Udupi Palace Restaurant | Best vegetarian Indian Restaurant in Chicago — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

WORST PLACE DONT GO HERE. The service by the oldest staff member there (unsure if the owner or just a waiter) is the worst I've ever had. We get seated for 4 people as soon as we walk in and the table only has two place mats and two cups. We ask for more glasses and place mats and then after we order with him he leaves, comes back with an attitude saying "the kitchen closes in 5 minutes" so we said ok? Considering he took our order and sat us first. Then we even asked him to repeat our order and it was correct, then they bring us the mango juice we ordered- absolutely disgusting. It tasted expired so I sent it back and asked for a soda. Then our food comes and they brought us an extra dosa and we said we didn't order that so they said keep it complimentary. Considering the waiter said it was complimentary we kept it and had some. Then the bill comes as we were eating and I see they charged us for the dosa we didn't order.. I told the original waiter we were told it was complimentary and he was just arguing with me and saying "no" why would I lie about that?? Then I even said first of all this is not a maysore masala dosa (my sister ordered one as well and mine had none of the red maysore) and he tries to gaslight me and say "yes it is" while my dosa is wide open uneaten. My family just wanted to finish the meal in peace without him haggling us to pay the bill first (even though 2 other parties were eating and not being rushed). We paid the full price for the worst service I've ever received. The food is terrible and the inside is so disgusting considering it is a pandemic. Don't come here, clearly they don't know how to handle business nor talk to their customers. If you don't want to serve someone, just say the kitchen closes before seating and taking their order?? Seriously take your money else where and don’t give it to this gross...

Though the Husb declined (coughrefused) to join me in picking up groceries at Patel Brothers (thanks, NFL), I decided, nonetheless, to surprise him with some takeout for lunch. I figured that even *IF his Dosa got a bit steamy on the way home and lost its crunch, it would serve him right--just sayin'...

Albeit neat and tidy, the interior was decidedly NOT palatial (as the name would suggest). This wasn't off-putting; it could mean that the food here speaks for itself. The gentleman who helped me was very courteous and told me everything would be ready in a prompt 15 minutes (which it was). By the time I got home, I was full on drooling--it all smelled so good.

1. Mysore Masala Dosa: The flavors to me were right on point, and I could tell from spying while waiting that the dosa would have been crunchy, had it not taken a half-hour drive back to Pilsen with me. In my opinion, the Coconut Chutney and Sambar served with the Dosa were also good, but Husb thought that they both could have used some more salt.

2. Manchurian Ghobi: Perfect. We both thoroughly enjoyed and give this an A+

3. Samosa Chaat: Normally, this is one of our favorites (and we don't like to share!), so I ordered two of these. Unfortunately, this move was optimistically premature... The Samosa filling was absolutely delicious, as savory and rich as I like it. I'll also give the benefit of the doubt that the pastry would have been crunchy, had we eaten it there. The Chaat, however, was not at all to my taste. Too much tamarind rendered it much too sweet for me; almost reminiscent of a can of Bush's Baked Beans (which I absolutely DESPISE)... Personally, I prefer that this dish be full-on savory and not sweet whatsoever. Given another chance, I'd order their...

UPDATE: I ate here for lunch today and noticed a significant improvement in the food and service. They are moving closer to their original food quality. To raise this rating to 5 stars they need the following improvements:

Serve the food as soon as it is ready. The menu vada should taste like it was just pulled from the fire and the masala dosa should be right off the grill. The first impression of flavor and quality are lost in the precious first minutes sitting under a heat lamp.

There is stll a lack of sliced, fresh jalapeños and peppercorns in the menu vada.

Add ice to the water carafe placed upon the table. Our water was room temperature and detracts from the meal.

The coconut chutney was still watery and bland. However the spicy chutney was excellent and the Sambar was very good.

Really scrub down the tables. They still feel a bit sticky to the touch -- very unappealing.

Once amazing, now an embarrassing disappointment.

This restaurant is a fallen star. I used to visit Usipi Palace every week for lunch 20 years ago. The food was always freshly cooked, intensely flavorful, and served by attentive and friendly staff.

Over time the food became more bland, the dining area dingy and not very clean, and the service was still good when my favorite waiter was stl working there.

This year the restaurant is such a shameful disappointment. The food has lost its flavor and freshness. The sambar is bland and the medu vada tastes like it was cooked last night and microwaved before serving. The wait staff ignore customers and the place feels like a dirty pit. If they no longer care to live up to their once high standards, they should just close their doors. Right now the place is an...