Dosa Temple

Please note — they ARE STILL OPEN! They changed their name to Dosa ‘n Curry. Same owners, same location, same great food.
This place offers vegetarian dishes you won’t find anywhere else.

— This is a South Indian restaurant; that’s the food they excel at (dosa, idli, etc).
— I have tried a few North Indian dishes here (paneer, daal, etc.) but did not like them.
— Buffet is good, but the quality on a la carte is much better. On a la carte, I like to go for the «udipi thali» which givens you a good variety for $ 14 (including a dosa)

I admit I am a meat eater. But Dosa Temple has a very tasty pop corn cauliflower. I can eat that all day!

4 stars for the food. The dosas are super filling and everything is extremely flavorful. I am not a big fan of any of their desserts, but the chef special, curry and onion dosa were amazing.
2 stars for everything else. They have some delicious dosas — that is for sure. Service however… it took us 15 minutes to get acknowledge by a host/​waiter. The next time I have a craving for this place I am just going to order take out.

Good prices, our bill for two was $ 32, which included 2 entrees, an appetizer and a mango lassi.
Their dosas are of an intimidating size and could easily be shared between two moderately hungry people along with an appetizer or two. The one I got was good, unfortunately I can’t remember the name. There was some cocunut-​flavored spread that had a consistency of butter and was DELICIOUS. The first soup on their menu was real tasty (also quite salty, but in a good way) — I had never seen that type on a menu before (it wasn’t coconut, wasn’t mulligatawny).

I hate to say it but this place has turned me off much North Indian food. It doesn’t have as much of the heavy sauces and everything is vegetarian or vegan. The food just feels lighter overall.
I’d recommend trying the weekend buffet if it’s your first time. It even comes with a mini-​dosa and I can’t get enough of the manchurian cauliflower! I highly recommend NOT ordering the dosa to-​go/​delivered. It gets a little sad by the time you get home. but it’s not the dosa’s fault.

Dosa Temple, tumhi mere mandir.
Hurray for real Indian food in the Boston area! No more driving out to Ashland, Norwood, etc in a desperate search for dosas. Perfect dosas, crunchy fresh medhu vadas, delicious sambar, rasam, lemon rice. The weekend buffet is huge and delicious (freshly made dosas just keep on coming!).
Folks– skip naan, paneer tikka masala, etc, basically avoid anything you might see at other Indian restaurants, and stick with the awesome south Indian food. Shalimar’s «Dosa Factory» doesn’t even come close. Dosa Temple is real.

This review applies to their lunch buffet, which, as Joe Bidden would say, was absolute malarkey. It was a sad state of affairs and walking in to a deserted dining area should have been a hint.
We waited patiently near the front of the house for a few minutes before finally being noticed and seated. We were the only ones here despite the fact that it was only 1PM on a Tuesday afternoon. The place’s décor is very simplistic, almost bare and frankly I thought about walking out but decided to press on as the reviews for the place were good.
Well… I should have left. The food was average at best. It was only vegetarian and a lot of the stuff on the buffet was dry as bones from sitting there for however long they were there. A lot of the stuff wasn’t even warm and the only redeeming factor was our naan which was pretty good alongside the kheer.
Service was careless and inattentive, choosing to hide in the back only making a quick appearance to give us the bill and process our cash. Not impressed. No thanks.

Incredibly delicious food. I live in the south end, but it’s worth driving here to eat. This is the best South Indian food I’ve had since I attended a wedding in Bangalore. I can’t wait to go back and try more!

This review is for the lunch buffet only. Given that the food in the Ashland branch of Dosa Temple is amazing, I was excited that there was one open in Somerville now. I should’ve kept my expectations really low. There was no flavor or taste to most of the items on the buffet menu. Tomato chutney tasted like tomato purée with salt. The onion pakoras and medhu vadas were cold and tasteless. Tasteless if you dont count the fried flour batter flavor for taste. I could not have more than a spoon of the curries\gravies. The only saving grace was the rice pudding and gobi manchurian. I literally hogged on these to save my appetite.
Definitely not coming back for a lunch buffet here. Better off driving a few extra miles to get to the Ashland branch.

Went there last night for the first time (although I’ve been dying to try it). As a vegetarian and lover of Indian food, I was psyched because I particularly like South Indian cuisine, which can be harder to find. This place didn’t disappoint. It looks very unassuming (this is NOT a fancy place) but I was encouraged by the fact that the other patrons were primarily Indian.
I was with my boyfriend and a friend, so we ordered the vegetarian platter appetizer which include a samosa, vada, idli, and a few other things. Everything was fried but not oily and crispy. We also ordered the fried cauliflower which was terrific.
We then shared an eggplant curry (don’t remember which of the two on the menu we chose), the Temple Masalai Dosa, and the Navarathna Korma. The eggplant curry was thick and luscious. The dosai were sliced into pieces the perfect size to hold in your hand, and came with coconut chutney, a tomato chutney and sambar. The dosa was stuffed with potatoes, onions, spicy sauce, and a few other things; different than your average masala dosa but stil with the crisp exterior and flavorful filling. The Navarathna Korma was probably our least favorite dish, although that’s still relative, since it was a tad on the sweet side for our liking. But overally it was still a great dish – creamy, with complex flavors.
My only complaint was that I had wished we had gotten some complementary roti or something with our meal. We didn’t order any bread although we probably will in the future.
We don’t live close enough to visit this place on a regular basis, but my boyfriend works nearby, so we are definitely planning on coming back whenever we have a hankering for truly exellent Indian food.

HELL YES.
I grew up eating dosas every Saturday morning and have missed them so, so much since I went off to college and upon moving into my tiny hole of an apartment in Somerville (#firstworldproblems). So, given all of that, just try for a sec to imagine my immense joy at finding out that dosas are being served up at another local joint (the other being Dosa Factory, duh). You probably can’t imagine my happiness actually. It involved giggle-​squealing like a 13 year old girl after her crush nods at her in the hallway on the way to pre-​algebra.
ANYWAY. Rolled in here one Saturday morning, hungover as hell, ready to stuff my face at the totally vegetarian buffet. Man oh man, it hit the spot. Seriously, the food was so hot, fresh, and delicious. Nothing oily or greasy about it. Straight up awesome South Indian food (South Indian food is actually super rare around here; most Indian restaurants in Boston are North Indian). And the best part: fresh and crispy dosas brought directly to our table!
Go indulge your inner vegetarian with a super satisfying and healthy meal at Dosa Temple. (:

My husband and I and our vegetarian son went to Dosa Temple tonight. We brought wine and beer which our waitress cheerfully opened. We started with a mixed salad, which was chopped carrot, onion, tomato and cucumber piled high with greens. There was no dressing, which was fine, since I really just wanted to lighten my meal. My son and I each had the paper masala dosa, and enormous rolled sheet of crispy lentil pancake, served with Sambar (a tangy sour soup), coconut chutney, tomato chutney and soft, mildly spiced potato pieces. Everything was fresh and piping hot. I somehow managed to eat the entire thing — it was a very good combination of flavors.
The décor is basic formica, but everything seems clean. I do agree with Archana that the heat and spice could be kicked up a notch. Still, very good value — fresher and lighter than most northern Indian fare.

Went again last night and the service was much better.
Went with a friend who has lived in South India (and whose family is from that area) and she reported that the food is authentic.
We got the masala dosa and it was the most enormous thing I’ve ever seen. It was almost comical. It was longer than our table was wide. I am not exaggerating.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about the filling. It was heavy on the onions and caramelized or almost pickled-​tasting. I guess I prefer the filling to be mostly potatoes and spices — less onion.
I did, however, LOVE the Pongal, a thick, porridge-​y rice dish with a sweet-​ish base taste (maybe some coconut?) and whole black peppercorns, liberally sprinkled throughout — yum! What a combo of flavors! It was even better with the savory, tomatoey sambar sauce and some coconut chutney added.
The Mulligatawny soup was just OK. My friend said she thought they might have brought me the Mysore tomato rasam instead by mistake. Whatever it was, it was watery and not that flavorful.
We shared sambar vada (donuts made from ground lentils and spices, with a fragrant tomatoey sauce), and those were quite good.

Great South Indian food. Good location.
However, the service is really, really slow. I had to ask for my check twice and still waited 20 minutes.

This is the most authentic Dosa place that I have been to in Boston. The chef is South Indian and makes dosas they way they are meant to be made.
The Upma also was just amazing.
Nice ambience. Great location (ample parking space) and friendly staff.

Dosa Temple, I have waited for you for four years. But I never dared dream you would open a few blocks from home.
I was weaned on the vegetarian Indian fare at our temple, and lived off of weekly doses of dosa from Curry Hill in NYC. The lack of South Indian food in Boston gave me pause when I decided to move here in 2008 (Ajanta in East Cambridge had since closed), but I came nonetheless. After trying the less-​than-​mediocre dosa at Dosa Factory in Central (a factory indeed), I despaired, until today, when I came across Dosa Temple while jogging on Somerville Ave. I stopped by for the buffet, and will be back to sample the dinner menu (not tonight — I’m a bit full).
The buffet has it all, and it does everything very well. For 7.95 you get a fresh masala dosa, which was perfect — crispy on the outside, soft potato masala on the inside. Sambhar, rasam, yogurt rice, coconut and tomato chutneys, were as good as I’ve had in India. Vada probably doesn’t belong in a buffet — it must be eaten fresh or it gets disappointingly chewy, like today. The subzis were also pretty good. Kheer and carrot halwa were above average.
Welcome, Dosa Temple!

Yum.
I’ve been to the other location as well and both are consistently good. If you’ve never had dosas before, this is the perfect place to lose your dosa virginity. Begin with the Mysore Tomato Rasam soup, which is hot and flavorful and the perfect start to your meal.
I highly recommend the Temple Special Masala Dosa, with spicy chutney, onions, tomatoes and potatoes. It’s so filling and satisfying, with incredible spices that get your taste buds dancing. Of course I’m a little biased because I think dosas filled with potatoes are the best dosas ever. The combination of the crêpe and the starch is just heavenly.
My friend and I also shared an Onion Hot Chili Uthappam, which is a rice and lentil pancake topped with onions, chilies and cilantro. It was fantastic, especially with the accompanying sauces. Not the slightest bit greasy or oily.
The space is quite big and there’s plenty of seating for parties of all sizes. If you can make the trek out to Spring Hill, definitely check this place out.

I really WANTED to like this place since Indian is my favorite. I knew going into it that it was all vegetarian and I am cool with not having my normal lamb vindaloo.
I ordered the house special dosa and was fairly unimpressed. Maybe this is what South Indian cuisine is like, but I just plain did not really like the food. It was like eating a boring, somewhat curried, crushed-​up batch of potatoes and onions in a crêpe.
Service was typical Indian (i.e. barely audible, awkward) and one member of our party got her dosa a good 15 minutes AFTER everyone else and the waiter brought it out without an apology/​explanation.
I’m sticking to India Palace in Union Square as my go-​to Indian place.

Was not impressed by the ambiance or the service
But the food makes up for all that. Having spent lots of time in India and being married to an Indian who is an excellent cook I was impressed with how tasty the food was– ordered the thali which came with multiple curries and all were tasty.
Perhaps in deference to western tastes the food is not quite hot enough. But still trumps the competition. As a vegetarian the place is a godsend.