Udupi Cafe
$$ - average
Indian (Southern)
Entirely vegetarian Southern Indian food
Udupi is an nice-looking place on the inside (see pic below) with great vegetarian food.
What separates Udupi from all other Indian restaurants in town is that the menu is entirely vegetarian (with many Vegan options) and the list of choices is enormous.
For example, there are 16 different appetizers (with such delights as lentils, potatoes, chick peas); there's 3 vegetarian/lentil soups; 3 combination platters; 17 different types of Dosai (wheat and rice crepes filled with onions, potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and more!); as well as 42 other entrees (featuring a wide variety of vegetables, eggplant, okra, lentils, chick peas, and rice). Plus there are 8 different kinds of bread on the menu, including whole wheat.
And if that's not enough, try one of the delectable 10 different desserts (consisting of fruit, almonds, honey, and rice).
The best value is the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet because of all the vegetarian items ($8.99).
Udupi also serves up a humongous and terrific brunch buffet on on Sat. and Sun. ($11.99).
NOTE: This restaurant has been tagged for numerous major health-code violations over a 2 yr period; though recent inspections have improved dramatically.
North of the 202 and Scottsdale Rd; just south of Mckellips on Scottsdale Rd, next to Motel 6 on the west side of the street.
- Brunch
- Buffet
- Large Group-Friendly
- Quiet
- Romantic
Added by Steve Carlson on Oct 30 04 (updated May 8)
Reviews
Despite all the accusations of roaches and uncleanliness, Udupi is my favorite Indian Restaurant. My boyfriend and I go almost every weekend to hit up the buffett. It is almost all vegan, and the dosa's are to die for! The tamarind and coconut chutneys are mouth-watering. They also have a great Punjabi Chole. Yay Udupi!!
Udupi is the best Indian food restaurant in town. I've never had a bad meal with them. The Chili Gobi is one of the best, and their dosas are always a treat. I would def. go out of your way to go here (they're right along bus route 72). Check for their times before going. Also, they have buffets quite a bit, and are worth it if you have the cash (or card). I recommend going both times of day (lunch/dinner).
Their weekend buffet is absolutely amazing. It is nearly all vegan, with the vegan dishes labeled as such. I find myself with frequent Udupi cravings -- definitely the best Indian food I've ever had. The vast majority of the dishes on the buffet line have some heat, so beware. I give it a 9 because the restaurant's not entirely vegan and because of the price of the buffet ($11 before tip).
Note: According to the most recent (June 2007) Maricopa County health inspector's report, Udupi is doing better, as the establishment received a silver award and there is no mention of cockroaches.
Food was good until I saw some the place. It is not maintained properly and I saw bugs(roaches) crawling around the place.
Udupi food is definitely having the stamp of indian taste and spices. Above that the manager is a humble person, once I ordered manchurian and my wife could not eat it due to extra spices which we are not used to in USA. The manager replaced it with some other dish (as per our request again) without any question with big smile and when we tried to pay for it he refused. I have been in USA for quite sometime and I have not seen this kind of service.
Keep it up, good food, good management.
Definitely it's not a rip-off place, food @ genuine price.
I credit this place with turning me on to Indian food, and wondering what made me wait so long. The mostly-vegan weekend buffet, while more expensive than I expected, was an incredible way to just jump in and try a little bit of everything.
Thanks to Udupi, I'm eating Indian food a few times a month now!
Best vegetarian food ever!!! Me and my girlfriend go at least once a week ...she loves it, even though she is American.
The dosas and Chilli gobi are my favorites. I would like to add one thing though, it seems sometimes the taste of the food changes dramatically and unfortunately towards the down side. It seems their main cook takes a leave occasionally. It doesn't happens quite often, but its annoying whenever it does.
Other than that, its the best Indian food I have had in the entire US!!!
Suj
Have eaten there about 5 times so far. Buffet was about 10 items, 9 of which were vegan. Excellent food - in particular the Vegetable Vindaloo. Best veggie Indian I've had.
I had a lunch several days ago and was pleasantly surprised by the tranquility, cleanliness and aromas this place was exuding. A recent lover of Indian food and a vegetarian for two years I’m so happy to have found such a nice spot in town. Comparing to Pasand /Baseline and McClintock/ and Copper Kettle /Lemon and Terrace/ this becomes my personal favorite due to high standards of culinary, service and ambiance in blend.
Absolutely fantastic Indian food; all vegetarian with many vegan options. GO!!!
Recently the management has changed. We can see lots of improvement. The quality of the food is good and variety in the buffet. If the new management can do some more changes, they will be the best