Favorite indian spot in the city (and i'm indian). Get the Rye Raja for a drink if you like Manhattans. All of the lamb dishes are awesome. Get there early on Fridays and you can usually get a spot at the bar if you're just going for 2 people.
(5)
Jerrilyn K.
Service was horrendous! We went for lunch on Sunday. There were 3 of us. Only 2 of us were served. We were ignored by the waiter and the hostess and manager were of no help. We even had trouble getting our check so we could leave. How hard could it have been to ladle out another bowl of soup????
(1)
Snoopy C.
Love this restaurant! It has lovely decor, always crowded and the desserts are really good. I usually come here when I need my chai and rasmalai fix!
(5)
Sri B.
I am South Indian. And this is by-far one of the best South India restaurants I've been to anywhere in the world including London, New York, and South India. The food is absolutely delicious. I did the prix fixe. Except the seafood vada which was so-so, everything was near perfection. The ambiance is higher end for a typical south Indian place, but some of it still came off a little cheap. As an aside, I would recommend ordering a lambrusco by the glass (it's offered so rarely in restaurants in the US).
(5)
Yavnika K.
Utterly delighted to know someone out there is spending time, money and energy to make Indian food elevated and fancy. And not losing the essence of good taste and exceptional variety that Indian food offers. And yes, am one of those to order Dosa at Dosa. Keema dosa it was...not divine but was very happy with it after a long walk and accompanied by good folks in SF. The best on the table was the very well presented Dahi -bhalla. The cocktails were innovative but not many vodka choices. Emerald Monk was spicy and punchy. I'd be happy to recommend Dosa to anyone- it showcases the wonder of Indian cuisine well to any global gourmand.
(4)
Shakira M.
This is my second review for Dosa and both reviews have been unexpectedly low compared to my past experience here. As I used to love this place and still do for the food, the management has really fallen short in the last year. This is the second time I've been here and they are WAY understaffed! We sat at the bar and the bartender worked really hard to serve us but he was so under staffed that the service was very slow. When you pay $12 a drink and $15-$25 an entree, I expect better service. Please staff more people and start meeting customer's expectations!
(2)
Bill S.
Excellent service, large delicious dosas, great ambiance. We had the classic and the sweet potato dosas. Also had a Wry Rajah cocktail which was super delicious!
(5)
Maggie W.
I loooooved this place. They have a great selection of vegetarian options (vegetables rather than fake meat, which is perfect) I've never had sweet potato dosa but theirs is amazing Seriously, I have to go back and try all of the vegetables. So many vegetables! My recommendation: if you're with someone else, order one dosa and some appetizers. We each ordered one dosa and had tons of leftovers, they are huge!
(5)
Crystal S.
Interesting twist on Indian food. The dosas are huge! You must order the dahl vada with its layers of flavors. The decor is colorful, but still feels airy.
(3)
ami s.
I went here with a group of friends and it was a great place for groups. Good cocktails and service. The restaurant itself was very cute and swanky. If you're looking for a scene, this is for you. As for the food, we had tried a number of items being a party of 8. The keema did not taste like any keema I've had and even so, it wasn't very good. The chennai chicken and the tamil lamb were my favorite items. The dosas were just ok. If you're looking for good indian food, there are far better options, especially in the city, not to mention for far less $. It's a bit overhyped in my opinion but if you're looking for a fun place to try and don't care for the best food, it's a good option.
(3)
Paul H.
In my opinion the highest quality Indian food in SF. Ambiance is great, food is always high quality, great service. Great for sharing plates. Also a great date spot, but probably want to call ahead and make a reservation as it very popular. My favorites: Veggie sliders, truffle dosa, chana bhatura, all amazing! Kudos Dosa!
(5)
Mrunal U.
We had ordered paneer & peas dosa and Chile uttapam. Food is a bit pricey but taste, decor and quality was superb.
(4)
Srini V.
Authentic South Indian, compares to best Indian restaurants in U.S.. Highly recommended to try masala dosa, vada pav and poori.. Pricey but worth dining once in a while!!
(5)
Katie V.
I came here with my mom and some friends when she came to visit the city. I'd never had dosa before so I was a little overwhelmed with what to expect, but it was pretty good. Our server was very nice. Luckily we got a reservation on Opentable so that it wasn't a long wait to get a table. We were seated in a quieter area of the restaurant, which was a relief, since it was so loud and crowded! Only real downside to the service was that because it was so busy, they forgot one of our appetizer orders and by the time they delivered it we were halfway through our dinner and had no room to eat more. I got the pumpkin dosa which was pretty good. I expected there to be pumpkin inside the dosa, but it was just a separate dip, which was sweet and yummy. Next time I come here I probably wouldn't eat the insides of the dosa--or maybe it was just the pumpkin dosa filling that was boring, just potatoes. My boyfriend got the paneer dosa which came in 3 little wraps instead of the large triangle, and I thought that one tasted really good. If you can come here DEFINITELY try the peony cocktail! SO GOOD! I had the Mango is the New Black cocktail which was ok but a little watery. My boyfriend had the specialty gin and tonic which he said was also alright, not really like a gin and tonic. But the Peony was sooooooo decadent and delicious and absolutely amazing. Yummmmm please. Maybe if I came here again we'd just order a couple of dosas to share, instead of everyone ordering a separate dosa.
(4)
Chetan B.
The best dosa I ever had in US. I had dosa in most of the restaurants in San Jose, Dallas and New Jersey locations. But this place beats all other restaurants in it's taste, ambience, authenticity. The main food items to try here : 1) Dahi Vada: very delicious and beautifully presented 2) Lamb kheema dosa 3) Chilly garlic uttappam 4) Vada Pav 5) masala dosa
(5)
Kira G.
Excellent cocktails and generous, shareable portions. Chicken biryani was delicious. Atmosphere and decor are warm but impressive.
(5)
Irina P.
In a quick evening before jumping into the Film festival rush, we decided to run have dinner! Dosa looked very full but lucky enough we made it to sit at the bar. The food was delicious, specially the sambusas. The only bad not about it: really really noisy, you can't even here what is saying the person eating with you!
(4)
Manjit B.
I went here for lunch. I am Indian so I am biased when it comes to Indian food. The food was way too Americanized and not fresh. It tasted alright but nothing like I expected and hoped for. The ambience and decor is amazing, but the food, unfortunately isn't.
(2)
Avinash K.
Ok, the most authentic Indian dosa that I have ever had in the States, is here. I had the Lamb Keema dosa, with some extra Parathas. Friends had Masala dosa and chilli garlic dosa, we did order a plate of bhel puri, pani puri and Kale pakoras. The best appetizer in a really really long time is Kale Pakoras - light crunchy and fresh - A MUST TRY here. It was a little expensive overall, but I guess you can't help that in a city. We spent almost $30 a head. But, worth it in my opinion. Tip: Make sure you make a reservation if you need a table of 5 or more.
(5)
Sam F.
Enjoyed a delectable lunch with awesome company, courtesy of my boyfriend =D Dosa has been on my bookmarks for awhile now, and we finally got our butts over here to try it out. After checking the menu out online I figured it would be better to go for lunch (to spare our wallets a bit), and we didn't have to fight the crowds to get a table so it was win-win. We arrived when they opened at 11:30 and were seated immediately. The interior is very large and floridly decorated, but it's tasteful and interesting (definitely eye catching). The service is impeccable; our waiter was very nice, attentive and even answered my random questions when it came to identifying items of my thali. The BF ordered the Chennai Chicken as an appetizer, then the Prawn Frankie for his meal, while I ordered the vegetarian thali. First off: ORDER THE CHENNAI CHICKEN. This was the most perfectly cooked, tender chicken I have ever consumed, and it was coated in a combination of spices that enveloped your mouth in such a satisfying way. As if it couldn't get any better, they add a side of cucumber yogurt that you can dip your chicken it, which calms the spices and makes it even better!! That sauce was just as yummy as the chicken, and both my BF and I resorted to using a spoon to scrape the last remnants out of the cup ;) The prawn Frankie looks like a wrap but it's filled with delicious shrimp and it's quite filling. As for my thali, when I received it I freaked out a bit because it was so gigantic! There were at least 10 little individual cups on this tray bigger than my head, and in the center were rice, and two kinds of bread. I couldn't name everything I had if I tried but I remember there was saffron rice, basmati rice, cucumber yogurt, veggies, a pickled vegetable of some sort, lentils, a spicy soup, a rice puff with ghee (tasted cheesy to me), and veggie curry among other things. There was so much variety but I was able to taste so many things for a reasonable price. LEGIT. Overall this was a great dining experience. I would definitely come back, although the prices for dinner are a bit steep... then again they have a lot more entree options on the dinner menu so I bet it's worth it! Gotta come back and try the chai tea as well =)
(4)
Randy S.
Brought here by some friends of mine and I have to say that the ambience here is great. Loved the music that they were playing at the time and it felt like a pretty posh place overall. We came in on a Friday evening around 9pm and found it solidly packed, which attests to its popularity. We were seated after 45 minutes and I ended up ordering the Chennai chicken and the lamb dosa. The Chennai chicken was tasty and came out in a fairly large sized portion for a small plate. The chicken was fried and had a slight spiciness to it that gave it a nice little kick. It came with a side of yogurt sauce, raw onions, and a lemon that added some nice additional flavor to the dish. I thought it was a solid appetizer. The lamb dosa was ok and not anything amazing. It came out with a bowl of sambar, cup of coconut chutney, cup of tomato chutney, and a bowl of lamb. The dosa was perfectly made, but the sambar and chutneys were not particularly flavorful / spicy and the lamb had the taste and consistency of a bowl of chili. I was not impressed by the dish and it may be that I should've ordered another dosa. Overall, I really liked the environment of this place and would come here to lounge at the bar, but I wasn't particularly impressed by the food. I found it very overpriced for the quality of what you received... but then I've never thought of dosas capable of being fancy.
(3)
Katrina S.
This place is amazing!!! Their version of a margarita is Devine. As well as the chennai chicken. I could eat two orders of that chicken. Sat at the bar and Terry was a very informative, brilliant bar tender. Tx for making our meal even better then it tasted. My boyfriend and I will be returning for sure;)
(5)
Vivian W.
This place was great! It's much more spacious, and we didn't have to wait on a weekend evening, which was great since we walked in one hour before our movie at Kabuki! Compared to the Valencia location, parking is better, and there is a much larger waiting area (at Valencia, it's super cramped at the bar and it's hard not to feel like you're sticking your behind into someone's meal next to you). Service was great too! We sat at the communal table and got quick service. Ordered the sweet potato dosa and my friend ordered a spicy chile and garlic dosa. Both of us devoured them.
(4)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :1700 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA, 94115
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Garage, Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
Jay G.
Favorite indian spot in the city (and i'm indian). Get the Rye Raja for a drink if you like Manhattans. All of the lamb dishes are awesome. Get there early on Fridays and you can usually get a spot at the bar if you're just going for 2 people.
(5)Jerrilyn K.
Service was horrendous! We went for lunch on Sunday. There were 3 of us. Only 2 of us were served. We were ignored by the waiter and the hostess and manager were of no help. We even had trouble getting our check so we could leave. How hard could it have been to ladle out another bowl of soup????
(1)Snoopy C.
Love this restaurant! It has lovely decor, always crowded and the desserts are really good. I usually come here when I need my chai and rasmalai fix!
(5)Sri B.
I am South Indian. And this is by-far one of the best South India restaurants I've been to anywhere in the world including London, New York, and South India. The food is absolutely delicious. I did the prix fixe. Except the seafood vada which was so-so, everything was near perfection. The ambiance is higher end for a typical south Indian place, but some of it still came off a little cheap. As an aside, I would recommend ordering a lambrusco by the glass (it's offered so rarely in restaurants in the US).
(5)Yavnika K.
Utterly delighted to know someone out there is spending time, money and energy to make Indian food elevated and fancy. And not losing the essence of good taste and exceptional variety that Indian food offers. And yes, am one of those to order Dosa at Dosa. Keema dosa it was...not divine but was very happy with it after a long walk and accompanied by good folks in SF. The best on the table was the very well presented Dahi -bhalla. The cocktails were innovative but not many vodka choices. Emerald Monk was spicy and punchy. I'd be happy to recommend Dosa to anyone- it showcases the wonder of Indian cuisine well to any global gourmand.
(4)Shakira M.
This is my second review for Dosa and both reviews have been unexpectedly low compared to my past experience here. As I used to love this place and still do for the food, the management has really fallen short in the last year. This is the second time I've been here and they are WAY understaffed! We sat at the bar and the bartender worked really hard to serve us but he was so under staffed that the service was very slow. When you pay $12 a drink and $15-$25 an entree, I expect better service. Please staff more people and start meeting customer's expectations!
(2)Bill S.
Excellent service, large delicious dosas, great ambiance. We had the classic and the sweet potato dosas. Also had a Wry Rajah cocktail which was super delicious!
(5)Maggie W.
I loooooved this place. They have a great selection of vegetarian options (vegetables rather than fake meat, which is perfect) I've never had sweet potato dosa but theirs is amazing Seriously, I have to go back and try all of the vegetables. So many vegetables! My recommendation: if you're with someone else, order one dosa and some appetizers. We each ordered one dosa and had tons of leftovers, they are huge!
(5)Crystal S.
Interesting twist on Indian food. The dosas are huge! You must order the dahl vada with its layers of flavors. The decor is colorful, but still feels airy.
(3)ami s.
I went here with a group of friends and it was a great place for groups. Good cocktails and service. The restaurant itself was very cute and swanky. If you're looking for a scene, this is for you. As for the food, we had tried a number of items being a party of 8. The keema did not taste like any keema I've had and even so, it wasn't very good. The chennai chicken and the tamil lamb were my favorite items. The dosas were just ok. If you're looking for good indian food, there are far better options, especially in the city, not to mention for far less $. It's a bit overhyped in my opinion but if you're looking for a fun place to try and don't care for the best food, it's a good option.
(3)Paul H.
In my opinion the highest quality Indian food in SF. Ambiance is great, food is always high quality, great service. Great for sharing plates. Also a great date spot, but probably want to call ahead and make a reservation as it very popular. My favorites: Veggie sliders, truffle dosa, chana bhatura, all amazing! Kudos Dosa!
(5)Mrunal U.
We had ordered paneer & peas dosa and Chile uttapam. Food is a bit pricey but taste, decor and quality was superb.
(4)Srini V.
Authentic South Indian, compares to best Indian restaurants in U.S.. Highly recommended to try masala dosa, vada pav and poori.. Pricey but worth dining once in a while!!
(5)Katie V.
I came here with my mom and some friends when she came to visit the city. I'd never had dosa before so I was a little overwhelmed with what to expect, but it was pretty good. Our server was very nice. Luckily we got a reservation on Opentable so that it wasn't a long wait to get a table. We were seated in a quieter area of the restaurant, which was a relief, since it was so loud and crowded! Only real downside to the service was that because it was so busy, they forgot one of our appetizer orders and by the time they delivered it we were halfway through our dinner and had no room to eat more. I got the pumpkin dosa which was pretty good. I expected there to be pumpkin inside the dosa, but it was just a separate dip, which was sweet and yummy. Next time I come here I probably wouldn't eat the insides of the dosa--or maybe it was just the pumpkin dosa filling that was boring, just potatoes. My boyfriend got the paneer dosa which came in 3 little wraps instead of the large triangle, and I thought that one tasted really good. If you can come here DEFINITELY try the peony cocktail! SO GOOD! I had the Mango is the New Black cocktail which was ok but a little watery. My boyfriend had the specialty gin and tonic which he said was also alright, not really like a gin and tonic. But the Peony was sooooooo decadent and delicious and absolutely amazing. Yummmmm please. Maybe if I came here again we'd just order a couple of dosas to share, instead of everyone ordering a separate dosa.
(4)Chetan B.
The best dosa I ever had in US. I had dosa in most of the restaurants in San Jose, Dallas and New Jersey locations. But this place beats all other restaurants in it's taste, ambience, authenticity. The main food items to try here : 1) Dahi Vada: very delicious and beautifully presented 2) Lamb kheema dosa 3) Chilly garlic uttappam 4) Vada Pav 5) masala dosa
(5)Kira G.
Excellent cocktails and generous, shareable portions. Chicken biryani was delicious. Atmosphere and decor are warm but impressive.
(5)Irina P.
In a quick evening before jumping into the Film festival rush, we decided to run have dinner! Dosa looked very full but lucky enough we made it to sit at the bar. The food was delicious, specially the sambusas. The only bad not about it: really really noisy, you can't even here what is saying the person eating with you!
(4)Manjit B.
I went here for lunch. I am Indian so I am biased when it comes to Indian food. The food was way too Americanized and not fresh. It tasted alright but nothing like I expected and hoped for. The ambience and decor is amazing, but the food, unfortunately isn't.
(2)Avinash K.
Ok, the most authentic Indian dosa that I have ever had in the States, is here. I had the Lamb Keema dosa, with some extra Parathas. Friends had Masala dosa and chilli garlic dosa, we did order a plate of bhel puri, pani puri and Kale pakoras. The best appetizer in a really really long time is Kale Pakoras - light crunchy and fresh - A MUST TRY here. It was a little expensive overall, but I guess you can't help that in a city. We spent almost $30 a head. But, worth it in my opinion. Tip: Make sure you make a reservation if you need a table of 5 or more.
(5)Sam F.
Enjoyed a delectable lunch with awesome company, courtesy of my boyfriend =D Dosa has been on my bookmarks for awhile now, and we finally got our butts over here to try it out. After checking the menu out online I figured it would be better to go for lunch (to spare our wallets a bit), and we didn't have to fight the crowds to get a table so it was win-win. We arrived when they opened at 11:30 and were seated immediately. The interior is very large and floridly decorated, but it's tasteful and interesting (definitely eye catching). The service is impeccable; our waiter was very nice, attentive and even answered my random questions when it came to identifying items of my thali. The BF ordered the Chennai Chicken as an appetizer, then the Prawn Frankie for his meal, while I ordered the vegetarian thali. First off: ORDER THE CHENNAI CHICKEN. This was the most perfectly cooked, tender chicken I have ever consumed, and it was coated in a combination of spices that enveloped your mouth in such a satisfying way. As if it couldn't get any better, they add a side of cucumber yogurt that you can dip your chicken it, which calms the spices and makes it even better!! That sauce was just as yummy as the chicken, and both my BF and I resorted to using a spoon to scrape the last remnants out of the cup ;) The prawn Frankie looks like a wrap but it's filled with delicious shrimp and it's quite filling. As for my thali, when I received it I freaked out a bit because it was so gigantic! There were at least 10 little individual cups on this tray bigger than my head, and in the center were rice, and two kinds of bread. I couldn't name everything I had if I tried but I remember there was saffron rice, basmati rice, cucumber yogurt, veggies, a pickled vegetable of some sort, lentils, a spicy soup, a rice puff with ghee (tasted cheesy to me), and veggie curry among other things. There was so much variety but I was able to taste so many things for a reasonable price. LEGIT. Overall this was a great dining experience. I would definitely come back, although the prices for dinner are a bit steep... then again they have a lot more entree options on the dinner menu so I bet it's worth it! Gotta come back and try the chai tea as well =)
(4)Randy S.
Brought here by some friends of mine and I have to say that the ambience here is great. Loved the music that they were playing at the time and it felt like a pretty posh place overall. We came in on a Friday evening around 9pm and found it solidly packed, which attests to its popularity. We were seated after 45 minutes and I ended up ordering the Chennai chicken and the lamb dosa. The Chennai chicken was tasty and came out in a fairly large sized portion for a small plate. The chicken was fried and had a slight spiciness to it that gave it a nice little kick. It came with a side of yogurt sauce, raw onions, and a lemon that added some nice additional flavor to the dish. I thought it was a solid appetizer. The lamb dosa was ok and not anything amazing. It came out with a bowl of sambar, cup of coconut chutney, cup of tomato chutney, and a bowl of lamb. The dosa was perfectly made, but the sambar and chutneys were not particularly flavorful / spicy and the lamb had the taste and consistency of a bowl of chili. I was not impressed by the dish and it may be that I should've ordered another dosa. Overall, I really liked the environment of this place and would come here to lounge at the bar, but I wasn't particularly impressed by the food. I found it very overpriced for the quality of what you received... but then I've never thought of dosas capable of being fancy.
(3)Katrina S.
This place is amazing!!! Their version of a margarita is Devine. As well as the chennai chicken. I could eat two orders of that chicken. Sat at the bar and Terry was a very informative, brilliant bar tender. Tx for making our meal even better then it tasted. My boyfriend and I will be returning for sure;)
(5)Vivian W.
This place was great! It's much more spacious, and we didn't have to wait on a weekend evening, which was great since we walked in one hour before our movie at Kabuki! Compared to the Valencia location, parking is better, and there is a much larger waiting area (at Valencia, it's super cramped at the bar and it's hard not to feel like you're sticking your behind into someone's meal next to you). Service was great too! We sat at the communal table and got quick service. Ordered the sweet potato dosa and my friend ordered a spicy chile and garlic dosa. Both of us devoured them.
(4)