Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish I am the former owner of Malabar Restaurant. If you don't believe me, please ask our homeless cook Adam, Brian, Miguel, and Carlos. 10 days ago we had to kill a rat at 8 pm in the empty dining room. Red blood was cleaned up later on. Adam found rat p*** in the rice bin. The new owners threw the rat p*** away and cooked the same rice. I found rat p*** on the rice lid, behind the pastry table is the main rat hole. They don't have pest control. Miguell is the rat trapper. Adam is the one who releases them back into the wild. I have seen this. In the night they don't do the leftover dishes so fruit flies. They only sweep the kitchen floor and don't mop it. If I am lying, you can see the beginning part of the dining room is so greasy it sticks to the shoes. Indian customers complains about potato fillings. When I ran the restaurant, I wrote $1000 worth of produce from Wednesday farmers market. They bring cheap warehouse produce from San Jose. 15% of it is spoiled. When they bring produce, they transport their dog. One time when myself and Carlos were unloading the car we found dog vomit. They all rise. They put it in the rice cooker put water and heat it up. Bacteria & soggy rice. After their crock pot broke, they keep the dal soup on a two burner with a hand made steam pot.Once the water is over at the end of the night they put it in the microwave. Bathrooms are cleaned 3x's per week. When I ran the restaurant twice a week I bring in a janitorial company and polish the dining room. I only have seen them mopping the dining room two times after Covid. Dirty metal dish rack and behind that rack is so dirty. Behind the pastry table is dirty. Underneath the work station is dirty. Work plumbing now broken. Broken table in the storages food are not kept about 6". When I ran the kitchen on Mondays we used to clean the kitchen for 6 hours. If I cannot find anybody to clean it, my 87 year old dad used to come help me do it. Now they clean the kitchen once a month so night for 20 minutes. Baseboards are already dirty. Uncovered food in the walk in. Containers to keep walk in water leakings because I got this walk in 15 years ago. Handwashing sink has no hot water. Cold saucer and chutneys not kept in ice for service. Updated from previous review on 2022-12-23
Raj60
Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish
I am the former owner of Malabar Restaurant.
If you don't believe me, please ask our homeless cook Adam, Brian, Miguel, and Carlos. 10 days ago we had to kill a rat at 8 pm in the empty dining room. Red blood was cleaned up later on.
Adam found rat poop in the rice bin. The new owners threw the rat poop away and cooked the same rice. I found rat poop on the rice lid, behind the pastry table is the main rat hole. They don't have pest control.
Miguell is the rat trapper. Adam is the one who releases them back into the wild. I have seen this. In the night they don't do the leftover dishes so fruit flies. They only sweep the kitchen floor and don't mop it.
If I am lying, you can see the beginning part of the dining room is so greasy it sticks to the shoes. Indian customers complains about potato fillings. When I ran the restaurant, I wrote $1000 worth of produce from Wednesday farmers market. They bring cheap warehouse produce from San Jose. 15% of it is spoiled.
When they bring produce, they transport their dog. One time when myself and Carlos were unloading the car we found dog vomit. They all rise. They put it in the rice cooker put water and heat it up. Bacteria & soggy rice. After their crock pot broke, they keep the dal soup on a two burner with a hand made steam pot.Once the water is over at the end of the night they put it in the microwave.
Bathrooms are cleaned 3x's per week. When I ran the restaurant twice a week I bring in a janitorial company and polish the dining room. I only have seen them mopping the dining room two times after Covid. Dirty metal dish rack and behind that rack is so dirty. Behind the pastry table is dirty. Underneath the work station is dirty. Work plumbing now broken.
Broken table in the storages food are not kept about 6". When I ran the kitchen on Mondays we used to clean the kitchen for 6 hours. If I cannot find anybody to clean it, my 87 year old dad used to come help me do it. Now they clean the kitchen once a month so night for 20 minutes. Baseboards are already dirty. Uncovered food in the walk in. Containers to keep walk in water leakings because I got this walk in 15 years ago. Handwashing sink has no hot water. Cold saucer and chutneys not kept in ice for service.
Updated from previous review on 2022-12-23
Rajhita Weerasekare
Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish
priya patel
The food is delicious and the service is even better. I’m vegetarian and my friends aren’t we both had so many options to choose from. It was my first time trying Sri Lankan food and I loved it. It’s simple to Indian food but a lot less spicy.
Alexa Thornton
Haven’t been to Malabar since 2020 due to Covid so to be back felt so good. Great service, so very friendly and attentive. Food brought so much life and flavor to each bite. We always bring a new friend with us to dine at Malabar because EVERYONE should sit and enjoy a meal here. Such a great “secret” place of Santa Cruz. Definitely need to give it a try if you haven’t yet.
andyjng
The menu is completely online and you'll be asked to scan a QR code to access. I clarified with the staff that the "V" meant vegan, and it turns out that a lot of items could be made vegan upon request. We started with the Vegetable Pakora and Rosemary and Garlic flatbread, which I was told was made vegan. They did however still include the oil on top but luckily it's easily removed. I loved the flatbread the most and the pakora were great too, although I would've liked a bit more chutney on the side. For our mains, I ordered their Mango Almond Plantain Curry ($15). My curry was quite tasty although I felt there wasn't as much plantain compared to mango slices. I still very much enjoyed this Sri Lankan curry and my parents liked their salmon too. Overall, it was a nice dinner at Malabar with what we ordered. In the end, I would've probably subbed the pakora or curry for the vegan Nasi Goreng to add more bang for your buck. Next time I'll have to give that a try,
andyjng
The menu is completely online and you'll be asked to scan a QR code to access. I clarified with the staff that the "V" meant vegan, and it turns out that a lot of items could be made vegan upon request.
We started with the Vegetable Pakora and Rosemary and Garlic flatbread, which I was told was made vegan. They did however still include the oil on top but luckily it's easily removed. I loved the flatbread the most and the pakora were great too, although I would've liked a bit more chutney on the side.
For our mains, I ordered their Mango Almond Plantain Curry ($15). My curry was quite tasty although I felt there wasn't as much plantain compared to mango slices. I still very much enjoyed this Sri Lankan curry and my parents liked their salmon too.
Overall, it was a nice dinner at Malabar with what we ordered. In the end, I would've probably subbed the pakora or curry for the vegan Nasi Goreng to add more bang for your buck. Next time I'll have to give that a try,
Sam Little
We loved our food so much. The calamari was so tender and flavorful and the devil lanka had such a nice spice profile. The only problem was their blender was broken so I couldn't try the lassi, but the traditional chai was delicious.
Sudatta J.
Good food, do ask for recommendations based on your taste. Great service. Clean, open space. Has both outdoor and indoor seating
Internet Person
Couldn't wait to take a pic of the food it looked so good. I had the Yellow Curry w/Snapper and it was amazing. There was an acoustic band playing that was pretty nice. Very nice restaurant, staff, and atmosphere. A bit pricey but the excellent food made it worth it.
Delicious food and vegan dishes were amazing . Cauliflower and veggie curry dish was very goodx
Debranee Mitra
Dishes were all on the sweeter side. Dal Soup was just Indian Kali dal tadka.
KellyHudson
Malabar's has delicious Indian dosas and and fried eggplant Updated from previous review on 2022-09-16
KellyHudson
Malabar's has delicious Indian dosas and and fried eggplant
Updated from previous review on 2022-09-16
Lizzy
Got the Peanut Boda, Gobi Manchurian, and Vegetable Curry, all were amazing and full of flavor. The service was very good too. Highly recommend and we will be coming back to try many more dishes!
Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish I am the former owner of Malabar Restaurant. If you don't believe me, please ask our homeless cook Adam, Brian, Miguel, and Carlos. 10 days ago we had to kill a rat at 8 pm in the empty dining room. Red blood was cleaned up later on. Adam found rat p*** in the rice bin. The new owners threw the rat p*** away and cooked the same rice. I found rat p*** on the rice lid, behind the pastry table is the main rat hole. They don't have pest control. Miguell is the rat trapper. Adam is the one who releases them back into the wild. I have seen this. In the night they don't do the leftover dishes so fruit flies. They only sweep the kitchen floor and don't mop it. If I am lying, you can see the beginning part of the dining room is so greasy it sticks to the shoes. Indian customers complains about potato fillings. When I ran the restaurant, I wrote $1000 worth of produce from Wednesday farmers market. They bring cheap warehouse produce from San Jose. 15% of it is spoiled. When they bring produce, they transport their dog. One time when myself and Carlos were unloading the car we found dog vomit. They all rise. They put it in the rice cooker put water and heat it up. Bacteria & soggy rice. After their crock pot broke, they keep the dal soup on a two burner with a hand made steam pot.Once the water is over at the end of the night they put it in the microwave. Bathrooms are cleaned 3x's per week. When I ran the restaurant twice a week I bring in a janitorial company and polish the dining room. I only have seen them mopping the dining room two times after Covid. Dirty metal dish rack and behind that rack is so dirty. Behind the pastry table is dirty. Underneath the work station is dirty. Work plumbing now broken. Broken table in the storages food are not kept about 6". When I ran the kitchen on Mondays we used to clean the kitchen for 6 hours. If I cannot find anybody to clean it, my 87 year old dad used to come help me do it. Now they clean the kitchen once a month so night for 20 minutes. Baseboards are already dirty. Uncovered food in the walk in. Containers to keep walk in water leakings because I got this walk in 15 years ago. Handwashing sink has no hot water. Cold saucer and chutneys not kept in ice for service. Updated from previous review on 2022-12-23
Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish I am the former owner of Malabar Restaurant. If you don't believe me, please ask our homeless cook Adam, Brian, Miguel, and Carlos. 10 days ago we had to kill a rat at 8 pm in the empty dining room. Red blood was cleaned up later on. Adam found rat poop in the rice bin. The new owners threw the rat poop away and cooked the same rice. I found rat poop on the rice lid, behind the pastry table is the main rat hole. They don't have pest control. Miguell is the rat trapper. Adam is the one who releases them back into the wild. I have seen this. In the night they don't do the leftover dishes so fruit flies. They only sweep the kitchen floor and don't mop it. If I am lying, you can see the beginning part of the dining room is so greasy it sticks to the shoes. Indian customers complains about potato fillings. When I ran the restaurant, I wrote $1000 worth of produce from Wednesday farmers market. They bring cheap warehouse produce from San Jose. 15% of it is spoiled. When they bring produce, they transport their dog. One time when myself and Carlos were unloading the car we found dog vomit. They all rise. They put it in the rice cooker put water and heat it up. Bacteria & soggy rice. After their crock pot broke, they keep the dal soup on a two burner with a hand made steam pot.Once the water is over at the end of the night they put it in the microwave. Bathrooms are cleaned 3x's per week. When I ran the restaurant twice a week I bring in a janitorial company and polish the dining room. I only have seen them mopping the dining room two times after Covid. Dirty metal dish rack and behind that rack is so dirty. Behind the pastry table is dirty. Underneath the work station is dirty. Work plumbing now broken. Broken table in the storages food are not kept about 6". When I ran the kitchen on Mondays we used to clean the kitchen for 6 hours. If I cannot find anybody to clean it, my 87 year old dad used to come help me do it. Now they clean the kitchen once a month so night for 20 minutes. Baseboards are already dirty. Uncovered food in the walk in. Containers to keep walk in water leakings because I got this walk in 15 years ago. Handwashing sink has no hot water. Cold saucer and chutneys not kept in ice for service. Updated from previous review on 2022-12-23
Dear vegetarians: watch out! Except vegetable curry, potato dosa, which you can buy better at the kiosk for $12.50 all your food is fried in a deep fryer that fries chicken, calamari, and fish
The food is delicious and the service is even better. I’m vegetarian and my friends aren’t we both had so many options to choose from. It was my first time trying Sri Lankan food and I loved it. It’s simple to Indian food but a lot less spicy.
Haven’t been to Malabar since 2020 due to Covid so to be back felt so good. Great service, so very friendly and attentive. Food brought so much life and flavor to each bite. We always bring a new friend with us to dine at Malabar because EVERYONE should sit and enjoy a meal here. Such a great “secret” place of Santa Cruz. Definitely need to give it a try if you haven’t yet.
The menu is completely online and you'll be asked to scan a QR code to access. I clarified with the staff that the "V" meant vegan, and it turns out that a lot of items could be made vegan upon request. We started with the Vegetable Pakora and Rosemary and Garlic flatbread, which I was told was made vegan. They did however still include the oil on top but luckily it's easily removed. I loved the flatbread the most and the pakora were great too, although I would've liked a bit more chutney on the side. For our mains, I ordered their Mango Almond Plantain Curry ($15). My curry was quite tasty although I felt there wasn't as much plantain compared to mango slices. I still very much enjoyed this Sri Lankan curry and my parents liked their salmon too. Overall, it was a nice dinner at Malabar with what we ordered. In the end, I would've probably subbed the pakora or curry for the vegan Nasi Goreng to add more bang for your buck. Next time I'll have to give that a try,
The menu is completely online and you'll be asked to scan a QR code to access. I clarified with the staff that the "V" meant vegan, and it turns out that a lot of items could be made vegan upon request. We started with the Vegetable Pakora and Rosemary and Garlic flatbread, which I was told was made vegan. They did however still include the oil on top but luckily it's easily removed. I loved the flatbread the most and the pakora were great too, although I would've liked a bit more chutney on the side. For our mains, I ordered their Mango Almond Plantain Curry ($15). My curry was quite tasty although I felt there wasn't as much plantain compared to mango slices. I still very much enjoyed this Sri Lankan curry and my parents liked their salmon too. Overall, it was a nice dinner at Malabar with what we ordered. In the end, I would've probably subbed the pakora or curry for the vegan Nasi Goreng to add more bang for your buck. Next time I'll have to give that a try,
We loved our food so much. The calamari was so tender and flavorful and the devil lanka had such a nice spice profile. The only problem was their blender was broken so I couldn't try the lassi, but the traditional chai was delicious.
Good food, do ask for recommendations based on your taste. Great service. Clean, open space. Has both outdoor and indoor seating
Couldn't wait to take a pic of the food it looked so good. I had the Yellow Curry w/Snapper and it was amazing. There was an acoustic band playing that was pretty nice. Very nice restaurant, staff, and atmosphere. A bit pricey but the excellent food made it worth it.
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious food and vegan dishes were amazing . Cauliflower and veggie curry dish was very goodx
Dishes were all on the sweeter side. Dal Soup was just Indian Kali dal tadka.
Malabar's has delicious Indian dosas and and fried eggplant Updated from previous review on 2022-09-16
Malabar's has delicious Indian dosas and and fried eggplant Updated from previous review on 2022-09-16
Got the Peanut Boda, Gobi Manchurian, and Vegetable Curry, all were amazing and full of flavor. The service was very good too. Highly recommend and we will be coming back to try many more dishes!