Vasantha Vilas - East Ham — Restaurant in London

If you're craving authentic South Indian food in East Ham, Vasantha Vilas is the place to be. We were on the hunt for dosas and pooris, during our UK trip and this spot absolutely hit the mark. Ironically, the Vasantha Bhavan back in Chennai has a reputation for being, well… underwhelming. If this is the same family, they’ve clearly left their bad habits back in India because this East Ham branch was a revelation.

The food was so good that we came back for a second visit before catching our flight home. Everything we ordered—Ghee Roast, Ghee Masala Roast, Pooris, Chapatis, even the milkshakes—was fresh, and packed with flavor. It was like revisiting those legendary Udipi joints from Chennai, minus the chaos and stainless-steel tumblers.

What made the experience even better was the service. Our server, Krithiga, was outstanding—polite, cheerful, and genuinely invested in ensuring we had a great meal. When one of our appetizers, the Crispy Baby Corn, was delayed, she let us know the chef felt it didn’t meet their standards and replaced it without us even asking. That level of care and honesty is so rare, especially in Indian restaurants, where the default approach is often to insist the food is fine and the customer is the problem. This was a refreshing change.

A couple of notes: the restaurant is small, and the tables are quite close together, so it can get crowded. But the quality of the food and service more than makes up for it. And for London, the prices are incredibly reasonable.

If you’re a fan of South Indian vegetarian food, Vasantha Vilas is a must-visit. Let’s just hope they keep up the fantastic quality and service because it’s a rare gem that truly delivers. Highly...

Am reducing the rating because of the customer service going down.Being a regular customer since 7 years , recently I faced few issues because of the attitude of the waitresses. Mini tiffin takes more than 20 minutes even on a normal decent crowd, where one or two tables were empty. If asked too they reply we have to serve one by one only. When the tiffin arrived, there was hardly a spoon of chutney, so I asked little extra, but they literally forgot even after asking 3 times, they keep walking passing by..i had to request another guy waiter later . Also another incident where a takeaway tea i ordered without sugar came two times with sugar and had to change it twice ,If I mention it , the waitresses are passing comments like"maybe It would be sweet for you ,I changed the cups twice " ,where later another customer comes in for same issue reporting he said no sugar and looks like they have exchanged the cups .I do understand, It happens by mistake but still they were getting frustrated with me . On an another incident after ordering minitiffin with tea, the order came literally 30 mins later and the waitresses said tea was over , so I asked if u can change to basic as coffee doesnt suit me. She sorry cannot change the order ,have to take the coffee, felt very rude. Later in the till they apologised and compensated for the tea.

My other friends too reported very very slow service in the weekends after 11 am and had to wait long time for just one or two plates of orders .

Overall service used to be very nice and quick but nowadays noted they getting frustrated with us back. Please take some steps to improve this else you will be losing many...

If you are looking for a budget-friendly and authentic South Indian vegetarian restaurant in London, look no further than Vasantha Vilas. Located near East Ham station, this place offers a variety of delicious dishes that will satisfy your taste buds and fill your stomach. I visited this restaurant with my friends for breakfast and we were not disappointed. We ordered idly, sambar idly, sambar vada and onion dosa, along with some hot beverages. The service was quick and friendly, and the food arrived in no time. The idly was soft and fluffy, and the sambar idly was even better. The sambar was thick and flavorful, with a perfect balance of tanginess and spiciness. The sambar vada was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the onion dosa was thin and crisp, with a generous amount of onion and green chillies. The coconut chutney and mint chutney complemented the dishes very well. We enjoyed every bite of our food and finished our plates clean. The portions were generous and the prices were reasonable. We paid less than £10 per person, which is a great deal for such quality food. Vasantha Vilas is a hidden gem in London, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves South Indian food or wants to try something new. It is one of the best places to have a hearty and satisfying breakfast with your friends or family. I would definitely go back to this restaurant and try their other dishes as well. I give Vasantha Vilas a 5/5 rating for their food, service, ambience and value for money. It is a must-try restaurant for all...