dgn Factory

Great lunch spot in the tunnels downtown. Had the bhaji dosa and Sichuan fries. Really good meal at a good price. Only downside is it is a bit slow when it’s busy.

I love dosas and I enjoyed the dosa from DGN factory on the Richmond. I was really excited about this new downtown location and thought I’d go there for lunch 5 days a week. However I was disappointed after tried them for first time.
I tried their Chettinad spicy dosa, idli and the Gobi Manchurian. Dosa is made of rice and lentil, it supposed to be thin and crispy. My dosa was sloppy and small. I didn’t get the crispy texture a good dosa supposed to have. I don’t think they intended to make soft dosa as the soft dosa supposed to be thicker.
The masala of the dosa tasted pretty good, however I wasn’t very impressed by their coconut chutney. The Idli was just plain as it supposed to be. I only tasted the bread of the Gobi Manchurian, I don’t felt I got any cauliflower out of this dish at all.
This spot is still new so I hope they can improve the quality of their food.

I have been waiting on this place to open for quite some time now and it has already started to become very busy, add the fact that dosa takes time to make and some are longer (Manchurian Dosa) than others (Masala Dosa) and you can easily wait 10 – 20 minutes for food. I order the Manchurian Dosa Spicy and a Masala Chai. I have been going crazy over gobi Manchurian since the first time I tried it at London Sizzler a little over a year ago and now every restaurant if they have I have it. I am super glad that my first encounter with it wasn’t from this place… not that it was completely bad though the flavor and the heat were a bit bland for me. I felt like maybe he gave me the original version, but I remembered that when the employee handed me my order he expressed that it was the spicy version. I also notice that texture wise of the cauliflower (gobi) was inconsistent throughout the dosa… it was cut into 4 pieces and the inner 2 pieces texture seemed decent enough, but the outer two were crunchy… overcooked…didn’t even feel like I was eating gobi. The sambar again was bland and not really a lot of veggies in it. Masala chai… needs improvement… again not spicy at all. Even though the food wasn’t completely up to par… this is just the opening and there is room for improvements. Also there are a lot of different items I can try and they have some desserts like the halwa, kulfi and lassi I would like to try. Suggestion on heat… there should be more levels besides spicy and non-​spicy. Maybe Indian-​Indian spicy for those that have lived in india most their lives and know what real spicy is, then Indian American like me… raised in America, and has tried real indian and knows that it is way too spicy, American — what I had today, and non-​spicy.

I absolutely loved everything about my experience at dgn («Dosa Gone Nuts») factory.
Let’s start with my most important criteria — FOOD! I went with my husband for lunch, we work in a neighboring office building. We had never had or even heard of a dosa, but the cashier (I think the owner) was incredibly helpful in making a decision on what to order. We ended up having a Masala Dosa and Palak Paneer Dosa, They are cut into four pieces so very easy to share if you want to try multiple items. He told us the Masala was the most traditional, so a good place to start. Both were incredibly delicious. Almost like an Indian «grilled cheese». They all come with lentil soup (delicious, but on the spicy side) and a coconut dipping sauce. I cannot get over how good everything was. I completely forgot it was vegetarian! We both ate everything, and can’t wait to come back for more.
Service was amazing too. He even stopped us a couple of days later when we walked by to make sure we enjoyed the experience. My mouth is watering even writing this review.
Note…If you are unfamiliar with downtown, you should know that this is not at the street level. It’s in the tunnel system, and is not accessible except during business hours. So closed on weekends. Also, there is not dedicated seating, there are several food court type eating areas to nosh in, but it’s not exactly a restaurant.

For us Westerners, DGN is unique dining experience. This concept of vegetarian only crepes is only the beginning; the myriad of choices in the menu can be overwhelming, so I asked for recommendations and was surprised by the different flavors in my order.
I can only translate my order as it was described to me not as it is written on the menu. I ordered spinach crepes and fried cauliflower balls that were called Manchurian globuls or something like that. They were both really good. But the globuls were incredible. The soup is very spicy and tasty. I really do like this place.

Tasty vegetarian dosa and sides. A bit expensive when purchasing as a meal, but overall a good experience.
DGN (Dosa Gone Nuts) is located in the tunnel near Charlie’s Barbecue and M R Mexican Grill.
First of all, this place does not serve meat. Many different kinds of dosa are available, but ordering a dosa by itself may not fill you up.
A dosa is basically a rice & lentil crêpe with a vegetable filling. Similar to a French dip, you dunk the dosa in a broth/​soup that is normally served with the dosa.
I ordered a dosa with cauliflower (Chettinad Spicy Dosa) and spicy idlilittles (5 small, steamed rice cakes). The dosa was flattened-​out and the filling was spread over the entire crêpe. It was delicious. I also liked the soup and yogurt sauce that was served with the dosa. The idlilittles were also good and complemented the dosa well.
A coworker who ate with me claims that the Mayuri Express restaurant around the corner gives you more dosa for your money than DGN does. I am not sure myself, because DGN cuts their dosa into 4 pieces. Putting the pieces end-​to-​end may not result in a dosa that is bigger than a standard lunch tray at Mayuri. If not, it’s pretty close. The total for a dosa, idli and a chai was a little over $ 11 with tax.
DGN has dosas, vadas (fried lentil donuts), idlis, desserts, and «taste bud ticklers» that include gobi, pakora, samosas, and Schezuan fries.
There is an idli and vada combo available, but it would be nice to see lunch meal combos. I had an unsweetened chai with my meal that was very good. Although the menu has a few fusion dosas (pizza, chili paneer and bean/​salsa), it would be nice to see more fusion dosas on the menu, perhaps some with meat.
DGN has breakfast specials, but nothing in terms of standard breakfast ingredients such as eggs, sweet dosas/​vada or the like. There is a breakfast dish made with rice, lentils, cashews and butter that looks interesting (Sakkarai Pongal). Orange juice, coffee and tea are offered for breakfast.
Tap water is not available to drink, only bottled water.
I will return to try a different type of dosa and side next time. Worth a stop.