UlavacharU
685 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087
UlavacharU Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Sunnyvale for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
685 E El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA, 94087 - Phone (408) 310-3111
- Website https://www.ulavacharuusa.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm
- Mon : 11:30 am - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Brunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
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.
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janie m.
We came there at around noon, the server said 15 minutes to get seated. But we waited for about a hour and we're finally called up, not a great start. We had to wait 15 minutes for just someone to arrive to our table just to tell is the food is pre-ordered. Several people around get seated quickly and get there food quickly, we just sat there FOR another HOUR! And they finally brought it. We ordered two vegetarians and one meat, but they brought two meats and one veggie. It it wasn't that good. My son got a stomach ache. But some of the food items were okay, but overall a very unsatisfactory experience.
(1)Anand N.
My buddy Jared and I were here today. We had chilly chicken, pepper chicken, chicken kabab, guntur omellete and samosas (yes, we ate a lot). Everything was spot on and the service was also good. 5 stars!
(5)Raj C.
Great food, 110% value for your money.. I look for nothing than a satisfying food when looking for a lunch/dinner out. Undoubtedly, best Indian food near Sunnyvale, San Jose.
(5)Siva Sankara Reddy B.
I have been at this place for atleast 15 times in 2 months period. You can understand how much I like that place and food. Vast dining hall, good waiters and nice food along with those will make your time and money worth. Mirchi Bajji and their signature Ulavacharu Chicken Biriyani(you won't find this dish in any other Indian restaurant) are the best choices for your money. All the waiters there are mostly very helpful, you can have best overall experience. Especially, we made friends with Srinivas, one of the waiters who is excellent in taking care of customers. Totally Worth!!!
(5)Saisujith R.
Courteous staff, lots of crowd, delicious food with varied items includes mirchi bajji, many desserts and tea ...
(5)Hari K.
Unbeatable briyani! Never could past that in menu to order something. Been there several times. But love briyani there.
(4)Manjusha V.
Its a small place , but what a great taste , i ate twice here in a week here . Just love the variety and taste .
(5)Madhu V.
Extremely tasty food and authentic taste. The quality of food at the buffet was very good. The owner and staff were super nice and friendly as well.
(5)Abhishek S.
One of the best Indian restaurants around. And that's a big deal given there are 8 Indian restaurants per sq mile in the South Bay!
(5)Ajay A.
* neat,clean and spacious and good seating * very good service * good authentic food * good buffet and servers , managers everyone is very nice and humble My kid loves this place
(4)Sunish S.
The Gobi Manchurian and UlavacharU chicken biryani is the best in Bay Area. The food is little spicy but I loved it.
(5)Reshma V.
Must try pepper chicken with butter naan. It's awesome. Well! Others are good as well but that's a must try for one's who love spicy food.
(4)Nishant S.
Reminds me of real Hyderabadi dum biryani! Best in the bay area. It's not chicken fried rice, it's not chicken pulav but the real layered biryani!
(5)Shriller M.
their price and quantity doesnt match much!!
(3)Mona T.
Wow - this restaurant was absolutely delicious! The food was tasty - had a homemade feel about it and tasted very authentic to me. I'm generally not a fan of biryani (which many have mentioned), but I'd even say the Tamarind Rice was excellent. I highly recommend it - it was an excellent choice and really great price.
(5)Sharat R.
Too good to be true.. Non veg Thali was really good - fresh & hot. service was excellent. They were two waiters serving our table of 6..
(5)Rahul S.
I love Andhra food and always on the lookout for new Andhra style restaurants. Tried this place shortly after opening and the food across the board was mediocre or less. Some of the curries themselves were good e.g. Nice Chicken curry sauce but the actual meat quality was poor. I would not recommend this place. For Andhra vegetarian I'd recommend Pesarettu (fabulous) and for meat options Peacock (not my favorite but biryanis are not bad)
(2)Estrella Z.
i got disappointed when i came in for a dinner buffet, the waiter told me that their will be a dinner buffet, and did not tell me that their will be a DJ. i waited for about an hour Friday night and one of the worker told me the dinner will start @ 8:30 PM...i was almost pissed because i was sooooooo hungry....
(1)Nirav V.
This is excellent A+ best authentic South Indian restaurant with great service and wonderful staff. The chefs are like that taj and napa valley material love the way they serve the food
(5)Mrudula Mia K.
Even though I've had a yelp account for a while, this is my first time writing a review because it is truly deserved. My parents and sister have been to Ulavacharu a couple times previously but I went with them for the first time on a Saturday. On entrance, I was immediately bowled over by the sincere greetings of the staff and the smiles and positive energy in the restaurant. Even though there was an event going on in their banquet room, it was Valentines Day, and the India Vs. Pakistan World Cup match was being played , the service was never lacking- in fact it was exemplary. We were checked upon by multiple servers as well as by the owner numerous times. The owner suggested that we order the Ulavacharu paneer, which was absolutely delicious! The taste was quite new and interesting. I find that a lot of bay area Indian cuisine has the same base repeating flavors in most dishes but ulavacharu presented a welcome change. As someone who was born and brought up in India and who has high expectations, I was thoroughly happy with my dinner. The mirchi bajji tasted great-a simple and fresh recipe that was executed perfectly. Staurday also happened to be my birthday- the owner and chef went out of their way to surprise me and the rest of my family with a scrumptious birthday treat, hot and freshly prepared kesari. My father couldn't sttop raving about it even the next day! All in all, I had a wonderful birthday dinner with my family and am glad to have found a restaurant withb impeccable service and a chef who is able to make each dish flavorful yet different.\
(5)Srinivas R.
The food was delicious and there was a huge variety to choose from. I tried several dishes and they were all excellent. The menu was also not the typical Indian menu you may expect but rather more authentic dishes from several different regions including some house specials. They also had a range of mild dishes if you prefer that. Service was excellent.
(5)Raj R.
Best Indian place for some nice South Indian non vegetarian food. Ulavachar chicken biryani is to die for!
(5)S C.
Regular Indian Restaurant, with similar taste. Nothing great. I went based on the reviews, and its getting tough to believe on reviews these days, not sure who exactly giving them.
(2)Nanjundeswar N.
They are good for traditional south indian thali. Both non veg and veg during monday to wednesday.
(4)K C.
Authentic, tasty Andhra thali as good as the ones I remember from iconic Indian restaurants. Everything tasted fresh, was not greasy and oily as restaurant food often is, and the portions are generous. And friendly, smiling attentive staff! A very pleasant experience!
(5)Pradeep C.
Best South Indian Non Vegetarian food. Especially Biryanis. New owner is hands on and saw him putting in personal attention in caring for guests.
(5)Yoyo M.
This is athidhi indian cuisine revamped. Same guy running the show. Same food running the show. I didn't mind it. I always liked athidhi food. Didn't know today was the opening day, went in late and the buffet was almost empty. They are offering lunch and dinner buffet until Sunday. Today was 50% off.
(3)Shweta R.
We went for the lunch buffet on Sunday, place was crowded, we got seated quick, good customer service, good management, excellent food. Loved the chilly chicken, mutton Biryani, chicken curry, fish curry and butter chicken. Curd rice was nice to finish up, nice spicy Andhra food. Yum tea. Great service. Overall great value for money..
(4)desi d.
The food at Ulavacharu is very good, both in terms of being tasty and in terms of being authentically Andhra. But alas the service is so incredibly bad that I doubt the restaurant's going to be around for very long although it might have a long life as a caterer/ take-out joint. As many other reviews have noted, the service is extremely SLOW- we were a party of two people with just a few orders and it still took 35 minutes for the food to arrive. While the food was delicious, I wish it was served hot and not served on stone cold plates. It also didn't help that the cavernous space is not heated- we were cold as we waited for the food and then ate with our jackets on- it was freezing! On our way out, we saw that a number of take out orders were waiting to be picked up at the counter upfront- perhaps this is the restaurant's focus so in the future we might just do take out too. And for those who care, ulavala charu is not actually on the menu, :-) what a pity!
(3)jonika h.
Loved this place. Went there with my mom and dad not knowing what to be expect. I was totally blown away from the experience. We got the lunch buffet which was a tali of 7+ dishes with homemade yogurt, eggplant, rice biryani, chicken curry, rice pudding. The chai was awesome and the waiters kept refilling my plate with hot food non stop. We all loved the food, the manager, the service and the decor. It is very neat atmosphere, soothing decor and fun music playing in the background. I only wish they served beer too. I felt like I was back in Hyderabad which I'd visited recently, food was that good.
(5)Hemanth M.
Our gang of 10 went to dinner late night around 10 PM. Their Egg fried rice was one of the best we ever had. Veg biryani was too spicy for almost all of us. Egg plant curry was good.
(4)G H.
We had gone there for lunch buffet. Great food! Andhra dishes were fab! 5 stars to their Veg Biryani! Great service too!
(4)Avinash M.
Here the food is good at the same time service is very bad ....that too when you order Togo they say 15-20 mins but your order will not come back before an hour or 90 minutes .at least they should say the exact time rather than making people wait for so long...better order food 2 hrs before going to the pick up
(2)Chaitanya K.
Good South indian food. Definitely will visit this place once again. Decent Biryani's.
(3)Brian L.
Food was most excellent, though not prepared to our order in terms of spiciness (I had to swap my delicious chicken tikka masala with my wife because she couldn't handle the heat after specifically asking that it not be too spicy -- probably another communication issue with the waiter -- yeah, we could have sent it back, but I'm always up for trying something new). And for drinks, they only had Budweiser??? Meh! Bring in some Flying Horse or Taj Mahal for crying out loud. Those are much better Indian beers. On multiple occasions, the language barrier between us and our waiter was a problem and he vacillated between being over-the-top attentive (literally, standing behind me watching us eat) to being a ghost (check, please?). Must be new? The other staff and the owner were very nice and they stepped in to make up for his shortcomings. Recommendation: get your service in order because there's a lot of great Indian food in this area and poor service will lead to near empty dining rooms on a Saturday night (such as we saw).
(3)PS P.
Biryani was fantastic. These guys take their time to cook and that brings out great flavor... you can tell they didn't rush it. The appetizers were great too! Amazing hospitality.
(5)Sarat G.
Vulavacharu biriyani is a nuance in biriyani variants and I had my first one yesterday and it was surprisingly good and I don't mind going again. Konaseema chicken is another novelty entry, though spicy to NRI standrads, good too. Telugu folks know these names well from nativity knowledge. I would definitely recommend this place.
(4)Aparna A.
A very nice place. Food is spicy. We have ordered Mirchi Bajji, punugulu and chicken biryani. Except punugulu we liked the rest. Good ambience and service. Very neat and clean. Would recommend for authentic south Indian cuisine lovers.
(4)Anu K.
We have been frequently eating at this restaurant for last couple of weeks. I like the moderate spice levels in the biryani and curries. Some dishes taste very homemade like gongura pappu. Overall very delicious taste.
(5)Ashok K.
Awesome food with correct spice level. Can't wait to taste Ulavacharu biryani. Tons of space to accommodate big groups.
(5)Nirmal K.
great andhra style buffet. friendly staff though the place was busy and reasonable prices. will definitely return.
(5)Roger P.
this is one of the good indian restaurant i liked after so far. food was very spicy and worth the price for weekend buffett. ambiance was OK but not that great.
(4)Lisa W.
We dined this evening on their third day of business, having noticed the restaurant by chance. The dinner buffet was quite delicious and substantial. Our favorite dish was the cabbage, made with coconut. We also loved the vada and accompanying chutneys and sambar. The goat curry was tender and tasty, as was the chicken curry. The biriani rice dishes featured that delectable onion on the top that I love. All of the food was spicy, but not overwhelming. The only item We did not enjoy as much was the tandoori chicken, which tasted different from what we were accustomed to at other restaurants. There were two desserts, both warm and comforting, but not overly sweet, which we appreciated. The staff people were extremely attentive, filling our water glasses without being asked and clearing plates each time we got up for a new trip to the buffet. After dinner, the owner of the restaurant talked with us and told us more about the food, which draws from both Indian and Pakistani cuisine. He was warm and friendly. Oh, almost forgot to mention the cost was only $12/person for the buffet! We will definitely come back, and look forward to when their menu food starts (on Monday).
(4)John G.
If you can handle a little bit of spice, this is the best Indian restaurant out there. We tried veg and non-veg taalis yesterday, it was simply mind blowing! The variety of items on the plate were more than what I hoped for (and it was unlimited). The customer service is great as well, very very cordial staff.
(5)Nutcrackin C.
We were visiting all the way from San Francisco to get a hearty vegetarian South Indian meal and decided to try out a new place. We called to ask what was on the days menu as it wasn't listed on their website/ yelp page. After seven call attempts someone finally picked up the phone- and simply said we have to come all the way there to see what's on the menu today- she said she is " not supposed to read the menu" and simply hung up. F**^{%^g rude and poor service already before visiting - and zero respect for patrons coming all the way to give them business. Obviously we're not going there any more. Their loss.
(1)Yogesh B.
The worst ever food I had in bay area.......chicken chetinad is not upto the mark. The bhunna ghosh is very bad. I will not return to this restaurant. ........
(1)Haritha C.
I have recently been to this restaurant with few of my friends. Service was pretty quick. I wish they could do a better job on the ambience in future. Besides, all that I loved the taste of the food. We have ordered some Mirchi bajji's which all of us loved so are their Punugulu... I loved their Paneer Ulavacharu biryani its very different from the other regular biryani's which we get around bay area. One should definitely try this and also their Gongura Pappu ( Dal) but with hot steamed rice. We tried it with their Roti's which are really bad n hard to eat. Reason I give them a 4/5 is for their biryani and their Mirchi Bajji their Bajji's made me nostalgic.
(4)D T.
The good: been here for the weekend buffet, solid spicy south indian food, period. If you haven't branched out beyond chicken tikka masala or bland vegetarian south indian fare, you're in for a treat. Oh it's spicy, that means intense flavors. The terrible: now what I said above works, if you can get past the clueless service and get to the food. On a recent weekday, showed up for lunch. The person at the reception had this polite and quizzical expression - I mean why would I be there if not to get lunch? She offers me a seat - I do the usual kill-time-on-your-phone-before-the-menu-arrives thing (no buffet on week days). 15 mins later I snap out of my phone coma - still no menu. I ask for one. Again, the polite clueless expression that reads "really you need a menu?" Another 15 mins go by, lots of wait staff hanging around not doing much, except no one shows up to take my order! I'm desperate, I resort to some serious hand waving. N.O.T.H.I.N.G H.A.P.P.E.N.S. It's almost like I could get naked and do handstands on the table and no one would notice. Instead I stand up and leave. Highly recommended for those days when the only plan you have for the day is to get lunch.
(2)Srikanth G.
Was so excited to try ragi sangati here, saw it on the buffet menu but they don't have it in the kitchen. Should have mentioned it before my order. Very disappointed with the service.
(1)shirley s.
Came here for a late night dinner at 10 an hr before they closed. Great service the food is top notch. Be careful they don't hold back the spice here so things may be a bit on the hot side.
(5)Ryan S.
There was a large event at the same time as we came in with our small children and they went to great lengths to accommodate us. The food was excellent with the exception of the house special chicken briyani (an acquired taste that we didn't care for). We mentioned that in passing and they immediately removed it from our bill. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Ramesh B.
One of the best restaurant at Sunnyvale, I tried all kinds of veg& non veg It's delicious. especially service given by srinivas was so good. Ramesh
(5)Tanmayee P.
We ordered unlimited non veg thali and it was so amazing!!! The service was great and just like at home. The food was so delicious. Every single item on the thali tasted so good and Biryani was the best, both spicy and tasty. Keep going!!
(5)Madhu M.
Great service, v courteous staff. The food was great as well. I like that it's not too greasy here unlike some other restaurants around. Added bonus - it's open till late. Definitely coming back
(5)Ben M.
Ulavacharu was the most pleasant surprise that I've had so far since moving to Sunnyvale from Mountain View. Originally from Ohio, I had not expected the wealth of Indian cuisine in the area - and Ulavacharu is by far amongst my top 3 now. Reasonably priced, generous portions, basmati rice included with the entree on top of attentive customer service all make this a worthwhile stop. The butter chicken and tikka masala are vying for top position, both elegantly spiced and creamy, but the menu is very extensive beyond those traditional go-to's for Americans. The samosas were also an excellent choice - 3 for $4, appropriately sized to feed one person each or a generous amount to split between two. The only issue that I had was the same that I have at every Indian restaurant off the bat - I'm white and it's difficult to get the food as spicy as I want. I prefer to be sweating halfway into my meal from the spiciness. So if the owners happen to read this, please don't hold back!
(4)Shubha H.
Very good and an almost traditional chicken biryani.. Service is quick and efficient. Not a fancy decor but the food more than makes up for it!
(4)Joseph T.
I've lived in the Bay Area 7-8 years and have had ok to good Indian cuisine, I've even a few times had really good and I'd consider the restaurant to be above really good. And I'll definitely be coming back!!!! Excellent!
(5)Snigdha D.
Excellent Andhra food. We tried gutti vankaya , gongura dal and paneer biryani all of which were spot on. All in all a great find.
(5)Ashwin K.
Pretty good place.. Clam n spacious ... We went for buffet and ordered one ulavacharu mutton biryani, it is very delicious and buffet has lot of items.. I ate POORNALU, one of the famous sweet appetizer from andhra and it is one of the best with there spl ghee on side... I wil surely go again for POORNALU ...Other items are also good... Staff is friendly.. Thumps up for this restaurant.... Enjoy :)
(4)Royce C.
I would like to consider myself an adventurous person when it comes to trying ethnic foods that I haven't experienced before. I have had some Indian food before from missionaries that have been to India. This restaurant was a whole other experience. Since I haven't had much Indian food I asked the server what we should have, told him we would like mild to medium heat and he made some great suggestions. I can't tell you exactly what we had, my pronunciation would be terrible anyway, but I would recommend this place to anyone I know. It was a very authentic atmosphere (based on what I know about India) the food was outstanding, the service was better. If you want to try something new and want to step out of your comfort zone and experience a fabulous dinning experience try this place.
(5)Bakasura N.
Good only for Thali's food. That too very slow service. In a line. "Plz don't go when you are dam HUNGRY and also don't order their Ulavacharu Chicken dum Biryani(UCB) !!!!" If you want to stop eating Biryani then only order Ulavacharu Chicken dum Biryani(UCB)!! We ordered Fried rice, UCB, and Goat curry and Breads. It took like 30 Mins for them to prepare really 30 mins we requested them like 5 time to make it fast. Cheque is FAST (5 sec) than FOOD (30 mins).
(3)Shwetha K.
Hospitality is beyond the peaks. It feels so different when nearly 5 heavy built men check what u need them to serve every 5 mins... ha ha :) :) .. really funny. I infact reached to stage where i told them " I myself will come to kitchen & take what i need", Thanks 4 ur concerns" in a very polite way because i cud understand that it was all because its their new Business out here. Believe me, it was really really funny. Coming to the food, It was superb .. Andhra style cuisine.. need to specifically mention about their lunch menu.. it had good choice of dishes & guess what .. its unlimited lunch!!!!! .. Bachelors out there.. I think this is the place for u. With Tollywood & Bollywood videos played around & damn spacious too. U can enjoy your lunch time with your pals to the fullest. They have Banquet Hall too for birthday parties or mini celebrations.
(4)Chandrika G.
Delicious Andhra food..finally an authentic ( yes that's spicy) Andhra cuisine restaurant. We had lunch buffet, yummy food.
(4)Vidhya G.
Went for dinner with family. Taste is not soo good. But a very courteous staff.
(2)Velina P.
Try their UCB!!! So different from the others. Spice and flavorful. Extremely good service by the Manager. They loose a star just because the waiters do no get back to you with your requests. You might experience wait time even when it's not crowded.
(4)Archana P.
Don't know what all the hype is about. We've come here twice, once for the Sunday brunch buffet and once more for a birthday dinner. The buffet was understocked with puri, and it was so irritating that after we asked several times, they still refused to bring us a plate of puri, and instead would bring it out in small batches to refill the buffet, where it would be gone before we could get to it. The food is inconsistent with spice levels. When we've asked for food to be spicy it hasn't been, yet the buffet, which should be milder, was too spicy for many in our party. At the birthday dinner, we ordered their Jaipuri Bhindi, only to find it undercooked. The paneer in the Ulavacharu biriyani was fried in stale oil, and really tasted awful. The Guthivankai was underwhelming, as it was clear that the eggplant had not been stuffed with any spice and instead flash fried and added to the gravy before it was served...so it was tasteless eggplant mush in gravy. We're not coming again.
(2)Kirthi K.
The service was extremely poor. We had to wait almost 20 min to get our order even when the restaurant was only half full. And on top of that they forgot to bring the starters. The food was not that great also. It lacked any salt to begin with. They do not have even the basic varieties of indian breads. I would not go back there again.
(1)Naren K.
Excellent staff (not the professional types but friendly and courteous), great home type food and numerous South Indian varieties! Must try...
(5)Vamsi E.
1. good andhra/south indian food. 2. better food for the price. 3. all the items were tasty 4. polite service 5. They use correlle plates..unlike other indian places who use cheap heavier porcelain. Bad: 1.tight parking. 2. mediocre ambience 3. very spicy ( typical andhra spicy)
(4)Sundeep R.
Great food south indian style. lunch buffet has a good spread and great tasting dishes. Definitely one of the better lunch buffets in south bay and can get crowded on sundays. Would definitely recommend. Caution - best suited for those who can take spicy food.
(5)Moulika R.
Andhra mirchi bujji was too good...it's really like home made...i had tasted ulavacharu chicken biryani for the first time n omlette was too good....I think everyone should try this...double ka meetha was nice...
(5)Kir G.
Ridiculous!!! I gave 1 star because I cannot give 0. We went there for Mother's Day, first ordered Ulavacharu biryani and naan. First of all it is nit Dum biryani and chicken is not cooked and smell weird. I felt nauseous. I wanted to leave but my husband doesn't want me to be hungry on Mother's Day, so he again ordered more naan and goat curry. The goat curry was worse than biryani not even one single meat piece. All bones and soggy stuff. We immediately left the food on the table and went to pay the bill and left ASAP. They charged us $40 for nothing. Ridiculous! I don't know why the reviews said their biryani is great. I am never never going back and wouldn't refer it to my friends.
(1)Sai T.
Worst place DON'T DARE TO VISIT if you are a vegetarian. I am a vegetarian, don't eat meat. Some how ended up in this place for dinner. I have ordered a Veg biryani , after 15 mins they have brought the order biryani and curry(side base for biryani) we started eating the food, when I tried the curry had some pieces which didn't look to be vegetarian nor paneer, called the person who took the order , after seeing it he told it's chicken. I asked him what was my order he told it's a veg biryani. He went and brought the manager , manager without speaking anything took the curry and went inside and didn't turn up for 10 mins, no one cared to respond. And taking care of other tables After some time when I called him back and asked - he shamelessly said we will fix it, what kind of people are these ? What can he fix my life ?, as vegetarian? this has hurt my religious sentiment. No one has give an proper apologies for this even, worst place ever.
(1)Suma C.
This is the perfect South Indian restaurant I can say just it's a 'Pelli bojanam' we highly recommend there veg n non veg thali .. And service also excellent
(5)Ankur G.
Rating based on the weekend lunch buffet. Since we frequented Malgudi, which was here before, we decided give the new place a try. We reached right when the place opens. The variety in the buffet is very good. Butter chicken Andra chicken Gobhi manchurian Sambar Chutneys Okra fry Salad Veg biryani Chicken biryani Daal makhani Saag paneer Raita Wada Pickles We tried a few of the above items and all were very good. Definitely coming back!
(4)Thivya M.
For the very first time I went there this Sunday for a take out . First thing I liked about this place is People there at the front are very nice ( a girl and a man who i assume might be the owner ). The place was pretty busy. About the food I made a chicken Biriyani order Togo ..Biriyani was so good ..!spicy and damn flavored .. After so long in this el camino an amazing Biriyani place .. I would love to go back to this place to try out more on their menu .. A place to be back !!
(4)V R.
The food is really good here. We always get takeout and love it. The gravies seem authentic and have some creativity! Veg Biryani while not very spicy is very flavorful! Keep up the good work guys!
(5)A-jay Y.
Omg please don't go to this place for their special dum biriyani,if you ever had biriyani before visiting this place please visit this place rest you can decide
(1)Ram K.
Went here a few times. They have different options for lunch - a "thali" (where they serve you the dishes of the day, sort of like a prix fixe menu, except with refills), or a regular Indian buffet - depending on the day of the week. On a "thali" day, the problems were mainly with an indifferent and unpredictable service. The food is ok, not exceptional. The problem is with the fact that they typically have only one ( or max two) people serving the entire restaurant. When you have to wait for them to get to you - while your plate is mostly empty, you are hungry, and you are crunched for time - is a highly weird and unhappy situation. The only way this would work is if they have a few more servers, and they never do. The buffet days don't have this problem, though they are incredibly crowded. I guess the Indians from the part of India this restaurant specializes in (Andhra food) feel like this is a good value for their money. I am pretty familiar with that food, and found this restaurant's offerings to be only marginally, and somewhat variably, decent. Your call. Btw, the dish that the restaurant is named for is only available at dinner. Never during lunch. Caveat emptor.
(2)Gopi B.
Vegetarians don't go to this restaurant, I went to a Birthday party today, I got chicken in Paneer Butter Masala curry. My friend just told me he found chicken last week in veg biryani.
(1)Srinivas J.
It's Worst.... I ordered a vijayawada chicken biryani and they gave me the left over biryani rice and stale boneless chicken... NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE......I MEAN IT...this is my first review in yelp...you can imagine how frustrated i am with this.
(1)Tanveer S.
This place has changed ownership a few times. Apparently there are new owners and they've attempted to improve it a little.
(3)Spring I.
The best Indian food I had in USA. Made very authentic but, VERY SPICY though! I would not recommend to people who would not prefer to have real spicy food. Every item in the buffet menu (veg, chicken dry & curry type, prawn, biryani etc) was just great especially, 'konaseema naatu kodi curry/fry' was the highlight and highly suggest to try it. But, desserts are biggest disappointment and they have a long way ahead to improve. This was the only reason why this place was rated 4 stars instead of 5. Finally, I recommend this place if you like real spicy food.
(4)Abhishek S.
I have seen bad customer service before, but this place.takes the cake. Called them at 5.30 when they open and the guy who takes the order tells me that the food will be ready around 6.15. Told him I have to be somewhere at 6.30, so I don't want to order. He goes....oh ok, I will have it ready by 6 pm. Show up at 6 pm and after I pay up, they girl at the front says food will take 15 more minutes. Not happy, but I say....sorry I have to go so just refund me. She runs back inside and out comes a guy. Says he took my order which will definitely be ready in 10 mins....waiting starts! Finally at 6.15, I tell the lady that I have to go. If the food isn't ready, I just want my money back. After she stands there pondering, out comes the dude who took my order and goes.....oh wait,we have half your order ready. At this point I am supper aggravated and let him know that he is full of shit! Looks me straight in the eye and tells me that he never told me that the order will be ready at 6 pm. UNREAL. So I finally take my incomplete order, the girl at the counter wants to give me a refund ( as I am rushing out) and another dude (no idea who he is) come running out telling me sorry, sorry, sorry. Keeps saying sorry as I start my car and drive off. Been to 90% of the Indian restaurants in the Bay Area, but never faced anything like this.
(1)Partha S.
Yet another Indian buffet restaurant with nothing unique and a run of the mill interior. Ironically Its situated on a lot that's rotated through 3 other run of the mill indian buffet restaurants. That said, there is nothing really bad about the food - heavily leaning on the non-vegetarian side. The service is great, there is plenty of seating space and parking. Anyways, disappointed that I've nothing to write about but guilty that I might be a bit too harsh with my review. Tip to business - bring something unique, something compelling, something fun. Yawn..
(3)Jeyamurugan S.
The wait time is more than 30 minutes on a week day with hardly 10 people inside eating. While having they are not serving any rice after the initial variety rice for more than 30 minutes. Even when there was no crowd the serving time was pathetic. Even if they cook well the serving experience is miserable!!
(1)Amit A.
Amazing food!! Food options are really good. Chicken biryani was yummy and so was the baingan masala(they call it something else) .
(5)Johnny C.
It's only been open 5 days and I've already been twice. The first visit was opening weekend for the Saturday dinner buffet, and I was not disappointed. Second time was tonight for regular dinner service. Both times, excellent service and very authentic delicious food. Food is not like many typical Indian restaurants where the average westerner will feel at home. Spices and flavors found here are straight from South India (Andhra). May scare some away, but trust me, this place is the real deal, and definitely worth the time and money. I plan on becoming a regular. My two favorite dishes are the chicken tikka masala (pretty spicy) and the vegetarian biryani. Everything was fantastic, those two dishes were my standouts.
(5)Ame C.
Love the vegetarian biryani. It is one of the best I have had in an Indian Restaurant. My spouse liked their chicken biryani. Our Chinese friends love the buffet, especially their lamb curry. My daughter liked their fried fish fingers. She can only deal with spices minimally. As a vegetarian who avoids dairy and eggs, there were lots of options. I tried all of them - surprising most were not too spicy. Having eaten Indian cuisine ever since I was a child, I have to say that this is one of the best Southern Indian style restaurant. Our waiter was exceptional!! Most Indian waiters don't cater to you as much as ours. He kept checking back to make sure our needs were taken care of. I've not had such a caring waiter in a long time!! Such good service is hard to find in USA. The owner dropped by a couple of times and asked us for quick review and suggestions. It was there 2nd day and they were keen to please everyone. The crowds started to pour in around 6:30pm. By 8pm, there was a waiting line outside. All the tables were taken. They even enough room to host a Birthday party!! Everyone seems to like the food - as the buffet line was long!!
(5)Liz D.
The food, the service, the food- great! Did I mention the food? If you like authentic, spicy Indian food (both South and North) this is the place! I recommend the eggplant dish! Super yummy. Oh, and any chicken dish. And the gobi. It's all good! Go often and try all the dishes- that's my intention!!
(4)Rav V.
Very disappointed with the lunch buffet. They have been serving the same set of items everyday during lunch - at least the few times I had been so far. As one reviewer said, it is nothing but rice and potato. Today was worst - the veg was most probably made from frozen french fries. I am done with this place unless I hear any positives.
(1)Anoop B.
To begin with I'm from Tamil Nadu a foodie as most of my reviews are on swan or four square but want to take a moment to credit the food I enjoyed at ulavacharu , started with the ulavacharu biryani- adequate quantity for two, the masala mix and the fragranced rice seems to me a perfect blend duo. Tried the Andra chicken curry which came out with perfect spice level and mildly hot, the breads were soft crunchy and well balanced as served out from clay oven. Also enjoyed chicken 65- equally tendered chicken slice and nice to have spicy sauce on it. Final say- Fresh food, adequate quantity, spicy, hot and authentic Andra. Oh yeah good ambience and spacey too. Give it a try folks.
(5)Naveen S.
Most of the food items weren't tasty and some were too spicy. Their selection for the lunch buffet was good. Apart from a few select items, others weren't good. But the place was packed when we went in for lunch.
(2)Dan K.
Some of the best, authentic Indian food in the Bay Area. great garlic nan with just the right amount of ghee. Not greasy at all!
(5)Vanni M.
I love it!!!! The mix of spices was a revelation for those who sit down to eat it for the first time- like my colleague. I love Indian cuisine, and it was my first time to try Ulavacharu on Friday last week. It far exceeded my expectations. This place is spacious, clean, service is great, lots of parking space, food is super delicious... I will be coming back very often. I shared the experience with my other colleagues and friends and they will check it out as well. Excellent Ulavacharu!
(5)Scrumptious D.
We took Thali. Positives: Amazing Gongura Pappu! Lipsmacking Chicken biriyani. Crispy bondas. Brilliant spices. Negatives: slow and disorganized service -- quite unfortunate, given that the food is so amazing. Dosa was boring and undercooked. Bhindi masala was sweeter than can be handled. Overall, an amazing place. I would love to visit it again. And again :). I have been to super-suave restaurants with lackadaisical food. Between such and Ulavaracharu, I would definitely choose Ulavacharu. If it's service and attention I am after, I would rather think a spa ;)
(4)Ananda G.
Best place for authentic & spicy Andhra food. Tried buffet,all vegetarian and non-veg items are excellent.
(5)Hemanth R.
Excellent!!! Ulavacharu biryani is delicious!!!! Ambiance is also good. Try it out. Good environment for familys, bachelors.
(4)Adi S.
Been to this place multiple times. It never disappoints. Awesome biryani. Chicken dum biryani is out of the world. Also mirchi bajji is some thing to crave for. One of best andhra food restaurants in Bay Area.
(4)Kristine D.
My new favorite Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale. Perfect amount of spicy -yum! The wait staff was kind and attentive, especially Srinivasarao who taught us about the different dishes, where they're from and what they're made of. I've now had the Thali twice, once veg and once meat. Gorgeous spices. The food is so fresh. Thursday evening is my next venture here when they have Tiffins Thali which is where they come around with many different dishes to taste. Can't wait!
(5)Ram S.
Their lunch buffett on the weekend is really awesome. Heavy meal for a good price ($ 15 I believe). Lots of variety and fresh dosas served on your table. Their biryani and salan are two other things that are totally top notch. Will try to nickel and dime you a bit for many things, that's why I docked one star for it. Will definitely go again, particularly for the biryani.
(4)Jiri M.
Family place. Very nice people. Fast service. I had Chicken tikka masala which was very good. The place was full of indian guests so I think the food there has to be very good. The owner is walking around to make sure that every customer is happy. He is realy nice guy who is smiling all the time. When I was leaving, he shook my hand and said "See you tomorrow". I am quite sure I'll come again!
(5)Shivateja M.
Sometimes you think of having a good meal and end up in some random place without expectation, and get super surprised with taste and service, this is one such place. You craving to have some good, awesomely tasting South Indian stuff, believe me you will regret of not coming!!
(5)Matt B.
Some of the best indian food i have had in a long time. Everything was great and the mango lassi was fantastic. The above all that was the service, it was amazing and everyone was so nice, really great people. Idk what else to say other then you have to check this place out.
(5)Arvind V.
Food is tantalizing to the taste buds. Ordered mirchi bhajji, guntur omlette, egg burji. Their specialty - ulvacharu chicken dum biryani is excellent and exceptional...typical indian taste... felt like we ate in India. The chutneys are worth trying.
(5)Honest O.
Good value. Great service and food. We like to try out new restaurants. Love the buffet - got to try new dishes. I overate!!
(5)rajesh n.
We tried dinner here today. The one thing I found good here are the 5star reviews on help. The food didn't do justice to the awesome reviews - atleast that's our experience. Service was lukewarm. Tried chicken65 as starter. It was barely warm, but was decent compared with what was following. We tried uravacharu dum chicken biriyani and chckn fried rice. The biriyani was like a regular biriyani with what seemed like a chicken slaughtered on top of it. Too much gravy and didn't taste good. Fried rice was like upma. It had what tasted like pepper and mustard. May be this is their style of cusine and some people would like it. Not us.
(1)Suman B.
Must try. AWWWWESOME FOOD PERIOD. My wife & I visited thrice in a week's time to this place. We were excited and relieved that we finally found a place that serves remarkably quality and tasty food for an affordable price, particularly getting us reminded of a taste of Andhra via speciality dishes like Mirapakai Bajji, Punukulu and Ulavachaaru! That doesn't mean other dishes lack the taste--they exceeded our expectations! Nadre Kofte, onion kulcha, Gutthi vankaya and the best of all - Veg Biryani!!! Mysore bondas too are a treat. Sweets like payasam, kheer or kesari keep you smiling. The Veg thaali has number of tasty items and a bargain for the price and quantity of servings!!! Special appreciation must go to the friendly and welcoming waiters. They treat you with great respect and give you a warm homely family experience that is quite rare these days. Overall, we can confidently say we found a new home via this restaurant! They treat your tummies really well! Make sure you meet a waiter for his exceptional treatment n service - - Srinivas, we enjoyed his friendly company We are definitely frequent visitors to ullavacharu!
(5)Nanda Kumar C.
Wow.. That was a sumptuous veg thali for lunch today. Started with small Phulkas followed by some excellent veg biriyani and then with white rice and other usual items you would expect in thali (ladies finger fry was great). All items were unlimited and I was pleasantly surprised that I never had to Ask for second serving ..they were pretty enthusiastic about me having more than I wanted ... Keep up the great work folks .. Had a nice experience. Just one comment to not neglect.. just make sure the rice serving bowl is not left uncovered.. Keeps the rice rice hot..just happened on first serving ...was fine for the second and thereon
(5)Vijay M.
I dig their non-veg thali.
(3)Teja G.
Tried the ulavacharu biryani. It was just ok!
(3)Michael C.
I am in town on business and I love Indian cuisine so I walked in. Immediately I was greeted like family. They had a special sampler for $10 and some change in which you can try all of their dishes. I expected a simple sampler plate that might leave room for more but what I received was nothing short of a feast. As I finished one thing the waiter offered another. The flavors were rich and exactly what I was looking for, spicy in that way that builds throughout the meal. All of that was washed down with a mango lassi that was nothing short of divine. I will be back.
(5)Prathima A.
Mirchi bajji best ever! Tasty south Indian food. Must try thali dinner! Great options good price delicious food. Service outstanding. Feels like you are eating at a south Indian wedding.
(5)Sudhir K.
Maybe I was deceived by high ratings or it was just an odd day, but both the ambience and quality of food is making me give not more than two stars. There used to be a Malabar place(i guess?) previously at the same location. I don't know if the same management restructured it. But I had same feeling when I was here before. I am definitely not coming back. Don't just go by the high ratings, I have experienced much better places which were just 3 stars.
(2)Shashi M.
The one and only reason to go here is for the Ulavacharu Chicken Biryani. It is really good and very different from your typical Chicken Dum biryani. The rest of the food and service is the same as your typical Indian restaurant.
(4)Ardy H.
We had a lovely experience The first dish we ordered was over salted But the staff checked our satisfaction and eagerly replaced the dish to satisfy our experience The over salted dish was theGongura pappu (lentils), dal fry Apparently this leaf is naturally sour and so it was our problem being unfamiliar with the dish Ultimately we greatly enjoyed Baingan ka bharta A thick eggplant curry garlic and regular nann And their namesake u chicken biryani. Topped off with a very nice mango lassi We really appreciated the courtesy of replacing a dish we not like. And especially the fact that they cared enough to check The food runs a little on the spicy side But they will adjust the spice upon request Serving size seemed good That is it. Sitting here with a pleasantly full belly. Ummmm the mango lassi topped things off nicely. Bill was an affordable 26 dollars. We'll be back
(5)sri v.
Traditional Indian style of serving - like it. Recommend for veg, slightly on the South Indian side of taste
(3)Prashanth C.
We went on a Saturday afternoon, the ambience isn't great, they had long lines of people waiting to get food. We weren't totally impressed with the food either, they had a good number of appetizers and the dessert was good but that was about it. They don't serve nan which was a big shock for me. I think it's an ok place to get food nothing special about it
(3)Priya W.
This review is for restaurant and specially for Banquet hall and food. We had our son's first birthday party here and it turned awesome! Our guests were very impressed by the food and the arrangement of it.. Mr. Srinivas and team take good care of everything and are helpful in selecting the menu and giving quick service. Ulavacharu chicken biryani is what we like the best but all other dishes like paneer masala and chicken curries are too good too. Last but not the least their daily dinner thali has wide variety of food.
(5)Sowmya P.
Taste was good but not for people with sensitive stomach and digestion. We tried only weekend Buffett, immediately after that stomach got upset. it's too spicy, salty and sour.
(1)Payal R.
Horrible Biryani! We ordered the veg paneer biryani for to go and I had specifically requested that they make it spicier than a regular biryani. We picked up the biryani, got back home and saw that it looked very bland and had some kind of a sauce poured over it. Anyway, we mixed the whole thing and tasted it to find it was VERY bland. The rice was overcooked- not how a biryani is supposed to be and it was low on salt. Even the gravy was a sad excuse for what is usually served alongside a biryani. Never going back here!!
(1)Abhilash R.
We had a great dinner, service is good .. the food is spicy & delicious especially mutton curry & chicken dum biryani ..Srinivas helped us in opting good choice of food...
(4)Nidhi D.
We had lunch buffet...had a variety of items..complemented by poori, naan and dosa. Food was fresh. Ambience was ok. It was too crowed and stuffy. Staff was very courteous. great area for parties....
(3)A. D.
Weekday Thali: They have weekday thali's, I really love the food but they take forever to bring chapati's I think they don't have a designated cook to make chapati's. they will be keep serving you rice even if you asked them 3 times to bring chapati. Other than that the food is great, but service sucks. Weekend Buffet: They put out very limited food and then they take forever to refill.
(3)Sai D.
Usually this is a great lunch buffet during the weekdays. No doubts about it. One of the best biryani places in bay area (apart from Kabab & Currys) But we showed up around 2:30pm on a sunday and the food was super dry. The chicken biryani had no chicken and the same with the mutton biryani. All the dishes were almost empty and there was no refilling done at that point. The gaajar ka halwa was almost over..was able to manage a couple of spoons. I understand its probably close time but you shouldn't take more people if your food is almost over. Wasn't satisfied with the quantity and quality of food!
(2)Rishabh A.
We have been there for their weekend buffet and as well as weeknight dinner. I would review both the meals separately. Weekend Lunch Buffet: Usually there is a long wait for a table for weekend lunch buffet. Try going early for buffet. Buffet has variety of items - 2-3 appetizers, aalu poori, 2-3 vegetarian curry, 2-3 non veg curry, veg biryani, hyderabadi chicken biryani, vijaywada chicken biryani and 2-3 desserts. Price for buffet is $12.99 per person. I would recommend lunch buffet at UllavacharU. Weeknight Dinner Thali: We ordered non veg thali on weeknight dinner. Thali concept is slightly different as they serve you unlimited food on the table. There was Idli, Vada, 1 Veg Curry, 1 Non Veg Curry (not chicken on the day I went), Daal, 1-2 appetizers, Dosa, Lemon Rice, Chicken Biryani, roti, poori and payasam. Vegetarian curry - Malai Kofta was amazing. Price for Weeknight thali is $10.99 I would recommend this place for dinner as well.
(4)Venkat R.
Goat curry is good ! Can give a try Compliment Tea is awesome. I have never seen such a good tea in Indian restaurants in California
(4)Rohit P.
Best Andhra Food and Service I have had in a long time.. Food is like home cooked... Had the Chicken Curry and the Chicken Biryani.. Excellent.. Service is outstanding as you dont need to ask for food .. They keep bringing fresh bowls with your choice of refills of any of the Thali items..
(5)Jamie J.
While I'm no expert in Indian food, I do like to try new things. In terms of Indian food, I've probably only been to maybe 5 or 6 joints. I know Indian cooking has a lot of regions and styles of cooking just like Chinese food has Hunan or Szechuan and such. I believe here it is Andhra. Not to be confused with Hydra-style, which Captain America isn't very fond of. We came here with some good friends who were more familiar with Indian food. Or, as they call it, food. Yes, they were Indian. We basically went with whatever they recommended as our family of 4 are novices when it comes to Indian food. For my dish, I had the Ulavacharu Chicken Dum Ka Biryani. I can't describe the spices, but the dish itself was fantastic. I want to say it was a little spicier than I normally like, but it wasn't. It was right at the threshold. The threshold is set at sweaty face, but can't stop eating. My wife had the Chicken Curry with Naan and that was good although I only had 1 bite. We also ordered the Chicken 65 to share. The Chicken 65 is an Indo-Chinese dish and it was delicious! I could eat 50 of those bad boys! We ended our meal with some traditional Indian desserts, Rasmalai and Gulab Jamun. Not overly sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth craving. Like I said, I'm no Indian food expert, but this is a place I will definitely come back to.
(4)Krishna C.
If you are a Telugu speaking person, how can you not try a restaurant named "Ulavacharu"? This was my thinking when I bookmarked this restaurant. We ordered the following items to-go Dhaba Chilli Chicken (2 orders) Samosa Andhra Chicken Curry 2 butter naan Ulavacharu Chicken Dum Ka Biriyani Total with tax came to ~ $49 Pros: Ulavacharu chicken dum ka biriyani was unique and delicious. I had not tried this version of a biriyani before. (+1) Portion of food was adequate for the price. Food wasn't too spicy either. Decent parking & seating. Friendly staff. Cons: Dhaba Chilli chicken was not crispy as explained in the menu. The dish felt Indo-Chinese (-1) The next time we are in Sunnyvale, I will try their Thali, and prawn masala.
(4)Harish D.
This place was a pleasant surprise. It is relatively new and has an old style rustic Indian ambience. We ordered chilli bhajji for starters and gosh it was spicy. In a nice authentic way of course. The mirchi parathas and the Nellore fish curry was a great combo. I wish they'd serve dosas though. I bet that would make for a killer combination. The buttermilk and tea were complimentary beverages. My wife ordered a veg biriyani and she said it's the best she's had in a long time. I'd definitely go back and try the buffet/thali out sometime.
(4)Darshan P.
I liked the food very much!!! Andhra mirchi bhajji is the best i've had. Complimentary tea is always great ;-) Along with the food being great, the staff is really friendly and helpfull!!!
(5)Deepali M.
The best veg biryani I have ever eaten in the Bay Area . The paneer was juicy and succulent not rubbery like you would normally be served in most Indian restaurants .The mirchi baji was not oily though deep fried . It was fresh and delicious served with coconut chutney . The fish curry was very South Indian in flavors , best eaten with spicy paratha . Buttermilk and Indian chai was complimentary and pretty good . The place is not fancy just simple good food and easy on the pocket too .
(4)Ramyaa V.
I was a first timer to UlavacharU with my husband today for dinner & the food was Amazing. We had the best Andhra cuisine in the bay area so far. Must try veg items are Andhra Mirchi Bajji, Paneer veg Dum ka Biriyani, served at correct spice level & Navratan Korma which was very rich & creamy. Staff here are very courteous, quick, friendly & attentive. We had ordered for Gulab Jamun as dessert and to our great surprise that was made complimentary towards the end. Prices are also affordable & they are open late. The restaurant has a separate party hall with decent parking area, both front & back. Hope to try their Thursday evening Thalis next time. Will definitely visit again soon.
(5)Sirish Kumar M.
Good food Thali veg n non-veg... Customer service excellent the man with white shirt n black pant don't know whether he is a manager or the owner the way he cares the customers asking them what ever they need and the way he welcomes was excellent... Thanks man Will be back again
(4)R R.
I've been here a few times and tried the Thali tonight for first time. Abundant variety and they check on you often to refill items on your plate. I think favorite was the chicken briyani. Food is pretty spicy but the yogurt helps cool it down. Also prices super reasonable and staff very friendly.
(4)Geri W.
Excellent food and service! Enjoying saag paneer, mango lassi, chai, and garlic naan... And eyeballing the gobi manchurian for later :) perfect place to study with a fine array of outlets in the back and strong wifi.
(5)Darshan S.
Not a good idea for weekend for visits... No food properly served...and moreover there is no naan or roti served... Server said there is no roti or naan...
(2)Faisal J.
I love the food here, the fish (or prawn masala) is awesome! Do try this place if you are looking for a taste of Andhra!
(5)Sahiti D.
Delicious authentic food. Well worth the price. Lip smacking flavors. The service was great.
(5)Srinivas M.
1. Management is worst. 2. Owner attitude is worst. Don't encourage this this type of guy business. he looks like a arrogant. 3. He is clubbing two individual persons at same table even so may tables are empty. 4. He gave bill before completing my lunch. he want me to leave restaurant ASAP. 5. No respect to the customers. Please don't go this restaurant. I would never suggest
(1)Sampad D.
Awesome place and superb food. They start with a thali having around 8-9 items. Usually a thali has - Rice, chapati,2-3 veg item, Chicken curry , desert . You can choose between vegetarian or non-vegetarian thali . Once you start eating , the hosts will come to your table to refill it. I just loved the chicken biryani. It was spicy and good. The quality of food and the taste is excellent. I loved that food was continuously being served as you eat. There was not a minute of delay. They have ample parking space as well. Overall a great experience !
(4)Jodi H.
I've lived in Sunnyvale before. I know that Sunnyvale's pretty popular with the Indian population...but dazaaaaaayum did I feel so out of place today when I grabbed lunch today. Let's describe this place rapid-fire style: It's totally legit (I was in a sea of Indian-only people). Food is spicy. Lassi is thick and very dairy-licious. Affordable and constantly a-buzz with energy. Lunch buffet anyone? There's TVs that play Indian dramas. And servers are constantly walking around passing out naan and dosa. Now I just realized that this type of Indian food isn't my cup of tea. I've always considered myself an adventurous foodie (and I still am), but UlavacharU was delicious but too spicy for me. The labels aren't clear enough especially since I'm pescatarian. So I only stuck to the rices that I could tell what was in it, and the curries that say tofu on it. They have enough options for vegetarians, but lots of yummy looking curries at the end of the buffet line that include mutton and chicken! I also sampled their desserts (although I heard their ball-shaped dessert has nuts in it--ALLERGIC), and honestly didn't like any of them. That's just my opinion because I didn't grow up with these flavors...but I can still appreciate it! They had a white rice curd (think greek yogurt mixed with watery rice) and a mango pureed dessert that definitely had cashews in it. I licked the orange-mango part just to get a taste of it and definitely also did not like it. It's just a personal observation, so nobody go hatin' on my freedom of speech! I'm really glad I tried this place out today. I definitely felt welcomed by the staff who were eager to tell us what they were passing out and serving. However, I wouldn't come here unless I was with an Indian person who could actually tell me what food I was eating. Also, another observation: this place literally feels like I'm in a marketplace...tons of people and families walking around grabbing food and engaging in loud conversations! It gets pretty warm inside and the architecture reminds me of a large clay oven. Hilarious, but you got to check this place out if you're feeling bold!
(4)Sean S.
Very attentive staff.especially VAMSI the guy with glasses he is so nice to talk and friendly way more fast in work. When we came the owner was working the dining room. He is energetic, friendly and has wonderful report with people. You totally felt welcomed. The boar was melt in your mouth delicious with wonderful accompaniments.The desserts paired with ports were an excellent way to end the meal. I'd go back and try more
(5)Kumar R.
It's the waste restaurant I have ever seen, actually service is too bad.... The owner is playing with students life by giving the customers good offers and deducting the pay from the part time jobbers
(1)Yallampalli S.
Great food and good customer service. Will visit again. Highly recommended for Indian food
(5)Ganesh B.
Great food! Everything on the buffet menu tasted good. Our family did have to wait for 15mins to be seated (Saturday afternoon 1:30pm), but it was definitely worth it!!
(5)Yogesh K.
Authentic Andhra food. Great service and delicious food:) great value for the money
(5)Yanu G.
Food is okay, but service is bad. We were 4 people. One of us got his food in time and was done even before anyone else got their orders. 2 of us got their food on the table 10-15 mins after the 1st one was done. We ordered more chapatis, but they informed us that the kitchen is closed. On asking, why didn't they inform us if the kitchen was going to close, they said they did, WTF !! Then we asked if the other friend who hasn't got any food so far, is going to get his order. They said, its on its way only to let us know few mins later that that in fact is not coming. Pathetic experience. Anyway, they did give us 4th friend's order when we decided to leave. Not going there again.
(2)Kiran S.
I went in to get a to go for Indian veggie and mutton biryani. At first the food felt bland, but after mixing it up I felt the subtle taste fill my senses. Also, the ambience is like an Indian dhaba with the most courtesies staff that I have met in the bay area. While I was sitting in their waiting area for my to go, I had three waiters ask about my order and saw them running off to the kitchen to make sure my order was on time :)
(4)Phani M.
16$ for boneless chicken Biryani ....and I guarantee that's the genuine shi***st biryani any one can find in whole bay area ...ulavacharu biryani is bit good but if you order it at night you might end up getting left over from afternoon.
(1)Deepa B.
Ordered veg biryani and gobi appetizer. The food way too spicy. We like spicy andhra food but this was unhealthy spicy!
(1)Suresh B.
#NAME?
(4)Tara S.
I have only ordered take out a couple of times here and Both times have only tried their Vegetable and Paneer Biryani. The taste is authentic but very very spicy for my taste. Quantity is good for the price! I generally eat medium to hot spicy but their biryani was way too spicy for me. So if you are ordering one ask for the spicy level to be mild. The girl who answers the call at the front desk is very sweet and polite. The service is pretty quick but last time I ordered, it took a lil while and the manager was apologetic about it. The place is far from my place else, I would have come here as often as possible. Will come back to try other dishes for sure. Definitely recommend this place if you are looking for some spicy tasty food.
(5)H D.
Very tasty food- and well worth the price. Reminded me of Amber India when they first opened, in terms of good quality. But much less expensive than Amber. Quite authentic in their preparation, everything was piping hot- butter chicken, Uluvacharu biriyani, Bengan bartha, goat curry(which was seasoned so well) and lentils. Oh also had garlic and butter naan..also excellent. No room for dessert but took home leftovers which will easily feed two tomorrow for lunch. Family of 4- around $65...Will certainly be back, and they plan on adding new items so need to try those. Don't expect high touch service, but great food- you shall consume here for sure.
(5)Kim N.
Iim starting to lose track of all the places going through here. This is the 3rd or 4th Indian place now, after a Mexican joint, a Country Western place and a bar. They have a lot of work to do with their service and front of house. Being promised 15 min wait time. It ended up being more like 35 and we didnt see food till 10pm. Good thing the food comes out fast when youre the last seated. Another problem was that most of the intriguing regional dishes werent available on the huge menu. We had to eventually get a lot of the more generic Indian dishes you see at most places in The area. Daal fry, goat fry, samosas, chicken fry, frontier lamb chops, saag paneer, butter chicken, stuffed chilis, and a couple of things i forget as they were last minute substitutes. Flavors are good, heat is good and as i said it came out fast. Service is a bit hectic and sometimes several servers will stumble over each other asking you the same thing in succession. Hopefully they get their front of house together as this could be a solid place. 3.5 stars
(3)Radhika K.
I wish I could give them 6 stars. Food was fantastic. We loved the bhindi Jaipuri and the paneer mirch masala. Great flavors, very unique, just the right spice. The best part however, was the service and the management -- from fast and efficient food service to even the owner who came in to see how we were doing. All around great experience and we will be coming back!
(5)Kartheek S Y.
Very slow service .... We waited more then an hour in the restaurant which took 30 mins for getting a table and then 45 mins for food which is still not delivered ... .
(1)Ashok K.
Still like their food, though biryani taste has lost it charm. very authentic food but more in spice level. Good place to visit if you are looking for authentic Andhra food and value for your money.
(4)Sree Sagar R.
Its that kind of a place you always visit if you want to eat a heavy lunch. I have been here mostly for lunch but once for dinner. The lunch has this thali option in which you have only 2 choices either veg or non veg. There is not much of a difference between the two options. You get a curry and chicken biriyani extra, thats all. It is not extra ordinary. Spiciness is high at this place, so it is better for low spicy eaters to think before ending up here. I will be always having a lunch at this place, once a week.
(3)Vivek V.
Awesome Lunch buffet and south indian plates, service is attentive and cordial and the pricing is right. Can't go wrong here, been here twice and have not had a chance to revaluate my opinion of them
(5)NarendraKumar S.
The taste is just right and could not ask for more. However the service needs to improve and when ever i am in there i remember the Lagaan scene where all the fielders run for one ball ;-)
(4)Sri K.
South Indian dishes were okey. I would suggest not to order north Indian dishes. Service is very very poor, overall taste was not soo great...
(2)Sharanya R.
Chicken 65 is really tasty! Authentic South Indian restuarant..service is really good..Srinu is the name of the person who took care of us..highly recommend..
(5)Lata Kumari R.
Excellent food- very ethnic south indian taste. They specialize in ulvacharu and it is bang on! All veg items are served with rice. Food was served hot, which is great. The andhra chutneys that is usually served with hot rice and ghee was tantalizing. We also had complimentary tea, which was nice and soothing. Great service - the guy who took our order suggested their excellent mirchi bhajji for appetizer, and it was indeed very good. We liked the tandoori roti too - hot and fluffy. All in all, it was an amazing dining experience. Worth trying if you are looking for something tantalizing!
(5)Pragyna R.
Horrible service! Sub standard mess food. I had no idea they were doing thali for lunch. How is anyone supposed to know? That lady who was at the billing counter is the worst. She seated us and we kept wondering, I asked and she told us thali, veg-non veg. I had no idea what's on their thali menu. They served with roti and some curries, I only liked the pickle and everything was just cold, mess food! They just kept coming back with white rice 5 times and saw our plate was empty with no curries. Like really? They don't get the concept of thali, they shouldn't do it. She could have told us they ran out of chicken biryani, we would have just ordered veg. Besides the one chicken curry in the plate which was alright, rest was veg. We went around 2:20pm and they ran out of pretty much everything. They even ran out of tea. She made us wait when we got there instead she could have just told us they were out of most of the dishes. We don't go to a restaurant just to eat pickle and pay 22 bucks for that. When I actually told her so at the billing counter instead of being apologetic, she tells me it's 3! and that's just how it is. Well, I didn't come in at 3? If you were running out of food right at 2:15, you should close your restaurant at 2 and not serve cold left over food to your customers. There was another customer that was equally upset coming that far to pick up his order of biryani, their signature item and goat fry to actually find out they ran out of both and you tell your customer when he actually arrives at the restaurant. They have to make sure there is enough food and hire good staff to keep the restaurant going.
(2)Rajasekar D.
Ualavacharu has the best chicken biriyani among mid range restaurants in the whole of bay area. Moreover the biriyani is unlimited when non-veg thali is purchased. This is one of the best deals in sf bay area. The food tastes like home cooked food and it is really good. I cant get enough of the biriyani.
(5)Joe M.
This place served me the best food I have had in the South Bay. Hands down, some of the kindest, most enthusiastic service, and the food was outstanding. I'm definitely going to come back here soon.
(5)Andrew C.
Food and service were amazing. As others say, super legit, very spicy, high quality. Fast and courteous service, good balance of menu options without being overwhelming. I travel to the area regularly, and will definitely return many more times. Would recommend to anyone who loves great Indian food.
(5)Forrest P.
The universe was created so people can experience this food. best. Indian. Buffet. Period. The service was great and the food was amazing. Can't wait to go back.
(5)Ryan K.
The restaurant is good, service was great & great food. But the cleanliness of plates and glasses are worthless. They were smelling meat I guess they don't wash their dishes properly. Next time I go I will take only to go.
(2)Jagadeesh G.
Awesome food and service. Never seen such a good hospitality. Nice service by nishchal, Srinivas, Cheran. Keep the standards like this. Hope thali will be on all days
(5)Ravi B.
Extremely bad service. Placed an order over phone and was told it will be ready in 30 minutes. Showed up 40 minutes later and I was told it will be ready in another 15 minutes. After another 30 minutes the to-go order finally came through. The order was for mild biryanis and both were extremely spicy. Basically the $30 order was inedible and had to be thrown away. I wish I could give 0 stars.
(1)Karin B.
This place is great! Excellent food and service! I got the butter chicken and my friend got the lunch non-veggie all you can eat platter. There was always someone checking to make sure her platter was full. Will definitely be back!
(5)Jo B.
It's sad how restaurants can't maintain consistency. Long wait for food ordered to pick up ( ordered 1 hour before pick up time still had to wait). Ordered dhaba chicken but got chicken 65. Upset. Food not great anymore.
(1)Mahipal R.
The food is spicy and good.... and the style of serving is excellent.... the dish ulavacharu chicken biryani is simply amazing.....
(4)Shiva Ramakrishna A.
My ATF for authentic South Indian dishes.. I been there considerably and almost everything they serve is best at its taste!
(5)Narendra G.
Worst wait time no manners .never ever try and accept their time they said 15 minutes waited for 2 hours
(1)Zdm E.
Best service in town! They'll treat you like family. Hope they continue like that. Authentic Andhra food. Very few Indian restaurants in bayarea treat customers with courtesy and respect nowadays. I just felt like having been to my relative's house and ate homemade food.Person at the counter (I believe is the owner) smiled and welcomed me in. He was genuinely happy that I went. Service was prompt with several people looking after the needs of customers. Very impressive. I didn't feel even a hint of arrogance, negligence, and haughty looks I get in other Indian restaurants from waiters. Coming to the food, Pappu was the best. Other curries were good as well however a bit on the spicier side which is expected from an Andhra restaurant. They are charging a meager $8.99 for full unlimited non-veg meals? I hope they succeed and make some money. Ideal price should be at least $9.99 or even $10.99.
(5)Abhinav V.
Best Indian Buffet I ever had in US. The Butter Chicken and Biriyani were awesome. Worth every penny.
(5)Harimohan V.
The food tastes amazing. The place is maintained pretty clean. And the best of all, the staff here is the most courteous I have come across in an Indian restaurant in the bay area.
(5)Navi M.
I order the non veg Thali and it's great ! The chicken biriyani is very flavorful & AMAZING. It's like a buffet but you don't have to get up to get the food , the food comes to you ! I like that :) You cannot choose the spice level and the food is pretty spicy. The menu is pretty simple too, so decision making isn't too tough. The servings are also pretty large. Price is decent. I usually come during lunch and it is pretty busy, so some times it takes a while to get the food, but the food is totally worth it.
(5)Ilona P.
This is my favorite Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale, and I'm amazed that the other reviews aren't better. Before trying Ulachavaru, I went to 3-4 other "highly-rated" Indian restaurants in this area and consistently got mediocre food and terrible (i.e. very apathetic and long) service. Not so at Ulavacharu. The food is good, and the service is great. There's plenty of space (or at least there has been every time I've been, and I've been ~6 times at this point), and the waiters are quick to serve and friendly. A couple of times, Srinu was our waiter, and he was very enthusiastic and helpful. The only thing that can be difficult is trying to order over the phone, but if you go in person, it's a great place.
(5)Sweety C.
Love their lunch and dinner thali. Very reasonably priced for unlimited thali which comes with biryani. Catering Services: Worked with lakshman for catering t my place for two parties on two consecutive days. He was awesome from pricing to delivering. He was very patient in taking menu and changes to menu also. My guests loved their food. They made awesome garelu and poornalu for pooja. Laksman garu made sure he came home to deliver food and also set up the catering.
(5)Naveen P.
This place has amazing Indian food, better than some of the places in India. So glad I discovered this gem. The staff is very courteous. If you're in the Bay area and haven't been here, you're missing out.
(5)Ravi I.
Excellent food... Everything was awesome.. Good work guys.... Service was really good..
(5)Alexander A.
Beyond excellent service and the buffet is amazing and fresh.. They were very happy to help us and explain the dishes. Definitely a must try Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale. I will be back for sure! Recommend full plates of their butter chicken..it is to die for!!!
(5)Varun N.
The best thali food in South Bay if you are looking for spicy authentic andhra food. The chicken biryani was amazing and every curry in the unlimited thali was worth the price of entire thali. And it cost 8.99 on a week day so great value for money.
(5)Feed B.
Tried non veg Thali two times.They are very good at serving chicken biryani WithOUT chicken. On a weekend buffet, they simply don't refill food. By the time they refilled the starter,I finished my lunch.(Reminded them twice to refill). Just my experience..
(1)Lavanya P.
Best indian restaurant. loved the food especially ulavacharu biryani. Best place to party with friends
(5)Himabindu C.
Fresh and tasty food. Wide variety of dishes. Goat curry is yummy and very tender. Warm hospitality and excellent customer service. I am impressed with this place.
(5)Yugandhar P.
Many restaurants get a lot of hype and very few stand by it. Bay area overly hyped for the best indian food in US has disappointed at many places.. however this place makes the new benchmark.. we ordered chilli chicken and a tandoori (murgh) appetizers and the famous mirchi bajji.. everything is tasty and especially the mirchi bajji.. lot of places make it with fluffy and loose the entire flavor... the crispiness here is extremely good.. Chicken Dhum Biryani is the fav of the day.. tender chicken with perfect spicy rice makes it WOW.. an all round performance with closely watched service..
(5)Venkateswara R.
Good food and reasonable price. Chicken biryani is great
(5)Bindu A.
Totally love their Ulavacharu biryani, the best among all the places I have tried. And their thali is so amazing, great value for the price. The idea of unlimited biryani is just too good, the other items were tasty too!
(5)shail p.
I don't how people rating their special biryani 5 star. We ordered it today & found that chicken pieces came with some white rice only. It's really waste of money & taste too.
(1)Meghala D.
Awesome lunch buffet. Extremely flavorful Andhra delicacies that would surely "spice" up your day. Very reasonably priced and for a vegetarian, I must say that the place packs a punch and gives you a fairly decent variety to choose from. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a satisfying South Indian meal. I cannot comment on their menu or service because I have only gone in for their lunch buffets.
(4)Naveen T.
They have Improved !! some good biriyani now !!
(4)Swetha M.
One of the best Andhra restaurants in South Bay! Hyd Chicken dum biryani on a friday night is simply awesome. We are a regular to this this place and are always happy with their service and food. Tried their sunday lunch buffet a couple of times. The options they have are pretty decent and every item is delicious! Way to to Ulavacharu..
(5)Raju S.
We got the chicken biryani to go, its quite tasty.
(4)Rupsha C.
Food was tasty.. but then I got food poisoning (and so did a few colleagues of mine).. and spice level is not an issue for any of us. So I don't think I'm going back there anytime soon.
(1)Prashanth C.
we tried this place on a Saturday afternoon, the appetizers were good, the main course was ok, they had a decent dessert. The ambience isn't very good, feels like a cheap diner, the lines to get to food were very long, was taking people about 10 minutes to get their food, they don't serve Nan which was a turn off for me. Its a decent place to get food, just not the best
(3)Kimberley M.
Best. Indian food. Ever. I love Indian food and have eaten at alot of places. This place is the best! The owner/manager was super friendly, and the food came pretty quickly. I fully reccomend it and will definately eat here again.
(5)Avinash N.
Nice food, best in Sunnyvale. .. Best buffet and Unlimited thali... been here thrice and all the times it's been good
(5)Vinod R.
Awesome service!! My new favorite indian restraunt in bay area. People are really friendly, the ambience is awesome. Food came out at the right time. Authentic ulavacharu chicken biryani - never tasted anything this awesome. Must try.
(5)Harish R.
Chicken fry and boneless biryani were awesome and weekend buffet is the best I had around here.
(5)Sanjay D.
New restaurant. The food is true to Indian flavors. Not the best ambiance. Try paneer dum biryani and the garlic naan. The prices are pretty low as well.
(5)Anup C.
Very Nice Food and Good Staff.... Awesome...
(4)Moh S.
Ordered ulavacharu biryani . Very disappointed with chicken . Had to wait 45 minutes for that , smell of the chicken was different like boiled in water or something . 2 star for ulavacharu which was ok not great though .
(2)Abida A.
I am from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and the taste of food served here reminded me of my hometown. The food has excat spice and taste that actually needs to be there. I usually do not prefer eating Indian food outside as the spice and taste is always missing. But this place is too good. Try konaseema chicken fry and their special ulavacharu biryani. These are best. I met the Owner who was very friendly too. Want to mention one thing that their service from waiters was very slow. One waitress does not understand what ever you ask for. She just has a blank face all the time. Other than that the food is very good. You must try it
(4)me m.
Tasty food. Serving across the table was a bit annoying as they keep refilling your plate. Suggest to grab a center seat for a party of four. They should lower the rates.
(4)Murty D.
Not for vegetarians: 1) Tried their dinner to begin with and didn't like their veggie biryani, or the other items that we tried. So came back disappointed why they even closed Malgudi, which used to be at the same place. After a few weeks, friends told me that their buffet is damn good and spicy. So went there again today. 2) Not a chance. Firstly, their vegetarian buffet choices are not so good. Tried the gongura pappu, which was fine. Egg plant pakoda curry didn't meet the expectations. Why do you need three different chuntneys, when all you get is Upma as the tiffin? I know they had punugulu, but it's difficult to get them. Most of the items are spicy if you are taking kids (No complaints for me here!!). Overall, it's inline with my dinner experience and I am not going back. Again, this review is only applicable for vegetarians. Note to the management: Please be sensitive to the feelings of vegetarians and keep the vegetarian items separated from the meet items in buffet. This is a big downer if you want the vegetarians to come in.
(2)T R.
This is the new hot spot for Indian food in Santa Clara Valley. The food is always fresh and made with perfection. The staff is very friendly and attentive. You can feel the positivity and love of food in the environment! Prices are moderate but quality is tops. Don't settle for less.
(5)syam k.
Wonderful Thaali. Biryani is so good. We ordered non-veg thaali for dinner. it was so good. service is so good and they ask every 10 mins what we need. I would surely recommend this restaurant. you will love it if you are from south india.
(5)Guess W.
One of the best Telugu / Andhra buffets I have visited in the USA. Vegetarian Biryani was very close to the ones I had in Hyderabad - delicious. This buffet is NOT for you if you want a large variety of items in the spread. I liked it personally as whatever was in the spread was well made and tasted right. The owner was not the types who stands behind the counter and is only a businessman. Like one of the other reviewers had mentioned, he is a hands on guy, welcoming people and taking feedback. Will definitely visit this place again for the buffet and recommend this to all my 'Telugu' friends.
(5)Arul S.
We ordered food (catering service) for a party for 50+ family in our home. The food is very tasty and yummy !!! Finally, the chilly chicken tasted like it's supposed to... all my friends and family members like spicy food, they enjoyed it very much. The highlight is 'chicken UC biriyani' and 'mutton UC biriyani' is awesome 'Naan' is so fresh and hot, bindi fry is too good.... both veg. and non-veg dishes were good.. We got the same feedback from all the family members who attended the party...(This is one of very few parties, that all the dishes ordered got over without any complaints). We have ordered indian food in many restaurants before but i would rate them No.1, based on their catering service and the taste of both non-veg/veg dishes.... I would recommend them to our friends and will go with them for our next party too !!!! Cheers,
(5)S N.
They have lunch buffet on weekends . Food is spicy but nothing special. I felt overstuffed and overwhelmed after eating it. I think food here is overdone . Also ambiance is not very good. Its run by south Indians .... so you will see lot of south indian dishes .Meh
(3)SathishChandra S.
This is nice place for Indian Spicy food. - Fish Fry - Konaseema chicken Fry - Gobi Starter - Biryani - Gutti Vankaya Kura Till now I have tried these items in my last 2 visits.All are good.Me & My wife both were happy with this food. Definately Its pretty good restaturant for Andhra/Indian food lovers :)
(4)Kevin V.
Biriyani is good but compared to shalimar or pakwan i didnot find it it worth.. May be im not a fan of south indian biriyani though i love malabar style. The service is wonderful and caring..
(3)Rahul S.
If you don't care too much about ambiance, this restaurant is great as the food is just excellent. On the other hand, the ambiance is horrible. The music is being played way too loud to the point at which you will struggle to hear someone an inch away from you. That being said, I definitely recommend trying it out if you're looking for some good food.
(4)Chanakya G.
Great food...I like the lamb biryani... A lil on the spicy side not for the faint hearted
(4)Satyanarayana V.
Homely, nice service and great food.
(5)Priti P.
All 6 of us who went eat here for dinner buffet during pongal day had serious stomach upset the other day!!
(1)Rajesh S.
For service, please don't come by yourself, it could be a very bad idea. Already let down before the food went in... 45 mins and still waiting.... Disorganized and pathetic. Finally left disgusted.
(1)Surendra A.
Excellent ethnic Andhra food. Their UCB (Ulavacharu Biriyani) is very good. I am going to go back again try their Guttivankaya (Eggplant) gravy. Great service. I see it is open till 11PM as well.
(5)Sai K.
This review is more on the attitude of the management. We attended a birthday party here. They messed up one of the dishes(found non-veg in a veg dish) and my friend left an instant review on Yelp. The management was so upset with the review and they literally fought with us on why did we write a review even though apologized for the mistake. The customer service is deteriorating fast. I went to this restaurant few times in the past. I would think twice before taking a decision based on the reviews as they may not provide the truth.
(1)L K.
I am from Andhra Pradesh, so you can take my word for it when I say this food is so authentic and delicious. It is very homey. Tried the Sunday buffet and was very impressed by the variety and price. There were 6 non-veg items - each one delicious - and many veg options too. Not sure why previous reviewers said the service was poor - that was not my experience at all. Each server was very attentive and helpful. Do yourself a favour and try this place out. Especially if you are from AP, you will be transported home in one bite!
(5)Meera T.
I ordered food over phone and the person who took my order was less than polite. She told me that the order will take 20 mins and we were 10 minutes ahead of time. First thing she tell me is the bill amount right after asking my name. The tone is outright rude and not at all courteous. After we pay up she comes back after 15 minutes and tells me that "they are running out of Mango Lassi", can I replace it with Sprite or something else. I said no thank you. She returned the money for the lassis we paid and 15 cents less than what we paid. Ohh well, first of all I ordered well in advance and they had that items when I ordered. The girl at the reception looked like a student who was working part time. But that not an excuse for rude behavior. Overall bad experience with staff and had to wait for a really long time before our food arrived. There was no apology for missing items or the delay. Food and service go hand in hand. I hope the management takes care of the service part too.
(3)Charlie C.
Two thumbs up India food! I'm a Chinese who likes to taste all kind of food. As working at San Francisco bay area, lucky me, I had a lot of chances to taste variety of India food. My judgement of Indian food should be a good reference to everyone who love India food. Not only the food here are special, but also they are fresh, well cooked and smalls good. My Indian friend told me that the food here really let him feel the mother's cooking back in his home-town. I can guarantee you will mouth watering as soon as you walk in this restaurant! The location of the restaurant is also very easy to access with a lot of parking spaces. Inside the restaurant, you will really enjoy 5 start restaurant decorations, services and food. I highly recommend this restaurant. Come and enjoy by yourself!
(5)Syam K.
Great place for spicy food. Should try punukulu, chicken 65, konaseema chicken fry. And we happen have this guy Sreenu who is taking our orders and he is very friendly.
(5)Pandu C.
I got addicted to this place.. Authentic ANDHRA THALI. Similar to the taste from my granny's kitchen in India. I visited 10 times last month and will keep visiting. The best Indian food I ever had in SFO bay area
(5)Raj R.
Only thing good about the place is konaseema chicken fry .......food in parties is good
(3)Minu M.
I turned a fan in my first visit itself :) We went on a rainy night for dinner. The non veg thali looked interesting and I opted for that. We also love the ulavacharu biryani from another place we frequent and decided to try the version here. I was skeptical if these 2 items would be sufficient as most restaurants serve pathetic amounts of food in limited quantities as part of a thali. But, we decided to order later if food was not sufficient. The thali came out within 5 minutes. It had Chicken biryani- This is one of the better biryanis I had in a long time. The best part was that it is unlimited!!!! Andhra chicken curry- tasted exactly like the version made at home. Unapologetically spicy just the way it is made in an Indian home :) beetroot fry- A tad bit oily, I normally expect betroot fry to taste sweet. But, this one had an indepth flavor complimenting the sweetness of the betroot perfectly. I haven't tasted better betroot fry. Phulkas-Fresh off the tava without a drop of oil. Imagine my surprise when i was offered more phulkas as soon as I completed one! Dosa- I am used to the thin breakable crepes we find in all the south indian restaurants. The dosa here turned out to be the biggest surprise, it was neither thin, nor were attempts made to brown it. It was thick, crisp and sour. A well fermented dosa, just the way it is made at home. And it complimented the chicken curry perfectly. idli- I am not a fan of idlis but I could make out that it was well made. vada- tasted OK Tamarind Pulihora- Well made Upma- Excellent! Chutneys- There were 2 chutneys, both were amazing Sambar- the low-light, this was a bland Rasam- I never managed to taste it :( Sweet- Gulabjamun. A perfect jamun, neither too soft nor too hard nor overwhelmingly sweet. Dal curd Pappad I guess it comes with white rice and tea also but I was too full to even get them. The highlights of the thali- -It is unlimited! Who can beat that? With biryani as part of the thali?? -most of the items were exceptional -Most number of items I have seen in a thali, ever. -It is only $8.99 We also got the ulavacharu biryani, to our pleasant surprise it turned out to be better than the place we normally frequent. The ulavacharu flavor stood out and it was spicy in the right proportions. Can't wait to go back! :)
(5)Starr M.
I love spicy food and with yelpers help, I came in to get my indian food fix. I had their non veg thali. They bring you a platter with a breads, rice, dal, and several curries. All of which were amazingly fresh and perfectly spicy. They were very attentive with water refills and continually walking around offering numerous other dishes to serve you. I didn't know exactly what each dish was called but who cares. It was all so good!!! For sure coming back to try the weekend buffet. The food was great. The staff and owner were very kind and attentive. Love it when I find places like this!
(4)Sailokesh C.
This was opened a couple of weeks ago in the place of an old restaurant "Malgudi". With the name "Ulavacharu" (andhra delicacy) they are trying to carve a niche and they did not disappoint a bit. Am a Biryani aficionado and I was raring to try theirs. It was heavenly and by far the best dum biryani I had in Bay Area. I was hooked and came back the immediate weekend (the place was full( but owner kindly found us a spot ( a party of 6). The weekend buffet was sumptuous with a delightful array of veg and non veg dishes. I loved the eggplant fry and chicken fry both done in country style. Reminded me of home! Sambar was delicious and did I talk about biryani already!? :-) The team there is still ramping up and understandably there was a bit of a delay at billing but staff were always polite, courteous and stepping up to make the dining experience pleasant. I will be coming back pretty often if only to try promise of expanded menu such as gongura chicken and Ofcourse their ulavacharu. Hopefully they will continue to Keep the quality and taste levels as high as they were past week. All the best to the owners!
(5)Vishwatej M.
Good food, especially Konaseema chicken fry and their South Indian Thali's were nice , and srinivas was our waiter who introduced us to this dishes.. Highly recommended
(4)Izzy D.
My family and I love the food here. The service is awesome, and the food comes out fast and delicious. My son even ate the saag paneer, which is my favorite. The customer service BTW is great, they check in with you every 5 minutes and they remember you from previous visits.....this make me feel great as a customer when servers and management thank you for revisiting their restaurant. Thanks for the yummy food!
(5)Praveen K.
My wife and I visit this place often. We love their mirchi parata and ulavacharu panner biriyani. Its a typical Andhra cuisine with some fusion. The service staff are very friendly as well. Srinivas in particular will make sure you are feeling comfortable and hear reviews about food served.
(4)Hari H.
Went today for birthday Dinner... had an amazing non-veg thali Chicken briyani and Chicken curry was excellent.. would definitely wish to come again sometime.... If am not wrong one of the person named Neerav was awesome
(5)Courtney L.
The service and overwhelming amount of food was amazing! Took me straight back to India! My boyfriend and I came for lunch buffet on Sunday and there was about 20 different dishes to try! There was a great selection of veg and non veg dishes. The selection included my favorite, chole bhature that was well seasoned, the perfect texture and super hot (temperature wise). The rest of the selection included some indo-Chinese food, biryani and specialties from the north and south, like a fish curry. It was so overwhelming my bf and I stood looking at the selection, what must have been awhile so the owner came over and explained what the different dishes were. The drinks also included mango lassi, butter milk, hot chai and coronas! All of this food was included into the price! It was incredible! Now, about the service, everyone was extremely nice when we stepped through the door. The waiters will bring naan and fresh dosa to the table. When we left the owner came over while we were paying and asked if we were happy with the food and asked if we would be back, and we definitely will be!
(5)Lakshmi J.
This place is as good as South Indian food can get, excellent customer service and the food was authentic and delicious. Most importantly, their level of hygiene (which seems to be quite low across most Indian restaurants) was pretty good. I definitely recommend dining over here. Lastly, the staff was extremely friendly and I enjoyed their hospitality.
(5)Chakravarthy S.
They started off well, but as with many new Indian restaurants they have fallen. And how!? The pros: Their Paneer Ulavacharu Biryani is exceptionally good. The servers are very polite and friendly. Brilliant food back in the day. The bad: Their dishes had many vegetables, perfectly cooked. But these days you can barely find them, and if you do, its over cooked. They usually have "thali" on weekdays...unlimited servings. They are good..but on the front of vegetables, it is potatoes and much oil. I don't understand the logic of paying $10+ for a meal full of rice and potatoes. It wasn't so earlier, now it is. The most outrageous part is this - their lunch buffet which is usually from Friday to Sunday is priced at 11/12$. On holidays, long weekends, they jack it up to $15/17 for food that is worse than the usual deal...without intimating you..considering the board outside reads the regular prices. They used to serve excellent vegetable biryani earlier, now its only biryani rice..
(2)Apurva D.
Definitely the best vegetarian biryani place in the US! Loved the food and the service!
(5)Prashant M.
Really delicious food at an extremely reasonable price. I had the non-veg thali and the offerings were scrumptuous. Quite often, people dilute the quality of food while serving thalis, but that certainly wasn't the case here. The chicken curry was extremely well cooked , well spiced, and the meat literally melted off the bone. The dosa, lemon rice, chutney and sambhar all distinct yet flavorful. And last, but definitely not the least, the chicken dum biryani was certainly the best I've had in the bay area. Every grain of rice replete with flavor, and the chicken well seasoned. I must also mention the prompt and polite service by the employees. I'll definitely be returning, along with friends!
(5)Vineet T.
We ordered a veg Thali and non veg thali, the food was awesome and service was great, they kept filling curries and biryani till we were full and done. I loved this place.
(5)Naren K.
Best south Indian buffet in south bay. Worth every penny. The breads are amazing too and do not miss the gulab jamun/kheer at the end.
(5)Peter N.
I'm sort of jealous that my friends living in SNV have so many good Indian food options to choose from (though you don't expect to find the same things in the middle of a desert). I came twice for thali with a friend while visiting from out of town (tiffin-style the second time). Both times, Srinivasa Rao was helpful in explaining what each dish was made of (for instance, one made of ridge gourd + channa dal). On our second visit, a couple of the curries were too spicy for my friend, so he poured a drizzle of ghee over them, which helped *immensely*. The thali was a nice mix of a couple of familiar southern dishes that I've made myself, with a couple that I am less familiar with (and whose names I have already forgotten, sorry!), but were equally tasty. There was enough food to eat (especially with servers coming around offering additional dosa, roti or idli) that we only had a little bit of the chicken biryani offered at the end, which was perfectly spicy with tender chicken.
(4)A. D.
Food - 4 stars, Ambience -1 star, Service - 2 star Went there for dinner on late Friday nite, good thing they are open till 11am. Ordered Konseema chicken, Savory Dal ( gonghura) , Saag paneer, all dishes were delicious and freshly prepared. Now for the place - it's chaotic and noisy. There is a party / banquet hall attached to the main restaurant with no sound insulation. Then they have TVs running random Bollywood numbers on high volume. Sounds from both sources make for an experience similar to a crowded bazaar in India The decor - is pretty bizarre, every wall has diff color. I can't but seem to wonder if they used it left over paint:). Decor is not tastefully done. For the service - while all the service guys are polite and courteous, they could benefit from best practices in table and order management. Needless to say that our food took a long time to come and so I was able observe all of these things above. :) , which to their credit they did inform us before hand. May be I will do a to- go next time !!
(3)Vaseem A.
Excellent service. The chicken Biryani and chappaties were good. I would love the veg dishes to improve. Home made yogurt was good. Gajar Halawa was 4 stars. I wish they had some rasam to go with it. The best part is the Non Veg is Halal. The price is very reasonable given we get five start service. I will go again and recommend this to others.
(4)Praneeth C.
The buffet is horrible! Chicken mutton veg curries are worst, poori and dessert Are better
(1)Hellokitty K.
Review is for Sunday self serve buffet. $13.3x including state and county sales tax. Excellent - Peanut chutney, vada, chilli bajji, jamoon and another orangish yellow sweet kept along with that, curd rice, rasam Not good - Everything else including the biryani. Also, I didnt like the use of chicken thighs instead of wings/breast meat. Sauce for paneer butter masala was too sweet. 25 people in line at 1245pm on a Sunday! But they were all happily waiting like in early morning Bay Area traffic.
(4)Sunil K.
We had lunch here on a Thursday. There was ample parking and we were seated promptly. Weekday lunch was two choices - vegetarian or non-vegetarian thalis (combination platter.) The quality of food and the taste was excellent. I loved that food was continuously being served as you eat. My favorite was the little phulkas (small, thin roti.) The platter comes with home-made delicious plain yoghurt, which was truly the best I've had in a Bay Area restaurant. I appreciated the real-time service as well as the owner/manager checking with every customer about the food and service.
(5)Mia C.
5 stars! Their Chicken Biryani is delicious and huge portions large enough for 2 people to share. Really enjoyed the Gobi Manchurian as well.
(5)Chanakya G.
Good food....good ambiance and atmosphere. Bumped a star up bcoz we had biryani which is a part of house non vegetarian thali. Will recommend this place for a nice family dinner.
(4)Pawan K.
Their lunch and dinner thali's are served with chicken/veg biryani and is unlimited. They serve unlimited rotis and curries as well.
(5)Sandhya G.
Ulavacharu Chicken dum Biryani(UCB) !!!! It's surprisingly way too delicious and is my current favorite dish at this place. Do give it a shot, although I should warn you that it might raise your Biryani standards high. It definitely has, for me; I can't seem to relish the normal dum Biryani anywhere because of this :/
(5)Vaishnavi R.
Great food , they have unlimited thali in which each item was yum , very nice service ...
(5)Saipriya N.
Great place, wonderful ambience, sweet service and home like food..I have been here once and absolutely loved it. Such personal care while serving us and the delicious food definetly deserves this rating..I can't wait to go there again. Home style food with home style care :-)
(5)Sharan N.
I have been here twice on a weekend. The Biryani's are exceptionally wonderful. Undoubtedly the best of bay area. I wish they maintain the standards. Huge portions with well cooked meat. To my wonder the buffet was too good with lots of options. They served shrimp in the buffet and that is the first time I have ever seen seafood in an Indian buffet. Most times the biryani served in the buffet wont be good but here it as well prepared. The desserts gulab jamun and fruit custard are well done and delicious. The price is $11.99 per person and I can write it down that no other place in bay area serves such good food and varieties for that price. Go early for buffet or you will likely have to wait for at-least 30mins. All i wish at the end is that they maintain the standards and wont fall down like rest of the Indian restaurants.
(5)Ashok G.
Awesome unlimited thali... Good home made authentic andhra food.. And at a very reasonable price.. must try if you are around!! Ask for Srinivas to serve you...
(5)Yasmeen A.
I went for the unlimited thali on a weekday. I was surprised with the food quality and quantity. Each dish was tasty be it the chicken or vegetarian or dessert. The meat is halal too and my favorite is the biryani.
(5)Krishna V.
Food came quick and the food/place had an authentic Indian flavor to it. The malai kofta, butter chicken and naan were great. We also got the daal which had a nice from home flavor to it, but it had a slight burnt taste. We also ordered the bhindi okra which I felt seemed to be flavored too strongly with some spice - it overpowered the okra. Also got the curd rice which was pretty standard although it came with a delicious chutney that went quite well with it.
(4)Vipul M.
Very few times in life you get a feeling that food is what you live for and this place does justice to that feeling. Great food great service If you enjoy spicy food this place won't disappoint you. Will definitely come here again
(5)Deepak K.
The food is served COLD, and it was not like a one-off thing that happened, I've been here atleast 4-5 times and each time I was served cold food. The food, however, is quite okay. The restrooms are terrible, continuing with their "traditions", they only have cold water, the hot water tap is broken, the paper towel disposer is broken, so there is one big wet paper towel lying near the wash basin. What tipped me off the most was there was dead rat in the men's restroom, the stench was unbearable.
(3)Swaathy S.
Awesome place for Indian food . Mysore bonda was too good in appetizer. In main dish chicken biriyani and chicken kebab was brilliant
(5)Kabutar P.
A wonderful place for "FULL MEALS". This is a term used in South India. Full meals is basically unlimited food served at your table. The other would be PLATE MEALS. Which is a plate (Thaali) with fixed amount of stuff in it. NOT unlimited. Having said that, there are a few other full meals restaurants in the South bay. This one is very good because they include Phulka. That is their biggest plus. As many as you want for a Very decent price of$8.99. The curries are good. They serve Appetizers, Rice, Biryani, Daal, Kadhi, Rotis, Yogurt, Two currys, Dessert. Everytime I go they will have something different. Oh, by the way, should you want to watch anything on the TVs that are on the walls there, make sure that you exercise your neck in advance. They audio does not match the video all the time. It depends on which TV you watch. You may have to move turn around to watch it!!!!!
(5)Satish K.
Food was good
(4)Sharanya A.
The fresh items in the menu were good, but the sad part is there were only 3 fresh items in the menu - the dal, roti and custard - everything else was definitely made the previous day or a couple of days back. For the sake of having many items on the menu, they gave us a vada which was inedible, since it was way too hard for normal human teeth to bite into. The biryani which was definitely not made on that day actually tasted pretty good, it was quite spicy for me but I still liked it. In general, I'm not a big fan of this place. I may go again after a really long time.
(3)Rama Krishna Y.
We are so much disappointed for returning back with out having food I suggest the management to maintain their timings mentioned in yelp this is the fourth timing happened to me i went around 2:15 and u people are helpless....at least u should keep few items rather than closing thali
(1)Walla-Walla P.
Best thali for the price! Got a veg thali and a non veg thali and both thalis were awesome and packed with flavor. The thali has 1dry veg curry, 1gravy, yougurt based curry, dal, sweet dish,pickle, chutney, rotis,lemon rice,biryani, appetizer, papad and all items are unlimited. We enjoyed the ginger chutney on the thali last week, it was lip smackingly good.
(4)