UPDATE*****CLOSED and ReOPENED as Vaigai South Indian Restaurant.
Chennai Cafe recently opened in Glendale AZ on Bell Rd in the Walmart Shopping Strip by 59th Ave. This is a South Indian Restaurant that offers a Buffet at lunch time and a menu for dinner. I thought for my first visit I’d try the buffet. Service was typical for a buffet. There was no interaction with servers but they did clear plates. They gave us a pitcher of water and pretty metal cups with a tray were already on the table. I don’t think this establishment offers any other beverages but I could be wrong about that. I didn’t see any other beverages in sight and they had an empty Cocoa Cola refrigerator that just looked like it should contain beverages.
Desserts were first on the buffet and they had a lot of them followed by vegetarian soup.
Next was more than ten pans of vegetarian food and the last 5 or 6 pans contained mostly chicken on the bone dishes and one mutton dish.
When i passed the desserts it was difficult to tell what the names of the dishes were because someone wrote with marker on the pans and it sort of steamed off. I tried a good amount of the offerings.
This was the first time I ever saw the Naan Bread on a buffet. Usually they just bring it to you fresh from the kitchen. For being on a buffet the naan bread was still in good shape. Most of the Chicken dishes were moist and flavorful and on the bone. We both favored the vegetarian biryani over the chicken biryani. It had much more flavor. I also tried some eggplant, some okra and a few other things. All good….
Then I tried a sampling of most of the desserts.
I thought the most delicious of the desserts was the Gulab Jamun (the soaked doughnut). That would be the only dessert I would try next time.
When we were finished…….
No-one presented us with a check so we walked up to the register and waited till someone would take payment.
It really is very cool that this New South Indian Restaurant opened in Glendale!
Today it was an amazing value…..for so much tasty food……I don’t like posting prices because I do expect the price to change….but it was only $21.00 for two people. I also am fearful about posting anything about buffets because buffets do tend to differ by the hour.
www.ChennaiCafe.com
EVERY FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
***********UPDATE CLOSED and ReOpened as Vaigai South Indian Restaurant.
The Forking Truth
One area that needs a lot of improvement is service and consistency. So hopefully they’ll step up their game. Cheers!
Hello Arun yes I agree service and consistency is very important to the restaurant business. It’s their life blood. Do you know if they recently changed ownership? I heard a rumor from a review I read that there was a change. I don’t know for sure so I can’t say. But you know how it goes EVERY THING Written for any restaurant is subject to change.
I sense that more and more people are discovering the ‘flavors and healthful’ benefits of Indian food. North and South Indian dishes can vary quite a bit. Without getting into specifics this is essentially South and from the area of Chennai (formerly Madras). In general southern Indian food tends to be spicier hot than northern Indian yet a bit more vast/diverse in its array. Not that there isn’t variety in North Indian, just not quite as much as this and rarely as spicy hot. Loaded with flavor as well just not hot ? spicy.
More and more both are offering some of the others foods. Sometimes that results in Indian fusion type food that can be quite interesting as well, lol!
I for one, as a connoisseur of Indian food overall and over all am really glad Chennai Cafe is here. It is w/o question among the standouts of the many Indian eateries in the greater metro Phoenix area.
That would be both in terms of the buffet as well as the a la carte. Have my fingers crossed that they do not slack off as time goes by but rather aspire to keep constantly stepping it up.
Always wonder how Gordon Ramsey (Super Chef extraordinaire) would rate this one American no Indian and other restaurants. They would do well to jump on his long waiting list. I also feel it’s about time a stand alone Indian grub joint would feature a drive up window. Need smore me feedback.
Enjoy! Cheers!
Thanks for your detailed and helpful comment Arun. I’ve visited Chennai Cafe a few times since my review and also did one take out. As of my last visit I am happy to report that they are still a stand out Indian Restaurant in this area. I don’t know of an Indian Drive Up but that would be interesting. I thank you for your comment it means a lot! Laura
A family obligation with the in-laws brought us to this part of Glendale today, and, remembering this post, I suggested we try Chennai. We all enjoyed the south Indian buffet. Highlights were the dahl (more flavorful than the typical brown version) and a spicy breaded chicken dish (name forgotten for the moment), as well as the rasam and sambar soups. The dessert selection is the best I’ve seen at any Indian restaurant. As for beverages, I asked for a lassi, the popular Indian yogurt drink. I was told mango lassi was available, but a few minutes after placing my order, our server returned to tell me they were out of lassi, along with the Coke my wife ordered. It seems most clientele here drink water, along with the excellent chai that is offered on a self-service basis next to the desserts. We hope to return sometime in the evening to try the restaurant’s selection of dosas. Thank you for sharing the good news about Chennai Cafe.
That’s so wonderful to hear that you and yours enjoyed Chennai Cafe as I did. Oh thanks for the heads up on the chai…I didn’t notice that one. I’m also excited to order off the menu too. I get really happy when something good comes to this part of Glendale. Thanks for letting me hear about your experience it’s just great to know!
Yor sure are welcome Laura! Yes, I wish someone would pick up the slack and introduce the drive up. I really feel it could help the business and the clientele. Cheers!