Carnatic Cafe — Restaurant in Delhi

Updated on 28 Oct 2022 - Visited again this week and was disappointed this time, hence revising the rating to 3 stars. This time we ordered an Upma and an Onion Rava Masala Dosa. Sadly, both were way below expectations. The taste was mediocre, at the best. Just about a km away you have Chidambaram's, who excels in the classic Dosas. Carnatic cafe apparently is good only for their special Dosas. Below is the review I wrote a month ago. A different take on South Indian food, for sure. We Northerners have been so used to the regular Dosa, Uttapam, Idlis and Vadas etc that it is hard for us to imagine that South Indian food could have so many different varieties. My wife had visited this place with her friends earlier and she was adamant that we visit this cafe and get a taste of real Carnatic food. And so it was on a Sunday afternoon that we all descended upon this place. From outside, the place looks very unassuming and inside too it isn't very big. I think they have around 35 covers seating in all. We had to wait for a good 20+ minutes to get a table so you can imagine how popular the place is. The ambience inside is simple. The highlight of the interiors is the lanterns fashioned out of strings of dried paddy husk. Apart from that there is nothing very remarkable about the place. However, the moment you look at the menu you will realise that this place is different. Most of the items did not look familiar and we had to actually take the help of their service staff to decipher the dishes. They do have the classic Dosas listed as well, but it was their list of specials that caught our attention. There were five of us and each one ordered a different item so as to get the maximum variety on the table. Our order included a Malleswaram 18th Cross Dosa, an Upma, a Khali Dosa,Manina Maga Dosa, Ragi Masala Dosa, a Bombay Dosa and a Shant Shanti Majjige, and of course, filter coffee to go with the meals. I must say that each one of the preparations was par excellence. The flavours of the various Dosas were completely different from each other, and the filter coffee was amazing. I would also like to mention here that the Dosas were quite deceptive. The outer appearance gave no indication of the layer of "podi" on the inside. Though some of them were outwardly similar, it was the different types of "podi" used that gave each of them a distinct character and taste. The Manina Maga was the different one - open with a layer of peanuts based chutney. Each one of them was so filling that we actually we struggled to finish the Dosas. In keeping with their way of doing things differently, even the bill was presented in a different manner - a half coconut shell filled with saunf on a small plate accompanied the bill. I highly recommend the place for anyone looking for the authentic South...

Bad Quality Food Serve by Carnatic Cafe@ Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal-3

Hello Management Team of Carnatic Cafe at Terminal 3 Food Court,

I want to share the Super Bad food Experience i have faced after Drinking Chiku shake from your Cafe at Terminal-3 Food Court, Attaching Bill Receipt as Evidence proof for your reference.

I have Ordered an chiku shake on 26th Oct'24 at 12.58PM and after drinking I boarded the flight at 3pm.

As soon as I boarded the flight I felt very uneasy and after take off My condition got very bad due to stomach pain.

I have informed the Airlines Staff about my condition and nothing can be done after the Take off.

After some time I started vomiting in the flight which continued for 2-3 times, Later on I got an upset stomach and went to the wash room for almost 4-5 times in 30 mnts.

My condition was very bad during the flight and after landing I asked for an ambulance which took me to hospital directly from Airport where I came to know I have got food poisoning from the shake which I had drunk from your cafe.

I was in the hospital for 2 days and today i got discharged from the Hospital,

I'm writing this email as I travelled outside India and cannot contact your cafe via phone call.

Can you please explain to me why the Bad quality and spoiled shake has been served to me as I did not eat or drink anything after consuming the shake and boarded the International flight.

This is so shameful that just to save some money you are serving spoiled food which causes severe discomfort and Sickness to someone.

I have added some email contacts of Delhi Airport which I have found on the web and I urge the related team to take serious action against your cafe so that some other passengers should not suffer from the bad quality of food served by your cafe.

This is very shameful and strange that Cafe food quality is in the wrong Hands which is creating discomfort / sickness and illness to your customers.

I will continue to Fight and will put a written complaint to the consumer/quality related authority to BAN your cafe from the Airport.

SO SHAMEFUL...

Went to have an authentic south Indian food on the very first day of the new year 2024...there was a long waiting...which was managed by a security guard,who was not able to write the names of the guests in queue as he was not educated...it was a chilly n windy evening...no provision for sitting outside n waiting...had to arrange a chair for a very old lady guest,by speaking to the manager. The prior bookings are not done on the phone so there was so much inconvenience caused as we could not have waited in the car.They were not ready to call us if our turn was there if we had waited in our car. The nightmare started when the guard let us in and we were assigned a table!! After settling down we see the manager n other staff came n surrounded us and asked us to leave the table and wait outside again as we were sent inside by mistake...that is out of turn...and the manager Altaf asked us to wait outside n assured us to give a table again in the next 5 to 7 minutes!! We,like any other courteous n educated family..got up...left the table n again went outside in the cold weather...and waited for the next 45 mins or so and when Altaf was contacted by my husband again and we were shocked n angrywhen this man asked him to wait till our turn comes.

We felt so let down that Altaf asked us to leave n gave us hope n assurance that a table will be assigned soon!! My question to the management is ...This is how you treat your guests??? Your chain is doing well only because of your customers!! What if we had not vacated our table in the first instance only....we did not enter forcibly.

False hope on the new year? When the new year only brings hope! The rasam got over by 9 pm only Thatt idli was half cooked...the table was stinking...they forgot to charge for the mineral water but we got it added later before paying the bill...we have not been valued I think by the carnatic cafe,lodhi road staff.

Please think twice dear fellow customers before entering this eating joing...I condemn...