and again she curtly informed us "one second" and promptly disappeared in the kitchen for another 5 minutes. She came out with a beer for the other party at the restaurant once again totally ignoring us. As the evening progressed Kirti made it abundantly clear by her behavior that she wasn't interested in our business at all. Only the busboy (and at one point in time even the cook in the hairnet came over to service us) - but Kirti was too busy only to serve the other table - chatting them up, asking about the food, and the usual service you'd expect in any restaurant worth its salt. When we called her, she brusquely said, be back in a minute and then about 5 minutes later she sent out the cook to find out what we wanted. The last straw came when we asked for water and the jar came with unknown stuff floating around. That is when we got up. Kirti saw me waving the water jar - heard me ask the busboy about the floating particulate matter in the drinking water - but she simply wasn't bothered enough to come to the table to find out what was wrong. Well - enough was enough and we got up to pay the bill. That was the only time Kirti bothered to treat us as paying customers and said Thanks. To which I replied - "No thanks needed, we aren't coming back again" Now a business owner who truly cares about customers would have bothered to find out why. Oh not Kirti. She likes to service only a certain category of people. She simply snapped - "that's your choice". Very true - and I've made the choice to publish my experience wherever this business is mentioned - so that others can make an informed decision. I've also made the choice to file a complaint about this business with the Chicago Health department. Well Kirti, if you're reading this, you know exactly what I mean and I hope that you get treated better in a restaurant than the way you treated us. People who come to your restaurant give you your livelihood - they are PAYING customers NOT beggars. read more

I'd like to clear up the not-so-great reviews of Arya Bhavan to those non-native Chicago folks: It's not a great idea to rate a restaurant based on your Taste of Chicago experience. In my opinion, that's damn lazy Yelping. Like seeing a book on the shelf and writing a report on it. Lazy. So in any case, Arya Bhavan is a gem. Granted the decor isn't chic, but the food is pretty spicy, delish and filling. I had the 10.99 buffet and was full after a plate and a half plus dessert. The owner, Kirti, is very sweet, service, slow- paced. Very nice change. Don't come here if you seek a fast-food dining experience. Come for the taste, price and to support local eats. read more

We were group of 5 people with a kid visited this place at 10 in the night and we were all starving. I politely asked if they are still open, the waiter cudn't respond immediately and turned around and went inside to check with his boss lady. Lady came out and said they are open and have only Dosas left, she dint even bother to direct us to a table. we started discussing each other whether to eat Dosas or not. After 5 seconds she abruptly told us to leave the restaurant and find other restaurant if we don't want to eat. The rudeness in her voice made us to leave the place with humiliation. I would never ever recommend this place to anyone..yuckkk!! read more

This restaurant was referred to me by a dear friend of mine. I was very excited to try this restaurant but they have conflicting information on the flyer that I picked up from this restaurant and the website. I called them to have food delivered. Even though I fall in the area where they deliver, I was told that I need to have a minimum delivery of $25 and a delivery charge of $12. It almost felt like the person taking my order was almost making up these amounts. When I asked about the change in price, I was told drivers do not want to drive that far. Unfortunately I will not be going here.. read more

Love Arya Bhavan and order from here almost once a week. The vegetable sambar with oddly is so yummy. Vegetable chunks in a spicy lentil soup! And, the samosas are divine. Also, the saag paneer (traditionally made with a young farmers cheese) is so spiced well and served with homemade almond cheese instead. read more

I just tried Arya Bhavan, there Organic Tofu Tikka Masala was succulent. The Chana Masala was spiced perfectly, and the garlic naan was made to order. There vegan buffet overflows with many delicious Indian influences. I am glad to know Arya as it answers the need for healthy vegan Indian food. read more

I am sorry if my review looks strange.. But i am an indian and i am sure the food should be better...i guess for a foriegn pallate it may seem normal but many food items in buffet were staleand were not made as traditionally they were designed..i am a total pro for vegan organic les oil and healthy cooking practice which is what the restuarant projects but its no excuse for stale and uncooked food.. read more

As a newly born vegan, I have been on the hunt for the best CHICAGO has to offer for my plant based lifestyle. Arya Bhavan hit it out of the park. Fresh, organic, flavorful and ample vegan selection. Well worth the trek up north! read more

Arya Bhavan is by far the best Indian food I've had in Chicago and I've had just about all of the Indian food Chicago has to offer. Many of those places were in my non-vegan days which were most of my previous days in Chicago. These indian restaurants I'd frequent would span the southside to all downtown had to offer. Somehow I've been to almost all the rest of them on Devon Street, even all the other veg ones. I had a bunch of friends who were vegan or vegetarian who would take me down there, and I liked masala dosa and those were a non-meat thing. Now that I'm vegan, and also far more into healthy food in general, Arya Bhavan is the place to go for Indian food. All of the different things in the vegan buffet taste amazing in their own right. This is one of those places that has a large combination of options that you'd only expect a few of at most restaurants. And the owner Kirti is very personable. She wants to cook healthy for her customers as an extension of her family. She uses only the healthiest extra virgin oils, if any oil at all, and shops for organic ingredients. Her chutneys are amazing. I got this vegan tv dinner at Trader Joe's recently. Indian food style pakoras. They were alright but the tamarind sauce was gross at Trader Joe's. Arya Bhavan's tamarind sauce is amazing and the mint chutney is amazing, but the mint chutney is good to put on your plate and the tamarind chutney is good to put in one of the sauce dishes. There's also this raw homemade cashew dressing for the salad but you might end up wanting to try on everything. And the all you can eat buffet buffet has a good price. $12. Whether you eat meat or are vegetarian or vegan, try Arya Bhavan's Vegan Buffet. I think you'll like it. read more

Arya Bhavan - Arya Bhavan's Amazing Vegan Buffet w/ Organic ingredients.$12 all you can eat. Some of the best food in Chicago at a great price - Vegetarian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My dad got little excited after looking at the name of this restaurant (contains "bhavan" with makes it sound authentic indian food) and we decided to eat here. Even though I was little skeptical as there was only one other customer apart from us. We decided to get the buffet as they seem to have lots of options and then the whole torture started. Most of the food seemed to be stale. Big disappointment. Only their dal was good which was my only savior of the day. I will not recommend this place to anyone. They seemed to have decorated the place quiet well but the ventilation is pretty bad and get suffocating in there. read more

Over priced compared to both the quality and quantity of food served. The eggplant tasted slightly raw in baingan bharta while, on the contrary, it's supposed to be slightly overcooked and smoky. And the Malai kofta was too sweet. Don't recommend it at all. read more

Overlooked gem in Devon. Very light North Indian fare, which is - for this South Indian at least - very hard to find. Super sweet staff. The Mutter Paneer was delicious, as was the Channa Masala. Perfect, perfect gulab jamun. My only criticism was that the paneer itself was a bit dry. But seriously, not a big deal. The restaurant is really down-to-earth, the staff are very attentive, and the food is cheap and fantastic. I'm planning on returning. read more

Kirti is a very sweet person and really cares about her customers. We first checked out her restaurant because we bought a Groupon for dinner. She made us feel really welcome, and showed us how to assemble and eat an interesting appetizer that involves punching holes in crispy balls and filling them with deliciousness. We had the buffet and everything was delicious. Even my girlfriend, who's a meat eater and not always huge on vegetarian food thoroughly enjoyed her meal. About a year later we came back for a cooking class on a weekend morning and learned how to make tasty dosa masala, chana masala, and masala tea. Kirti hand grinds all her spices fresh as she's making the food, bringing out the flavors. I went through a really busy period at work where I was skipping meals and not eating real healthy, so I signed up for her meal plan. She provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a price much cheaper than eating out all the time. Being able to take the stress out of grocery shopping and making meals when I was burning the candle at both ends was a huge help. I always had a yummy healthy meal waiting for me in the fridge, and didn't have to run and get fast food as I was running around. She provides smoothies for breakfast, salads and Indian pancakes for lunch, and a variety of curries and hearty stews for dinner. My favorites are the sautéed cabbage, the chana masala, the black lentils, the lentil soup, and the curry sweet peppers. She even got me to like cauliflower, a vegetable I've never liked before. Although my main reason for signing up was convenience, I also lost weight - about 10-15 lbs over a month. I highly recommend her restaurant for dinner, her cooking classes, and her meal plan, for both vegetarians or meat-eaters looking for a healthy, tasty meal. read more

The Good: Service: The owner (the lady) is just the very best. She puts in an excellent effort, she is polite, pleasing person, and just the very best. Layout: The place is decorated with very good taste, very mind elevating, very calm, great music, I loved it. Family Friendly: It is very family friendly, I guess the 1st time in an Indian restaurant that kids were given colors to play with. Cleanliness: And the cleanliness, wow, it is better than most American restaurants that I have been to. The bathrooms were very clean. I am a sucker for service, layout, cleanliness, so, I should be a big fan, but I am not, read on: The Not so good: Food: Mixed feelings. I am a North Indian punjabi. I think this place is getting carried over by the fat content, healthy etc, remember that we are eating out, and most people eat out to enjoy, not for health. Eating healthy one night when you eat here is not going to help you if you eat unhealthy the other days. We eat healthy every day and when we go out, we do want the food to taste a bit out of ordinary. We did not order too much luckily, and after eating here, we went to eat at another place, so it became an expensive affair, sounds weird but that is what happened. The starter basket appetizer was OK at best and I am not impressed, and it was a bit too spicy. the vegetables that we had were boiled at best, not good at all, I can do that at home. In conclusion: Having said that, I think this is a great place for the all American types who cannot handle the spicy Indian foods. It is very clean, calm, place and the service is 5*. I highly recommend it for the Americans and a must try for Indians as well. I will definitely be back for the Lunch buffet. read more

bummer! that's all that comes to mind. i used to eat at this buffet almost weekly. hadn't been in years. decided to go back. sad to say, it wasn't the same. most of the buffet was not labeled so, wasn't sure what i was eating. the food was also not quite stocked. as in, it was obvious that it had been sitting there for awhile. vegetarian or not, that isn't good or appetizing. wish i could give it a better review. :( read more

Meh. Was super excited to try this place based on yelp reviews. The one star is for the nice owner, she was cool. I decided to have the dinner buffet, big mistake. The food had absolutely no seasoning whatsoever. Maybe she caters to the non-Indian population? The only palatable thing was the bhel puri & maybe the naan, but that was pretty much it. The samosa was spoiled, mama's trained me to always smell the inside! Everything else was pretty tasteless. The bathroom was pretty tiny & ok, not the cleanest. Wish I would've gone to another place during this brief trip to Devon Ave, should've opted for a chaat place instead. read more

We were about to order when the waitress butted in and did most of it for us. i didnt like most of her suggestions, and i never like it when the wait staff orders for us. the food may be healthy (tofu in place of paneer) but the flavors are just not very Indian. this place is overpriced and lacking in authentic indian spices and flavors. Walk around the block and you will surely find a tastier (and more affordable) Indian culinary experience. read more

I was lured into Arya Bhavan by the magazine cutouts and newspaper clippings hanging in the window, lauding their excellent food. I left wondering how someone could like the food enough to finish it let alone write an article praising the restaurant or give it a positive review. Are vegetarians so hard up for meatless options that this bland, boring food passes as excellent? For their sake, I hope not. read more

Living Raw Food Buffet at Arya Bhavan is a vegan, gourmet, Indian-style buffet on Monday evenings. It is a fresh, unique, tastey, and inexpensive alternative to other mainstay Chicago raw cuisine (e.g., Karyn's & Counsin's). read more

$7 for delivering food 1.5 miles. Order didn't come right and person yelled at me for having an accent (Indian) and for not understanding it. Here's the kick... I ordered from GrubHub. read more

Love this place. The food is incredible and so yummy and fresh. The owner is lovely, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Went to a raw vegan holiday event and we packed this place. The Chef Kurti is very kind and gave a short group presentation about the raw vegan buffet (every Monday). I rarely do buffets, but I plan to check this one out more often. Everything I tried was delicious. I was especially excited because most of the dishes hafe a nice spicy kick! I love Indian food and to know there are great raw options is wonderful. She also made a great cooked vegan dish (excited about that) and it is now one of my new favs next to Gobi Aloo. Plus there is a great and low-cost monthly meal plan here that I plan to sign-up for. read more

We came here randomly because we were exploring the area. We did the 12.99 buffet because most items were in that range a la carte. Overall the buffet was pretty underwhelming in terms of flavor. Also a lot of the items were cold and not really being refilled. It might be a good place for vegetarians but there are better places for the price. read more

I am always searching for a nice vegetarian/vegan friendly place to eat, and Arya Bhavan is wonderful! not only do they do vegan versions of Indian cuisine, they even have a buffet. I had a few things here that I haven't seen at other buffets, like okra and brussels sprouts, all cooked very well. They are focusing on organic and GMO free food which is so cool. The Naan is tasty too. If you love vegetarian/vegan/gluten free food this is a great place to go, and even if you don't you can get a delicious and satisfying meal here. Their website is called eatondevon.com read more

We have ordered from here via grubhub a couple times and have been very happy. It is one of a select few places that caters to a variety of dietary restrictions including gluten free, vegan, and other fruit / vegetable / nut food allergies. We don't have a lot of experience with Indian so we cannot make a lot of comparisons, but they seem to get their delivery orders right and deliver decent food so we think it's worth it. read more

The service and menu is great. My favorite item is the samosas and naan! The main dishes are very expensive and the tomato based sauce was much too sweet! Mattar didn't have enough curry. It was too sugary and sweet tasting. Other dishes needed more flavor too. Overall, a great experience and the food was of good quality! read more

I've been to Arya Bhavan several times, and have never been disappointed. The people who work there/own the restaurant are so nice and accommodating. I love the food there, and I always come away quite full. I've come back several times, so I think they've won me over. read more

I really liked the hostess and the decor here (pink napkins folded into the water glasses), but the $11 buffet was only soso. It's really nice to know that all the food is vegetarian, but it just could not compare to the other places I've been on Devon. I will say that my samosa was very good though, but I don't think I'll go back to Arya Bhavan again. read more

My sister took me here a few weeks ago and though I've had Indian food many times before, I was kind of hesitant, but hungry nonetheless, so we went in and got the buffet... it was INCREDIBLE! The spicy foods were just spicy enough, the savory foods satisfied my hunger, and the carrot Halwa, though a bit runnier that I've had in the past, wasn't too sweet and had a nice carmelized flavor that left me craving more on the way home. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I was in the area again. read more