Saravanaa Bhavan — Restaurant in Sugar Land

This review is based solely on my experience and personal opinion.

We went to Saravanaa Bhanan in Sugar Land, Texas, on Monday, 10/25/21. This was our second time at this location and I had never taken the time to actually review this restaurant.

Absolutely a MUST if you love Indian food!

FOOD:The food always taste the same! can be a lil more spicy or a lil less spicy, but regardless the food tastes amazing. They do Managers, cooks and waiters rotation, so you might experience a slightly different service, but the food will ALWAYS taste the same! traditional SOUTH of India cousine, I can guarantee! most of the times we get the "special Meal" and it is just to die for! there are 10 different samples of their cusine and they all have a different taste. mind blowing! They do southern India Traditional cuisine and they use many fresh spices. My favourite meal is the Special meal that you can see in my photos, it gives you a chance to have a great meal, fill yourself up with great food and give you the chance to try and discover new flavors and new flavor combinations that you would have never thought possible. Their cuisine and flavors are pure Magic!!!

RESTROOM: nice and clean.

STAFF: they always have a manager, one or two waiters and few busboy. They were all very nice to us, checking every now and then if the good was good or not and if there was anything else we would love to try or eat.

CLEANLINESS: The place was clean, no dirty tables, no dirty chairs or benches. The floor was spotless. The glass of the windows is always very clean, something that you will actually enjoy. great job!

PLACE: it is a very nice restaurant with many many big windows that allow you to actually see outside and enjoy the view. There's plenty of tables and comfy sofa/benches that you can pick... they have boots for couples of bigger tables for families and friends. they have an "aquarium" kind of kitchen so that you can see inside and watch them cook your meal (if you are interested).

PRICE: I think their prices are just within the average and the Special meal is cheap. a very fulfilling, satisfying and amazing meal for just $13.

CONCLUSIONS: We will definitely go there again, especially if we pass by or stop by Sugar Land Tx. If you go, DO NOT FORGET to try their signature drinks: the HOT CHAI, HOT COFFEE or the sweet MANGO LASSEE......

I am a Saravanaa Bhawan fan but this location does not live up to the reputation of the organization. We were a group of 4 people and we all fell ill within an hour of eating here. Two of us ordered mysore masala dosa and the other two ordered idli sambhar. My dosa was soggy (sticking to the plate), tasteless, and there was only a tiny amount of potatoes inside. I first mentioned to the staff that the potatoes were sparsely filled and they gave me additional potatoes separately. I am grateful to them for that. However, the potatoes tasted awful and had a strong taste of steamed onions (instead of fried onions) and the consistency of potatoes was runny. I mentioned the lack of authentic taste and they changed my dosa. The chutneys lacked the typical flavors and one of them tasted odd. I wonder if we had a poor experience because we went around 9:30 PM - close to the kitchen closing time - and the food (especially the fermented batter in dosa/idli and sambhar) were too stale by that time that made us fall ill. Another issue I found here was how the dosa was served. They placed the bowl of sambhar over the dosa. Why so? Dosa is not a plate - it is meant to be eaten. As I had already complained about a couple of issues, I did not complain further about this issue of keeping a bowl over something that I would be consuming. I just ate what I got to ensure that I do not ruin the experience of others eating with me. I wish I had not done this and we all would have been saved from this bad experience and I would not have been feeling as nauseated as I am...

I had a very difficult experience. I have so much respect for this chain; the food in this restaurant in Chennai , is just out of the world; at least it was, back in 2004.

I had a craving for Sambar in the evening and painfully drove 45 mins to this place. I ordered idly and Curd vada; hey!! you cannot screw up a good old idly right? But no, they found a way to screw that as well. The idly I got was the most horrible thing I have ever eaten. The idly smelled like rubber or more nastier than that , I think it was some industrial acid like smell; . The idly had an outer skin formed , the outer skin was so thick. When I peeled the outer skin, the idly inside was not even cooked. Oh! guess what they don't even give you the fork and spoon until asked. Great service!!

I also ordered a curd vada; it was like a illegal hybrid of some “chat” and some gooey looking stuff. Since when south indian curd vada is garnished with sweet chutney that is used in chats or served with samosas?

The boondi that was garnished over on curd vada was at least 1 year old as it smells like cockroaches!!

There was nothing “south indian-ness” about that curd vada, its a complete atrocity.

What an utter disgrace? I did not eat anything , just paid the bill and walked out.

I am sad that this great brand, which has created a history, is being represented on such a poor way. Not sure what happened.

I wish this location and the overall brand all the very best. I advise the management “please do not take customers for granted”. I want this great brand...