Arya Bhavan Tooting — Restaurant in London

The poor reviews here are unfair and not taking the circumstances into account. I went there last night with my friend. It was heaving and we had to wait 10 minutes in the que to get seats. We started chatting to others in the que and they all could not praise the food enough and they were all regulars. One even said this is by far the best food in the area. Navkant gave 3 stars here because they had to move. Normally, in a restaurant, you would wait to be seated. Not take a seat by yourself just because it is there. The staff would not have to move you if they had allocated the seats to you. We were moved as well after being seated but we expected that because we were shown initially to a 4 seater table because the que behind us kept getting longer whilst they waited for a 2 seater to become available. The ques behind us would have continued to get even longer if they did not do that so imagine yourself at the back of that que. The beggars cannot be avoided. They are well experienced, they know that the owners would not want to cause a scene and customers may pay to avoid embarrassment. Twice I have had beggars walk into other restaurants while I was eating. The beggars are probably more aware of their rights than the staff, owners or customers. Shirish, the waiters are looking at you so they can attend to for anything you require, urgently. It is better than having to wait to attract the attention of staff if you need something. This is a very busy and fast restaurant and they need to be alert so seats can become available in case they get a rush which I saw happening often. Jayesh has been going here for 2 years before he decides the sambar is too thick so he starts an investigation and enquires with Wandsworth health and safety who have powers to close the business down if found in breach but they have not! Amod. The place is chaotic because they are very popular and busy. Most humans I know, make mistakes. That is not a good enough reason to tell people to stop enjoying the atmosphere here which cannot be duplicated at home. My friend enjoyed the food so much that was making embarrassing sounds as he enjoyed the flavours. Nick, the food in restaurants in London has to be expensive to pay the high rents and costs unlike in India. Murali. It must have changed since you have been there. I found it quite clean yesterday. Compare it to other dosa restaurants , not Michelin star restaurants. The menu is so huge that you can come here over 50 times and not have any food twice and enjoy it all! Please avoid this restaurant so I can get a seat...

I visited Arya Bhavan in Tooting with my family, hoping for a good South Indian meal. Unfortunately, the experience was overwhelmingly negative from start to finish.

My first and most critical warning is to families with young children. I specifically mentioned that my 2-year-old cannot handle spicy food. Despite this, the staff recommended nothing suitable, and the children's dishes we were offered were far too spicy. This restaurant is not child-friendly in the slightest.

The service was abysmal. The staff seemed disinterested, untrained, and more focused on chatting amongst themselves than attending to customers. We were consistently ignored and had to work hard to get their attention for even basic requests like water or the bill. I understand evenings can be busy, but the level of inattention was unacceptable.

The most shocking part was the bill. Without any prior notification—not mentioned by the staff, not printed on the menu, and not stated on their website—a 10% "gratuity tax" was automatically added to our bill. This practice is misleading and, crucially, illegal under UK consumer law if not clearly communicated upfront. It is a forced service charge, not a discretionary gratuity.

The amount charged for the service received is zero. The food was average but completely overshadowed by the terrible service, the lack of care for a young child, and the underhanded charging practice. I will not be returning and would strongly advise others, especially families, to avoid this restaurant.

Management Response Suggested: This restaurant needs to urgently train its staff in customer service, create a genuinely child-friendly menu option, and immediately cease its illegal practice of adding undisclosed charges to bills. Transparency is a basic...

My last visit to Saravana Bhavan(Tooting) was regrettably unsatisfactory. From the very beginning, there was a noticeable lack of acknowledgement from the staff towards the customers. Despite having seats in the lower level of the restaurant, there was a significantly long line of wait outside in the cold. This wouldn’t be the first time there is a line outside when they clearly have seating in the restaurant.

The quality of food further added to the disappointment. The dosa was undercooked and the sambar was unquestionably watered down. The flavors were dull overall and the food was served cold. Unfortunately, the tables and chairs were also poorly cleaned. There were food particles and remnants left on the seats. It is disheartening when a restaurant with a reputation as great as this one fails to deliver food and services that meets its expected quality.

Moreover, the dismissive behavior from the manager was a letdown. Despite of the prolonged waiting time for both seating and service, the manager refused to address our issues and queries. We were rudely ignored throughout the whole experience and when we decided to cancel our second order and pay the bill due to their ignorance, the manager was unapologetic and unbothered about their poor customer service. It's unfortunate when the people responsible for customer service contribute to a negative perception of the establishment.

In conclusion, my visit to Saravana Bhavan (Tooting) was truly disappointing due to the poor service and quality of good. These issues collectively detracted from what should have been an enjoyable dining experience. I hope that the management takes these concerns seriously and implements changes to improve the overall quality of service for a satisfactory...