I came with a fairly large group of coworkers on a Wednesday for lunch. We arrived around 11:15 and stayed until roughly 12:30 or so and we were the only party in the restaurant the entire time. Granted a group of 12 people showed up unannounced right around opening time, the service was still a bit on the slower side. We waited about 30-35 minutes to receive our samosas and another 15 minutes to receive our Thali plates. All twelve of us ordered the same thing--the Regular Thali. The Thali is a platter that comes with 3 different curries or stews, 3 types of breads, rice, dessert, and a samosa. While I am not very knowledgeable about Indian cuisine and have no basis of comparison, the three curries and breads were delicious. Of the three curries, the paneer masala was my favorite and I enjoyed all three breads. The vegetable curry and lentil stew were both equally delicious and offered a change of pace from the paneer masala. The samosa was a bit of a miss for me due to the shell being a bit on the thick side, but the spices and tamarind chutney were good, but not outstanding. The benefit of ordering the Thali is that it is an affordable way to sample a very good variety of foods with the option or order more of whatever included curry, bread, samosa, rice, dessert completely free as a part of the Thali set. Would I go back? Yes, I would go back to have the Thali again but I'm unsure if I would be adventurous enough to order a full portion of a single curry or dish simply out of unfamiliarity with Indian cuisine. However, I would avoid Gayatri Bhavan if my boss isn't taking an extended lunch break with us. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Regular Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Came here with the family on Friday - enjoyed the experience. Food was good; the Mysore masala dosa had a good amount of spice to it from the chili paste inside, the sambar was welcome in the cold weather and paired well with the dosa. Filter coffee was good, not too sweet. Service; the one man working (we came at an odd hour between lunch and dinner) was helpful and friendly. Our food came out on time. The restaurant itself was clean and well kept. Will return for the buffet one weekend. read more

We visited this new restaurant in Missouri City for breakfast on the weekend. The ambiance is nice, and there are some Indian photos on the wall. We were offered a table immediately without any delay, and the server took our order. We ordered upama, idly, Gobi Manchurian, and masala dosa. The food was okay; the chutney was watery, and the sambar had lots of water in it and had no taste. read more

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We catered some food and the worst food u could ever eat from a vegetarian place. Ordered Aloo gobi and they send some pureed curry where u could not find Aloo or gobi. They may be good for Indian nursing home where their client are . And also did not have a courtesy to ask later how the food was. Spent almost $600 and zero customer service read more

Good food and service - reasonable priced and quite decent ambiance however would be good to have some more options on the spread since some items seem repetitive types read more

I ordered here and had it delivered. I was disappointed with the service. They forgot my the main item I wanted, the mango mousse. I also order samosas and chai. The chai was spilled into the bag so I couldn't enjoy that. The samosas were pretty good. I do think they were overly spicy but the flavor was nice. I would still try them again however, I'd probably pick up myself or dine in. read more

While I was in Houston this place really reminded me of the street food we used to get in India.

This evening we decided to try a new Indian restaurant off Westheimer in Houston. The Gayatri Bhavan is a hidden gem near the West Oaks Mall area. It's vegetarian Indian cuisine that has both northern and southern styles of cooking. We were greeted right away and had our drink orders taken. The restaurant was orderly as far as the cleanliness and decor go. The furnishings were simple and the wall mural was an interesting sight. The owners and staff were so hospitable, plus extremely attentive. The menu is extensive. There's a lot to choose from! We picked onion pakoda (like an onion fritter), samosa and chili paneer for our appetizers. The pakoda was crisp and seasoned well. The samosa pastry was crisp on the outside and filled so deliciously spices, potato & peas. I like that the samosa was not greasy considering it's fried. Same with the pakoda. The chili paneer was the star of the appetizers. There was a generous amount of real chili used in the dish and it was nicely prepared. I have to recommend the Punjabi pindi chole. No exaggerating here, this was the best chickpea dish I've had in a few years. The spices clung to the chickpeas with a barely there sauce. Like barely there. So the chickpeas were the star of this dish, not drowning in a gravy sauce. Much love there because it's a light dish and you don't feel heavy after eating it. The malai kofta was very tender. Firm enough to hold its shape but when you cut into it with your fork, it's yields very easily. The creamy tomato sauce for this dish was rich. A good balance in contrast with the light kofta. Peas pulao is one of the many rice dishes this place offers. It's basmati mixed with veggies and piled high when they serve it to you .The Kashmiri naan is different at this place. I've never had it where the filling was jam like. It was warm and sweet. The garlic naan was made fresh too. For dessert, I picked my favorite, kheer. It's a sweet rice pudding. Like a very straightforward dessert that had a pleasant flavor. Very light almond and a touch of sweet. At the end of our meal, they brought water with a lemon slice in finger bowls for each of us at the table. Overall, the place has items that range from inexpensive to moderate pricing on the menu. Not bad at all in that regard. We had an opportunity to speak with Chef Gayatri. She's very down to earth and puts love into her food! It is so damn delicious, it's crazy. This restaurant puts a lot of hard work into everything they serve. Will definitely return to this cozy spot to explore more of the menu! read more

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I went for thali during lunch. Quality of food was good. Service good. But I was comparing to Maharaja Bhog. They bring you a full thali from the kitchen and refill by bringing food from the kitchen unlike Maharaja with servers all over. Plus two dishes were rice. Another was yogurt sauce another chutney. You get more and higher quality at Bhog. That being said the food was really good the daal was gratbso was the soup and Chana. I want to go back at night and just order from the menu. Oh my other issue. I like my thali with roti and puri to eat my dishes not rice as much. So I think that's why I prefer the other. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was good. Friendly owner. Clean restaurant. It is unlimited food during lunch, something like Maharajas. Frankly for the distance we had to travel to get there in the blazing sun, and the price paid for the lunch buffet was not really satisfying. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

On Yelp the time of opening showed 10 am when we reached at 10 am it was closed, I called the number and was told it opens at 11.00 am .

This place is not too far from our house and we pass it all the time so today we decided to have dinner here. They opened at 5:30pm for dinner which was perfect timing for is because we came in around 5:40. We started with the samosas and onion pakoda. They were both full of flavor and cooked perfectly. For our main course we ordered the chole masala and the dal makhni. We were surprised the dishes didn't come with rice but we ordered a side of rice with the meal (one order was enough for both of us). The chole masala was good but I would have liked a little more spice to it. The dal makhni made you think you were eating meat and had great flavor. The naan we ordered (garlic and the onion) were great. I also ordered the Kashmiri naan and it was a great blend of sweet and savory. Overall we enjoyed our experience and we will definitely come back! Update: Today was my 2nd time here and the food was terrible. Maybe they are better with sit down orders then take out because when we got home everything was disappointing. The onion pakoda and the samosa needed to be cooked a little longer. The aloo tikki was good and that was about the only thing we ate. We paid $11 for bhindi masala that was so small they should have been embarrassed to give that to someone. The vegetable biryani was so over cooked and flavorless that we threw it away. I hope this was just a fluke but I won't be back to find out. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - $11 container of masala - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My earlier review is missing, not sure why! Visited this place about 4 months back. Though the service was a bit on the slower side, the owners were very friendly. So I didnt really mind that slight delay. The thali looks very tempting, but unfortunately the taste and quality were not upto the mark. Both the curries were salty, and the chapati was half cooked. The only thing that stood out was the jalebi, which was delicious! read more

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I loved this restaurant and I am extremely happy with the quality of the food and their service. Today was my 3rd time here and I realized it's time I wrote them a 5 star review they deserved. I have tried their North Indian thali, the South Indian one and their dosas and vadas. All of them were really good, which is rare. Most restaurants that get the North Indian dishes right don't get the South India dishes right but I was so happy to see how everything here was way above my expectation. Today I had their Senator dosa which had a upma stuffing in it. The Upma blew my mind! It took me back to the one my grandmom used to make - So perfect! The chutneys and sambar that came along were perfect too. The restaurant is very clean and hygienic and done up pretty well. The person who served us was very attentive. If you are in Houston around this area and love Indian food, try this restaurant! read more

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Okay. I am a Paneer Tikka freak...and this place has BEST Paneer Tikka (Tandoori Paneer) in town. Although there were only 4 pieces for 8$ which was little disappointing. Chhole Bhature also too good. We ordered extra Poori which wasn't great ....should have sticked with extra Bhatura. Definitely ask for their pickle. Amazing taste. We came here for dinner. Next time gotta try the lunch. They bring warm towels after dinner which was really nice. read more

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When I visited Gayatri Bhavan, it was a day old. I got a chance to speak to the owners, a couple, who are engineers by trade. Their objective is to fulfill their passion for cooking and serving their community authentic vegetarian food. Above all, the highest regard is held for cleanliness of their kitchen and giving their customers that feel of a home-cooked meal. I had a South Indian thali, and though I am not a fan of thalis in general, I thought this meal was superb! The ingredients were fresh and the spices were well balanced. We had 3 different sweets (gulab, payasam, Pholi), each sweet in its own right. The gulab jamun had cashews in it and was my favorite. Would I go here again? Absolutely! The food and the friendly ambiance makes it a clear winner for me. read more

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Visited them for the very first time on a Friday evening, it started well but went downhill as soon as they started to get busy. We had to ask several times for water before we actually got it. Forgot one of our orders and palak paneer tasted like it was heated up from a ready serve package. Service was horrible but they did charge gratuity of 18%. Their portion are very small according to what they charge for it. I wouldn't recommend. read more

Came here for lunch on sunday. The only option was unlimited thali. This is the best south indian food i ever had in houston. The mango dal , the vankaya curry , rasam and pulav all were Amazing. I simply cannot praise the chef enough. i recommend the everyone in houston to come here and taste what an authentic andhra cusine tastes like. This is a brand new restaurant and i hope they maintain the tastelevels and service going forward. Will be back to try more varieties. I could have given 5 stars but the price is a bit higher($17/pp). Update:02/17/2019 What ever i wrote above doesn't hold good anymore. The thalis are now buffet. The service is not that good any more. The serving steel cups provided were not clean not even a little clean. Would you use or feed your kids in those..i wont. We asked for styoform cups to use for rasam/sambar.The food taste has totally changed not sure if a different chef is in place but nothing tastes as it used to be. Not going back until i hear things have changed read more

Tried this place for weekend unlimited lunch thali and it was pretty good. The place itself is a little drive out but food quality made up for it. Service is good but lacking efficiency and coordination. Areas to work on: - There is lack of coordination between different servers. Since this follows similar model as Maharaja Bhog, they can learn that part from Bhog. We had to flag down our server (or multiple servers) for each and every small thing, and when we were finished eating, we were still sitting there for around 15 minutes without anyone asking if we need something else or if we need the check. - Normally people will accept whatever is served on the thali and miss out on home-made gongura pickle and other condiments. It should be upon the restaurant to offer such things on their own, without being asked, since customers may not know about this part. It's a great place if serving can be made more efficient. Also at the moment weekend lunch thali is priced alright.It was little under $14 which makes it terrific. Anything over may not fare well since it could drive people away esp. considering the drive - just like what happened to Yaal when they kept on raising prices without improving service and I've been told now they are serving buffet style and losing their originality. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Weekend lunch - ask for gongura pickle and fried chilies on the side - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I went there based on someone's recommendation that this place is better than Saravana Bhavan. I beg to differ. My gold standard for a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant is the Medhu vada. The perfect one has be lukewarm, crisp on the outside and soft & delicious inside. I am sorry but the Medhu vada from GB failed on all three counts. The rest of the food was not bad...not amazing either. We had the set of Thalis which is pretty much a sampler of all the dishes and they were just OK. They still get a few stars because the customer service was pretty good compared to what I have experienced at the Saravana Bhavans and likes. read more

If you want Andhra home style veggie food... This is the place!!!!!!! Such a pleasant and tasty meal it was!! Gummadi vadiyalu Majjiga mrakapayalu Gongura Pachadi...... included in the thali as well... FELT HOME!!!!! read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Lunch Thali - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I had earlier written a review after my very first visit to this place. I have gone here a few more times for lunch and came back with the feeling of immense satisfaction. Recently, I stopped by for the all you can eat Thursday Dosa night. They have some novel Dosa preparations like Chocolate, Heavenly Dosa (which lived up to its name), Spring Dosa, Podi Dosa, besides other Dosas. I am mostly traditional when it comes to Dosas. I was pleasantly surprised how tasty the chocolate Dosa was (like a chocolate crepe). It was mildly laced with chocolate and not overpowering. They also had a small buffet comprising noodles, vadas, uppuma, and a few more items. The Tapioca Sago (Sabhudana/Javarishi) Paysam was extremely tasty. Very rare to find Paysam warm to taste. Gayatri and her husband never fail to be courteous and willing to listen to suggestions even when the place is crowded. The servers are friendly and attentive. Will certainly go back since varieties of Dosas are being introduced and refer my friends to try the all you can eat Dosas. read more

Beware,Very good food here! If it's their buffet or the dine in menu you can't go wrong with the food. Also, great service makes this Indian restaurant stand out. Enjoy Yelpers read more

Ordered idli which was stale. They had reheated in microwave. The sambhar tasted horrible. Extremely disappointed with the food and service.

I went to the restaurant for dinner with my parents to check out the new restaurant in town. It used to be called Signature India, however, they changed it to Gayatri Bhavan. They offer north and South Indian specialities which is great! Unfortunately, if you want to try their thali, it's only offered during lunch. My parents and I used to go to signature India all the time and compare to Gayatri Bhavan, there really haven't been that many major changes to the menu. Dosas and South Indian dishes are now offered. However, the taste of food is the same. Usually, at Indian restaurants you are offered pappad and chutney to get you started and unfortunately that was not offered to us or any of their customers. Oh and we were charged for the onion salad, which is usually free. The food however is delicious. The ambiance is appealing to the eyes. The changed out the furniture from signature India and replaced it with beautiful brown leather pieces. The biggest downfall on this restaurant is that it's expensive. There are multiple Indian restaurant in the area where the food is just as delicious, if not better and it's cheaper. To be competitive, my suggestion would be to lower the prices. read more

Great, varied thali plate of rice (both white and paleo), roti, dal, various veg fry and curry, carrot sweet, and rasam. And by request, everything was vegan. It was almost as if a buffet was made just for me, since everything was available for a second helping. I enjoy the hot towel before the meal and the lime water to wash my hands in. A great new restaurant at how we six and West timer for vegetarians and vegans. Very recommended. The chef/owner Gayatri was very kind and a real talent. read more

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This is one of the best Indian restaurant in Houston vicinity! Very authentic!! The spices and flavor were perfect. Never felt heavy, usually it's not the case with Indian food. Great customer service and great ambience!! This is will be my GO-TO Indian restaurant in Houston area! read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Business Thali $9.99 - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This is a Indian pure vegetarian. We came here with family. All the items that we ordered are really good. We ate in other places and this is one of our favorite place. We ordered and liked the following Rava dosa Veg kabaab Gobi 65 Veg briyani Masala Papad really good very fresh For vegetarian this is a must try. read more

Wonderful Andrah (South India) pure vegetarian restaurant. Houston has a handful of South Indian places to eat but they are either Tamil or Kerala based. The owner is Andrah speaking in Telugu or English to her customers. It's located far in Houston but worth the drive. I can't speak of the set menu but the weekend thali is $14 per person unlimited. They make all dishes fresh that morning and you can taste it. Being a vegetarian who used to cater Indian food and cooks it daily I can tell the quality is homemade. I make all my masalas at home and I could taste that they did the same. The chutney was not watery for instance and tasted freshly ground. Dishes tasted fresh and had an Andrah focus. Her mom makes her gongura pickle in India and mails it to her daughters restaurant. They also have fresh podi on the table also amazing. Wonderful ginger and peanut chutney for the dosa. The best part unlimited butttermilk chilies served hot. The only thing I didn't like was the papad it was too thick and a bit burnt but that's a small oversight. Our thali had: fresh curd, payasam, pulihora, bengal gram okra fry, channa, dal pappu, rasam, special Andrah sambhar, plantain bhurji, chutney, pickle, sweet, ghee, dosa and everything as perfection. read more

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We went to have our lunch on a Friday, it's unlimited thali served on a banana leaf. They serve fresh & tasty food. It tastes like homemade food. Gongura pickle & Bakshalu are their best!! read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

We got multiple day catering done by Gayatri Bhavan. We could not have asked for a better overall experience. We had a mix of North Indian dishes and South Indian delicacies prepared by them over multiple meals. Each one of the dishes was prepared with exclusive care and taste that left everybody happy. Service and delivery was absolutely prompt at all times and got to us absolutely fresh. Subra was a pleasure to communicate and was extremely courteous. Review will not be complete though without mentioning the 'onsite Dosa' service provided by Gayatri Bhavan. The experience was something that took everyone in simply amazing experience with excellent food quality that included Dosa, Vada, Idlis, Besi-beli Bhat and sweets. We recommend Gayatri Bhavan to anyone looking for catering or in-dining service. read more

I was at first skeptical about getting vegetarian Indian for dinner, but man was I wrong. The biryani, butter naan, lentils, and fried cauliflower. They were all as good as the next dish. I'd say this was the best Indian food I've had in so long. Highly recommend! read more

Great taste food, we ordered the mashed eggplant dish it was excellent, and Mysore dosa full of flavor too, good garlic nan, the Mysore bonda is really crispy and soft inside, we a really good experience here, I would recommend anyone come to try, I'm sure others dishes would taste good too. read more

Very poor service, no one will ask you if you need anything, they didn't even bring water, I had to ask to waiters for soda and at the they charged me $17+ for the lunch buffet I always eat in Indian restaurants this was the most expensive restaurant with bad service and stains could be seen on cup will never go there again read more

After reading good things about this restaurant, my husband and I visited it finally. We both ordered the north indian thali and shared a gobi manchrian for appetizer. The gobi was really good, crisp but well coated in the sauce. The thali had a veg gravy, dal makhni, paneer butter masala, samosa, rice and carrot halwa. The veg gravy was the best of the lot. The owner/ chef checked on us multiple times to make sure all was okay and offered us a chole curry to try which was also good. All in all, great food. We will definitely be back! read more

Gayatri Bhavan - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place was good when it just opened, since then it has spiraled down . On the weekend lunch time it was just us and 2 more people in the restaurant. They came couple of times in quick succession to get our order started. The food came on the table in a very erratic manner , we ordered 6 entrees for 6 people . All of the items were brought at different times rather than bringing same time. 2 of us kept awaiting our dish while others were almost finished with their food The food quality: Its not good either, dosas were not crispy but soggy, chutney had no salt in it In short it looked like they have just kept it open so that they can serve their standard lunch buffet. read more

Food was tasty but serving size was embarrassingly small for what they charged. If you want repeated customers then you have to do much much better. I tend to go to a restaurants I like often, at least 3 times a week & spend at least 60+ dollars. If they promise to improve their serving size then they have regular business from me & send my friends & coworkers over. Word of mouth advertisement is the best to continue successful business. read more

Gayatri Bhavan - This was the size of Palakh paneer for 12 dollars. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hope you improve your serving size. - Indian Near Me - Houston, Texas

ZERO stars. There was so much hype about this restaurant in the last 1 year & we were excited when we finally decided to go here. But it turned out to be exactly something else ... 1. They say they have tandoori paneer & other tandoori items. But when we asked, they said they are not available. Why put it on the menu if they're not available? Especially ticks off people who are visiting for the first (and actually, last time ever to this place). 2. The food is definitely not worth driving all the way to this corner of the world for. You can make your own thali (consists of run-of-the-mill dishes) with ready-made packets from the Indian grocery store. Because that's exactly what it tasted like. There are absolutely no green vegetables whatsoever in any of the thalis (business or unlimited). The pooris are gross. The chapati is the only single thing going for them. And that's quite sad. 3. We sat at our table and there was no silverware at all. In fact, we had to ask for it. We even thought we'd bring family friends and guests here. Definitely going to tell them to avoid this place. It's not even about the money -- just save your time & palate to definitely eat elsewhere!!! ****I've also seen in other review comments below that the owners are quite rude in their responses. That definitely completes the picture of this unworthy restaurant for us. If people are willing to take the time to review your restaurant, be grateful. Because feedback is vital to improvement -- if you are even open to that. read more

Gayatri Bhavan is an awesome place to get home cooked tasty South Indian vegetarian meals. I have never been disappointed with my orders.

This restaurant is charging more compared to other restaurant like Maharajah Bhog Thali, for example two veggie Thali with two kids meal costed 70$, food taste is average, nothing special to back up the premium prices read more