Another stop on my journey to find the best rava masala dosa in the city. This is probably the second-best place I've found so far (second to Adyar Ananda Bhavan). The dosa is crisp, spicy, and very flavorful thanks to fresh curry leaves in the batter. The chutneys were probably the most mediocre part of the dish (but still good). The masala chai was also good. Overall very pleasant outdoor dining experience. I have to make it back here on a weekday sometime so I can try the lunch special (ordinarily a buffet, but currently a lunch thali during covid times). read more

Ananda - Gunpowder rava masala dosa with green chili - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

I was a little skeptical at first since they didn't have a lot of customers despite being in a heart of Greenwich village, but I'm so glad I gave this place a try! Highly recommending Thali and Dosa! I don't recommend getting dosa to-go since it won't be crispy by the time you get to eat it. read more

Ananda - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

This has become our go to place for dosa. Located in one of my fav neighborhood They make some healthy dosas(less oil compared to other places). Service could be better, but maybe they are always short staffed which is why the delay in food and confusions. We always order our usual rava dosa, mysore masala dosa, idli, filter coffee! Surprisingly they have good chaat such as bhel puri! . read more

A great selection of dosas. We tried the Pondicherry masala dosa and the Chili Rava Masala Dosa. Both were delicious. The Rava dosa had fresh chillies which added a great pop of heat to it. The menu was pretty large and varied and we did not miss having meat in the meal as it was very flavorful. Tried the gulab jamun for desert, perfect little sweet treat to end the meal. read more

Ananda - Pondicherry Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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Strange experience. The food was pretty good. The service was insanely bad. My friend said that it was like we were treated as if we were sitting at a table on the street that wasn't actually part of the restaurant but for some reason they begrudgingly served us. It wasn't that busy inside. Still, we had to beg for basic things like glasses and knives and forks and plates for everyone at the table. When we tried to order, They acted as though we were asking for something we didn't deserve. One person would order one thing and they would say "OK then," and run away before the next person could order. There were four of us so we had to repeatedly call waiters over to get our order in, and they seemed to think that we were just ordering too much food or something but, they would never actually let us just put in our dinner order all at once. It was very frustrating. Once the food came though, it was pretty good. I am so perplexed by this experience. read more

My friend and I stumbled upon Ahimsa last night. The restaurant was busy but we were seated right away. Unfortunately we waited a very long time before they came to take our order. Everything from that point on took a long while. They were understaffed. Ordered: Mulligatawny soup ($5.99)- the soup was smooth and had a mild curry flavor. There were a few chunks of tomato and herbs scattered throughout. Alu Matar ($12.99)- wedges of potatoes and bright green peas cooked in a mild creamy tomato sauce, served with basmati rice. This dish was my favorite. North Indian Thali ($19.99)- a big platter with basmati rice with small portions of palak paneer, chana masala, lemon dal, and raita. It was served with chapati and papadum. The lemon dal was flavorful. It looked similar to the mulligatawny soup but was a tad bit spicier. The palak paneer was creamy with a little kick. It had good number of chunks of paneer. The size of this entree was substantial. Overall: if you are looking for a vegan Indian spot and are not in a rush, check out Ahimsa. Hopefully the service will improve. read more

Ananda - North Indian Thali at Ahimsa - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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Great food! I took some big meat eaters here by accident. they were so wowed they didn't care it was vegetarian by the end of the meal and, in fact, returned on their own! read more

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Came here to get a masala dosa and it didn't disappoint. Dosa is light and has a nice crisp to it. Some parts got chewy when it's no longer warm. Lentil soup was bland but the masala potatoes had a nice flavor to it. The food and service took a while even though I was the only customer. Will come back to try other dishes when I'm in the mood for Indian. read more

Ananda - Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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Vibe (4/5): Brought my family here to try out some authentic Dosas for dinner one night and we all had a great time. Sat outdoors so hard to comment on the vibe but looked like your typical "fancy Indian restaurant." Was very easy to get accommodated and the place wasn't packed for dinner on a Monday night. The owner came out to thank us for dining with them which felt very genuine and its always great seeing whose business you are supporting. The owner/waiter were very helpful in giving good recommendations. Food (5/5): We ordered a bunch of different dosas and shared halves so we could try more than one. It did take some time for the food to come out, BUT it was extremely fresh (crispy, flavorful, hot). All of the dosas were honestly great and I would order them all again, hard to recommend one alone because it would depend on your preference/texture. He mentioned the ones which were spicy but I didn't think any of them were spicy at all (I love spicy food) but some family members said there was a small kick. Each dosa comes with Sambar (a "soup" or dipping sauce + coconut dip + some other orange dip) - all were good and I couldn't find the best combo. PS they had other typical Indian dishes, we just veered away from that because you can get that anywhere. Food Order: -Rava Dosa - flat sheets of crispy whatever (flour + veggies + chilies) with potatoes and spices on the inside/ -Myssore Chili Dosa - triangular shaped and less crispy, filled with veggies -Gunpowder dosa - long pipe like dosa that was super crispy -Some other notable sides: Uppamam (thick 'pancakes' with the above mentioned sauces, savory not sweet) Had a great experience with great food. I will def be back. read more

I came to Ananda with a friend for dinner on a Saturday night. We had a reservation for 6pm and were able to be seated with no issues since the restaurant was not very crowded. I really liked the location of it since it is in West Village but in a more quiet/less chaotic area so you have access to all the fun places for later activities but can have a chill meal here. We were approached by our server right away who took drink orders and then came back shortly for food orders. They have a very varied menu which I appreciated ranging from south indian specialties to north indian curries so you are able to have both if you'd like! For our food we ordered samosas to start, a regular masala dosa, and kadai paneer masala with regular naan. The food took probably around 25-30 minutes to be ready which I found to be a bit long for a wait especially for a restaurant in NYC. Our samosas were very good and I really enjoyed the chutneys they came with! I thought the potato filling was very flavorful and well seasoned. A bit later we got our paneer as well as the dosa. The paneer dish came with basmati rice which was very delicious and fluffy although I feel like the paneer could have used a little bit more salt (but I would rather have under salted food instead of a very salty meal!)-- the sauce had a good consistency and spice balance overall though. The dosa was also very good and perfectly seasoned. It was crispy and felt very light and filling. It came with a side of sambar which was also amazing as well as tomato and coconut chutneys-- the coconut chutney was my favorite! I ended up putting a bit of it on my naan at the end cause it was that good. We asked for the check and it also took some time to get it so I say overall service is good but it was a bit slow on the night we attended. However, the food was good quality and filling and not pricey so I would definitely come back again and would say I had a pretty good first experience here! read more

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Got dosa delivered from here based on a friends recommendation - Mysore Sada and Onion Rava. Both were alright, my mind wasn't blown. Perhaps a dine in experience for dosa is a better idea. read more

So. GOOD! We ordered the Onion Pakoras, Mysore Sada Dosa, and Yellow Dal. The whole menu is vegetarian and almost 80% of the menu is gluten free with each dietary restriction (dairy, gluten, vegetarian, vegan) clearly labeled. Excited to come back and try more things! The staff is also very kind. read more

Ananda - Mysore Sada Dosa, Yellow Dal - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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A decent place if you are looking for South Indian food in central Manhattan. Service and ambiance was ok. It was hard to find the location of the restaurant tough. They also have indo-Chinese on their menu. We tried both their Thalis , vegetable fried rice and Manchurian and it was a good quick lunch kinda experience overall. read more

Great lunchtime vegetarian buffet! I've been enjoying it for years. Usually a nice dal or sambal, korma or masala, uttapam, and dessert to die for. (This place recently changed its name from Ahimsa. Same management. ) read more

Ananda - Buffet - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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Came here for lunch the other day for a friend who is kosher and vegan (oy vey). He wanted vegan food and I told him the only way I can eat vegetarian is via Indian food. We saw they had a lunch buffet and did that ($13). Service was not good at all. They demanded we sit at 1 particular table even though the place was mostly empty. The server refused to take plates that we were obviously done with. He also took forever to bring the bill even though there were at most 4 other tables. He also happened to "point" out the suggested tip on the bill. It wasn't good. Luckily the food was edible. The highlight was the dosa they make fresh and bring to your table; the crepe was on point even if the small potato filling was boring. Upon further inspection of the lunch buffet, there was only 2 real entree options. The Aloo Gobi was good, where the mixed vegetable curry was bland. I didn't try the 2 soups because it was too hot out. Some of the sauces were good, although there was one that was disgusting (onion one). The Utthapam (Indian flatbread) was bad. The sweet potato with raisins dessert was good and only mildly sweet. Once was enough. Could do a lot worse for vegan food, but you can almost too 100x better for a takeout joint let alone a sit down restaurant. Do Masala Times for Indian food instead. read more

We stumbled on Ananda a few months back when we were looking for something to eat before a show and wow, we're we surprised. Pleasant service, peaceful atmosphere and really good food. Each time we come, it seems to get better and better. The tomato, onion, carrot, chili uttapam is outstanding as is the baingan bharta. The chutney is super fresh and the prices are so reasonable. Also, the chai is awesome! read more

STAY AWAY -------------------- This place is a rip off. This was our first time here and we were visiting New York. The prices are not the same as they are published on the menu. They try to confuse people and loot them. There are 3 menus with different prices. One is on the outside of the restaurant, one is printed menu kept out side the restaurant and one is real menu which you get once you sit on the table. The real prices are higher than than what they put on the menu. The owner of this place Mr Raafi (or Rafi) tried to charge the tips twice to extract more money from us. First he mandatorily included 18% tips in the bill. Tips are supposed to be optional. But this person included in bill and when I gave my credit card to pay the bill he charged the tips twice. He gave a receipt which shows tips only once. But when I checked my credit card statement I was charged twice. He was initially trying to sell us expensive items when we asked for recommendation for items. He was pushy. The food itself was very small quantity for the price. The taste was decent. But overall we felt ripped off. Bad experience. Please think twice. read more

Best indian good I've had in the city, and their thali meal is incredible. Indian food in Manhattan (and most of the city, in general) is pretty mediocre, but this place hits. From the daal to kheer, and everything in-between, I will swear fealty to this place. The price matched what you got, the food was exceptional, and it was very filling. I can't recommend this place enough--I hope they're here for many more years. read more

This was my first time going to a vegetarian south Indian lunch buffet in NYC. All of the others I've visited have been northern Indian in Curry Hill. The highlight was the individual freshly made masala dosa with potato. Overall, though, I thought it was a solid but unmemorable experience. At $14 post-tax, it's more expensive than Chennai Garden by Tiffin Wallah while offering fewer dishes from what I recall. My boyfriend and I arrived at 1:15PM for the lunch buffet. The restaurant was sparsely occupied, with just a few other tables of people. A cold salad (with cucumbers and chickpeas), a variety of chutneys, two sambars (both spicy), plain basmati rice, vegetable biryani, a cauliflower dish, mushroom and seitan dish, dal, mini uttapam, and a dessert dal were available. Honestly, not a whole lot of options (I would have preferred an extra vegetable dish or two). The flavors were good, but not hugely vibrant. The uttapam was disappointing and flavorless. The masala dosa solid, though smaller than what one would usually get as a standalone order. The interior was lovely, and on that breezy summer day, I appreciated that the windows were open, yet the operators still ran the A/C for those like me who love a colder temperature. Service was friendly, and wifi was available. read more

Ahimsa is a good little vegetarian Indian restaurant. My husband and I had this placed booked marked for awhile and finally decided to check it out. The service is a little slow, but the food is really good! We started our meal with two glasses of Pinot Noir (really tasty wine here) for our first course we ordered the samosa chaat which includes chickpeas, yogurt and tamarind - I highly recommend trying this dish. For our main courses we had the paneer bhurji and the chana marsala both dishes were full of flavor and great spice! We skipped dessert due to the fact that the offerings were a bit bleak and bland. We had to wait and extremely long time for the bill even after we had asked for it twice. If you are vegan/vegetarian Ahimsa is a great place to check out. Hopefully the next time we visit the service will be a bit better. read more

I ordered samosas, idli in Sambar, and Mango Lassi for delivery. Oh my god. I honestly think the quality is better than many other establishments. I normally go searching for a meat dish at an Indian restaurants but I'm so glad I decided to try out this vegetarian institution. Overall price: very good, less than $10 each dish. Mango lassi a bit pricey but it was really tasty and I think lassis everywhere are priced that way. Samosas: Perfectly crispy exterior with a plump flavorful interior of potato, veggie, and spices. Idli in Sambar: It reminded me of what I had at my friend's house once, deliciously moist and slightly sour idli in a savory, acidic lentil-based soup -- an addicting and comforting combination. Also added a complimentary carrot dessert!!! It's so good and perfect compliment to the end of the meal :) I would've added pics but I devoured everything so fast I didn't take a proper photo. read more

Loved our dosa and the South Indian Thali. The thali also came with rasam, so that was a bonus we were not expecting. Great coconut and tomato chutney. Flavorful sambhar too. read more

Ahimsa is such a pleasant revelation in the Washington Square Park neighborhood. The space itself is nicely laid out, it's airy and not too crowded, unlike many of the restaurants in the neighborhood where you're practically knee-to-knee with your neighbors. The food is top notch. Really fresh, packed with flavors and great quantity... we had both the thalis - North Indian and South Indian and loved both equally. The saag paneer and dal perfectly spiced and paired well with the paratha. The chole were slightly on the tougher side than what we like and would probably ask for a substitute to this next time. The butter soft idlis, crisp vada and excellent dosa in the South Indian version were really relished. The staff is congenial, very friendly and welcomed our enfant terrible twins with open arms and gave us one the largest tables to accommodate them with high chairs. We will be going back often. And oh the typical Indian filter coffee was on point as well. read more

Ananda - North Indian thali - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

I have been looking for a good South Indian Thali place for a while now so I decided to go here because they have a pretty good rating on Yelp. We ordered Vada Pav, North Indian Thali and South Indian Thali. The pav tasted fresh and the vada was hot and crispy on the outside but well cooked on the inside - so that was a plus. What killed it for me, however, was that it was missing the actual Vada Pav garlic seasoning and they had added tamarind chutney to it which made it taste a little sweeter. I think a Vada Pav without that specific garlic seasoning definitely does not taste like what you get in India. The thalis were good but nothing that sticks out so my hunt for that amazing South Indian Thali will continue. read more

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Beast South Indian Vegetarian in the city. This is a hidden gem. Healthy, tasty food and great customer services. The Dosa's alone are worth a visit. Highly recommended. read more

Ananda - Half eaten Onion Rava Masala Dosa - My favorite - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

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Came here for a late Sunday lunch. The food was authentic & deliciou and the service generally friendly. However, despite the sign of continuous opening hours, they did close the kitchen at 2:45pm - which we just made with our order -, and the manager handed us the check unasked for at 3:10pm while we were still eating. read more

Our longtime Indian favorite closed not long ago, and we tried Ananda, hoping it would be a good replacement. We were not disappointed; in fact, we were thrilled. The menu is large and varied, and although it's vegetarian, meat-eaters won't feel unsatisfied. Everything we've tried so far has been absolutely delicious--palak paneer, baingan bartha, aloo papri chaat, bhindi masala. We were especially happy to find Idly on the menu--it's not a common dish. Also, unlike some Indian restaurants, the food isn't overly oily. The manager or owner (not sure which) is a lovely man--just so nice and helpful. We are getting deliveries for the time being and are looking forward to going back as soon as we can! read more

This is a great restaurant for South Indian food! NYC has disappointingly few South Indian food options and even fewer that are actually good. Ananda is located conveniently and features a pretty large menu of South Indian staples. I got the sambar vada and an uthappam and both were good. The sambar was flavorful but the chutneys served were a little below average. The service was quick, attentive, and overall great. I'd recommend this place if you are craving some South Indian food. read more

Disappointed by this restaurant. I was looking forward to the Jain menu which I had had before and enjoyed, but the food was very bad.

Good place for authentic south indian food (dosa, idli, vada etc.). Wifey got a rava masala dosa & I got a south Indian thali (has idli, vada, uttpam & full size dosa...definitely value for money) read more

The best meal that I've had in a long time! Absolutely LOVED the Ananda South Indian Thali which was both gluten free AND vegan!! It was a huge portion, and each dish was special and very flavorful. All the flavor was there without it being too spicy to handle. I loved the uttappam and dosa with sambar and coconut chutney, it was so balanced and with all flavors represented. My favorite Indian dish I have had in NYC yet, felt like I was back in India! Also, outdoor dining felt very safe, not crammed at all. read more

Ananda - Ananda South Indian Thali - gluten free and vegan, so so delicious! - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

Authentic and delicious Indian food. The South platter was impressive and something we never tried before. Kind staff. Really enjoy this neighborhood restaurant. Vegan and gluten-free options. So many options on the menu. A must try restaurant! read more

Ananda - Bhindi Masala and Ahimsa South Platter - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

My husband and I found this place while walking around West Village and decided to try it out. We got garlic naan for the table and I got the Kadai Paneer Masala. Everting was incredible. I can't wait to go back! read more

All of my family fell sick just after eating here. Beware of eating at this place. Still having stomach pain, have a long flight to catch - this place just ruined a good nyc vacation. This joint was called ahimsa and on reaching there we get to know this is called ananda. What the fuck did u put in the food assholes ? read more

If you want to chill and get off the pub ish streets in the village come relax here. The interior is decorated in calm. The music was meditative. All the staff were welcoming and attentive. Now that's all great but I was there for the food... which was divine. Come check out this gem. They even made me a special hot masala chai tea on the house after my dinner read more

Ananda - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

The most amazing place for South Indian food! It is a regular affair for us and we never get enough of it:) read more

Ananda - Best Onion Rava Masala Dosa:) - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

Always willing to try a new Indian spot, especially with such good reviews. Open air setup and plenty of tables available on a warm Thursday night. Giant menu with options for just about every cuisine in India. While trying to figure out what we wanted, decided to order the Gobi Manchurian ($9) to share as an appetizer. A few minutes pass by and settled on the Chana Saag ($13) for my main course. Several more minutes pass by and we hadn't gotten our appetizer yet (figured they will just serve it with the main course). Food arrives and they had forgotten our appetizer completely - didn't want to wait for it, so canceled the order. As for the saag, the spinach is cooked thoroughly, though the chick peas were tougher than I like them. Overall solid flavor and went well with the rice (they do not have brown rice). Glad I stopped by to try the place, yet don't see myself visiting again. read more

Ananda - Chana saag - Indian Near Me - New York, New York

This restaurant has service that may seem nice, but they are actually very sneaky. The food was decent, besides the fact that they forgot like three things. The bad part is that I paid with my card and wrote in the tip and remember exactly what I wrote in. I come back home and get an email with my credit card's Square receipt which says that I paid 7 dollars more than what I wrote in as the total and says that the tip I paid was 7 bucks higher than I wrote in. A complete violation and fraudulent behavior from a restaurant. I'm incredibly disappointed that people actually do this read more

19 minutes agoNEW Extremely horrible experience. Half of the foor ordered was missing from the delivery. On calling, a lady started screaming and ahouting that the restaurant is not responsible. Delivery guy from grubhub took the dishes from the order. The lady screamed "Shut up Shut up". I have never come across such ill mannered and horrifying experience and the food was horrible. Such a bad experience. They really need to work on their food quality and mainly with customer dealing. I gave one star just to be able to post this otherwise wouldnt have given that also. Please save yourself a horrible experience and don't order/go here. read more

Came to Ananda for dinner recently with my vegan child, having had a good lunch in the past when it was in its prior incarnation. Adding a star because the food was more consistent this go round, although the gobi Manchurian was a bit over fried (we suspect someone forgot it was in the deep fryer). The dosa was crispy and light, the veg cutlets were not greasy, and the baigan bartha was excellent. I wasn't crazy about the onion bahji- too much breading. Ananda is a great choice when you want a meat-free meal. read more