Komala Vilas

We visited Kamala Villas around 7:00 p.m on a weekday, and as usual, the place was quite busy, which already says a lot about its popularity. Despite the crowd, the staff welcomed us promptly and arranged seating without any delay. The service was smooth and attentive throughout our visit. The menu is largely vegetarian, focusing on South Indian items like dosas, vadas, and chutneys. I’m not entirely sure if they serve non-vegetarian food, but it’s clearly a vegetarian-forward restaurant. Had masala dosa and vadai set there. The food was excellent: • The dosa was perfectly crispy • The vada was fresh and tasty • They served three different varieties of chutney along with one sambar, all of which complemented the dishes really well Everything tasted authentic and well prepared. When it comes to pricing, I felt the food was slightly on the expensive side. However, considering the restaurant’s location in Little India and its popularity, the prices are still reasonable. That said, it does feel a bit premium for a casual South Indian vegetarian meal. The only downside was the ambience. The place felt quite cramped, especially during peak hours, which affected the overall dining comfort.

We went to this place for lunch. Ordered Rice Meals (Rice served with Curry, Kootu, Avial, Pachadi, Sambar, Rasam. Curd, Pickle, Appalam and Sweet. When I went. They had prepared Vazhakkai Poriyal (with garlic flavour whid dint go well), Muttaigose Poriyal, Poosani Kootu, Avial (was very tasty), Murungai Kara Kuzhambu (ok types), Rasam - was super tasty. They offer curd in a plastic cup - which doesn't go well with their theme. For the North Meals. They provide a soft Chappathi, Dal, Paneer, Boondi Raita. Curd Vada, Biryani and Sweet (Jamun..on that day). Decent. They serve Water, Juice, Butter milk in disposable (Plastic ones) - way behind in sustainability. Also, this doesn't go well with their theme. Honestly, little disappointed with the taste of food and also for the waste they generate through disposables. Hope they change to the authntic one - by serving in steel tumblers. Not a must go for me, considering the taste of the food.

I've been eating here since 2007. They used to make excellent, consistently wholesome food. The quality has suffered considerably over the years. The dosas are overly fermented, burnt, and sour to the taste, the filter coffee is like so much hot water, and even the South Indian meals feature tasteless side dishes with sometimes uncooked vegetables. Their most tasty food is the sambar but that too, one can find more flavorful versions at other restaurants. In my most recent visit, I even saw a little cockroach crawling up the side of the shelf where they store the fried snacks. They really really have to get their act together. Their only claim to fame is that they started in 1947, the same year, coincidentally, as India's independence. Because they were the one of the first, they are the most popular and crowds of tourists to Little India flock to this restaurant unaware that there are much better options: near Mustafa, try the Bangalore Cafe or Nagercoil Arya Bhavan or Murugan Idli. Or on Race Course road, try Spice junction (for Malayalee food) or any of the other Tamil restaurants. It's a shame because this used to be my favorite place to eat at in the late 2000s and early 2010s. These days, I go there only if I am lazy to walk farther to another restaurant. And when I do, I always regret it, and also feel like telling all the tourists to try other restaurants. If you must eat here, please do not order north-India dishes (like naan, roti, paneer masala, etc.) because this is a south-Indian restaurant. The north Indian food is not their forte. Try instead the poori, idli-sambar, upma, pongal, dosa, etc.

While the food is good, the service level is inconsistent. Tried the poori set, ghee rawa thosai and vadai set. Visited during weekends. On one visit everything was serviced fairly quickly. On another visit, coffee took 20mins to arrive. Poori came without one of the sides, and it took 10mins and a couple of reminders for it to be served. By the time which the dish was cold.

The staff/server were helpful. The service was prompt. The food quality (ordered dosa and idly) could be improved however it wasn’t bad. The restaurant has congested seating as there is table everywhere. It is crowded and air conditioning don’t keep up with crowd and open door. There are other vegetarians restaurants in Little India which are higher than this one.

Simple no fuss place for authentic South Indian vegetarian food. It can get super crowded so try to avoid peak times, especially lunch. Portions are absolutely huge and prices more than fair. For a first timer, it can be overwhelming as the menu is large and staff are not there to help, just to get you your food so you can get out for the next guest.

Nice small South Indian spot, but a bit cramped. Food was good, loved the podi dosa. Wada and masala dosa were average. Ginger milk tea was bitter, skip it. Weekends are busy and service felt rushed (one server for too many tables) management should hire more staff. Prices are a steal. Try it for the dosas, but patience needed.

Landmark restaurant, coincidentally restaurant started year & Indian independence year are same. Had evening tiffen combo & Kothu parotta. Restaurant smell, dosa, mini iddli, all chutneys & sambar were excellent. Ven Pongal, kara Pongal & Vada was okay. Kothu Parotta taste was little disappointing, probably I had high expectations.