Saravanaa Bhavan — Restaurant in Delta

This is what I wrote some 5 years back about this place! But now I am changing my review to 5 stars after my today’s (Saturday February 24, 2024) visit! To know why, read on starting with my previous review with lone star!

“No star. Should have been negative star possibility but not there, otherwise would have given minus 5 stars! Way more pricey for the quality and quantity. I am from Chennai, the birthplace of the chain. Food quality has clearly deteriorated even there. Here, this is a franchise and am not sure how sincerely they will be maintaining the standard, if at all they have one! I don’t think I will go again! Sorry, not an ideal Choice for any!

The above review is on the day HSB started in Delta. On 28 Jun 2019, again I visited this place with my family! This time for a change, the food was ok. But...there was so much waiting after placing the order! And there was so much confusion! Out of 5 items we ordered, first one was delivered in 5 minutes and the second one in 10. 3rd and 4th arrived after 30 minutes, and with so much follow-up with several staff who were loitering here, there, everywhere. 5th item nowhere in sight yet after 40 minutes!! But then a hilarious thing happened! They brought the 1st item again!!! Taste is good but both production and floor management were terrible! My uttappam was utterly undercooked with raw batter still gooey at the centre! Potatoes in the masala Dosa was prepared in hurry and there were uncooked chunks in between! If you can be patient and tolerant, then go for it! God save you and your time! And there will be hilarious and confusing moments guaranteed!”

I visited this place with my partner after almost 5 years (last one was on June 28, 2019) and this is my third visit today - February 24, 2024. My opinion, rating and review have completely changed taking a 180 degrees turn from the previous one star to 5 stars! What made me to do that?

First of all the welcoming ambiance.

Secondly, the professionalism that was demonstrated in quickly receiving and seating the guests!

Thirdly, the courtesy and politeness displayed all through the whole session of our meals! Special mention goes to Sheetal!

Fourthly, being transparent about the final bill by asking to check the bill and explaining the fact that there is a 10% gratuity already included but as we are only 2 people, we have the option to get the 10% removed. It is mandatory only for a group of 6 people and above! Up till here, already 5 stars!

We had been to them for their weekend buffet special at CAD 18.99 plus GST 5%. And when it came to the buffet spread, we were really enthralled at the variety and choices. There were in all some 27 items on the buffet table plus 2 more by way of table serving namely dosa and poori served hot to your table! So, in all 29 items. Even a spoonful of each item filled our tummy twice as much as have normally though it’s a brunch - both breakfast and lunch combined - we wouldn’t have eaten this much! When it comes to the quality - visual appeal, smell, taste and the arrangement - every thing scores way beyond our imagination and liking! There should have been an army excellent chefs, cooks and above all a manager must have been in place. We also saw Kalpana, the floor manager constantly moving and driving the workforce and we also saw the overall Manager Natarajan paying regular visits to the floor! We could see the whole place is full and bursting at seams, though it has an ample seating area. What was striking was the demographics of the customers. They were all from every part of the world, not only from India!

Things have certainly improved a great deal and we could see a sea change in every aspect of managing this place! Our congratulations to the entire team from the top to bottom and wish everything stays the way it is now! Wish the whole team all the best!

If you are looking for a weekend South Indian vegetarian buffet brunch, your search ends here! Go alone or bring along your partner, family, relatives, coworkers and friends, you will never be...

I had high hopes visiting Saravana Bhavan Vancouver, given the brand’s reputation. Unfortunately, this was the worst food experience I’ve had and I genuinely question how this outlet is allowed to operate under the Saravana Bhavan name. Let’s start with the food: We ordered the South Indian Thali, and what was served looked and tasted like stale leftovers from a North Indian veg mess. The food was cold, tasteless, and lacked any of the authentic South Indian flavor the brand is known for. To top it off, there was roti in the South Indian Thali – rubbery and dry, like something microwaved from two days ago. The Onion Rava Dosa was a complete disaster – thick like a soggy flour pancake with burnt onions. The Masala Dosa wasn’t any better – cold, undercooked, and absolutely flavorless. Every item felt like it had been sitting out for hours. This is NOT the Saravana Bhavan standard. We also made the mistake of ordering their South Indian filter coffee – and honestly, that might have been the biggest mistake of the meal. It was watery, lacked the signature aroma, and had no richness whatsoever. I’ve had better filter coffee at local diners – this was nowhere close to what you’d expect from a South Indian restaurant, let alone Saravana Bhavan. Now the service: Absolutely terrible. The staff seemed to be untrained students with zero understanding of customer service. Rude, dismissive, and arrogant. We were served the wrong order three different times, each meant for other tables. When we politely complained about the stale and soggy food, we were told bluntly, “This is how we cook here.” No apology, no correction, no care. It was shocking to find out that there is no professional cook in the kitchen – only a few local household women without any proper training, likely hired just to “manage” things. If that’s the case, it clearly shows – the food and service both reflect a complete lack of culinary or hospitality expertise. To the owners: Please take this seriously. This outlet is dragging the Saravana Bhavan name through the mud. Either bring in trained chefs and staff, or stop using the brand name – because what’s happening here is unacceptable and a complete disservice to loyal customers who trust your legacy. Honestly, this isn’t even worth 1 star – I would give it negative stars if that...

If I could give zero stars, I definitely would! I used to visit this restaurant with my wife once a month for a while, about 2 years ago. A very bad experience on a dinner one day and we snubbed the place from then. We were in Surrey for a personal appointment few days ago and decided to stop for some Dosa, hoping things would have improved.

Detailed summary of our evening: Me and my wife arrived and were greeted and seated within seconds. But the server approached us after about 10-15 minutes, even though it was only 6PM on a Tuesday and was not busy. We were given 2 menus - a seasonal drink menu that had a variety of fruit juices and pictures of fresh fruit next to it. It had listed Mango, Apple and different fruit on each day. We ordered the Mango Juice and much to our surprise, it was served quickly. After tasting, we found it was store bought. I enquired our server and she confirmed "ALL" juices are store bought. What's the point of having a menu that says "Juice of the day" with pictures of fresh fruits and serving about 200ml of store bought juice for $5.99??! We ordered Dosas and were served in a reasonable amount of time. But the Chutneys were pathetic. The cocunut chutney just reeks of coconut oil and there was a yellow-chutney that tasted the same. The Sambar was okay. Also, the Dosas were wafer-thin and small and it felt expensive for such Dosas.

We frequent Panaroma Indian Longue, Dhaba Dosa and even the newly opened Sri Nallan Anjali Indian Kitchen at Surrey and The Madras Dairies on Kingsway - all these are splendid South Indian Restaurants. They are consistent with the taste, good-quantity for the price and their Sambars are better, given these are all Non-veg restaurants.

I am done with this place and would recommend others to...