Veg Chennai Srilalitha — Restaurant in London

[EDITED] in response to the unprofessional reply from the restaurant. It's extremely unprofessional of the restaurant to claim we didn't pay. (Why would I not pay and come and leave a review?! They're clearly trying to void my review) We paid by card the full amount on my husband's credit card. We even added service charge which the manager wanted to remove given our feedback. We said we would pay it because we felt sorry for the nice servers who were working very hard. I believe you're asking us to email this info because you want to threaten us and find out our identity and further abuse us. To abuse customers is unprofessional and unacceptable. Take ownership over the fact that your quality has dwindled and your mangement of the restaurant is bad. Since you claim Chennai in your restaurant name I did ask where the owners were from and the manager hurried to step in and apologise for the bad atmosphere. I think that's a perfectly reasonable ask-any restaurant that claims to be authentic can be challenged. Again I think a lot of our feedback about the tables, the watered down quality is reflected in other reviews too. Your manager was exceptionally rude, again own it. If he had been polite and apologetic and asked us about the food while we were there we would have given you feedback instead you choose to abuse customers online. Very disappointed.

Complete disappointment after visiting here. Coming from Chennai, I was really looking forward to having a South Indian restaurant so close to us without having to make the trek to Wembley or Rayners Lane. First off the place is rammed with tiny tables trying to squeeze as many people as possible with as little room as possible. We went for an early dinner on Sunday with kids and the staff couldn’t be less welcoming. The manager seemed on edge and dreading the number of people walking through the door. The serving staff did their best. The food arrived quickly but was pretty underwhelming. While the spice levels were decent, I felt the taste just didn’t make the mark and I think it’s because they are overstretched and trying to do too much with little and watering down the quality. We had plain dosa, poori, veg biriyani, gobi Manchurian and idli. Portions felt small for the price so didn’t feel good value either. My general impression looking at the reviews here are:

There a dearth of vegetarian places in north London and more specifically Indian vegetarian so people are willing to put up with a lower quality of food because they have limited choice in the area.

This is a predominantly Indian vegetarian neighbourhood although not predominantly South Indian so people here want vegetarian food but probably don’t know what good South Indian veg food tastes like so likely appreciate whatever vegetarian is served to them.

Neither did I feel like I experienced South Indian hospitality which is what we are known for nor did I feel satisfied that I had good South Indian food. The cherry on top was when the manager (not the owner) came to our table as we were finishing our food and bluntly asked us “Finished?”!! He didn’t ask about the food, didn’t apologise just wanted us out for his herd of clients waiting. Keeping in mind we were a family with 2 kids. I suspect people will continue to flock here for the lack of Indian veg options around the area and consume their sub par food and service but I for one will probably prefer the trek to better restaurants...

Veg Chennai Srilalitha is a well-known South Indian vegetarian restaurant that offers a genuinely satisfying dining experience for lovers of traditional Indian cuisine. Located in Wembley, London, the restaurant is especially popular among the Indian diaspora and those seeking authentic flavors of Tamil Nadu.

The ambiance is modest but comfortable, with a family-friendly setup and efficient seating arrangements. While not overly luxurious, it’s clean, welcoming, and often bustling, especially during weekends and festive days. The staff is courteous, and service is generally prompt, even during busy hours.

The real highlight, of course, is the food. The menu is extensive and includes a wide variety of dosas, idlis, vadas, and thalis, along with North Indian dishes and Indo-Chinese options. The signature Chennai Srilalitha Special Dosa is a must-try — crisp, generously filled, and served with a rich variety of chutneys and sambar. The South Indian thali is another standout, offering a well-balanced, flavorful assortment of curries, rice, chapati, and dessert that gives you a little taste of everything.

Prices are reasonable considering the portion sizes and quality. The restaurant also offers catering services and a separate space for private events or functions, which is a big plus for those planning traditional South Indian weddings or gatherings.

One area where the restaurant could improve is crowd management during peak hours, as the waiting time can be a bit long without reservations.

Overall, Veg Chennai Srilalitha is a dependable choice for anyone craving authentic South Indian vegetarian fare. It balances tradition and taste remarkably well, making it a go-to destination for both nostalgic Indian patrons and curious...

⭐ 1/5 – Extremely Disappointing Experience

This was our second visit to the restaurant — our first experience about three months ago was really good, which is why we decided to go again on Sunday. Unfortunately, this visit was extremely disappointing from start to finish.

First of all, the restaurant advertised opening at 11:30 AM, but the doors didn’t actually open until around 12:15 PM. There were several customers waiting outside, including us. Once we went in, it was clear that staff were very few, and service was painfully slow.

We opted for the buffet, but the food was completely cold — it honestly felt like leftovers from the previous day. We also ordered Masala Dosa, which turned out to be very poor in taste. The filling was bland and confusing, nothing like the authentic flavour it should have.

We were a group of four and ordered three dosas — two came after a while, but the third dosa took more than 20 minutes, even though the table next to us got theirs within 5 minutes. We couldn’t understand the reason for the delay, and it felt quite unfair.

When my sister went to check politely about our pending dosa, the staff member’s response was rude, saying, “Madam, please be patient.” This was quite disrespectful and unnecessary.

To make things worse, the utensils and glasses were dirty — one of the glasses we received was yellowish and smelled bad. At that point, we completely lost our appetite, left the food unfinished, and walked out disappointed.

If the restaurant continues this kind of service and food quality, I genuinely feel they’ll lose all their customers soon. We definitely won’t be...