Southern Spice Indian Restaurant - Lawndale — Restaurant in Lawndale

I would've given three stars for Dosa and Idly, but I decided to go with two because of the few responses I read from the owners. What good is the taste of the food, if the person who served is..... I do not want to complete that sentence.

I'm a bit wary to review here, as I noticed few responses from the owner highlighting (kind of justifying, kind of) they are rated five stars: this is how they responded "after brainstorming the review of one star after hundreds of only five stars...." (I've got screenshots of these)

11/12/2023 When my friend I walked in to the restaurant we were greeted by this gentleman along with their ranting something about Southern Spice is THE best in America (or West Coast) and we wouldn't get such tasteful food anywhere. For all the hype and build up we were exposed to, the food did not taste good at all, it had a mere existence on our plates; and did not even try to make a smidgen of impact to our taste buds in any good way remotely. Biryani smelled full of undercooked masala and overcooked rice, sambar was bland with no spices Already me and my friend were equally unhappy with the food that didn't meet 1/2 of the build up the staff gave us. While we decided to pay the bill and get out, the staff kept asking us repeatedly to try the Masala tea and he claimed it to be the best. Masala tea was bad, it didn't even smell like tea.

Me and my friend were not happy with the way food tasted as it was really bad. We both love cooking , we know a thing or two about food, spices, consistency; and most importantly we are particular in what we want and how we want. So, we will not be recommending this restaurant to any of our friends and who seek our suggestion.

Oh btw, we have got the receipts and pictures - just in case this gets labelled fake...

Very tasty Indian. The buffet has a great selection of Indian basics and some unique dishes. Overall, the spice and flavor level should please most Americans, but I enjoy more complex flavors and spice variety in my Indian food. Some of the dishes were a bit more heavy and oily than I prefer, the gulab jamin were definitely over cooked, and the naan was flat and lifeless, but the chicken mahkni was flavored perfectly, their pepper chicken was something to write home about, and their tandoori chicken was well seasoned and perfectly cooked!!!! ❤️ the buffet also comes with a fresh dosa.... This was the BEST dosa I have EVER had outside of India. Worth the visit all on it's own. They have dosa specials apparently and I would come just for that next time. It was the size of my forearm, perfectly soft and crispy at the same time, with the perfect hint of cheese as you ate it. I'm still dreaming about it! Service was fine, bathrooms were clean, parking was free and ample. Oh and many Indian customers eating the buffet, which is always a...

We arrived on a Sunday evening for 5pm dinner when they opened. We were seated as soon as we walked in and greeted by our friendly waiter. He was very attentive, made sure we knew what specials they had available, and happily answered any questions we had about the menu. We ordered Paneer Maruchian for an appetizer and it was AMAZING. I could have eaten 2 orders of that for dinner and would have been completely satisfied. For my main dish I ordered the Malabar Shrimp Curry. The flavor of the curry was delicious and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. The only thing I wish was different was that the shrimp tails were taken off of the shrimp so I can just dive in and eat. However, ripping the tails/shell off myself did not stop me from enjoying this flavorful, filling and comforting meal. My cousin had the Butter Chicken Masala as he's eaten here before and he is hooked on it. He said it was the most delicious chicken plate he's ever had. Food was amazing, service was amazing,...