We have come a long way from when they had good quality value thali meals to expensive buffets that just don't seem worth it. We initially wanted to go to ulavacharu, but the line and wait was a lot more, including not being able to find parking, so decided to give Sankranti a try as they are sister restaurants. There was no wait here which was nice, and it was fairly busy. We were told to pay up front, which was the first time I faced that for eating a buffet at the restaurant. It felt like they didn't want people to come in and then walk out before eating, or maybe even after eating by dine and dashing. We were caught off guard, especially with the price of the buffet being a whopping $22 on a Sunday lunch, but we decided to proceed. We should have asked to check the buffet options because the options weren't that great, especially when compared to ulavacharu. Not even mango lassi, various appetizer options, and fresh naan. They kept all their naan in the rice cooker, and they were so bad we had to ask them to give us a fresh basket. Most of the food was cold too, not heated properly. The Gobi Manchurian only tasted good once they refilled. I will have to give them credit on the Andhra style food, they all tasted good. Except for the veg dum biryani, which was so dry and powdery. But other curries like the paneer tikka and channa masala were tasteless. We did complain about it, but other than the fresh naan, the curries I ate weren't replaced after that comment. Also on a side note, that bathroom smelled so I don't think it was maintained well, including the paper towel machine not working. They mentioned that the naan was served like that as well as the curries. For $22 and having the pay before, we should have checked the buffet before going in. I hope they bring it back to the quality it once was, but this is one less restaurant I will pick from now. read more

Everything in the buffet tasted amazing and flavorful and very affordable Such a great variety of veggie dishes - paneer tikka, poori, veggie biryani, etc The whole family was very very happy read more

Thank you Bonnie and Srini for the Indian food . Really good food available everyday. They have Saturday and Sunday lunch buffets. Will come with my family next time. read more

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This place may be the Mecca, Jerusalem, Varanasi and Amritsar of Biryanis, and tried a new style of Biryani called Guntur chicken biryani. Guntur Chicken Biryani is made with spicy boneless chicken marinated with Guntur leaves (a Andhra Pradesh specialty in Southern India). It was fresh, delicious and extra spicy - may want to get extra yogurt with your order. The service was good and the Madras Chai was one of the best I had in the South Bay. I will be back to try their Chicken Dum Biryani (with bone). read more

Sankranti - Guntur Spicy Chicken Biryani - EXTRA SPICY. - Indian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Sankranti bring back so many great memories of amazing south Indian dishes that I would have at big wedding events with a lot of food and varieties. Next time I come here for their lunch buffet, I will try not to eat for 2-3 days, so I can stuff my face up. read more

We came in a bit early in the evening around 5pm. The restaurant was empty but the reviews of spicy food had lured us in. We were not disappointed. The gonguro chicken / paneer biryanis were really good. We packed one back home for my daughter who can't handle too much spice and she kept eating while tearing up - didn't want to give up as it was super tasty. My parents who had also joined me loved the food. Definitely will try the other items on the menu in subsequent visits. read more

Just wow! This has become my favorite Indian spot in the South Bay!! Go to items: tandoori chicken, paneer/chicken butter masala, any biriyani, Gobi Manchuria, and garlic naan. You don't feel bloated or anything after eating here like many other Indian spots. The ingredients and spices are top class. The Indian friends that I've brought here have all been impressed. I'll always be a loyal customer here. The service and manager is very attentive. The inside is very spacious and they are able to seat many parties. Sankranti is the best!!!! Keep it up! read more

Sankranti - Tandoori chicken - Medium Spicy - Indian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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We picked up a butter chicken , chicken biryani , and garlic naan to-go. All the flavors were really good. Butter chicken was delicious. The biryani was super spicy but was very flavorful with complex profile of herbs and spices. The butter chicken literally came with 5 bite size pieces of chicken and it was $17. Not a great value. However, wanted to reiterate the flavors were delicious! read more

Came here on a Thursday night and picked up garlic naan, Goat Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Saag. Order was really quickly! Goat rogan josh was my favorite! Loved the flavor! Chicken tikka masala also had good flavor. Saag was okay. Garlic naan was really good. Definitely worth checking out! I'd definitely come here again! read more

For the price it is certainly lot of options. There is beer included but no one tell you about that. There is bottle on the table if you want you can open it and drink. If you don't know then you miss out so if you going to have a beer make sure you open that bottle. Same goes with Nan. There is no service at all, no one comes to your table except to clean up the table. So make sure you grab everything. Many of the food items are salty. Lot is salty. It's like someone accidentally dropped a whole bottle. read more

Lunch buffet was mediocre at best Luke warm tandoori chicken lacked flavor and the lentil korrma was too saucy.. likkke lots of corn starch. of cornstarch. Very limited selection man was not fresh #itting on the warming try. Not an option since little India changed..... Not worth it even if you're craving indian read more

We miss you Sankranti. How can we contact owner just want to say them thank you. It was go to place bread basket, chef special paneer and dal fry read more

COVID review If you like spicy Indian food, then this is your place to try. Despite the "free lassi" and other discount ads on Yelp, there's no discount offered to us on phone order. SIP had been so long that I actually miss Indian food and this location is not far from us. I was also curious what biryani is, so we ordered Dhaba Style Chili Chicken with extra spicy and a mild American ckn biryani as not spicy as possible. Maybe the host got the spice level confused? Because the biryani was so spicy for me that even a single grain of rice is hot! Overall I ate only 3 bites and gave in! On the other hand, the Dhaba chili chicken tasted great with my level of spicy tolerance! Also the biryani came in a good size that it took us 2 meals to finish. So all in all great taste for hot food lovers, but pity it's not going to be moi. Lastly hubby went for pick up and said the restaurant is in a plaza with quite some homeless people that made him feel a bit uneasy. read more

Sankranti - American chk biryani, Dhaba Chili Chicken, Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Really good flavors and the biriyani had a good kick to it Love the complimentary chai tea and friendly staff Will come back to try the weekend buffet read more

Sankranti - Samosa - Indian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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This place gave me food poisoning. Not long after eating here, I got sick with an upset stomach for several hours. I will not be returning. This ruined a great evening with my girlfriend as I was forced to take several trips to the restroom the entire night. Also the spicy tikka masala wasn't even spicy. read more

There is no indian restaurant that can beat this place for quality authenticity and price. Srini is an absolute legend in creating this restaurant. I am very proud of Indian heritage being showcased in delightful delicacies. For people visiting, this is a restaurant that is a must for authentic flavors. I am in awe of this place. #1 Indian restaurant in the USA for me. Love to Srini and Sankranti. Compulsory dishes too try:- Chicken biryani, Andra chicken curry, desserts. DO NOT MISS THE BUFFET ON WEEKENDS. read more

The best buffet in town for vegetarian and meat eaters. They have a full spread and also comes with Beer and wine (included) what a deal. Great service great experience. read more

Let me preface my review by saying that I'm not expecting everyone feels the same about the homeless issues, but once in a while, one comes across someone for no apparent reasons just prompted me wanting to help. Last Sunday, while I was doing some shopping at the plaza at the corners of Wolfe Rd & Old South San Francisco Rd where this South Indian restaurant is located, I came across a homeless lady - I've seen lots of unfortunate homeless, but Asian lady was the very first time. I just don't know what got into me, I felt I had to do something for her - IF only for one day in her life! I wanted to make a small difference, and I hope others will do the same. I went up to her, it was about 1:15pm on a Sunday, and asked: ‍Me‍: have you had lunch yet? Her: what? You want to buy me lunch? ‍Me‍: Yes, I'll buy you lunch， what'd you like? Her: Something Indian, anything! ‍Me‍: Wait for me, I'll come back! Her:.... If she had wanted hamburgers or fried chicken, I'd have been out of luck. A look at the plaza, I saw people going into Sankranti which was nearly 25 feet away from us, so I went in. After I entered the restaurant, it was then I realized that they serve AYCE South Indian Buffet on weekends. An idea hit me suddenly, when was the last time she had a FULL meal. So, I asked the fellow (possibly the boss) manning behind the cashier if it's possible for her to come in and sit at corners away from the crowd - it was already past the busy 12 noon - 1pm slot. Due to homeless' tendencies having BO's, I can understand perhaps not inside. I saw there were beatup old leather bench and chairs just outside of the restaurant, I asked if it's possible she eat there outside, and I WILL do the refills for her - I REALLY wanted to make this day a memorable one for her! Again, the boss turned me down, so I ordered something everyone loves, the Butter Chicken. Much to my surprise, at $17+tax, a bow of rice is extra & $3‼‼ for a bowl of plain rice The potions were so small, remember the buffet would have cost me only $20-tax, instead I paid more than $23 for a tiny plastic container of Butter Chicken & rice! I then handed it to the poor lady, and walked away, but I stayed hidden from her line of sight. From the way she was eating, especially for a homeless, it didn't appear that she enjoyed it that much! If a hungry homeless doesn't find it that delicious, I was expecting she gulped it down in a hurry, but it appeared that it was just another meal for her! Final thoughts: I feel Sankranti owner could have Butter Chicken at least allow her to eat outside at the chair farthest away, he could have taken advantage of this opportunity to help a less fortunate one. I was the one who shelled out the , he got the money & made really no difference to his business except some profit. read more

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I've been looking for a spicy biryani for a while now and I finally found one in South Bay. Unfortunately not many options in sf. This place had the best spicy biryani I've had in the Bay Area at a restaurant. Owner spoke telugu, so I knew he knew my spice level Pros: spicy, strong flavor, tender meat, authentic Cons: didn't have any Taste: 5 Ambiance:3.5 Value: 4.5 Service: 5 read more

Buffets are back at Sankranti, and the weekend lunch spread featured a lavish feast of Indian dishes, including a number of authentic South Indian (Andhra-style) delicacies. There were breakfast foods like creamy upma (made of semolina) and mysoor bonda, or donut-shaped rice flour fritters, which went nicely with the coconut chutney and pickle from the condiments table. There was a light, bright lemon rice mixed with mustard seeds and peanuts, and spiced lentil and vegetable soups including sambar and rasam (which I especially liked for its creamy texture). Other vegetarian dishes included aloo fry (spiced potatoes stir fried with onions), gutti vankaya (stuffed eggplant curry), and paneer butter masala. And I haven't even gotten to the non-veg dishes yet! There was the classic red-tinged tandoori chicken, a spicy Andhra chicken curry, and a spicy and sour fish pulusu, but my favorite curries (which went nicely with the chewy naan bread) were the creamy mildly spiced butter chicken and the spicy goat curry, made with chunks of bone-in goat meat! Another favorite dish of mine was the goat biryani, made with spiced basmati rice and lean chunks of tender goat, and the biryani went nicely with the refreshing raita (spiced yogurt) on the side. Overall, the flavors of the food here were on-point, authentic, uncompromised, and made me break a sweat! My favorite items (which I would order a la carte if not eating the buffet here) included the rasam, the butter chicken, goat curry, and goat biryani, and there was hot sweetened masala chai (and even beer and wine) to accompany the meal! read more

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0 stars if possible. Literally sitting on the toilet as I write this, nauseated af, painful cramps, I got a bag in case I hurl. Not even sorry, but if I were to associate two words with this place, it would be Food Poisoning If you got 'bout 9 hrs to spare to deal with some gut-wrenching toilet visits, this place is great. While I'm feeling well enough to muster out this review, and feeling like I may be at the tail-end of my food-borne illness, I have the need to voice my inner rage. Chicken tikka masala was ok. But that's about it. Highlights: Literally everything is hella spicy for no reason, even the chai tea. Bugs on the wall. Can't imagine how the kitchen must be. One really weird thing that stood out was that the plain rice had a very odd smell/aftertaste. While the initial taste on my tongue was nothing odd, the aftertaste/smell was reminiscent of chemicals. The closest thing I can describe it to is moth balls or insecticide warehouse. I had about 2 spoonfuls of it and couldn't keep eating it. read more

Food was great. I like it spicy, but you may not want to bring your less adventurous friends. I guess this is the same person who ran UlavacharU, and I could see the similarities. Solid buffet and pretty reasonable price. read more

My go-to place for Biryani takeouts! It's been the same quality and taste over the years! The Gongura Paneer is very spicy - so beware of that. But the taste is amazing! read more

We ordered a few dishes (punukulu, samosas, saag paneer, tandoori chicken, panner veg biryani and fried okra). All were flavorful and a bit spicy. Veg biryani was rally tasty while the punukulu were the bomb. I took out a star bec we had to wait to even be acknowledged. The workers were in and out of the kitchen setting for buffet and completely ignored us. At least acknowledge our presence! The tandoori chicken had a little red/pinkish flesh close to the bone so I wasn't comfortable eating it as it may be a little too raw to my liking. I will give it another try next time...maybe on their non-buffet days. read more

Writing this review after 3 Biryanis over 2 DoorDash orders: Gongura Paneer Biryani - Extra Spicy was yumm!! Paneer Veg ka Dum Biryani - Medium spicy was nice! (New) Egg Biryani Vijaywada - not sure where this was going :( Definitely Sankranti goes to the top of my togo Biryani places list. read more

The hype is real deal - we stopped in for Saturday buffet for our 1st time, and the Butter Chicken / Fish curry/ Tandoori chicken were to _die for_! My homie & I are former Mantra/ Castro street devotees, but absolute new converts for SANKRANTI. Venue is a no-frills ambiance, but boasts much better Pricing, easy strip-mall parking, with plenty of building space. You're not sitting in the laps of the table next doors- plenty of privacy to enjoy your food & convo. Proprietor super nice too. I'm quite literally gonna put my Money where my Mouth is, and vote Sankranti next time, every time, going forwards! Count how many Yelp reviews I've left in the past decade. Yeah, it was _THAT_ memorable. Love. read more

We ordered catering from Sankranti for an event at Stanford, and everything was fantastic. Great communication, timely delivery, and most importantly delicious food. The students loved it! read more

This place has Excellent, friendly service. I'm always greeted with a smile! They now serve Thali for lunch which is an Indian combo plate. Which is a lot of food for $15.99. Very tasty!!! read more

Food is so delicious, just tastes like back in the home. Even there buffet choice are all good

Great food! Had a good selection for buffet. Friendly service. Will definitely come again.

Food from here has never disappointed me. A great place for authentic biryanis. One thing to keep in mind though is the spice level. If you're not into spicy food, I'd recommend asking and trying their milder items. read more

This place serves the best Gongura Biryani in Bay Area. It's a must try. However, I didn't like their buffet/thali that they recently started. There was no white rice or roti in the buffet. For $18 thali (which I feel is lil over average price for Indian buffet/thali) it's not that great. I would go to this place again but only for gongura Biryani (which is not a part of buffet) Chicken Biryani, veg biryani, punukulu was ok. They serve curd in clay pot and it tasted good. No white rice for rasam or sambar (bummer!). Carrot halwa wasn't that great. Overall it's a average place with few great items on the menu. read more

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Their goat curry and goat biryani are amazing. Pack full of deep flavors and the lamb is also tender. Love the fact they have endless chai on tap. read more

Parking is huge and Decent place to dine in but it gets super crowded over weekends. LOVED their menu especially Biryani where they clearly say which biryani is spicy and not and this gives best input for folks who want to try out biryanis Ive always wanted to try something different and try that and get disappointed with taste or spice level and felt bad. Kudos to those who came up with it. Gongura paneer,Chicken and Mutton Biryani is too spicy but taste is good Golkonda chicken biryani- felt im going to die with spicyness though Vijaywada chicken biryani is the MVP for me Gobi manchuria and chicken 65 were decent Very good south indian food to try and beware of spice but staff is frinedly and are willing to help n guide Place to try for sure read more

Disappointing food! Ordered egg biryani, no taste and rice wasn't cooked. Egg yolk was dark grey. The yolk's protein succumbed to burns after deep boiling, RIP yolk! I missed taking a picture of the egg yolk. Chili paneer cooked to its literal meaning, chilli oil + paneer. Photos will do justice, pls check it out. I don't have to explain how bad the chilli paneer was. Oh, RIP chilli paneer! :( read more

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Humble location so do not expect to enter an Indian wedding, but the food is amazing. Others think so too because on a Saturday night, seemed like one takeout order was being brought out each minute. Had the Gongura chicken and my son the Chicken Tikka Masala. We shared a Gongura Biryani (took home most). Naan was amazing getting three types with the bread basket order. The flavors are just a step above everywhere else I have been. My son said and then after I tasted, would agree, it was the best Chicken Tikka Masala either of us ever had eaten. Everything very spicy, just on the edge. read more

I had heard about them a lot and finally checked them out today. Definitely flavorful Indian dishes, made to order. Hence you may have to wait quite a bit - generally half an hour average to pick up your order. There is only take out at the moment, no dine-ins. Chicken tikka masala - 4/5 Good tomato based gravy, chicken was marinated and shallow fried I think with tikka masala. Was served with 1 naan. Kadai paneer - 4.2/5 Yummy, well balanced masala gravy. You can taste that its freshly made with the crunchy capsicums and soft paneer. Served with a naan too. Will visit again to try more of their dishes! read more

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I ordered garlic naan with navratna korma and veggie paneer Biryani. The garlic naan was one of the fluffiest one I ever had, I really recommend you to try their naan. The navratna korma was good too. I could see some chunks of paneer in it with okra and other veggies. Finally the Biryani was good too, so many chunks of paneer. Rice was well cooked and spice level was medium. I really enjoyed the food here and surely recommend to try out this place. PS: I believe the management only cares for take outs and not dine-in. They have huge number of take out orders while there was only one more table with people dining in. The staff wasn't warm at all or cared about dine-in guests. I asked for a table of 2, but they don't show you the table till you order upfront. When I started ordering the person without excusing himself decided to pickup the phone and take phone orders first while I was still waiting at front. This does prove my point that dine-in customers are not valued. Once seated the food is served in boxes that you can just take out if you decide not to finish, utensils wasn't an issue for me. But nobody checked again on the table if we wanted anything. When I checked in on Yelp I got a free sweet dish on my order and showed to the host but never saw the sweet being served to us. So I feel if you can't convey the messages from front desk to kitchen, please let the customer order it at the table. Food is good, service can only go north. read more

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Been here a couple of times and it's always been a pretty solid experience, you order at the front and then they bring the food to you. The food is delicious, very flavorful but they definitely make things on the spicier side so let this be your warning, I was sweating up and down during my meal but that's also my own fault since I can't take spicy food very well. Great place, I have been and will be coming back read more

Great lunch buffet on the weekend! Pretty good variety of dishes, really good value, love that they include mango lassi and chai tea.