Udipi Café

3 for good food 0 for the wait and cleanliness better than other veg Indian. Suggest to go for buffets in afternoon I would avoid the dinner time. Service sucks. This place serves alcohol if that counts for you. if you decide to go take company and get ready to wait wait wait. Short staffed perhaps

This review is for a visit in either July or August of 2014. Was staying in Columbus for 3 days and i found Udipi Café on my frist day. Tried the lunch buffet. Im going off memory. And all i can say is every thing was delicious. What struck me in a good way was the vareity and good selection on the buffet line. Been to many buffets at home and none of them have ever had such a good assortment of items like Udipi did. I also was plleasantly surprised by the affordable price. If i ever get back to Columbus Udipi will be a go to for indian food. I enjoyed Udipi so much that returned on my last day for a 2^nd visit.
Anyone that likes Veggie Indian buffets
Will not want to miss Udipi.

Wow! It’s so delicious. I love that it is all vegetarian and buffets are usually a great option when trying a place for the first time, but I was unfamiliar with most of the items on the buffet. Aside from that, everything I have ordered off the menu has been amazing!!! The service is faster and friendlier than many Indian restaurants.
Try the masala dosa. It will become your favorite!

I will come back here some time. I tried something that had a little bit of everything. It was a great choice. I liked everything I tried and I can’t wait to go back and try some more.

Probably one of the best South Indian restaurant I have been to in the US. Everything that we ordered were fantastic. highly recommended for all idly-​dosa lovers !

Solid Indian cuisine. The real deal.
Friendly service. All vegetarian.
Don’t let the strip mall and lack of atmosphere from the outside discourage you. This place is great!

Absolutely. 100%. All of the time.
My vegetarian buddy took me here today and it was absolutely wonderful! Although I’m not a vegetarian, I do like to go meatless a few times a week and I could see myself coming here, oh, maybe, 50 times a week?

Udipi is a unique find in Columbus. Nestled in a strip mall (of course) on the north side, Udipi has a sign inside which states that this is the only Udipi in Columbus. True! Completely vegetarian and committed to rich and spicy South Indian cuisine, there really is nothing like it.
The décor is dressy-​casual, with plenty of tables and booths for seating. Service is subdued but timely (and this has gotten better as Udipi’s reputation as a vegetarian oasis has sent more Americans their way). They do have a lunch buffet seven days a week (but are closed mid-​afternoon).
OK. Let’s talk about the BEST reason to come to Udipi. They have the BEST poori/​puri! Giant puffy bread, almost sweet but not quite. Best ever. YUM.
The food here is excellent in general. Mainly tomato-​based, and richly spiced, interesting vegetarian dishes that are not too «out there» spice or ingredient wise. We ordered a giant appetizer sampler, with alll the things — pakora/​samosa, fried chilis, fried veggies, a little sambar, and those donut thingys that are savory and yum. Their coconut chutney is delicious. Portions are large and come with raita and chutneys/​sauces. We were not asked about spice levels, but I got a lovely hot sauce with my bhindi masala that was a stinger! Loved it. The spouse, a meat-​eater, loves this place, too, and ordered a noodle dish that was essentially an Indian-​style stir-​fry.
We always leave stuffed to the gills — when the spouse takes home a doggie bag, it’s a big meal (appetizer, main dish, and poori). Top five Indian in Columbus, for sure.

Consistent quality and taste over the years and strictly vegetarian. We just love this place, not everything is perfect but great place.

You can’t go wrong with Southern Indian Food. As someone with a gluten allergy and is vegetarian, it’s my go-​to meal when I visit a new city.
I was able to visit Udipi after a very long day with a couple friends, we were tired and hungry and excited for a real meal. We got appetizers, an Uttapam and a couple of entrees to share and we couldn’t finish it all!
I think my biggest complaint was that the veggies didn’t taste very fresh, and the spices weren’t as complex as I had hoped. It’s the only reason they aren’t getting 4 stars. But I did overall really like the place and the waitstaff were great.

I like Udipi because it’s cheap and has a big selection of vegetarian items. The buffet is the best time to come. It is only $ 7.99 for the biggest selection on any Indian buffet in town. It always has several chutneys, all of which are flavorful. The coconut chutney is the best. It always has the spicy rasam and the milder sambar soups. These are also great for dipping idli and vada. I always leave this place stuffed but thinking about the next visit. The service is the worst part about this place, but the food and price makes up for it.

Ordered take out since laylas is closed on Monday. I will never eat in uddipi again since there is a picture of roach posted to Unilocal!
I first got hip to this place back in 2009, it’s solely vegetarian.
I order the rasam soup, which is like a spicy tomato soup. Perfect if you have sinus problems or have a cold. it will clear you right up.
Since last time i was in their soup portions changes, got smaller. Was a little disappointed in that but oh well.
I order the special vegetable curry which comes with peas, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes… i love potatoes in their curry but was saddened to only have one in my entire meal.
I asked for extra rice and was provided at no charge. The vegetable curry also comes with a pickled lime red sauce which is like a hot sauce. Very yummy and plenty of left over. Bill came to $ 12.60

I came for the lunch buffet and the food was wonderful. I tried several items I never had before and all were great. I would definitely suggest this place if you are looking for lunch under ten bucks with flavor.

Excellent! Lunch buffet only $ 7.99. Unbeatable value. Fresh ingredients! Best vegetarian South Asian cuisine in Central Ohio. Friendly staff. Clean environment.

Consistently high quality food. ⁶⁄₁₀ in service. The Dal Makini and Masala Dosi are very good –the best I have had. ⁸⁄₁₀ for price. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ for quality of food. Ask for a table as the booth seating is not so comfortable. They do need to renovate some of their seating furniture. This is a great vegetarian restaurant.

This restaurant used to be the best indian restaurant in town about 5 years ago but now it has completely run down.
Good Things about the restaurant
1. Dosa’s Are the best i have ever had. Their Rava Dosa is Awesome. Chutneys are great!
Down Side/​Disappointed
1. I am not recommending for lunch buffet. Buffet is horrible, Poor Quality, deep oil fried and Unhygienic Food Quality.
2. Customer Service is Horrible.
3. Cashier/​Lady in the counter acts so annoying and unprofessional.
4. Udipi is all about Pleasant, Peaceful and naturing loving but this is totally opposite
Advice to Management
1. Please stop Throwing disgusting food in lunch Buffet.
2. Stop serving Deep Oil fried food in lunch buffet
3. Please keep your restaurant clean and maintain Hygiene

Went here on the recommendation of an acquaintance and wasn’t disappointed. Our visit was for a Sunday lunch, so we had the buffet. Not a big fan of buffets, but decided to give it a go anyway. I sampled pretty much everything available. I cannot begin to tell you what I ate, but everything was very tasty, except the coconut chutney. It just didn’t suit my palate.
The greeter/​waiter/​cashier wasn’t the most pleasant guy; not that he was unpleasant, just indifferent. Kinda like, ‘If you don’t eat it, someone else will’ attitude. When the meal ended, the check wasn’t brought to the table either. We waited for a little bit, then observed others going to the register without theirs, so, like lemmings, we did the same. I do question the overall cleanliness of the restaurant.
We’ll go back, but likely not for the buffet.

Today I visited Udipi for the second time with friends who were born and raised in southern India — the culinary region of this café. They approved the authenticity of the food, and as an American, I can attest that it was delicious!
I was pleased to see that they now serve the buffet for lunch on weekends. It was a very great deal (only $ 9.99 which is the same price as the majority of the entrees and much less than other Indian buffets in the area), and I was able to try all of the options since everything is vegetarian. There was a great variety, and everything was labeled so that I could learn the names of the items I was trying. I must have tried everything, and there was not one dish I disliked.
The service was great as well. The staff was polite, allowed us to choose our seating, and they were very good about cleaning up our empty plates frequently. I cannot wait to take others here!

My friend and I were looking for a quick place to eat and thought Indian. We came across this place, no idea it was a strict vegetarian menu, boy were we surprised. But since we had already been seated, we decided to give this place a try. Open parking lot out front so parking wasn’t a problem. The service is nice, the employees are kind and happy folks. Happy to hear we were first timer’s and had plenty of suggestions for us. The atmosphere was very clean and cozy, plenty of families around us. Guess eating vegetarian is popular thing because a majority of the place was filled with a diverse group of people.
We ordered the Special Rava Masala Dosai and the Udipi’s Special Spring Dosai. They came with thin rice crepes, which were crunchy and delicious. The vegetables were grilled and seasoned well. We were still pretty hungry afterwards though, probably because there wasn’t no real meat in the meal. But if you’re a strict vegetarian, then this is the place for you!

A friend living in Columbus recommended Udipi for its $ 7.99 vegetarian buffet. Everything was pretty good and there were plenty of South Asian customers – a good sign.
By the time I left around 2, some of the buffet trays were drying out a bit.
I’ll probably be back this summer.

Holy lunch buffet! A great way to try the various South Indian wares available at this little gem of a restaurant. There are dosas (freshly made and brought to the table), idlis, savory rice pancakes, vegetable curries, rasam, sambar, and various other deliciousness. Also, the last time I went there, there was this stir fried beet dish with chickpeas that was addictively good. Overall, at $ 8.99, it’s a great value for well-​made South Indian.

This was only the second time that i have ever had Indian food and it was much better than the first time, which was a place in Polaris that starts with a C. My Indian friends are big fans of udipi, so we went for lunch on a Friday. I tried all of the items and really liked most of them especially the upma?
I’ll return sometime, the only reason it’s a 4 and Not 5 is that the service was just Ok.

I usual find myself here with my Indian coworker traveling back from meetings. He is a vegetarian and enjoys this place. The dosas are to die for. I have found that the weekends must be the best time for more options. The service is buffet style which allows you to try a variety of preparations to find the dish you like. I have not had a consistent experience here which is why I rated it 3 stars.

My bf, his mom, and I went for lunch on a Tuesday. We did the buffet which came with a small plain Dosa for each person. The buffet was small but it had a cold food section comprising of various chutneys, yogurt, and fruit. There was also a hot food section which had two soups, 4 curries, a dessert, and some breads (vada, illdi, bhatura, and uttapam).
The food was so-​so. The vegetarian curries were bland and uninteresting. The dal was very watery and the channa masala did not taste very flavorful. Our table used copious amounts of the chutneys to add flavor. Having tried ordering the Dosas for dinner, the lunch buffet did not live up to my previous experiences.
It seems that some other Unilocalers have noticed the dodgy service, sadly I would agree. The restaurant workers seem non-​chalant, or even worst uncaring. We were seated with no greeting, and received our check with no thanks. The entire meal seemed very taxing for the wait staff and us. In addition, they keep their water pitchers in a corner, our first pitcher had a fruit fly in it. However, a chef came out at one point and was very welcoming, urging us to try the fresh bhatura. He was so friendly and was the only smile directed at us.
Pros: Dinner Dosas, tasty chutneys, uncommon South Indian cuisine available
Cons: service, lunch buffet, questionable cleanliness
Overall, I would probably not come back for the lunch buffet. Stick to ordering Dosas for dinner. If the service was better, I probably would have given them 3 stars.

During my trip to Columbus with friends, we stopped over her for dinner on thanksgiving Day. A vegetarians delight and plenty of options for snacks. Appetizer platter was wonderful. Even the service was not that bad considering they were short staffed. Our only concern was the ROACH movement on the tables on and off the food that grossed us out. If the dining area can have roaches we could only imagine about the status of the kitchen. That was the last bite of food we took. If only they could be clean this would be a place I would like to visit again.

Went in for a lunch buffet. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t welcome as a single female. I probably won’t go back to eat in. The food was passable, but nowhere near on part with the offerings just a short jaunt away in Dublin.
The soups and dishes were watery, the naan was slightly raw still.
The chutneys were great. The sole saving grace of the meal.

Honestly, I never know what I’m eating, ironically being Indian and all, but it’s good for $ 7.99 all you can eat buffet.

I get carryout from here at least every couple of weeks. Anyone who is a vegetarian, which I am not, absolutely must try this place and anyone who is not will not miss meat al all. My very favorite menu item is the navrattan korma, hope I am spelling that correctly. It is just a vegetable stew and many Indian places make that but not like this one, not too rich, just perfectly creamy. I also love their spinach (palak paneer) and this is the only spinach dish my four year kid will eat. Have not tried the buffet but really look forward to it so I can try all the appetizers.

Four stars, in spite of my prejudices as a mostly unrepentant carnivore. I came away full, but oddly full; in the absence of any animal protein, I think my stomach refused to believe it was sated. I realize this is bad for my karma, and I will undoubtedly be reincarnated as hamburger, but given that the Dalai Lama isn’t a vegetarian either, at least I’m in good company.
The décor is a little formal, but Udipi Café indeed is a café — the dishes here are meant as full entrees, rather than the family-​style ordering I’m used to at other Indian restaurants. So when my wife and I ordered four dishes, we really should have had two more diners with us.
Our dosa was light and delicate, and stuffed with minced vegetables. We also had the coconut uthappa (an Indian-​style pancake, as the menu says), which had large shavings of coconut in the batter, befitting Udipi’s tropical South Indian origins. Both came with a dish of coconut chutney and and a dish of sambar, a vegetable stew in a tomato base.
We also had two curries: avial, a mild coconut-​milk based curry full of vegetables, and malai kofta, balls of potato & cheese in a creamy sauce. The malai kofta was the best I’ve had since Curry and Hurry first opened (which is a story for a different review); the potato-​cheese-​dry fruit balls (their description, not mine) were hearty but tender, and the sauce was subtle and complex — you could taste the cashews and raisins that were its constituent ingredients. Both curries came with a generous serving of rice, achar (Indian pickles), and raita (yogurt with cucumber).
The service is friendly, the atmosphere pleasant, but it’s really the quality of the food that makes Udipi Café worth eating at. There is clearly a level of care and skill in the preparation of their dishes. Plus, it will be good for your karma, too.