I was born and raised in South India, so know some things about that cuisine, and in particular about the food from the Madurai area, which seems related to what's served here. Indeed, there's a lively and popular chain called Kumar Mess in Madurai; maybe related. I've tried at least two of their locations around Madurai. I find the food at the Apple Valley location mostly good, especially if served right out of the kitchen. I'm generally un-thrilled with buffets anywhere and haven't tried the Kumar's version. I could be wrong, but running a good buffet takes more effort and planning than the apparently very small staff at Kumar's can probably manage, so I order from the menu. I find the Chettinad chicken curry very good; hence my rating. My companions always like the various dosa and uthappam dishes and the samosa and pakora appetizers. I like vada (served as an appetizer) if it's fresh and not dried out; that varies at every Indian restaurant I've tried. Service is friendly but sometimes agonizingly slow, as I usually see just one server on duty, even in busy-ish evenings. read more

We've enjoyed this restaurant in the past, which is why this most recent experience was so disappointing. It feels like the focus has shifted much more toward the buffet, and the takeout experience has suffered as a result. The online ordering process was confusing because the only pickup times available were 4 PM or 6 PM. We would've loved to eat at 5 PM, as that's usually when we get takeout orders when we eat out. We chose the 4 PM slot, but when I arrived 5 minutes early...the order was already sitting out waiting. That immediately raised concerns about how long it had been sitting there. When I got home, some of the food was much cooler than expected for freshly prepared takeout, which only added to those concerns. I ended up needing to reheat several items as I was afraid from a food safety perspective. The pickup experience itself was also awkward. I stood waiting at the front for about 30 seconds while employees were nearby, but nobody acknowledged me. Eventually someone yelled "hello" from literally across the restaurant. After I responded and said I was there for a pickup order, there was very little communication. They looked at me confused. The employee then walked away and eventually returned with my order. The interaction felt confusing and unwelcoming. I was also disappointed by the portion sizes, especially considering current menu prices. On top of that, there is an additional service fee for online orders, which makes the value feel even worse. Overall, this visit left us feeling like the restaurant isn't prioritizing its takeout customers the way it used to. Between the confusing pickup process, concerns about how long the food sat before pickup, smaller portions, and added fees, were hesitant to order takeout here again. It's sad, because if you look at my previous reviews of this place, I use to enjoy it. read more

You can wait quite a while to be greeted or once seated, it can take some time before anyone arrives to greet you and take your order, small staff so you have to be patient but it's worth it. They do a high volume of take out so those can take precedence over your order at times depending on time of day but the food generally overall is good. Overall, the menu options are good and savory however, the buffet which is a big push here does not offer a lot of variety at times and depending on the time of day, some of the dishes are missing or empty. Also, depending on the dish it can be really salty so be sure to ask for no additional salt to be added if ordering off menu. The Naan is very good as is the Dosa which are HUGE and delish! read more

Have eaten many times here. Food has always been tasty. Especially their weekend lunches.

Came here for the Diwali buffet only Happy to see they had a lot of choices and South Indian dishes too Some of the food items were not as hot as they should be , that's my issue with buffets but the restaurant is clean and staff are friendly The mango soft serve is soo good I would come back just for that!!! I do want to try their regular menu , just a little far away from me but if in the area this is a place you should check out for Indian food read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

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Here at Kumars in Apple Valley for their Sunday Buffet. If the owners are reading, You Need To Do Better! Service was really bad!! Arrived at 1230pm, offer me a seat but no water. Restaurant provides Sams Club water bottles. They didnt refill alot of the entrees on the line. The bread was refilled once, and the restaurant is pretty full of patrons. Their Chicken 65 was FINALLY refilled at 1pm! Supposedly its a very popular dish... It was empty when I arrived. Oh, but they have plenty of Biryani aka rice and vegetable dishes, just no meat dishes. Butter chicken tray you can see the bottom and its close to empty. Patrons are left eating rice and veggie dishes for now. Even the Mutton Rice entree, a quarter available when i arrived, is still not refilled. Its already 113pm. At 107pm, I finally received my first bottled water from an asian female! And another male waiter, the one who seated me initally, comes to ask me "how is everything sir?". Im gonna continue eating what I have brb....before I forget, my first two plates still haven't been taken and Im already sitting down eith my 3rd plate of food. Oh, Chicken Tandoor and Mutton Rice just refilled at 120pm. ‍‍ Mutton is very dry. Have yet to try their mango ice cream machine and then head out. read more

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No fountain drinks, so be aware of that. Ambiance isn't too over the top, some decorations. Mon-Thurs are the value buffet, so only one table of things to try. Fri thru sun are a more premium price with twice as many options. I loved both masalas. The chicken that was simply labeled chicken was worth getting. I liked the orange colored wheat mango dessert dish. For a price of $11,99 I felt like I got a fair value, and it's a good introduction for people unfamiliar with Indian food. If they served iced fountain drinks I would have given 5 stars read more

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Everything was delicious! Lots of traditional South Indian dishes in the buffet which I liked. Some of the options offered was mutton kolambu, fish kolambu, chicken chops masala, dum biryani, chicken 65, sambar, avial, chicken tikka, paneer tikka masala, pomfret fry, and even a pani puri/dahi puri station. Everything was delicious and spicy. Lots of options for both veg and non veg. For dessert there was paysam, gulab jamun, mango cake, and mango and vanilla soft serve. Mango soft serve was so good, I kept coming back for more. If you don't want to do the buffet my mom and sister split a non veg thali which had several small portions of their curries, rice dishes and desserts. It typically gives free refills as well but since they were sharing, no refills are given, but it's big enough that we ended up taking some back for leftovers. Everything would get restocked quickly in the buffet if something ran out, and service was great. I would definitely come back! read more

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The food was good but their oreo milkshake was the best milkshake I have ever had, please get it on the menu! the service was great aswell and the mood was so aesthetic! read more

I came for lunch but was absolutely going to order off the menu - why you ask? Because they have an item that can take me through time. You see my grandmother would make what we call gunthapunganum, orbs of fried batter. These were incredibly tasty and she made them as a celebration or pick me up when I was a kid. The batter is not something that you can just make up, you need to plan a couple days ahead (at least that's how I remember it). I have asked for this at restaurants wherever I travel the US and have NEVER found a place that makes them. Now that my grandmother has passed it has been over 30 years since I've eaten these... I heard that Kumars has them on their menu, and I am NOT disappointed! They have them and they taste wonderful. This restaurant is different and we should judge it differently. This is a time travelling ship and not a restaurant. This will take you back to your grandmothers kitchen, where she will make you feel seen, and validated and able to do anything. read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

Order all the different fried bread varieties, they are all over the menu, and all good, like Ghee Roast, and some come with cool sauces. Biryanis are very good, but the Tika Masala was kind of watery, not thick and creamy like I like it. I've never seen the buffet open, so I don't know when they have it. And the place has a sea dock kind of vibe. read more

Went for the weekend buffet, it was great. Lots of options, actually the biggest Indian buffet I've ever seen. They even had an ice cream machine serving vanilla and mango ice cream, masala chai and a puri puri station. Great option in the metro. read more

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Friday buffet at lunch left a lot to be desired. Most items with chicken had the chicken pieces pulled out so you were only left with a sauce or rice or empty tray. Took almost our whole visit to fill or refill items. I stayed longer to sample items. Took a minimum of 5 minutes for forks to be refilled. Not sure where all of the staff was because it seemed like one person was answering the phone, seating guests, closing tabs after a line formed. Was not offered a drink when seated like we found other customers were offered upon seating. read more

So yummy one of the best Indian restaurants in South Metro for a Dosa. Service is a bit slow but honestly worth it for the chef's special dosa or the masala dosa. read more

I've been to this place for the Sunday buffet after looking at all the positive reviews but it is one of my worst experiences. I found hair in Chicken 65, Both the biryani were super dry and they're taking too long to refill the stuff. I know it's buffet, but still you need to keep up with the refilling when the flow is on. Surprisingly even the white rice is super dry and taste of the non-veg curries and and which curries, including sambar are OK. FYI this is my first experience with this restaurant. Thanks read more

We've been here twice. The thalis are top notch. Huge variety of flavors and contrasts in one thali. Masala chai is great too.

Buffet was good with decent options. The restaurant was not very crowded for a Sunday afternoon, so I felt good. Ambience was so-so, nothing great to talk about but the place was clean. read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Paani puri - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

Food was good especially the egg varieties with crabs and prawns. Could have been better on the biriyani quantity. Overall a must try to this place. read more

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My wife and I wanted to try a new Indian restaurant close to us and it looked good. So we sat down and our drinks came out right away. After that it took an hour and 15 minutes for our food to come out! Absolutely unacceptable! You guys need a heat scale! Also, tell people that your naan bread is $4 extra added on to your meal. Our appetizer came out a few minutes before our meal. I had to wait even longer for my meal. The restaurant is not busy when we came. The waiter never asked us if we wanted anything else to drink. We saw that it looked like they would bring a plate of food out one at a time. Overall I will never be back after this! read more

Possibly my new go to for Indian buffet; I'm already planning on taking the husband soon. Such a great variety of meat and vegetarian dishes. My favorite was the eggplant. The tandoori chicken was so succulent. Be prepared for bones cause this is real food and it's not going to be all boneless beauties. They had mutton, chicken, chickpea, eggplant, fish, SO MANY OPTIONS. Made to order pancakes (a bit sour, perhaps some yeast or fermented batter?) and pani puri (I recommend the "sweet" version with the yogurt sauce as it has a wonderful creaminess). They have mango and vanilla soft serve and you can get fresh sugar cane juice at an additional price. I initially made a reservation off of yelp but it was not necessary, at least not for now. Could be needed in the near future as business picks up. The place looked clean but the tables were wobbly because the top might be too heavy for the table legs. We took a few mins to select a table that wasn't completely wobbly. We arrived promptly at opening and they weren't completely ready yet but we didn't mind. Staff kindly notified us when they were nearly all set up. Staff were super friendly and helpful. I didn't give the place a perfect 5 stars because I did order food to go for my husband but the dish was incredibly tiny for the cost. I'm used to Indian meals being smaller, in terms of American food size standards, so it's usually anticipated for me. But I had never seen a dish that small, it was comparable to the ice cream dish I have pictured. read more

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Had the buffet lunch. The food was good but a few hours later I had a terrible case of upset stomach. Service was good and staff was friendly but I would not eat here again. read more

Great food, good selection of food options. Grateful to have a solid choice for Indian food in the area. Lots of parking in the lot.

Food: Very good Service: Excellent Ambiance: fine Went here with a friend on his recommendation. We started with the Madurai Mutton Sukka. Very good, but definitely on the spicy side. My friend had plain naan. I had the garlic. I thought the garlic should have had a more pronounced garlic flavor. For entrees, my friend had the Chicken Tikka Masala, and I had the Kothamalli Chicken Curry. Mine was good, but not outstanding. I was warned by the server that not everyone likes it. I thought it was good, but I would probably not order it again. I sampled my friend's entree. It was better than mine, but still a bit more bland than other Tikka Masala's I've had elsewhere. We shared the Kulfi at the end. Unique flavor! Service was outstanding. We were well taken care of. I would return, but probably to try different dishes. read more

First time here and I will be back for sure! It was so so good!!! The best dosa evermy waiter was so nice, he smiled a lot which made me smile a lot. The chai was excellent too. I was too full for dessert, next time. read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Masala dosa - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

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If you're looking for flavorful, authentic Indian food (with a great array of South Indian selections), then this is the place for you! My friends and I got the dosa and uttapam, which were delicious (and the former was gigantic!). Another standout is the accompanying peanut chutney, which was not watered as down as it I've had in other restaurants, which was a delightful surprise. On our first visit, our waiter was very friendly and accommodating, while during our second visit, the service was still good albeit a little stiffer. The food takes some time to come out, but it is worth it. I will certainly come back again! read more

The dosai here is phenomenal, so light and crispy and when you dip it into the sauce it's Soo delicious! We get it every time we come here. We also ordered garlic naan and chicken biryani quite often. Lots of their dishes are very spicy so if you can't handle spice, I recommend you ask for mild. Even mild dishes can be spicy lol and they don't adjust some of the dishes too much like the biryani. Whenever we are craving Indian food we always go here; read more

Food is amazing authentic Southern Indian style. Server is very polite and helpful. A little quiet place to have great dinner time. We will be back definitely. read more

I had high expectations for this place based on the reviews but was disappointed. It is an ok hole-in-the-wall type of place. We went for the so-called holiday buffet which cost almost $25 per person. The vegetarian options had baby corn masala and butter paneer. Apparently there were also chole and bisibillibath but those did not come out until after our lunch was done. They had a nice pani puri stall. There were good chicken options and mutton biryani, plus some fish dish. So it is a decent place for non-vegetarians. It is not a south Indian special place -- at least not based on the buffet. I won't go again. The service is ok -- barely present. They seated us, told us the only option we have is buffet (although later a different table was served a la carte), gave us water and then we were on our own. No information about options, etc. So while it is not a bad place, it really isn't worth driving for more than 15 mins if you can help it. read more

Outstanding food! Very homemade and original tasting. The biriyani is a huge portion, enough to feed 2 people easily. The chili chicken and gunter kodi kura is my favorite. I really love the food here. read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

I'm not usually in the area, so I wanted to take advantage of eating something I wouldn't normally get closer to home. Kumar's did not disappoint. The lunch buffet was fresh and delicious in variety, I would come back again read more

Kumar's Apple Valley - Indian Near Me - Apple Valley, Minnesota

Kumar's is an interesting stop on Apple Valley's culinary journey. The most recent culinary iteration in this location, Kumar's is a very simple restaurant with a friendly ambiance. A very simple menu done well with great service makes this a nice alternative to other local restaurants. Kumar's is a good place to eat every once in a while. read more

I have to say first off I'm a Indian that does not love Indian food and Kumar's may have possibly changed that. What ever region of India that Kumar's style of food is from reminds me of the kind of food my family makes. I would suggest calling and making sure there is not a wait. We went on a week night and they were pretty busy. The staff was pleasant and definitely busy but very nice. We ordered: Apps- Chennai Chili Chicken - lots of spice and tasty! ( they also have this in a vegetarian version which I think would probably taste delicious. It's made with cau Kuli Paniyaram - I feel like if you have kids they would love this. It has a cheesy taste to it but it's delicious especially with the coconut chutney. Entrees: Mutton Chops- Tasty and very spiced. If you love a good dry spice this is for you. **FAV! -Masala Dosai- it is a giant savory crepe( delicious by itself) that comes with chutneys and rolled up in the crepe is potato's! I'm giving Kumar's 4 stars because I think the meats were overly cooked and dry. If they had been soft and tender I would definitely have given them 5 stars what food is perfected spiced meat if it is over cooked? I look forward to going back and trying different items. If you are vegetarian you would love this place. It definitely has a great selection of vegetarian dishes. There is also no beef items here so if beef is what your craving, this ain't the place for you. I read more

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What's happening Kumar's? 50min-1hr wait, menu about to fall-off, and prices not matching the menu and the receipt (ex. They charged us $5 for Lemon/lime soda but it's $3 in menu). The food was still good but fewer meat (ex. we can count the mutton meat pieces in our tikka masala and curry). We used to eat here before and the service was great, but now the quality is below average. I appreciate the hard work and I understand that there may be factors behind it, but hopefully they can solve their issues to keep their quality consistent and customers satisfied. read more

The food was delicious here! Very wide selection of dishes from Chennai that you normally don't see in Minnesota (aside from staples like dosa of course). We got the Kathirikkai vadhakkal, Seppan kelangu fry, vaaval meen kolambu, and the kalakki. Everything we ordered was delicious!! Highly recommend the vaaval meen kolambu, they will put mangoes in it if you ask (in case you were debating between that and the nellore). The service was great, the waiter was really friendly and checked in on us many times. The ambiance reminded me of a standard Indian buffet that gives you comfort that they won't comprimise on authenticity for the food compared to a lot of places that overdo it and their food shows it. read more

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We visited Kumars on a Sunday for their Weekend Lunch Thali. We did not have a reservation however we were seated within 10 minutes. And yes, the place was full. They serve the food on banana leaf - which reminds you of the unlimited meals back in India. We tried the Non Veg meals, Omlet, Kalakki, Mutton Varuval, Naatukozhi Varuval and Meen Varuval. The Non Veg meals was good. We loved their service. The mutton and fish gravy were the best. They serve creamy yogurt for the rice which was extremely good. Mutton Varuval (Goat Fry) was very spicy, but tasted good. Naatukozhi Varuval was spicy and good. It didn't taste like Naatukozhi, which is usually very lean chicken meat with lot of bones. The Omlet is a spicy version of Indian Omlette with green chillies, onions and pepper. The Kalakki is more like Soufflé Omlette. One thing that would have been nice to have is some cold dessert (especially after having heavy and spicy meals). Overall a great experience. Will visit again. read more

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Food was disgusting there's gum on the table employees were so ruse never coming back​

Cozy place, but food is ok. We ordered Baby Corn 65, mixed uttapam, veg Biryani and kothu paratha. The flavors were packed but the combo of those flavors dint set right. The 65 was too sweet and the kothu paratha was paratha boiled in sambar powder. The salan did justice for everything. We mixed it with almost everything we had and that set the tone. It's an ok place to have a quick lunch or dinner as it's close to airport. read more

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Fresh food in the lunchtime buffet. Great tasting dishes and naan and poppadoms. Friendly family-run place.

We gathered after long time in a right place, we can remember the all amazing Indian authentic taste. We tried almost every dish on the menu. Talapakattu mutton biriyani reminded me T-Nagar, my days in Chennai. I want to convey our appreciation to every chef in the kitchen. This will keep standing as the best authentic Indian food in Minneapolis metro area. Though we are late staff are very happy to serve, I really Thankful for your great service and patience. Simply Great place to plan gatherings...! read more

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Food was good. Service was super bad. It wasn't even busy when we were there. AVOID COFFEE. We waited 45 mins for a cup of coffee. It is water and milk with drops of caffeine. read more