Woodlands Pure Vegetarian Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Fairfax

Well, the summary of my review will be that this place is a combination of mediocre South Indian Food and outrageously rude service. SO PLEASE DONT GO. If you are in the area pining for good South Indian food like me, please go to Madras Palace instead. Long story short, we had two kids an almost 3 year old and another 5.5 year old managing ourselves lunch from a weekend buffet served on Memorial Day. 30 mins into our lunch which was spent significantly in waiting for dosas to appear on the buffet cart (that came in vanishingly small numbers), we got the bill shoved on our table and we decided to go ahead and pay just because we thought that that would get it "out of the way". 10 mins after that, a waiter who was taking away the plates told me that we should be done since there were people waiting outside. I was a little shocked since that was a first time ever at any restaurant that happened. Yet, I tried to overlook that at assured that we were not done yet. A few minutes later when I was helping myself to some desert and my wife was getting up from the table to help my older son to the bathroom, the cashier pushed the chair away from my younger son and threatened once again that we had been there too long. After I came back, I and my wife decided, for the first time ever in our lives to talk to the manager of the restaurant hoping for a resolution. While I was waiting outside with the kids, when my wife tried to complain to the manager, he barked in return saying that they had a 30 minute seating policy ( an outrageous one that was not advertised any where !) and that there were people waiting (at that point in time, none actually was waiting). When my wife said that she was not ever going to come back again, he retorted saying that he cared the least about that.

The troubling thing is, this place on a weekend buffer served very very mediocre food that was not even all South Indian. They had horrible Indo-Chinese, a matar paneer, a mushroom "something"and a spinach daal, the latter three being things that you would find in a run-of-the-mill generic North Indian restaurant any where in the US. The dosa. which was rather bad came only about eight to ten at a time every 20 mins which meant that most of the time, there were none available. And still they had people waiting in queues. Granted that it was the Monday of a long weekend but it goes to show that they would continue being like this unless we the affected customers decide to take our patronship elsewhere. Also that we need more restaurants serving South Indian food and food from different parts of India in the US so that there is more competition. I for one have been to another restaurant in the area, Madras Palace and have liked it very much. Now in hindsight I realize how really really good it is. This is my best effort in ending this review on a...

After 20+ years...I returned to this restaurant I was  little torn about how to rate this restaurant.

Woodlands is a full vegetarian restaurant that has been around for many years. They definitely have dedicated customers that frequent the place. The restaurant itself is very large and open, but looks very dated on the inside. There is a lot of interesting decoration. Beautiful artwork on the walls, then random mismatching (fake?) plants and  flowers around the the restaurant. There are real flowers at the entrance of the restaurant. The hallway to the bathroom looks very questionable and reeks of bleach, the bathroom as well. The only new and stylish decoration were the gorgeous chandeliers. We arrived a little before 11:30 and they were playing religious songs for over an hour. We asked if they have any Sitara, classical, instrumental type songs, and they said they can change it; they were adamant they don't play Bollywood songs, which we said was fine haha!

The menu is very extensive and so big (physically)!! I tried to take pictures but it was hard haha. Just at first glance, everything was priced reasonably. They had so much variety. There were various curries either alone or with a thali option. The person who seated us was nice but didn't seem to understand us when we were placing the order, we were afraid we might get the wrong food. I originally wanted to get the mutter paneer thali, but didn't think I can eat it all, so I chose the Butter Masala Dosa. The potatoes were lacking flavor, but honestly, by far has  been my favorite out of all the places I've been to... and only because they didn't use lentils, which ruins the texture. The chutneys were good, my favorite was the peanut one.

I would definitely return to try other dishes, or maybe just order the butter masala dosa again. I'm giving 3 stars because of the atmosphere and the confusing ordering process. Also because of the violations listed on the...

A Delightful Indian Culinary Experience at Woodlands!

Our visit to Woodlands was an exceptional dining experience that left us thoroughly satisfied. Here's a breakdown of our delightful meal:

Appetizers: Pani Puri: These perfect little bite-sized treats were a refreshing start to our meal. Crisp and flavorful, they were a hit with everyone. Sambar Vada: The crispy medu vada soaked in sambar was simply divine. Each bite was a perfect blend of textures and flavors. Mango Lassis: Creamy and refreshing, the mango lassis were the perfect accompaniment to our appetizers.

Entrees: Chole Bhatura: The puffy bhatura paired with the flavorful chole was an absolute delight. The dish was rich, hearty, and satisfying. Uttapam: The uttapam was soft and savory, garnished with little pieces of vegetables and cilantro, and served with sambar and three different chutneys. Each bite was a burst of flavors. Thali:This was a highlight of our meal. An assortment of eight dishes, including one main entree of our choice, was served. The variety and richness of flavors were incredible. We ended the thali with the sweet and satisfying payasam, which was the perfect finish. Dosa: The dosa had just the right balance of crispy and soft, served with sambar and chutneys. It was simply delicious.

Beverages: We finished our meal with the aromatic Madras coffee and cardamom-spiced teas. Both were the perfect end to our sumptuous meal, leaving us with a warm and comforting feeling.

Service: The service at Woodlands was outstanding - attentive, quick, and friendly. The staff ensured that we had everything we needed and made our dining experience even more enjoyable.

Woodlands provided an authentic and delightful Indian dining experience. The service was excellent, and the ambiance was warm and inviting. We will definitely be returning to savor more of their...