Five Star, best of the best Indian Fare in Denver! This is exceptional Indian food-and- VEGETARIAN alert! This is authentic vegetarian Indian that would make most folks give up bacon forever.... The food: Other reviewers swooned about the DOSAs- so we of course tried some, having never heard of these delightful Indian crepes made of rice and lentil batter. Naturally GLUTEN FREE, peeps, these dosas will knock your socks off. They are the biggest damn crepes I have ever seen, literally rolled out longer than my forearm, and stuffed with yummy things. Try a Dosa. Also notable were the Coconut Chutney, please draw me a bath...I dipped everything into mine. Delish. The British Boyfriend, slightly dubious about the vegetarian thing, was so ecstatic about his dinner that he actually showed emotion by smiling- so this place is clearly his new favorite. A wonderful wonderful hole-in-the wall gem found in a strip mall in Aurora, the only teeny downside was the interior/menus/floors could have been a teeny weeny bit cleaner. Then this would be 5 stars, strip mall and all! read more

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My girlfriend and I had a nice dinner here last night. The food was very different and tasty. The price was very reasonable. We didn't like how slow the service was and the fact our meal came out in pieces and wasn't complete. read more

Amazing neighborhood Indian joint with delicious taste and so much variety! Love the hospitality! Must try

Everything we had here was great. Some of the best Indian food I've had at a restaurant. I think they are having a hard time with staffing right now so the service was slow, but they we're upfront about it. Plus, the food is so good I had no issue with waiting for it. We got a couple kinds of dosas, chana masala, aloo gobi, naan and some starters. Everything was excellent. Liked it so much we went back twice during our short visit to Denver. I would eat here several days a week if I was a local. read more

Masalaa is an Indian restaurant that serves only vegetarian food. Masalaa specializes in south indian cuisine (though a few north indian dishes are available). The 5 stars tell you what I think of the food here - it is awesome. It is authentic and probably the best south indian (and for that matter Indian) food that you might find east of the great divide and west of the Mississippi. They even served the food on authentic Indian steel thalis - plates with built in compartments that can hold all the different types of food you will eat. The lunch buffet is about $11.0 and includes their masalaa dosas and allows you to sample half-a-dozen or so other Indian dishes and some desserts. None of the other Indian restaurants in Denver, come close to the taste and authenticity of the fare provided at Masalaa. A lot of the food is healthy and they also have vegan and gluten free dishes. This restaurant comes with a recommendation of 2 Indian thumbs up! Couple of negative points: 1. They dont serve meat! (which is keeping with traditional south indian restaurants in Chennai - and is really not a negative point). 2. The restaurant is small and can get very crowded - so call ahead! especially if you are going for their buffet on a weekend. 3. The restaurant has no character - so you cant make an event out of visit here. But your palate will sure be satisfied. What to try: The buffet is awesome - and a great way to taste a little of some of the best south indian dishes. But if you are going to go a la carte then: 1. Dosas - indian style savory crepes, normally filed with potato masala. 2. Idlies - indian style rice cakes 3. Vadas - Indian savory donuts. (All three of the above dishes are had with sambar - a lentil soup like dish and coconut chutney). 4. Kheer - indian style rice pudding. website: http://www.masalaausa.com/menu.php?r_id=1 Also - if you like the food a lot - then there is an Indian grocery store in that same strip - where you can buy the ingredients to try and experiment creating Indian food at home. All four of the above dishes and be created at home! Located on the north side of Parker street. (Update: saw an add at Masalaa for what might be a sister restaurant. Its called India's Corner and located at 6350 W 92nd Ave, Unit 400 Westminster, CO - 80031. There is a review on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz_link?biz_id=kLMW9DQoE89AkcT6AH1ShQ) and their website is www.indiascorner.com) read more

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Always solid, quality vegetarian food and possibly the only place where you can have a fresh dosa in Denver!

Good Indian food. We got the spinach chenna, biryani and dosa which were all good.

After going here a handful of times, the last few have not been that great. The lack of flavor and amount of oil in there dishes leaves a sick feeling. There dosa is amazing, each time amazing. Fresh and not oily. I only wish they offered more variety and not as much oil. They could update there utensils they are old and bent. read more

I have been looking for good south Indian food in Denver for the past year I have lived here and I finally found some here. The food is fantastic and the service is amazing as well. Highly recommend read more

I'm taking a star off my previous review because I've been back to Masalaa 4-5 times and the service has been uniformly terrible. I still go because the food is just that good, but I've never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant in my life! I don't know if it's because I'm not Indian or if they treat everyone this way, but the servers often act annoyed that I am there, service is never friendly and always slow, and last night, my server got my order wrong and then ARGUED with me for several minutes about it rather than just fixing it. I was half expecting to get charged for the wrong order the way he carried on about how it was all my fault (they didn't, thank goodness). But man, the food was so good I still have to give Masalaa three stars. Bottom line, amazing food, terrible service. I recommend going for the buffet or takeout to avoid having to deal with the surly waiters. read more

Some days, all a brown girl really needs is a satisfying dosa. This place definitely knows how to serve it up. I usually order the spicy Andhra masala dosa with potato masala on the side. Spice levels are on point! Dipping a small piece of crispy, buttery dosa into that full bodied, flavorful sambar brings pure joy to my Indian tastebuds. This is the go-to place for all my dosa cravings. 4 stars because service is lackluster. Bearable for a tasty dosa. read more

Masalaa - Dosa - Indian Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

Most of all, they use soda, so you end up "airy." As for the choice, buffet spread - good food, oily, some items not the freshest (the seasoned yogurt rice seemed coarse, not soft, which makes me think it's not fresh rice). The Rasam (tomato soup like dish) was LOADED with oil...floating! The okra was a blessing, saving grace! The Vada was OILY. I've experienced better vegetarian buffet. authentic ones too, so this doesn't do it! For Aurora, it's good. read more

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The food here is delicious. We did takeout because of covid, and they finished our food quickly despite our large order. The food was great and portions were huge at a low price. This place is great for vegans. I recommend the vindaloo, dosas, uttapam, and rice dishes but I've yet to try anything I didn't like. read more

This place ONLY serves vegetarian so meat lovers be warned. The Masalaa sampler is a good call for first timers. Lunch buffet is $8 weekdays and $11 weekends with a free Dosa (Crepe with potatoes inside). My fav from the Sat buffet was Channa Masala (Chickpeas Cooked In Rich Creamy Gravy) Most Masalaa dishes lean towards the savory side, the only sweet dish was Gulab Jamun (small donut ball in sugar syrup). The oily deep fried stuff can really put a dent on your stomach so be careful eating too much. read more

Have been here thrice for the lunch buffet. They have a veg buffet, so it is quite a good place for vegetarians. They have idly and vada as starters. They were good the first time I ate here, not so the second. The side dishes usually taste good, though on the oilier side. Reduced one star for keeping pooris on the buffet instead of getting some naan at the table. The pooris(if any left on the tray) are usually dripping in oil or have the feel of a papad. Had to reduce another star for the way the place is maintained. It's not clean!! read more

I don't know why Yelpers aren't giving this place more stars, it's incredible! I've eaten at a lot of Indian places all around the US and this one was definitely one of the best. The dosa was so crisp and light. The chutneys all flavorful. The lemon soup was amazing. Everything we had was good. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself then treat them to a 5 star review. read more

Brought my sister here to introduce her to the wonderful flavors of Indian food. We came in around 7:30pm and were seated right away. It was fairly quiet -- there were around six others in the restaurant, but we were ready to chow down. The Channa Masala was incredibly flavorful and spicy! I'd say it was about an 8 out of 10 on my spicy level. It was comparable to Mexican hot, or jalapeños in Korean soup spicy. (Does that make sense? Ha.) In any case, the masala was excellent. The Paper Masala Dosa was HUGE. My sister and I both dropped our jaws when we saw it. We had never encountered such a thing before. We didn't even know where to begin, so we started picking away at the ends and dipped the bits of dosa in the chutney and other sauces, and it was good. Really good. The dosa was crispy, yet soft and stretchy. There was also a slightly sweet taste to it as well. There was a warm sauce (I think it was sambar?) that was spicier and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Portions were large (for us). We ended up eating half of the dosa and a third of the masala before we surrendered and boxed those babies up. The service was not so great. The server came by three times throughout our time there. Once to take our order and two other times to bring over the food. We had to go over to the reception desk three times to ask for boxes and ask for our check. So, we ended up skipping dessert. The two guys working didn't stop by or even look at us ... Wut. Slightly upsetting and disappointing; hence, the three stars. But, don't let the skimpy service keep you away! Do stop by, if you're craving some yummy Indian food! read more

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My boyfriend and I are vegan and the buffet has a lot of labeled vegan options. Everything is delicious. We especially like the Chana Masala, the dosa (they will bring you vegan masala dosa when you get the buffet, just ask for vegan), many vegan chutneys and vegan naan. I am very full. Friendly service, great experience. I love this place. read more

Delish. Small on the inside, but the selection is pretty tight. Veggie everything, and anything you feel for is here. And they have a lunch deal. Order a small dosa, and it COMES WITH the lunch buffet. #SCORE read more

Masalaa - Indian Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

It was my first time in CO. I was visiting my sister, who just very recently moved here. We were craving Indian food; I am a huge dosa-fan. The reviews here led me to believe this would be a good choice. My sister checked out the buffet when we walked in; nothing she saw was appealing. I sat down and ordered the dosa I wanted. The server told me it would take about 20-30 minutes. I thought that was odd and asked why. He explained that because the chefs are making buffet food, it would take some time. I agreed and told him that's fine but to bring me a bowl of rasam (a South Indian soup) while I wait for my meal. They had this made at the buffet, so of course I would imagine it would only take a few minutes to bring to the table. 10 minutes later, a second server came out and asked me what I would like to order. I had already placed my order and the servers were not communicating with one another. 20 minutes later, my dosa came out. It was mediocre at best. My rasam had still not came out so I told the server to cancel it. A few minutes later, a THIRD server came out with my (cold*) rasam. The environment was completely unorganized and they were hesitant about taking the rasam off of my bill, even though I did not touch it due to the long wait. I heard the other employees conversing with a couple who was asking some questions in regards to ingredients and types of dishes. The man answering the customer had no idea what information he was giving and a server had to come by and correct what he was saying. It all just seemed very chaotic and I didn't see a justifiable reason for it-- it was not very busy and clearly they have a lot of servers in the restaurant. I tried some of my sister's meal, which was okay. Even if the service was up to par, I still would not recommend this place to anyone, but I wouldn't have given it this low of a rating. read more

This place kicks ass. I haven't been in a while but it's my favorite Indian restaurant of all time. 100% recommend.

I decided to try this place out while in Denver on business. I like Indian food, but don't get to eat it very often. I decided to give this place a try after reading a number of good reviews on Yelp! I'm so glad I did! Everything I ate was delicious. It's funny because there isn't a lot to their buffet, but it's all so good! They had this strawberry & pistachio dessert when I was there, too. It was SO good. I would go back again in a heartbeat. Wish there was one of these in Salt Lake City. The only thing that could've made this meal better is if the restaurant had a working A/C unit. :) It was a little warm in there. read more

Masalaa - Exterior - Indian Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

Dosas are fabulous here, especially Masalaa dosa. Limited covid menu right now but still a good variety. We love this South Indian cuisine

I love the fact that this is a vegetarian Indian restaurant, with vegan and GF options too. We came here for the buffet tonight, we've been here a few times before, and I was glad to see that the decor has been updated. (An extra star for Masalaa!) It was much cleaner than it was on our previous trip. The service was also improved too. We were glad we gave the place another chance. The food was very good and they had such a great array of dishes. My only complaints are that a lot of the breads were greasy (although the dosa was wonderful) and everything is super SPICY! I can stand a bit of heat, but several of the dishes here were so flamin' hot that I couldn't taste anything after a while. But we will be back... read more

First experience was amazing but the second time I went in it was less desirable. My family and I went last week and the food was amazing! Even though, we are meat lovers we were not expecting this vegetarian delight to be so tasty. However, tonight we walked in and they sat us down and gave us menus. 15 minutes later, they did not give us water or even come to us to ask us if we were ready to order. Keep in mind, the place was not busy whatsoever. Then an Indian couple walked in, and the servers immediately served them water and got their order. In frustration, we left. The food is delicious but their service needs some work. read more

Super yummy, and packed with flavor. Masalaa buffet from 10 to 2pm is where you need to be. Vegetarian heaven. Three stars because not really any gluten and dairy free options. However I will be back. Homemade and cooked with spice. I tried everything! It is authentic southern Indian food as the spice are inside the actual food. The dosas are extra special and yummy. Mango lassi was perfect for all the spice and it was nice and clean. Definitely in a food coma state and can see my eyes rolling in the back of my head. Also for what you get i do not think it's worth 14$ a person. Should have more options. Mainly potatoes dishes. No greens, or big vegetables options. Need it if you're vegetarian. But rice and sauce will do the trick! read more

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The food is tasty but the service is horrible. We literally had to go find the server to order and they even after that they forgot to bring a few items. You should only go here if good service is not a priority! read more

After traveling all India several years a go I found that I love South Indian food! Masalaa fits it! Most of the rest are more northern Indian. read more

Maybe this was an off day, but... The vadas were mushy uncooked on the inside, the sambar just wasn't good, and the ludoos were actually rotten. Something was terribly off with them and I had to spit out the bite I took. My boyfriend and I are now feeling quite uncomfortable and suspect something is generally off with the food. We did enjoy the potato bhaji and the okra curry that was on the buffet. But we won't be back. Too risky. read more

Hey Krishna...... This is Ramesh. Sorry, I couldn't pickup the calls since I was performing house warming rituals. The food tasted great! Also heard the same from everyone at the party. Thanks for the early morning delivery! read more

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This has been a favorite spot for a year. I'm vegan and Indian food is my favorite so it's perfect. But this last time I came I could not get over how incredibly dirty it was! We were sat at a table with a cloth that had a giant spill on it so we moved, informed the server and he didn't clean it. And when I went to the bathroom I could tell it hadn't been cleaned in what looked like months. Seriously has me wondering what the kitchen looks like :( you have to step up your game and get to cleaning every inch of that place otherwise I can see it being shut down by the DOH and that would be super sad! Don't get me wrong, super sweet people and yummy food but seriously STEP IT UP because I will not being coming back it was so bad. read more

Poor service, and poor quality of food. Not sure, how they got such good rating. I was really looking forward to good experience. Made reservation for 4 of us. Ordered dosas for our buffet dinner, which took lot of time. We wanted rotis for our dinner, but no one stopped by to find out what we need. I had to go to the counter and ask for rotis. For that he says rotis are not included in the buffet and it will be extra. Who would put only puris for buffet? Ok, that is fine. Then I said, I will pay for it. For that he says only chapatis are available. Then I said ok to chapatis. Chapatis never came to us and we finished our dinner. I could excuse all these if the food is good. Some items are good ( vada and paneer curry ), but most of the items are bad ( curd rice is sour, payasam is sticky and that is unreachable, chutney is cold and doesn't have salt which indicates it is not freshly made ). Don't recommend. read more

Unassuming from outside and in a plaza with other Indian restaurants and grocery store? Rava dosa and Mysore masala dosa were awesome. Also, unlike so many Indian restaurants, the chai was excellent- tasty and the right about of milk and masala. Staff were friendly and the service was timely. Dhahi vada was above average- the dhahi was not sweet, which is good, but the vada was a little dense (now I'm just nitpicking now...). All in all- a great meal after a long drive and we would love to come back the next time we're nearby. Thank you for the warm and friendly meal on a cool night. read more

Terrible oily food! Have been here today for lunch buffet and couldn't have expected anything worse. Oily bread, oil flowing like as if they got it for free in the paneer chetinad (btw - that's not the way a chetinad curry is made in the first place) and oily Chana Masala. Will take a while to get out of this nightmare! read more

The food is good. And I mean REALLY GOOD! Love how everything is vegetarian. The dosas are delicious, as is everything else. Took off two stars... one because the staff is pretty unfriendly/curt/uninterested. They all seem like they don't want to be there :-/ Second was for the condition of the restaurant... very dirty, gross menus, needs updating and a deep clean. I worry about what the kitchen looks like. read more

Great food quality! This is a great place for South Indian food and appetizers like sev Puri. I ordered the Pongal which is my favourite, it comes with a tasty sambar, coconut chutney and a vada. The Pondicherry masala dosa was great. Great menu and a very wide variety of options. read more

Masalaa - Pongal and vada - Indian Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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Love this place have been there at least 5 times already. Only thing I will avoid is rawa dosa it was soggy white not nicely roasted n rawa dosa is supposed to be crisp golden brown. I have had their buffet n really enjoyed it.ordered from their menu n loved it. The idly is jumbo sized after a plate of idly I wasn't able to finish my dosa :). The cooks/ server are really generous with ghee on top of idly/ vada sambhar. My only issue is the restroom. Needs very through cleaning. read more

Had the opportunity to dine in Masalaa with friends and had a great experience trying everything I could. I've driven by this place several times and never paid attention to this place, or it's just well hidden. But anyway, this place is clean, organized, menu has Indian names with English description, and waiting staff is very polite. Oh, plus they sell beer. I've tried: Sambar Vada Deep fried lentil flour donuts soaked in sambar Sambar Idly Idly soaked in sambar Samosa Pastry stuffed with mashed potatoes and spices. Masala Dosa Crepe with potato masala Kashmiri Uthappam Uthappam topped with dry fruits and toasted with butter or ghee Gobi ManchurianNew Cauliflower fried with Chinese batter and cooked with manchurian sauce. Everything was good, probably my favorites were the samosas, the Idly was good too (steamed bun), the Kashmiri Uthappam was different but very good, the Gobi was great! read more

Attention dosa lovers; I think I have stumbled upon most likely the best dosa place in all of America, yes, all of America. I am going to go ahead and say it; this place has even got Saravana Bhavan beat! At this point, I can compare with dosa places I've tried in Houston, Dallas, SF, Seattle, Paris, Amsterdam, and even some places in India. I think this is the best I've ever had. This is a little nondescript place in a strip mall in Aurora suburb of Denver. We liked it so much, we had two meals here over consecutive nights in Denver. Ambiance is simple but clean. Loved that they served in all steel and no paper or styrofoam. Place was packed on Sunday and Monday night. Staff is friendly but shy and usually swamped. Now, Who has an awesome spicy Andhra dosa? They do. Who can make an awesome pav-bhaji dosa also crispy? They can. And best of all, ever heard of Rava Mysore Masala Dosa? They have it. Oh my god, my mouth waters just thinking about it. A crispy Rava dosa with a dry rub Mysore masala and potato filling. Sambar was hot, had lots of vegetables and chutneys were very tasty. We also tried the idly and Medu vada - again, best I've had in the U.S. Crispy on outside, gooey inside - just perfect. Above all, their prices were so reasonable. For these prices, I'd never get table service, real plates, let alone this level of taste and freshness anywhere in Texas. For South Indian food novices, here is a key : Dosa is a complicated and difficult to make item. It's like baking, all the ingredient balance has to be perfect else they turn out soggy or thick or tasteless. So are chutney and sambar. Anyone can make samosa or chicken tikka masala. Dosas are thin crepes made from a lentil based fermented rice flour. Above all, they are full of protein, vegan and gluten free. Sambar is also lentil based, chutneys are coconut based - again super nutritious, take tons of spices and hours to make. For those who think vegetarian food doesn't have enough protein, idly, dosa shuts them up. So even if someone charges you $$ for a dosa, pay up- it takes a lot of hard work. I'd say if the world appreciates American pancakes, admires French crepes, the Dosa should be worshipped. read more

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I dont understand the love the Masaala is getting. They have very few dishes in buffet, no indian breads, just the rice from day before, everything seems just heated up with indifference, and the plates used is the last straw. I saw a lot of awards they got in previous years proclaiming them to be one of denver's best, so i had some expectations. But the fact that the awards stopped sometime in 2007 or 08 speaks volumes about this restaurent. Supposedly south indian cuisine, but the dishes rarely have that south indian feel. None of the dishes were remarkable in my 3 visits till now (curiously my collegues like this place). Only good thing i have had here is the Dosas which they give at the beginning of your lunch. For me the worst part was the steel plates used for serving the food. They seem to have been washed with the utmost carelessness. Or they might have been there from the beginning of the restaurent. read more