Chennai Cafe

It’s a Sunday night and I just arrived in town. After scanning the reviews I came here expressly for the spicy Arcot Chicken Biryani.
Two Indian families with small children and a group of four Indian men appeared to be the only other patrons that evening. Multiple tv monitors were playing Indian musicals, with more than ample volume, and I was invited by the greeter to «watch with us.» Don’t mind if I do :-)
My biryani arrived — after a reasonable amount of time — with an egg on top (as specially ordered) and with both riatha and gravy as accompaniments (a nice touch, not found everywhere). The large bowl of rice offered a hopeful aroma of cinnamon. But, sadly, it was not spicy (as ordered) and really was rather bland. Not at all what I expected.
The tardka dal, on the other hand, which I did not see on the menu, but for which my waiter was happy to accept an order, was exceptionally good. Lots of ginger, garlic, and mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hot peppers swimming everywhere.
I’ll be back, and may even have another go at the Biryani (with a more careful discussion when the order is placed).
This place looks way too tasty to pass up.

I went here with my family. Me, the wifey, my seven year old, and my almost two year old. We arrived a bit early because we didn’t realize that they don’t open until 6pm for dinner. We found something else to do, which is no big deal. Something to keep in mind, though.
When we came back, we were the only car in the parking lot. We questioned whether it was a good idea and then went in. Let me say that I usually go out of my way to try Indian food. I try to find a place no matter where I travel to. I’ve been to some really great ones.
We were seated as soon as we walked in (of course… we were the only customers). We started off with a couple of veggie samosas, which is our go to appetizer at Indian places. They were pretty ok, but I’ve had better. R&R Curry Express in Springdale has the best veggie samosa I have ever had.
The wife ordered a chicken tikka masala very mild she was going to share with the kids. I ordered the biryani and told them somewhere between mild and spicy was fine for me. We topped it off with some garlic naan. The food came out fairly quick and we started digging in immediately.
The naan was just ok for us. Being garlic naan, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the flavor. I’ve definitely had better. My wife said the tikka was probably too mild and didn’t seem to taste good the more she ate. She claimed it ranked dead last for her when it comes to Indian places we’ve been to. My older son seemed to like it ok, but didn’t seem to be crazy about it. The biryani was alright. The spice level was good but I feel it may have been a «kit» kind of deal. It certainly wasn’t bad. It was just adequate.
The wait staff was were all nice and attentive. I have no complaints there. The food was just kind of underwhelming. I probably won’t go back because if feel there are better Indian options in the area. My house, for example, as I make a pretty killer chicken tikka masala myself!

Went to the Saturday lunch buffet. The food was delicious and authentic. There are vegetarian and meat options at the buffet. Great dessert selection. The staff was very attentive and friendly. I can’t wait to eat here again.

Best South Indian Dining in Arkansas Bar None

Visiting from Los Angeles. Just had the lunch buffet. It was delicious. I have to go back.

Awesome food… Authentic South Indian food. Everything I tried was too good,
Ambience is very nice. Friendly staff
Keep up the good work Chennai café team!!!
Will be your regular customer

If you are prepared to wait long time… This is the place. Wait for everything. Oh u have ordered something… Keep waiting… Keep waiting…
Okay… On the taste… Karuvattu kulambu is awesome…
Two is coz of the wait time. Hope next time it’s a reasonable wait…

Amazingly good. Blew me away as an Indian. The mutton biryani, saag lamb, yellow dal, puzhi kootu, and dosa were all excellent. The mozhu kootu was the only disappointment as was the neer mooru.

Chennai Café is one of the best Indian restaurants that I have visited in the U.S. Food is good, place is clean and people are nice too. I would recommend this place to anyone. If you are from Karnataka, don’t forget to talk to Madhu in Kannada!

lunch buffet at 12.99 is a tad high for most people to spend for lunch. There always a nice selection and the quality is good.

Wow! For a small town like this there are quite a few options on the Indian restaurants!
Third day in the row and all the Indian restaurants I have been until now here in Bentonville are just too good.
Alright about the Chennai coffee…
This is too good for veggies and the thaali they serve is just awesome.
I have never had one such in the last one year or so…
The ambience is perfect and unlike the other two Indian restaurants this is spacious.
The staff is good and the pricing is also decent. Over al I definitely recommend this.

We go to Chennai Café at least once a week. Mostly for lunch. The thaali is superb!!!

Great south Indian restaurant in Arkansas! We tried the arcot veg briyani, gobi 65 & gulab jamun for dinner. Decently priced & has a great variety of authentic south Indian vegetarian food. It was a pleasant surprise to find this in Arkansas.
Also to note, the ambience of the restaurant is really clean & pleasing.
The staff was friendly & service was good. I would definitely visit again when visiting Arkansas.

Best chennai food is here. Tamil songs played and it really feels like being in chennai. I went for the buffet and it was absolutely delicious. Couldn’t stop myself from eating. Every dish I tasted was absolutely delicious.

The people in Bentonville are the luckiest on this planet. For a city so small, it is very unfair that they have so many great options to eat out at :-(! Chennai Café has the best Non Veg thali I have had in recent times. The food is so Indian that I find it very amazing that some Americans are reviewing this place and appreciating the food here ! To those people I just have to say that you have excellent taste buds and know what good food is !
Anyway, back to the food. The thali is filled with all kinds of mutton and chicken items and comes with enough items to fill you up for the entire day. Everything tastes great and has an authentic feel to it. They also have Dosas and Idlis which are great.
On the flip side, the service and ambiance felt a bit too Indian as well which is not necessarily a great thing. The service was laid back and the ambiance does not make this look like a fancy eating out place for a «special» dinner. If good food is the only thing on your mind then this is the place for you.

Me and my husband come here all the time great service and awesome food ! Highly recommend this place specially dosa is just so big worth your money!

Was here a couple of time for lunch buffet. Decent tamil food. My go-​to in the Bentonville area. The rice varieties turned out best on both visits… Pongal, bisibelabath and potato biriyani. Would like to try their A la carte sometime.

I have had the Sunday lunch buffet twice from here. I can say its a pretty good Indian buffet. They offer a large variety of entrees, breads, and deserts.
The service is top notch. The management is very friendly and seeks to make sure you leave satisfied.
I would say this buffet is about equal to the others in town.

My husband and I both had curries, and they were super delicious! It was one of my favorite curries I’ve had in a while. The staff was super friendly, but we had a few uncomfortable moments. When we finished about half of our food, and asked to take the rest home (we had a large late lunch, and the spiciness was aggravating my ulcer.) Our waiter asked several times if there was something wrong with our food, and didn’t seem to believe that we enjoyed it. That did put a bit of a damper on the experience. (I felt very much watched during the entire meal.) That being said, I really enjoyed the food, and I will definitely be back… Next time with a bigger appetite.

Now, I have never had food in Chennai, so I know not. But being a South Indian from Andhra Pradesh (oops Telangana) in NWA, this is as close as it gets. I bet this restaurant would be among the top restaurants in Chennai too!
The food that is a must try here are the Dosas and Biryanis. They work great here. The evening daily snacks are good and well-​priced. The Indian-​Chinese food doesn’t match up though.
The buffet does not disappoint! Usually having long array of items, it is the best time to try their well-​prepared desserts.
I had experienced both sides of the service here, many experiences of highest respect and response and another that was forgettable and very rude.
For the Indians in NWA, it will be a frequent haunt. As for the experimenters, it won’t disappoint. In all, I decide not to let the one bad day let me affect my rating of this place by considering how well all other aspects are with this place.