Order Idly Express - Mountain View Takeout or Delivery
Idly Express - Mountain View Photos
Business Info
IDLY EXPRESS - MOUNTAIN VIEW ATMOSPHERE
What's the vibe?
You might also consider
More like Idly Express - Mountain View
Recommended Reviews - Idly Express - Mountain View
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
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!
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!
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.
We had been for breakfast on Labour Day at 9 am .,We were told that there isn't any 8 seater but Mr Siva made a stop gap arrangement for us to be seated . All the orders were delivered to the table fresh and hot . Benne dosa was very good , so were the chutney and Sambar . I am not a great lover of red chutney . We had good filter coffee . The nice point was that they gave complimentary mini kesari for the kids as a surprise . And yes , the rest rooms were clean and nice . A great start to the day !
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!
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.
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...
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Delicious southern Indian food! I ordered for pick up and got it nice & hot. * I got: - Pondo Vadai Combi: Vadai still crunchy (perfectly fried). Good varieties between soup, sauce, rice, deep fried Vadai. 4/5 stars - chai tea: delish! I like to add more of my chai powder into it, to make it spicy. This vegetarian dish for $12 wasn't bad! I however was expecting more flavor but I didn't realize, southern Indian food is less spicy, etc. Would come back!! read more
26 days ago
1 month ago
I have been to Mountain View Idly Express many times when family or guests visit. It has a sit down restaurant that has timely seating, along with the to go service, which is not the case at the other locations in Santa Clara , Fremont and Milpitas since those places have To-go express service. The servers here are good, treat you with a smile and serve more sambhar and chutney as needed. I tried onion tomato uttapam last time. The uttapam was made fresh since it took a while to come, and hot! Just as I enjoy it! It was yum and the sambhar was good too. They have just started ice creams which they sell in their freezer section. These are high protein and low sugar. The filter coffee flavor was great, tasted like cold coffee. read more
3 months ago
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
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
5 hours ago
Amazing sambhar and filter coffee. Service is fast and staff is polite, they check if we have enough condiments which is very kind of them read more
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
18 days ago
We had been for breakfast on Labour Day at 9 am .,We were told that there isn't any 8 seater but Mr Siva made a stop gap arrangement for us to be seated . All the orders were delivered to the table fresh and hot . Benne dosa was very good , so were the chutney and Sambar . I am not a great lover of red chutney . We had good filter coffee . The nice point was that they gave complimentary mini kesari for the kids as a surprise . And yes , the rest rooms were clean and nice . A great start to the day ! read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
10 months ago
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
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
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
2 years ago
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
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
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 ($17), great thali!! In order of favorite to least favorite they had paneer tikka, dal makhani, punjabi khadi curry, aloo gobi, raita and a small salad. Also came with 2 pooris, papad, pulao and gulab jamun. Everything in this was good and great value would recommend this thali if they bring it back on the menu. I also got chai, they only had vegan chai with oatmilk left (ran out of reg chai and ran out of hot badam milk) it was really good! I would get it again , better than most chais I've had not sure if it's bc of the oatmilk or in general. Also tried the mango lassi.. a bit too thick for my taste but it was good if you like a very yogurt heavy lassi. We were able to get a table immediately on a friday night, I think not too many ppl know about this place yet so I would def recommend it before it starts getting crowded! read more
Jay and his group deliver the best Indian food I have ever had. They do an occasional banana leaf all you can eat event every once in a while. Can't find that anywhere else in any Indian restaurant. Ever. Very labor intensive. They don't make money on it because of how few sittings they can do because it takes time for people to cycle through all you can eat. Filter Coffee: they have a half sized version. The full fat milk stays hotter than the coffee because of the fat. There is a warming sensation as it makes its way down. This is unique. The coffee isn't a burnt heavy coffee bean roasted flavor like starbucks. There is a blend with chicory leaving a delicate terroir sensation. Idly: The best idly experience I have ever had. Steamed fresh and hot, can taste the slight sour fermented flavor with a melt in mouth pillow texture. Mini idly different texture than the bigger ones. Daily specials: changing menu, 5$. 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
2 years ago
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
1 year ago
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
2 years ago
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
3 months ago
5 months ago
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
4 months ago
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
1 year ago
1 year ago
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
Page 1 of 4
More info about Idly Express - Mountain View
565 San Antonio Rd
Ste 26
Mountain View, CA 94040
Directions
(650) 383-5269
Call Now
Order Takeout or Delivery
Start Order
Visit Website
https://www.idlyexpress.com
Full menu
Hours
Food & Alcohol
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Other Amenities
From the Business
More Info
Health Score
Idly Express - Mountain View Reviews in Other Languages
Ask the Community - Idly Express - Mountain View
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
6 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
