I gave ambiance such a low rating only because we were disappointed in not being able to eat in one of the outside spaces you have. We hope the restaurant has not given up service out there. We love the food, but also love eating outside, especially in the covered part when the doors are open. Otherwise, ambiance inside was fine.
Susanjill
The food and service were excellent! Dosas- a Special South Indian crepe- were available and very tasty. The Saag Paneer was excellent! My only concern was that an additional 18% charge was added because we had five people. That seems a low bar.
Kristina
We ate dinner at Cholanad on Sunday evening. It was busy but not noisy. The food was excellent. I had a yogurt drink (Neer Mor) that was new to me, slightly salty, with ginger and cucumber. I really liked it. We also had the paneer pakoras which were delightful and Chettinad chicken curry and Lamb rogan josh. Both were very good. And we ordered the garlic naan which was excellent. My only reservation is that it is in Chapel HIll and we live in Raleigh. I wish it was closer. Service was timely but unobtrusive.
MinnieBee
I would have given Cholanad 5 stars for their food. It was very tasty! I'm a vegetarian so I had plant -based selections. My husband had lamb, which he enjoyed, but had an upset stomach later so gave the food 4 stars. . Can't say for sure that this was the food, though. The service was spot on. We were there late on Saturday night so the restaurant was pretty quiet and but kind of plain atmosphere.
MargaretM
We had a big group over graduation weekend, and we had the best time at Cholanad! The food is amazing: special shoutout to the samosa chaat, lamb rogan josh, and dosa. Everything was delicious!
TalishaC
Cholanad is the best kept secret in Chapel Hill. The food is outstanding, service is wonderful, the ambiance is diverse. I have been here with a large group of friends and sat outside, on a first date in a quiet corner, at the bar to watch a game, and with my family of multiple generations. This is my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill, mostly because of the food. And dedicated parking!
Bryan “Chapel Hill Athletes” Yonish
Hit everything on my list. Good food, service, atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food4Thought
A nice lunch in Chapel Hill. The restaurant was quiet due to the university out for the holiday break so nice for lunch. We had the shrimp tikka masala and the chettinad shrimp. Both delicious. The chettinad was a lot more spicy but really good flavor. Only downside on both entrees was the shrimp was left “tail on” so made it a bit messy to eat since covered in sauce. The house garlic naan was exceptional. We will be back!! Friendly and prompt service. Restaurant was very clean.
KarenTLevine
The restaurant is attractive, and service was good. We ate in a both, which was a comfortable place for our four-person party to have a good conversation. The Masala Dosa came with a generous filling of potatoes (as dosas go). However, it was no longer crispy when it was brought to the table. The coconut chutney did not taste authentic. I wonder if they added mayonnaise. A few tiny baby eggplants for $18 is hard to justify, though it does come with naan (very good) or rice. The lamb rogan josh ($21) contained four small pieces of lamb.
HeatherB
Friendly and professional staff, many choices and dietary variety on the menu, with helpful descriptions about flavors and spiciness, reasonable prices, delicious food in reasonable portions. The samosa appetizer was so good, paneer was so good, rice was warm and fluffy and fresh. Our server was helpful and made good recommendations. Overall great experience.
Took our daughter for dinner here after hearing how good it is from world-travelled Foodie friends and it was great. Service is tad slow but staff has sign at host stand noting “be patient” since they are short handed. Though may be slower than some spots, we did not wait too long and food was well worth it, so there’s no staff lacking or shortcuts in kitchen. Great spot!
The food was delicious and yummy! Service was good, sign was up letting patrons know they were short staffed so I glad that was known up front. Our party sat outside and TVs were on the home football game. I would definitely recommend to others and come back!
TarHeel
We've been meaning to try Cholonad for a while and finally decided to go when we had a discount from a local dining club. We made reservations for an early weeknight dinner and my wife went in while I drove around to the parking lot in the back. We got garlic naan, mango lassis and I got the chetinad curry with parota (a flaky bread I had never tried before). The food was good but unfortunately the service was lacking. It looks like on that night they seemed to have two servers for the entire restaurant. It took us a long time for someone to take our order, and a long time to get our check. Perhaps their service is better on other nights when they have more staff.
ScottS
Our server, Paul was amazing and remembered us from a previous visit. He knew how to steer my husband to a dish that wasn't too spicy...and he loved it! We will definitely be back ?
Their food quality has really deteriorated and most importantly I don't think they are hygienic and clean. Their bathrooms had malfunction and it was leaking which their servers didn't care about. Food is spicy and service is spotty at best. My last time at this restaurant but then that's me.
I gave ambiance such a low rating only because we were disappointed in not being able to eat in one of the outside spaces you have. We hope the restaurant has not given up service out there. We love the food, but also love eating outside, especially in the covered part when the doors are open. Otherwise, ambiance inside was fine.
The food and service were excellent! Dosas- a Special South Indian crepe- were available and very tasty. The Saag Paneer was excellent! My only concern was that an additional 18% charge was added because we had five people. That seems a low bar.
We ate dinner at Cholanad on Sunday evening. It was busy but not noisy. The food was excellent. I had a yogurt drink (Neer Mor) that was new to me, slightly salty, with ginger and cucumber. I really liked it. We also had the paneer pakoras which were delightful and Chettinad chicken curry and Lamb rogan josh. Both were very good. And we ordered the garlic naan which was excellent. My only reservation is that it is in Chapel HIll and we live in Raleigh. I wish it was closer. Service was timely but unobtrusive.
I would have given Cholanad 5 stars for their food. It was very tasty! I'm a vegetarian so I had plant -based selections. My husband had lamb, which he enjoyed, but had an upset stomach later so gave the food 4 stars. . Can't say for sure that this was the food, though. The service was spot on. We were there late on Saturday night so the restaurant was pretty quiet and but kind of plain atmosphere.
We had a big group over graduation weekend, and we had the best time at Cholanad! The food is amazing: special shoutout to the samosa chaat, lamb rogan josh, and dosa. Everything was delicious!
Cholanad is the best kept secret in Chapel Hill. The food is outstanding, service is wonderful, the ambiance is diverse. I have been here with a large group of friends and sat outside, on a first date in a quiet corner, at the bar to watch a game, and with my family of multiple generations. This is my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill, mostly because of the food. And dedicated parking!
Hit everything on my list. Good food, service, atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A nice lunch in Chapel Hill. The restaurant was quiet due to the university out for the holiday break so nice for lunch. We had the shrimp tikka masala and the chettinad shrimp. Both delicious. The chettinad was a lot more spicy but really good flavor. Only downside on both entrees was the shrimp was left “tail on” so made it a bit messy to eat since covered in sauce. The house garlic naan was exceptional. We will be back!! Friendly and prompt service. Restaurant was very clean.
The restaurant is attractive, and service was good. We ate in a both, which was a comfortable place for our four-person party to have a good conversation. The Masala Dosa came with a generous filling of potatoes (as dosas go). However, it was no longer crispy when it was brought to the table. The coconut chutney did not taste authentic. I wonder if they added mayonnaise. A few tiny baby eggplants for $18 is hard to justify, though it does come with naan (very good) or rice. The lamb rogan josh ($21) contained four small pieces of lamb.
Friendly and professional staff, many choices and dietary variety on the menu, with helpful descriptions about flavors and spiciness, reasonable prices, delicious food in reasonable portions. The samosa appetizer was so good, paneer was so good, rice was warm and fluffy and fresh. Our server was helpful and made good recommendations. Overall great experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
Took our daughter for dinner here after hearing how good it is from world-travelled Foodie friends and it was great. Service is tad slow but staff has sign at host stand noting “be patient” since they are short handed. Though may be slower than some spots, we did not wait too long and food was well worth it, so there’s no staff lacking or shortcuts in kitchen. Great spot!
The food was delicious and yummy! Service was good, sign was up letting patrons know they were short staffed so I glad that was known up front. Our party sat outside and TVs were on the home football game. I would definitely recommend to others and come back!
We've been meaning to try Cholonad for a while and finally decided to go when we had a discount from a local dining club. We made reservations for an early weeknight dinner and my wife went in while I drove around to the parking lot in the back. We got garlic naan, mango lassis and I got the chetinad curry with parota (a flaky bread I had never tried before). The food was good but unfortunately the service was lacking. It looks like on that night they seemed to have two servers for the entire restaurant. It took us a long time for someone to take our order, and a long time to get our check. Perhaps their service is better on other nights when they have more staff.
Our server, Paul was amazing and remembered us from a previous visit. He knew how to steer my husband to a dish that wasn't too spicy...and he loved it! We will definitely be back ?
Their food quality has really deteriorated and most importantly I don't think they are hygienic and clean. Their bathrooms had malfunction and it was leaking which their servers didn't care about. Food is spicy and service is spotty at best. My last time at this restaurant but then that's me.
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