Updating my review of a little while ago. This remains primarily a takeout place, but there is some outdoor seating. I had not noticed the outdoor seating before. You order online or at a tablet and you're given an idea of when your order will be ready and you wait to pick it up or you can use the drive-through The food itself is good although this time my wife thought it a little salty. That's unusual. She's the one who generally wants to salt her food further. Looks like it may share ownership with Mylapore. Will be back read more

Yummy South Indian food with authentic home-like flavors. Service was pretty good. I thought it would be more of a drive-through, but even if you order there, it looked like people had to go wait longer (unlike true fast food). Even for a takeout-only place, there are a few nice chairs to sit outside, however in the hot sun, it'd be great if the tables had umbrellas! read more

I ordered online for pick up on a weekday during late lunch, and VIP Combo (idly, pongal, vada). The order was ready immediately. I like that this place has a cool drive-through. The shop itself is tiny with one or two tables. it was my first time having all three of the items in the condo. I found the pongal to be not very flavorful and dense. The idly was fluffy and quite big. My favorite thing was the vada, which was crispy on the outside, but so soft on the inside. It was addicting! I wish I got more. Once I come again, I would get solely that. Everything was filling, so I actually saved my pongal to eat the next day. I really enjoyed the flavors of this dish and it's affordable as well. I'd come back and try the different offerings on their menu! read more

Idly Express - Santa Clara - VIP Combo (idly, pongal, vadai) - Indian Near Me - Santa Clara, California

***USP: new drive through South Indian restaurant from the same chain as mylapore and idli express. ***AMBIANCE and SERVICE: this is a drive through but I attempted a walk in as I needed a place to sit and eat. They don't have any tables inside but around 3 tables outside for customers. Upon entering in, I got this divine smell of incense often found in temples in South India! It was truly mesmerizing and instantly uplifted my mood!! The have take out curries for $10 and 2 for $18 in the fridges places upfront for grab and go. I noticed they made some changes in their packaging to move to fully compostable and eco friendly for some of the items. ***FOOD: I got a super combo for $9.99 which came with idli, dosa, vada, sambar and two varieties of chutney. They also had tiny complementary containers with sweet rava kesari. Having eaten in several of their restaurants thus far I can tell you that they strive to maintain a certain quality. But it's impossible to nail down the same flavor and taste across their restaurants. The food here was fairly good but nothing to knock my socks off. All the flavors were mild. The chutneys barely had any flavor to speak of and sambar was disappointing as well. The Vada was crispy, idli was spongy and the dosa came with some stuffed potatoes. But prices are low and quality is good. read more

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Tried this place for the first time. We thought there would be seats inside to eat in since the building looked big but it's a take out only place. After looking through the pictures snd some discussions with the lady at the counter, we order a mini tiffin set and a mango lassi. Food was all very delicious but I don't think this business is set up for people like us who don't know anything about this types of Indian food. We saw many people in and out of the restaurant so it must be good. read more

I'm on a dosa phase and came here as it was drive thru although it defeats purpose as we still had to order at window. So no time save and more wait for cars since no kiosk to order thru. I knew coming not to expect the crispness of the crepe. I did a combo platter with came with small dosa, steam white donut like bread (sorry don't know what it's called) and the fried don't like bread. It came it all tasty. We also got the benne masala. The benne I'm used to had a more sweet taste then sour like this one. Not a fan of it and the potato masala for me was too spicy even the benne was spicy. read more

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Idli Express is a lifesaver for quick South Indian cravings in Santa Clara! One of the few places (along with Mylapore) serving real filter coffee , you can customize how strong you want it and if you want jaggery or sugar-- and they even have a drive-through. Perfect for grabbing idli and dosa combos on the go. Their benne dosa is a must-try -- buttery, crisp, and delicious. Fast, fresh, and super convenient. Total repeat spot! read more

Best food as always! Love everything at idly express, all of the locations have amazing service and quality - very consistent. Had been waiting for this location to open up since this will be so close to home for me! read more

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Excellent benne masala dosa that's crispy outside, soft inside even as a to-go order. The potato masala was generous and filling. Loved the sambar! Tomato chutney wasn't for me but the coconut chutney was good, chutneys here are mild to suit most palates. The vada idly combo was light and not oily. Sweets are a standout, mysore pak from a previous visit was great and the jangri this time was perfectly crispy and juicy. Mostly a take out spot but they do have a few outdoor tables. Had a quick chat with Chef Saravanan, thoughtful and clearly well organized. After a disappointing experience at Mylapore Fremont, this branch exceeded expectations in both food and service! read more

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Love this whole idea of having a south Indian restaurant that has drive thru. It's just mind blowing. But having been a Mylapore idly express customer, I think giving feedback is important data for them to improve. Their food was good. I did the drive thru. Same quality as everywhere. So nothing new to comment on that other than the fact their food quality continues to be top notch. The drive thru was very slow. For instance, I was the only one there. The folks took the order at the place of delivery. I waited for 15 min to get my order which is counter intuitive. That said, I think this is still relatively new for the type of cuisine and the business itself. I am excited to see this being streamlined soon as possible to give better drive thru experience. read more

I would give this place 10 stars if I could!! The food is phenomenal. I had their mini idly with sambar on the side, ghee mini podi idly, and puri masaal. Everything was so flavorful but so simple and fresh!! I ate everything so fast that I forgot to take pictures. I will definitely be back. Service and ambiance are what you would expect from a drive thru express type food location. It's for pick up, not eat in, so manage your expectations. read more

New location but the same amazing food. They have a new drive-through option along with pickup options. We got our order within 5mins of placing the order, which makes it ideal time for drive through options. read more

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Came in early morning for weekend brunch and ordering was quick and easy with the kiosk. The food came out after a small wait and was piping hot and delicious. The benne dosa is rich and buttery. The sambar is very consistent and balanced and the chutneys were flavorful too. I love that they have batter and dishes you can buy from the to-go fridge too. I will be back! read more

We have tried almost every item on the menu. Love the fast delivery, quick service and food is delicious. Thatta idly and mini idly are the best. Staff and customer service is also very nice. After trying their idly many times, i started buying idly batter from the restaurant as well. The other thing we love is the mysore pak. The taste of good ghee in it is very evident. Highly recommend this place for simple but delicious south Indian food. read more

Quick grab and go with drive in experience. Food is hot. My go to place for comfort food

Dosa - No ( only because I like my dosa extra crispy with less aloo inside ) otherwise taste is pretty good Idly / Vada - A hard YES love it here .. can't really go wrong with them on the idly and my boyfriend loves it more then me We like the chai here most times as well. However the place in Santa Clara needs better seating with shade. / Service is always Welcoming :) read more

I used to be a fan, but lately the spice level has been unbearable to the point that only thayir saadham is palatable. The tiffin sambar, and especially the variety rice are extremely spicy. There is no provision to specify spice levels either. Overall, very disappointing. read more

Their chutneys are way too spicy, I wish they were milder. Idli was decent. Food was 6/10

I was a huge fan of IE Adai Aviyal Got it after a brief hiatus. Ordered at Santa Clara location, aviyal lacked flavors and tasted different. I wish they continue the same taste. read more

Idli, Vada, upma etc. are great. Hospitality is great too. Price, too high compared to other similar South Indian restaurants. My main gripe: I love filter coffee. Idly Express Filter coffee is nowhere near the one from Mylapore, though owners are same. I am writing this after many times having it. Few weeks back I went in and bought a filter coffee to go. I closed it with a lid and drove to work. Didn't realize it was spilling. It dripped all over my car and had to throw away my shirt. Didn't complain since I might not have closed it properly. Today (03/16/2026) got 3 coffees - drive through. I saw the waiter closing it properly and he even wrapped them in napkins for us. Yet all three leaked in between the lids and spilled in my car. I was more careful this time, hence didn't drink in my car. Once I reached my office after 10 minutes, the coffee was looking quite weird, not sure if it's milk fat or milk powder and it tasted weird and churned my tummy. Threw away all three coffees! You are great, but be little more careful, Please! read more

Food is good quality, but the speed is too slow for a drive through. staff communication is not great and constantly wrong estimates are given, estimates and pickup confirmations are all over the place. read more

One of the very few Indian cuisines with a drive through. Food & Service is great. Sometimes I go just for their coffee.

Love their mini podi idli. This is my go to place to order doordash on a busy work day. Food is always good and don't forget your filter coffee. read more

The Pongal , vada combo and idly vada combo and the accompaniments were outstanding. Suggestion: instead of two vadas maybe you can have 2 idly's and one vada . read more

This place is very clean, staff is very nice and friendly and service is fast. Love the filter coffee. Food is great as always. read more

Food is good - same quality as you find at Westgate/Fremont location. But filter-coffee is very bad at this drive-thru location. I'm a regular customer at Westgate/Fremont location and found filter-coffee at this drive-thru is very off as compare to other location - based on several instances. I've provided feedback on coffee in person, but still improvement in quality of filter-coffee served at this drive-thru. read more

Dont get filter coffee during evenings at this place. They claim its fresh. But they make the filter in the morning and sell the same coffee throughout the day. Im a filter coffee expert. Take my word for it. get fresh filter coffee at some place where you get it fresh at all times read more

Idly Express is now our go-to place for a quick South Indian food fix. Recently opened location in Santa Clara is perfect to pick up the best idlis and uttapams on a Saturday or Sunday morning when we're on our Indian grocery run. And sip the amazing filter coffee while we wait for the to-go order . read more