We ordered papad, tandoori chicken and white truffle oil masala dosa. I enjoyed the food but I remember it being a lot better. I am not sure if they had an off day but it wasn't that good. The tandoori chicken was slightly overcooked and the chutney for the dosa was alright. I wish the dosa had more of a white truffle oil taste, it felt doused in some other oil. All the food came really quick but they brought all our food together so my dosa got cold by the time I finished my appetizer. The restaurant is pretty cramped, I would avoid coming here with a large group! read more

We got here little past noon on a Saturday. We got seated pretty quickly. The service was super fast. We got the gunpowder dosa. It was really amazing. I loved the sambar and all chutneys just fresh and unique taste. We got tilapia fry it was delicious topped with a hint of lemon juice. The jackfruit chakka ice cream was also delicious. We definitely visit again. They had a nice sunny roof so ambiance was just right. Seating is too close to each other in some places but the food makes it worth the trip. read more

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Without question, the best curryI have had in the PNW. Too many gold menu items to list. Excellent, friendly service too.

I was super excited to try this place for a while but to my disappointment the food wasn't that great - or may be I should say we went in to eat Dosa and they were very average. My husband got their Fish which was decent but overall it was an average experience. The 3 star really is for the exceptional service that you don't normally find in an Indian restaurant. read more

This is what I always want, but can hardly ever find in Indian food. Order even the most common, ordinarily "boring" curries and you'll be shocked at the depth of flavor from fresh toasted and ground spices. Regional specialties including the Kerala Crêpes ("pancakes"). Great atmosphere and the smells from the kitchen just increase the anticipation. The wait can be long but that's because the word is out that the food is so good. I have a lot of Indian friends who just don't go eat Indian food at restaurants, but they make an exception for Kathakali. read more

We have driven by it sometimes daily since it opened and just tried it recently. I now know why I didn't want to roll the dice here! Indian sounded good but we should have just gone to Royal India. We were seated then forgotten about. It was busy so we waited and watched....... Our server was so forgetful that not once but twice he rolled his eyes to himself as if to say "can't believe forgot you"! Too busy to get others water and clear tables to take our order and again forgot one dish. The food was spicier than what we overtly ordered. It was average at best but nothing I would want to seek out again. Way too expensive for the portion size, quality, and level of service. It's quite popular with south Asian diners which usually is a good sign but I think they must be here for food we clearly didn't order! read more

Comfortable seating, quick service. Ordered chicken tikka masala (yes, basic, but a good baseline for new restaurants) and it was too watery. The flavor wasn't strong either, but at least the chicken was tender. I did appreciate that it came with rice, as some other Indian restaurants charge extra. Garlic naan could have been more garlicky but was deliciously fluffy! Probably won't be coming back but the meal satisfied my craving for Indian food. read more

Got to go and enjoyed my meal immensely. Chicken biryani was packed full of spice and flavor. Watch out for the cloves and star of anise pieces. Quality stuff, would get again in a heartbeat My wife and I both loved the bullet dosa and the chutneys that came with it. Chicken curry paired very well with their jasmine rice. Might be bit spicy if you can't tolerate spice. The kale and onion fried dish got a bit redundant after a while. Was seeping oil that was piling at the bottom. Not as flavorful, but still tasty. I'd probably pass on this next time though since it's quite a lot. Finished this on second meal. The extra bread we got was decent but I'd probably get another curry just to pair with read more

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Best Indian food I have ever eaten. The dosas are works of art and the beet halwa is exquisite!

i have heard a ton about this place but it's quite literally on the diagonal opposite end of the greater seattle spectrum from where i live and hang out so it wasn't going to be somewhere i would get to unless i had business on the east side but today i did! and i got to see for myself how true the reviews is read were. the disclaimer is that i lived in india and have been hankering for good indian food since before the pandemic started (dosa and kulcha being among the things i love, although don't get me started in north indian cuisine favorites!) with not a lot of luck in finding the places i liked enough to go back to. i ordered online using their website which was easy enough, and arranged to pick it up at a certain time which was nice. when i walked in, it wasn't busy. they had three to go orders waiting to be picked up and there was one table of diners who were getting ready to leave but i stood there for 5 min before anyone came to help me. the person who did finally talk to me came back and told me my order wasn't yet ready but it didn't take more than a couple of minutes and it was out of the kitchen and bagged up to be handed to me. because i am not generally on the east side, i ordered more than what i would eat for lunch so that i could actually sample a couple of things, knowing i probably wouldn't be back soon: two onion kulcha, eggplant garlic kootan and a gunpowder dosa. everything was packed extremely well. during transport, nothing leaked or slid around so much that it looked mangled by the time it was going to be eaten. i appreciate this attention to detail and to knowing people who aren't dining in still want their food to look as appealing as it may taste. the dosa was great! i love spicy food and it was the perfect mix of the curried potatoes with samovar and coconut chutney. it was spicy, as advertised! id definitely order it again. the kulcha was fluffy and also very tasty. the eggplant kootan came with a separate but equal serving of white rice so there will be leftovers for sure. it was quite flavorful, with huge chunks of garlic and notes of tomato and tamarind bathing the eggplant pieces. all in all, the flavors were spot on and transported me back to the subcontinent in a way almost nothing else can. the customer service was a bit gruff (my reason for four stars) but otherwise it is a place i'd recommend if you're also yearning for indian food, specifically from the south. it wasn't cheap but that's also because i ordered proactively, wanting there to be enough for at least two more meals. hi read more

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We tried Kathakali first time. We ordered Mutton curry, chicken curry, jackfruit and potato vindalu, paneer butter masala, malabar parotha and appam. Food was tasty and served hot. Its good cozy kind of place in Kirkland to grab good Kerala food. Service was quick too. read more

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After coming here for the second time and finding the food and the service as good as I remember it being the first time, I decided to post this review. My friend ordered the pistachio lassi and loved the subtle sweetness and the flavor. For the main course we ordered the mutton kheema curry, the spicy tilapia a fish curry , garlic nan and the raita. The mutton curry was par excellent. The mutton pieces were soft and succulent and the spices were just out of the world! The fish curry was spicy and tangy and just a treat to the senses! The garlic nan was also crisp tasty. For dessert, we shared a beetroot halwa and were blown away by the subtle sweetness and flavor. Our server was very courteous and polite. I highly recommend this restaurant. After all Indian food is much more than just chicken tikka masala! read more

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Food, service and ambience is very good. I have tried both veg and non-veg food items. Taste is really good

I love South Indian cuisine and I am fortunate to live nearby. I order from here about once a month! Some of my favorites: In terms of appetizers, I like the firecracker chicken. Think chicken strips but with loads of flavor and spice. If you are someone who tends to order chicken tenders, this is for you! In terms of dosas, there is really no wrong choice here but I personally love the gunpower dosa. For those of you who never had a dosa, it is similar to a crepe and has various fillings. It is usually eaten with hands and you tear off pieces of it (not usually eaten like a burrito) but to each their own! I love the Meen Pollichathu (whole marinated fish) and the Naatu Fish Moilee for seafood options. For meats, the Nala Molagu Chicken curry is fantastic! I know most people are familiar with butter chicken and chicken tikka masala (there is nothing wrong with that) but wanted to offer some other options! Overall, the spice level is higher than your average Indian restaurant so be aware. :) I like ordering the malabar parotta for breads! The layers are delicious and a nice alternative to the usual naan. Enjoy one of my favorite local gems! read more

We have been regularly visiting this place and we simply love their food preparation. We specifically recommend their Tilapia fry and Paneer Tikka. Great Kerala food. read more

It only took a few months to finally make it to Kathakali. Adult friendships are weird sometimes. Much love to everyone though, and when the scheduling finally does work out, it's great to celebrate with great food like this. Kathakali has its own parking lot with plenty of parking. It wraps around the whole building, which isn't immediately obvious. Service was great, the server was very attentive to our water levels, though I think he thought I was having trouble with the spice levels (not very high at all) instead of being dehydrated Our group of 4 got a table very quickly. The food menu is digital. We ordered way too much food, sharing the coco paneer, pakora, gunpowder dosa, and garlic and bullet naan, while each getting a separate curry entree. It was inevitable though, the entire menu looked so good. What is there to say about the food? Everything was great. The flavors were great. The spice level was low (okay, I may have preferred it to be spicier but the taste was so good I didn't really care). We were all very full and left with to-go containers. I want to go back and try everything else. read more

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Kathakali offers dine in with an extensive catalog of dishes. Surprised to see a wider selection of dosas and some non traditional options like avocado naan. What stood out were the White Truffle Oil dosa & the Nalla Molagu Chameen curry: ask for spicy and you won't be disappointed! For the latter, the tender shrimp & standout garlic made it a mouthwatering and addicting main dish. read more

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The place was packed on Tuesday evening which indicated that its a good restaurant. Servants were polite and friendly, our table was ready within 15 mins, however we had to wait more than usual to get our food which I didn't like honestly ( more than 25 mins after order), the food came hot and with good portions. The chicken tikka masala was good but not excellent, however the mutton beryani was amazing, probably one of the best I tried. We also had the chicken tikka naan which is tasty. read more

Kathakali - Mutton Briyani and Chicken Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

Came here for dinner! The servers here were great, they were very responsive and were very quick to fill up our waters, place an order, etc. Masala Dosa- A bit of a more predominant lentil flavor, and a bit more sour tasting. The potato part was classic. The coconut sauce was a bit more gritty, and the curry had less vegetables in it and more mild in flavor and heat. Overall, not quite as good as our usual spot. 3/5 Kadala curry- honestly spicier than I could handle. It's mainly a bunch of dark brown chickpeas and a few large chunks of tomatoes in a thinner curry sauce. This probably wouldn't be my go to order, but the person I was with seemed to like it! 2/5 They use a QR code to access the menu, which links to here: https://mhme.nu/qr/336b2f45-98a0-4ebf-9a34-e1887f1d1e64 read more

Sooooo many choices! Some may not suit one's tastes, but that's not really something that is a 'problem' per se. Their food is otherwise good! Only issue is the wait time. There seems to always be a line. The restaurant itself can be pretty overly loud, and just feels kind of too packed. So I don't exactly like to eat here because of those reasons. The food itself however is good. read more

I've been eyeing this place for quite some time. Finally decided to give it a try on my birthday with my family. My mom had already tried this place earlier closer to when it first opened and spoke very highly of it which in turn set the expectations high. I ordered the white truffle oil masala dosa and then we also tried the pistachio rosewater lassi and lavender coconut lemonade. The masala dosa was quite good, but to be honest masala dosa is hard to mess up and I didn't think it was anything mind blowing. My brother got the plain masala dosa and I couldn't tell the difference between the two. Portion sizes were pretty standard, but the price did not match. Felt quite overpriced for something not really big. My mom speculates that the quality and size has gone down a bit over the past two years since her last visit. With regards to the drinks, I was a bit skeptical at first. But both drinks were really good and I would recommend - especially the Pistachio Rosewater Lassi. I never thought about the combination of pistachio and rosewater before, but it really does work! The service was good/quick and the staff was really nice! The restaurant itself isn't too big so can get crowded but nothing awful. Overall, not a bad place- food tastes good and it's a nice visit. Just not worth the money in my opinion though. read more

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We enjoyed chicken rice dish & 2 type of Dosa dish & The food was delicious # 4.5* SERVICES # 4* Ambiance # 2* read more

The food is good to fair. I've had better for Indian food. The ambiance meh. The service was quick, until it wasn't.The waitress was pushing us three out , before we finished our drinks. We spent a fair amount I said that it was rude to send any customer away. I have never experienced that boldness, unless the place was closing. We were quite, and frankly still visiting. They mentioned that that they needed the the table. Rude!! I addressed the Manager, we won't be back!! I will tell all!. read more

Stopped by on a rainy Tuesday night for some comfort, 'warm me up from the inside' nommy food. From the lines out the door at this spot, looks like everyone had the same idea! Had to wait for a bit before we got a table for 2, but the service was efficient, and the smells wafting from the kitchen were so incredible it didn't feel like too long/it was worth the wait. We were able to place our orders while waiting in line so the food came out pretty quick when we were seated. It's a pretty small space for the amount of customers it has, but service is quick and pleasant. Food - since it was our first time here, we tried a few different things. 1. Gunpowder dosa - delicious! Crispy, perfect dosa with a 'kick' and the potato bhaji filling was delectable. Liked the sambar and chutneys that came with it as well. Big portion, nice and hot and super yummy to eat. Will definitely order again, or maybe try one of the other dosas the next time I'm here. 2. Malabar parotta - flaky, melt in your mouth texture and the perfect accompaniment to the gravies. 3. Tried the Nalla Molagu Chameen curry - with shrimp. Different flavors than I'm usually used to but yummy. Tangy, spicy, tomato-y, peppery. The shrimp was cooked really well too. 4. For the apps, also tried the Payolli chicken. Flavors were good but the breading soaking in the sauces made it a bit soggy which wasn't fun to eat. They were out of the firecracker chicken but we'll try that the next time around. Or maybe the prawn pakoras or the fried tilapia! Prices were reasonable, food yummy and service quick, we will be back the next time we're around in the area. read more

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Amazing and delicious food! We were in the Kirkland area visiting for a week. Our friends highly recommended we go here since my son was really craving dosas. We tried the dosas, idlis, and a couple curries. Everything was fantastic! We ate there three times that week!! We definitely will be back next time we're in the area. read more

We ate at Kathakali several times before the COVID-19 shut down. They were always super busy with lines out the door. Arriving at 8pm on a Saturday and the estimated time was 9pm. Impressive. And the real secret is that it's filled with Indians. I'm one of those biased people that like to see the same ethnicity eating at ethnic restaurants. I'm the party crasher. LOL. It is now COVID-19 takeout. When I was placing the order, they couldn't make two of my requested dishes. Ah well. It's understandable. The rice also was missing some of the usual seasoning. But I'm not going to dismiss them for it. Ordering and pickup was smooth. No issue. Their food is Kerala based. The names are generally unfamiliar to me vs. most others in the area that are Southern Indian. The menu has good descriptions though. Food: Nalla Molagu Chemeen Curry - 4 stars Sauteed shrimp, cracked black pepper, seafood spices, garlic, onion, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro. The Seafood spices delivers a potent flavors. Goes very well with the rice. Munnar Mutton Kurma - 4 stars Mutton cubes, black pepper, mint, basil, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, ground coconut, coconut milk, spices. Very nicely cooked, strong flavors also. The coconut milk brings it back closer to the cream sauces. Original Naan, with butter - 3.5 stars Their naan has also been a bit more flat, lacks the bubbles that other restaurants have in their naan. I don't know if that's a Kerala region style or what. read more

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Kathakali is the Indian restaurant which was recommended by most people since I moved to Puget Sound area. Raving reviews from many. We decided to try this place couple of weeks back. On a Friday evening, the parking lot was full and literally waited for 15 mins to find a parking. The wait time in the restaurant was not different either. Luckily we got a table within 10 minutes. Ambiance if this place is exquisite. It's a South Indian restaurant serving Kerala food. And the decor itself announces it. The MENU is online; scan the QR code and the menu is on your fingertips. Masala Dosa, Nalla Molagu Chemmen Curry, Mutton Varattiyathu and Malabar Parotta. The menu is detailed and you get an idea what you are gonna get - of course if you are familiar with Kerala dishes. Food took around 10 mins to arrive. Mutton Varattiyathu and Masala Dosa were the best among the items. Mutton was a little spicy, but the meat was tender and well cooked. The flavors were excellent and reminded me of Home. The Chemmen (Prawns) curry was a bit let down. Excessive use of pepper has literally spoiled the dish. Couldn't sense any other flavors as pepper overshadowed it. Masala dosa was typical and I liked it with the chutneys served. Parotta didn't look or taste fresh - should be a frozen one. Expectations were high and what we experienced is totally the opposite. May be we saw the glimpse in the Mutton dish, but not enough to say we really liked it. Of course I have to mention about the portion. It's ok, but for a $24 dish, the portion is not good enough. May be being the exclusive Kerala cuisine restaurant in the area, they are charging more. That's the case for the Chemmeen curry and Parotta as well. Not very impressed. May try again for some special occasions - not gonna be a regular spot for me. read more

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Kathakali was pretty packed. We had a waiting for 1 hr, so decided to go to a restaurant nearby but in sometime got a call that we can pre-order since the place is closing in 20 mins, table will be still available. We decided to pre-order. We were grp of 3 females. Ordered: pista lassi, lavender infused coconut water, Malabar parota, meen Pollichathu, appam, Paruppu Curry. The curry came with rice too. Meen pollichathu was spicy as expected but was tasty. Would not recommend if you don't have spice tolerance. Appam and the paruppu curry was okay. Pista lassi was disappointing as it tasted like plain lassi. Lavender infused coconut water was amazing and even Pancharatna Adai. Sambar was too good. I am giving 4 star as of so many dishes we order only few were nice. We all had high hopes with the wait we had. Must try: lavender infused coconut water, Pancharatna Adai read more

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Truly authentic South Indian flavors - food was absolutely delicious. Tiny, spare but interesting ambience but in parking lot type of location. I would have given this a 5, but they were closing in 55 mins after we arrived and the waiter was very keen to keep remind us if this and was in use to wrap up as soon as it hit the hour of closing! But I would absolutely go here for the food and the laccha parathas. Just make sure you get there well before closing time! read more

I came here with my coworkers for lunch on a Friday. It's a bit of a drive from where we're at, but it was well worth it. There is plenty of parking (private lot). We got here a little before noon and was seated immediately. Service was fine, pretty average. No smiles or anything, but it didn't put us off. They have a decent lunch menu as well as their regular menu. My coworkers were urging me to go out of my comfort zone (which I probably should have), but the lunch menu was just such a great deal. I ended up getting the butter chicken (I know, I know) with paratha and chai tea. My other coworkers got chicken tikka masala, the vegetable curry, and a gunpowder dosa. In hindsight, the dosa looked delicious, and I probably should have gotten it seeing as how they specialize in southern Indian cuisine. The food came out, and we were all very happy. The butter chicken was delicious and super flavorful. There was so much paratha, I couldn't finish it all. It was very flaky and very good. The dosa looked amazing and the chutney was really good. My coworker ended up asking for more. I tried the vegetable curry as well, and I wish I had gotten it over the butter chicken. We'll probably come back here for lunches at some point, the drive is worth it. Decent pricing for lunches as well with the amount of food they give you read more

Kathakali - Butter chicken - Indian Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

Excellent food from Kerala. Tried Appam, Idyappam, Masala Dosa, Veg Biryani, Kerala Meen Curry and Malabar paratha. Veg Biryani could be better with more spices, it tasted more like a richer version of a pulao. Similarly, the malabar paratha didn't taste fresh, felt like I was having a warmed up paratha. The rest of the food however was excellent. The coconut milk with appam was generous and had just the right level of sweetness. The sambar and chutney with Masala Dosa we're awesome! Kerala Meen curry did not disappoint, it had all the flavors and spices one would expect. read more

Good food and friendly service in a cozy and pleasant environment. Everything arrived very hot and fresh without any wait. I arrived during a busy lunch time, and was the only non-Asian there, so folks who know clearly love it to. Definitely worth a visit read more

Kathakali - Wayanad chicken and chilli Nan - Indian Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

Food was great. Chicken Tika Masala and Butter Chicken was what we ordered. We did not eat inside so I don't know about the service but door dash was good read more

Although Kathakali is often packed with customers, I find that the flavor falls a bit flat compared to other Indian restaurants I've been to. I enjoy intensely seasoned and spiced food, especially when eating Indian food. That being said, the Nalla Molagu Chicken is very good, and packs a powerful punch of spices in a gravy-like sauce I'm sure there are other great dishes on the menu as well, but in the handful of times I've been there, I've been left with the same thought: "something is missing." read more

This is our favorite Indian restaurant by far. The service is warm and friendly and they seem to take great pride in serving delicious food (possibly family run? ) We've been here twice so far and every dish has thrilled and satisfied us : butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, and a spicy fish dish that I can't recall the name of but everything was super flavorful made with quality ingredients and decent portion sizes! We also had the dosas and the breads and they complement the dishes well. We also had some of their fruity drinks and they were refreshing and tasty. We love coming here for dinner and for takeout! read more

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I really liked everything I ordered at Kathakali. The dosas are thin and crispy - perfection. The sambar was really good as well. One dosa is probably enough for a small meal. Butter chicken was also decent. Everything was very decently priced. Only con is wait can be long. read more

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Wonder why it took me this long to come back. This time I ordered Chicken biryani, Kasoori methi chicken curry and Nalla Molagu chicken curry. All three were just amazing! Kasoori methi had the butter chicken kinda flavor with less sweetness and creaminess which I definitely appreciated ! It was savory enough to the point of not being spicy for serving kids. Nalla Molagu on the other side was nice and spicy but flavorful at the same time. Chicken biryani was large, had several pieces of chicken in it and had nice kinda sweetness, which I would guess was due to lots of onions during the prep- the right way I like my biryani! I hope they keep reinventing their menu since I saw a lot of change from about 4 years ago when I last visited. Definitely a bit heavy on the pricing but well worth it ! Parking could be a bit of a pickle, especially on the weekends. read more

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Best dosa in town! We were a party of 6 and it took almost 45 to get a table on a Friday night but the wait was really worth it. They asked us to pre order so food was served as soon as we were seated. We got the vada, coco paneer, oil truffle dosa, basil spinach dosa, gunpowder dosa, meen pollichatu, appam and tea. Our favorite was the vada, meen polluchatu and basil spinach dosa. They were out of their dessert but will definitely return to try them out. read more

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I've visited here two times. Parking is decent. Small lot but matches the seat capacity of the restaurant. It's a very busy place. Any popular time for a meal, expect a wait. For a party of two we were told 25 minutes. We actually did get seated right away but while seated... Felt rushed. It's not a very calm dining experience. Chaotic but delicious. Servers rushing by, people heading to the rest rooms, getting plates whisked away without really being finished with your meal, people in the entrance staring you down so they can finally eat. If you can do takeout, or miraculously find a slow time to visit, I'd recommend it. The food itself was tasty. I ordered pistachio rose lassi which was sweet and salty. Unique menu item. The paneer Tikka appetizer filled me up. For vegetarians, the avial is a MUST to order. I wish it came with more rice. read more

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It was so refreshing to try something different from the run-of-the-mill Indian restaurants in this area. This restaurant specializes in Kerala based Indian cuisine. Although I've tried a bunch of South Indian food elsewhere, I still couldn't recognize most of the names on the menu. But they describe the ingredients of every dish very well, so that made it easier to choose. And we loved everything we chose. Their sweet potato bhajji was awesome. Then, their truffle oil masala dosa and nalla molagu chicken curry was also absolutely delicious. The chutneys and sambhar were perfect. We also ordered raita which was great too. Place is pretty small for the size of crowds trying to come in. They have their private parking but that gets crowded too. It's understandable though, given the amazing food. Can't wait to try it again! read more

Kathakali - Sweet potato bhajji - Indian Near Me - Kirkland, Washington