Annapoorna

I went for the lunch buffet, which honestly isn’t really worth the price given the limited selection, ok quality, and that everything was vegetarian, but it was almost worth it just for the deliciously crispy Indian donut– almost.
The person there was very nice and explained what everything was. The food wasn’t very memorable.

It’s under a different name now, but its still in the same location.
The lunch Buffet is half Veg, and half Normal and there was not a great selection. The food wasn’t bad though and the service was fine.
If you do decide to eat here you probably won’t regret it, but I don’t imagine you’ll rave about it either.
I just can’t get excited about this place.
As info, There are other places not much further south, where the food & selection are much better.

Annapoorna was amazing.
Dakshin is passable.
They’ve taken away the buffet. The food that they have now is good, but not really noteworthy. Their dosas are DELICIOUS… but I no longer order anything else there.
If you happen to go on a Friday or Saturday when they are having their buffet, it’s not very big, and not very tasty. There are probably better places to go, but if this one is convenient, you’ll be reasonably satisfied without being thrilled.

I’m not veggie but I used to come here regularly with my veggie friends for the buffet all the time. It was a great value especially with the free dosa that was made to order.
The place used to look older, but was packed every lunch time. For the whole time we were there there were only 3 tables (we were the biggest group by far with 5 people). The waiter brought water to the table then ignored us for 15 minutes after. The food was not bad but not really good value for the price.
I was there yesterday. They renovated the restaurant… for the worse. No lunch buffet except for weekends. Poor service. Dirty bathrooms. Pricey for what they serve now. I’m not going back again.

Another authentic South Indian restaurant in the valley. The food can be made Indian spicy, but might take some time to arrive. Also everything on the menu might not be available. Still the authentic taste is worth the wait.
Recommendation for Desis: Recommended!

Over the last 3 visits I have been more and more disappointed. This used to be my go-​to place for a decent south Indian veggie buffet, but the quality has gone downhill, the desserts can cause instant cavities.
I really want to like this place, but I’m afraid I won’t return in the near future. Even though my kids are never charged for the buffet.
Now to find Indian food in the peninsula that doesn’t suck wind.

Maybe it’s because I’m not vegetarian. or maybe it’s because I didn’t know how to eat a lot of this stuff (aka how to pair the sauces with the dishes), but I didn’t think it was THAT great.
Some of the items were pretty good. The dosas were amazing and the little crunchy pork rind looking things were pretty awesome as well… but I just really didn’t like anything else.
Not to mention, the selection isn’t that great. It is a buffet that if I took all the serving platters and placed them along the inside of my cubicle, it would only take up three of the cubicle walls.
I ate less than a plate at the lunch buffet so it wasn’t really worth the money for me.

We tried the mini tiffin, veechu paratha with veg korma and fried plantains of which the mini tiffin was best. We enjoyed the dosa and carrot halva the most. Idli was good, upma only ok although I did like fresh cilantro. with a little effort this place could b a lot better.

How did I mess up this badly? I find myself asking…
When I tried their dosa and thalis at a friend’s party in May (they do cater for parties) — I was so excited to have my family try this place out. The food was delicious! It also looked like good value for money, but what was more enticing was the fact that it’s a 15 minute walk from home.
Last week, with family AND guests from out of town in tow, we proceeded to try out this ‘brilliant’ place that I couldn’t stop raving about.
Not 5 minutes into sitting down did I find myself completely silenced, looking like a liar, but even more like a fool.
We were the only patrons there (at 6 30 p. m there should have been red flags everywhere right then!), the air-​conditioner wasn’t on (Think: hot, sweaty, sticky and hungry children smelling like curry spices) and the server… I felt badly for her… after all, us rude patrons had the audacity to repeatedly tear her away from her all important Hindi Game show on telly! How insolent of us!
Food was decent, but not worth the effort or the ordeal of trying to get service. And definitely not worth a repeat visit.
Hasta la vista, Dosa!

I am a south Indian and immensely fond of South Indian cuisine. Of late, I have been on a south indian food spree and that’s what led me to annapoorna. Here are my observations–
4 stars for the food!-
1) food– authentic and good. I have been to a lot of south indian restaurants in the bay area. Though this might not be one of the best dosas I have ever had, it was pretty good. I had the Tomata Kara dosa with pretty decent chutney and a not so great sambar. Also the usually served tomato chutney was missing.
2) Prices– Not rock bottom but cheap compared to many SF indian restaurants.
The not so good!
one star!
— the place is horribly kept– I also look to the total ambiance, particularly the cleanliness. This place would score an F there. The tables were unclean, the cutlery was dirty and they served in worn out plastic plates!
— Next the wash room was one of the dirtiest I have ever seen in the Bay area!
— The service was extremely lousy– took ages to get our order.
Advice to the owner-​Seriously guys, how can you serve such great food and pay no heed to cleanliness? After all doesn’t a clean, impressive environment add to the overall experience of dinning?

I was going to give this a 4 star just because the people were really friendly but honestly I thought the lunch buffet was just OK. If you really really like south Indian food then you may enjoy it more than I did but the buffet was pretty bland, not very spicy and mass cooked.
To be fair I showed up around the later part of the buffet when the food had probably been out there a while and they weren’t really refilling much of it. The idli was pretty forgettable and the eggplant was ok but again, not exciting.
They did custom make a fresh dosa for me (as I assume they do for everyone else too) and that was pretty good. And they offered to make another one for me but I knew if I ate another I would simply pass out from buffet-​overdose, which is my m.o. with buffets. I resisted the temptation and said no.
Finally, the price of $ 9.99 seemed a bit steep for lunch ($ 13 after tax and tip). I usually want to get out with lunch with under $ 10.

While the experience was most fun (everyone needs to order the paper masala dosa at least once in their lives — see pictures) and the service excellent, the food was no more than A-​OK — everything was good, but nothing really left us craving for more, either. I’ve tried some delicious vegetarian South Indian food in the past. but here, everything pretty much tasted the same. I did appreciate how friendly, attentive, and helpful everyone was. We were also served complimentary gulab jamun — yum!
I’ll probably be back for their delicious mango lassi and the masala dosa since they’re so close to where I’m staying at the moment.

Oh gosh. I went here on my birthday having a craving Indian food, and did not get what I expected at ALL.
The waiter who served us did not speak much English and was not very helpful in describing what things were. We were trying to look up what things were on our phones to no avail. HAHA. Anyways, their mango lassi drink was small for the amount they gave.
The food portions were large, but everything we ate seemed to resonate with different tones and hues of yellow and green (nothing like what their menu food looked like!) I pretty much had NO idea what I was eating at any point in time. I think there were lentils or potatoes prepared in a million different ways.
Everything also tasted the same (in addition to looking the same), but having a different consistency. It was an interesting experience, but you probably won’t find me dining here again any time soon… that is, unless I have someone with me that knows what to order and can describe to me what I’m eating!

If you’re looking for Dosa or Indian style pancakes, this is definitely your place. It’s totally vegetarian so bring your veggie loving friends here. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The food was pretty tasty. We ordered the special dosa of the day and tomato and onion Indian pancakes. (The proper name of them escapes me). They brought out a soup to start which was quite spicy. The dipping sauces were pretty good. I wasn’t a huge fan of the coconut ones but the lentil and the green sauce were good. Prices are good too. The lunch buffet sounds interesting. I may have to try it sometime.

Excellent south Indian food (Thali, Dosas). Decore is a bit sketchy — storefront right on a main road (El Camino Real), cafeteria chic.
Also no liquor license.
But the food more than makes up for it. Vegetarian, but not specifically vegan-​friendly (lots of yogurt, ghee, etc) but wait staff seemed pretty knowledgeable about what did and didn’t have dairy.

Sad to say I thought the food from the buffet was just okay. It’s great that it is all vegetarian but it seemed overpriced at $ 30 for two people (with tax).
It was packed when we got there – obviously a popular place.
The dosa is a real bonus and we enjoyed them.
But since we got there at 1:45 (buffet ends at 2:30) the food in the buffet trays were not replenished so we literally were scrapping the trays when it came time for our seconds.
None of the dishes were labeled; kind of annoying.
The staff was very sweet though
I won’t be in a rush to return here.

All the food was good, but not great. (FYI– ordered the thali, paper masala dosa, and channa masala)
Service is friendly and I enjoyed watching the Indian TV shows.
I wish I could bump up this place to 4 stars, but the chappathi was stale. That is unforgiveable.

One dosa or uttapam per buffet… I opted for the uttapam and it was da bomb! Nice mixture of sour, spicy, and gooey. The rest of the dishes were flavorful and surprisingly filling, esp. the soup which had a mild spice & their cottage cheese was good. Friendly waitstaff, owner is nice and personable.
$ 9.99, which is about avg. for Indian buffet but seems a bit steep for vegetarian only (AFAIK this is the only south Indian buffet in the area, but still.) And seconded about how this restaurant can get HOT. A solid 3, and one extra for the uttapam.

The only thing that keeps this from a five star was the service. The food is great.
The service? Well, if I wanted my soda after I already finished my meal, I would have asked for it that way… instead of it arriving after they had already taken the plates away. And half the tables got their bill delivered to their table while the other half had to go up to the counter… I was in the other half that had to go to the counter.
Other than that, the food was mildly spicy, a good variety, and fairly inexpensive. I would go again, even with the service.

This place is a big deal to me. I miss it so much. It is hands down my favorite veg restaurant of all time.
One of my dear friends James lives in San Mateo, and I almost look forward to eating at this restaurant as much as I look forward to seeing him whenever I visit. That good.
The staff is amazing. They recognize you after months of not coming. They help you order, explain dishes to you, and make recommendations. They don’t belittle you and are thrilled that you want to eat at their restaurant and try new things. They are proud of food they serve, and it shows. I have NEVER been disappointed with anything they’ve suggested and always come out bloated with food.
Also, nearly 100% vegan. You heard it. Just ask them; there are like 2 things vegans can’t eat, everything else is fair game.
If you are in the bay area, a fan of Indian food, vegan or vegetarian, you MUST, I repeat, MUST come to this restaurant. And if it’s your first time, make sure you get the sampler. And mail me your leftovers.