Horrible! I'm from South India... Never had such horrible South Indian food. Chappathi is way smaller than a pappad. I've never had chicken 65 in such horrible taste. Fish curry tastes like curry filled with water.
Was really hoping this place would be good, especially coz the photos of their dishes on Uber eats looked impressive. We ordered idlis, vada paav sliders, naam tikka wrap, papdi chat, Rabdi and payasam. None of those dishes were good. The coconut chutney along with the idlis was so diluted, the wrap lacked flavors and had a toothpick in it!!Definitely the first and the last time for this place.
The food is interesting. Really liked the fried idli. But the ambience is quite nice from the wallpapers to the swings.
Southern Spice serves an interesting mix of North and South Indian food. The food was delicious. Some of the dishes can be very spicy so be careful when ordering extra spicy. The decor of this restaurant is awesome. From swing seating at a few tables to some classic photos and artifacts from India, this place is sure to wow many! We really appreciated our server swapping out one of our dishes that was made spicy even though in our order we had specifically mentioned ‘not spicy’.
This place definitely has potential. We went to San Mateo downtown to get food by 9:30 pm and of the places open, Southern spice seemed interesting. Cauliflower Kempu was good- kind of like dry gobhi Manchurian with curry leaves. Kofta Chettinad Kuzhambhu was my favorite! Really flavourful! I ordered the spicy version (and I have good tolerance of spices) but medium should be good, I think. It will probably be a nicer balance of the flavours. Andhra butter chicken was just that- regular butter chicken with probably coconut? Now, the sponge cake of the tres leches was not spongy and rather dense so the Rasamalai did not soak in but I'm hoping on a good day this will not be an issue.The interiors are lovely- swings are a nice touch after taking 2 seconds to get used to and you get Kerela visuals all around.
I absolutely love their Paneer tikka biryani. The biryani was delicately spiced, and the spicy version goes great with Raita on the side. Their Raita is very creamy, and I like it the more for it. I felt the Paneer tikka pieces could do with more marination, which would allow them to be more flavorful on the inside. Aside from that the Paneer seem fresh and was well roasted.Got 2x of their 1 piece Samosa, since it came out a dollar less than the samosas dish under tapas (2 pieces with choice of filling). I'm assuming the tapas version gets chutneys on the side, which I was disappointed to miss out on. While it was tasty, I'd think there are other places which serve more authentic samosas.I also got the Madras spicy chilli parotta. The flaky parotta's really go well in this type of a recipe, but the I didn't find the Madras gravy to my taste. I'd probably go with the 'normal' spice level the next time.Overall, I highly recommend to try Southern Spice once, and you're likely to come back for more of their unique dishes.
As you walk in, The decor is great and that's what the 1 star I gave was all about.I ordered :1>crispy chilli paratha - fried something with loads of vinegar .. uneatable2> mini ghee idly - idlies dry, dense and very hard. Felt like microwaved. Sambar was like dal out of pressure cooker. Only thing eatable was the coconut chutney3> paneer butter masala and chili naan- chef is still confused between sugar and salt. Paneer was sweet as kheer and the naan didn't have salt.4>masala soda is the 2nd star I gaveThe fried idly and naan was brought in together and when asked where are the curries as naan will get cold, the server suggested to eat the naan.THE WORST FOOD THAT I have eaten ever.Shame on the folks who call this a southern spiced restaurant.
Delicious, authentic mix of southern, and mid Indian food, less Northern from what I saw which is refreshingly different than most Indian restaurants mid peninsula and North. Goan Mutton curry was delicious, the fish fry was exquisite must have. Mysore and Masala Dosa appropriately paper thin and delicious, idli and Pani puri were delicate and tasty. Highly recommend and happy this is walking distance for us and we don't have to go to the south bay for good Indian food!
Fantastic and authentic south Indian.Didn't try their north IndianGhee idli, chicken gongura, Bombay sandwich, fresh lime soda were very well madeLoved the jhula seating
Very good flavors, and left with plenty of leftovers! Set up a reservation for a surprise birthday dinner and the employees were very accommodating as we prepared for the surprise.