Swagath Gourmet

You can count on reasonably good South Indian food at this place. Nothing better than the piping hot Rasam (tomoto based soupy and spicy preparation) on a cold winter day (BTW it was 8 degree F and goshly negative degrees F with the wind chill on that day). By the way, Rasam is offered on the house and is guaranteed to give your sinus a workout.
Over time, they have expanded their menu and it is now 5 pages of small fonts. However, we stick with their classics — Dosa and Vadas. Rava and original Masala Dosas were great this day as well.
However, the sambar was a bit ‘sludgy’ as if from the bottom of the pot.
Overall, a good dining experience but must point out that this used to be a terrific staple place prior to the massive IT boom and you could count on high quality ingredients at very reasonable prices. Unfortunately, post-​boom things have become a bit more «good enough» instead of «signature good».

Came here recently again and this place deserves an update. Very underrated, very authentic. The server could barely speak English, so had to get one of the owners to come over and take my order. I saw this as a good thing! I asked if a Mysore platter + a Dosa would be too much. I like the thali too much to resist, but had never had a dosa. They said it’d be a lot of food, so I hunkered down to the rasam soup (complimentary, and delicious) and salivated over my Mysore thali. Well… they came out with a complimentary dosa to whet my appetite. They called it a «mini» but it looked huge to me! Flavor profile is wonderful, with a great mix of rice and lentils with savory potatoes and onions inside. Complex dipping sauces add that interesting component to Indian cuisine, and then the dosa is slightly crispy which is fun from a textural component. Everyone is very pleasant there, and while the digs are pretty typical for an Indian restaurant (think ultra casual), it’s a fun spot for some very ethnic cuisine.

Excellent home style authentic South Indian food served in a homely ambience complemented by excellent customer service. A must go place to try food items never seen in commercial restaurants such as banana flower poriyal cooked just like at home.

We had Mysore thali that was OK but surely overpriced at $ 15.50. You can have better Thalis at Mithaas and that too for lesser $$ I did not find any other distinguishing dish to talk about.

Terrible food with terrible service ! How can a South Indian restaurant make bad masala dosa! I was disappointed with appetizer we ordered and hoping the entrée would get little better but the trend continued through out the course of our meal and it was one big disappointment for all of us looking foresee to eating some decent South Indian food based on reviews posted !

Worst tasting dosas
Biryani not worth tasting
Loud
Dirty restaurant
Uninterested wait staff
Absolute waste of money
I don’t get the following reviews — have to be fake.

Best dosas! Each restaurant has it’s specialty and NO ONE has dosas and sambar as good as this place. Also inexpensive for a very filling meal. Great place to come back to

Excellent Kannada-​style south Indian restaurant. They welcome you with Rasam which is fabulous. Their Dosas are awesome. Do not forget to order the special «original recipe» Idli. Service is friendly and efficient and seating comfortable. And it’s in Edison NJ. So one can go Indian grocery shopping and top off the evening with snacks or dinner at Swagath,

The best authentic South Indian food… family owned and maintained to perfection. the Mysore thali is a perfect ticket to South Indian flavor.

Worst dining experience. The service wasn’t attentive. Would definitely would not recommend again.

Top notch, scrumptious (didn’t miss the meat at all). unpretentious atmosphere and service. And not expensive.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

Unlike most patrons who review Indian food, I’m at huge disadvantage in that I am neither Indian nor familiar with the cuisine.
I have had the pleasure of dining with Indian clients on occasion and most those meals were enjoyable and interesting, but not memorable.
Dinner last week at Swagath Gourmet was very memorable. Here’s the rundown…
1. Service was excellent. There was a waitress who brought us soup and took our appetizer order, but she wasn’t able to answer our questions. She had the owner come out to talk with us. Sesha Ayengar was pleasant, kind, and very attentive. He suggested that he prepare a personalized menu for us. Perfect!
2. Everything was absolutely great. Here’s what we ordered:
– Onion Rava Masala Dosa
– Uttappourn
– Kovil Idli
– Mysave Thali
I have told friends about the restaurant and we will be back soon.
I cannot imagine better Indian food.
Thank you Sesha!

Perhaps the most understated places turn out to be the best! Who needs flamboyant marketing when your loyal customers get you more business through their own personal word of mouth.
That’s the charm of this south indian eatery called Swagath located on Oak Tree Road next to the Apna Bazar. I had visited this place back in 2001 when I used to drive a the way from Albany to here and had heard of an eatery tgat served complementary Rasam before they took your order.
14 years on its no different now and it’s really a testament to the perseverance and passion of the owner who proudly does what he loves to do and does not bow down to the so called popular demands of the masses.
Instead he takes off on some epicurean trips to India and comes back with a treasure cove of recipes popularly known as grandma’s dishes or treats all over the world. Such is the power of the home cooking that it gets yearning patrons the soul comfort of ‘back home’ food when the mind needs some soothing.
In this authentic eatery with an Iyengar influence you will get pure homestyle snacks, sweets and complete meals. The Rasam vada is hugely popular as a snack.
Personally I love all of their idlis — the regular one, the kanchipuram and the unique kovil idlis. All soft and fluffy, with the right hint of spice and salt; it comes with a delicious sambar and very freshly prepared chutney to boot.
The Panniyaram is another winner served with chutney… and highly recommended to sample while you wait for your mains to come to the table. The dosas and utthappams are all notably simple yet delivering a punchy taste.
The bisi bele baath was one of the most authentic tasting dish that I’ve sampled in any eatery either here or back in India. Full of flavor, tangy and spicy; with the right hint of ghee to boot; it provides for a great texture with the papad that accompanies it.
Their thali is a wonderful excuse to indulge in a meal outside of home and yet get that familiar happy happy home food comfort. With the right accompaniments of a poriyal, sambar and Rasam with chapati and rice this makes for a complete experience. Their special thali comes with an authentic ‘Paal paayasam’ something that I understood through conversation… is a result of one such epicurean adventure of the owner to Trivandrum in Kerala heartland.
Specially order their baadam halwa and their sakkarai pongal. The pongal tastes right out of a festive divine offering with hints of camphor and cardamom overlaying the gooey comfort of a rice and jaggery dish.
If not for anything you should visit Swagath for their Rasam and their Sakkarai Pongal and then you will realize that you are automatically drawn to the place, their menu, homestyle cooking and some oft repeated experiences of food ambrosia!

Visited this place with a friend and we found the food to be very authentic and homely. We ordered the mysore meals and chole batture. We found the payasam (dessert for the meal) to be especially tasty, with the correct amount of sweetness and enriching flavour. Surprisingly, the chole masala was very homely with less cream and more flavour unlike most other Indian places.
And to cap it all, we finished our meal with a refreshing cup of fine Indian coffee. A perfect lunch!

Great place for authentic south-​Indian food. It is a nice warm small place with a very personal touch in the food. The owner is extremely friendly and loves to indulge in pleasant conversations with the guests.
Food Taste: ⁵⁄₅
Authenticity: ⁵⁄₅
Menu: ⁵⁄₅
Service and Speed: ⁴⁄₅
Ambience: ⁴⁄₅
Friendliness of Staff: ⁵⁄₅
Value for Money: Definitely
Family-​friendly: Yes

I can’t say enough good things about this new find/​friend of mine! Being a frequent visitor to the South Indian Cuisine scene on Oak Tree Rd, I’ve been kicking myself for not having discovered this place earlier!!!
My South Indian vegetarian roots have me craving for some good authentic home-​like food, and this is exactly what I got and felt at Swagath. Right from its friendly and warm staff, to the dishes, I felt right at home. I was so excited to see familiar dishes (dishes usually made in my family), that I think I went overboard and ordered almost everything (packed ofcourse!) off the menu! :) Oh, and I have to make a mention of the star of the evening: their puran poli!!! I’m not usually a fan of this dish back home, but oh my did this blow me away! It was so fresh and flavorful, I could keep going!
For anyone looking for some solid South Indian vegetarian cuisine, I strongly recommended Swagath Gourmet on Oak Tree Rd. You have other options aside from the run-​of-​the-​mill ‘idlis & dosas’…there’s more to South Indian vegetarian cuisine than that, people, and that’s what you’ll find here! The owner also stops by to check on the guests, thereby giving you a feeling that they genuinely want to take good care of you. You don’t have many restaurants these days that care about their guests, as it’s almost always very transactional, so this experience for me at Seagath was a standout, as well.
The region of South India my roots trace back to are in the interior parts of Karnataka, so finding a restaurant that showcases the unique flavors of these quaint little towns is remarkable and my treasured find! I’m going to be a ‘frequent flyer’ here onwards at this restaurant, for sure! :)
Note: I have not been paid or solicited for this review. It’s coming purely from the heart and from my excitement to share my new find (these guys have been here for decades, it’s only my new find!) with curios and frequent patrons.
Cheers and savour away! :)

This is my 2^nd day in Highland Park, and being raised in a Kerala household, my first thought was to find myself a dosa place. Edison, NJ (aka Little India) seemed appropriate to find the best dosa on the east coast. I looked on Unilocal,and decided on Swagath because it had great reviews and wasnt the cheapest (not a fan of the «cheap» dosa). Anyways I ordered the mysore masala dosa. The dosa tasted like it was made about 2 days ago and just reheated. The potato filling lacked any flavor, and it seemed it was topped off with raw spice which didn’t even make the dosa spicy at all!!! I am very disappointed with the quality of the dosa here. Maybe its because I ordered to go and it was early on a Sunday morning, but I will definitely have to try other dosa places in the area…
As icing on the cake, the host couldn’t speak much English and refused to take my credit card as payment. She just kept pointing at the total until I realized she was trying to convey that there was a minimum charge for a credit card payment? I didn’t see in the store any sign saying a minimum charge, and on the take out menu it says they accept credit cards with no limit mentioned. Fortunately, I had cash on hand…

It takes some effort… wait, scratch that. It takes A LOT of effort for someone to convince me that vegetarian dishes would make me happy. I love meat – beef, pork, chicken, lamb – you name it. Well, no convincing was needed. The food we ordered at Swagath Gourmet spoke for itself.
Complimentary Soup: The owner said, «If you liked the soup, you’ll like everything else on the menu!» Well, good thing I like spicy dishes because this clear red soup will wake your tastebuds up.
Paniarram ($ 5.95): You get five small grilled dumplings made from a rice and lentil batter served with sambar (type of vegetable stew that is a bit spicy) and green coconut chutney. The paniarram were hot, fresh, soft, and moist. Even on their own, these dumplings tasted great. The sambar was good, but the coconut chutney was probably my favorite. I almost didn’t want to share!
Samosa x2 ($ 3.99): The potato filling of the samosas are smooth and creamy unlike some other places where whole chickpeas are used. Like the Paniarram, they were served fresh and hot. The crispy outside held well and made it easy to dip in two different sauces – a red one that is fairly sweet and a green one that is a bit spicy/​peppery.
Paneer Burji ($ 13): It was a tough decision to make: Palak Paneer or Paneer Burji – I opted for the latter and it was a great choice. I absolutely enjoyed every bite of it. The dish is made of grated cottage cheese, cauliflower, roasted cumin seeds, green peas, and finely chopped onions; it’s served with your choice of two poori or chappati (I chose chappati/​flat bread). Depending on how much of the paneer burji you eat with every bite, you might need extra chappati – I ended up ordering two more chappati ($ 3). I’d definitely order this dish again.
Mysore Thali ($ 15.95): I love the presentation. There were ten small bowls circling the thali tray, with a bowl of rice in the middle, two poori, and crispy papadum on top. I wasn’t the one who ordered this, but I was able to sample everything. Each katori held a savory dish that had its own distinct spice level and taste. One of the bowls was actually a dessert, which I liked. I prefer the poori and papadum as opposed to the chappati for this dish.
Puran Poli x2 ($ 5.25): Initially, we wanted to order Rasmalai, but the owner recommend this tasty and traditional South Indian dessert. According to him, you will not find this in any other Indian restaurant. It’s a soft sweet bread stuffed with jaggery, saffron, cardamom, and lentils. Each order comes with two pieces served steaming hot. They have five other desserts, but they are much more common than this.
Service: GREAT service! Everyone here was super welcoming and friendly. The owner, who took our order, was great to chat with. I was surprised he actually knew where Fresno, CA was since 99.9% of the people I’ve met in New Jersey so far have absolutely no clue. An elder gentleman also checked on us often to ask if we enjoyed our food; he was friendly as well. The waitress took care of our table and made sure we had everything we needed.
Swagath Gourmet easily gets the first five star review I’ve ever given to a vegetarian restaurant. After a great experience, I will be sure to come back.

This place was awesome but spicy. We went here one night before going to a friend’s house who lives close to there. The good reviews are what brought us in. I had been really sick with a cold, so I was really happy when we sat down and they brought us these little metal cups with a very spicy tomato broth. It was really spicy which was not my normal liking but it made me feel so much better that I was grateful.
The Masala Dosa was too spicy for me but it was pretty delicious all the same. That’s pretty much all they do– dosas so don’t expect an extensive menu beyond that. I recommend this place especially f you like spicy food.

Last several visits to Edison, I went to Saravannan bhawan for lunch or dinner. This time wanted to try different place. So went to Swagath. Will not repeat that mistake.
They serve rasam in the beginning. It was very sweet!
Onion rava dosa — good size, but raw onion inside. It is not fried with the batter. They serve only one chutney with dosa. Saravana serves three chutneys. Sambar was ok, not bad.