We Idliwale — Restaurant in Pune

Decentralizing Idli, is their punchline which somehow I did not understand. The place is nicely done, mozaic table tops, comfortable chairs and seating both outdoors and indoor. It was rainy and the covered seating produced a great atmostphere. Was not crowded at 9.30am. The restaurant manager who is quite courteous reached out several times to ask orders, quality etc. Menu was quite unexpected as not many Idli items were seen although the name of place is We.Idliwale. Only 2 veg Idli offerings rest with fish and prawns. Likewise Uttapam only available with egg - no veg version available and hence not for vegetarians. Dosa too had only the plain dosa version available for veggies, many more with non-veg. 3 of us 4 in the family are veg and it was difficult to choose what to eat as ven medu vada was sold out. I could have left however my accommodative family agreed for idli sambar chutney, a plain dosa and I thought of trying Egg Uttapam. The order took quite long to be served however when it came, the presentation was quite pleasing. Idli's, majority of our order, were super soft and made me happy. Sambar and chutney along with podi created a great combo. One feedback though, extra sambar took more than 10 minutes to arrive and the meal was done by then. Likewise when serving veg and non vegetarian items on table, one should service extra spoons/cutlery for common items such as chutney or kesri bath however it took us more than 5 minutes to summon the server and then another 5 minutes just to get extra cutlery - there is need for speed and attention to customers. This is when there were only 2-3 visitors at the joint, and is going to be a show spoiler when they are house full. The dosa (2 pieces in a plate) were nice and tasted well. The egg Uttapam was nothing great as nothing more than a poached yolk on the uttapam but not bad either - something new. The uttapam was nicely made, was soft and had lots of onion, tomato, coriander and chillies - that's how I like it to be. The filter coffee was great however both the times - it wasn't hot the way it should be, espl in rainy season. To summarise - Good food, great presentation, service needs improvement and so does the menu offerings. On service, they are primarily a delivery/take-away(is my observation) however they need to prioritise the walk-in...

We Idliwale at NIBM road was our favourite Sunday brunch place. We have visited the place on numerous occasions and have always gone back raving about the food and the interesting pairings. Went back today (13 Apr 25) after a long while and was disappointed to see how badly the place has deteriorated.

Firstly, the place is not managed professionally. The tissue boxes on both the tables which we occupied were broken. The banana leaves which lined the plates in which they served the food were wilted and tattered. The wash basin was dirty and the tissue holder didn’t have any tissues.

The food was the real deal breaker. Gone are the fluffy Idlis from 2023. Now you have oddly shaped, dense and hard idlis. The plain dosas were devoid of taste and turned chewy in no time. Then came the worst Vadas which I have ever ordered in a restaurant. They were fried to a dark brown/ blackish colour, hard, chewy and dense. The Vada batter was fermented (it is not supposed to be). But the absolute worst item on the menu was yet to arrive. That crown goes to the cold filter coffee. They probably prepared it ahead of time and put it in the fridge. The result is a thick, gloopy layer in top of the ‘coffee’ which anyway tasted like sweetened goat piss.

The manager was not around when we were at the place. While walking back to my table after washing my hands at the wash basin, I happened to meet the chef and told him that the food quality had gone down drastically and that we wouldn’t like to visit the place anymore. ‘Theek hain’ he said nonchalantly. Who cares anyway it seems.

The only thing which has gone up in this restaurant since our last visit are the prices. We paid ₹2880 for four plates of dosa (various combinations), one plate of idli mutton Saru and four filter coffees. Never...

We recently ate at We Idliwale and had a great experience. The food was amazing, and we loved everything we tried.

We started with the Kundapur style chicken, which came with a choice of idli, dosa, or parotta. We chose the parotta. It was deliciously flaky and buttery, perfect with the flavorful Kundapur chicken. The chicken was cooked just right, with spices that tasted fantastic together.

Next, we tried the mutton ghee roast. This dish was superb! The mutton was tender and juicy, and the ghee and spices made it taste incredible. The portion size was a bit small, but the taste made up for it. We couldn’t get enough of it.

For our main course, we had the Dindigul mutton biryani. This was the best biryani we’ve had in a long time. The rice was fragrant and perfectly cooked, and the mutton was tender and flavorful. The spices were just right, making each bite delicious. This biryani was different from the usual Bangalore-style biryanis and stood out as a real treat.

The staff was very polite and helpful, even though there was only one person serving the whole restaurant. They made sure we had everything we needed quickly and with a smile.

While we thought the prices were a bit high for the portion sizes, the quality of the food made it worth it. Each dish was made with care, and you could taste the difference.

In conclusion, our visit to We Idliwale was wonderful. The Kundapur style chicken, mutton ghee roast, and Dindigul mutton biryani were all delicious and showed off the great flavors of South Indian food. We highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking to try authentic and high-quality South Indian dishes. Even though the prices are a bit higher, the amazing taste and quality make it...