Visited for a quick dinner with friend, great location & tasty food! * Location: Right off El Camino, plenty of parking & easy to reach from San Antonio Caltrain station * Easy to read menu, friendly staff, easy to place orders for onsite dining, kiosks for takeout orders * Plenty of seating in large, clean booths and tables * Food was served super quickly, hot, & fresh. We appreciated the staff that made rounds to check on tables & offered additional (delicious) chutneys. Tasty eats, looking forward to trying more of their menu next time! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Mini idly - Sambar on the side - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Good to have a south Indian restaurant close to home and also the fact that it opens early in the morning. I really like having south Indian food for breakfast when possible. Food is always fresh and tastes good. Definitely recommend the Benne dosa, which is not commonly available in Bay area. It's a more thicker and crispier version of dosa. Have tried their idli, medu vada and the combo and mini Thali as well. Yet to try their lunch Thali or the rice items. They also have a daily $5 item, which is not listed on the normal menu and available after 3 pm . Some of these items are good as a snack like their Bajji ( chili fritters) available on Wednesday , while some are good enough as a meal like the Adai Avial ( lentil crepe served with a coconut milk based veg curry ) . They also sell, ready to eat , grab and go curries. The menu is completely vegetarian. This place is already popular , seeing how it always has customers throughout the day. read more

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Loved every last piece of food I had on my plate. I had the Vada Idly Pongal (VIP) and it was fantastic. Great flavor and spices. Came early and there was plenty of tables. Plaza parking. Will definitely be back to try the coffee and the Sambar and podi. Thanks! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This was my first time trying south Indian food and it was so good!! The menu has many clearly labelled vegan options. I got the idly vada combo which was absolutely delicious! The vada was super crispy and the idly was soft and pillowy and slightly sour, which I actually really liked but my mom was not a big fan of the sourness. The combo came with sambar, coconut chutney, and tomato chutney, and I loved all of them. Everything was very flavorful, and there was a nice variety of sweet, salty, and spicy flavor. The interior is very spacious and has plenty of comfortable seating. I would definitely love to come back, in particular want to try their uthappam and vegan masala chai! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - idly vada combo - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Came here on Saturday during lunch and tho it was busy there were enough seats. I ordered the Lunch Tali, Idly and the onion pancake thing with all the toppings. The Tali sides werent as tasty as i tasted before but still okay. I liked the idly and the pancake better with the sides. Food is fresh and i really like their filter coffee with sugar added. Overall nice indian brunch/lunch spot. read more

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Consistently fresh and delicious food for the soul. You come back from a trip and want to eat comfort food, this is the place to go. Morning breakfast along with strong filter coffee? Go here. For a hearty lunch with a full tiffin, go here. Casual dinner with friends where you know you will get good food and don't have to worry about splitting the check? Go here. Fluffy soft idly, buttery savory dosa with the perfect soft/crisp textures, perfectly spiced sambhar and chutneys. The coffee is strong. The service is polite and quick, the food is just plain great, every. single. time. There is not one thing I can fault here... read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This is the only Idly express with a sit down option. Ambience is great, service is polite. Food is outstanding and has the best South Indian vegetarian options in this area. Love their Idlies, Butter dosa (Benne dosa), Thali meals, Uttappam, Poori. The filter coffee is outstanding and simply the best anywhere in the world. Would definitely return when I am in the area. My favorite go to place for South Indian vegetarian food anytime. read more

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Walked in on a whim - was craving lentils and this was nearby. I'm not Indian, so I was a little overwhelmed, but I was glad to see that the ordering pad had photos. You can order on the pad or with a cashier. The cashier was very friendly willing to explain the menu to me as I pointed out pictures of dishes that looked delicious. I ended up ordering the Mini Tiffin (Vip+rava Kesari). This came with the lentil mini donuts, the lentil/rice fluffy cake, two cold chutney, and one warm lentil soup (I think), and a chunky lentil rice dish. This also came with a separate sweet semolina and ghee dish. As I was dining, I noticed the venue was very busy and a lot of folks appeared to be Indian which was a good sign! The restaurant was kept really clean and well lit. One of the restaurant workers walked by and offered me extra sides of chutney, which was nice. Personally, I didn't care for the red chutney. It tasted like sweet canned pasta sauce. Everything else was very good and I really enjoyed the hot soup. I will say that I was prepared for more spices and was kind of shocked that the dishes did not really use a ton of pungent spices. I actually think I was expecting a little bit more flavor wise... the flavors were mild. I would go back and try more dishes, and I would also recommend for a quick vegetarian bite. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Menu - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This Idly Express location is amazing and has a dine-in option unlike their other locations. The Mylapore Special Thali (available only for lunch until 3:00 PM) is fresh, well-balanced, and features a rotating menu. The ambience is nice, the restaurant is well-maintained, and the service is both friendly and quick. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Mylapore special thali - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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I have been looking for a good dosa place in the South Bay for YEARS and I finally found it!! Ordered the Bene Masala Dosa and it was excellent. I also enjoyed the lentil soup and the chutney it came with. And there was a rice yogurt (?) but I didn't get to try that so can't comment. I love the location - across the street from Movement Mountain - my regular gym. Will be back - A LOT! read more

I have tried Idly Express multiple times (it's sister brand of Mylapore) and different locations too. This one is definitely my favorite location. The service is very consistent, food is excellent- they have daily specials for $5. Lots of vegan food options- and they have vegan filter coffee and recently added vegan chai! My favorites are idiyappam with kurma, daily specials, idly and their rice. Some things that make this place outstanding apart from great good and service are they give additional chutneys, sambar, and sometimes hand out special dishes - like sweet, vadai etc. It's quick to order, get your table number and get seated. Parking is relatively easy to find. On weekends though it may get busy. For non vegans, they have benne dosa (Mylapore special). Definitely check it out for great south Indian food! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Rice with vegan coffee - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Wasn't quite sure what we were getting but were really happy with our meal. We had dosa and some chai. Flavorful and filling. Not exactly what I was expecting but I would definitely go there again. Really fast service. Busy bright cheerful little restaurant. The chutney was delicious. If you're looking for a quick vegetarian bite I'd highly recommend. read more

A filter coffee on any morning really hits the spot. I tried the Onion Tomato Uthappam, and this was really good! And surprisingly made with gluten free ingredients. It was crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. My partner liked the Bisibele Bath more though, which is a rice dish. read more

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Ordered uhampum and bene masala dosa. Food was tasty and spicy. I found the dosa a lil too oily and not crispy for my taste. But overall great food. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Uthapam - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

I stopped by for a dinner. The place was almost full. But I got a seat right away after ordring the food. Prices were on the reasonable side. Idly, dosa, medhu vada and pongal were all good. Mega tiffin is good value. It has all these items. Poori masala was good too. They had fresh sugarcane juice, which was very good. read more

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This place definitely caught me on guard. We stopped by here on my way to SFO to catch a flight and we had about 45 minutes to sit down, order, eat and head back to the airport. I had no clue the service was going to be this fast. You enter and order at the counter. They also have a few items, sambar, and bhaghi in the fridge for you to take home and eat if or later that aren't too expensive. We informed the staff about our timing predicament and they told us not to worry. The food was prepared and ready within 10 minutes. I was quite surprised. There are also ordering kiosk on the side. They have a few booths for you to sit down at and tables off to the side. As for the food, it was great. I wish there was more aloo bhaji in my dosa but the quantity was sold for the price. The dosa was nice and crispy, not at all soggy which was great to see. The vada sambar was also quite solid. Definitely not the best sambar that I have tasted but it was worth the price. Big fan of the coconut chutney. If you run out of chutney you can flag down a waiter for more. I saw the servers letting someone sample a portion of their chai as we were leaving so that is also an option available. Overall, solid food, worth the price, quickly brought out, and great service. I will be back if i am in the area again. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. read more

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I've already reviewed Mylapore Westgate, which is kind of the mothership, but this branch is a great option if you're in a rush, want to avoid wait times, and are okay with a limited menu. The usual star items are still there - at least for me and my family's needs. We tried it today and had the Benne Masala Dosa, Thatte Idli, and Medu Vada. Of course, I had to finish with a filter coffee. The dosa is just LOVE! Crunchy, crispy, and buttery on the outside, yet soft inside. The idli and medu vada were fresh and delicious. The place is definitely smaller, but it has enough room for a spot that's meant for on-the-go express dining. Service was quick - shoutout to Maajid, who was friendly throughout our meal. Definitely recommend! These guys were already big, but now they're making a huge difference here in the South Bay with their homely, authentic South Indian fare! read more

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I don't think I have had better Idly anywhere else in the US! Each time I visit the Bay Area, I try to stop by at one for their locations. This location is the best if you want to dine in. I usually get thatte idli vada combo and filter coffee. Service is fast and friendly and very clean restrooms read more

This place is no good for those who have Chron's or any other medical condition. The food is good, but sometimes it can have hairs in it! It also hurts a lot of people's stomachs. Don't go if you have medical conditions that are food related! The service is somewhat good. read more

Outstanding Onam Sadhya. Took the take out option for ~$40 and was worth every penny. I haven't had this good a sadhya in the longest time. The neypayasam was exceptional, just like how we get in Guruvayur temple. So grateful to have this experience in the Bay Area. Well delivered, Jay and team. read more

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Counter ordering, nice clean seating area, lots of options for delicious South Indian food, and friendly service! Liked the chai, our mega tiffin, and the uttapam. Quite a pleasant spot! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Our mega tiffin! Delicious and came with a bit of everything - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

We dined in on valentine's day and the food was very good! I've never been to any of this chains locations but the ambiance/inside was very nice - I was expecting more of a fast food style place bc it's called idly express but it was more of a nice sit down place. You order at the front and they give you a number and bring the food to you. The seating area was nice - Note that it was all booths so this would be bad for a big group since you would not be able to sit in the same table or move tables/chairs around. We got the benne dosa($13). Very good classic benne dosa, coconut chutney was very good, sambar was hot and spicy. My only qualm is that it's a bit on the smaller side and is probably not big enough for the whole meal if you came in very hungry. Also got valentine's day thali ($17), great thali!! In order of favorite to least favorite they had paneer tikka, dal makhani, punjabi khadi curry, aloo gobi, raita and a small salad. Also came with 2 pooris, papad, pulao and gulab jamun. Everything in this was good and great value would recommend this thali if they bring it back on the menu. I also got chai, they only had vegan chai with oatmilk left (ran out of reg chai and ran out of hot badam milk) it was really good! I would get it again , better than most chais I've had not sure if it's bc of the oatmilk or in general. Also tried the mango lassi.. a bit too thick for my taste but it was good if you like a very yogurt heavy lassi. We were able to get a table immediately on a friday night, I think not too many ppl know about this place yet so I would def recommend it before it starts getting crowded! read more

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Excellent idli - the sambal and the chutneys were on point! The filter coffee next level - you can ask them to make it strong! Soft pillowy idlis! Clean restaurant and efficient service. Highly recommend read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Jay and his group deliver the best Indian food I have ever had. They do an occasional banana leaf all you can eat event every once in a while. Can't find that anywhere else in any Indian restaurant. Ever. Very labor intensive. They don't make money on it because of how few sittings they can do because it takes time for people to cycle through all you can eat. Filter Coffee: they have a half sized version. The full fat milk stays hotter than the coffee because of the fat. There is a warming sensation as it makes its way down. This is unique. The coffee isn't a burnt heavy coffee bean roasted flavor like starbucks. There is a blend with chicory leaving a delicate terroir sensation. Idly: The best idly experience I have ever had. Steamed fresh and hot, can taste the slight sour fermented flavor with a melt in mouth pillow texture. Mini idly different texture than the bigger ones. Daily specials: changing menu, 5$. Every day different. If carbs didn't cause so much weight gain for sedentary office workers I would eat here every day. Sambar: the highest quality sambar outside of someone's home I have ever had. Coconut Chutney: They used to sell a coconut chutney kit which was pieces of coconut with a set of spices which you would fry in oil to bring out the aroma then blend. A good coconut chutney is thick but most places offer a thinned out version with barely any coconut flavor for profit. TO GO items: they have a constant rotating selection of rotating curries for less than 10$. No other restaurant or market has this range of selection, quality and price. First time I ever had a curry made from green bananas. Delicious. Almost ate the whole container in one sitting. completely different than anything in a restaurant or buffet. More like home cooking read more

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Today, Saturday, we went around 2:30pm for lunch and ordered a thali and a mega tiffin. Thali had multiple dishes that smelled and tasted stale. Even a small cup of ghee had spoilt odor. Curd rice was too salty. Kesari sweet in mega tiffin was also bad. Finally filter coffee also bad. The toilet was out of tissue paper and floor was wet and dirty. Overall, quality has been declining and today was a new low. read more

Our Indian neighbors introduced us to this delicious "authentic" restaurant and helped us order. We ordered the soft idly with the spicy stew and condiments. We also tried curries, dosa, and other delicacies. Spice levels were perfect for us and everything was eaten!! We look forward to our next visit. read more

We came here on the way back from the city and it was amazing. My favorite part: it was so quiet and everyone spoke so softly while eating the atmosphere was soothing and relaxing. Obviously they have the same menu as Mylapore and this particular location is amazing. I finally woke up from the looooong drive and zoomed the rest of the way home. Service: quick and swift read more

Cold windy day yesterday, and after watching an Indian play we were hungry and hunkering for South Indian food. A quick search on maps showed me that this place was super close to where we were and also had 4 starts on Google. We ordered the Thatte idli, onion utthappam, the day's special Rava idli, and coffee. The litmus test of a South Indian place is their coconut chutney and sambar, and Idly express scores high on this. All accompaniments, the coconut chutney, the tomato chutney, the podi and the sambar were fresh and delicious. The Rava idly came with a stew of some sort and that was delicious too! The coffee was strong without being bitter and did not give me heartburn after. They served small but adequate portions of free dessert to all patrons sitting in the restaurant which I thought was a very sweet and smart move. Service was efficient, and all the workers there were friendly and great to talk to. Reminded me of South Indian restaurants in my hometown of Mumbai. read more

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It's all about the service at this Idli Express - Saravanan is amazing and makes every visit here memorable and I have been here over 20 times and every experience has been wonderful ! read more

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Its located right behind the trader joes and next to starbucks so you could definitely combine your visit if u like, like we did on a sunday. You gotta place your order as soon as you enter, pay for it, pick up your drinks yourself and table number plaque and proceed towards a table of your preference. The premises is clean, including clean restrooms. The order comes relatively quickly and they bring it to your table. Everything is served in disposable cutlery, plates, cups. You are advised to clean up after yourself. The quality of disposables was good so it didnt bother me too much. In $50, we got: - idly vada combo - 3.5/5 - 1 idli and 1 vada with sambhar and green/ red chutney - idly plate (2 pcs) 4/5 - 2 idlis with podi chutney, sambhar, green+red chutney - benne masala dosa 5/5 - must try this one. It was something special. Loved the fluffy dosa base and lots of potato masala in it. I wish they served a larger portion of sambhar given their prices - masala chai (2 glasses) 5/5 - fresh and yummy. Served without sugar. U can add sugar, jaggery powder, splenda per your choice - filter coffee - 3/5 - skip it - spiced buttermilk - 4/5 good portion size and refreshing taste When i compare it to idly express in milpitas (ranch dr) the portion size here is much lesser for idly vada combo/ idly plate. The size/ thickness of the idly is also lesser than milpitas (ranch dr) branch. If i come back, it will be for benne dosa and masala chai :) and make sure u order extra sambhar. I did feel it was a little pricey for the portion size and being "self-service" with disposable cutlery. read more

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Wanted to try this place since it opened recently. I got the ghee mini idly, which was pretty good. I loved the flavors, and the accompaniment portions were pretty good. I also got a dosa batter. I like that the food was neatly packaged in sustainable containers. The store also has some prepackaged items like idly podi's, pickles, etc. Although I didn't dine in, the ambiance inside was pretty cool. Prices are slightly on the higher end; would love to come back again and try some of the other items on their menu, including the filter coffee. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Ghee podi mini idly - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Decent. Fast. Clean. Nothing special 111111111111111111111111111 22222222222222222222222222222222 read more

Idly Express in Mountain View is one of of favorite restaurants, especially for breakfast. They've maintained consistently high quality and their service and attention to customers is top notch. While there's no official 'litmus test' for a great South Indian restaurant, the quality of a vadai comes remarkably close, and by that measure, this location scores very high. We've sampled this item at other Mylapore and Idly Express locations too, but the Mountain View location makes it the best - crispy on the outside, well cooked and soft on the inside. Also love that they're open starting 8 am making it a favorite breakfast spot for our kids. read more

I must say I've never dined in at a Mylapore restaurant (San Jose/Pleasanton/Folsom) before. I've been picking up food from Idly express ever since they opened up in Milpitas and I've been a fan of all their offerings - idli, vada, pongal, to go curries, and the hot lunch. Even though I live in Mountain View, I used to go on a weekly basis to pick up from Milpitas. Them opening up in Mountain View was amazing news, and the fact that they are going to open up on El Camino in a few months is also great - I bet this is being to be super crowded and a nightmare in terms of the wait though! This location is amazing - in the San Antonio area and quite an upscale location - and the ambience and lighting inside represents the same, it's a really nice setting overall for a dine in experience I have to admit. Plenty of parking as other reviews have pointed out, so it's very easy. I came here on a weekday afternoon for a birthday lunch cheat meal, decent crowd but not too crowded :) You order as you enter and pay, they give you a number and you place it on your table and wait for your food. I'd already made up my mind that I was gonna go for the Benne Masala dosa since I'd never had this - you don't get it in the Milpitas location since it's only to go. I saw quite a few were having the same. They offer hot lunch here as well and also all the to go curries are placed as you enter in the fridge. The dosa itself was hot, fresh, buttery and delicious. I do think it was filling, of course I wouldn't mind if it was bigger. The dosa was definitely the right amount of crispy and was spiced well (red chutney and masala inside) - but it was SLIGHTLY undercooked I felt - they could pay a bit more attention to that. The chutney and sambar came in small containers but they were happy to refill when asked - I especially like their coconut chutney so I got a refill of that. The food is brought to your table but you wipe your table and trash your plates and cutlery. I was quite full and did not order anything else - I'm sure I'll be back soon to this location to try out a lot of their other offerings that I've had at the Milpitas location - this will be my pickup spot henceforth over Milpitas. I must say, like other reviews mentioned, given the location and ambience, it would certainly go better with full blown restaurant cutlery and plates vs to go style plates and containers. I assume they have a reason to make this choice and I hope Jay (the owner) can consider a change. They had Carnatic music playing - offering a nice touch for the traditionalists. The fire alarm went off while we were there due to some issue externally in the complex, and it did not stop for quite some time so that was a bit of a dampener because it made it difficult for people to speak. 4/5 everything considered. Delicious food! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Benne Masala dosa - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Was really just ok =- sad that the masala dosa barely had any filling and the batter was just too thick - closer to a uttapan really. And half the size of normal dosas. Missed that thin crispy edges you normally would get. We also ordered plain uttapan for me since it could be dairy free - came with sambal and two chutneys - same with the dosa Daughter and I were really looking forward to authentic Southern Indian food and sadly only ended up eating less than half - just not the much flavor and mine was rather greasy. About $30 total pre tip - just didn't seem like a good value for what you get to us. Service was pleasant and the food came out quicker than expected. read more

I came here with my Indian girlfriend--I'm not Indian myself. She helped me choose a combo lunch, and the food is lovely. Everything was very tasty, and I especially liked anything with coconut. The coffee was interesting too--I think it's one of the traditional ways of preparing it, and it tasted great. I'll definitely come back read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Overall very good and tasty food. Benne Masala Dose was too buttery that it was not going well with Sambhar. Methu vada was absolutely very delicious and crispy. Staff is friendly and explained us what is what as it was our first time eating benne dosa. Bit congested at peak hours as space is a bit smaller. Definitely recommend this place for good quality South Indian food. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Methu Vadai - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Thursday evening with friends for some adai and aviyal. We were persuaded to come here by a friend who's a regular at this place, and this place exceeded my expectations on all levels. For those who are fans of Mylapore express this is a part of their chain. A bright and welcoming interior, with polite and courteous staff, this is a mash between a takeout and sit down place, in a good way. The menu has the usual idli, dosa and vada specials and combos, but the highlight on Thursdays is the adai-avial combo special for $5 which delivers far more value to my taste buds than it's price tag! The portion is good enough for a meal, although I couldn't quite finish mine and had to take my leftovers in a togo box. They also gave us samples of crispy vadas and sambar rice which were delicious. The staff was extremely courteous, offering to click a picture for us and explaining the free samples that they gave us as well. For anyone who is looking for a quick grab & go, they have a fridge with the veggies and curry offerings for the day and idli and dosa batter for sale too. I saw the way they make their filter coffee by pouring it across cups from a height, and I'm definitely returning to sample some of it! read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Samples of crispy medu vadas and some sambar rice - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This place is a secret awesome South Indian restaurant, hidden from view on San Antonio in front of the Safeway! I've been to the Mylapore restaurant in Westgate mall in San Jose, and this is 5e same owner and group of restaurants. I think the Mylapore is a little nicer but this place is also awesome! My friend and I got the mega tiffin and thali lunches, and I ordered a sugar cane drink. Everything was perfect ... I'm so happy to have a good South Indian restaurant close to home. Prices were reasonable, service was kind and friendly, and the atmosphere was like a Panera or something similar. read more

Idly Express - Mountain View - Mega Mini Tiffin (VIPRava kesari) - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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So many things to try, so went with the daily thali option to try a bit of many things. Portions were huge, fresh, tasty, and not overly spicy. The pickled lemon situation was a blast of flavor that I always crave with Indian food. As we were eating, the staff came to the table to ask if we wanted more of anything. What a surprise and no, we didn't need anything else because it was HUGE. The space is large, has instrumental Indian music playing, and is very clean. Can't wait to come back and try more. read more