SVT Canteen — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

Very oily.... All the items are really very very oily/ghee. On weekend we have visited Sri Venkateswara Temple where we have tried this SVT Canteen. There was hug rush and long queue. We have order Masala & Plain Dosa, Idli & Vada mix, Samosa whereas in drinks we have tried coffee and Mango Lassi. Only 1 item as Mango Lassi was refreshing and yummy. Other than that even Plain dosa was super oily. You really need special talent to make plan dosa so oily. In Masala Dosa the oil level is very high due to Potato Bhaji. We were not able touched Vada barehand due to oil. Also it was bit dry. The sambar was settling at bottom whereas water was on top. (You can see in the pics). The chutney was not consistent with each dish its test and density was changing. Table was not clean at all. There was issue with the staff and service. If you mentioned that this is canteen then there should be least water available of customer. The prise was same as any restaurant but food , atmosphere and service was really really bad.

Pros : Mango Lassi is really good.

Cons : Canteen's rate are really high. (Its expensive) Food is not at all good. Service is really worst. Need to increase the staff for cleaning . Need to increase sitting arrangement. As this is canteen there should be free drinking water, paper towels on every table & manager who will checking everything in order...

Been here a few times, however over the years, quality of canteen has significantly gone down hill.

Went there recently, online order system not working, understandable. Extremely long queue to place order, then a separate queue to get one kind of food, then another separate queue for next food order, in total I spent 1 hour 50 mins just to get 4 dishes.

Paid $1 each additional for take away for each dish I ordered, only to find out after 1 hour 50 mins that I need to pay separate for a take away bag? You got to be kidding me! For 4 items, I already paid $4 for so called take away, which was not a take away box, but rather food was put in an paper envelope! The whole experience was awful, the service was slower than watching grass grow.

It was not clean at all, washrooms were next level disgusting, unhygienic and dirty.

Will never...

Sunday morning trip to pay respect to Lord Venkateshwara. Did Darshanam & Pooja, Masks mandatory and if you forgot to bring your own you can buy one mask for a dollar. Went to Canteen at 11:00am. After COVID, they put this system where you scan a QR code, place your order and pick up. All round amazingly improved cleanliness, organised people queues and just serene. Masala Dosa, Sambar, Tomato Chutney and Urad dal chutney- the perfect crispy dosa with jaalidaar softness, mildly fragrant masala filling. Sambar had been delicious and out of this world. Eggplant pieces were so tasty and different I ate them all. Normally I cannot stand them. Took Idli Vada combo take away as the temple is 90 minutes drive for us. Masala Tea a must under the Eucalyptus trees and chirping birds. Hats off to Volunteers for running this...