Sri Annapoorna Bhavan

Visited this place on a weekend with a bunch of friends. Its a small vegetarian south Indian eatery close to Exchange place waterfront. I heard that the restaurant is very popular for lunch on weekdays. The food was not consistent, few dishes we ordered were really good and few others weren't so great. The ambience is decent, pricing is very reasonable given the location, there is ample seating and it is self-service only. I had tried Kal Dosa with Kurma and Medu vada. The Kal Dosa was great and the kurma was very authentic. The kurma was well spiced and very flavorful which complimented well with the set of 2 dosas served. Medu Vada was decent, it could have been better. I also tried the Rava Onion Dosa from my friend, the rava dosa wasn't great. It could have been more crispy and needed a couple of more minutes on the pan. The service was decently quick, however it seems like the rava dosas/uthapams do take time. They have an absolute steal deal called "Special Combo" where you can order a idli and vada with your choice of dosa or uthapam for only $9. They also have few dinner only specials like Parotta with Chana and MLA Pesarattu which seem exciting things to try. Recommendations: Kal Dosa with Vegetable Kurma Special Combo with your choice of Dosa/Uthapam Overall the place is worth trying if you are in the Exchange place water front area for a simple Indian vegetarian meal.

We ordered masala dosa, parrothas, potato bhaaji, Black Chana curry- food was very tasty, but beware, they make it very spicy (even without asking them to make it spicy). If you’re not a fan of spicy food, ask them to make it mild. The place was clean, it was quiet on a weekday evening. Customer service was okay, could be better.

Went during lunch for a quick bite at this South Indian restaurant. It is self service but food comes out quick. I got the mini idlis and vadas. Idlis were amazing but vadas were double fried and pretty obvious. My friend got the thali and her food was good. Overall good options as long as you order the right combo. Filter coffee was good too. If you can venture into Manhattan then go to 28th street and Lexington Avenue, Little India area, for way better quality and table service.

The food is good tasting but the service is pathetic. Served cold Dosa and sambhar was like water with some veg floating around. Got the order wrong and was the server seemed lost in some world and we got our appz at the end. They couldn’t follow instructions well. Later I noticed them taking water out of the sambhar as there were other people in the restaurant complaining about it. Never tip as it is self service.

Regular lunch place with decent food to get you through the day. Food is good and they offer variety of Idli, vada, Uttapam, various dosas and meal combos. Meal combos are delicious and filling. Madras coffee and lassi were disappointing though. The place gets crowded during peak lunch hour and they can only seat around 15 to 20 people. So try to abound visiting between 12 to 1PM.

This place seems to have quite a good reputation among the working community of Jersey City. Many have recommended this place to me that I thought of trying it out for a late night snack. It's a humble, non-pretentious place offering the staple south indian varieties and a few surprises here and there. I was told that their "Podi Idly" is a must have and I did. I really enjoyed it. The flavors, the spice level, the quantity and value for money was great! Judging from the fellow guests who were having other varieties such as Dosas and Vadas I felt they all thoroughly enjoyed their food. Would definitely go back to try out their other dishes.

I had a good food experience when I came here the first time. The second time I ate here, the food was undoubtedly good but it messed up my tummy real bad! :/ :/ The female behind the counter gets worked up very easily which makes the customers feel out of place. I feel they need to catch up with the speed of the customers walking in. In India it's not very unusual to see a couple of Chinese food options on the menu of a South Indian restaurant and they've imbibed the same thing here. So I got tempted & ordered paneer 65 and I was shocked when I saw what it looked it! And I regretted my decision immediately. Attaching a picture of "paneer 65" herein.! It was more like a paneer chunks dipped in mendu vada batter and deep fried and sprinkled with tons of black pepper and salt! It was horrible!