Rao's Udipi Home — Restaurant in Kolkata

If you’ve ever found yourself pondering the meaning of life while waiting for your food at a restaurant, welcome to Rao's Udipi — a South Indian joint that’s been serving up dosas for half a century. Tucked away in a charmingly quiet lane off Jatin Das Road, it’s like finding a hidden treasure… if that treasure was a slightly renovated old Calcutta home with a hint of nostalgia and a dash of modernity that screams, “We tried!!”

So, I went there, fuelled by a mix of curiosity and a vague sense of obligation to broaden my culinary horizons. I ordered the classic combo: Paper Plain Dosa, Sambar Idly, Vada, and, because I’m a sucker for carbonation, a Fresh Lime Soda. Honestly, I was just waiting for the food like a kid waiting for Christmas — only to realize I might be more excited about the gifts than the holiday itself.

The wait was longer than a meeting that could have been an email, but when the food finally arrived, my taste buds perked up like they had just heard a motivational speech! The Paper Plain Dosa was a crispy masterpiece — like the culinary equivalent of a great opening act. The Idly? Almost impossible to mess up, but hey, it’s still nice to see it in its fluffy glory. The Vada was a little ball of joy, and the Coffee? Let’s just say it could probably run for mayor and win based on sheer awesomeness.

Now, let’s talk about that Fresh Lime Soda. It was about as exciting as a soggy cardboard box. I mean, if I wanted something that felt lukewarm in flavour and enthusiasm, I’d have just opened a bottle of flat soda from last week.

Then we arrive at the Sambar — oh, the Sambar! It was like a surprise plot twist in a movie - just when you think you know what’s coming, it smacks you in the face with flavour. Truly a delightful departure from the usual. Now, about the coconut chutney… sigh. It was the culinary equivalent of an awkward silence at a party. I had high hopes, but it fell flat, reminding me that sometimes, even in South Indian cuisine, you can’t judge a chutney by its colour.

Overall, Rao's Udipi offers a delightful experience that’s like a warm hug from an old friend, if that friend occasionally forgot to bring the chutney. If you’re a die-hard coconut chutney enthusiast like myself, prepare to lower those expectations. Otherwise, dive in and enjoy the crispy goodness — just maybe skip the soda and bring your own coconut...

Three of us went for lunch to this South Indian food place. Ordered a Sada(plain) dosa, Masala Dosa and a Sada Rava Masala Dosa. Three chutneys were served first - coconut,mint yogurt and a red chutney. The red one was my favorite with lots of smokiness coming from the sauteed red chillies. The coconut chutney was a but bland. The dosas were wonderful with a hint of sourness. Well cooked and filled with flavorful potato masala. The sambar was particularly great . It is surprising that it was so flavorful yet watered down. The rava dosa to me was good but could have been better. It tasted a bit sweet. Finished off the meal with a glass of fresh pineapple juice and a salted lassi. Lassi was great but a bit too salty. Pineapple juice was good too. The greatest thing about the meal was fresh ingredients used which one could make out by having the food. We also had a idli rasam for takeaway. The Rasam disappointed us. It was way too oily and the mustard seeds were burnt as well. The entire sourness of the rasam was overpowered by the unwanted spiciness and burnt flavor. The idlis were soft and fluffy. It was one of the better idlis we have had.

That unmistakable whiff of South Indian Filter Kaapi (Coffee) hits your senses as you walk into the cosy outlet. Tried out their crispy Paper Dosa, Sambhar Vada and Filter Coffee. The Paper Dosa was crispy throughout till the very end, the Coconut Chutney had a great texture and was more on the drier side. Loved their take on it. The Sambhar had a robust taste to it. The Sambhar Vada was a let down. The Vada tasted slightly bitter and had a grainy texture. The Filter Coffee was just the perfect South Indian brew. We ended up having a repeat. All in all, a nice and laid-back place to indulge in a hearty banter with loved ones...

Visited for the first time to enjoy the authentic South Indian dish, but returned with horrible experience.I have ordered only 2 paper masala dosa. First of all they served the order almost after 40 minutes in spite of having only a handful of customer available at that time in the evening. Secondly they served cold food to us. After that they didn't serve the entire item along with my ordered dishes and when asked to serve simply told that not available and what is available they can serve only that and I have to adjust with that and yes I have to pay full amount with applicable taxes. We were sitting upstairs and they simply serve the food and didn't come back again to ask if we required anything more or not? I had to go downstairs twice to ask them to serve some extra Sambhar or chutney even after waiting for 10 minutes for the waiter to come. The vegetable inside the dosa and the chutney was too salty. The preparation is worst and the serving plates and other utensils are also not cleaned properly or I can say simply dirty particularly at a time when the most of the restaurant are taking extra care keeping in mind the Covid19 pandemic situation. They didn't serve drinking water to the us and seeing their cleanliness status I was simply terrified to ask for that. So after having half eaten dosa we left the horrible udipi home. The so called manager is a least bothered person as far as the services to the customers are concerned, least interested in paying attention towards the customers and their needs. As far as rating is concerned Udipi home is not at all eligible for single star rating but I have to give single star only to post my review. The cost of two paper masala...