I tried only the famous thali of this resturant. One of the worst Thalis I have ever eaten. Completely tasteless with absolutely no flavor. Which Thali does not give you a chapati?!!. I am not sure how the other dishes are, but Thali is absoluely the worst! Dont try that. I could not understand why this place was so crowded. In any case, not going back there again. There are lots of other better choices. PS: I had gone there about 20 years ago and I had such good memories of this resturant. Not sure what has happened since then. read more

Dropped by on my regular breakfast routine. Still some of the best south indian food around. We had idli, upma, and vada combo. For those nortamericano types that aren't so familiar with these dishes-, idli are steamed rice cakes, upma is a savory semolina dish and vada are rice and lentil fritters. All very common south indian breakfast food, and something of a specialty at this restaurant. Seriously, if you want some of the best south indian style dishes around, komala vilas is it. The chutneys-both red and coconut-are real standouts. You can really taste the coconut. The dining room has changed a bit-they've knocked down a wall, and the party room which used to have a devotional display is now a part of the main dining room, which more then doubles the available seating space. this also makes it easier for groups or four-five (your typical family ) as there are more tables available for that seating size . This has the additional affect of brightening the dining area.Less welcome is the fact that this makes some of the storage area (in the corner) more prominent and visible. The baseboards in the old dining section are also looking pretty terrible and could use some work. Overall still a five stars, for the super tasty food. read more

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Komala Vilas is always my top spot for South Indian home style fare. The Menu for lunch is unique each day of the week but repeats every week. I have been going here ever since I have lived in the Bay Area and they never disappoint. Sundays are the best with fried Potato curry. I know a lot of people have a problem with service; I'll admit that it's spotty at times. It doesn't bother me however, because I feel the food is worth it. Not all the tiffin items are the best ever but they nail it with the Parotta consistently. It's hot and freshly made, always. Worth it for all Vegetarian South Indian food lovers. read more

Best Home style - comfort food - which many restaurants does not offer Tried Lunch meals/Thali read more

This was my worst experience ever!!! I took my family with my aged mother and my mother-in-law.....to have a family lunch on this 4th of July. But, to my disbelief, they messed up with our whole order...and not only for the delayed service, they made us wait for almost any hour, for some lousy Idlis!!! My aged parents were literally very upset about the whole thing. It was totally disgusting and made me feel very bad. We went out as a family to enjoy our lunch, but came back disappointed. Very very bad customer service! read more

After waiting for 20 mins outside, and seeing people who came after us getting tables first, been waiting for exactly 45 min after placing the order we are still waiting for the food to come out. Came at 1:30 to have lunch, it's 3pm, way past lunchtime. People who clearly ordered after us, got there food and already left!! Not worth wasting so much time!! Much better food options available within Sunnyvale, perhaps almost next door. read more

Horrible food, rude staff! I had a take out order in the noon and by the night the food was spoilt. When contacting the restaurant there was no proper response either. Also, none of the staff were following Covid-19 guidelines. read more

I would give -5 for their customer service. Been waiting almost 15 mins and no one came to take orders. They have 4 ppl serving for 200. They literally waste customer's time. It took almost 45 mins to get food after sitting at the table. read more

Very good food. Service is quick. Visit every now and then. Highly recommended for South Indian food (from a Bengali who really loves South Indian dishes :-) ) read more

The best South Indian breakfast place. I have eaten pretty much in all Indian breakfast places in South Bay , none beats the idlis of KV. It could get bit chaotic on weekends but staff manage it well. read more

Update - Went in again recently, it was mix-up central. The staff taking orders was new (we would know since we go there like twice a week). I feel bad for them because they looked so stressed and confused and people were shouting at them left and right. Can't blame the customers either- their orders were mixed up. The ones "for here" were packed and some didn't come at all, and of reminded they came twice. Those who haven't been to this place- how it works is, you place the order and give them your name. Once your order is ready they call out your name and you go pick up your food. Also, if your ordered more than one item, the one that's ready first comes first. So you get up and get food every time an item on your order is ready. Now, we ordered 2 items, one came right away as usual and the other didn't show up for 15 mins after (usually doesn't take more than 5 mins). My husband got up and reminded them, they politely said it will be another 10 mins. The order arrived in 5 mins and as we were leaving it arrived again!!! Lol.. We informed them we already received our order and left. We could see so many other disgruntled faces around, not a good night for them. Wanted to tell those people it's not usually like this, but couldn't change what they were experiencing. Hope the management will learn from this and train the new employees with more experienced ones before leaving them with "hungry-customers" (literally) to fend for themselves. Best Sambhar and Vadas in town. Love their dosas too, yes uttapams could improve. This is our go-to place for a good South Indian meal. It's not a fine dining, but is such that you can take a not-so-close friend who wants to try good South Indian food. They have extended seating area too which is better looking than the main (has a big glass wall). They take your order and then call your name once it's ready, which didn't work so well in the extended seating area but now they have speakers in that area so YAY! We have tried their Masala dosa, Paper Masala dosa, Vadas, Idlis, Maysore Masala Dosa and various uttapams, our favourite remains Masala dosa and of course their Vadas. (Like the Uttapams and paper masala dosa better at Sarvana Bhawan :) Interestingly the food here and at Madurai Idli Kadai is quite similar. Disclaimer- The review is for their evening meal, have never tried their lunch buffet. read more

Madurai Idli kadai's cousin. We go here if aforementioned place is full. The food does not disappoint + this may be the only place in the Bay Area serving vada curry. read more

Much different than the standard Indian All you can eat buffet. You have to eat here at least once in your life to experience this!! More than just a meal, you can experience some Indian culture without having to fly to India. No utensils, eat with your hands, including soup. No bowls either. Soup, rice, veggies are steaming hot. You have to eat this with your hands. There is a technique. Trick is to mix the soup with rice and crunch some papadams into it to thicken it so you can scoop it up with your hands into your mouth. Always use the same hand. The other hand is used for ... cleaning. Never mix the cleaning hand with the food hand. Clean. Kids love this place. Lunch is best. All vegetarian. No buffet steam treble trays, they serve you all you can eat until you can't eat anymore. If your plate is empty they will come around asking if you want more. You can order from the menu on the wall or you can take their daily special which consists of a 3-4 items on a metal thali plate, usually a soup , a pickled type vegetable and a vegetable. Mix and scoop into your mouth. They provide water and yogurt. You can ask for curd which is thicker than normal yogurt, like a greek yogurt. More sour also. Extra charge but it is worth experiencing the difference for only a dollar or so. Paan: most places have some fennel seed as an after meal digestive. They sell different types of Paan, extra charge. Worth the dollar or so, they sell pan which is wrapped in betel leaf. Most Americanized Indian restaurants dont serve this type of paan. Have to try it at least once in your life. You are supposed to spit it out. Dont swallow. Has coconut in it!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paan read more

3.5 Why all the bad reviews? This place is that hole-in-the -wall-Indian -restaurant AWESOME. My stomach doesn't do very well with oily, greasy curried Northern Indian cuisine, so the Southern Indian cuisine was actually a refreshing change. My co-worker Brett discovered this wonderful place a few years ago and I decided to be adventurous and experiment. Glad I did. When we walked in, I noticed that we were the only non-Indian persons. I love it! That means this place HAS TO be good. We were seated immediately and the staff was super duper friendly, serving us promptly. They have different menus everyday. They serve traditional lunches (like Kalyana sappadu style), which is great. I don't have to stand up to get seconds. The helpful staff does it for you! Sure, the tin plate looks like it belongs in San Quentin, but it's all about the food. There is also a pitcher of water with tin cups on the table for your convenience. It's $12 for unlimited portions. What a deal. I am not sure why other Yelpers have grumbled about the $12. I think it's fair and reasonable. $12 can barely get me a martini at the W. The food is fantastic. It's like home cooked Indian food with plenty of lightly spiced sauces, fluffy rice, potatoes, buttermilk, and amazing almond dessert drinks. I enjoyed my food experience here and will return. read more

Usually after a long hike or a day when we skip breakfast are usually the best time to get to Komala vilas. Especially for their unlimited meals .. also If you're a person who misses the South Indian meals that you used to get on a regular weekday in Tamil Nadu then yea.. the food combo changes from day to day, we visited on a Saturday and the food options were so normal, nothing spl. but it tasted good.. If the crowd gets going (which it usually does post 1 pm ) then the food service becomes tricky. Else we were getting everything we were asking for.. once there is crowd, you can only get what they bring and not what you ask for.. read more

Komala Vilas - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Horrible Service and hygiene. The guy at the front desk didn't communicate how long the order takes, portion sizes etc. The cooks at the back are handling / packaging food with their bare hands (visible from the counter). read more

The food is pretty good, much lighter than the typical heavy curries associated w/ Indian food. Went here on a Saturday lunch: sambar, spinach dish, cabbage w/ dal, rice, payasam, and dessert. Interesting experience of serving food non-stop. Thing is, that it's so pricey. For $10, you get more variety, flavor, and (since I'm not vegetarian) tons of meat at Bombay Garden just down the street. For vegetarian indian food, we go to Chaat Paradise. So, seems like Komala meets a niche market, but not my wallet. Food: 2 stars Service: 3.5 stars (they were friendly and attentive) Ambiance: 0 stars (tons of their merchandise staring at us) Overall: 2 stars read more

Komala Vilas - Lunch: spinach dish, cabbage & dal, rice w/ sambar, payasam - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

When we went to Komala Vilas recently to inquire about catering services, the strong aroma of South Indian food made me want to eat dinner there. Being a huge fan of uthappams in general, I ordered a onion uthappam. I found it to be pricey, ~$8 for one onion uthappam. Hmmm, that's steep! Anyway, I think my expectations went too high and I hoped for the sambar to taste like Annapoorna sambar (a popular Indian restaurant in my native city in India) or like Murugan Idli Kadai sambar (another popular restaurant in South India). And I was a bit disappointed with the sambar in Komala Vilas. Nevertheless, it had been a long time since I cooked or ate Indian food outside, so I gobbled it. I heard about their unlimited lunch and would probably return to try it. read more

Komala Vilas - Onion Uthappam - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

This place is a total mind trip if you aren't used to the vegetarian South Indian style set menu. I walked in with a friend and a co worker and we were told to have a seat. No menu. No waiters talk to you. Food just comes out and is laddled onto your tray. Rice, daal, curried vegetables, and something called Mysore. I had no idea what this was but it was a curry like soup/sauce that you eat with lots of freshly made rice. Man was it good. The only problem is I've never seen it anywhere else and even my Indian friends were stumped when they ate it. The menu also changes daily so you may or may not get the same thing again given when you show up. My co worker tells me this is pretty traditional in how they serve South Indian food except it's usually on banana leaves instead of a tray. Seemed impersonal at first but the wait staff warmed up to us after a few servings. Not much in the say of ambiance but it's all you can eat, so if you're a vegetarian you can load up here. If you're looking for choices this might not be for you. Definitely an experience and I'm looking forward to trying some more things. read more

I walked into this restaurant super hungry ,around 2 PM on a Sunday afternoon , & was expecting a satisfying Thali meal ! The thali consist of a helping of rice , sambar ,pappad , a sabji ( dry veggies cooked with coconut ) rasam ,buttermilk & payasam . The food was cold & the rice was lumpy ! Sambar was nothing worthy ! however the sabji , rasam , buttermilk & payasam ( sweet after the meal) were good I'd give them 3 star for taste . But rice & sambar that's kind of the backbone of south Indian vegan food ! I was disappointed ! But i did pickup something really tasty though ... they have these freshly prepared & packed small bags of banana chips , they were awesome ! May be i will go back to pick a bag of those . I'm not going back otherwise .. though not a great cook , my sambar & rice taste way better . I totally agree with a couple of fellow yelper's who have given this place 2 stars read more

Very homely and fresh south Indian veg food, all of us including kids especially love their Sunday lunch Thali !!

Extremely brusque counter man demands payment up front and points you to a table. The food comes out pretty quickly. It's okayyyyyy but no Tirupathi Bhima's. (yes I know it's a different cuisine) Yes the pickle is homemade, but it's uninspired and sort of raw-tasting, like it didn't get time to sit and pickle properly. Parking lot is always jammed. The filter coffee, however, is spectacular. I paid $12 something for lunch and coffee. read more

Went to this place without much expectations. No decor or vibe. The service was fast. But the food was surprisingly good. Totally worth it for the dosas. read more

Komala Vilas - Kara masala dosa - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

What has changed from my earlier review: their South Indian thali for lunch is AMAZING ! Unlimited meals, great taste (I absolutely love their lunch rasam and sambar). Their best part in the meal is their potato fry, which reminded me of my grandma , spicy food and just childhood. Also he generous servings of papad, extra rice, ghee, etc. Your lunch is too good, please keep up the standards and I will keep coming there just to eat their yummy looking much. On tiffins, The variety is limited compared to other more popular South Indian restaurants in the area. Their Idly was very soft, Pongal was good and the vada was crispy. I ordered the ghee dosa and the KV Special masala dosa. Both were OK to me. Their coconut chutney was yummy. I hate their tiffin sambhar. Doesn't feel like Hotel sambhar with onions, coconut, etc. this feels like the traditional Brahmin sambhar, I would have expected more from them on this front. read more

This is for the Lunch.. All watery items with one stupid curry and unlimited of that crap.. for 11$ its way too pricey and will not have it again. The place is like a road side dhaba for laborers in India. May be Tamilians like that style... Waste of money for lunch atleast.... read more

I'm from Seattle. Seattle has a handful of south indian restaurants, I can really count them on my fingers. They are not great and they are extremely pricey. There are also so few that you are forced to indulge in the low quality food because you really don't have a choice. And then I moved to the Bay Area! OMG, how do I choose between all these amazing South Indian restaurants? I digress. Back to Komala Vilas - this place is as unpretentious as it can get. It has a practical setup, enough tables and chairs, a long counter where you can order from, limited items on the menu. The thing that really shines through here is the food (like it should in every good restaurant. Food and service are the only 2 things that matter, ever!). On my last visit here, I ordered a pongal combo - a plate with pongal, 1 idli and 1 vada. It evoked memories of home-cooked meals and felt healthy and wholesome. I chased it down with filter coffee and almost felt like I was back home in India, enjoying my Sunday morning at a local breakfast establishment. Being away from home for so long, this means a lot to me. I'll come back again for this homely feeling and for the great food! read more

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Awesome food but don't maintain any guidelines for COVID restriction on no of people and distancing ...

Scrumptious south indian food in South bay area. Love their dosas, idli, medu vadas and filter coffee. Their bajji (pakora) is below average. Servers are attentive and get you the food as quickly as possible. Ambience is not so great. This bustling restaurant might not be a good choice for people who want to enjoy their meal in a quiet surrounding. read more

The food is amazing, so reminiscent of home cooked South Indian food. It tastes great. Also it's unlimited which definitely works in my favor. The only con I can say is service takes longer time which is understandable considering the amount of people who come to eat there. read more

They serve unlimited south indian thali along with A La Carte items. We got the thali and onion chili rava dosa. The thali was okay not bad at all. The potato chips were good, I got an extra packet for later. Sambar had a distinct flavor, sooji kheer was delicious. Rasam was ok. Dosa was good. Nothing extraordinary but good. Medu vada was crispy and hot. Service is good and staff is polite. read more

Komala Vilas - Onion chili rava dosa - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Five star rating for life. I figured out the secret - you have to come when Uncle and Aunty are there to oversee the cooking. Everything was perfection. The chili dosa came with a warning (Aunty: "It's really spicy") which I completely ignored, and as a result, was begging for Tums after. I emptied a full pitcher of water. Yeah, it's spicy. But Amazing. The coffee was soooo creamy and delicious, the idlis were soft, the chutney was fab....... Aunty came to know we were there for our anniversary and presented us with two carrot payasams; this act of kindness brought tears to my eyes. Too bad I have to fly across the country for it.........sigh..... read more

Komala Vilas - Yeah I'm in food heaven right now - Vegetarian Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

A friend led me to Komala Vilas when I was craving for my mother's idlis (sort of like pancakes, made with rice and lentils - protein!). Terrific Idlis - soft and moist and truly good...just like Mum's :) The food served here is good, authentic, and much like back home - not some fancy utensils, expensive decor....to mask stuff. Definitely worth your money! read more

Filter coffee tasted like Bru instant coffee Order Vada sambar with sambar on the side... got two cold Vadas...retuned it Onion Rava Masala was very good Onion Uttapam was sad...mostly batter sprinkled with coarsely cut semi cooked onions...could not finish it. Very small quantities of chutneys...... read more

It is hands down one of the most unhygienic restaurants I've ever been to in the Bay area. The place reeked of bathroom stench and nobody seemed to care. I'm never going back. read more

This place has new management. It got bought out by idli apa kadai and while I miss the old proprietors, it has improved. The sambar is thicker, with more veggies, the idlis are as good, and the vadas are crispy and fresh. While I still like madras cafe, the food here is as good if not better now that the sambar has been fixed. Definitely try out the lunch special here. read more

The food was tasty and felt like home cooked. There is something about it that makes Il you feel very dizzy (I know South Indian Thalis can do that but this was unusual) please pay attention this. It would be great. Also eco friendly take out would be a great guilt free option(even if it means it's a dollar more)I had to rethink about ordering take outs for the same very reason. It would be great if restaurants could pay more attention to these aspects to be able to give feasible eco friendly efficient packaging. read more

Food is good ( all the 3 stars for this ) Of late, quantity of rasam, sambaar, curry became less. No heater inside the restaurant for winter. It is very important. I won't visit here during winter. read more

A great place for quick weekday lunch bite; The service is quick and the quality of the food is good. The prices are reasonable too.

I had a very bad experience with one of the staff of Komala vilas yesterday when I went to explain a few items like coconut chutney coconut rice and beans and carrot curry went bad within three hours after taking delivery from them. Most of the guests have to compromise with sambar only for idly and vadai. When I was casually explaining this to the staff, one guy from inside came and shouted for informing about this after three days of occurrence. He talked to me disrespectfully in local tamil and I felt very much humiliated.When I texted this message to the management they don!t seem to bother. May be this restaurant is O K for lunch and dinner but definitely not for placing bulk order for parties. It is high time that the management should take a class for the staff as how to behave with the customers. I will never enter this place again. read more

Today, I visited this place 1st time. The overall customer service was very poor and disorganized. Also, they did serve me with spoiled milk coffee. I provided this feedback to the staff. But there was no response. They didn't care. I don't think -- I will go this place again or recommend anyone read more