Sree Arul Jyothi (Veg Restaurant) — Restaurant in Kerala

Arul Jyothi Veg Restaurant at Statue, Trivandrum used to be one of my favorites a few years back. Sadly, my recent visit felt like walking into the ghost of its former self. The only thing still alive here is the location – the food and quality seem long gone.

Let’s start with the basics. The chutney was so tasteless it could have been plain water with a little color. No salt, no flavor, absolutely zero life to it. The Poori set was just passable, nothing memorable. But the Gobi Manchurian? A joke. They basically tossed some undercooked cauliflower into a random chili curry and called it Manchurian – then had the audacity to charge ₹150 for it. The Veg Fried Rice (again ₹150) was bland, miserably portioned, and felt more like a side dish than a main course.

As if the food wasn’t disappointing enough, the hygiene was worse. The wash area doesn’t even function – instead, a bucket of water sits nearby, waiting for customers to make do. For a restaurant sitting in such a prime location, this is plain embarrassing.

They know people will walk in because of the spot, but clearly don’t care about taste, service, or value anymore. Overpriced, underwhelming, and completely forgettable – except for...

I have been a customer of Arul Jyothi and its sister concern Aruna since 1994. But today (27/08/2023; Uthradam) when I went there for dinner and headed for a vacant table in the "family" section, because the tables in the general section were occupied, I was told I couldn't go there. I asked the waiter to give me a seat and he pointed me to a hot and unpleasant one. I told him it was very hot and asked for another and he rudely barked at me (I am not exaggerating) and said I, being just one person, could not sit in the "Family" section, although that entire table was vacant. I left the place and have resolved to boycott these two restaurants unless I get an apology. I also plan to make this review viral because such customer unfriendly businesses...

We went to eat at this restaurant for lunch on a weekend. We ordered the vegetarian meals. The food was filling. The avial and the koottu curry ( made of raw bananas and black chana dal in a coconut semi gravy) were really tasty and so was the pulisseri ( yoghurt based gravy with pate made from coconut , cumin , green chili and curry leaves). The other items i.e., the dal, the payasam and the rasam were average. The restaurant was busy and right now their AC rooms are closed ( which is a port especially considering the hot and humid climate in Trivandrum). There is no dedicated parking. Parking should be done roadside which is ok for scooters and bikes, but very...