Madras Bistro

I have been here three times thinking that I will have a better experience next time based on positive reviews here but I have been disappointed each time. The food as well as the service are disgusting. Best to ignore this place.

Excellent place for a veggie meal. It’s always crowded here. The food takes a while to come out, but it’s cooked to order and tastes great.
I enjoyed the papdi chat a lot. It’s sweet and spicy with fried little pieces of dough in it. The pani puri is nice also; it’s little air-​pillows that you pop into with your thumb and fill with potatoes and two kinds of sauces.
For entrees, my partner and I ordered masala dosas — which are like creamed rice crepes with potato and spice filling. I ordered a garlic one and he ordered the mysore (super spicy).
We were completely satisfied with our meal and the level of service. The dosas are large and spicy, so keep that in mind if you can’t handle the heat.
Service can seem a little slow because dishes take a while, but the food is good and the servers are really nice.

I want to like this place because the menu looks awesome, but I found that most of the food was flavorless.
We went for a Sunday lunch. When we arrived, we were encouraged to have the buffet in the adjoining restaurant, Tandoori Chef. The waiter told us that «this is a vegetarian place» in a discouraging tone. I thought it was odd.
We had the lunch buffet and ordered the gobi manchurian. We had bread pakoras (the best of the meal; I would order it again), vegetable curry (ok), dal makhani (no flavor, just beany), naan, chutneys (thin and too sweet), and masala dosa (with a teensy amount of filling). The gobi manchurian had a good sauce, but it was not crispy and about half of the dish was minced onion, pepper, and carrot. It was a lot of filler for a $ 11 dish.
I may return to try a few other things off the Madras menu, but I hope next time I won’t be discouraged from eating there. I’m vegetarian, so I liked the idea of being able to order anything off the menu.
Funny aside. I think the food may have been off today because the couple next to us asked the waiter if the chef was having a bad day!

This is an inexpensive south Indian joint with some good items on the menu. I had a Garlic Masala Dosa which was terrific (spicy, with fried garlic flavoring) and the Pani Puri which was also quite good.
For dessert I had faluda, which I would avoid next time.
All in all, a good place to go for cheap but well made Dosas, but not for atmosphere or good service.

This place serves great vegetarian Indian food! The spices and other ingredients taste fresh and the food is not too oily or heavy. I’ve never had a bad dish there, but my favorites are bhel puri, spring dosa, and either the North and South thalis if I’m hungry. I love the kheer (rice pudding), which is amazingly delicate and not too sweet, with a subtle cardamom taste. Plus, the staff is very friendly. I could probably eat there every day.
PS– it used to be called Veggie Express, and is next to the carnivore-​friendly Tandoori Chef by the same owner. The name changed recently but good thing the food didn’t!