Dosa Place

Yes, I have experienced better and from this same place. We ate at Dosa Place on June 4^th, and took advantage of the buffet and unlimited Masala Dosas that come with it. We were happy until both my wife and I cut into our Tandori Chicken, both of which were very raw. both pieces were taken back to the kitchen for review (you normally expect items on a buffet station to be overcooked and dry instead of raw), and eventually they brought out 3 pieces to replace the ones that were raw. Unfortunately, what they brought to us were mostly bone with little meat instead of the most meat pieces we sent back.
We may end up sticking to vegetarian dishes from now on. We were told sorry, but that was it. One would expect something more for almost making us sick. This is the main reason we always cut into the food first.

We have loved this place for years. We were not fans of the 17^th street location, but Redhill was always our go to for Indian food and we love southern Indian. Then we went last weekend and ordered the buffet plus some samosas off the menu. They open at 5:30 and I would say we were there around 6:30pm. There were a good number of customers. The one star is for the raw chicken from the buffet. Not one piece – two!!! My husband and I each got the Tandoori chicken and they were thighs on the bone and they were blood raw inside. The waiter was kind of surprised and took the meat into he kitchen to show «them.» Them cooked my husband’s chicken until it was very, very dry. I did not want mine cooked. The waiter who took mine acted like he was unsure what to do with it so I got kinda annoyed and said «you might want to take that into the kitchen and show the cook – this is the second raw piece of chicken from the buffet tonight.» We still had lots of food to eat on our plates. I kinda picked at my vegetable dishes, but I had lost my appetite. Does Dosa Place understand that they could have killed us with their raw chicken if we had eaten it? The waiters – we now had two asking us every 5 minutes if everything was okay became really annoying – I finally said «no everything is not okay the chicken was raw!» We got the samosas to go and got the check. Okay, so I love masala dosas and many of the vegetarian dishes so maybe we will go back, but I will never eat from the buffet again and I will never eat chicken or any kind of meat again at Dosa Place. I am not sure as I write this that I can go back after this experience. Although the waiters said they were sorry, we got no apology from the cook or manager or anyone else and no one offered to reduce our meal cost or perhaps take the buffet off. the check Just sad, very, very sad and disappointed.

Nice to see some different variety and style from most of what I see in Orange County. They had some varieties of bread aside from Naan with the dosa being the nice specialty. I hadn’t had dosa since I visited India a few years ago. The dosa here was nicely thin and light. They had a nice variety of dips from the buffet as well. We had the buffet for lunch and the dishes were more spicy and flagrant with flavor than other places I’ve been. I understand the dosa order off of the menu is larger and sounds like the way to go to me. Sounds like that is a traditional way to do dinner here although they have buffet for dinner too if you prefer the heavy stuff).

If you guys cannot fill up the empty bowls in buffet, just say customers buffet is closed. We total 5 friends entered and asked to take our seats. When we went to take the food, all the buffet bowls are empty. Only one idly left by that time and bought that. Nothing else, rice is on the corners of the bowl and not even able to place it on plate. We ordered dosa and they bought it but lately. That is the only thing I ate. After they bought Vada and samosa which are half cooked. No non veg or veg curries, everything is almost empty. What you guys think about customers. Really disappointed with you guys attitude. Every bowl in the buffet is empty. For what you are charging 13.99 for this empty thing. Really horrible. I never posted negative reviews in my life. This guys made post today. Even I didnt get hurt even when some restaurant gave me un cooked chicken. But this DOSA PLACE guys didnt give food and charging 13.99 for that.
Sincere advice. Fill the buffet bowls or just say buffet is closed if you guys cannot fill Up. That one review to gave for guys who bought water and etc stuff

Came here for dinner on a weekend. The buffet prices are more, than on a weekday. Unlimited dosa (any kind), quick service and good chicken were the good parts. Their chicken tikka masala was exceptional and so was the bhindi (okra) fry. Everything else was okay-​ish. Biryanis and deserts were easily passable.

Great Indian restaurant in the heart of OC. Their buffet is worth every item that is served. Very pleasantly surprised taking a chance patronizing this restaurant. The tandoori chicken, chicken biryani and naan are just like the way we make at home.

Not bad. Certainly feels pricey because the food isn’t amazing. We picked food up. It was cold. Uttappam was thick and rubbery. Sambar was edible but very mass produced. Basically it’s edible when fresh but you won’t dream about their dosas.

Worst Worst food. Friday night dinner with friends and the buffet was stale — really really stale (biryani /​rice etc). Service was pathetic. I love South Indian food but serving stale food is horrible. Had visited after reading the reviews but if they serve these then please stay away.

Decent food and good service. Not many Southern Indian restaurants, so this was a find! I came for the lunch buffet. Southern Indian flavors more spicy and the dishes less savory than Northern Indian. At $ 9.95, the price was a little expensive for the lack of variety and depleted buffet options, but I came late, so maybe next time I will try to come back earlier. All you can eat fresh nan and dosas and water comes in silver goblets which made me feel like I was at medieval times :) By the way, they offer buffet dinner too — same price.

Awesome dosa!!! Just tried this place for the first time, the dosa was delicious, crispy and fresh! The place is very clean and staff is very friendly. Would definitely recommend. I am very picky with Indian food and really enjoyed this place. The idli and tandoori chicken was great too. We will be back to try to buffet!

I have been twice for dinner. A best place for treats and dinner buffet. It is a nice place to hangout with friends and eat delicious food. Though the options can be increased, the dosa’s at this place is really tasty. We have also ordered food from the menu and they arrive on time and the service is good.
Pros: Good food, tastes Indian, Amazing chicken, Biryani and Service.
Cons: More options on buffet would be good, More deserts and may be chats on the buffet.

I cant really write a review for this place since I ended up having just the dosa and they have so many things in the menu: D XD. But then I thought — why not! ESpecially since its a Dosa Place, having one dosa should at least tell me about the Dosa and the filling can be judged from what I ordered.
There is something missing in their Dosa’s. (By now you know that Dosa’s are South Indian crepes, made of a combination of rice and urad lentil, a bit on the crispier side than crepes, and usually had with a coconut paste) Their Dosa’s just werent tasting good. Maybe its the lentils which they use that didnt give it the proper taste.
I ordered a paper roast and it was huge. It is usually more buttery and has a smoother texture to it. Their dosa was just as crispy as paper roast (paper cause its as thin as paper) though!
Their green coconut chutney (paste) was good. Since I have had more amazing chutney’s I cant really boast about this one. But then it surely was good.
Their sambar (a lentil soup with roasted veggies) was thick and had a good texture but the spices were your standard MTR and one can tell they havent blended the spices on their own!
Ambience — okayish.
Price — Dinner buffet is 13. something and goes to 14. something on weekends. Lunch buffett is 9. something etc

I’ve been only here for lunch, once years ago after reading about them through OC Weekly with my Bengali coworker and recently with my boss, who is from the southern region of India. We were having a work/​lunch meeting and this was a good place for our discussion, since we didn’t run the risk of having anyone understand our conversation. The majority of the lunch crowd customers that day were immigrant Indian men, most likely bachelors from the southern India region, from my boss observations, since this probably one of the ways they are able to get food that reminds them of home. We were the only females in the restaurant. As it got closer to past noon, then more non-​Indians/​South Asians appeared and one other woman. Also learned from my boss this place caters for a lot of Indians from the southern region, if that isn’t enough of an endorsement.
We went for lunch buffet and there are items that are usually served during buffet and some items they switched out. My boss likes going at the beginning of lunch buffet cause the dishes haven’t been sitting around. My boss warned me South Indian food tends to be on the spicier side and she wasn’t kidding. It has a kicked and water and probably mango lassi is helpful, which my boss ordered for both my coworker and I. My favorite item is their dosa, it’s crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside. This is the only place I’ve ever had dosa so I am curious of other places. I prefer their dosa over their naan here, since I just found their naan (we got the garlic one) just okay, I’ve had better. Dosa is the way to go, hence the name. Apparently, you can buy the dough/​batter as well but I doubt I’ll be able to execute it as well. One of my chicken tikka meat was still pink so I stopped eating it (luckily, no tummy ache). Enjoyed their pickled chutney, everything was pretty since I ate until I hurt (dammit, I just don’t learn). I probably ate the most out of the group that I didn’t even really need to have dinner that day, even post workout (do not recommend working out after going to Dosa Place, I was still full when I did, not fun). But I did wish the ceiling fans were turned down a bit slower, so I may suggest bringing a jacket. Definitely a place to check out. And apparently, they have vegan friendly items too.

Had lunch here today with a business associate. I was craving dosa as we cruised down Red Hill Ave., quickly realizing this was a joint I needed to try near my work.
The décor was basic. Our booth was comfortable; however, I recall seeing nothing on the tables — not even salt and pepper shakers.
We hit the lunchtime buffet. The menu was strong on South Indian (Sambar, Idli) with a mix of classic North Indian (Tandoori Chicken, Saag, Chana Masala). Most of the dishes were quite good, fresh and quite tasty. The lime pickle was unusually good, something I did not expect.
With lunch came a complementary marsala dosa for each of us. It was a decent 3 star dosa, nothing special. The coconut chutney on the buffet went well with our dosa offerings.
I wanted a sweet lassi. After ordering our waiter informed me all they had were mango lassi. Sadly it was a pre-​made mango lassi from a jug. Remind me not to order this again.
I will try this place again at dinner, opt for their regular menu. Sadly there are better options for Indian cuisine nearby as other recent reviews from me will disclose.

3.5 stars for ambience.
4.5 stars for food.
5 stars for hospitality.
I was craving some indian food and on friday night and was suprised that this place had dinner buffet. Not many places offer diner buffet especially on a Friday night. The wait staff were really kind and seated me immediately. When I informed them I wanted to do the buffet I could chose between plain naan or plain dosa or masala dosa. I chose the masala dosa and was not disappointed.
All the food options in the buffet were really good especially the Andhra chicken curry, vada and payasam. I would love to give 5 starts but the biryani wasn’t the best and a bit disappointed as it east true Andhra dum biryani style. Everything else was amazingly good.
This is definitely a great place to grab some good indian food and am happy that it is close to my house.

Kind polite service
Even for lunch buffet.
Rich in spices
Like south Indian cuisine should be.
Great small family business.
Makes me feel at home.
Will be coming again.

We have eaten at this place, as well as the now closed Dosa Express on 17^th Street in Tustin, quite a few times. We usually are here during lunch buffet. I don’t remember eating from the menu, ever.
Pros:
Andhra Chicken curry is one of the best chicken curries in LA. It tastes exactly like the fry my aunt used to make in India. :) (+2)
Vada & Guthi Vankaaya Koora (Eggplant curry) were delicious too. (+1)
Dosa/​Masala Dosa and Naan are complimentary with buffet.
Adequate seating, parking & staff.
Cons:
Only 4 non vegetarian items. Even though the Chicken curry is knock it out of the ballpark good, there isn’t much variety. However, buffet is $ 2.00-$ 3.00 cheaper than other desi restaurants. Maybe this is the reason. (–1)
Biriyani’s were meh. Too much dry spices mixed with rice ruining taste. (–1)

After going to this place few times, I think I have to say that this place makes really good dosa’s. The service can definitely improve. Just a suggestion maybe they can hire an additional waiter on weekends! On Saturday during the dinner time, there was just 2 waiters waiting on 50 or so people and one waiter was clueless and came across as rushing us to order a drink before we sat down !
The food was really good! They can defiantly tone down the spice level one notch! Otherwise the experience was great. Will go back for more dosa’s!

No surprises tasty Indian fare, Good Dosas, Cheap (~10 $) Buffet. Small place — 6 – 7 Booths, 6 – 7 tables, one separate space for large groups. No air conditioning. Decent ambiance, clean (⁷⁄₁₀) restrooms. Plenty of parking outside.
Had been here at least thrice and the quality and taste was consistent (+/​-​5%).
Attentive staff, doesn’t bother you much.
Food: South Indian part is good. Idlis, dosas, chutneys and sambar will be good. Buffet doesn’t usually feature goat meat but will have a really good chicken curry and not too bad chicken biryani. There will be some good vegetarian stuff too.
I would recommend, I would go again.

Dosa Place used to be decent enough to satisfy south Indian cravings (see previous review). It’s one of the few restaurants in the area that offers a buffet during dinner hours. However, ever since the branch on 17^th Street shut down recently and merged with this Red Hill location, the overall quality has really gone downhill.
First, the dinner buffet price increased from $ 9.95 to $ 11.95, which is conditionally acceptable, if there is increased variety such as inclusion of seafood or regional specialties or improved food preparation. Neither were found. In fact, some off my favorite South Indian delicacies disappeared from the buffet menu, such as chicken biryani, mirchi ka salan, and payasam.
The most notable change? A significant size reduction for the complimentary masala dosas. Each serving is now a miniature version that is smaller than a bean and cheese burrito. It no longer spans across a dinner plate. Although the dosas are refillable, an average person may need at least 3 servings throughout the meal and service is slow to keep up with demand.
I was also disappointed with the consistency in the dosa preparation. Out of the three I received, two were soft-​spongy and one was crispy, all with different shades of brown. The amount of time each piece spent on the tawa must have not been the same. In addition, the potato masala filling tasted a bit strange. The potatoes were mashed too soft and made into purée form. I did not like the filling’s distinct sharp ginger flavor that was overpowering.
The buffet quality really made me question the $ 11.95 price tag. The medhu vada and idli were both nearly stale and inedible. The vada was rock hard on the inside and outside, not crispy on the outside and soft on the inside after being deep fried. Pieces of idly found stuck onto the buffet trays, most likely they had been steamed and re-​steamed. The sambar was much more sweet than spicy, and it tasted more like a Gujarati sambar than an Andhra variation that I had at Chennai Tiffins. The dal was thick like porridge with similar consistency to the pongal. It’s questionable how long the buffet trays had been reheated, possibly up to several days.
Fortunately, there were a few positives to mention. The Andhra chicken fry is still the unanimous «best» item in the buffet, it’s coated with an addicting spicy (chili), smoky, and sweet masala that can really tickle your taste buds. Moreover, naan is now made-​to-​order instead of baked in large quantities and then dropped off in heated trays. Naan can become really tough shortly after it cools off and reheating baked bread without adding water can change the texture completely. Finally, I noticed that the décor was refurnished. There are new dining tables, new steam tables for the buffet, and new plates provided. The old ambiance was depressing and screamed «dirty» but that has been fixed.
Overall, the buffet prices have increased but it’s not reflected in food quality improvements. There are better ways to spend $ 12 for an Indian dinner nearby.