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    Pavani Express

    3.6 (78 reviews)
    InexpensiveIndian
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Pavani Express Takeout or Delivery

    Pavani Express Photos

    PAVANI EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Pavani Express

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    Reviews With Photos

    Masala rava dosa
    Gayle S.

    This place still has it! Stopped in for our favorite Gobi Manchuria with a side of white rice. We shared and it was plenty of food and we left satisfied. The food was fresh, hot, and so full of flavor. They haven't updated anything, but that's fine with me, because they have consistent produced some amazing food! I can't wait to go back and grab one of their dosa's.

    Gobi ManchurianDry
    Fred R.

    I became vegan 15 months ago. Finding good vegan food in San Antonio is a little frustrating but the owner of Pavani (Reddy) has introduced me to a new world of flavors as he guides me through the extensive menu cooking only the ones that are vegan. They are all vegetarian . So far I've tried 3 different types of Dosas, Lemon Rice, and the Gobi Manchuroan Dry. They have all been excellent , the portions are huge. The soup served with many entrees is call Sambar, and it's made with crushed lentils, tomatoes, and potatoes. Don't be surprised if you find yourself licking every last drop from the styrofoam bowl that it's served in. My wife is a bona-fide meat eater, but loves the vegetarian dishes here. This place is a must try foor plamt based diet folks.

    Paper dosa.
    Jake W.

    People in my office raved about this place, and I went this afternoon, unexpectedly, with this same group of co-workers. Wow. The portions were huge, and the seasoning/spice levels were perfect. For example, in the samosas, which were traditional potato and pea, there was an extra punch -- which might have been due to caraway or mustard seed (or both). Also, the food was not oily or greasy. I ordered a dosa -- their specialty -- and the crust was light without being soggy with grease. A co-worker ordered the Gobi Manchurian which was one of the most surprising, outstanding dishes I've eaten ALL YEAR. That's right, all year. Perfectly-cooked cauliflower (not hard and sulfuric, not mushy), in a dark, tangy, sweet and spicy sauce (reminiscent of good General Tsao's Chicken), with green onions, regular onions, green peppers, and cilantro. It was unfortunate that I only had 2 bites, but I plan to return to Pavani and order this dish on my own. The only reason why I am not giving this restaurant 5 stars is because the menu does not have any descriptions next to the items -- how in the world are you supposed to know what to order? Luckily, I was with people who had been there before, who could guide me. I plan to return to Pavani to experience more delicious surprises.

    Gobi Manchurian
    Jeremy G.

    I only come here for the Gobi Manchurian because it's oh so good! I found this place via my non-vegetarian Indian friend. I gave him a funny look when he suggested getting vegetarian food because I'm a meat eater by default. But after one bite of the Gobi Manchurian, I was converted! Gobi Manchurian is an Indian Chinese dish of fried cauliflower (gobi=cauliflower) florets that are sauteed with onions. At Pavani, the cauliflower is cooked to perfection and has never been mushy. The dish has a nice level of heat that keeps you craving more. Oh and they are very generous with the rice! You will leave here full and happy! Expect to seat yourself, serve your own water, and clean up after yourself. Sometimes the food is slow to come out, but it's worth the wait. If you would rather skip all that, place an order for pickup! Sorry no delivery.

    Masala Rava Dosa
    Luis G.

    Don't let the small locale dictate your interests here. I definitely believe in the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Although it's fairly clean and there are enough chairs, I cannot imagine what this place would be like during a busy lunch rush. The employees were friendly, the service was just-in-time, and we had the dosas... yes, they are TO DIE FOR! I have fallen in love with dosas, and am anxious to try other items on the menu. My only wish is that they didn't use styrofoam dinnerware. The hot dosas left a heat imprint on the trays that I'm not too sure is good for you. Other than that, I plan to come here often.

    Danny C.

    Got some kind of 'Dosa' as a suggestion from the employee. It's great, and a large portion.

    Found Cockroach in my sambhar.. I was shocked!!!And the waiter did not accept his fault at all. Kept arguing that It's normal!!
    Supriya S.

    I had a horrible experience at this restaurant today. I ordered Uthapam and while I was eating, I found a cockroach in the sambhar!!! It was so shocking !! I decided to immediately report it to the waiter.. The waiter did not accept his mistake and said its pretty normal to find cockroach in food!!!Asked me to stop making a scene.. Hotel manager was not present at that time... Meanwhile I was asked not to come to the restaurant if I cannot tolerate cockroaches in food... It was unbelievable to hear this after someone has been served u food with cockroach .. I would not recommend anyone to go to Pavani express as it is one of the most unhygienic Indian restaurant.. Their kitchen is also dirty and staff is very rude... Swear never to go to this place again.. Very bad experience

    Absolute mess inside during Open hours. Not appetizing at all.

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    After a while had good south Indian food buffet. This is the kind of food they were known for.

    Business owner information

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    John. W.

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    Ask the Community - Pavani Express

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    Let me begin by saying that I am not somebody who usually orders food to be delivered. But, today I…read morefound myself home alone, hungry for Indian food, and feeling way too wiped out from a rough day to head out and get something. I decided to use DoorDash. The wait for the delivery was only about an hour. That was fine with me, as I had plenty of things I needed to get done before I sat down to dine. When I lifted the bundle that was left at my door, I was shocked by the weight! I don't feel like I ordered all that much, but they sure sent a lot of food. I ordered lamb vindaloo, garlic, naan, rice, and samosas. All of it was truly delicious. The large pieces of lamb meat in the vindaloo were tender and soaked with the delicious flavor of the spicy sauce. There were not as many potato chunks as meat chunks, which I consider a good thing in vindaloo. The garlic naan was some of the best I have ever had. I ordered two of them, but really didn't need the second one. They were huge. By themselves, they tasted delicious, but when you dipped it into the vindaloo sauce, it was absolutely amazing. The very first Indian food I ever had was at a dinner party in 1973 when my family was living in Taiwan. The most memorable item for me was the samosas. The ones from this restaurant we're almost exactly like I remembered. I have to also comment on how well everything was packaged. All of the containers were shrink wrapped for extra precaution. I don't think anything could've leaked even if the driver put it upside down. I am anxious to go and try eating at the actual restaurant. Somehow it was off my radar. Supposedly, it's only 4.5 miles from my home who knew?

    This was a new discovery and suggestion, but I am really glad to have tried it out. The buffet is…read morefairly small and the place was very quiet. Not a lot of clientele, either. However, the staff was incredibly helpful and friendly, the place was very clean, and the buffet was excellent. Some things that I liked about the buffet, were some food options not offered in other buffets, the selection of sauces, and the desserts. My only issue, as usual, is the price was a bit high: $17. I still would return given that the food was very good and service was excellent. Worth a second visit.

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    Biryani Express Indian Cuisine - Full order of spicy tandoori chicken

    Biryani Express Indian Cuisine

    4.4(75 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    Highest quality Indian restaurant I've eaten at in all my time eating at Indian restaurants across…read morethe country. Dosa 10/10 tangy, thin and crisp Mango lassi 10/10 Palak paneer 10/10 Lamb tikka masala 10/10 Chutneys are all 10/10 Punjabi samosa 10/10 Chicken 65 10/10 Garlic naan 10/10 flaky and packed with flavor, superb texture - I don't love when naan is too thick and slick with oil so this was excellent Everything hit, no misses. If they had aloo chana chaat with yogurt this would be the only Indian restaurant I go to locally. We were originally going to go to Mare e Monte but the line was too long and we all were simultaneously craving Indian cuisine. This happened to be right next door. Ambiance is more like a family restaurant so definitely expect kids and multiple family affairs but the noise levels didn't take us away from how excellent the food was !! If it matters to you they do serve water with water bottles. I personally love a nice iced cup of water esp to help refresh my mouth from the spices. that would be my only ding and that's nitpicking. Service was very good to us!

    The most AMAZING eggplant dish. I've never had anything like it. The lamb Biryani and naan were…read moredelicious. The dosa was enormous and filled with flavor bomb potatoes with seasoning throughout, really giving them texture. Everything was flavorful. The serving sizes were huge. The service was great. The ambiance and Everyone in there is warm and inviting. Our server took the time to explain each dish including the culture around it. I can see why they were so busy while we were there. I don't know what authentic Indian food is, but I know this sure looked like what Anthony Bourdain ate and described on the show I watched.

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    Goat Curry and Appetizers

    Pavani Express - indpak - Updated May 2026

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