HORRIBLE SERVICE AND THE OWNER IS AN ASSHOLE!!! DO NOT GO HERE OR SPEND ANY OF YOUR MONEY HERE. Ate here today and the staff completely ignored us the entire time, not even taking our order. My dad had to go up to the register to order himself. Then the owner approached us as we were leaving to harass us about leaving too small a tip. We told him it was because the service was terrible. Then the owner started yelling at us telling us he would charge us extra if we ever came back. WE WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN. RUDE STAFF AND AN EVEN RUDER OWNER. read more

Got takeout from here last night for the first time. The food was the best I've had in the triangle area in the 8 months I've lived here. So happy to have found this place. Everything was flavorful and well-spiced. We shared with some friends from India and they agreed the food was really good. Can't wait to go back! read more

Awesome South Indian Cafe in Cary, NC! We had some masala tea, samosas, yellow dal and aloo gobi. Delicious meal, quick service, correct spices, and vegetarian! read more

Udupi Cafe - Deshi tea - Vegetarian Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Great food and service. Carrot halwa was the best I tasted around here. Chili pakora is great and rava dosa is good.

This is I guess the best place for South Indian food in Raleigh. It serves good, fresh and pocket friendly food. The spice level was balanced and sambhar was good. We tried the below things in our last visit. - Madras Special Idli : Very tasty , Recommended - Mysore masala Dosa : The crust was good but the masala was bland and needs improvment - Samosa : Good but a little oily, Recommended read more

Udupi Cafe - Madras Special Idli - Vegetarian Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Best veg South Indian restaurant in the neighborhood! Pongal , Dosa , idli sambar are a few of my favorites. read more

This is such a sweet, family owned place! Everything was vegetarian, and the owner made sure to help us identify what was vegan, as well. Everything was delicious and fresh. My favorite dish involved paneer. I also loved the fresh dosas that they bring to the table! read more

Udupi's location is ridiculously tough to find. First I drove along Chatham thinking it would be right before Chatham Square. I didn't see it along the way, so we drove all the way through the Chatham Square lot, trying to figure out where it was. When we got to Maynard we turned around and headed back towards downtown, still didn't see it. Then on our final lap (we were just about to settle for another restaurant in Chatham Square) I took a chance and went down a little parking lot driveway at a Pizza restaurant and happened to find it. Across the street is a used car lot if that helps the next person. We came in the evening, so there was no buffet. We each ordered a mango lassi, and got the assorted appetizer platter for $7.99. Included were a vegetable samosa, a vegetable cutlet, vada (lentil donut), mysore bonda (lentil dumpling) and pakora. I think the pakora was the 2 fried green chilis. The fried green chilis weren't as spicy as I would have thought, but they weren't as good as some of the other Indian appetizers I've had. The lentil donut and dumpling were rather plain. The samosa and vegetable cutlet were the best of the appetizers. For the entree I got the Jaipur paneer dosai and my husband got the butter masala dosai. When they came out I was amazed by how huge they were, but in reality the "pancake" is mostly hollow. There's just a small area in the middle where they filled it with paneer, peas, and the rest of the filling. It was very, very good, but messy to eat and we weren't given nearly enough napkins. I was also turned off when the waiter decided to fill my water glass with the end of the jug directly over my plate, dripping water on my nice, crispy dosai. My husband was very impressed with the size of his butter masala dosai. It was so huge it went off the plate, and those were big plates. Again only a small section in the middle was filled, but that's to be expected. The prices here were good for the dosai, only $7.49 for the butter masala and $8.99 for the Jaipur paneer. But I thought that $3.50 a piece for the mango lassi was a bit much (they're always so small) and $7.99 for the appetizers was also high considering the prices of the entrees. The food was all very good, and I will definitely be picking up some take-out dosai here in the future. But I really didn't like the service, and I'd rather not eat in here again. read more

See all

This review is for their weekday lunch buffet. Three of us adults and an almost two-year-old had a very pleasant experience. They had silver trays to fill with tasty vegetarian dishes...all hot and flavorful. Honestly I wasn't sure what I was eating but favorites were a bitter gourd dish and a potato/cabbage one. There were three different types of rice...I particularly liked the spinach version. Lots of different types of bread/pancakes as well as the veggies. On the cold bar were a couple chutneys that were quite the fresh, spicy accompaniments. Especially loved the mint one. The carafe of cold water they provided kept us replenished. And there was fresh watermelon to cool us off at the end. (not that anything was super spicy unless you added the spicy elements). They also brought us each a hot and delicious giant Dosa.(yes I had to google it to even know what it was). The others are Vegans and when they asked before starting were shown what dish to avoid that had dairy .Sorry for no pics, but we all dove in (including the little one) and were happily super stuffed when we left. Not expensive either...although I was treated to it, I believe the buffet was around $9 per person. Location is in a small strip mall in Cary. Recommend setting the gps and going for it like we did! read more

Came on a work lunch outing. Delicious delicious delicious. Everything was fresh and flavorful.. The rice and beetroot desserts were perfect. There were two or three different types of rice on the buffet (I had the coconut rice which was terrific). If you like spicy, they have the moint chutney as well. Service was marvelous and one of the best Indian restaurants I've been to. read more

Udupi Cafe - Lunch buffet - Vegetarian Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

A delightful longtime go to for home style Indian deliciousness. And vegetarian all the way. Recommended to everyone. Love love love Udupi.

This is one of our standard vegetarian hangouts. great to take parents etc. Clean and good atmosphere. Good spread on the buffet. Not spicy. This may not be the best indian food in the triangle, but it's certainly one of the better places. And the choices on the menu are mind boggling. We've gone to Udupi a million times and we always go back now and then to get their "to-die-for" channa bhatura. read more

Visited this restaurant as we were visiting Raleigh from Charleston and were hungry for vegetarian indian food. Ambience is very good. Service in this restaurant is excellent. We were very well received in the restaurant. Menu is the best one of all the restaurants we visited. We ordered Masala Dosa, Reddy special Dosa and Mirchi Bajji. Food tasted really awesome. The original taste. Overall our experience was excellent and will definitely visit again. I will recommend to try this restaurant to all vegetation lovers. read more

See all

The worst food we ever had in our life. We were visiting from California and we felt the uthappam and masala dosa we had from this restaurant was the worst one we ever had in our life. Even tea and coffee were not at all tasty. I don't know how they survive. If you had the best masala dosa and uthappam from california then you can really feel the difference. The cost was high compared to the quality of the food. read more

New to NC and found this place.Brought an TO GO order for 30$ and while leaving just took 4 napkins and the owner or the manager came to me and said "We charge 1$ for 4 napkins". I politely went out . The manager has to think that if I order 50 napkins , in online they charge me $7.Must avoid restaurant for the service.Food was good.It is time for NC to come up with few other vegetarian restaurants . read more

Delicious dosai and chutneys at very reasonable prices. This is a good spot if you're vegan or gluten free. My wife had the aloo paratha (not gf) and said it was spicy and delicious. read more

Great weekend veg buffet. Came here looking yo satisfy our craving for good veg food and we were not disappointed at all. There were many delicious choices of food from vada to idly, daal, sambar, chole bature and many more. The food was freshly made and to top it off they come and ask you at the table of you want dosa and make it fresh for you. Everything tasted really really good. Their payasam was out of the world. Definitely my go to spot fory weekend vegetarian buffets. read more

See all

I've only gotten dosa here, but that's because I come here for the dosa. The dosas are massive and delicious with yummy sambar and chutney. I like sitting outside on the patio, which is covered and feels cool even when it's hot outside. The soda comes in a can, which I'm not a fan of in general. The staff is attentive and helpful, but their Covid precautions seem a little lax. However, I felt very comfortable eating on their patio, which was empty when I was there. read more

Food was delicious. The Sambhar was a little spicy. Everything was tasty and still hot! Variety was good.

Wanted to have a masala dosa and the spot seemed convenient due to the presence of multiple grocery stores within 5-10 minutes walking distance. Although, they have 3-4 tables for dining on the outdoor patio, the overall setup is not that well maintained which was evident to me by the presence of a dead sparrow right beside one of those tables. The server gave us the menu right after we arrived and the fact that he didn't cover his nose with the face mask was not something I was looking forward to. The masala dosa itself was pretty good with crispy consistency and buttery flavor. The dosa came with the masala or the potato stuffing inside which was a bit too mashed for my taste and the sambhar was okay at the very least. The coconut chutney was fresh and the overall food combination was pretty good. To summarize, even though the food quality is good, I will think twice before dining in given that they are not that well prepared for serving in the new normal. However, I may consider a take out given the above average food quality. read more

Udupi Cafe - Masala dosa - Vegetarian Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Poor service, filthy bathrooms, sticky floors because of food residue, and low hygiene from the wait staff. I had to ask the wait staff to clean the tables, which they did with a nasty old rag, and then directly went to handle silverware and food. I shudder to think what the kitchen looks like if the front of the restaurant is so nasty. read more

Excellent place for restaurant food. Chandra is the best.Wide range of Dosa. Prizing reasonable and cheapest in Raleigh area.

I was torn in giving 3/4 stars for this place and I gave three hoping that they learn to work on aspects they are lacking. So let's start with the pros : Food : This was absolutely good South Indian fare! Tasted authentic and it made me feel at home! I loved it! My dosa was the right amount of crispy , the chutneys were good, sambhar nice and hot and they made it less spicy for me since I had some gastrointestinal issues/meds then. Ambience : it's uber casual. Nothing fancy at all and don't expect prettiness. Come for good, clean food. Cons: Service : This is where I was solely disappointed. We had a party of three, with two orders being the same for dinner and one different. The way I'd cook these, I know one takes more time than the other, but they didn't factor that in and served us cold dinner on a cold November night. I wanted hot food, and when I complained, they made excuses about timing etc. I wish they would have better service. They were also reaaallly slow in getting the good to out table. It was not a complicated order, and I just wish they respected the time too. This is the reason I'm bumping down to 3. The service was poor as much as the food tastes like Home food. read more

Good place to visit when you really want to have good authentic Indian food. Taste and service both are good. Service staff is nice they serve with smile and happiness. That makes everything more interesting. As usual I ordered masala dosa and idli sambar. Totally satisfying. read more

See all

The first time I was going to eat here I called ahead with questions about the thali plate etc and how late they would be open to make sure they were not going to close early, as I told them that I would be there in thirty minutes. Then when I arrived then, they said that their kitchen was already closed! I was livid! So I really let them have it. I don't live in Raleigh and so I would not have a way to go cook food and it was too late to find another option. After complaining about having been set on getting a thali plate and wanting to know why when they knew I was coming, and that I had said that I wanted to order the thali plate plus being able to sit down so I could look at the menu to see what else I may want, didn't they tell me that they would close the kitchen fifteen to thirty minutes before they told me on the phone?! Then the owner, finally feeling bad or afraid of what I'd write, said that he'd give me some tomato rice that he was going to take home, plus a few other side items. At first I didn't want to take it, but he insisted and wouldn't charge me. So I've been meaning to write a review, instead of just the tip that I wrote about how great the tomato rice is, especially with the accompanying spicy chilli powder butter/oil, that is called malkay poday, that I would have never known about had it not been intended for the owner's personal use. I travel a lot and haven't found any other Indian restaurants that make tomato rice or have the chili oil that accentuates the complex flavors of the spices, seeds and nuts in the tomato rice so well. I can't handle much heat, but the malkay poday isn't very hot at all, just a good flavor of a mild toasted chilli taste. I have been back several times since my first half bad experience, because the food is so good. I usually have a very frustrating and irritating difficulty in understanding their very thick Indian accents in order to get answers in order to place a to go order. And beware of them not including what you may expect in your order. Like tonight when I went back in after realizing that they didn't give me a side of the usual mint and tamarind sauce with the papadam and my order of the tomato rice and special onion rava dosa. They included instead a side of coconut sauce that was a bit hot and a potato/tomato sauce that goes with the dosa and a side of raita. I went back in fifteen minutes later and he said that it was too late that they were closed and wouldn't go in the kitchen to get me a side of tamarind and mint sauce even if I paid extra! So yes, I like the food here but find it very bad on communication, service and consistency in what they include forcing you to ask questions three different times or ways to finally get a clear answer or explanation....and further frustrated with their rigid closing ethic and unwillingness to sometimes correct misunderstandings and give you what you want to be happy with what you intended to receive. Being of Indian descent would make things go much smoother here. read more

See all

I have been coming to Udupi Cafe for years and we had the worse experience. The customer service was absolutely clueless and rude. It took 40ish mins to get our water refilled. The food was below average and the children I was with had to wait 40 mins to get their food when we asked to get them served first. I don't think I will never come back. read more

Wow, came for a quick coffee and had to stay and try the food. Best cup of coffee in my life, friendly atmosphere, great soup.

Just got finished eating here. I have only heard good things about this place but was a little weary as I really like meat! However, once I started eating I never even thought about meat. The fresh flavors of every single dish was evident wth every bite. They had an assortment of chutney, rice, and entrees on their buffet. All under $10. Amazing place. So glad I went. read more

My foodie friend and I really enjoyed having dinner here. I had the eggplant curry which was very flavorful and filling. I also enjoyed the Indian tea. I was too full for dessert. The service was good and it had a family feel. Also the crowd was very diverse. I can't wait to go back. read more

Worst experience of life Tables are more important than customer Felt damn insulted On their staff mistake owner comes in between our meal n takes off our plate just to place paper sheet under plate How do you feel when you having your food and suddenly someone comes and take your plate and teach you that don't mess up my table because it gets oily and that too in Restaurant seriously? Without our fault who gonna take this shit after paying 26 bucks that also for frozen food and no taste We are leaving in between our meal There staff served the plate they should be taught first read more

I tend to eat North Indian food, so this is a welcome introduction to some other cuisine styles the country offers! I met up with Tripp W and Ron W for a little lunching. They only offer their buffet for lunch hours, and -- well -- I've never met a buffet I didn't fully embrace (being one of those "I want one of everything!" kid-in-a-candy-store types), so it was more like a LOT of lunching! I only wish I'd taken better mental notes of everything that was being served, so I could reference the items in my review -- and know what to order on-menu in future (bad CM!). I did love that they had quite a large variety of dipping sauces and spreads -- I got a ramekin of a mint chutney and a coconut chutney. Both were awesome. Fried onion fritter like things were pretty good. I tried an eggplant dish that almost tasted a little Szechuan to me with the flavor of it's spice. I did find myself tending to favor the Northern dishes (like tofu curry) a bit more. But I was glad I finally tried a dosa; it reminded me of Ethiopian injera -- thin and a bit spongy, folded over a potato center. It was great! But between that, the rice, some variation of naan that was thin and more tortilla-like, a scallion pancake, and some other white spongy pod thing -- I think I probably consumed a week's-worth of carbs! Service was surprisingly on-point, and even though my cohorts and I stayed for a while after our meal, they continued refilling our waters. Only (very minor!) nit was paying at the end of the meal: The register is located in a corner such that I was either blocking people from getting their buffet plates, or servers coming from the kitchen. read more

I've been extremely negligent by not posting a review of my favorite Indian restaurant in Cary till now. Located in what I call 'Little India' or 'The Ethnic Village', this place can't be beat. However, don't bring someone here w/o warning them multiple times that there will be no meat for them to eat. No tandoori chicken should be posterized on the windows. A lot of folks will consider this a deal breaker. Not all Indian food is spicy hot. But I would have to say that most of the food here is. And I love it. The service is great. They keep your water glass filled. Skip on the soda, and they do not offer beer/wine/cocktails. Save room for the dosa that's brought to your table about 10 minutes after you sit down. Don't feel uncomfortable if you are the only non-Indian patron in the place. If you are coming by yourself, I suggest bringing cash. They will sometimes raise their eyebrows and protest if you want to pay with a credit card and it's less than $20. I've only been here for their lunch buffet, but I can't imagine limiting my meal to just one or 2 dishes off of a menu. read more

How have I neglected to review Udupi for so long? The spouse and I have been eating here almost as long as we've lived in Raleigh, and if we ever move I'd bet we'd drive back here to keep eating! My Southern childhood was enriched with a steady diet of Indian cooking along with the biscuits and collard greens, so dining at Udupi is both delicious and comforting to me. Plus, it's all vegetarian! I can eat whatever I want (and oh, how I do)! The dinner menu is diverse and offers varying levels of spice for all palates (and the Jaipur Paneer Dosa -- heavenly!), but the big draw here is usually the lunch buffet. The weekday buffet is stocked with standbys like chana masala, gobi manchurian, various poriyals, sauces, sweets and the divine papadum, plus masala dosa. The weekend and holiday versions have extra selections and a few more 'high-end' choices, usually paneer dishes. The heat levels do vary, but I'd say few things would be too spicy for the average non-Desi person's palate; the spice here complements the flavours rather than overwhelming them. One tip: The more vivid the colour of the sauce, the hotter it usually is! The food is refreshed often; keep an eye on the bread selection to experience offerings like poori at their best. If you come on the weekend, come early or wait until after 1:30, when the lunch rush has usually died down a little. Meat eaters, don't be afraid! Experience the variety of tastes, textures and wonders that can be achieved in a meatless meal with far-from-bland recipes. Vegetarians, this is not the usual tasteless penance cuisine so many restaurants offer! This is food done well, and spice done properly. read more

It's really hard for me to write a negative review for a place in which I believe the food is amazing. Udupi Cafe goes over-the-top in not only presentation, but also in portions and food quality. The challenges that I face is with the extremely large language barriers. On both occasions I've visited Udupi I received food that I did not order, yet simple inquired about. I also feel that they heavily push appetizers and I feel uncomfortable if I say no and only want an entree. Lastly, when I ask about certain foods containing allergies the waiters end up recommending food that contains the allergy - I even was served a dish with the allergen I asked not to have. I believe that the people at Udupi have a good heart and they do put love and attention into their food. For me, this is a living example that it doesn't matter how good your product is, if you can't communicate with your customer you will lose the sale. With more than one attempt, I cannot 'chance' this place anymore. read more

No greeting--just said sit over there--waited on other group-did not say a word when brought menu or water. We left.

Being a South Indian myself, I can definitely say the food is great. It always reminds me of the food I eat whenever I visit India. We go there so often that the waiters don't even hand us menus because they already know our order! read more

There was a hair in the bean poryal curry, on a Saturday buffet we went for. Enough said - we are never going to this place again. There were also suspicious charges on the check and the dessert for the day was (once again) rice kheer. Tower offers a much better, cleaner and reasonably priced buffet than this shack and is also more authentic South-Indian, in flavors. read more

I can't speak for you, but everyone once in a while I get a huge craving for Indian food. I hopped on yelp and found this place. I saw a lot of good reviews and figured, I can't miss with this place. Little did I know how wrong I was.... In fairness I never tried the food because I was so disgusted with the manner in which we were treated. As my wife, son and I were walking in an employee was holding the door open for what appeared to be an Indian family. After the family in front of us went through, the guy stood there and shut the door in my wife's face. There wasn't any doubt if he had saw us or not because we were directly behind the family going in. The fact he had held the door open for them and watched it shut on my wife and the walked off had me ticked to say the least. I waited until he came back and pointed right at him and let him know how rude he was with an elevated voice. We all left and as we were about to pull off, the owner came out and asked "What happened?". I told him and he said the guy was his family and didn't know American culture. It's not about culture jackass, it's about common sense and good manners. Both of these qualities are not to be found at this place. If the owner had apologized by trying to make it right, then I may have given a different review. read more

Oh, hell no, I was forced to eat buffet yesterday. I can be quite the little pessimist when it comes to buffets. We sat down and asked for the menu, ah snap. Buffet only. Jeez Louise. But I survived. The buffet was fine and it was spicy enough. The waiters bring out fresh dosa and they made mine spicy. That is what probably won me over. The lunch buffet is $9. I would much rather order off the menu, but as far as buffets go, it wasn't bad. read more

See all

I'm always extremely cautious about trying out South Indian food in the US, because I'm afraid (and not unduly so) it'll do injustice to what South Indian food truly is. I would much rather wait for a trip back home or try making it myself than ruin my memory of what it tastes like. However after much deliberation, we decided to give Shree Udupi Cafe a shot. And it was _so_ worth it!! This is some of the best South Indian food I've had in the country. Sure, it was ridiculously packed that Saturday afternoon, but the food more than made up for that and then some!! Udupi doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not, so it's not some place that you would go to when you want a nice quiet meal (well, I would still go, because I'm all about the food, but I'm just putting this out there). The buffet is quite a spread and I particularly loved the uttapam, (which was more like a set dose from Bangalore), and the idlis were surprisingly soft too! The owners are nice and quite friendly- in spite of a busy afternoon, they managed to make a little time to say hello and see how we were doing. Of course I'll be back, with more friends and family! read more