East Coast buddy comes to town, wants Indian food, and finally this becomes the excuse to tick Varam off the list. Two birds, one stone. Booked the table, showed up, and what followed was a full-on feast that I have zero regrets about. Varam is right on Broadway, on the block next to the courthouse, just before the closed off section of the road. Its in the middle of restaurant row, and you could almost walk past it if you were not looking. Interiors are nice and chic. I guess the place has been open for a year or so. Lets get down to the food First things first: the Appam. Someone had given us strict instructions to order it, and thank god we listened. The plain Appam comes with a little curry and a sweet coconut dip that is, I'm just going to say it, divine. Soft, lacy, perfectly made. I have been chasing good Appam in the Bay Area for some time, and looks like I have found my spot. Of course the excessive consumption of the Hayward 5000 beers set the mood nicely. Very nicely. The kind of nicely where the conversation gets louder and the food tastes even better. Apologies to the staff waiting on our table and every one else seated around us. The staff were genuinely great, especially considering we were basically the last table standing before they shut down for the evening. Not only did they not rush us out, even though I could well imagine them wanting to. Our server recommended the Andhra Goat Curry, which we promptly ordered along with the Khatti Daal. The goat was cooked exactly how it should be: tender, full of flavor, not aggressively spicy but with enough depth to know someone's grandmother's recipe was involved somewhere. Had it with roti and naan. Absolutely on point. Now. The Gongura Paneer Biryani. I will be honest, vegetable biryani feels philosophically wrong to me. Like a compromise nobody asked for. But this one genuinely exceeded expectations, and I say that with some reluctance because I don't want to make a habit of enjoying veg biryani. Let's call it a one-time exception that may happen again. Bonus: Varam is right across from Zareens and not far from Broadway Masala, which means Redwood City's Indian food scene has quietly become something serious. This place is going on the regular rotation. Next Time: Going for the dosas, the haleem, the real mutton biryani, some of the chaats and of course check out the deserts. read more

Varam - Appam - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

Our favorite dish was the samosa chaat which was a perfect combination of sweet and salty. We enjoyed our other dishes as well and service was great. Samosa Chaat $21 Crispy fried pastry, sweet potato, pomegranate, corn, house chutneys, crisps Aattukari Dosa "Lamb" $24 Dosa stuffed with spice minced lamb, peas and potato masala, fresh cilantro, ghee Butter Chicken | Chicken Tikka Masala $21 Shredded tandoori chicken, tomato, cream sauce read more

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Tried Varam Indian Restaurant in Redwood City recently and had a really pleasant experience. The food was flavorful and well-balanced nothing overly heavy, just good, comforting Indian dishes done right. I tried Beet Root Sliders which was my favorite. We had Kadhai paneer and bread basket which was pretty delicious. The ambiance also stood out; it's clean, inviting, and has a nice vibe whether you're going for a casual meal or a relaxed dinner. Overall, a solid spot if you're in the area and craving good Indian food. Definitely worth checking out! read more

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First time coming here after seeing it time to time. Food: yummy, I like the chicken 65 but found it a bit spicy . My husband thought the food lacked the spices it needed. Service: nice staff! Ambiance: cool and clean read more

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We were there on a weekday, not much crowd. We started with Hyderabad Sherbath which has basil seeds, ginger, chilli, fresh lime, simple syrup, black salt, rose syrup, sprite. Unfortunately it did not taste good, I think rose syrup was out of place and ruined the whole taste. I was worried about the rest of the order. Next came the Kale and Palak chat made a 360, first I was off put by fruits in that like blueberries, but one mouth, it was great, melts in your mouth with flavor layers, very unique dish a must try and our top favorite dish. Bombay beet sliders continued the goodness. Salad that came with that did not have much dressing though. Sona Mor Panner Tiringa was exactly what the menu descriped Panner done 3 ways, with 2 pieces for each flavor. All tasted good perfectly spiced. Then on to the main course we had Methi Malai Mutter Saag, good tasting but looking totally different from the picture from their website. Bagara Baigan was good but there were spices missing in some portion of Baigan which tasted bland but otherwise ok. We had ordered bread basket. All of the breads were good. I am not fan of biriyani, but tempted by gongura and paneer combination and ordered it, surprisingly it was very well made. We also tried khubani ka Meetha, we were told they were just making it was not that great as it supposed to be served chilled and it was not as we were told they were just making it. But overall good ambiance, great service and good food, which can easily be great with few minor tweaks. Will go again.. read more

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I came to Varam after having noticed their daily thali lunch specials which end at 3pm, as they're one of the most visually appealing and varied that I've seen. I was happy to find out that everything was also delicious, and the service was fantastically friendly. Varam is hidden on the edges of downtown RWC with funny huge tablet menus (I think normal printed ones would work a bit better). The parking, both street and lot aren't too bad, but it's paid and they are strict with fining to a tee. When we went, it wasn't crowded at all, which allowed me to appreciate the beautiful interior more. They are a little extra upscale and fancy than the usual Indian restaurant, but the prices are still accessible. I love how unique their menu is, even though I can't decipher what many things mean. It seems they do specific regional dishes and add in modernized touches with fresh ingredients. - Varam Virunthu Platter Veg, non-veg, and fish appetizers - veg, chicken, and non-veg entrees - bread, pulao of the day, pappad, and dessert. It's like a ten-course meal! I really want to come back to try the other spreads. My thali consisted of a salad, a lentil curry, saag paneer, a bone-in goat curry, stewed chicken, delicate fish, a ground meat kabob, and some kind of soft breaded cheese. It also came with a mini scoop of rice, the pappad that's like a thin wafer, a piece of plain naan, and the dessert, payasam, which amazed me so much that I had to inquire about it so I knew what to order at all future Indian restaurants. It tasted like dreamy, creamy warm and sweet milk. - Butter Chicken The chicken was tender but not as hearty as we would have liked, though the curry was a flavorful velvety roux. It comes with a small bowl of rice, which is very generous because it's usually an extra side order. An extra order of naan was definitely needed to mop up all the delicious curry, but it's so worth it. - Garlic Naan One of the best naan in the bay! It was so fresh and dripping with butter. It was more of a grippy naan opposed to soft or fluffy, but that was made up for in crispness with multiple bubble pockets. Varam is now one of my favorite Indian restaurants in the bay! Will gladly make the commute out here whenever I'm craving Indian food or a multi-coursed set meal. And yes, I'm aware of the competitors in this same city - to be honest, I'd choose Varam over them all still! read more

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We got to try Varam for a quick bite and absolutely loved the food. This review is for their 5 star worthy masala dosa that would make you want to come back and try other stuff on their menu. Located in a central location of Redwood City downtown, right opposite to the theater, this place is a hidden gem for the Indian food scene in Bay Area. Will go back again to try more of their menu. Kudos on a good masala dosa, chef! read more

Varam - Truffle Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

Their goat curry items are the best. I like that they also include rice with that meat entree. I love their complementary cucumber and onion slices that add additional boost to the taste to the yummy cuisine. They also have white wine. They have merchant deals 10% or more off some time. I have utilized those deals and thank them for those. Only problem, sometimes they burn the naans bad if we don't tell em. And, gotta keep an eye on parking since this is RWC downtown. read more

The lunch specials are what caught our attention. We ordered the chicken schnitzel which came with rice and veggies. The chicken tikka masala came with rice and dal. We also ordered a garlic naan to share. The schnitzel was nicely presented. We liked the veggies. The chicken pieces were a bit small. There were quite a few chicken pieces in the Tikka masala - good with the rice and naan. We asked for mild - still had a kick. We'd return to try other items. read more

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I stopped by for lunch on a Sunday. The place was not full. Food was spicy and flavorful. Butter chicken was my favorite here. Peshawari naan went nicely with it. Potlam chicken biryani was an interesting concept. Biryani wrapped in egg and cooked. That was cool. Though I should say biryani is biryani. I thought the filter coffee was ok. read more

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Came by for dinner the other night and it was a mediocre experience. Made a reservation for dinner and the restaurant was empty. Parking is available in the private city-owned lots or on the street. Dining was available both indoors and outdoors. The vibe of the restaurant wanted to appear high end. It was weird that the music seemed to cut out like if someone manually mixed the music at home?!? Started off with the samosas which tasted like they were frozen. Moved on to the shrimp appetizer and it was ok. The shrimp were on the smaller side and weren't super fresh. The grilled cod for the main was gigantic and came with a bed of curry along with some asparagus. The garlic naan was good although even more garlic would have been even better. Service was attentive by the staff. ~$70/head after tax and gratuity with plenty of leftovers. read more

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Varam offers generous portions, but the overall experience was a bit mixed for us. We ordered the chicken masala dosa, which was huge and had a good balance of crispy and fluffy texture when it first came out hot. However, once it cooled down, the texture and flavor dropped off and didn't hold up as well (and this was pretty quick) We also tried the curry chicken, which had a heavy nutmeg/cinnamon flavor that didn't quite suit our taste. It might be more traditional for South Indian curries, but it just wasn't what we were expecting. Service was also on the slower side, even though the restaurant wasn't particularly busy during our visit. Overall, Varam is worth a try for the portion size and unique offerings, but it may not be for everyone depending on your flavor preferences. read more

Varam - Chicken Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

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As a Hyderabadi I loved the Haleem, Chicken 65 and Dosa. I also ordered the Hyderabadi Sherbet which was a good balance of flavors. The service was attentive, ambience was good/casual and the food was not pretentious. I will come back here again. It reminded me a lot of Ohris in Hyderabad. read more

Varam - Hula - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

Overall great experience! Nice ambience, good service! No wait, spacious restaurant! All food except veg platter stood out in taste! Photos attached! read more

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Our 14th February visit was super disappointing. I did appreciate the gentleman separating a table of four to accommodate us. I don t know why though it was not that busy. Anyway the food came out cold and unlike explained while ordering all in one pile. Appam cold is worse than appam browned. What happens when you get both ? Yup one very disappointing pair of stone cold brown appams. The veggies sampler listed as sizzler doesn't sizzle just a spread of veggie tiny samosa sloppy veggie bites or cutlets and beyond edible rubbery paneer on some kind of a white metal plate. Don't even get me started on the dum biryani. don't go, sorry I changed my mind read more

Varam - Mocktail Mojito and Pinot Noir - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

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We had a wonderful valentine's day dinner with our friends group at Varam restaurant in redwood city. We ordered soo many dishes, most of them tasted great. The MPLR chicken biryani was one of the best I have had in US - very rich in ghee and flavorful. The Malabar parotta with Varam chicken curry was also memorable. The cream stone chicken was surprisingly good. Our veg friends said that Bombay beet sliders and Banaras bharwan aloo were their favorite. One commendable thing about the mango lassi and berries lassi we had was that it didn't have too much sugar. And the falooda for $8 was delightful. The quantity and quality of food for the pricing was definitely worth it. They also gave us complimentary chefs special dessert for valentine's day which was very nice of them. We had a great time staying late there with friends as the restaurant is open till midnight. We definitely look forward to another visit sometime. The only reason I reduced 1 star is they messed up the bread orders. And also the service was slow and understaffed. Room for improvement there, but otherwise no complaints. read more

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Middle of the road southern Asian. A bit run down interior,but it's Dennyesque charm of vinyl and chrome make up for it. Decent biriani. read more

My favorite Indian restaurant in Redwood City. Interesting and delicious menu. I love 4 waysUppapatham, idiappam (bland but tasty sauces), and the apricot custard dessert. Very nice service. If it's warm the outside seating is nice read more

On the more expensive side for dosa, but I left satisfied! Very delicious masala - perfectly seasoned potatoes! The dosa itself was crispy and not too thin. I enjoyed this, but I have definitely had better dosa in the Bay Area. Overall, a decent spot... but not a must try! read more

Varam - Plain Dosa with Lassi - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

Came in on a Friday night for dinner with a party of 2 at 6:30pm with no reservation and were seated immediately. The food is amazing! Our eyes were a bit too big for our stomaches so we ended up taking the briyani to go, but all the food we ordered were hits. The standout for me was the Paper Masala Dosa with its dramatic presentation and delicious filling. I can only wish that there was more! Service was courteous but a bit slow, especially in regards to clearing the table. Our table for two was super small (just about elbow width without a lot of room to spare) so it would have been nice if it were cleared in a more prompt manner. Our dirty plates were on our table for the entire duration of our meal (at least an hour), and we got plenty of check-ins but no one was taking our plates away. This impacted our experience because we ordered a lot and had trouble arranging all of the food on our table with the dirty dishes in the way. read more

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Amazing food , good location. It is in downtown but significantly spacious. Menu is somewhat fusion Indian. Loved their starters as well as veg main dishes. Chicken dish was so so Bread basket was good. Service was good but for whatever reason they didn't ask for dessert and gave the check. And funny part was they don't have any desserts. Price wise it is high end. For 6 people, we paid $250 (including 18% gratuities) Will visit again for sure read more

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Delicious food, have been a few times now. It's now our first choice for Indian food.

Ambience was slightly upscale and service was warm. The food however fell a bit short of what we expected based on their Instagram reel. We ordered a few appetizers: House platter (3/5) : while overall taste was ok, the platter didn't have what the menu said it would so we were a bit disappointed Cauliflower manchurian (2.5/5) : nothing really stood out, I could have had it at any hole in the wall place and you couldn't tell the difference. Green Tikki (3.5/5) - was probably the best of the 3 appetisers we ordered. It was piping hot with decent flavor. Overall, maybe worth one visit, but there are better places for Indian food in the peninsula read more

Varam is an absolute gem in downtown Redwood City! I've been here twice already and have tried both the lunch and dinner menus. For lunch, I had the Varam Virunthu thali, a platter with a perfect mix of veg and non-veg dishes. Every item on the plate was full of flavor, and I couldn't find a single thing that wasn't delicious. It's such a great way to sample a variety of their offerings in one go. Dinner was just as impressive. They offer aapams and idiyappam on the dinner menu. Aapam is one of my all-time favorite dishes and the chef absolutely nailed it! My husband tried the boneless chicken biryani, and it was equally good. The service was great, ambiance is pleasant and overall, I have no complaints. The best part? I don't have to drive all the way to the South Bay anymore to get my South Indian food fix. Highly recommend! read more

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We had a wonderful dinner at Varam tonight. We ate the boneless biryani and yellow dahl and both were excellent. I lived in Hyderabad for 8 months many years ago and this is the most authentic biryani in the Redwood City area. The restaurant is very comfortable and clean. Our server Rocky was super helpful in determining the right spice level for our food - we went with medium. We like spice but not overly spicy and sometimes biryani can be extremely spicy. I definitely recommend this place! read more

A lunch a week ago and a dinner tonight were both excellent. Rocky both times greeted us at the door and made excellent meal recommendations. We live out of town but wanted to come back tonight because of the food and service. read more

Tandoori platter Samosa Goat curry Naan Mint rice Everything was spot on in quality, freshness and taste. Mainly saw a HYDERABADI touch to everything which I don't see much of in the Bay area. Lamb/goat meat was the best I had in a while. I can see the attention to detail in the sourcing of meat and the preparation of dishes. My goat don't turn out extra spicy as I wanted. That would have made it 6 stars Service can improve a little more. Ambience is good and the menu is extensive Definitely a good option when in the area read more

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Varam consistently delivers both outstanding food and genuinely warm service. As regulars, we especially appreciate how refreshing it is to see the Bay Area's growing diversification of regional Indian cuisines represented at such a high level. The appams are excellent, the chicken curry is deeply satisfying, and the methi malai mutter is beautifully balanced. Their wine list is thoughtfully curated and pairs surprisingly well with the menu. Everything here is reliably excellent--and the service, especially from Rocky, is always impeccable. read more

Excellent Indian food! We've ordered here a few times and always impressed with the quality and taste. There's a lot of great offerings on the menu, and I like that they ask you spice level to customize each meal. Delish!! read more

I visited Varam on valentine's day. The whole street of redwood downtown is so crowded including this place. Luckily we have a booked this place.One of the best indian cuisine fine dining restaurant in bay area i have experienced so far. They have best methi mutter malai main course. We ordered trianga paneer , tomato soup and bread basket. My fav was main course and tomato soup. They have a decent ambiance as well. read more

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Love the ambiance in the room, super nice. The food was sooo delicious, a great spice level and so filling. I've had both the beet and lamb slider versions and both are my favs of the menu so far. Check this place out it's worth it!! read more

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"Life is too short to eat boring food." Today was my husband's birthday and I took him to "Varam" for dinner. Varam in Tamil means a boon and boy this food was sure a boon for my stomach !!! The ambience was warm, welcoming and unassuming. The service was impeccable and was mainly so due to the warm personality of our hostess Kirti. The restaurant was empty for a Wednesday evening - surprising considering how splendid the food was. Here's what we ordered (in order of our favorites ) : A) Lamb Sliders B) Goat Curry + Mint and Jeera Pulao C) Varam Chicken Curry, Khatti Dal and Bread Basket We left quite happy with every single dish and my husband and I are planning to be back to try their thali and the dosas one of these days . Great Food - definitely fast trot your way here for a meal !!! read more

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Quick take: yummy food This restaurant has very good food and the best customer service. Ordered the Non veg platter for lunch. It's delicious and the presentation is very appetizing. Definitely recommend this place for a fun lunch. We had a party of 4 and each of us ordered a different platter. Comes with salad, protein, veggies, and dessert . Lunch came with Naan and a papa dom. The portions are big. Definitely will be stuffed at the end of your meal. Our waitress was awesome. She presented every dish on all of our platters. Very informative about the different platter choices. read more

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Varam is a great addition to Redwood City and it's in a soft opening phase. They offer indoor and outdoor dining. We were greeted and seated by a friendly waitress right away upon entering the restaurant. The menu and alcohol covers were in leather. They have an extensive menu. We decided to order two lunch platters. One of them is seafood and the one is varum virunthu. Both lunch platters came with five different sides, rice, naan, papadum, dessert for $23.00 each. The food came out in a timely manner. The fish and the chicken were cooked to perfection. They were both moist in the inside and well seasoned. The shrimp and chicken curry were very flavorful. The papadums were crispy and the naans were warm when they got to our table. We had a wonderful dining experience at this restaurant. The food were all tasty and the prices are fairly reasonable. The employees were all friendly and kind. We will be back try their dosas, garlic naan, and biryanis. read more

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Delightful! We stumbled into the soft opening! I was delighted by naan containing cherries and pistachios. It was delicious and the staff was quite kind: We were on the move so they took the time to provide estimated times and beverages while we waited. That doesn't sound amazing on the surface. Their patio was packed. The'd only been open dor a dew days. I'm definitely returning the next time I'm in RWC! read more

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I've been to Varam a handful of times now, and my thoughts are the same - tasty, but not special/upscale enough to warrant their prices. A dosa being $22 is a bit much, especially since the lamb was just okay. As a dosa connoisseur, I would price their dosas in the $14-17 range. Similarly everything is maybe $5-7 more expensive than it should be. I'll continue to come, but will stick to the apps and small plates, whose prices match their value a bit better. read more

Delicious food and even better service. Rocky, our server was so personable, rolled with our groups' silliness, and directed our menu choices to have the best food experience. If you care about how good the food is - done! Check the box! And if you care about good service - double done! Check the box! Really looking forward to coming back again. read more

I walked by this restaurant last week and briefly perused the menu. I saw that they offered dosas and instantly knew that I wanted to try this place! Dosas are a southern Indian specialty and I haven't discovered too many restaurants that serve it locally. I used to live in San Francisco and eat at the restaurant, Dosa, frequently, but sadly both locations have shuttered. I brought the family last night to try Varam, and it did not disappoint! Even though it was a beautiful night and there were plenty of families eating outdoor, we opted for a table inside. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with colorful murals on the walls. It's bright and vivid, and you can instantly smell the Indian spices as soon as you walk in. Since my little one cannot handle spice, we ordered the chicken masala dosa and goat curry (both with mild spice level), garlic naan, bread basket (a combination of pesto naan, roti, cheese & chili kulcha), and the fresh okra fry. I thought the food took awhile to come out, but they brought all the food simultaneously. The chicken masala dosa was really good! The dosa was thin and crispy, and filled with chicken and potatoes that were seasoned well. It was served with three different chutneys. The goat curry was my favorite dish! Tender pieces of goat were braised in a delicious red-orange curry sauce. The variety of breads that we ordered were used to sop up the curry sauce. The okra dish was the most unique thing we ordered. Thinly sliced okra was stir fried with beans, shallots, and curry leaves. The different textures in the dish complemented each other well. It was unlike any other okra dish that I've tried before! The kids were a little disappointed since they wanted to try the berry lassi, but unfortunately they were out. They tried the mango lassi instead, which was drizzled with a red syrup for sweetness and aesthetics. It was a little too sweet in my opinion, but the kids loved it! Overall, I thought Varam was tasty and had good service! I can't wait to go back as there are so many more things I wanna try...the thali lunch specials, truffle dosa, fried caulitlfower, uthappam, etc.!!! read more

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we just happened to stumble across this restaurant and I was in the mood for a masala dosa. It was just a great way to end a family vacation with a great meal. The staff was very friendly and it was very intriguing with the amount of food we were able to eat between my parents, myself and my two little kids. We were able to cater the taste of spice to the level that we wanted, which made the food even better for us. read more

Varam - Indian Near Me - Redwood City, California

We chose Varam for the high Yelp reviews and photos of thalis. What a disappointment this place was! To start with it was pretty busy, so we were happy to get a table even though it was right next to the cashier's counter and front door. They had a lot of empty very large tables, and not many tables for two or four. We then proceeded to wait forever for someone to take our order. I started looking at other nearby restaurants on Yelp as we were waiting, we almost left and I sure wish we did. A young and sweaty server finally came over and took our order without writing anything down which made me nervous. I then proceeded to visit the restroom to wash my hands and was simply horrified at how dirty it was. Two unflushed toilets and only one of the sinks had soap, plus garbage overflowing and on the floor. Honestly it ruined my appetite for dinner. Then my drink came, it was a virgin mojito and tasted like swamp water which was due to the rotten mint in it. I had visions of getting sick. I sent it back and didn't expect them to bring another, but they did and the second one was fine. After a very long time our food came, which we enjoyed. When it came time to pay the bill I got up and went to the cashier since the sever was nowhere to be seen, and also helped myself to the to-go containers. Overall a pretty disappointing experience, and the thalis... they only have them at lunch. read more

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