Sri Meenakshi Bhavan

After a lot of communication between the partners I finally got them to raise the spice levels which were sadly unsouth-​indian-​ish but now what I get is great.
The Chettinad dishes are the best in the area and most of the items are pretty authentic, as long as they keep the spice levels to a good level.
Kothu parota is a hit among all in the family, just wish when restaurants say Veg XXX they dont just mean onions and a few traces of peas. This happens in all Indian/​Chinese (who add a broccoli or two) restaurants in the area. Be it Veg Kothu parotta or Veg Noodles they are all very bereft of veggies.
Chutney and sambar are served in tiny cups but are so bland I tend not to eat them anyway.
Plaintain Bhajji is very good except wish they would remove the skin thoroughly.
SMB is easily one of the best SI restaurants in the area and you can even order from them via email — pioneers in the area for this.

Delicious vegetarian food! But the service is a bit awkward, very flat and unpersonal close to non-communicative…the website had a promotion for October where it was 10 percent off. The waitress had to call for the manager who called the owner for approval of the 3 dollar discount. The portions are on the smaller side and I was not quite full from a main course, but prices are very reasonable, so that’s ok. The location is good, so I will keep bringing me vegetarian friends here! Good place for a casual meal.

Being a South Indian restaurant, I was expecting food to live up to South Indian expectations. But it failed terribly. We ordered Gobi Manchurian which came with plenty to tomato and chilly sauce. It wasn’t even crispy. Then we got Poori Baaji which had oil dripping out of it. We also got Ghee masala dosa n my wife pointed out that ghee used is way too old and she couldn’t eat more than a bite.
Note: one advice guys — if u decide to put little salt to cater American customers, it’s fine. But at least keep your salt shaker fresh. I could shake it for all of my life but salt just wouldn’t drop from it.

A Passage to India and beyond. We hadn’t heard of this place until a coupon arrived in a mailpack. We gave it a try, and here’s a quick run down of the pros and cons:
Pros:
A) They offer a buffet, however also have a full menu to order from.
B) For those seeking vegetarian meccas, you have another option.
C) The buffet is not huge, however offers good variety.
D) The service was attentive for a buffet, and our drinks never ran dry.
E) The food was well seasoned with abundant flavors, yet not over the top.
F) Pleasant acoustics including Bollywood playing on the TV. We felt we had temporarily entered a foreign country, and it was a very positive experience.
Cons:
A) If you’re looking for meat or trying to reduce your Carb intake, this is not a good spot.
B) Ordering off the menu itself, we found the traditional Dosa to be a couple dollars more than we’ve paid elsewhere, and the portion smaller.
C) A couple of the hot food items on the buffet were luke warm at best.
D) Despite arriving 40 minutes after the opening time, the team was still putting together the buffet. This might explain why a couple items were luke warm, as they appeared to be rushed.
E) We weren’t told that the buffet came with a complimentary portion of Dosa. We brought friends who had not seen dosa previously, and wanted them to have the experience. We asked about dosa being on the menu, yet the server didn’t take this as an opportunity to let us know, «Hey, you know what? The buffet includes dosa. Are you sure you want to place an order for this, and essentially pay twice?»
Despite listing a few negatives, and not being vegetarians, the experience was worthy of a repeat visit.

Never go to this place for buffet… No service what so ever. Did not even clean the plates, no one was to be seen on the floor to ask for. Even food was very bad. Very very Cold food. This place is good only for dinner service.

I went here with a friend for the lunch buffet. It was really good. So nice to have an all-​vegetarian restaurant. I loved the okra. Also liked the dosa, the paneer, vegetable curry, gobi, curd rice, steamed rice cakes. It’s not fancy, as some people mentioned, but it’s quiet and comfortable and service is attentive and friendly.

I went in expecting a slow service and summer heat inside the restaurants as advised by fellow Unilocalers. And it was spot on.
I had high expectation from food though. We ordered simple food Masala Dosa and Sambhar Vada nothing fancy and both were tasteless and bland. Sambhar is supposed to tangy and spice it was like a bland lentil soup. You can’t go wrong with the staples.
Nothing can lure me to go back.

Worst South Indian place to go! AC wasn’t working. They had to literally put 2 portable fans. It was a complete mess when we arrived this afternoon. There was food, water and paper towels lying on the floor in various corners. I wish I took few pics to upload!
It took them literally 45 min to 1 hr to bring the food out to us. We had ordered Mysore Masala Dosa (3) and Onion Rava Dosa (4). Sweet Lassi took them 45 mins to make. For Sambhar they would simply fill them up from the buffet bowls and used that up until the very last drop left in it. And the last few bowls of Sambhar that the server got literally had an extra water added to it since they didn’t have enough in the back.
Beware of going here! I would just simply go back to Tower Indian Restaurant!

Great vegetarian place. Things we ate and enjoyed
Gobi manchurian — great but warning it was spicy. So adjust the spice level as per taste
Samosa chaat — was very good also
Vada pav — quite good also
We will definitely go back!
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So we went back a second time. Had Dosa this time. Was very also.
Will try the dry gobo manchurian without gravy. should be better

I was very happy they had dosa! I was able to compare a rice & lentil dosa to a … flour dosa. Both were very good. I liked how the condiments were served too. I would give this place a solid 4 stars but the inside of the restaurant was soooo hot I was in a terminal sweat. It was cooler at 90 degrees outside than it was in the restaurant. I finally got my food to go and ran out. I guess I would only go here when there is cool weather… but then again. maybe the place will be freezing cold when it is cool outside. I hope to check out the place when the temp is around 40 degrees again. Good dosa though. I would give the place a 4, but the environment was ridiculous. Sorry!

Delicious vegetarian food and typical South Indian foods very warm and respectful people try once

Liked this joint when it was known as Cool Breeze, till it fell through. Meenakshi Bhavan is a new establishment in its place. I was forewarned that service isn’t as quick as one would come to expect. But the dishes did come on time.
Ordered the chili parrota and idiyappam with kurma. The chili parrota has too much of ketchup poured into it that it made it in appetizing. Idiyappam tasted good on the other hand.
Bottom line: Average to Good food priced slightly higher for the quality and quantity.

The food here is decent nothing to rave about. The two stars here is for food only. The server here, a total of one when we came here was friendly. The food service however is slow as snail, it took 40 minutes for me to get a mango lassi. When my food did arrive the taste was decent not even worth the wait. Kothu paratha missed its crispness and were soggy by the time I got it. The Ravi dosa was decent. But there is no way I am waiting over an hour for this food. This is not a place with quick service or bite.

Awesome South Indian vegetarian food, their paneer pakora s are good with South Indian chai (tea leaves boiled with milk)

Though the exterior did not look very welcoming we decided to give it a try. We went their at their closing time so the service was not commendable. Had their mixed vegetable uthappam and chilli parotta. I have no complaints about the quality and quantity of the food! But they can improve so much on their cleanliness and service!

I’ve eaten there twice, and both times the food was delicious and the service was great. I would recommend going for the buffet as you can try everything. There were many items available including Manchuria, vada, idli, and chapati. I personally really liked the vada, sambhar, and idli. Masala dosa was also served which was not as spicy as I would have liked, but it was good. The mango kulfi for dessert was delicious. Overall, I would recommend as a great vegetarian South Indian restaurant.

Authentic South Indian food. Loved their dosa sambhar and specially chutneys! Probably best South Indian food in RTP area. They are very welcoming and service is great. A+

Sri Meenakshi Bhavan is a welcome addition to Cary’s Indian culinary scene. It is a South Indian vegetarian restaurant, and my only regret is that there is such a great variety, yet I can only eat so much.
I’d recommend the Thali plate if you would like to try a taste of everything. Our table had ordered for appetizers the samosas with green chutney as well as some sort of donut-​type food in a yogurt sauce. I can’t remember what it was, but it was delicious. Oh, and the chai tea, make sure you order that as well. The people working there were very kind and friendly. It just opened recently, so not a whole lot of people were there, but hopefully that will change as word gets out.

One of the best vegetarian restaurants in the triangle. Loved all the chutneys and spice combinations in the dishes. Bis Bela Bath and Paneer dosa are the best. Excellent service with all the expected attention. Highly recommended.

First and foremost, the service is great. A really good place to have South Indian food in the Triangle area. You might be happy getting the different kinds of Dosas here. They are very tasty. Sambhar Vada is great here. Another best one and my favourite one, you can eat here is Koththu parotta. Its spicy and tasty.
Go try and you will go there again and again.