Paper Dosa — Restaurant in Santa Fe

I’ve been here a few times before and did take out during the Pandemic. It was always excellent. Plus I have years of experience traveling in Southern India so have good reference points for flavor, quality and value. Tonight was very disappointing, in fact I didn’t want to bring home any of what I’d ordered and left it. Seeing as how I’m temporarily in a rental property and can’t cook at home, that’s saying a lot. Even basic Pappadam's as starter were almost without flavor and the four chutneys that come with, which had also been excellent in the past, were simple unpleasant in flavor. Thats a mystery. So I left them uneaten and waited for my seasonable vegetable curry. When ordering and seeing that rice was charged separately I asked my server if the curry could realistically be eaten without rice and he agreed probably not. So I order rice at the extra cost, knowing full well this sort of soupy curry would never rightfully be served without it (or nan in the north). This sort upcharging for what is traditionally comes with the dish drives me absolutely crazy. You might as well charge for the use of a fork. The same exact thing with charging extra for raita, which everyone knows is served by default with all South Indian curries to mitigate the heat. Not to mention it’s just yogurt with some cucumber and herbs in it. Here, it’s another $8 for a side of raita. Ridiculous and unacceptable! , And then there’s this curry, which unlike any Indian curry I’ve ever had was very one dimensional and boring, tasting of spiced squash and little else. It was a goopy mush without distinction, there’s no other polite way to describe it. I left most of it. All very disheartening for a local place I used to love. It didn’t help that I called ahead to ask if I could reserve at the bar, was told no, it’s first come first serve, only to arrive 30 minutes later and be told I needed a reservation. (They worked it out). That’s $54 dollars for a beer, bland pappadams and a single very forgettable vegi curry that I struggled to eat half of. I know these are good people and I’m sorry to be the bearer of this bad news, but the truth is the truth. If you are drawn to the pretty pictures of dosas and uttapams I suggest sticking to those basic, hard to screw up dishes at Paper Dosa. (Google not allowing me...

I have a quick vacation rule and it includes no Indian food . I feel I can make a mean Indian meal at home and prefer to spend my vacation calories trying newer cuisines and dishes but when a place like Paper Dosa stands out in the ubiquitous sea of deliciousness that is Santa Fe ,you break all rules. The place has a very cool yet very traditional ambiance and the color palettes and designs on the wall bring back nostalgic memories from back home . We took the first available seating at the bar as we were starving after a long day of hikes and driving , although I did see that there were long wait times for a table . The menu focuses primarily on Southern Indian flavors with Dosas taking centerstage and curries being a second favorite .The tasting menu offers four choices for three different courses, each paired with a wine for $50 per person. The hubby picked the tasting menu ,and I got the Dosa along with a dessert and drink -

Spicy Basil Dosa - Typical potato filling with a basil chutney coating the dosa . Honestly did not feel much of the basil taste ,but the dosa itself was thin, crispy and delicious. Chennai Chicken - crispy ,hot and delicious and paired very well with the Raita. Mysore chutney Dosa - Mysore Dosa is the OG of all dosas in my humble opinion and this place does it really well. Very simple flavors but hits the spot. Chettinad Lamb curry - Masalas and the slow cooked lamb together make a really good pair. We got the coconut rice to go with it and the combo was seriously amazing. Puli Jeera soda - oof this drink was so good , I could have had many more of these ,if there was an option. Really refreshing and a must try. Gulab Jamun- soft ,warm and decadent ,the Gulab Jamuns really ended the meal on a high note. The portions per price for each item seemed "spot on" and the tasting menu felt like a steal for the quantity and quality of food. It takes more than balanced flavor, crisp service ,a cool vibe and a thoughtful menu to stand apart and this place does...

Re:edit: update: I decided it deserved 5 stars! And also I believe there are several vegan options as well as many vegetarian and meat/fish options.*

To be really honest, this place deserves 5 stars. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because they had us wait 1.5 hours for a table. But neither the manager nor my group could be blamed. The restaurant only opens for dinner at 5-9 PM, and when it does, it's full already. It's super popular in town, and that's because the food is AMAZING!! Soooooooo yummy!! We aren't from Santa Fe, so we didn't know it gets full this quick, so that's why we had to wait. A local we met told us people get a reservation the day before or two days before if it's around holidays when people travel. Since we didn't know, that's why we had to wait that long. But eventually we got a table and trust me, it was worth it. A lot of people left when they saw the long wait, but personally they missed out. I was this close to leaving as well, but me and my group LOVE dosa, so we stuck around. At least the management gave us 3 appetizers ON THE HOUSE as a reward for our patience. And my, were they tasty. I highly recommend this place. If you love South Indian cuisine as much as I do, this place will be great for you to go to. If you've never had any Indian food other than curry, come here and you will fall in love with the cuisine of the South(of India hahaha) MAKE SURE TO MAKE A RESERVATION BEFORE YOU GO SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT.(ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A GROUP GREATER THAN TWO.) I wouldn't risk it, but if you are a single person, or two, you may be able to get a spot without a reservation, but still you should reserve a spot the...