I happened to visit San Jose for a long weekend and found this place on yep. It opens early and is a great place to get morning south indian breakfast of idly and vada. I also tried other idli types and the food here is authentic south indian style like kitchens in mylapore. I ended up packing food for my travel back from this place. The service is also execellent. There is not much space inside the shop but there a few tables to sit outside and eat. Mostly good for takeout food at this point. read more

Omg this reminded me of my childhood south Indian authentic breakfast experience and taste and brought back those memories! All the items were good- especially recommend Thatta Idli, podi Idli and pongal and their chutneys and sambar are to die for! Saturday and Sunday mornings don't miss this divine breakfast with their filter coffee! Love Bay Area!! read more

Best idly in South Bay. I've been a regular here for the last 6 months and the Food is always fresh. All their dishes and side dishes (sambar & chutney) are just as you would get back in chennai (that's where I'm from). Highly recommended. read more

Hair sticking out from food. Ordered via door dash. Broke the medhu vada to have the first bite- it had black curly hair sticking out from inside. Threw the order away. Called and Informed the restaurant. The person who picked up the phone was apologetic and said the manager will call back and they'll look into it. She also said that one more person had called with the same issue. I appreciate her effort, however, given the above experience, Do not recommend this place. read more

The best thatte idli in the Bay Area and authentic South Indian flavors. Have had it at multiple occasions and take out is the easiest. read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - Special menu starting today - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

This review includes our two time visit, the first time idly was a bit sour which was disappointing but vada and coconut chutney were good The second time all were good. If you are a fan or idly and vada give the place a shot read more

Idly Express - Milpitas - person eating a meal - Vegetarian Near Me - Milpitas, California

Worst experience. I ordered Idly (2 pieces) & Pongal combo, and it comes with a very small size chutney. Chutney is hardly enough for one idly. When I asked for more chutney, the rude lady at the counter refused to give me any more chutney and demanded $2 for extra chutney. The owner replied to my comment on Google that nothing comes for free. I paid the full amount for the food and didn't get enough to finish the food. Pathetic customer experience & owner uses cheap tactics of providing less chutney & then demanding $2 for extra Chutney. I challenge the owner to show how he/she can finish the whole plate in the amount of chutney they give with the order. Instead of apologizing, this rude person dares to show the attitude of saying "nothing comes for free." There are better south Indian restaurants with much better customer service in the Bay Area. read more

They have decent idlis. The vadas were oily and tasted like dough. I wasn't a fan of the sambar and the chutneys. They don't have a lot of things on the menu. I wish they offered dosas and more south indian items. Also, the fact that they have two tiny tables is annoying because idlis are meant to be had hot and they get cold in a take out box. They need to put out more tables. read more

4 stars only because idlis are super soft and one of the best! But no sitting area. So it is not possible for people like me who don't mind driving the distance for good food. read more

Idli and sambar are one of the best in town! The only downside is there is no place to sit and eat

The food is great and the service is quick, exactly what you would expect in an express kitchen. Their specials are pretty good as well. We love their thate idli and mini podi idli and quite a bit. read more

Food was delicious, I tried almost all items here and Paratha is my all time favorite. This restaurant has truly mastered the art of vegetarian cooking, and I eagerly anticipate every visit to relish their exceptional creations. read more

Besides usual idli vada fair, I can now vouch for homely hot lunches and batters. And, most recently was super impressed with their evening snacks namely masala vadai and veg pakoras. Both were freshly made and tasted very homely and good along with different type of chutneys. Please make such snacks available during morning hours on weekend ...will sort out our dreams of pakora chai picnics! read more

Finally ordered at Milpitas Idly express. Super excited that we can now pick up fresh tiffin items and rice items directly from this location. The menu is not extensive which makes the quality pretty good. Vadai was super crisp yet soft, chutneys and sambhar was amazing. The bisi bele Bhath and puliyogare was spot on as well. Feel good food to go!! read more

Overall would give 4 stars. Customer service - excellent. We had asked them to delay the online order so it stays hot when we pick up and they got that taken care of. I was given a free vada during the waiting time and explained all their offerings. Food - a lot of different chutneys and nicely packaged. We ordered thattai idli, vadai and rava kesari. The vadai was very nice and stayed crisp 30 mins after pick up. The idli looked nice but was a little dry and my children found it difficult to swallow (maybe ok for adults). The kesari did not ooze any ghee / oil (which is good), but taste wise it was ok. Maybe compared to other local restaurants, the quality and taste was better. However , I am from chennai and regularly make idli and kesari and see some opportunities for improvement in taste. But, I will recommend this place for others who are looking to try authentic South Indian food. Good luck to the team running the place :) read more

Small place, mainly for togos. We ordered mini podi idly and thatte idly. One of the best south indian food I have had in south bay. Would definitely like to try more read more

Consistently good food and quality. Have been ordering from Idli express for at least a couple of years now. Their vadas especially are very fresh. read more

Authentic food and the taste resembles totally to what we eat in India. My every Sunday breakfast place.

I was on the East Bay and we decided to try take out from this place. Knowing it was in McCarthy Ranch I was worried it was some sanitized Indian-food chain, but nope, it's the real deal. The Idlys were awesome! Fluffy, fine-grained texture, rounded fermented sourness, and even still warm after a 20min car ride home! Sambar, coconut chutney, and tomato chutney were all well-executed accompaniments. Vada was also good: nice taste, not oily, and still crispy after getting home. We were little less excited about the pongal (too much gee for our tastes) and felt the same about dessert. But man, the idlys were great! Bonus points for the attentive staff members on the phone and at the cash register on pick up. The food was reasonably priced too. Kudos to the owner to start up a restaurant(s) based on a "simple" item like idly and doing it right! read more

I'm definitely coming back here again because the food is amazing. Good quality Indian vegetarian food for my curry and Indian spices cravings. Fast and friendly service, and a do-it-yourself style restaurant which makes this restaurant perfect for that last minute lunch on the run. I will be recommending this restaurant to my friends and family for the high quality flavorful food they serve here. read more

Wish I could give 10 stars for this. I'm a food lover and I'm very choosy guy and I order food only from certain restaurants. But this time, I tried these people. Oh my goodness, after many many years, I got excellent taste of freshness. I ordered Idly, Vada, Bisi Bele Bath and Rava Kesari. My God, the food was super tasty. They cooked freshly on the spot and food was super fresh. Looks like so many people are ordering the food from them as I could see they taking order continuously. I'm used to order Biryani and other oily foods but for the first time, I felt that I ate some thing very fresh, very healthy and also tasty here. You should try their food, to understand what I experienced. The food was also cheap. Don't forget their filter coffee. They are centrally located in Milpitas with lot of parking spots in the shopping complex. Definitely I'm going back there again. read more

Idli and Pongal are far and out the best you can find, almost as good as they get - the sambar is not at the same level - vada is mostly very good, although I have seen varying quality over days If you are Southey, there is no missing this place. read more

We've been coming for a while to this little gem tucked away between a Ramen 101 and Starbucks. I found them on Yelp during the lockdown and suggested we dine here (that was about a year, or more ago), prior to coming here I was only aware of what I know call "cup idly", but these "plate idly" as my friend calls what this establishment serves is my absolute favorite. The chutney (any kind) is ALWAYS good. I've had a lot of chutney in the last two years, certainly not a professional consumer- however I've had some good, bad and down right horrible chutney. I can certainly say that Idly express has some of the freshest, most tasteful chutney I've had yet! Their Pongal is also delicious- it almost reminds me of grits (I'm from Alabama) and the pepper is delectable. Their Vada is also good, and the coffee!? Heaven in a cup! I enjoy coming in, they're always quick and the food is always piping hot. Certainly one of my go to places when We are in Milpitis or really just on the East side of San Jose. read more

Ordered idli wada combo and podi idli for breakfast and it was one of the best south indian breakfasts I have had! Idli is super soft and the wada was perfect. The sambhar is very flavourful and the chutneys go very well with the meal. Dont miss ordering the filter coffee, that completes the whole experience :) Highly recommend Idly Expeess! read more

One of best Diwali sweets I ever had recently. The Jangree was out of the world. Hope Mr. Jay offer other than Diwali times.

True to their name, they do Idly well and they give it fast. These are one of the better idly I have had in this area, so if you have a sudden idly craving in the morning or afternoon or even night, this is the place. Menu has some other items as well, never bothered trying any of those. Always did Doordash delivery, don't know how is the dine-in or takeout. read more

Excellent idlis and coconut chetney. Hope they expand and open new stores in south bay

Crisp vadas and best idlis in the bay area. Bisibelebath is a must try!

A place to go if you have cravings for idly.its so authentic and full of taste...I definitely recommend this place..

The mini idly was amazing. Got filter coffee and rose milk as well. Everything was fresh and authentic tasting. Service was nice and quick. Will visit again :) read more

Idli and vada were fresh and tasty but coconut chutney portion was small and too watery . Also sambhaar was below par very salty and lacking in the usual vegetables. Disappointed read more

This is a simple take-out place, with a small menu of south indian items, but the food is the best ! Period ! Also, the Mylapore express curries are authentic and absolutely delicious ! read more

Great idly dosa batter, Sambar and mysore pak. Limited seating to eat there though so mostly good for take out.

Just happen to be in the area and tried food there. Food and service was excellent. That good Pongal I might have eaten after 20 years. Vada and samber were perfect. I will start going there for lunch and try other dishes. It was very nice experience. read more

They live upto their main branch mylapore standard. The menu is not as elaborate as theirs but the limited items are fresh and tasty. The service is quick and everyone is very pleasant and efficient. I am happy that they are now finally in Bay Area and we do not need to take a long trip to Folsom. read more

Finally found an authentic Mylapore style food close to home. Went yesterday to pick up VIP combo (vada idly pongal with 2 chutneys and sambar) , bisibelabath and tamarind rice. All of them tasted great and fresh. Most favorite of these were bisibelabath and Sambar. Order was ready for pick up pretty fast. Portion was generous and rates were very reasonable for the portion a combination you won't find in Bay Area. They don't have dine in , saw just one or two tables outdoor. They also have very limited items on menu , no dosas but I am ok with that as dosas don't taste great in to-go's anyway. There was some confusion during pickup and My suggestion for them is to get both first and last name (and not just first name) when they take order on phone. Also the person handling the takeouts should pay attention to the items customer has ordered. Regardless , I will definitely return here many times. Please maintain the same taste , portion size and charges - these are the things that make you guys stand out from the rest of the crowd. read more

Really good idli and medu vada, but ridiculous price for 2oz coconut chutney as it's so watery.. came with 75% water and 25% chutney. Not worth paying 1.37$ for extra chutney!!!!!!!! read more

Craving for some south Indian breakfast? This is the place to be! They have amazing breakfast options, i found their vada to be the best in bay area. We ordered their vada, idli, pongal combo and all items were amazing! Even our 20 month toddler enjoyed the thatte idlis! A request to the owners, please add dosas to the menu. read more

Very average quality south Indian food with very stingy/less quantity! The size of the actual vada is literally the half the size of what's advertised. The quantities of everything are so less, paltry! Today was the last time ever I am ordering from this franchise. Feel cheated for the poor value for money. Do yourself a favor and buy from some other place. read more

Amazing food. Especially the vadas. I haven't seen a restaurant make hot vadas at 8 pm any where in the Bay Area. We were there on the first day and despite of having run out of vadas and idlis a half hour ago Jay the owner of the place served us hot and crispy vadas. The best I've had in the Bay Area. This is going to be our go to place for Indian breakfast which was something Milpitas was missing. They open as early as 8 AM and serve hot breakfast. read more