Udipi Cafe

Totally hit or miss. I’ve been there twice when the food was really good. I’ve been three times when the food was terrible. The one thing that you can always count on is that service is ALWAYS bad.

We found this restaurant on Unilocal when looking for something different for an evening meal. I hadn’t tried Southern Indian before my visit, the waitress was very helpful and we ordered her suggestions. The food was very tasty and the servings were more than we could eat. I’m a meat eater normally; this is a place to take vegetarian friends.

Best South Indian restaurant in Florida. We had the lunch buffet and it had over 15 dishes. The Dal was awesome and the Sambar had authentic made in Madras taste. I wish they served pappadum with Sambar. They brought Dosa to the table and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had used Coconut oil for the Dosa. The Desserts could have been better and wish they served Gulab Jamoon.
It is definitely worth going there again.

We had the Thali dinners. They tasted great. The portion sizes were large. Was able to substitute the poori for a chapati.

Great Dosas, and enjoyed the chaat as well. Only place my parents will go to in Tampa for dosas.

This place is great for takeout Indian food. My hubby and I usually call to go for their food when we feel like Indian food but don’t want to make it. I’m not a fan of eating in at this place because I think they make the food better when you order to go.

Terrible place. It used to be nice. I had piece of wire from scrubber in my pongal. The waiter just took back and nothing. No apology. This place is hygiene disaster.

Nice South Indian food, a bit far from where I live but when I’m next in the area I’ll definitely go! :)

Terrible! Service is so slow… we were the only ones in the restaurant and it still took a LONG time. Ordered gobi manchurian… it was stale, too salty and flavorless. Pani puri came with only potatoes and some sauce… none of the other fixings! Coconut chutney is always stale… tastes gross. The ONLY good thing is the batura and dosa (if they are fresh)

Food was average. The service was bad. Waitress did not care about customers. I ordered something and never received it.

Best dosa in this area. As for service and ambience? Minimal. However, I have never eaten at an Indian restaurant with quality customer service. Usually, I am happy if my order is correct and tasty.
On this day, I ordered a rava dosa and my kids each ordered a masala dosa with total bill under $ 20. I love that the kids menu serves full portions for less $$. I have eaten here for the past five years.

My husband and I were not impressed by the service here. We seated ourselves without so much as an acknowledgement by the ppl who worked there (who appeared to be busy eating lunch). When they finally looked up at us, we asked if we should just serve ourselves at the buffet — we got a terse head jerk.
The selection was tiny, and since we came in an hour from when the buffet was over once things were gone, they didn’t refill them.
When we got back to our table, there was no water, so I asked if we could have some. The guy just plopped a pitcher and 2 empty glasses on the table and walked off. The moment my husband when to pour us water, the top came off and water poured all over him. No one came to offer us a towel, nor even looked up to see why he had yelled in surprise.
The food was decent– but I missed having standard things like paneer. There was a ton of bean dishes, if you like that. To be honest, I had VERY low expectations because I’ve been spoiled in MD with some of the best Indian restaurants and from home cooked meals with friends– I wasn’t expecting much.
No one came to clear our plates, so the dishes just started piling up as we went for more servings.
Finally we were ready to go, and I had to wave someone down for the check. Seriously customer service is NOT a priority here.
So, they would get 1 star for service and 3 stars for food– averaging out at 2 stars. I definitely won’t be back. I don’t think they would care.

My was very worried when I moved to Tampa I would not find an Indian restaurant I liked, but Udipi squashed those fears! The restaurant is clean, the staff friendly and the food delicious. I have a feeling this is going to become one of my regular haunts.

Love me some Indian food!!! And this place is vegetarian full on!!! It’s amazing!!! Been there so many times and the service is great!!! I go for the buffet!!!

Don’t be turned off by the small quaint location behind a mattress center. This place serves some of the best vegetarian south indian food in the states!
The buffet is always different so you are always trying new items. The yellow dahl is the real reason we keep coming back. And it’s amazing with the complimentary dosa.
The servers are always attentive, but not overly friendly, which is fine. They warm up to you after a few visits.
The buffet is a great value. The regular menu has many south indian classics, also for a great value. The tomato rice is one of their specialities.

Best south indian food I have eaten so far in Tampa. Make sure to call them in advance if you are going with big groups in peek hours. Lots of options for vegetarians. There was very small place for buffet so we had to wait in line for food. But it was satisfying. Dosa was very crunchy.
Bottom line– I would again like to go there. It was worth driving 45 minutes for such good food.

Awesome food. Great price. Good size portions. All vegetarian cuisine, so if you must eat meat, it’s not for you. But if you are adventurous and have never had Indian before, this place is definitely a good start.

People who have rated this as good, I notice are mostly non Indians. The Indians know this place is bad.
We had to return the idli as it was cold and undercooked. The dal, Sambhar and rasam were low on taste and salt.

At Udipi, I order Masala Dosa, everything else is secondary. I am giving it five stars, just for the food. To me, that is all that matters.
Udipi Café is a very nice change from the usual Indian restaurants in Tampa Bay. Since the restaurant is noted more of a casual «Café,» there are casual snack items offered that you would not normally find on South Indian menus in Tampa, such as;
–Chaat–
Udipi refers to this portion of the menu as their «Mumbai Chaat Corner,» Indian style snacks that are a mixture of sweet, salty, crunchy, spicy, and creamy. Typically a crunchy salty snack covered in yogurt topping to share. Excellent when the weather is hot outside.
–Dosa (Dosai) —
The house specialty, so you must order it. I recommend the classic Masala Dosa, which in Wednesday nights is only $ 3.99! It is massive, amazingly delicious, fresh, and cheap. The coconut chutney it comes with is also bangin’.
–Poories/​Uttappum/​Chickpea Doughnuts–
Where else has these delicious style breads offered and prepared on premises?
–Thali–
A traditional sampler platter of various dishes and breads, served on a metal platter. You will feel like royalty and be able to try many dishes at once, not breaking the bank. You will not find this option at many other restaurants in the area.
Most of the curries are cream based, so their specialty curry is the Vegetable Korma— mixed vegetables, cream sauce, and nuts. However, if a restaurant offers okra I have to order it, so the Bindi Curry for me is a must try. The side rice does not come buttered, but all curries are served with a side of cucumber yogurt (riata).
Many rice dishes offered, like even more than I have ever seen anywhere.
They also make all of their desserts and ice creams from scratch.
The entire menu is vegetarian. The food is so flavorful, you will not miss the meat.
Lunch buffet is offered every day, except Monday.
Just as the casual feeling persists in the restaurant, the food prices are also casual and almost everything is under $ 10.00 and meant to share.
Don’t expect a white table cloth and fine dinnerware, this is a casual diner-​ish café serving up cheap and fascinatingly flavorful foods in a simple family-​style atmosphere. You will be surrounded by families chatting and sharing foods, having a great time. Service is not the best, so be a little pushy to get what you want, if needed.

Was excited to see a restaurant in the Tampa Bay Area that primarily served South Indian food. I have visited this place for both the lunch buffet and dinner. While the lunch buffet obviously offers more options for a great price, I prefer ordering off the menu. Reason being the lunch buffet doesn’t seem to be very fresh, especially the idlis and vadas. Overall an above average experience, with this place being a welcome break from your average indian restaurant serving the typical palak paneer and butter chicken.