Reviews for Madras Ananda Bhavan in Phoenix, AZ

We used to be happy with the food here but today we ordered to-go food. And the quality was really bad. The food containers were... so cheap the plastic top broke apart on the food, we had to fish them out but we're not sure if anything was left behind We hadordered malai paneer, the sauce/gravy was so watery the paneer had nothing on it The kadhai paneer was soaked in some kind oftomato gravy that was not even prepared properly, this used to be our favorite item here. The choke was so-so To charge $$ valuefor sub $ food, you lost this regular customer today Read more

I wish there was a no star option. Let's start with the fact that this place does not believe in serving ice. Add that to the... seeming lack of air conditioning, I was uncomfortable and thirsty the whole time. They start you with a bottle of spring waterand then it takes them 15 minutes if you ask for something else. When they bring you a different drink, DON'T expect it to bevery cold or on ice..you will be disappointed. I brought my 5 year old niece with me and she obviously ate nothing from thebuffet (what kid would like it if even I had to force it down??!) Despite that, the lady proceeded to charge us for 3 regularadult meals. There were maybe three dishes on the buffet that I liked a little bit. Their dessert wasnt even worth going upfor. I am writing this on our way home from this place and I am so full of regret. My favorite Indian place to eat at is IndiaOven in Mesa and I will never cheat on them again. Their buffet is delicious, dessert is amazing, service is attentive andwonderful, and their $&^#ing drinks are ICE COLD and ALWAYS full. Read more

I have lived in the area for 10 years and decided to stop in and try the lunch buffet. I thought the food was great it would... have been a perfect match in price if they dropped the cost down to $9.99 . The wait staff was nice but there wasn't muchdirection, when my room mate and i walked in for lunch the hostess/waitress brought us to our table gave us water and left. After about 10 minutes we figured out that you just go up and get a plate without indicating what you wanted to you order or paying for your meal. Their was one line for the the buffet the tables were clustered together causing constant jams in theflow of customers. The buffet was set up in a very inefficient way , the currys came first down the line muddled with a couplesoup options then came the rice which split the curry selection in two followed by the sweets which there was no barrierdefining where one started and ended , the salad was at the end with sauces followed by another small dessert selection ofa donut type concoction. Suffice it to say it was at first hard to get a grip on when i took a bite of tandoori chicken withrice and the rice turned out to be a sweet carrot rice dessert. Once i figured out the lay of the land it was great , fromcurry goat to tandoori chicken with some Sambar soup yummy and chicken biryani delicous.... all in all a good experience i willdefinitely go back. Read more

I decided to try this place despite the review about no salt. I don't know what that other guy was talking about, there was salt... on every table. I'm glad I came. authentic decore, and food. the Onion Rava Masala Dosai was excellent, as were the GobiManchurian, and Malai Kofta. I'm a white guy so Indian food is not always my first choice, but I was pleasantly surprised. itwasn't too strong for my palate. the Gobi Manchurian by the way only sounds spicy, it was quite sweet. Also I would like topoint out the place was very clean, and had white table cloth without white table cloth prices. ~$10 A definite try. -JeffCornelius Read more

Wow..Thats a great food. After a long time, I ate the idli that tasted authentic. The masala dosa served in buffet was also... awesome. The Sambar was aromatic and it increased my appetite. They served me 7 varieties of deserts..never ever in a buffet iate in USA. Non-veg lovers may not like this place because there is no non-veg food available here. Well that is what this placeis famous for ..The vegetarian food. I am from South India and I liked every dish in the buffet menu. I am a spicy food lover. Iwished the biriyani tasted little spicy but that was ok. Totally I enjoyed dining food here and I will definitely comeback. Service was decent and I felt there need to be little improvement in ambiance. But over all it was a decent place to dinegood Vegetarian food. Read more

Visited this place for dinner. Ambiance was ok. Food was not good at all. Looks like chef took no interest in preparing food. It... was like warmed up in a hurry from frozen dishes. One probably enjoy better by getting frozen dishes from Indian Grocery storeand then fry it again at home. Ordered Bhel Puri which was almost dry. Ordered one north Indian and one South Indian dishes.Both to out disappointment. i will not be going there again. Read more

I was a little put off by the tired decor, and then when I found out it was vegetarian only. Being from the UK I am used to... certain dishes and none of these appear on the menu (which also look a bit tired) so I was kind of forced out of my comfortzone. The waiter (who was cheerful, helpful and extremely pleasant) suggested a dish with eggplant, so I went with that. Healso suggested chilli bhaji as they don't have onion, so I went with that as well. Again, I am from the UK where Indian is justabout our national dish, so I have eaten A LOT of it, and this was far and away, easily the very best I have ever had. Bottomline is don't be put off by the decor or by the fact its vegetarian, this is a shining example of how good Indian food can be. Read more

Yes,Yes and Yesssss! This is a much needed Gem in the North Valley restaurant scene. Not so much for the overall experience but... for the sheer explosive, masterful and delicate blending of the world's most intense and flavorful spices, skilfully preparedand presented in their lunch buffet. I like the open, well lit and inviting space and the warm reception we were accorded. Afair variety of fresh, authentic south Indian foods including desserts, were ours for the gorging. The place was simple andcomfortable and we totally enjoyed all of it. Items like Masala Dosa, Idli, Appam, Vada, Bonda, Upma etc. are something youwon't see on the menu of a north Indian eatery. They are all very delicious and so are a host of dishes from the south. Ibelieve that with the invasions over and through the passes of the Himalayan range, throughout the history of India, the foodabove the Deccan Plateau began to take on a different look and flavor. It then took root and still maintained it's authenticitywhile most of the south stayed intact. This restaurant is vegetarian and I say that not just in the conventional sense of theword. All vegans will enjoy the vast menu and widen their gluten free choices. I say, please indulge and take your time. Pricesare reasonable for such elaborate and healthy, fresh and flavorful fare. Yes, you'll be back! Read more