Such a delicious potato masala dosa they make! Discovered this southern Indian takeaway inside a small place alongside Japanese and middle Eastern eateries. Can't wait to try their other (accidentally) vegan dishes! read more

Chennai Express - Masala dosa - Indian Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

a total hole in the wall, not meant for sitting and enjoying for sure. was hoping for a really good food experience as sometimes this will be the case at Vancouver restaurants but I won't be back here. nothing particularly special or authentic (having travels in India and grown up in Vancouver) read more

Great place to eat if you're craving South Indian. This is located in downtown so this is mostly a takeout place. There is seating but only for 2-3 people at best. The food is authentically South Indian and can be really spicy. read more

They were out of everything except Dosas since it was almost closing time. They make dosas quite big which I didn't anticipate. But still, two dosas are good enough to make a stomach full meal. Coconut Chutney and Sambhar: Both were good. No wow factor but very much edible. Masala Dosa: It was good. The potato masala tasted great and the dosa was quite well made. Vegetable Dosa: Didn't like it that much but was okay. The taste wasn't that good - a little off taste. Maybe because it was the last batch of vegetables - not so fresh I suppose. I did a takeout and the service was quite quick. There are two other restaurants next to it and only this one had customers - speaks a bit!!! A good place for South Indian food (takeout). There is some seating available but then it is shared among the three counters, so can't really count on that. read more

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South Indian food is one of my favorite. I saw Chennai Express thru the Yelp list. Finally, I went to order my food. The place is situated in the middle of downtown. It's a mini food court with three (Lebanese, Asian and South Indian) resto counters. There is bar table with four and five stools. It was lunch time; the place was booming with customers. When we got in; my first issue was the hygiene, but it is so busy, the food must be special, so I try not think about it. The lineup was busy and long, I think it took 20 minutes to get to the cash to give my order. Finally I ordered paneer masala dosa, a special of the day. Then it took another 15 minutes to get my food. There is only one cook and one person at the counter. Going back to hygiene. The cook is wearing a hair net but the cashier who serves the sauce on the side, doesn't it. That bothered me a lot. Finally, I got my food, I went across to the park, joined my friends, and ate my dosa. Despite the long wait and my concern of hygiene, the food was very delicious. read more

Chennai Express - Indian Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Good place for quick bite. Serves dosas, idli, medu vada, biryani. Its a small place shared between 3 different food vendors (kinda mini food court). I had plain butter dosa and was nice and crispy. Chutney and sambhar was good too. Nice guy running this place. Accepts card and cash. read more

I stopped in today for the first time since the pandemic began, and I'm glad I did because it's just as good as I remembered. Great hole-in-the-wall south indian takeout spot. Rare to find this kind of independent business these days where everything is franchised and prepackaged - it's always the same friendly guy at the counter. They have several offerings but I always get a dosa -- the masala dosa, lamb masala dosa, and chicken masala dosa are all great. read more

Good food, variety of vegetarian options to choose from and it reminded me of street food in India. This place is a small food counter located inside a food court with limited seating of around 5 chairs. We placed ordered for Medhu Vada, Rasam Idli and vegetable Dosa. Everything tasted fresh and delicious. Luckily found empty seats to have our dinner, as dosas taste best when fresh. This is a good place to stop by and taste South Indian food. However, I just hope they move to a more clean and hygienic place. read more

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The food flavour is excellent , but the wait is too long, and the hygiene is very low. I got a piece of wire in my lamb biryani And the guy told me that the chicken biryani will take 40 minutes and pushed me to take the lamb. Lamb biryani was ok Butter chicken tastes very good but he didn't give me any bread Piece of wire ruined it all Gave 2 stars coz butter chicken tasted good Sorry that I had to wait for the food for 30 minutes that was not even clean. read more

Chennai Express - Indian Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Chennai Express is an authentic taste of South India. What the space lacks in space it makes up for in food quality. Had a great dosa, spiced just right, and even got authentic South Indian filter coffee. A real treat. As someone who has been to Chennai 3x in 3 years (before covid) , I can recommend this place on taste alone. Do go! read more

Love love love the food here!! Try the masala dosa and chicken biryani. Only reason I held back one star is because there isn't any seating here! This restaurant definitely deserves/needs a bigger place to enjoy all the delicious South Indian food! In any case, it's a Must visit! read more

Do not bother with this place. Go to Chinatown. This was the most disappointing Indian food I've had. The naan tasted and felt like it had been sitting around all day. They were all out of butter chicken, and the chicken curry was not good. The samosas were just ok, but I still had to get another meal because the rest of it was so bad. read more

This is a take out review.... The place is cozy and suitable for takeouts. The menu has pure South Indian delicacy. The menu is gluten free, vegetarian n vegan friendly. Got couple of idlis as I had a heavy lunch. This place was super packed and we had to wait for one hour just to get idlis.... Taste is really good felt it homemade, the price too is right. read more

Most authentic South Indian food I have had in Montreal. Chennai Express is tucked in a small corner of an ordinary looking shop that hosts three other kitchens (Wok to Go &a Falafel Express) near Square Phillips. It's a very humble place, not not much space to sit, not the cleanest, and can be very suffocating due to the heat from three kitchens. But that's what makes this place even more appealing. The store is reminiscent of food courts back home (South Asia). Most of the customers are people of colour and speak the same language as the owners and the place is always crowded. Chennai Express is a family owned restaurant and the both the husband and wife are super friendly. They cook the food themselves while their son handles cash counter. As for the food, everything we ordered was brilliant and really exceed expectations. We tried the lamb biryani which was freshly cooked right then. It was packed with rich spices and they did not compromise on the level of hotness. I feel the biryani could do with more salt though. The fish curry was super spicy, packed with curry leaf flavours and tasted as good as the ones back home (which is rare in a store in Montreal). The fish even had bones in it! The winner for me was the Dosa! I had a masala dosa and the potato filling and sambar was close to perfection ! I love how this place is so daringly authentic. They did not compromise with their culture and taste. I would recommend this place to anyone willing to try REAL South Indian food instead of the appropriated version you find at Super Quality (owned by three white dudes who spent three months in India). Please support more family owned businesses of colour like this one which actually makes a life for a lot of families. read more

They're great for South Indian dishes and serve it within the food court itself. The place itself is very limited and is quite small as it shares space with another 2 food stalls which is falafel express and the other Chinese food. For the amount of food you get, the price is not too bad. Just one thing I'd say is to be careful with the curries and foods as I found a hair in mine and I was disgusted by it. Probably will never return to this place. read more

It was okay. Nothing special. Probably would not try it again. Way too many better options in Montreal (although I could not find decent Indian food options in downtown or Old town). read more

Chennai Express is located in a mini-food court that is not the cleanest. The seating is awkward and cramped, its location attracts some riffraff, and there's a considerable wait time to be served. Butttt the food is authentic and delicious, and the staff is nice and helpful. I ate the paneer masala dosa there, and took a veggie biryani and fish curry to go. Everything was seasoned well, but not quite spicy enough even though I asked for it to be spicy. So make sure to ask for everything extra extra spicy if you really want to feel the fire. read more

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Ordered take out from Uber eats. Quality of food was a huge issue. Chicken dosa was full of small bones and cartilage, which made it very difficult and unpleasant to eat. Butter chicken was very watery, I had never seen curry be so thin. Lamb dosa was ok, not bad, not great. I was raised in the 'motainai' culture, where we do not waste food, but unfortunately I had to throw away most it. I really like dosa, but I will not order from this restaurant again. read more

Really big surprise here !!! Very tasty good portions and honest price. Its a little place same adress shared with 2 more fast food restos to take out or to eat in the little corner. Very good food. Nice service. Come for lunch because at evening they already sold out almost all the food of the day.. read more

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I went with my family to Chennai Express and the food was very delicious! We visited this place 3 times during our trip to Montreal. Our family tried the masala dosa, plain dosa, chicken curry with naan and rice, chicken sukha with naan, and vada. The service was quick and the staff was very friendly. Would highly recommend this place for Indian food in Montreal! read more

Lovely vegetarian dosas, authentic South Indian cuisine, and the owner was very friendly!

I eat a lot of indian food here in Montreal, yet I was surprised that about half of Chennai Express' menu was totally unfamiliar to me. Rather than sticking with more standard fare (dosas and byrianias), I branched out and tried some of dishes that were new to me. I started with a pair of Medu Vada, a kind of savoury donut often served at breakfast. Actually, the donut comparison isn't apt. The dough in the Vada - lentil flour? - is more hearty than donut insides, and much less sweet. The Vada tasted wholesome, and not the least bit like junk food, despite being friend. The coconut chutney, served on the side, added a spicy kick. For my main dish, I had a Sambar Idli. Sambar is a soup, and the Idli are dumplings that float in it and absorb its flavour. As with the Vada, it was both tasty and filling, and had a gamut of spices that were subtly novel for my Canadian pallet. The Vada and Sambar Idli definitely both "keepers". I'm excited to go back and try everything else! Seating is limited to a half-dozen bar stools at a wall-mounted counter. read more

This place is hidden gem for South Indian food lovers. Delicious food at such a low price. I tried their Masala Dosa, Mendu wada and Idly Sambhar. Given the South Indian staff Sambhar is very authentic and tasty. I was a bit turned off by Butter Chicken Thali otherwise would definitely recommend. Four stars since seating arrangement is very limited. read more

Good masala dosa, not many options for vegetarians the in evening on weekends though. Sambhar lacked tanginess and spices but overall good bang for the buck in the middle of downtown Montreal. read more

Hands down the BEST masala dosa I've ever had (and I've had great dosa in metro Detroit and Queens, NY). The potato curry is so delicious; the dosa is the perfect texture; and the sambar is outstanding. Just a sublime combination of flavors. Staff is very friendly. Gets super busy at lunch, so I come in the afternoon when the wait is not long. Only counter seating available, so if you come during busy hours, it might be tough to find a seat as they share the counter with 2 other food establishments in the same complex. The place is easy to miss. It's across from Burger King and in the same complex as Wok to Go and a falafel place. read more

Good quality south Indian food for decent price in heart of the downtown. Good for take away as the place is small and crowded.

Such a nice find while walking through Montreal. Food is as authentic and fresh as it can get. Coming back here for the idli and wada

Husband and I spent a week in Montreal for some work, and we didn't expect to find much good Indian food there let alone South Indian food. We went there for lunch 2 times during our stay and were reasonably suprised and pleased with both the quality of the food and the taste. The masala dosas were top notch. It is a small eatery shared with other vendors, with a few seats so be ready to take your food out and eat. Busy around lunch time and lots of people were getting thalis which looked great. Overall would visit again if in the Montreal area. read more

Very happy to find South Indian food of this quality in Montreal ! We had 4 kinds of masala dosas and every single one of them was excellent ! Fully recommend this place. read more

It's a crowded takeout place. They have good dosas. I had their fish curry with rice which was spicy and i loved it. It was authentic indian food. I also tried their lamb biryani which was also delicious and spicy for just around $8. They also serve Indian style coffee which made me nostalgic. read more

No seating and ambience but the food more than makes up for it. We had Idlis, Dosa's, Vadas and everything was very authentic. The food is prepared fresh and the cooks is a real South Indian well versed with the culinary and authentic taste. Portions are big and sufficient. Place is not very pricey. read more

The idlis here are absolutely the best idlis I've had, including restaurants in India. As much fun as I was having trying out the glorious restaurants in Montreal, Chennai Express gave me the comfort of home. Thank you Chennai Express! read more

Food was ok but place is really bad, no place to sit. Hygiene is big concern. Price point is ok.

Amazing restaurant for those south indian food cravings. Superb dosa and kothu very flavourful food. Portion size is very good too. I think this will be my new go to place in montreal for Dosa and Kothu read more

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Biriyani was dry and wasn't flavorful. The black pepper spice in the biriyani was too overpowering. I also ordered an egg kothu which wasn't that good either. It was too bland to my liking. I wanted to order idly sambhar but they were out of that item that day. There are better Indian restaurants in Montreal so I wouldn't visit this again. read more

Went here after reading reviews in Yelp. Had masala dosa which just ok. It's a very small place with very limited seating. Better to avoid. Not recommending. read more

This quick stop isn't great but it's not terrible either. As someone who loves Indian food, I think this place lacks flavor. I've had their chicken thali as well as their fish curry and both times, I felt disappointed. Although the thali has good variety, every bite just didn't do it for me. The curries are watered down and lack flavor and the naan is ok. The fish curry was just 2 pieces of fish, watered down sauce and a box of plain rice. The workers are nice but I wouldn't recommend coming here and I don't think I'll be back anymore. read more

Not as cheap as I expected (I was looking for a cheap dinner after an expensive lunch from the same day), but the lamb masala dosa and the "indian donuts" (forgive my Western ass, it refers to the first entrée in the menu) were great. I even saved a little bit of the sauces offered so I could cook with them at home. Biryani looked dry, however (judging from the people eating at the restaurant). I'd also recommend take-out as well since the lights are too white in order to be flattering for your food pics. read more

Excellent home-cooked South Indian food walking distance from Old Town. We enjoyed the fresh hot idli and vadas (fried lentil donuts) for lunch. And the hot sambhar was especially tasty and perfect with the rain outside. Great for vegetarians and vegans, and very affordable! read more

Best (Massala) dosa I ever got!!! Same for the Idlies, and accompanying sauces. Will definitely make this place one of my systematic stop when I am in Montreal!! read more