After hearing positive recommendations from some friends, who assured me that the long wait time had thinned down, I took my family to finally try MTR on a Saturday. There was a 12 minute wait to be seated and another 12 minute wait to have our order taken. However, to get our food took excruciatingly long. That being said everything we tried was delicious! We tried the Pudi Onion Rave Masala dosa and onion rave masala dosa and plain dosa. The flavors were all lip smacking! We then decided to order filter coffee and it took about 20 minutes for the filter coffee to arrive after one more reminder. The service is really dismal. We do plan to go back on a weekday to try other items, since the food is pretty authentic. read more

See all

We were seated quickly for a Saturday lunch! However it was hard to get the hostess attention to order more food and when we did, they forgot to add it so we didnt get to eat it. Also we ordered the Benne Masala dosa but the masala was forgotten. They ended up putting it on the side once we asked. We also kept asking for water refills and extra plates. The service can definitely improve. The ambiance seemed like a lunchroom style with beautiful history of the restaurant. The flavors of the food were good. The sambar does not have any vegetables which I was not a fan of but it was mild. read more

See all

Talk about hyped up. For the first six months this place was open the wait to get a table felt like 6 months. The first time we went, we waited and waited and waited, and were eventually seated, and liked it. If I had done this review on that day I would have said that the ambience was nice, the wait staff was friendly, the food was almost worth the wait, and our overall experience was probably 4.5 stars. I have been to the MTR in Bangalore, and on that day I would have said that they made a respectable showing with their US location. Talk about falling off, and quickly. We went this past December, and our experience was completely different. Fortunately, there wasn't much of a wait this time, but we quickly learned why. The wait staff seemed disinterested and inattentive. Food didn't come out in a logical order. They just bring out whatever is ready when it's ready, regardless of whether it's an appetizer or entree. There were a few things we ordered that didn't come out, and after asking a few times we were told they were sold out of that item. It was all just incredibly disorganized. Most of this would have been fine if it had been redeemed by the quality of the food. Unfortunately, they disappointed here as well. The food was bland, the potato palya in the dosa was too mushy and lacked flavor, the chutney lacked punch, and the sambar tasted like something that you would get out of a microwave packet. It was a complete 180 from our prior experience. The Bangalore location would be disappointed. read more

Excellent food. A little too rich for regularly eating but an occasional indulgence for sure. Great filter coffee to start. Neer dosa, rava idli, podi masala dosa, wada sambar all were delicious and piping hot. The wait can be a bummer but you can get on the wait list from google. read more

See all

Tasty delicious food, long wait, quick service and family oriented atmosphere. We had the Combination plate (the green chutney was disappointing), Pudi Masala dosa, Goli soda and the Dessert: Chandrahara (the star of the entire meal!!) All of it was top notch. But my top 2 favourites would be Pudi masala dosa and Chandrahara. There is always a long waiting list here, super busy, one has to enter, write down their name and the no.of diners; your name will be announced. Waiting time is killing. There are ample parking spots since it's a busy area with other restaurants and grocery stores. Kid friendly atmosphere since large groups done in. It was worth the wait! read more

See all

Super authentic Bangalore style dosa and bisibilli bhaat. The Podi masala was was very delicious. The side chutneys went so well with the dosa. The service was pretty quick and ambience was nice. We went on a weekday evening so the line was not too long, so that worked for us. But I think it gets super busy on the weekends. The best dosa place in town! read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Podi Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

A very popular spot, trying out for the second time! Got the mini thali this time and while the variety is really good from snacks, Sabzi, sambaar, pulao, curd rice and dessert, not everything was upto the mark. Really liked the butter milk, pulao and curries, the curd rice had a stale taste as if made the day before. Really disappointed with that. Finished the meal with filter coffee which was the highlight and delicious as always! However, service was extremely slow and wait time was long. People were really upset about the wait time. They should manage better with more servers! read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Thali - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Food is ok- solidly three-star worthy. I prefer MDC in Issaquah. Dosa here were crispy and flavorful but much much smaller and the other stuff we ordered was just okay. Service was good though. Ambiance felt a little too bright and sterile imo. Empty when we arrived around six, almost completely full when we left around 8. read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Masala dosa - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

They keep you waiting even if there are enough empty tables in the restaurant. ..........

Food is good but expensive for no special reason. Also my kids food arrived really late by that made a bit things disappointing.

When I first got to know that MTR has opened in the US, I was excited to try them out as I used to go to their restaurant in Bangalore. Hence I excitedly set out to try the dishes which I was missing from back home. What caught my eye in their menu was Mangalore Buns, which is my favorite breakfast item along with Puri-Bhaji, plus what made this visit more exciting was that this was only place in the US to have Buns. I arrived at the restaurant and you could get the strong aroma at the parking, which gave me positive vibes after all the average reviews. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I was welcomed by the 80's Sandalwood songs which makes the ambiance more authentic and close to home. My opinion on the items: Ghee Podi Masala Dosa: This easily is their best item on the dish which rivals the podi masala dosa at Mylapore. The texture was awesome and flavorful with Ghee and Podi mixed well with the batter. The Bhaji was awesome along with the chutneys. The tomato chutney was awesome too. Undi Pakoda: This can be consumed either hot or at room temperature. I chose the latter as it reminded me of the roadside shacks in Karnataka where this item was common and was good to eat during pit stops on a long drive. Mangalore Buns: Traditionally this is a bit on the sweeter side, however I prefer the savory version and requested the restaurant to prepare this. Full marks to them that they understood the memo. You get 2 buns along with mix veg kurma and coconut chutney. It was heavenly and satisfied my cravings. The buns were golden brown, soft, and cooked well from the inside. Even the veggies in the kurma was cooked well. Thank you for bringing this delicious item to the US. Kaayi Holige: very rarely can you wreck this delicious dessert. The sweet fillings used were delicious and wasn't overloaded with ghee which made it tasty. Now comes the cons: 1. Certain breakfast items are classified as dinner items. These contain Akki Rotti, Mangalore Buns, Uddina Vade, Shavige Bath. Please fix the menu and keep them as breakfast items. As I was in the area for a week, it was easier for me to order, but that's not the case with those visiting for shorter duration. 2. Service can be slow at times and waiters take forever in giving the receipts after the breakfast. 3. Ok, this is a funny con but actually a feedback, but currently they are only present in Bellevue. Please come to the Bay Area soon. Overall a great experience barring the cons I have mentioned. I'm giving 4 stars as I was satisfied with the food items. I shall disagree with certain bad reviews as they may not be used to the Karnataka food items. I would definitely revisit this place again. Cheers read more

See all

I don't know why I came here. In my 35+ years of existence it was the worst dosa k have ever had. We ordered the pudi rava dosa. The dosa was overdone and reeked of oil and not ghee. We told the server it was the worst dosa we ever had and he couldn't even say anything. Maybe they know how bad their dosa is. He did say that they don't use oil but ghee but I don't know what ghee they used but it tasted like stale oil. Would not even send my worst enemies to this restaurant. They have tarnished the MTR brand read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We have been here a couple times now, our recent visit on a week day we didn't have to wait to be seated. Our previous visit we had a long wait to be seated. We had Mangalore Bajji, Masala dosa, Rava idli, and Poori saagu. The Mangalore Bajji, poori Saagu and Masala dosa were okay. The Mangalore Bhajji, Poori and Dosa were very greasy. The rava idli was very dry, which was disappointing since that is one of their specialities and we had enjoyed on our first visit to MTR. Overall, on both our visits the food was not upto the original MTR standard and taste, and we were left disappointed. read more

See all

Visited again and it was a fabulous meal again! While the restaurant opens at 11:30am, the queue starts before then. This time we tried the combo in addition to the dosa, poori, and vade sets. Just super tasty with the sambar and the coconut chutney. This is Indian vegetarian at a different level of goodness. Not sure about the people who have poorer impressions but there is hardly another restaurant with this range of offerings at this quality in the Greater Seattle area. Try for yourself! read more

See all

The rava dosa was sooooo good!!! I miss it so much already. The food was so good, proper Bangalore style sambar and a fun way to discover karnataka dishes. read more

Food is good, quantity is good and ambiance is also good. Service is good and friendly staff. Been here twice and had to wait in line both the times. I was surprised to see a long line on a rainy sunday during lunch hours. Pudi dosa (thick dosa) is good. Rava idli was also good. Overall good food. read more

See all

Amazing food . Service an be a bit slow at times. The tables are arranged to accommodate lots of customers so might seem crowded. From masala dosa ,bisi bele bath to dessert like gadbad the taste was amazing. Highly recommend to visit this place. read more

MTR is one of the old and famous restaurant in Bangalore, India. It is aabbreviation of Mavalli Tiffin Room. You can say they are also the manufacturer of rava idli mix and made this dish a popular dish. So when I visited Bellevue and cane to know they have ooened one here, I don't want to miss the opportunity, so in fact I went twice, first day I went and had to have their rava Idly, which was huge, filling and tasty as it should be. Next day, when I went, due to ugadi festival they had a festive special thali and the server recommended it so much, he told I won't charge if you don't like it. I ordered reluctantly as I know I cannot eat thali by myself. When it came it was huge along with the rice and other usual items, they had masala dosa and holigae karnataka special dessert too. It was a worth more than what I paid for and was not able to eat all, but get to taste everything. Great service too, another important note is they rotate the menu every day, so you get to taste different variety, if you are a regular and they serve lot of authentic dishes like neer dosa. One problem though is they open late in the morning. Amazing, hope they soon open one here in bay area. read more

See all

Updating my review as I finally got a chance to try this on a weekday when there were no lines. The food is definitely good although yes for the quantity I guess a bit pricey. I do like the benne dose and akki roti as gadbad ice cream. I do think the filter coffee isn't quite like how it is back in Bangalore so that can improve that is definitely a must try. Ambience is very good and service has always been friendly and quick read more

Thanks to my friend I finally ended up going to MTR. It's probably not even a mile from my place and fanatics travel from Seattle just for this. So glad I ended up going here. Definitely a good spot, flavours are more on subtle notes - don't expect Andhra or Tamil styled fiery flavours. More of Karnataka style - with a touch of sweetness to every cuisine. I personally went super vanilla and tried a Plain Dosa - you can't go wrong with that. I believe my friend tried Neer Dosa and I took a bite too. The coconut chutney that came with it was splendid. I don't know why this place doesn't have better reviews on Google. Maybe it is being compared to MTR in Bangalore which is a shame. Being famous can also cost you - you have to keep up the reputation. But I think this is absolutely a fine place. The ambience is good, the service is good too. But they need better management for people waiting outside in queue. read more

See all

Typical kannadiga style food. Got back all the nostalgic Bangalore foodie days. If you are not used to it, it could be a bit different for you. Just loved the dosa, mangalore bun, idli sambhar and poori. Medu vada was not great though. Give it a go if you crave vegetarian food in Seattle read more

Definitely one of the most authentic Karnataka restaurants in Seattle. The food quality has been top notch and it's worth the wait. The service has been okay and I've faced no issues so far. The ambience is great and gives me all the Karnataka vibes whenever I've dined here. The masala dosa, Bisibelebath, Set Dose and Mini meals are my favorite! read more

See all

This is the best South Indian I've had ever! The dosa is phenomenal - tastes very different from what I've had at all the other places. Loved their vada sambhar as well - perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Rava idli was very tasty too. Mango lassi was freshly prepared, not the standard pacakged version available at most other Indian restaurants. All in all, great food and quick service! Ambience is good too, though given the crowd levels seating is limited. There's a bit of wait to get in but all worth it! Last order at 8:45pm so going early is highly recommended! read more

See all

Not worth it best to avoid average more of a hype. Service extremely poor waited for 20 minutes half order never came and folks arriving later got served ahead of us. Unhygienic dosa served in small plate touching the table. I guess they care of volume not service read more

My wife and I, visited MTR earlier this week for dinner. We walked in at 8:30pm and got a table immediately. We ordered 2 items, Bisi bele bath and 1 Pudi Rave Dose. Bisi bele was brought to our table within 5 minutes and it was really good. The Dose on the other hand didn't arrive at all. After waiting for 25 mins, I asked the server about the dose and they seemed confused but went to the kitchen and came back and told me that it will take another 5 minutes. No apology offered for the delay. Another 10-15 minutes passes and nothing. So, my wife politely asked again about the dose and were told again that it would be another 5 minutes. This time we got a reason for the delay - the kitchen is very busy. Ofcourse this was just an excuse, the restaurant was not busy at all, with more than half the tables being empty at 9pm. It was quite apparent that my order didn't make it to the kitchen cook. But again, no apology was offered. Finally after another 10 minutes the rava dose arrived. The dose was decent with a portion of the dose stuck to the poor quality melamine plate. Even using the fork was not enough to release it from the plate. Anyways, I ate the dose and we left and made it clear to them that we aren't leaving any gratuity as the customer service was awful. Clearly, this restaurant doesn't seem to care about their customers and it was apparent from the time we walked in. The staff made no attempt to make any eye contact with us or even remotely smiled at us or say hello. Nobody came by our table to ask if we needed anything or how the food was tasting. No apology was offered for the 45 minute delay in getting the dose to our table. This should have been the 1st thing the waiter should have said that they are 'so sorry'. The service was simply non-existent. Normally, at any decent restaurant, when you order food, everything is brought out together so that all members at the table can eat together. In our case, my meal arrived after at-least 45 minutes. My wife had already eaten. If she had waited for my dose to arrive, her meal would have gotten cold. The entire service experience is a classic example depicting how Indian restaurants do not care about service or care about keeping their customers happy. Will I be returning to this place again, take a guess.......I think you know the answer. I wouldn't come in even for a free meal again. I don't know if this review will help any of you, however I thought I needed to express my dissatisfaction and disappointment to the restaurant owners and share my experience with you all. I don't think I am being harsh here or my expectations were lofty to begin with. I sincerely hope the service at this restaurant will improve at some point down the road but they sure have lost me as a customer. In my opinion, a good restaurant is one where the food is good and the service is excellent and this restaurant is very far from it. Do the owners even read these reviews......my guess is they don't. Therefore, expecting a response from them would classify as a miracle! read more

Although there is always a line, it moves quickly, and the service is the FASTEST I've ever experienced in a South Indian restaurant in the United States! The food came in a giffy, and we devoured it all. The ingredients were of the highest caliber! We ordered a Thali, Button Idli, Rava Masala Dosa, and Plain Ghee Dosa. Just so you know, don't expect the crispy paper crunchy texture here; the dosas are a little thicker and softer. The deliciousness outweighs the fact that the button idlis weren't actually the same size as what we get back in India. I've been here twice previously, and all others and I had a great time. Without a doubt, I would return. Oh, and they have excellent filter coffee! read more

See all

Great food, but be prepared for a wait! It's definitely worth it. The Rava Masala Dosa and Idli Sambar were both delicious. Gobi Manchurian tasted very fresh and homestyle. A solid choice for Bangalore style authentic South Indian food read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Gobi Manchurian - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

This was my first time going here. Their menu is all vegetarian. I got chaat and vada sambar, both were delicious and authentically South Indian. There was a line to get inside, probably took us about 15 minutes to get in on a weekend evening but I highly recommend. I would be back again to try out more dishes. The staff is very nice and friendly as well. read more

See all

Subpar food and customer service. The sambar is too salty. The masala dosa was way too greasy. Oil pools on the platter. The customer service is poor. The server didn't greet or made eye contact. Simply said this was the last order. There are better places in the area for this cuisine and for the price. read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Oily icky - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

If you want really great food, you'll have to be prepared to wait. If there are empty tables, guess what - no one wanted that seat. I can't figure why there are so many complaints about the wait at busy times! Come early, come late, or wait. I've been to India, and specifically Bangalore many times on business trips, and MTR always serves up great meals with great service. The Bellevue location is no exception. They specialize in a semolina-based idli, but also use semolina to make a wonderfully crispy dosa. The depth of flavors that MTR gets out of pure vegetarian ingredients rival meat-based curry sauces. We particularly love the Besibele Bhath - a rich, thick porridge-like dish of lentils, cashew nuts and morsels unknown. And as if that is not rich enough, they serve with a little dish of hot ghee that you can dribble on top! Order a large Masala Dosa, and use crispy pieces of dosa to scoop up some of the Bhath into your mouth. Om, nom, nom!! The place is always teeming with Indians - so you know that the flavors are authentic. Loud and boisterous at times, they also have incense burning so you exit smelling of agarwood and not curry. A final note - don't miss their coffee. They claim to roast and grind their coffee beans daily, and I wouldn't dispute that. Deep, rich and so flavorful. read more

When we got there, we had to wait in a line before we were then asked to come inside to be seated. The guy who was supposed to take us to the table (thick mustached dude) simply vanished and we were just waiting for a good 10 min before he finally appeared. No apologies nothing. He pointed us to the table finally. We waited another 10 min when I had to holler at the guy for the menu. He just pointed at the menus that were sitting atop the divider separating the tables. Didn't bother handing it to us. When we decided to order and asked for substitutions, the guy rudely replied - "we don't do instead of this, give me that". We asked for 3 Thalis. Food came pretty quick. Most of the dishes tasted good. While we started to eat the guy asked us to pay the bill cos they were nearing closing time. We then finished our lunch and made our way out. Pros: good all-vegetarian food option. Decent ambiance. Cons: BAADD customer service especially by the guy taking orders at our table. Wait staff were diligent and quick. Also, it would be great if they did substitutions - it's not that complicated with thalis. It's just switching cups for Pete's sake! read more

Nothing much to say about the ambiance. It was too loud with lots of people and a long wait time. Ordered the Bisibell bath, Puri and Masala Dosa. I really liked the bisibella bath, but the puri was meh and so was the chat! Masala Dosa was good too! For this place, I would recommend to order the typical Karnataka dishes, Bisibella bath, Masala dosa. I have liked those dishes well compared to the Puri and Chaat. The service was so and not so friendly. Overall it's kind of overpriced for the food and service ordered. Bisibellabath is the only dish I would want to come for again. read more

See all

I was wary of mtr with the mixed review, but my mother was in town, and had recently visited Bangalore where she ate at MTR (and had been to growing up) so she was excited to try their first US location and wanted to compare so of course I indulged! We went on a Tuesday at 6 pm. Restaurant was busy but not full and we did not have to wait for a seat. We ordered dahi puri and two types of dosa. Both came very quickly! The dahi puri was quite good, though very mild. The dosa were fresh and tasty. Maybe both were not what you'd get in India but pretty good for American standards! Prices were in my opinion good for this area, especially as most South Indian food in the Seattle area is questionable at best. Worth it in my opinion, especially at non peak times! read more

See all

Before heading here, be prepared for long wait times, specially on Fridays and weekends. Came for a Saturday dinner and it was 45 mins before we got a table. Place looks vibrant with lot of people and the aroma welcomes you to order food fast lol. Theres no reservation system anymore, its first come, first serve. The menu got changed as well, the new menu is short and comes with less dishes than it had before. We ordered Masala Dosa, Rava Masala Dosa, Uthappam, Vadas and Rava Idli. Both the Dosas and Vadas came out cold, that's not what you'd expect, felt a bit disappointed. Overall for South Indian tiffins, this is one of the best places in Washington. For any vegetarian and vegan lovers this place is heaven! All of their menu is vegan. read more

See all

Authentic South Indian food. Ordered idly vada, rasam vada, masala dosa, onion utthappam and thali. Rasam vada - rasam was too good, Vada was not great. It was not crispy either. Idly chutney great combination. Onion utthappam was perfectly cooked and that's how it is done. Thaali was filling, only the special rice Vaangi baath was not flavorful no salt. Highly recommended- onion utthappam. They have limited menu which is very good. Service was quick. Ambience is just wow. Will visit again to try chaats. read more

See all

Authentic, Expensive, Long wait time. One tip: Chow chow bath is upma + kesari. We thought it was some special rice. Wish they are more online friendly for reservations and reduce in person wait times. read more

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms - Masala fosa - Indian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

Food was pretty mid. I got the masala dosa, and there was nothing extraordinary about it. When I went, there were out of many types of dosas as well as filtered coffee. The history behind MTR was very interesting. But the place definitely felt overhyped. read more

There is such a wait for this place but we got somewhat lucky today. My friends and I stopped by weekday evening for got a table in 15-20 mins. We ordered a bunch of things and it was all delicious. The food was served very quickly. The pudi masala dosa stole the show. It was soaked in ghee and just so amazing. The chow chow rice were also awesome. I can't really choose between the kesari or Kara rice. The rasam was really tasty and so was the pudi and idly. I will definitely come back. I don't know if I will ever wait 40+ mins for it however but that's a personal choice! Overall, yea finally Seattle has something to say for it's food scene read more

See all

The food items here are such a hit or miss. I'll start with The best - Mangalore buns Rava idli Bisibele Bhaat. The average - masala dosa, vada sambar , coffee The worst was Rava dosa. It seemed like they deep fried it in ghee and gave it. It also seemed it was made by an amateur looking at the shape and texture. Ambiance is good but I had bad experience with the staff there. We forgot our diaper bag and we called them multiple times. The staff said we'll let you know if we fins it. No one called back. Then luckily we remembered we had a tracker on it. We called again and told them we clearly see the last location in mtr one min ago. Finally they said they found it. So they really did not care to search for it before. I find this place overhyped for the quality of food and price point. Worth a try once, but definitely not worth waiting on the long line just to get seated. read more

See all

This place truly stands upto its brand name in terms of food!! MTR is the oldest and most popular restaurant originally started in Bangalore,India.To witness this place popping up in Seattle,US has been nothing short of a nostalgic joy for many! The food items were truly of the original MTR standard! The dosas were tastily crisp,the sambar and sago/curry super flavorful,the vada and idly huge, the pudi masala dosa literally dunked in ghee, set dosa -super fluffy and mildly sweet and the Kesari bath sinfully tasty! Overall I didn't mind standing in the line for an authentic and super tasty meal!! read more

See all