Ganesh Temple Canteen

If you prefer good food, then you prefer this spot. I don’t really know what authentic means any more, but this place feels like it is. It’s super cheap and really yummy. Obviously don’t expect a fine dining experience, there isn’t any table cloth or anything like that, but expect to be blown away by the quality of the food.

If you are looking for authentic, real good, feels-​like-​made-​at-​home-​no-​preservatives added-​South Indian food, look no further than the Canteen at Ganesh Temple! They are open 7 days a week from morning till 9pm, serving DELICIOUS, DELECTABLE, FINGER-​LICKING, MOUTH WATERING-​HOT Dosas (all varities), Vadas (couple of types), All served with hot and spicy, fresh sambhar and fresh coconut chutney in just the right amount! I’ve tried dosas and other south indian delicacies in other places, but nothing compares to the yummy-​licious food at the Ganesh Temple Canteen in Flushing, NY: o)

You enter through a nondescript door on the side (There’s the main temple entrance but unless you’re interested in visiting the temple and being hit up by the priest on the virtues of god and the beauty of hinduism i’d avoid it. That said it’s a good experience if you’ve never been to a hindu temple and theres no pressure to convert) and descend down a flight of stairs (why are all good things in the basement?) to a brightly lit room with the aromas of spices and sauteed vegetables. You hear the sounds of crisp dosas cracking under eager hands and the general milieu of a south asian eatery.
The dosas are the go to item here — pick one.
The masala dosa is the crowd favorite. A crispy and thin savory rice batter crêpe with a turmeric laced potato filling served with a tangy lentil soup daal (sambar) and a coconut chutney.
The Rava Dosa is a pock marked bundle of joy made with semolina instead of rice batter and served with sambar and chutney. Available with the potato filling as a Rava Masala Dosa.
Order another dish as a starter — The Idli (savory steamed rice cake) & Vada (Savory fried donut) are a great choice or try the Upma — tough to explain but your taste buds will get down with it.
Finish with a chai/​coffee or one of the deserts. Sheera is similar to Upma but sweet so if you’ve done one skip the other unless you liked it soo much that you gotta try it’s sweeter cousin.
Ganesha is well known for his love of food and he would be proud of the Ganesha temple canteen.
I believe most of the staff are volunteers and so you’re giving back to the community with your business.

Price can’t be beat, delicious food, different style than the «Indian» restaurants here in Florida. Simple cafeteria style dining area downstairs from the temple. Don’t skip the lassi! Worth the bus ride and short walk.

Authentic.
Delicious.
One bite returned me to my father’s native India. Anyone giving this place less than five stars isn’t grounded in reality.
Five stars.

Excellent place to get quick meal.
1) Everything here is vegetarian.
2) The food is mainly South Indian. I like their dosas.
3) Also try the Indian beverages like the mango lassi, Madras coffee, lychee juice, etc.

SO GREAT! Always my go to! They have great crispy dosas!

No frills, great food, great price. Hidden gem in the basement of a Hindu Temple. Here, you find a nice variety of Southern Indian vegetarian fare. The samosas are not the best, but the dosas are amazing. Pick your favorite dosa, wash it down with a mango lassi and finish it off with a rasmali, you will be one happy camper.

They have the best south Indian food in all of NYC. Hands down, if you’re craving some masala dosa or pongal this is the place to go!

Really awesome, authentic food! Well worth the trip. Staff is very sweet and friendly. Everything tastes delicious, and if you like spicy food, the chili masala dosa is amazing. The paper masala dosa is also really delicious and super thin and crispy. The Ganesh temple canteen is Flushing’s best kept secret, and the dosas are the best I’ve had! It’s also very cheap too! Open every day until 9:30 pm. Don’t forget to grab an imported almond drink or a cup of their homemade chai! :)

Temple canteen is highly recommended they provide traditional Indian style vegetarian food for a low cost price they are non profit. All this was only $ 20

I got the mini tiffin which is a Saturday special that includes a bit of everything. I know nothing about Indian food but the mini masala dosa I got was really thin and crispy. Next time I’ll just get that as a main. The coconut chutney was also good, and not as sweet as I expected. I can just eat it with a spoon. The gajar halwa was actually not the best I’ve had, since I prefer the carrot to be roughly chopped so the pudding retains some crunchy texture. Service is awesome. The place is really clean but the bathroom has some fly problem.

Hands down, the best dosas & South Indian food in NYC. Ganesh Temple Canteen beats my two other dosa spots (Sapthagiri & Saravana Bhavan) hollow.
Here’s what we got:
Masala dosa: crispy, buttery, with a supremely flaky texture and really delicious potato filling, served with dollops of coconut chutney & a thick steaming sambar = the touchstone of all dosas.
Pondicherry dosa: Slightly larger than the masala dosa, with a very unconventional filling of farsan (a fried snack). I didn’t care for the filling, but the dosa was good.
Mirchi pakoras (spicy fritters): I didn’t have this, but our friends couldn’t get enough
Bise Bhele bhaat (rice with curry powder): slightly spicy, slightly tart and very mouth watering
Tamarind rice: Flavorful, tangy and fresh
Filter coffee: on the milder side, the only mild disappointment
Mysore Pak: soft, full of ghee and everything else that’s sweet and delish
What else you need to know:
– Served canteen style — spend some time studying the menu & the daily specials before you queue up to order
– you don’t have to remove your shoes to go to the canteen
– All the above for under $ 30!
Unilocalers are reporting that on some days the chutney is watery and sambar is served lukewarm. I hope that never happens when we return, because I will be really, really heartbroken!
Verdict: Felt I was back home in India. Highly recommend you stop by if you get a chance.

This is one of the great food values in NYC, hence the five stars.
We discovered this place when we went to visit the Temple gift shop for a statuette after eating at Dosa Hutt. The canteen is located in the basement of the Temple and has all the ambiance of your high school gymnasium.
The crowd seem to be mostly local, with the odd lot of hipsters.
You order cafeteria style, and the process is somewhat confusing. There’s a video menu, but there are specials posted on handbills, so if it’s not too crowded, give all of the menus a good perusing before making your choice. You pay, get your number, find a table and approach for your grub when the number’s called. It’s well organized, for the most part.
We went with a ghee roast, the Hyderabadi dosa, and a vegetable uttapam. Also tried a masala chai, and halwa. The dosa was filled with a spicy green chutney. Masala was a $ 1 add on, sambar and coconut chutney were included. The dosa was crisp and delicious, the sambar was thicker and tastier than Dosa Hutt’s, and the green coconut chutney had more zest. I had ordered a ghee roast on the basis of favorable Unilocal reviews, not knowing exactly what it was. Here it is a buttery dosa, folded into a pyramid, with the same masala, sambar and the chutney on the side. For some reason the uttapam was delayed, but it arrived large, fluffy, tasty and greasy, more ample than the ones I have had in the City. The halwa was so rich and sweet we could not quite finish. The tea was on the mild side, with a bit of milk.
All this provender for $ 23.00. You won’t need much dinner if you lunch here.

The best Dosa I’ve ever had by a mile, and yet this place is not about the food itself. It’s about the ganesh. You know, ganesh. Like, when you make some meat & potatoes, and you ganesh it with a little cilantro. Or when you make a salad, and ganesh it with Parsley. The reason it’s known as Ganesh «Temple» is because dosas are really good for your head. Specifically to strengthen your temple. And the reason it’s a «Canteen» is because they have yet to decide whether under 20-​year-​olds are allowed on the premises. The question: «Canteens eat here» is still up in the air. Hence, Canteen.
What to get: Chili Masala Dosa
Why: *The* best Dosa and *the* best South Indian food in North America.
Expensive?: Are you kidding me. It’s LESS THAN FIVE DOLLARS.
Is it tiny?: It’s freaking huge actually. It fed two freaking people.
Why is it so good: I’ll tell you in a second.
Tell me something fun: Hmm… well I wrote this review while at Fawn & Fox Salon getting my hair cut.
Do you want to make out: Yes, but let me tell you about the Dosa first.
The dosa is so crispy yet fluffy. It tastes so dreamy, like a lightly spiced Indian crêpe. It’s wonderful by itself, but the pools of sensational sauces that come with the Chili Masala Dosa take it through the roof. Each one is flavoured perfectly with herbs and spices that are some of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth, including *all* my ex-​boyfriends.
I came here looking for Cannoli. But they only sell Cannoli made with scary devilish invisible baby frogs. Hence the name «Ghoulish Tadpole Cannoli.» I’m not interested in that, so I ordered Dosas instead.
I’m not even a fan of Dosas. South Indian food has never done it for me the way, for example, Punjabi and Pakistani food does. And British Indian rules my world. What I discovered at Ganesh Temple Canteen is that I actually *am* a fan of Dosas. I *do* love South Indian food. I just hadn’t gone to the right place yet. Well, Ganesh is the right place.
I sometimes cover Elton John songs, but I never thought to speed them up. My friend Garland was the first to show me how to do that. In fact this restaurant is even named after the super-​fast «Garland Tempo Candleinthewind.»
This Dosa isn’t just good. It isn’t just delicious. It’s the ultimate. It’s the gold standard dosa. It’s the dosa to end all dosas, and until I had this dosa, I wouldn’t have shed many tears if they did end all dosas. But now, it’s actually one of my very favourite places in the whole country, not just for Indian food, but period.
I know a 10 year old who smashes his Timpani (it’s an instrument) in the most annoying way. I call him the «Garish Timpani Preteen». This restaurant is actually named after him.
And it’s not just the magnificent Chili Masala Dosa which means you *must* come here. It’s also the incredible Décor. The canteen is inside the Ganesh Temple, so you can walk around and experience and enjoy an amazing, fascinating, awe-​inspiring Hindu temple in the middle of Queens, before and after your meal. Make sure you take off your shoes in the places where it tells you to! Don’t worry, you don’t have to take off shoes to eat in the canteen.
As an aside, this place is actually named after the commercial for that French shampoo, the one with the Lord Of The Rings guy and «Refugee» «Freefallin’» pie-​chart guy in the commercial. Hence the name «Gandalf Tompetty Pantene.»
Anyway, at the canteen, service isn’t great, but with these prices, and with this unbelievably good food, you won’t care. Get yourself to Queens for some of the best Indian food you’ll ever eat. North America’s best Dosa. The best South Indian food you’ll find anywhere.
And apparently the most famous peaceful man in Indian (and perhaps world) history, thought that girls tasted like deep fried Japanese food. He was an expert at giving pleasure (as well as making peace), and this restaurant is named after his famous «Gandhi Tempura C***-eating.»

Dosas! Glad I finally made my way out there… not glad that it’s what I’m always craving for now. I actually think the batter and crisp on these are much better than french crepes. The masala dosas come out shorter than the paper dosa but they have such a delightful crisp on the outside and fluffiness just beneath.
The canteen is so simple and nondescript that you just know you’ve found one of those quickly disappearing authentic «hole in the wall» places. Even with all the publicity lately, 98% of the people there are still locals who also worship in the temple before. It’s an experience and one that definitely should be had. Service is quick and although intimidating at first, they aren’t out to bite. The line, although long, moves very quickly. Besides, it gave me enough time to decide what I was going to order.
Ordered:
— Hyderabadi Spicy Masala Dosa: Has a green chili spread on the inside and folded over into a triangle. Bowl of masala on the side. This was flavorful but not much of a spice kick despite the warning on the menu. I loved breaking off a piece, scooping some masala, and dunking it all in the mint coconut chutney. YUM!
— Masala Dosa: I ordered this just to see what the standard was and I was almost expecting something a bit more plain. But this definitely delivered and is just as crave worthy.
— Mango Lassi: Delicious. Small but it’s only $ 1.50 so maybe get two? It’s a little on the lighter side and a bit sweet but no complaints.
— Mango Kulfi & Malai (saffron and pistachio) Kulfi: BEST ICE CREAM EVER. Refreshing on a very very hot day. Not too sweet like other kulfi’s I’ve had. The mango one has a great smooth creamy mango flavor. The malai one has a floral creamy feel with a bit of crushed pistachios and almond throughout to add some texture. Also $ 1.50 and worth every bit.
I can’t wait to go again and try the onion masala dosa!

How does one place go from 4 stars to one star???
The chutney was watery without taste and no salt. Sambhar served cold. Idlis served like a rock.
This was I repeat THE BEST PLACE TO EAT «once upon a time «.
The lady at the counter was good. But he kitchen staff was totally uncooperative. I will stay away.

Eating South Indian is a must for us whenever we visit this temple. N y not! The temple canteen serves a host of disaster, idlis, vadas n Uthpams. Everything is fresh, tasty n simply delicious. I particularly like their rava masala dosa n paper dosa.

The food here is great! Super cheap & delicious!
The canteen is in the basement of the temple. Enter from the Holly ave entrance & follow the sign to the canteen. The dining room is pretty big. We were here around 5pm & it was pretty empty.
We got the masala dosa, the onion dosa, & the vada. They were spicy & flavorful! Compare to Dosa Hutt which is next door, the potato in the masala dosa has slightly less flavor. We’re not saying it’s bad. It’s still crazy delicious!
The portion is pretty good. We spent around $ 13 for our meal & we were pretty full. If you want to use your credit card, there is a 50 cents surcharge. As for the service, it was good. The lady who took our order was polite.
This place is definitely worth visiting. Good food & great value!
Highly recommended!

Wow, this temple canteen is definitely worth visiting! I’ve read a lot about the dosas from their kitchen and I’ve wanted to try them for a good while now. Problem is, my boyfriend and I get pretty lazy about going out on weekday mornings (dosas, after all, are meant to be eaten as a breakfast food) and there are quite a few South Indian restaurants in Jackson Heights that produce decent enough dosas. So it took us a while. But after one visit we immediately knew we would be coming back again when our dosa cravings need satisfying.
We’ll need multiple visits to try all their offerings but if it’s your first time I highly recommend you order the ghee roast. I’ve never seen it on any other restaurant menu here in NY and it was actually the very first time I’ve had one myself. At first I wanted to share one with my boyfriend so we can try more dishes but he wouldn’t do it. And as soon as I took a bite I understood why. It’s amazing! If you already like paper dosas you would love the ghee roast as well! We also shared an uttapam, another new dish for me and it was reminiscent of Chinese or Korean style scallion pancakes. Truly, everything we ate was delicious! In fact, while my boyfriend and I both favor the coconut chutney over sambhar for dipping dosa in, we both agreed that their sambhar was the best we’ve had in NY. After the savory items we also shared some sweets to finish off the hearty brunch.
This temple canteen is no frills and absolutely not fancy. But the food is authentic and simply delicious. So if you are looking to have a great foodie experience then come out to Flushing and check it out!