Went here for lunch and ordered the sev puri, khaman dhokla, mysore masala dosa, cold coffee, jal jeera, idli sambar, ras malai, and kulfi falooda. Everything was great except the dhokla sucked. It tasted a few days old and I don't recommend it at all. The cold coffee and ras malai didn't meet expectations either, but they were still good. We haven't tried the north Indian food but my cousin vouches for the Gujarati items; mainly the undhiyu, poori, and shrikund meal. We also heard that their workers aren't paid properly so they have a very high staff turnover. That was sad to hear since our waitress was very nice. read more

just a one liner , the best veg food in Devon , hands down , all other veg places like mysore woodlands , tiffins , udipi places fall short of quality ... read more

Uru Swati is one of my friend's absolute favorite places, and I've been dying to go here for months. I just had a baby, and I'm breastfeeding, but she's allergic to dairy. I needed something that was very strictly non-dairy or with dairy products, because she's been having a lot of issues if I have even a morsel of dairy. My parents also decided to order with me, so that they could try it as well. The delivery was seamless, with a drop off just outside the house and a phone call to let us know it was there (thanks Covid for our need to be non-contact). The food was delicious, the Malai Kofta (my husband ordered) was his favorite and the Chana Masala that I ordered was my favorite. Originally we ordered naan, but the restaurant called us to say that there is dairy in the naan and they recommended a different bread (which was super delicious). Going dairy-free has been very aggravating, but I'm thrilled to have found somewhere that is able to handle our vegetarian, dairy-free needs along with our super picky eaters. Very pleased! read more

This is the worst Indian restaurant I've been to on Devon Ave, and one of the worst Indian restaurants I've been to in a long time. I went with 3 other people, and all of us thought the food was bland and just flat out bad. The service was horrible too. Our waiter wouldn't come to our table enough (and the restaurant was by no means crowded) and we would repeatedly have to wave our hands in the air to get someone's attention to ask for chutney, more water, etc. Our waiter had kind of an attitude, and we're never coming here again. read more

Beware!!!! Like human hair in your food, Go Ahead !!! Until this weekend, Uru Swati used to be one of our usual places to visit on Devon Avenue. I guess I would attribute the 1 star to the fact that we were promptly seated, and the order taken for our food. From then on it was all downhill. No one came over even to serve water, we waited for approximately 45 minutes, before asking for water and inquire about our order. It took another 10 minutes before our food came out. It appeared as if it was ready all along but no one bothered to bring it out. On asking the server, he replied by saying it got cold on the way from the kitchen to our table. We asked the server if he could reheat the entree, to which he obliged, and took the dishes back, and also requested him to provide us with dinnerware and plates. We were left with some parathas, on eating one of those, we found a hair in the food. we asked the manager about the same, he just took the hair and threw it in the garbage can as if it was a no big deal, no apologies !!! We decided to skip the meal and asked the manager if it was ok with him. To which he told us the food is ready, if you want to eat, you could !!! He did'nt care that we were served cold food, human hair. Instead his attitude spoke of, you are just one of the many customers I have. One less wont hurt me. We for sure are not going back and would make sure that all the people we know of are aware of the treatment they dish out to their customers. read more

This is the best snack place - my favorite dish: kachori chat. Don't order the meals here, or rather, don't come here for the same old curries you order at every Indian place. This place has the best, most flavorful quick snack / bites. The wall art is a little juvenile and the staff can be a little brisk, but you cannot go wrong with their snack food, lassis, and parathas, and, of course, the enjoyable Indian music. If I didn't live in Chicago, I would definitely make the trek up here to enjoy their food again. Reasonable prices too. I'm vegetarian, but all the meat eaters who have eaten here with me have enjoyed it! So, unless you have to have meat when you eat or you will feel uncomfortable, try Uru-Swati!!! read more

Amazing authentic Indian food! We recently ordered their Saag Paneer, Rajma, and Bhindi with the rotis and it fulfilled our cravings! In the past we have also ordered the Chana Batura and Lassi. Service can be better for dine in customers, but the quality of the food will never disappoint. Highly recommend! read more

Man, this place is delicious! Vegetarian but you'd never notice, the food is as hearty as if it had meat in it. The waitstaff is very nice, food is excellent and very inexpensive! The last time we were there, we paid $50 for 4 people, including drinks (non-alcoholic as it is BYOB with no corking fee), appetizers, entrees and dessert. And to top it off, they gave us 2 boxes of "snacks" for free because our tab was over $50. We will definitely be visiting this place regularly! read more

The dosa here is legit. I personally wouldn't consider it a single $ only though, because it's pretty expensive for vegetarian food. The dosa here is perfectly thin and crispy, which requires a seasoned dosa maker. I personally thought the dosa here was much better than the dosa over at Mysore Woodlands, which had rather thick cakey dosa. The chutney and sambar were both great and had the perfect amount of heat. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I think it should be $1-2 less, and also because the restaurant had an unpleasant smell the day that we went, but who knows maybe it was just on that day. read more

I was super excited to try this place since the whole menu is vegetarian. It was really crowded last night and took a long time for our waiter(s) to even appear. We sat for while with the menus and no one came to talk to us. When a waiter finally came, my mom went to order something from the South Indian section for the waiter to then tell us that they were out of everything in that section and the paratha. She ended up ordering a potato dish and I got chana masala and garlic naan. We also ordered chai teas which came in cardboard cups and were terrible. Probably instant mix or something. We stopped after one sip. The food came very quickly and it was delicious! We ate everything and I would definitely order the chana masala and naan again. I would come back because the food was delicious and well-priced. I think the service wasn't great because it was so crowded so I'd come back on a different night. I'd suggest Uru Swati for vegetarians or anyone wanting casual dine-in Indian food. read more

Ravi and Sanjay are twin brothers, who have been friends of mine since high school. We went to Uru-Swati last night and I am still in curry heaven. Everything was fresh and fantastic. I loved the samosas, dal, pakoras, and chana masala. The mango lassi was sweet and refreshing. Swati's prices are very reasonable and the quality of the food is amazing. I highly recommend Uru-Swati. read more

Had a great time with food. Our server Ridhi helped us in deciding the dishes, thanks to her that all the dishes were great in taste. She also provided great service with a smile. We ordered mixed pakora, pani puri, samosa chat, Punjabi thali, and gulab jamun, all were great. My in-laws were visiting from India and even they enjoyed the food. Will definitely recommend this restaurant if you are visiting devon Ave. read more

They never complete Groupon orders. Always say some issues in kitchen. If they don't want to process order they should remove deal from Groupon. read more

It breaks my heart to write this review, because I've always had a real attachment to Uru Swati and have always recommended it to others. Today, when Chicago's Indian restaurants have been in a decade long bland and creamy race to the bottom, it is comforting to know that one oasis of actual flavor remains. I was a fan early on - a friend of mine ate here daily when the place was struggling to get started, and I know exactly why he did. It was always a treat to visit. Now it seems the sense of family and warmth that I associate with Uru Swati's early days is long gone. Perhaps the day to day operations have been passed on to a younger and more indifferent generation. I really don't know. All I really know is that I won't be returning. The food really is delicious. Probably as good as you'll get in Chicago ca. 2016. But there really is no rationalization for the downright contemptuous service my children and I received this evening. I wouldn't say I have a TON of time and energy to spend documenting heroically shitty service on Yelp!, so...while I feel like I have a responsibility to say SOMETHING, I will try to be concise. I struggle to imagine what could have occasioned tonight's hostility. Might it be that my two little boys and I bear an uncanny resemblance to a notorious roving gang of assholes who had previously slighted the restaurateurs? It began the moment we arrived - we were not so much seated as "barely dismissed" (despite an abundance of both staff and tables). The first of two waiters (no one really ever seemed to "claim" our table) unceremoniously walked off as I was ordering (you will think I'm making most of this up - I don't blame you), and the food, dishes and drink (these latter two arrived after most of the food) that later appeared were all just sort of dispassionately "abandoned" on some awkward, distant corner of the table. It didn't necessarily KILL me to stage, serve and position our cargo - but in retrospect, it seems like something of an omen. We were on a proverbial desert island once our food arrived. My sons and I duly tucked away at food and drink (all very delicious) until we were sated. And then we picked. For quite a while. Not once did anyone check on us - had they, I assuredly would have ordered more...the food was great (as expected). When my youngest decided he wanted dessert (by then I was more than ready to box up, pay, and start transitioning out of this depressingly lonely experience), I must have spent a good twenty minutes rather aggressively attempting to establish eye contact with any of the several waiters who either milled about elsewhere or headed past us attending to other patrons. Every last one of them studiously, expertly and IMPRESSIVELY avoided any risk of accidental eye contact as they passed (speaking as a wedding DJ, former bar employee and performing musician, I can confirm that this is a tactic I, myself, have mastered in the presence of entitled boozy blowhards over many decades - and I certainly have no difficulty recognizing it). If you are a customer who has the look of a person desperately hoping to flag a cab, you will properly identify the snub after the hundredth time your table is passed and avoided. It took TWO visits to the counter (and - I think? - the manager) to get a reluctant employee to finally take the boy's dessert order (trying to explain this type of ongoing and escalating snub to two innocent children - one of whom is hardcore ADHD - is not a task I wish on anyone...I'd just as soon have unmasked Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy). The dessert came. To another table. And then eventually to us. When I went to the counter and asked to pay (and again for boxes), the manager mumbled the most sort of "eh", content-free, indecipherable, smug/smirking/shrugging "technically-qualifies-as-a-gesture-of-legally-binding-feigned-contrition, right?" non-apology that I've ever been given (think: your parents making you apologize to a sibling). No apology whatsoever would have been preferable. He did not offer me my change. I'd barely made it back to the table when the waitstaff were eagerly attempting to swarm and dispose of our dishes and leftovers. Evidently, we'd instantly gone from 100% invisible to "high priority" once it appeared that I had paid. I miraculously boxed up the food, and turned to leave (more or less chasing my children out the door, they'd been ready to go for ages), when an adjacent (and heretofore indifferent) employee barked at me to bag my boxes (again - NOW they could see me!). The range of our experience (roughly "barely perfunctory" at best, insulting at worst) seemed quite pointed, and...I really can't say I know why. I must sound exactly like the sort of loathsome, boorish, entitled busybody who goes through life blithely insulting and belittling service personnel and then goes home to publicly post hundreds of vindictive reviews. But I'm not. I'm just a very sad former customer. I recommend pickup. read more

Love their idlis.. SO delicious! I agree they have an odd ambience but i don't care as long as they keep serving the good food!

The food is ok-ok, however the service is probably one of the worst I've experience so far. Food was served, but no plates or silverware, took us 10 mins to get plates. Silverware was provided fashionably late as well. read more

I recently posted a negative review and Kamal the owner got in touch with me very quickly. He explained that I had mistaken the paper sada dosa for the paper masala dosa that I thought I had ordered. He also refunded a double charge that was partially Groupon's fault. His actions were a very pleasant surprise and it restored my faith in this restaurant. Will be ordering some of my favorites again. read more

The quality of the food is great, but I have had bad experiences ordering delivery and eating in the restaurant. In the restaurant, you feel ignored. We observed the wait staff arguing over who "had" to serve us. The "unlucky" one was rude and cold to us all night, and service was slow. Strangely enough, the were out of Coca-Cola. We decided to avoid eating in the restaurant so we ordered through Grub Hub instead. Their delivery fee is absurdly high--$5. We receive our food only to discover that there was no raita or pickles, despite the fact that these were to come with 2 of our entrees. There was also no chutney for the papadums--stingy. I called the restaurant to ask about the pickles and the raita, and the woman on the phone claimed they "were out," which is absurd. It's like ordering a burger and fries combo but they have no fries. Either they are unable to keep tabs on their stock, or they are intentionally shortchanging unwitting customers. Both are unacceptable. There is too much competition on Devon Avenue for shoddy treatment of customers. read more

Joke on the name of Indian food...we ordered samosa chaat..it was okeyish...asked for paper masala dosa (It was in their menu) they said we don't have it..so ordered mysore masala dosa...potato stuffing was tasteless..they just put boiled potato into it..sambhar chutney no taste as well..then comes dessert...ordered royal falooda..it was nothing but just milk with scoop of icecream...slow service...AVOID this plae read more

3.5 stars. This was definitely a different Indian experience worth trying. I like to call it "Indian Tapas". Smaller plates of things to share. Of course, I had to go with my friend who is well-versed in Indian fare. We tried all different kinds of things... most I cannot even name and probably wouldn't even be able to pinpoint if I saw the menu. There were two major pluses: the prices and the variety. And, it is nice that there is a menu with everything translated. I would go with a small group of friends and try a bunch of stuff. It is not the typical Indian food that I am used to like just curries and samosas, and I really enjoyed trying the different things although I was a bit scared. But, really, you can't lose with anything with potatoes. Oh, and I did want to mention that the decor/environment is not what you'd expect in an Indian restaurant. It is trying to be more like a hip cafe, with wall murals of cityscapes. Funny. read more

If you have some time in your schedule and are craving a tasty and home-cooked vegetarian Indian meal, this is the place. They do not do the traditional buffet style but rather fresh off the menu. I enjoy their samosas, parathas, and letil/vegetable dishes. Service is slow so don't go here if you are in a time crunch. read more

This was my first time at this place and I loved it! I don't know about the other restaurants in the Devon street, but this one had a list of descriptions of there foods which was very helpful. They had good palak panner and garlic naan. The masala tea in that area is always good so that's always a plus. Service is bit slow but nothing to get bent out of shape. I definitely recommend this place. read more

My friends call me an Indian-food snob. I think I ought to be because I know what good Indian food is meant to taste like. For the record, I couldn't recommend an Indian restaurant on Devon avenue to anyone because I've rarely had a good experience. Recently I had a craving for a chaat dish (kachori chaat) that isn't very common in Indian restaurants. I found that uru swati had it on their menu so decided to give it a shot. While my chaat wasn't spectacular, it wasn't bad. My husband got the puneri misal and that was actually very good. I saw very few Indian folks and mostly non-Indians dining here and thought it might not be a good sign. Actually, I think the reason was because its one of the few restaurants on Devon that is BYOB. Everyone seemed to be ordering the paper dosa so I'll be trying that the next time I go there. Hopefully this place will stay a 4-star or higher in my next visit was well. Fingers-crossed! read more

Our first time trying south Indian food and we were blown away! The folks working here are super nice. Not a vegetarian but it wasn't an issue at all. BYOB. read more

We hired Uru Swati as our caterer for our Indian wedding and the events prior to it in March 2016. The food was delicious and to this day we hear from our guests how much they enjoyed the food! They are professional to work with, prompt to respond and answer any questions we had and worked with us to ensure everything was taken care of. We couldn't have asked for better service! I'd recommend them for any catering service you need for your event! Thank you! read more

I looooooooove this place. Great atmosphere. Great Service. Great FOOD! Wish it was closer to my house! There is a meal for two on their menu that I used to split with my friend. Don't hesitate to bring your next date here! Byob too. read more

Horrible service. Waited 15 minutes at the table for the waiter to come to us and tell us he will be right back. 10 minutes later nothing. I had to flag down the waiter. Then we order two deluxe bhail and one comes deluxe and one comes regular. We explain this to the waiter and he insists it's the same. After speaking to the manager/cook they corrected it. Food is good however service does not even deserve 1 star. The bus boy brought plates and water quickly. Typical in any type of restaurant service, you bring the food all at once. 4 people eating and each dish came out 5 minutes apart meaning the last person started eating when the first person was finishing....horrible service on Sunday afternoon June 4th around 130pm. read more

Amazing food!! Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. My only complaint is that they are not always attentive to filling your water glass. Their prices are extremely reasonable. We can get bread, 2 entrees, and dessert for under $30. read more

Yum! Delicious. Especially the samosas. Great casual atmosphere.

It is good this place is pure Vegetarian restaurant, and I enjoyed huge 2 ft long paper thin dosa which came with sambar and coconut chutney. Service was little slow - take your own seat, wait until somebody notice I am here. Food was very good, but do I want to come back next time? Well there are so many other choices in neighborhood I will try some other places first. It was not like "I will stick with this place all the rest of my life" experience :P read more

The food was pretty good! I had the idle and sambar was pretty legit. And the tea was so-so but pretty decent compared to other places. Overall a great place for indian tiffins and to hang out with your friends. Only down side was that the floors were kind of dirty read more

One of the BEST Indian meals I've ever had! You have good to try this place. Highly recommend the malai kofta.

The food was always good but now it's pretty darn close to perfection and rivals much more expensive restaurants in the city. We have been here a number of times recently. We ordered dosas, which were crisped to perfection, tasty sambhar, and the masala dosas have a tastier filling than Udupi restaurant. Size is great. Puneri misal is nutritious and delicious! I don't know if any other Devon restaurant carries it. For the subzis, malai kofta has a delicious gravy that is perfectly flavored and includes cashew and almond pieces, and pieces of paneer. Yum! The vegetable jalfrezi is amazing and has a mild pineapple flavor to the perfectly spiced gravy. Paneer bhurji is out of this world. Vegetable makhani and navratna korma have a delicious flavoring. Garlic naan is yummy! Kachori we thought was a bit heavy on chili but otherwise good. Portions are generous. Prices are great. You can't go wrong here. Only ras malai I didn't think was that great but not bad. read more

I have to be honest, I have no idea how this place managed to get such glowing reviews. The food is average so is the service. The waiter seemed so uninterested in doing his job. We were a group of 5. We ordered Masala dosa, Kachori chat, Pav Bhaji, Punjabi Thank and Sada Dosa. The Dosa was good, it did not have much ghee on it so we liked it. But the Masala in the Masala dosa, the Sambhar and the Bhaji ( I think that is what they call the veggie side with the Pav Bhaji) was so spicy that we werein tears. I am not sure if the level of spice used is the same for all customers. I wonder if they made it especially hot for us since we were Indian. I could see other white customers were eating their food with ease. The heat was too much to handle, if it was toned down a bit the Masala Dosa would have been enjoyable.. The Punjabi Thali was average. But the Naan (flat bread) was really fresh and tasted great! I wish they would bring down the heat level, definitely want to give this place another try before I decide not to go back. read more

Incredible, cheap vegetarian food. I also enjoyed watching the Indian version of MTV on their TVs. Good music and atmosphere, adding to the overall experience. Also, it's BYOB! Go and get your drink on while you have done amazing Indian food! read more

What a great find. Even though it was vegetarian only, I enjoyed trying a variety of dishes. I loved the crepe with potatoes. I die for the puffy fried bread, it tastes so good. And the garlic naan was also delicious. Really I'd go back just for the breads but I also enjoyed the Indian music television playing while we were there. Some of the dishes were more spicy than were used to but I still enjoyed it. read more

Really good food, but really horrible service. It took forever for the masala dosa to come out, and then we realized we still hadn't gotten our drinks. My friend got hers after me asking three times where they were, but I still hadn't gotten mine. The waiter started giving me attitude and then I just told him to forget about mine since we had already finished eating. Like I said, really amazing food, but the service kind of cancels it out because it becomes so frustrating to keep waiting and asking about your order, and then getting attitude for asking after waiting more than 45 mins and still not getting it. But I guess if you have a massive amount of patience and 2 hours to kill, then you could give this place 5 stars because the food is that good. read more

I love the food here and the prices are great. It's nice to find an Indian Restaurant that's all vegetarian. The Samosas and Dahl Misal are the best! read more

Great food, really delicious. Horrible service. Took forever for them to take our order and bring out the food. My friend is allergic to nuts and was told her dish didn't have them in it but it did so she had to send it back. It took the entire meal for her to get her new dish. But I still have to say the food was worth the wait. read more

I absolutely love this place. We don't go for the atmosphere or service. The food is awesome. Very well spiced and consistently well-executed. read more