Madurai Idli Kadai — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

TL;DR: For brave foodies in small groups who can brave utter incompetence and chaos.

Review from an Austin, TX visitor so you can ignore or use as you like. I gave one star because I couldn't even order and dine. If you think I can't rate because I didn't eat, then we disagree fundamentally on what makes a good restaurant and I suggest you stop reading and write your own review after visiting this place.

We visited around 11 AM and found the management to be highly incompetent. Only one lady was juggling between dine-in, takeout and online orders and kept going to the kitchen every 30 seconds because someone got their dosa but not their coffee. Another lady barged in and said she was waiting for 45 minutes for her order that she called for and asked if she can cut in and pay. She literally called the lady taking orders inside the restaurant 4 feet from her to get her attention. In a space that's about 10' x 10', there are two lines (order and pickup) and no control on when people can come inside. A simple system to let people in only to dine and order only by phone/web could easily solve issues. So, after waiting for 15 minutes in a line that can be only 4 people long, I gave up because there seems to be no connection between ordering dine-in and getting a table and with one pregnant lady and a toddler in a group of 7 we couldn't even find a place to sit. The tables, mind you, don't even have a foot between them so if you're more susceptible to COVID-19, avoid at all costs.

From recommendations, it seems to have very good food, if you can first get through the utter chaos and even sit through the meal without bumping into other people and having still others stand behind you waiting...

This is based on our recent experience catering from the restaurant for a family / friends event.

While we were overall happy with the food provided (dosas, biryani, gulab jamun), there was one notable exception: the veg pakoras. As the only appetizer, the pakoras hardly had any veggies, were undercooked and quite hard to chew. When we mentioned it to the restaurant, the main point of contact (Chandra) first said “I wasn’t there so can’t comment” (which is their issue not ours) and later, “oh, you are north Indian but we made it South Indian style”. The latter was also BS as our south indian friends at the event also said the pakoras were inedible. They seemed to worry that accepting any responsibility for critiqued food item may imply having to give some sort of discount as compensation - not something we asked for (or received).

The most disappointing part of the experience - and the reason for 1 star for service - was their poor communication around the mode of payment. In the past, for similar catering arrangements with other restaurants, we were either told up front other their accepted methods or were offered flexibility to pay at the time of event.

However; Madurai Idli karai never told us they expected cash-only payment at the event. While I appreciated their patience as we took a week to be able to go to their restaurant to pay, we assumed they would accept credit card. Not the case - they still wanted cash payment and, to top it off, they said they wouldn’t give...

We have been eating here for the last few years and enjoying their food, but last Sunday might have been my last time. Over the last couple of years, their service has taken a turn for the worse. Gone is the disciplined manager who took orders, told people when to grab a table to sit, and made sure the kitchen delivers orders timely. Last Sunday we tried to eat there. They forgot one of our entrees (onion rava masala). After multiple reminders, and attempts by the manager to push the kitchen to expedite our forgotten entrees, the manager told me to ask the kitchen. The kitchen had 5 or 6 people standing in it, all unkempt, no one wearing hats/netting, nor was anyone wearing gloves. Only one person seemed to be cooking while the others were just standing around. When I asked the kitchen about my entree, one of them told me rava dosa takes time. I told him I had been waiting 45 minutes. He yelled at me to get out of the kitchen. I told him I was standing outside his kitchen. Then he said something that I didn't understand but it didn't seem polite. I found out later his name is Kumar.

I doubt we'll go there again. While the food remains good, the service is now unacceptable to us. Kitchen hygiene certainly is abysmal. If you must have their food, go at non-peak hours, and be patient. It's a small place but they cram people in. Wear a mask, you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other customers.

It's better to make the trek to...