Meenakshi temple canteen A great huge temple built as close to an authentic South Indian grand place of worship, as possible. The main deity, as the name suggests, is Devi Meenakshi. Avoid during special Indian days if you like to avoid crowds (like me), or, make sure to head to the temple on Indian festivals to be a witness to all the splendor of shiny clothes, funfare, prayers, activities and a carnival like busy but happy atmosphere. A must visit for any South Indian theist. Dressing modest is mandatory. Canteen. A good variety of simple yet tasty food. Everything goes towards temple proceedings after basic wages are paid. (A lot of ladies and gentlemen volunteer too.) There is limited dining area, but between indoor and outdoor, and the constant flow of devotees moving in and out, it gets managed pretty well. The food is prepared fresh which in itself is a crowd puller and we never come away without a box of lemon rice and curd rice as a to-go. read more

Sri Meenakshi Temple - Hot vadas - Hindu Temples Near Me - Pearland, Texas

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we had all types of dosas, its not good at all, too salty not crispy avg chutney and cold sambhar tea and coffee was like water that too $2, we ordered 80$ worth tiffins and told last we will take tea/coffee again when we came for tea/coffee they were asking tokens, nobody will take it even if they give it for free (tea/coffee) apart from tiffin's ammavaru darshan was pleasant and divine read more

It's amazing and peaceful temple in Houston. Really liked it. I visited last year in India Meenakshi temple in Madurai ,it's replicate of Indian Temple. I would recommend anyone coming to Houston should visit this temple. read more

Delicious! What a hidden gem. Great afternoon lunch spot. Stop in and taste for yourself. read more

Sometimes you stumble upon hidden gems. Who would have ever thought that a magnificent Hindu temple resides tucked away in Pearland? My mom found it randomly and let me know so I stopped by to check it out on a weekday afternoon. I've traveled to India so this was a nice way for me to reminisce about my trip. Park your car and then spend some time walking around the property. There are several temples with various shrines to gods of the Hindu faith. You are required to take off your shoes when entering the grounds. Hindus come here to pray so make sure you're respectful while exploring. They even had a free pamphlet you could take with you which included a self-tour and a history of the temple. I felt transported into a different world. From the outside, the temple is absolutely stunning. Make sure to check it out, it's free and a nice way to spend an hour of your time. read more

Well maintained. Nice cafeteria where you can do contactless ordering. There is outdoor seating. Parking was easy. read more

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I'm not a religious man, no, but this review is for the temple's canteen/cafeteria, so my heathen ass is safe. We loved all the vegetarian foods offered for sale, and loved the contactless pick-up. (You pay via tokens you purchase as you enter the canteen. The tokens are very inexpensive, IMHO.) We were especially fond of the dal (lentils), the lemon rice, the (delicious) vegetarian samosas, the dosa, and (best of all -- at least for me) the poori. Heavy Southern Indian influence in all the dishes prepared. read more

What's the greater surprise? Santa Claus not being real or a seemingly random, bright, palatial Hindu temple located in rural Pearland, Texas? For me, it was the latter. The last thing I would've expected would be to find something of this magnitude, where there is little else nearby. While I'm neither a regular to the temple or a practicing Hindu, I can appreciate all that it offers. Since no shoes are allowed, the place is undoubtedly clean. The ceilings are high, the marble structures are exquisite, and the temple itself seems like an architectural wonder. It is huge, occupying a nice chunk of land and is supposedly a replica of the real thing back in India. It is practically impossible to miss when driving by. Some folks (ahem, including me) would come here for the food. Their canteen offers a nice variety of Indian vegetarian specialties, which feel more like delicious home cooking than restaurant quality. None of it is even remotely expensive and it's all prepared in house, not catering. Shout out to the veggie samosas, They also sell produce as well, things from the subcontinent not commonly found in nearby supermarkets. And since you're likely a visitor as well, beware of the photo policies on the grounds. Pictures outside are fine and dandy but there are restrictions as to what can be shot and from where. Follow the signs and don't forget to take off your shoes! read more

Peaceful, beautiful architecture. They also have a decent play area and few peacocks.

This temple is fantastic and very welcoming to everyone who comes, not just the people of the Buddhist Faith. We came in five people, as Christians, and each temple we entered produced a person who was happy to see us and took us around to show us how the faith was built, and what it meant. Not only are the grounds and the buildings absolutely beautiful, but the people are too. We will be stopping back when we are in town again and we highly recommend that you stop by also! read more

I visited the temple this summer out of curiosity. There was a friendly priest on hand to show us around and explain the beautifully-carved marble surfaces of the temple. It is really something to see if you are anywhere around this part of Pearland. (A strange juxtoposition; the sumptuous South Indian temple architecture in the foreground with straight-lined and neutral suburban houses in the background.) The carvings are incredible -- come when you have a good amount of time to take it all in -- every inch of the open-air temple has carved ornamentation with symbolic significance. However, be sure not to take photos inside the temple. Photos may be taken only from certain places on the grounds. (You'll find signs on site to let you know.) And be sure to take off your shoes before ascending the marble steps! There is a shop and grocery on site with vegetarian food both packaged and freshly-cooked, as well as religious materials. If you're like me, going on a long drive, you will want to take some food for the road! But if the package says "spicy" it is NOT KIDDING! Ouch! read more

We have come from India to Pearland Houston to see our Grand daughter.We have seen Sri Meenakshi Temple thro Website.It was great Surprise when we visited the Temple last week.We felt as in South India.The temple was neatly maintained ,the priests were kind ./The canteen is worth visiting with Indian items like Sambar rice, Tamarind rice Curd rice ,Idly ,Dosa ,Poori .The quality was very good . read more

This is best Hindu temple in USA. Very well maintained. Fully traditional. You will be surprised to see the entire temple ambience. For a moment you would forget you are outside of India. The temple is going through renovation. One small issue, for those who are not used to Houston summer weather like me, it's bit difficult to go around the temple in the mid afternoon. There is no shelter covering so be prepared to walk bare foot in scorching heat without footwear. The canteen food is awesome taste & very cheap. Self-service to buy the tokens. Each token is $1. Lemon rice, tamarind rice, curd rice is 1 token Masala dosa 5 tokens Poori 3 tokens Traditional Indian Filter coffee 2 tokens Idly, wada ( Rava, not traditional this is made of rava not batter) 1 token each Bhoondi (sweet/spicy) 1 token This is far from Houston. However, if you are staying closer to NASA, plan a visit. Tip:- Order lot of food & take the left over food. This will be handy for next food break. read more

I would say best temple in usa. It has traditional look and architecture. Meenakshi and venkatesh perumal is very well decorated all time. Temple can be maintained more clean! Food at the canteen is very good! read more

Temple under construction.. No one to greet us . Walked around and felt unwelcomed. The temple was not so clean left over food around . maybe next time. read more

Been here so many times. Its well organized. The priests are usually very kind and helpful. Staff are pretty good too. APart from the temple itself (which is almost a replica of the original meenakshi temple in Madurai, India), the temple library is the place that i frequented a lot. There, you can buy / rent Indian DVD's / music CD's. Also, they sell fresh vegetables (indian vegetables, which are hard to find elsewhere). The other nice thing is the cafetaria in the temple. The food is awesome and highly discounted. The food is cooked in the premises. Its of course strictly vegetarian. Quite a variety offered for a place like this. The variety of food is usually available on weekends / holidays. On weekdays, the offering is very limited. They offer lots of special Hindu services (you need to book appointments to get the priest to do the service required). On weekdays they are open 8-noon and 5Pm to 8PM. Weekends are open 8Am to 8Pm. read more

It was very nice and pretty but no one greeted us. I was very confused and felt as if I was not welcomed. Walked around lost and wish they had signs in english/spanish. Wished I could understand the meaning of everything and how it worked. read more

Usually visit this temple for the food :P They have delicious South Indian dishes for a very small price. The idlies, pongal, dosa, curd rice, laadoos, tamarind rice, pooris, Indian filter coffee etc were all very good. Will visit more in the future (mainly for the food :P). read more

one of the best religious place to visit. its arnd 23 miles far frm where I stay but just luv visiting this heaven. Gives me peace of mind, and get lot of blessings frm almighty. Almost all hindu gods are worshipped be it Lord Shiva & Parwati, or Shri Ganesh or Shri Ram, Sita & Lakshman, Ayappa swamy, Durga maata, Navgraha or nandlal (Krishna). Quite and peacefully located. Priest are very friendly and always thr to help u. Not to miss lovely and delicious cafeteria tht serves yummy south indian food like dosa, idli, vada, pongal, puri, tamarind and lemon rice, bundi and many more at very cheap price. read more