This is a combined review for Idly Express Milpitas and Mylapore Pleasanton (and if I may, take it all the way back to November 2020 when I discovered Mylapore Express, sitting in Austin, TX). Might as well start chronologically :) Nov 2020, peak pandemic, my husband and I were forced to celebrate our milestone 10 year anniversary, confined and quarantined. The least I could do was surprise him with a South Indian feast. Having heard about ME shipping, I didn't think twice and we got THE most sumptuous meal with sambar, rasam, vethakozhambu, puliyodharai and more, delivered to our doorstep in Austin, in the most pristine package, the night before our anniversary, fresh as ever. So began our family's love affair with ME. But we soon found out, it was one sided, haha, because shipping out of state was terminated (for the right business reasons obviously) soon after. Long sigh... Fast forward to 2022-23, I was diligently following Jay on social media and was in awe of all the new locations added to the Mylapore family and felt so sad about not being able to enjoy all the goodness the Bay Area folks were/are blessed with. In July of 2023, my school friends (of 30 years) and I were to spend our reunion in the Bay. As soon as the trip got finalized, being one of the pregnant ones in the group, I got first dibs on where we will be eating. (If you are still reading, kudos!) Naturally my first (and only) wish was Idly Express for breakfast and to-go items for our 2 days stay in Capitola. To say, I was blown away is an understatement. My pregnant self was in heaven! And the best part was that we had 4 new IE fans at the end of our meal (1 from Raleigh, 2 from the Bay, 1 more from Austin & 1 from Miami). We snagged 3 curries to go, mmmed and aaaahed over the coffee, buttermilk and rose milk and kept saying thank you to the Gods! Last week, my newly expanded family and I were in the Bay for Spring Break, including my parents who are visiting from Bengaluru. My Amma is the biggest Mylapore fan and religiously follows Jay and his Amma on FB. It was her dream to eat at IE and/or ME. Well, I made it happen for her and for us! We pretty much ate 4-5 meals from IE Milpitas (Pongal, Vada, Idli, coffee, rose milk, buttermilk, Methi Malai Paneer, Veg Handi masala, etc) and the most fabulous lunch Thali at Mylapore Pleasanton last Sunday. Sheer joy & full satiation - the only way to describe our dining experience over the course of the 5 days. Huge shoutout to sweet Aditi, helming the front at IE Milpitas!! Love her energy and attitude. Thank you for letting us enjoy a slice of the awesomeness that is ME/IE. We hope Austin is on the cards for an out of state location in the near future. I will do everything within my power to make it happen if I could :) read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Mylapore Thali - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

I was really blown away by the amazing customer service today evening (27th Sep 2025) at the idly express Milpitas. Right from the get go when I started placing my order the guy at the front desk was extremely helpful and made me aware of the new specials available like the rava idly and onion samosa. I immediately ordered those along with my order of masala vada. He said that they will be making it fresh and it will take some time. He was so considerate that he asked me if I had any kids waiting for food in the car and if so he could expedite a few items. My kid was asleep so I said no thanks but I was touched by this genuine concern for getting food as soon as possible for me and family. While I was waiting he made me aware of the fresh hot jeera water available and also brought out fresh hot pakoda samples. So even though the wait was longer than normal I felt like we were being taken care of so well! And as soon as the food was ready he said sorry for the long wait and thanked me for waiting. The snacks were piping hot as promised and we finished the onion samosa and masala Vada in the car itself. Truly wanted to thank the front desk guy for this splendid hospitality and even though we waited longer than normal it did not feel like a burden at all because we were attended to so well during the wait time. Appreciate this and please keep up the great customer service! read more

Good is average, the place is over hyped. It's very expensive for what it is. Good business model for them for carry out only and no dine-in. But for the same price you can get much better experience at a dine in restaurant. read more

I recently picked up takeout from this restaurant, but unfortunately, the food was disappointing. The dishes were stale, and the chutneys had an unusual, off-putting taste. It was not the experience I was hoping for. read more

Idli and vada combo was a huge portion, easily shareable between two. Sambhar and chutney were excellent. You have to pay for extra chutney which is a little disappointing because the default portion is quite small. This is not a restaurant you go for ambience. There are only two tables and it seems like mostly a to go kind of place. Will definitely return in the evening on another day to try the uttapam. read more

Authentic fluffy idlis and appams with lovely accompaniments without being oily or too spicy . One of my gotos for South Indian food other than bheemas read more

We are always looking for good restaurants to explore in the bay area. Stumbled upon an ad for this on Facebook. We immediately placed a pick up order. The food didn't disappoint :) Also they are generous with the chutneys and sambar (which is always a plus). Will definitely be back. read more

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First customer and reviewer. We ordered vada and pongal for breakfast. The vadas were amazing. Pongal was very filling and had lots of cashews. Both served with sambhar and 3 chutneys(fresh coconut chutney, mint/coriander, tomato). It opens at 8am so its perect to satisfy my craving for hot south indian breakfast. This is from same owner as Mylapore Express. They use very high quality ingredients and that reflects how fresh and amazing the food tastes. read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Vada - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

Love the spot. Great location and authentic South Indian food. Will definitely recommend

Try this place for an excellent South Indian home style breakfast! We ordered a few plates of thatte idli, pongal and rava kesari. Everyone enjoyed it so much that we wanted to have more and we immediately placed another order for more idlis. Thatte idlis were soft and spongy. And the 3 chutneys were great. I usually never like the red onion/tomato chutney that restaurants serve, but this one was something else. We enjoyed all 3 chutneys. The podi added a good spicy kick. The pongal is melt in your mouth soft, and the rava kesari is just the right amount of sweet. There was no overdose of essence, coloring or dripping grease in this dish. We didn't enjoy the filter coffee much, it was too milky and light for our taste. Perhaps they should provide a way for customers to specify how strong or light they'd like their coffee. The food was ready to pickup within 20 minutes of placing the order. I hope they open up more branches soon! read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Neatly packaged thatte idli comes with two idlis, 3 types of chutneys, 1 box of podi and 1 box of sambar. - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

I love mylapore restaurant in folsom. Heard idly express is one the chain restaurant of mylapore! The taste is amazing and same as Mylapore! The idly is so soft and the pongal was amazing too! Filter coffee was my fav! read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Mini Tiffin - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

Amazing food. Can't survive a couple of weeks without having VIP combo! Their to-go curries are also worth getting. Now that pandemic is over, it would be great to go back to thali and reusable utensils. Amount of waste for on-premise dining is just crazy. Please shift to more environmentally friendly packaging. read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Vada Idly Pongal (VIP) combo - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

I am so happy there is a Mylapore branch here in the bay. It used to be my go to place when I was in Folsom. The pongal idli vada combo is my favorite. Loved the aromatic pongal. Additional perk, They also have mylapore express curries and dosa batter which can be just picked up (based on availability) along with your order. Definitely will be ordering again. read more

Great food! Idlis are warm and tasty. Sambar is great. Ambience is also nice. Service is prompt.

If you are in a time crunch and need some quick and healthy food or snack this is the place for you. Menu is limited to ensure food is always at good quality; customer support is quick and efficient. Wait time is little to none. They sell sambar aka curry/gravy to go at a variety of volume. Also some dishes. Just cook your rice and prepare your own roti at home. Their coffee is fresh and tasty. Served with fresh raw milk. If you are not sure try the mini size as a start. Price is also reasonable. Summary- I highly recommend this place! read more

The idli was so soft and delicious I forgot to click pictures. They gave free masala vadas that they are introducing now and they were very good. read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Masala vada and kashi halwa - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Ordered Podi idly and vadai, the podi idly could have been packed better (even a 5 year old can do a better job ) . The vadai was made of old batter and it tasted very sour. read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Podi Thatte idly - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

Great service, great food. The to-go meals lunch is good value for money. Tiffin items are great. Fresh and tasty all the time, every time.

Best and fresh items . Absolutely love the taste . And the filter coffee is amazing .

This place takes ages to give the food unless you do not order online. Never going to come here again!

During a business visit from Sacramento, I had the opportunity to explore Milpitas and decided to visit a place I had been to numerous times in Folsom. This was my first time at the Milpitas location. I had read that it was a dine-in establishment, so we went there for breakfast. Unfortunately, we discovered they only offered takeout service and no dine-in option. Despite this setback, we proceeded to order the VIP and Mini Tiffen dishes. We sat outside the door and ate our B'fast. The portion sizes were generous and provided good value for the money. However, later that day, I happened to try another Indian vegetarian restaurant called Sbavan, located nearby; within five minutes of driving across the freeway, I found their food to be more flavorful than the place I visited earlier. While Idly Express may be slightly cheaper by 50 cents, taste-wise, I personally prefer the other Indian vegetarian restaurant. Additionally, the service at Idly Express was not particularly impressive. Nevertheless, if you prefer South Indian vegetarian cuisine, it might still be worth trying Idly Express. read more

I am a fan of IE and ME because I can be assured that the food will be fresh and authentic compared to other Indian places. They didn't disappoint in their regular dishes like podi idlies, Sambar, veg biryani, Kesari. But why did I remove 1 star? - Samosas: When I saw they had 3 samosas for $5 I got excited thinking it is a steal for fresh samosas considering their quality. But boy was I disappointed. It tasted like the run of the mill "frozen" box samosas (like the one you get in Indian grocery frozen section) fried to order. The filling was the worst and I had to throw away the entire box. Do not order samosas. And ME - why would you carry such a sub standard item in your otherwise great menu? read more

The worst customer service socially the guy who works there or manager I called him 2 time and he was playing with his phone totally ignored me until i punched the table and he comes with a shitty attitude read more

One of the BEST places for South Indian food! Their Vadas are to die for! Absolutely loved their filter coffee too :) Medhu Vada read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Medhu Vada - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

I'm big fan of their hot lunch, many curries, rassam, avial, saambaar, utthappams, bisibele bhaath, kanjivaram idali and coffee (Might be missing 2-3 other items that I've liked). Their sambaar is especially good and hot lunch is a good healthy option compared to other options at the same price. May be contrary to popular opinion, but I didn't like their regular thatte idly/idali. It is too heavy (not soft and fluffy) and didn't feel good after eating it (exception: kanjivaram idali). I think I've got good idali only once out of 4-5 attempts. Personally I like either homemade idali or couple of other places in Sunnyvale. I still go to Idly Express for all other items. From their $5 evening menu, I've liked their Bangalore chaat, sundal chaat and most recently Bonda Soup. I didn't like their Vada Paav when I tried recently, but it was OK deal for $5. One request: Please add tadka or provide papadam with rice varieties (curd, bisibele, sambar etc). read more

Good traditional food Open at 8 am The filter coffee is authentic They have additional deserts n readymade curry read more

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Closest idli you can get in the Bay Area that will remind you of Indian flavors. Very soft and fresh idlis. Make sure to order ahead.

Good food but really expensive for a tiffin center. You are now in the "$$" range. 7$ for tiny samosas is too much and across the board I see the prices being a little high. read more

This place is a hidden gem, my favorite is the thatte idli. It's a total value for money place but the only draw back here is the amount of plastic being used for every order. Looking forward for idly express to provide options like getting own containers or use compostable containers. The one star deducted here for the same reason. read more

This is mostly a take-out place and the food is fantastic. The coconut and tomato chutney are both onpoint. The menu items marked (v) are vegan and delicious. The pongol marked (VIP) has ghee in it fyi Some of the best idli I've had. Sambar was delicious, but slightly on the salty side for me personally. Pongol included whole black peppers which is usually reserved for special days, so that was nice to taste it. I wish they would carry dosa as I'm sure they'd nail it as well! Fantastic prices, highly recommended! read more

Great food, great taste, reasonable priced, good service! Thank you! Highly referred!

Idly was decent but the chutney quantity is very little. Asking customers extra to pay is not fair. Do you pay for extra ketchup and sauce at burger shops ? The attitude of the hotel staff needs a lot more work. This attitude will benefit your competitors. read more

The quantity and price are good. Although they offer only pickup and have some limited seatings, the restaurant looked very clean. Idli: soft and really huge Vadas: very oily read more

Food is great. Service is quick. The vadas are so crispy and tasty. The chutney and Sambhar is delicious as well.

After months of anxious wait I decided to drive to Milpitas to taste their yummy food.ordered poori masala & also idiyappam. Poori was an utter disgrace, it was like an oily damp cloth. Idiyappam looked & tasted like it was thawed just then with moisture in it. Extremely disappointed. Owners need to get their act together & serve quality food. It was a waste of my time driving all the way to eat their below par food. read more

Last visit was not great. I got stale chutney early in the morning. They don't give 3 chutneys like before. Sensing a bit of casualness seeping in. Will give it another couple of tries though. read more

We love Idly express from the moment they opened in Milpitas . So far we have tried Thatte Idly (description - means a small plate for people who are not familiar with this term ) which is bigger then normal idly , Medhu Vada, Idli Vada combo. I also purchased their Dosa batter to make at home & it was fantastic. Last week when we went to pick up Idly I also purchased some veg curry- Paneer Tika Masala, Labra ( Bengali mix veg ) authentic taste , Karela (bitter gourd) dry sabzi & squash sambhar all were delicious. We love their food quality & taste so far this is our favorite go to restaurant for Idly , Vada fix . Everyone should try it read more

Fast service and great taste. They have a limited menu and is only confined to idlys. No dosas. I like their thatte idly combo which comes with sambar and chutneys. Their vadas are also good though tiny. read more

They operate from cloud kitchen I think. The quality is consistent and good. Authentic South Indian taste. Love their curries and sambhar read more

If you looking for tasty hygienic South Indian breakfast, you should visit this restaurant. Podi idli with Sambar and coconut chutney , mini tiffin , both were mouthwatering and NOT typical South Indian HOT spicy food. Service was prompt and receptionist was thoughtful to serve fresh hot filter coffee though I was late to pickup breakfast.looking forward to taste other menus as well. read more