Service is very slow. I was hoping to grab a quick bite for lunch before my drive back to MA. Happened to see this place and stopped in. It took me an hour to complete my quick bite & coffee. There were just about 3-4 tables occupied and it still took forever. Taste and authenticity were also a thumbs down for me
Mandakini D
Tasty kottu poratta and biryani. Could have done better with dessert though. But that probably just me being picky dessert eater.
A J.
We Had done a takeout about a year ago and somehow it was North Indian food and pretty tasty. We went there for typical South Indian fare in September 2022 and the food was pathetic. It's a strong term but here is my justification. the idli and Vada look beautiful but the Idli was hard from inside and the wada was uncooked. Gorgeous and large, worth Instagram but I guess due to the size it was underdone. This is not steak- either cooked or not. This was not. The idle was obviously prepared yesterday, heated in a microwave and then finished in a steamer. I've done enough cooking to analyze the reheat process. There were hard knots in the middle. the regular masala Dosa was fine but the paper dosa was softer than the regular dosa!! The masala was a large portion and in a bowl - I like that concept but it was abs tasteless, unsalted and no flavors. And very watery. Maybe that's why it was in a bowl! The coconut chutney was abysmal. Our North Indian family makes better South Indian fare and I'm not being pretentious. However the red tomato chutney was delish. Our group devoured that one accompaniment. Sambar was ok - could be better for an upscale South Indian joint. The cauliflower 65 was simply batter fried cauli and for $13+ the portion we got didn't match their online picture nor justified - not in Somerville. ( keep reading about their large portions in other reviews). It was served with an aioli of sorts. In which case it had a Mayo which is egg based. Nit written anywhere for those who think This is a completely vegetarian sauce Service: the online menu helped me read using my glasses. I couldn't read anything on their printed menu so that was a great addition of the QR code to the table. we asked the waitstaff ( floor captain) to replace the wada and he agreed but did not ask for the uncooked piece back. So while it sat on the table my son kept eating it and ate around the gooey parts. No fresh wada. When the bill came I asked for a wada to take home or for a discount and was told - your child ate it so we didn't replace it. I explained that you didn't ask for it back nor did you remove it and the captain just shrugged. My take on that- you should communicate that the kitchen / chef wants the uncooked version back. ( either to review or to ensure that we are not here for free food) but the waitstaff failed to do so. No big deal but that experience led to this review. Hope this helps others too. The guy should have dealt with a little more tact and he would have gotten a top and a positive review. I feel the service can be fixed with some training - hope the owners take note. Not going back for food. Unfortunately not going back to a South Indian restaurant for South Indian food. I feel for the owners because in Jersey their competition is stiff so as a customer we move to the next place
Nicole Iannucci
Went here for the first time recently and am kicking myself for not trying it sooner! Everything was absolutely delicious, the best Indian food I have ever had. The staff was very polite and accommodating. Would highly recommend checking this place out!
Anu S.
Food is good. A little on the pricier side, especially the breads. The tawa grill fish was fresh but was a little oily. The chicken curry dishes were good.
Emma G.
Full disclosure right off the bat - Indian food isn't my favorite. I need to be in the mood for it, and that usually happens only once or twice a year. I don't hate it by any means; I'm pretty ambivalent about spicy cuisine and am a loyal user of Dentyne Ice Arctic Chill - I'm not intimidated by the idea of putting something in my mouth that will unnecessarily clear my sinuses. But I'm sure my tepidness to the ethnic genre contributed to my overall feelings here. My chum and I came here for a late dinner this past Friday night around 7:45pm. Downtown Somerville was bustling with classic car show shizzle, but this place was relatively quiet/sedate by comparison. My friend is one of the most proactive creatures in the world when it comes to making meal reservations, but it was pretty clear when we stepped inside that there was no reason to have done so - there were tons of tables and the guy at the front didn't even bother confirming the reservation details. No matter - never a downside to reserving a table if you can do it. Anyway. We were seated in the dining room closer to the front, so we had a pretty good view of the waitstaff, which turned out to be a benefit later on. We decided to split the Garlic Naan (I think this was $4 or $5), which was very tasty. I can always get down with Naan, especially if it's got a nice flavor to it - light and airy, and if you're a novice to Indian food this is a nice segue into it without getting the taste buds overwhelmed. It was a solid portion and not greasy in the slightest (on rare occasions when I've been less than enthused about the Naan, it has always been because of too much grease). I went with the Grill Kaima Parota (I think around $20), which seemed like a perfect combination of edgy and fairly safe. It was basically three decently-sized thin sandwiches with minced goat meat in them. I would definitely get that again. I'd behaved for most of the day so I had a legit appetite but wasn't able to finish this - in no way is that a negative on the dish. And being a pretty big meat fan, goat doesn't taste remarkably different from any other mainstream animal. My chum got this curry egg dish (she'd had it before and liked it enough to try it again). The waiter looked mildly surprised when she ordered it - apparently it's on the spicier side and I got the impression that it's one of the dishes that doesn't have a lot of crossover appeal beyond the Indian community. I sampled it, and there's definitely a kick to it at the end, but I didn't think it was egregious. She was perfectly content with it and labeled it "delightful." The service was really the only aspect of the adventure that could have used a little tightening up. The waiter took our orders pretty promptly, and the food came out probably within 20 minutes or so, but he never came back to check on us. We also watched as two couples nearby in the corner became visibly agitated that no one was coming by to either take their order or give them the check. One guy actually marched over to the staffer by the credit card machine and stayed there to ensure payment. We didn't have much of an issue on our end in that regard, but that's because after we saw what happened at the nearby tables we were SUPER proactive about getting the attention of the employees and ensuring a quicker turnaround time for us. Definitely a pleasant experience overall - if I were more into Indian food, I could easily see this being a close to perfect meal. But worth at least a visit or two if your palate is up to it.
cool s.
Hot and crispy dosa .... One was way to be for me to finish .... Comes with 2 chutney sambar and masala
john q.
Very good service and food. This will become our school of Indian Cuisine. Learning the ingredients, sauces and home of each dish !
Daniel Frias
Good service and great food
Vaishnavi N.
This place is in the Main Street in Somerville and has a great dining area. My four stars is just for the appetizers. Their paneer tikka kabob and chicken tikka kabob were great. We had their biryani and it was so disappointing. Wouldn't go back for that again. We had their vegetable biryani, both kinds of chicken biryani. It wasn't flavorful, the hyderabadi biryani was so bland and it was just plain rice with chicken kabobs.
I went here on an impromptu double date. I chose this place as it is usually packed, but was empty this day. It is BYOB so we did bring some Red Wine, the server kept if I wanted ice in which I had to tell them that most red wine is had at room temperature and to chill white wine. The Server was not familiar with the menu which was not a plus. As an appetizer I ordered the Gobi Manchurian, not impressed. We then tried the Chicken Tikka, wowza. I wish I had ordered that to begin. Even the second day it was good, definitely recommend. For Entree I had the Paneer Tikka Masala and my date had the Chicken Tikka Masala, both with rice. I would say were decent. The reason for my 4 star is maybe the staff needs more training on the menu and being more attentive. One of the main staff members did end up taking over our table and was very understanding.
Prakash D.
Great food, especially their dry mutton is delicious. Good service. Large dining room and nice outdoor sitting.
Vijayanand Phad
Lunch & Veg review...Food was just great, lovely taste. Staff was friendly. We ordered Rasam, Malabar Parrotta, Kofta, Idlyappam with Korma & Kuli Paniyaram. Malai Kofta was outstanding.Restaurant was clean, including restrooms.There's street parking available.
Amol M.
Great food and service is awesome. Very authentic we had the boneless mutton Sukha and mutton biryani very yummy
Pam M.
We were greeted by a very nice waiter who then took our order and served us. The menu was available by QR Code and the restaurant wasn't very busy. I was a little surprised that they didn't have lunch specials as most other places in town have a lunch menu or specials but that was ok. I have been dying for Indian food lately and was happy that my friend was agreeable to check Arusuvai. I've been wanting to go here for a long time. Since there were no lunch specials or menu we decided that appetizers weren't necessary, although pakora & samosas are two of my favorites. I decided on the chicken vindaloo, I grew up in the UK, and I love a hot curry. My friend went for a milder chicken tikka masala. The vindaloo had a nice deep flavor to it, I'd have preferred it a bit hotter, but I managed to eat all of it. The tikka masala was extremely creamy, my friend really enjoyed it, it had a little bit too much yoghurt in it for me, I prefer mine redder & hotter but it did taste good. The naan lacked the charred parts from the tandoori oven that I've become accustomed to from restaurants both in the UK & around different parts of the US but it was fresh and warm. The waiter was attentive to us, the prices were reasonable for a dinner sized portion. The decor was dark, which is something I've seen in many Indian restaurants. I've eaten in 4 other similar places locally, this wasn't the worst but not the best either. I'd more than likely give it another go before giving up since it's so local & I like to support local eat
Service is very slow. I was hoping to grab a quick bite for lunch before my drive back to MA. Happened to see this place and stopped in. It took me an hour to complete my quick bite & coffee. There were just about 3-4 tables occupied and it still took forever. Taste and authenticity were also a thumbs down for me
Tasty kottu poratta and biryani. Could have done better with dessert though. But that probably just me being picky dessert eater.
We Had done a takeout about a year ago and somehow it was North Indian food and pretty tasty. We went there for typical South Indian fare in September 2022 and the food was pathetic. It's a strong term but here is my justification. the idli and Vada look beautiful but the Idli was hard from inside and the wada was uncooked. Gorgeous and large, worth Instagram but I guess due to the size it was underdone. This is not steak- either cooked or not. This was not. The idle was obviously prepared yesterday, heated in a microwave and then finished in a steamer. I've done enough cooking to analyze the reheat process. There were hard knots in the middle. the regular masala Dosa was fine but the paper dosa was softer than the regular dosa!! The masala was a large portion and in a bowl - I like that concept but it was abs tasteless, unsalted and no flavors. And very watery. Maybe that's why it was in a bowl! The coconut chutney was abysmal. Our North Indian family makes better South Indian fare and I'm not being pretentious. However the red tomato chutney was delish. Our group devoured that one accompaniment. Sambar was ok - could be better for an upscale South Indian joint. The cauliflower 65 was simply batter fried cauli and for $13+ the portion we got didn't match their online picture nor justified - not in Somerville. ( keep reading about their large portions in other reviews). It was served with an aioli of sorts. In which case it had a Mayo which is egg based. Nit written anywhere for those who think This is a completely vegetarian sauce Service: the online menu helped me read using my glasses. I couldn't read anything on their printed menu so that was a great addition of the QR code to the table. we asked the waitstaff ( floor captain) to replace the wada and he agreed but did not ask for the uncooked piece back. So while it sat on the table my son kept eating it and ate around the gooey parts. No fresh wada. When the bill came I asked for a wada to take home or for a discount and was told - your child ate it so we didn't replace it. I explained that you didn't ask for it back nor did you remove it and the captain just shrugged. My take on that- you should communicate that the kitchen / chef wants the uncooked version back. ( either to review or to ensure that we are not here for free food) but the waitstaff failed to do so. No big deal but that experience led to this review. Hope this helps others too. The guy should have dealt with a little more tact and he would have gotten a top and a positive review. I feel the service can be fixed with some training - hope the owners take note. Not going back for food. Unfortunately not going back to a South Indian restaurant for South Indian food. I feel for the owners because in Jersey their competition is stiff so as a customer we move to the next place
Went here for the first time recently and am kicking myself for not trying it sooner! Everything was absolutely delicious, the best Indian food I have ever had. The staff was very polite and accommodating. Would highly recommend checking this place out!
Food is good. A little on the pricier side, especially the breads. The tawa grill fish was fresh but was a little oily. The chicken curry dishes were good.
Full disclosure right off the bat - Indian food isn't my favorite. I need to be in the mood for it, and that usually happens only once or twice a year. I don't hate it by any means; I'm pretty ambivalent about spicy cuisine and am a loyal user of Dentyne Ice Arctic Chill - I'm not intimidated by the idea of putting something in my mouth that will unnecessarily clear my sinuses. But I'm sure my tepidness to the ethnic genre contributed to my overall feelings here. My chum and I came here for a late dinner this past Friday night around 7:45pm. Downtown Somerville was bustling with classic car show shizzle, but this place was relatively quiet/sedate by comparison. My friend is one of the most proactive creatures in the world when it comes to making meal reservations, but it was pretty clear when we stepped inside that there was no reason to have done so - there were tons of tables and the guy at the front didn't even bother confirming the reservation details. No matter - never a downside to reserving a table if you can do it. Anyway. We were seated in the dining room closer to the front, so we had a pretty good view of the waitstaff, which turned out to be a benefit later on. We decided to split the Garlic Naan (I think this was $4 or $5), which was very tasty. I can always get down with Naan, especially if it's got a nice flavor to it - light and airy, and if you're a novice to Indian food this is a nice segue into it without getting the taste buds overwhelmed. It was a solid portion and not greasy in the slightest (on rare occasions when I've been less than enthused about the Naan, it has always been because of too much grease). I went with the Grill Kaima Parota (I think around $20), which seemed like a perfect combination of edgy and fairly safe. It was basically three decently-sized thin sandwiches with minced goat meat in them. I would definitely get that again. I'd behaved for most of the day so I had a legit appetite but wasn't able to finish this - in no way is that a negative on the dish. And being a pretty big meat fan, goat doesn't taste remarkably different from any other mainstream animal. My chum got this curry egg dish (she'd had it before and liked it enough to try it again). The waiter looked mildly surprised when she ordered it - apparently it's on the spicier side and I got the impression that it's one of the dishes that doesn't have a lot of crossover appeal beyond the Indian community. I sampled it, and there's definitely a kick to it at the end, but I didn't think it was egregious. She was perfectly content with it and labeled it "delightful." The service was really the only aspect of the adventure that could have used a little tightening up. The waiter took our orders pretty promptly, and the food came out probably within 20 minutes or so, but he never came back to check on us. We also watched as two couples nearby in the corner became visibly agitated that no one was coming by to either take their order or give them the check. One guy actually marched over to the staffer by the credit card machine and stayed there to ensure payment. We didn't have much of an issue on our end in that regard, but that's because after we saw what happened at the nearby tables we were SUPER proactive about getting the attention of the employees and ensuring a quicker turnaround time for us. Definitely a pleasant experience overall - if I were more into Indian food, I could easily see this being a close to perfect meal. But worth at least a visit or two if your palate is up to it.
Hot and crispy dosa .... One was way to be for me to finish .... Comes with 2 chutney sambar and masala
Very good service and food. This will become our school of Indian Cuisine. Learning the ingredients, sauces and home of each dish !
Good service and great food
This place is in the Main Street in Somerville and has a great dining area. My four stars is just for the appetizers. Their paneer tikka kabob and chicken tikka kabob were great. We had their biryani and it was so disappointing. Wouldn't go back for that again. We had their vegetable biryani, both kinds of chicken biryani. It wasn't flavorful, the hyderabadi biryani was so bland and it was just plain rice with chicken kabobs.
Restaurantji Recommends
I went here on an impromptu double date. I chose this place as it is usually packed, but was empty this day. It is BYOB so we did bring some Red Wine, the server kept if I wanted ice in which I had to tell them that most red wine is had at room temperature and to chill white wine. The Server was not familiar with the menu which was not a plus. As an appetizer I ordered the Gobi Manchurian, not impressed. We then tried the Chicken Tikka, wowza. I wish I had ordered that to begin. Even the second day it was good, definitely recommend. For Entree I had the Paneer Tikka Masala and my date had the Chicken Tikka Masala, both with rice. I would say were decent. The reason for my 4 star is maybe the staff needs more training on the menu and being more attentive. One of the main staff members did end up taking over our table and was very understanding.
Great food, especially their dry mutton is delicious. Good service. Large dining room and nice outdoor sitting.
Lunch & Veg review...Food was just great, lovely taste. Staff was friendly. We ordered Rasam, Malabar Parrotta, Kofta, Idlyappam with Korma & Kuli Paniyaram. Malai Kofta was outstanding.Restaurant was clean, including restrooms.There's street parking available.
Great food and service is awesome. Very authentic we had the boneless mutton Sukha and mutton biryani very yummy
We were greeted by a very nice waiter who then took our order and served us. The menu was available by QR Code and the restaurant wasn't very busy. I was a little surprised that they didn't have lunch specials as most other places in town have a lunch menu or specials but that was ok. I have been dying for Indian food lately and was happy that my friend was agreeable to check Arusuvai. I've been wanting to go here for a long time. Since there were no lunch specials or menu we decided that appetizers weren't necessary, although pakora & samosas are two of my favorites. I decided on the chicken vindaloo, I grew up in the UK, and I love a hot curry. My friend went for a milder chicken tikka masala. The vindaloo had a nice deep flavor to it, I'd have preferred it a bit hotter, but I managed to eat all of it. The tikka masala was extremely creamy, my friend really enjoyed it, it had a little bit too much yoghurt in it for me, I prefer mine redder & hotter but it did taste good. The naan lacked the charred parts from the tandoori oven that I've become accustomed to from restaurants both in the UK & around different parts of the US but it was fresh and warm. The waiter was attentive to us, the prices were reasonable for a dinner sized portion. The decor was dark, which is something I've seen in many Indian restaurants. I've eaten in 4 other similar places locally, this wasn't the worst but not the best either. I'd more than likely give it another go before giving up since it's so local & I like to support local eat