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    Kairali Indian Foods

    3.9 (19 reviews)
    ModerateSpecialty Food
    Open • 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Shares the parking lot with one other store.
    Bill T.

    Cram-packed in a small store with five short narrow aisles and a frozen case along a wall, an excellent selection of Indian groceries. About 75% of the items are more generic Indian things that can be readily found in the (considerably larger) stores on Devon Avenue in Chicago: for example, a full selection of dals - chana dal, toor dal, masoor dal, urad dal, etc. Sooji, broken wheat, coconut items, ragi and rice flour for puttu... The remaining 25% lives up to the store's name and premise: specialties of Kerala. A particularly good selection of pickles, more than half of them bottled in Kerala, such items as roasted coconut mix powder, an assortment of sambar powders and mixes, and prepared sambars; bilimbi pickle, and of course many varieties of mango pickle most of which I haven't seen elsewhere. Good selection of boxed mixes (for fish curries etc.). The frozen case, in addition to the usual drumsticks and tinda, includes banana flower curry, cherupayaru (banana peel) curry, South Indian dried shrimp-based curry mixes, several kinds of prepared puttu, readymade porottas, and more. Understandably for its restricted market, what we don't see in this store is much in the way of fresh produce: no chili peppers or mangoes for example. The frozen case did have finger peppers, and I did buy some specially fresh young curry leaves. I went out on a limb and asked if they had nag kesar, true tej patta, or toddy vinegar: they did not - but that's hardly a strike against them: I haven't found any of these three items anywhere on Devon Avenue, and nag kesar is not a special South Indian item anyway. To the store's credit, the bay leaf they sell was not marked "tej patta"- which contrasts sharply with elsewhere in the Chicago area, where I've even been told that there is no such thing as cinnamon leaf (the true tej patta). [Note: although Indian toddy vinegar has so far eluded me in the Chicago area, Philippine stores routinely carry the equivalent coconut vinegar.] When I dropped in, noon on a Wednesday, there were only 3 store-prepared items for sale: plantain fritters, urad dal vada, pinched yellow moong dal vada. I bought all three, they were all good if nothing to write home about. The storekeepers were friendly and helpful. If I lived nearby, or drove, I would shop here regularly.

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    6 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was great, tasted very authentic. The service was fast and great. Would recommend chicken masala for spice lover.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Really good Malayali food. They chicken curry and biryanis are my favorite. Really good flavors and not too spicy so it works for everyone.

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

    Went here today. Very clean and good prices. Will go back soon probably.

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    8 years ago

    New ownership is great, they've changed the whole outlook of the store. Meat samosas and puffs are the best! I Love the store!!

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Food is Ok, the only problem I saw was they are charging 9.75 % sales Tax on food items instead of 2.5 %. Hope they fix this problem.

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    8 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Kairali Indian Foods

    Is this the place where i can get freshly made mango pickle and fish chutney?

    We do have freshly made mango, lemon, fish pickles as well as fish chutney. See you soon.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Kairali Indian Foods

    “If you are from Kerala or if you like Kerala cuisine, this is a place you should definitely check out.”

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    New Village Gastro Pub - fried kimchi with pork and tofu

    New Village Gastro Pub

    4.8(297 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Minority-owned & operated

    Had a good time Shoutout to john, food was good, atmosphere is nice, food came out pretty quick to.read more

    Outside of somewhat uncomfortable seating, this restaurant impresses on all levels. The decor is…read morefun and transforms you into a different world during your meal, service is quick and friendly, prices are surprisingly reasonable the amount and quality of food you're getting, flavors are on point (and on the healthier side of cooking for this style), and presentation is great. The other struggle will be with parking as this place is generally very packed during dinner hours. After several visits here, I've decided that the best way to order is to get large dishes to share with others. While, individual size servings are great -- there is a ton of spots nearby great for 1-2 people, but this spot does offer some nicely presented large dishes like bossam which are great for serving. I also find the seafood pancake to be a generous size with plenty of seafood and a nice crisp edge. These are definitely prepared with minimal seasoning, relying instead on an assortment of sauces to infuse the food with flavor. The bulgogi similarly, is tender and presented with lots of cabbage, more of a cold day comfort food instead of a seared version with thick sauce as you may find in other nearby locations. Definitely aim for some spicy dishes like the spicy pork bbq with mozzarella cheese if you're coming here, as the spicy options are on a different level of flavor and depth (similar to most Asian food you'll find in the area). Again, the meat is prepared very tender with an explosion of flavor. Overall, excellent food with excellent presentation and surprisingly affordable pricing. Probably one of the best values you'll find from a Yelp Top 100 US restaurant.

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    Tous Les Jours

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    4.1(384 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    •$$

    Even though Tous Les Jours is a chain, the quality of the baked goods and drinks is fantastic!…read moreThere are so many delicious pastries to choose from, and everything looked fresh and beautifully made. The customer service was also great and everyone was friendly and welcoming. I got the strawberry matcha, and it was honestly so good. It wasn't overly sweet, and I could taste both the strawberry and matcha without either flavor overpowering the other. I also tried the milk bread with custard inside, and it was absolutely delicious. The bread was soft and fluffy, and the custard filling was the perfect addition. The prices are reasonable for the quality and portion sizes, too. Definitely a great spot to grab a pastry and a drink, and I'll be coming back to try more!

    I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience here was disappointing…read more My family and I stopped by on Saturday shortly before closing. As employees were already putting away the bread, I politely asked if I could grab a piece before everything was picked up. I was told that the bread was being moved to the front and that someone would assist me there. While I waited, two other groups entered after me. They heard the same information and ended up being helped before I was, despite the employees knowing that I had been waiting first. I politely asked twice for assistance and was told to continue waiting while the other groups were served. What made the situation more frustrating was that the customers ahead of me were taking a long time deciding what they wanted. I had already put on a plastic glove and was prepared to select my own bread, but I was told that wasn't necessary because an employee would help me. While waiting, I witnessed one of the teenagers from a group point directly at the bread, and another teenager pushed their hand into it. This happened in front of the employees, and no one addressed the situation or reminded them not to touch the food. As someone who was trying to follow proper sanitation practices, I found this very concerning. Not only did this happened once but 2,3 times infront of them. Yet nothing was addressed. After being ignored, waiting while others were served ahead of me, and seeing unsanitary behavior go unaddressed, I decided to leave without making a purchase. I was disappointed by both the customer service and the lack of attention to food handling standards.

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    Elly's Pancake House - Great ham off the bone

    Elly's Pancake House

    4.0(435 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    •$$

    Realllly yummy pancakes, and great Freddo Capp! Portions…read morewere big and filling. Didn't have to wait for a table!

    I kicked myself since last night but wanted to take out my mom for Mother's Day lunch…read more We got there and it was crowded, but went to the front desk to get a table (parking lot was full, but had allot of space, btw) - surprisingly, they said give us 5-10 minutes, and yes it won't take long. WOW! To make a long story short, we got seated, our drinks, and orders taken, and after 15 minutes, our food was hot and piping and fresh. And it was tasty - my steak quesadillas and my mom got a house Cobb salad. Both were tasty and looked great. Our server Miriam was awesome with our orders, she came by to check on us and not too many times, and was there to help us with leftovers and leaving stuff. She struck a nice balance of not being there vs being here too often, so that's Ace's in my book. Since it was Mother's Day, it's crowded and a bit loud but not too loud where it was too obnoxious, except for a few people who had no manners at all on dress, but that's another topic I won't go to, for now. Tables, plates and silverware were clean, and one can still get around, even with one table behind us with a handicapped person, it didn't crowd up much at all - it was all very reasonably spacious. Definitely will come back here, though I do miss that older lady who was our server the last time before today, who was very nice - had a bit of an attitude to her personality but not too much to make it tasteless, some sass makes for an interesting day. (Hope you are doing well, ma'am!)

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    Kairali Indian Foods - gourmet - Updated September 2026

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