Easily the best Indian food in SF! Family owned and the staff were so quick, attentive, and helpful. My friend and I walked in on a Sunday for lunch around 12:30pm and they put our phone number down for a ~15-20 min wait before we received a call that our table was ready. We definitely over-ordered but didn't care and were ready to take leftovers home just so we can try more things. When the food came they let us know what was better to each fresh (parotti) versus what can be just as good when we take home (biryani+eggplant curry) The portions were huge! We got the chicken fry - a great appetizer so many chicken pieces with red onions, the eggplant curry - very nutty and comes with four chopped eggplant pieces, great with the parotti, and parotti bread. Also go the lamb biryani which was delicious. I definitely want to come back here for the dosas and butter chicken next time. The mango lassi was great smooth like texture with strong yogurt flavor. All very affordable we paid $50 each and I had 1.5 meals worth of leftovers read more

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Visited on a Friday night around 6:30pm with a friend, restaurant wasn't too busy, a few other parties were dining but we were able to grab a spot right when we arrived. Food: Eral Thokku Dosa - really good, came with two smaller dosas, soup which was spicy, tomatoey and a great contrast, along with a red maybe pepper chutney and a creamy coconut chutney which were nice to dip in for a contrast in flavor and to tame a little bit of the spiciness, dosa was a little thicker than typical, still had a nice lacey crispy fry on one side and the other had a slight bouncy chewy texture, filling was well spiced and seasoned, the shrimp was minced into small pieces and mostly portioned in the center so definitely open it up and spread the filling around, so good, definitely worth a try Butter Chicken - okay, a very rich and creamy mild butter chicken, lightly spiced with tender juicy pieces of chicken that seemed like a blend of boneless skinless thigh and breast, we ordered this with a side of rice which helped soak up the sauce, wish this one had a little bit more heat to cut the heaviness and richness Services was fine, pretty quick and efficient staff dropped off a bottle of water so we could refill our glasses throughout the meal. Food after ordering took maybe 10 minutes which was super quick. Quick easy close out of the bill, no complaints. Overall enjoyed Kolapasi the dosa was really good and worth visiting to try, would skip the butter chicken and try some of the other more unique dishes. read more

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There's often certain doors that transport you to another realm. That closet in Narnia, the Monsters Inc door machine that allowed said monsters to harvest the screams of children to power their metropolis (highkey problematic famito!¡), and the front door to Kolapasi. Wow. Immediately myself and my party of 6 were seated down whilst our nostrils quivered back and forth sniffing the warm aromas of the cuisine. We ordered the crispy chilli chicken which was baked to a nice red crisp, and was coated in the perfect blend of spices. My friend, whom is somewhat tonguically challenged in the spice department, decreed we get the Vijayawada Lamb Biryani and boy was it the right choice. Succulent buttery red meat goodness right below a blend of rice and vegetables. Pouring on the side of dahi (yogurt) and a few squirts of lemon and allowing it to mix was absolutely the right move; I had to be muzzled during the meal as I was howling and screaming - it really was that good. Also it's been a long week with everything going on in the world. If you want to fill your tum, go to Whole Foods or Ralph's idk, BUT IF you want your taste buds to take a ride across South India's finest cuisine, the open that portal straight to India's Tip right on 19th street in SF... your tongue molecules will show you love for the rest of your existence. read more

Kolapasi - Crispy Chilli Chicken, some Vijayawada Lamb Biryani and an assortment of napkins, tea, and lactose supplements for my weak GI tract - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is a hidden gem. The prawn dosa is outstanding, as is the biryani and prawn curry. It's a little hard to get a table, and I don't think they do reservations or Yelp waitlist, but the food is fantastic and very reminiscent of India. It's also pretty affordable for SF. read more

Homey, fragrant South Indian food at great prices! The portions here are massive, so come hungry (or with a friend). I tried their Gongura Chicken Biryani, which was extremely flavorful and well-seasoned. Sometimes biryanis can be overly greasy or the ratios off, but not here! There is an ample amount of chicken tossed in a nice, tangy Gongura sauce (albeit at the bottom of the bowl), and the rice is well-cooked and plentiful. A great value at $18. I also tried the Kerala Chicken Fry appetizer, which is akin to Chicken 65. Again, this was a massive portion for a great price of $13.99. It was a touch on the salty side, and I would have preferred the chicken slightly crispier (it's served on the softer), but these are nitpicks on an otherwise well-executed dish. My one gripe is that they do not serve chai! What kind of Indian restaurant doesn't serve chai?! Tea-misgivings aside, I will definitely return to try more of their menu (and certainly another biryani!). read more

Kolapasi - Gongura chicken biryani. Photo doesn't do it justice. Massive portion, very fragrant. Great deal at $18. - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I'm so happy I found this place. I finally found a place that is similar to my mom's cooking. I've been so deprived in San Francisco but this was the closest I found. It is South Indian food that is similar to the Sri Lankan food that my mom makes. I really love the mutton and the shrimp especially, both were super spicy and flavorful. We also tried that dosa filled with chicken curry, which I've never had that combination before, but I loved it. I can't wait to come back here. I will say the restaurant is pretty small and there is limited seating so we did have to wait about 10 to 15 minutes before getting a seat and I don't think they take reservations so just plan ahead for a busy evening. read more

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So delicious! Went on a Friday night and it was packed but got seated in 15-20 minutes for a large party. The standouts were the masala fries, butter chicken, biryani and mango lassi! The owners were super nice and attentive even though they it was really busy. read more

We're definitely say this is one of the best new Indian restaurants in San Francisco. The owners brother used to be the chef Aditi and Aaha before also so he definitely knows his food. The folks here are especially on weekends and Friday super packed and was still try to help you find a chair and still check in on you saying hey, this is how long we think it'll take or would you mind sitting with this other party and you can merge folks together? So super nice. It's run by this large family that all works together literally from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The food is super reasonably priced. You can get a very filling dosa with a bunch of sambar on the side also and chutneys. The lady saw actually that I was so excited by the sambar that she gave another cup without even saying anything.. And things like the chicken curries were filled with chicken, which in comparison to some other restaurants that have been to an SF are mostly filled with fillers vegetables or potatoes. And made sure to come check in on us. Ask how the food was at one point. I also asked if they had any chai, And they used to but because they make completely fresh from scratch every hour it was pretty expensive because she wanted the food quality to be really high. So she said if you're really looking for good chai come around 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. when we make some for ourselves and we'll be happy to give you some as well then, don't worry about it, we are just happy people enjoy the food. If that doesn't tell you how nice and kind these folks are and how much they care about the food quality, I don't know what could When you went there there was also large families of 10-15 people. So a very friendly atmosphere with tons of people eating food. Yet even through all of this they gave us food in like under 20 minutes which was super fast and even with the whole restaurant packed. Definitely would say. Looking forward to going back here. read more

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Really cool to see the recent surge in South Indian dining options in SF - so we don't have to drive all the way to South Bay to get our fix anymore. We got the chicken chettinad which was perfectly spicy, coconutty, and peppery. The lamb dosa was good but it was a bit too greasy for our liking - almost felt like eating a birria taco. We'll be back to try more of their dishes in the future - the gongura biryani sounds really interesting. read more

Kolapasi - Chettinad chicken - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Our party of 3 walked into Kolpasi around 7pm on a Friday and were seated immediately. The inside was nice and cozy and colorful, and we quickly decided on our orders. We got our food relatively quickly as well. I wans't too hungry this day but was craving shrimp so I got a curry shrimp - I probably should've read the menu more closely as this was heavily flavored with coconut, which ended up being a little overwhelming and started tasting almost a little crayon-waxy toward the end. My friends got dosas, which I tried a little of, and I would definitely go that route next time - they were light, crispy and flavorful, and I liked that it came with a little bit of soup as well. Overall, Kolapasi seems to be a very authentic restaurant and hopefully next time I'll get to try something else that I enjoy a little more! read more

Kolapasi - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place serves unpretentious South Indian with flavor and love. A split some Dosas with a friend for lunch as well as some Paneer, a soup, and a seafood dish. Nice flavors with some South Indian heat. Well worth a stop if you're in the Mission. read more

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Kolapasi has a lot going for it, especially if you're craving South Indian food late into the evening. I came here with my brothers around 9pm after a long day of hiking and traveling, hoping for some solid biryani and comforting dishes to wind down the night. The place was packed and full of energy. The lighting inside is very dim, which creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere for some, but it might be a little too dark for others trying to read the menu or see their food clearly. Our party of four was seated fairly quickly and we put in our order, but were told that many of the protein options had already sold out for the night. Luckily, we snagged the last two biryanis, one chicken and one lamb, and filled out the rest of the table with vegetarian dishes. The cashew tikka masala was the surprise favorite of the night, rich and creamy with a really comforting depth of flavor. The curries overall were well-balanced, not too oily or heavy, and the paranthas were flaky and satisfying. Spice levels were decent, enough to enhance the dishes without overpowering them. The biryanis unfortunately missed the mark. The chicken was dry and the lamb was mostly bone with barely any meat. A nearby diner mentioned the biryanis tend to be much better earlier in the evening when the kitchen has more to work with, so it seems timing is key here. After our order was taken, service slowed down quite a bit. We waited around 30 minutes without check-ins and did not receive dinnerware until our third dish came out. Despite the hiccups, the food overall was enjoyable and I can see why the place draws such a crowd. Prices were very fair for the portions you get, making it easy to try a variety of items without spending too much. The staff, especially the women working the floor, were lively and fun to interact with. I would come back, but definitely plan to arrive earlier next time to get the full experience. Street parking only, but manageable if you're patient. read more

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Got their gongura chicken biriyani for lunch along with their porotta and Kerala chicken fry. So good! read more

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Kolapasi is one of those rare gems you keep coming back to because they just get it right every time. It's easily one of our go to South Indian restaurants in the city which is casual, welcoming, and packed with all the classics. The menu has so much variety that it works whether you are craving a quick dosa or ready to go full feast mode. We recently went with a group of six and ordered all our favorites: Eral varuval, mutton chukka, chicken vepudu, goat biryani......The Mutton chukka + parotta combo was absolutely out of this world and would definitely recommend this! The biryani was flavorful and very good portion size. The meat was tender and definitely a must try dish here. And I have to call out the dosa. This is one of the few places that actually brings out two dosas per order. Such a small touch, but honestly such a win when you want to share with a friend. Beyond the food, the service is what keeps us loyal. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and the owner, Sushmita, is an absolute delight. Whether we dine in or get takeout (which we do... a lot), Kolapasi has never let us down. So grateful to have an authentic South Indian spot we can rely on again and again. Highly, highly recommend. read more

Ordered take out so can't speak took much about the restaurant location and ambiance. The food tho was extraordinary. Everything was spiced so well, the biryani was filled with flavor and chicken. Also tried the gongura egg biryani which I think is the better veg biryani. The gongura flavor fully comes through. Amazing food want to try more! read more

Kolapasi - Chicken vepudu - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Yesterday I order 2 lamb biryanis taste is out of the world flavor and everything 10/10 definitely come back again Service was great read more

Swung by on a Saturday night. The restaurant is small but cozy. The lady who served us was very polite and guided us through the menu. The food is andhra style and on the spicier end. Dishes we tried: - masala dosa: not great. The dosa was too thick and the potatoes not flavored well. The dosa was very small but you get two pieces. The sambar and the coconut chutney were average. The red chutney (which may have been tomato based) was great. - egg masala roast: this was yum. Comes with three large eggs with sautéed onions. We got a side of parathas to go with this and the parathas were fantastic. Highly recommend. - chicken biriyani (vijaywada): good portion that can easily be shared between 2-3 people. Plenty of chicken pieces. Comes with a side of raita. The biriyani is exceptionally flavored, spicy, and unlike a lot of restaurant biriyanis - very moist. Highly recommend if you like spicy biriyani. I asked for their madras coffee but they had none, which was somewhat disappointing. read more

We went on a Sunday evening around 7:30 and it was quite busy. Probably coz it was 4/20 and they got a lot of delivery orders. We got a dosa and chicken biryani. Chicken Biryani was quite good 8.5/10 Malli Dosa was okay 6.5/10 because the sambar didn't taste great and neither did the coconut chutney. Hopefully it was just because they were really busy and needed to make it quick. Will give it another try hopefully on a less busy day. read more

Kolapasi - Vijaywada Chicken Biryani - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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bomb af !! We got a few different dishes: kerala chicken fry, soy chunks, paneer biriyani, chana masala, and chicken tikka masala. Everything was a reasonable price $10-17, good portion, and tasted soo good . Would def recommend. Also no line around 7pm on a friday. read more

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This place just opened in my neighborhood and I was excited about trying it out. I was very impressed with the food and plan on coming back to try more things on the menu. Parking can be tricky, it's on the corner in between Mission St. and Valencia. The place is not very big. It's fairly small with an even smaller kitchen as well, but the food was SOO amazing. The service itself was slower but after talking with our server, she let us know that the chef makes everything on the spot and really takes their time in making each dish. To me, the food was worth the wait. You can taste how the food is made with so much love. It' s real authentic and had soo much flavor. We ordered the Parotta, since they didn't have garlic naan that night. The server recommended it and it was great. It came with 2 large pieces. We wanted to try to Chicken Tandoori but they also didn't have any tandoori that night. We tried the Chicken Tikka Masala and it was one of the best ones I've tried. I loved the veggies that it came with. It came with onions and bell peppers and it just added so much more flavor to the dish. I'll definitely be ordering this again. My reasons for not giving 5 starts is due to the lack of items on the menu and service, not the slow service but more of the interactions. I personally prefer service to be overly warm and attentive. It was tough to get my servers attention. They didn't come by to check on us or made eye contact as they walked around. We had to verbally call them over and I noticed other tables having to flag them down to get their attention as well. I think they need more servers because they were busy on a Sunday night with many take out orders. read more

SO YUM! Get the magic maggie masala fries -- divine! Besides the amazing flavor, the fries themselves were crisp & cut a little thicker. Their dosas were so flavorful & came with sambar. The chicken curry dosa was a favorite as that's not a popular combination at most restaurants. The spice in everything was 10/10 (if you can't handle spice, go mild...) They're pretty busy so expect a wait time. We waited about 30mins at 8pm for table. But once we were there, food came out pretty fast. Worth the wait for me! I'd definitely come back and bring more friends :) read more

Unassuming spot for some seriously delicious south Asian bites. Can get busy during peak hours but worth a short wait. The staff is super friendly and will offer suggestions if you ask. Try something new or stick to your classics. It will all be yummy!! They may be out of a few menu items, so you'll just have to come back again. read more

Kolapasi - Tikka masala - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is a great new South Indian spot in the neighborhood! I got dinner here with a large group, so we got to order tons of dishes to share. The stars of the show were the lamb tikka dosa and dal tadka. - Lamb tikka dosa: The dosa had a great texture, and the lamb was super tender and flavorful. All the other dosas on the menu looked great as well. You can't dine at a South Indian restaurant without ordering a dosa. - Dal tadka: Everyone agreed that the dal here was incredibly creamy, flavorful, and just so much better than 99% of the dal tadka we've eaten from elsewhere. This place is still fairly new, so the full menu we were handed wasn't available yet (no tandoori dishes, no alcohol license). I'll come back again to try more dosas and other items! read more

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Incredible service and great flavors. If you're looking for a great meal where it feels like you're eating at your Indian aunties house, check this out. We went on a Friday and just beat the evening rush (19:00), but everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal. Even when the restaurant had run out of an item (coconut rice), the server immediately had other recommendations and easily made us feel at home. Will definitely be back! read more

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A nice South Indian addition to the mission. Service was slow on a Friday but warm and courteous. Karaiuddi mushroom app - 4.5/5 Great flavor, slightly oily. Paneer chettinad - 4/5 Great pepper and chettinad taste, needed a splash of acid. Kerala veg stew - 4/5 read more

Obligatory--I'm not Indian, nor have I been to India, so I can't claim authenticity, but what I can attest to is how flavorful, delicious, and reasonably priced the meal I had here was! Since my first visit about a month ago, I've been back 2x and ordered delivery from here 2x as well. Standouts include: - dosas - chicken tikka masala - butter chicken - rich, decadent, indulgent! - palak paneer - very flavorful! a bit different from the ones I've had at other places, this one seems almost like a creamy blended spinach gravy if I had to make a comparison - parotta - DECADENT. very buttery, flakey, delicious, almost croissant-like. Vibes are very casual. Your food might take a while to get to you after you order, but it's worth the wait. read more

Fantastic food with polite attentive service. Had the goat biryani and mango lassi and found goat to be extremely tender. Will return soon. read more

Kolapasi - Goat biryani and mango lassi, also some yogurt to cool the palate. - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food was really good. I especially enjoyed their vijayawada chicken biriyani. Kerala chicken fry was good too. Portion size was good. The place is very lively and try and the staff is polite. read more

Kolapasi - Kerala chicken fry - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Picked up takeout, ambiance in the restaurant is casual. Perfectly friendly staff. Food took about an hour once order was placed. All the food was delicious; I had asked for them to put less oil/butter in our dishes and they said they would do so, but i'm not sure if they really paid attention to that. Regardless the food was great and I would return back. 5/5 Masala Dosa. These were on the thicker side, comes with two dosas and a small portion of the masala but everything was delicious. It came with a coconut chutney and tomato chutney that were both ok but the star of the show was sambar, it was amazing!! 3.5/5 Kale tadka daal was creamy and delicious but there was way too much salt in it. If the salt was adjusted it would be 5/5 4/5 Soya chunks appetizer - really flavorful and delicious 4/5 Chicken chettinad - delicious gravy and nicely cooked chicken 1/5 Chappatis - these were not real chapattis, made of white flour and seemed like just reheated packaged roti - don't order this, trust me Got an extra side of sambar because it was soooooo bomb. Awesome food! Would definitely return for their dosas especially. A good deal as well. If i was rating the restaurant just on the dosas I would give it 5/5! read more

While the menu offers a ton of variety, we happened to dine here on a night when most of the tandoori options were unfortunately unavailable. However we enjoyed the creamy coconut fish curry and crispy maggi fries. The shrimp curry was also great but on the salty side, and the mutton appetizer was too chewy for us. Service was also extremely slow on a Tuesday evening, and we weren't really checked on. Gongura biryani was great with tender goat meat - recommend going for the classic version if you don't like sour flavors. read more

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Kolapasi just opened up near my home, and I've been super excited to try it! I talked to the owners when they were constructing the spot, actually: these friendly guys used to work together at Aaha up on 17th St, and decided to open their own spot specializing in South Indian food, especially smaller bites the menu calls "tapaas." Every menu item we got was delicious. The chai was served in a paper cup with sugar on the side, coming not very sweet by default. Our first dish to come out was Malgudi chili fish, which was spicy and flavorful and not too large. The lamb tikka dosa was the star of the show, as the sauces for the dosa were all fun to try while the lamb was super tender. Finishing us off, the gulab jamun was just as I've come to expect from solid Indian restaurants. I'm excited to come back and try more! read more

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Kolapasi has the love of the fans here in San Francisco. And yes it is a totally pleasant lovely restaurant. I would eat here again happily. * * * Tamil/South Indian food is just good. I have madly adored every Tamil restaurant I have eaten in. Yeah - Dosas are as overrated as submarine sandwiches. But the basic dishes are to die for. * * * I have liked most of the other South Indian restaurants I have eaten at more than Kolapasi. Maybe the night got off badly with a kale pakora (here called padora) that was dry, crumbly, tasted powerfully of kale (which is wonderful and rare) but was just plain and unpleasant to eat. Other Indian restaurants cater to us Westerners by providing tamarind sauce or coriander sauce to cover for the pakora - even though it is hardly needed. These pakora desperately needed something - and tamarind sauce would have been a good call. But Kolapasi did earn "kale" points. My other dishes were more pleasant ... Although I had to admit - the main reason I liked my chili chicken (and I really did like my chili chicken) was that it was sweet, the way Americans like sweet food. I sampled the curries of my various table mates and was happy enough but not blown out of my seat. * * * There are so many times in Austin, or in London or in Singapore, that I have gone to a Tamil restaurant and been blown out of my seat. I am going to guess that the Tamil food in Chennai is pretty good too. That is strictly a theoretical guess - but I feel pretty confident about making that guess. * * * But then "just okay" Tamil food is like "just okay" chocolate or a "just okay" scandalous sex act. Sometimes "just okay" is "just fine". read more

Understated, chill place,... Excellent food. Every dish was "clean" tasting, fresh, complex, delicious. Prices are reasonable, service was good. Portions very generous. Really nice plates. The bread is excellent, especially for dipping in the sauce. Butter chicken was superb, barely spicy. The shrimp dish was very good (+) spicy. One bite was enough for me but my friend went to town, finished every bite. read more

Chicken curry dosa was terrific. The array of 3 dipping sauces were a revelation, spanning a broad array of flavor profiles. I will come back to try similar menu items. The lamb gongura biryani was also delicious, but I found it to be way too salty. A new flavor for me. The lamb was fatty and flavorful which seems appropriate for an overflowing rice dish. I would order the biryani again if I could get it less salty, but not otherwise. Spicy/tangy soup appetizer was an interesting new flavor to us but not super appealing for more than a few spoons. Everything was extremely spicy, which I liked. read more

One of the best Podi Dosa in the city - podi wasn't too spicy and was very flavorful. I could just eat the dosa without the chutney and sambar. I also ordered the chili baby corn appetizer and paneer tikka masala gravy with parotha. The gravy was tomato-y and creamy, paired well will the parotha which was crispy and well cooked. The portion size was good as I could pack the leftovers and eat the next day. read more

The biryani was really flavourful! Could have removed the colbed though, there were too many of them. Quantity of food was also really good! read more

Kolapasi - Vijayawada Paneer Biryani - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Dosa was good parotha was great mutton chukka was that great chicken vepedu or something was very good coffee wow! Service great read more

Kolapasi - Dosa chilli cheese - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

No frills spot that serves good South Indian food. We enjoyed the flavorful dishes of Chicken biryani Chili fish Dosa Goat curry Chicken curry I must say the curry did get a bit salty toward the end but nothing a mango lassi or yogurt can't solve. Tip: although there is an extensive menu, most things are not available and what they have is limited, so call ahead to check if there's something you really want in case they don't have it read more

Pretty solid South Indian food! The dosa was alright, not very crispy like you usually see in South Bay. The food also took a while to come out (about an hour) despite the restaurant not being too full. No frills ambiance. Overall I'm not sure if I'd return here unless I wanted some specific dishes, but fits the bill as far as dosa in SF goes! read more

we got the Kerala chicken fry, chicken tikka masala, and parotta. Kerala chicken fry had huge pieces of chicken and was served with a great chutney! chicken tikka masala was a classic, perfectly creamy and would go well with rice naan or anything! read more

Kolapasi - the chicken tikka masala - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California