Ponnuswamy Restaurant in Cardiff

Excellent selection of southern Indian food in a cafe style setting. We were a party of 2 vegetarians, 2 vegans and 1 carnivore...plenty of choices for all. Freshly cooked, well spiced....the wait was definitely worth while! Excelent value for money, Lovely helpful service....we will definitely return. Thank you

Best south Indian restaurant around cardiff when compared to others.. the food was really good and taste well.. the one & only minus was smaller portion otherwise best best🤝

I absolutely love eating dosa, and finding an authentic South Indian restaurant in Cardiff is always challenging. But this place truly lives up to the hype! Their ghee masala dosa is an absolute treat—it's so delicious that it takes you down a sweet path you won’t want to return from. I’ve tried their biryani and chicken pakora, too, but hands down, my favourite is their ghee masala dosa. You can bet you’ll find me here savouring that dosa at least twice a month!

Best south indian restaurant that I've found in the UK! The flavours are authentic and will remind you of home!

Love the food at Ponnuswamy, really authentic South Indian cuisine. If you’re craving that spice hit, get it here! Excellent service too.

Pure authentic south indian flavours served with lots of love ....i highly recommend this place . Nothing can match the true taste ......mysore masala dosa and filter coffee is a must try

First time in this restaurant. I'd heard great things about the food but I was blown away by the meal we were served. We had several dishes including chicken biryani, tarka dhal and poori masala and it was all delicious 🤤. The gentleman serving us was very diligent, helpful, and attentive to us during our time here. I would definitely come again!

Best Authentic South Indian Restaurant in Cardiff Especially ("Karaikudi Chettinadu") Flavour♥️♥️♥️♥️

Although the service was excellent, food and hygiene were not up to standards.

We go often. Good service and friendly and food is very fresh and has the authentic taste.

A wonderful Indian restaurant, great friendly staff and amazing food

One of the best South Indian restaurant in Cardiff! Proper Indian flavours and spices. Very affordable as well. Mutton bone soup, dosai and chicken curry are top notch!

The food was absolutely delicious, fresh, authentic, hot. My favourite dishes were masala paneer and onion pakoda. The chutneys were simply amazing too.

Small little Mom pop type restaurant serving nice South Indian food.

I recently dined at Ponnuswamy Restaurant and it was phenomenal. The staff were friendly and attentive, and food was the real highlight. Portions were generous, and the prices were very reasonable for the quality. I highly recommend Ponnuswamy restaurant to anyone looking for South Indian cuisine. I’m already planning my next visit.

Nice ambiance and amazing food. Highly recommend!

We ate very well and this restaurant allows us to take an incredible culinary journey. Incredible value for money. I highly recommend. It is always a great pleasure to eat in this restaurant.

Nice food ..enjoyed with family. Especially wada and idly are aweosme

Good food. But took time but worth for the taste

I enjoyed my food in ponnuswamy restaurant real tamilnadu taste food , south Indian must want to try , sambar vadai highlight dish❤️

Food was amazing, the lemon rice was so light and fluffy and the mains were all delicious. Staff were super friendly and service was mostly very quick despite the restaurant being very full.

Me and the family had an amazing experience at Ponnuswamy Restaurant! The staff were friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The Lamb Biryani was outstanding—flavorful, perfectly cooked, and easily one of the best I’ve had. Highly recommend this spot for authentic Indian cuisine! Family who have been India and struggled to find an authentic and well made Dosa were thoroughly impressed! We will be back! (PS, those portions were stunning, it doesn’t look like much but it’s so filling and so tasty! 😋)

Very authentic and great tasting Indian food

Perfect place for an affordable nostalgic dinner. Amazing lamb soup as well!!

We were passing by Cardiff and this place was suggested by my friend. Its authentic south Indian food restaurant has been here for many years. Hats off to the owner who handles the restaurant single handedly and impressive work. I could also see many regular customers and it's a favourite among many Indians. We had vada with sambar and chutney- vada was fresh and crispy, right thickness. Sambar and chutney was how we get back home in India. We also tried chicken and mutton biriyani, parotta with pepper chicken curry-felt like homemade food, but my personal favorite was chicken kothu parotta- good flavours and right spicy level. Being south Indians ourselves we wanted to end with filter coffee ☕

No disappointment....food taste are awesome feel like we're in our hometown by team drunkerz

amazing food, the service was amazing. chef swamy was amazing and pointed out good food for us. the atmosphere felt great and the food was even better

It’s sometimes closed and we put all faith in the restaurant to find that the restaurant is dark and no lights are on

Authentic south indian food. Straight from India. Absolutely in love.

Great food, very friendly staff and a very welcoming atmosphere.

Authentic South Indian chettinad style. Very delicious and chef Samy helped us out in dishes and took very good care.

Food tasted really good. Chicken briyani was the best and loved their kal dosa too

It's a gem of a place on City Road—an authentic Southern Indian restaurant and one of my favourite Indian restaurants in Cardiff. The staff is really friendly and attentive, and the food is delicious and flavoursome. You can get the authentic feel of South India. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are in Tamil Nadu. The service doesn’t take too long, and the portions are decent. This place doesn’t have a card machine, so it's cash only. Despite that, the delicious food at very good prices makes up for it. Parking can be hard to find in the evenings, so allow some time to search. I totally enjoyed the food and our time visiting the restaurant. Highly recommend. Would definitely visit again soon!

Best and only authentic south indian restaurant in Cardiff

I tasted authentic South Indian food here one of the best place I would suggest in Cardiff ❤️

Delicious food at very good prices. Service could be more response and less quick to take things away that we will still using, but it was a great experience overall and we will definitely be back! In terms of food, we particularly enjoyed the Ghee Masala Dosai, Lamb Kothu Poratta, and Lamb Chettinadu. We shared dishes and had about 2 each. In terms of drinks, we would not recommend the rose milk, as it’s quite artificial, but the masala chai was lovely. Also, it’s BYOB with £1 corkage per person! Plus points for the ace playlist.

Incredible authentic South Indian food. Definitely coming back! Dosa with chicken curry, cauliflower manchurian and chicken 65 were personal favourites!

lovely moderately priced genuine indian food

Very disappointed! Fooled by the positive reviews posted here! Food too spicey and portion size too small. Had to go to another restaurant after eating there! How can anyone serve 3 small cubes of chicken with Dosa! Atmosphere was also not good, we were sitting on very uncomfortable chairs!

Food is kind of okish... although the strangest thing was rationing of tissues, as they gave just 2 for the two adults but none for the kids. 🙄

Authentic south indian must try if ur looking for a spice nyt

The food was really nice and the customer service was really good. We had masala dosa sambar vada and their filter coffee, which was authentic south asian dishes and their prices were very reasonable. Will definitely go to the place again.

Second time visiting Ponnuswamy and I love this place!! As others have described, decor is basic but it does not impact on the experience. The food is beautifully spiced, fresh and very reasonable priced. I have had many recommendations and I can see why. Very authentic South Indian food! It’s also BYOB - which is always a bonus.

Must recommended for south indian best food in Cardiff especially uttappam

Excellent taste and Great Hospitality!!!!

It’s been 2 years this is my most go to restaurant which makes you feel as home and the food is again just like home. The best and my go to starter is Medhu Vada. This is the only restaurant in Cardiff where you can order anything and will always make you feel satisfied. The service here is done in a way that makes you feel like you are in your home country. If anyone do visit cardiff must try this chettinadu cuisine South Indian food. And don’t forget the evergreen 100% Indian Filter Coffee.

Best south India authentic taste and great service.

Food tasted just like my grandmother’s!

Good service friendly staff amazing food!!!!

Brilliant. Great genuine curry house. Every time I come, I am impressed even more. Tip class curry house.

Good price for greeeeaaaaat food!!!! We tried egg parotta, chicken curry, chicken biryani, all are excellent. Surprised at every dish. Every the sauce, each of them was special and surprising.

great food and even better service for a last minute table of 11. thank you

Great food and friendly service. Feels like we’re back in India! Our favourite spot for southern Indian cuisine in cardiff. Thank you (tip: bring cash as no card accepted)

Fantastic authentic southern Indian restaurant. It’s a no frills venue but the food is absolutely incredible, served by who we believe to be the owner, who is super lovely and welcoming. The dosa, dhal and masala are my fav veggie options, all with a decent spice kick. We feel like we’re back India when we visit (minus the sunshine and heat). Highly recommended

The best South Indian restaraunt on the European continent. And I'm South Indian. So trust me. Amazing service, they are always delighted to have us! Highly recommend!

I always have a great time here, wouldn't think of going elsewhere with friends!

Very expensive for very little food. On top of that they spilled the food on table. Would not recommend. Try curry hut/place something. its near

If you like South Indian food this is the place. It reminds you of your home flavours.

Overall review will be average. It used to be one of the top restaurants in Cardiff, due some reasons he wasn't able to run the restaurant as before. You won't be disappointed with the taste of the food

Summary: It’s Great food at great value. Review: The staff are friendly. The service doesn’t take too long. The food is authentic tasting, delicious and the portions are decent. The value is good (4 of us ate for £45). The seating area could be improved, but it was still comfortable (toilet OK). Notes: This place doesn’t have a card machine, so cash or transfer only. Parking is hard to find in the evenings here, allow time to search. The food is a little on the spicy side (still nothing compared to normal South Indian), so I’d mention if you want it milder. Food: Masala cheese dosai is excellent. Perfectly crispy on the outside, with nicely flavoured potatoes and plenty of cheese inside. It came with some decent chutneys. Lamb biryani was surprisingly good. It came in a regular bowl and didn’t look great, but all the flavour and texture was there 👍🏻 Mixed Uttapam was good, but the texture was just a little off. Still enjoyable and I would order again. Butter chicken is not as creamy as usual, but still delicious and well cooked overall. Mango lassi is well made. Masala tea is decent. King tawa fry (fried kingfish), is a small portion for 1 (more like a side or starter), a bit spicy, and we’ll cooked and delicious. Desserts were nice.

Great little restaurant with amazing food. But they don't accept cards so make sure to take cash. Chicken kuttu parotta and the Mysore masala dosa were amazing.

Very authentic .. I liked egg curry and the flavour of fresh curry leaves..

Disappointing service I had a disappointing experience with Ponnuswamy restaurant. I called at 18:14pm to place an order for chicken curry and 2 paranthas for collection, and was told it would be ready in 30 minutes. I travelled to the restaurant by foot which took me about 30 minutes. Upon arrival I happily greeted the owner and he told me that my order would be out and ready to go in 5 minutes. However, by 19:15pm my order still wasn't ready, this marked an hour since the order was originally placed. The owner seemed dismissive and unapologetic, even pressuring me to buy something I didn't want. To my surprise when exiting the kitchen he confesses to me that they hadn’t even started to prepare my order and that it would take another hour, if I was willing to wait. Given that I live a distance away, the wait was quite frustrating and I had to leave without my order. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend their service which is quite sad as I really did enjoy the food from this restaurant.

Delicious food! Impressed with vegan options. Owner is so welcoming and friendly. Would definitely visit again.

Ordinary place. Very modest. Low scale.

Came here after seeing the reviews but not satisfied. Ordered sambar vada, idli, egg kothu paratha, poori masala, chicken lollipop and finally filter coffee. Sambar vada and idli were good. Poori texture was not good. Chicken lollipop was a starter and came with main course. Egg kothu paratha was also okay-ish. Filter coffee was good. Recommendations: Food : 3 Ambience : 3 Service : 4

Lovely place, food is brilliant.

The food was really amazing. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are somewhere in TamilNadu. The Masala Dosa, Methi Vadai, Filter Coffee everything is perfect just like what you get in South India. Sometimes you have to wait a little bit to get your order but the people are very friendly. I found the food to be on the spicier side which I liked but be a little careful.

Amazing food. I loved the food and service at this place. I am in UK for over 2 years and it's the first ever restaurant that stole my heart. The food tastes very homely and the rates are very much affordable with decent quantity. Must try: Filter coffee, Chicken curry

The food is good but the service is too poor, we ordered only one oothapam and a dosa and waited for 45 minutes for them to take the order and again 30 minutes for the food to get served, the place was crowded and there was only one staff member for serving the food.

I tried Chicken biryani, mysore masala dosa and Mango lassi here. Taste is decent but quantity wise food is less.

Lovely ambience, good service, 100% Authentic Indian food. Must visit.

Came to this restaurant because it was a bring your own. Food was fantastic and prices were very reasonable. Decor is basic but the atmosphere makes up for it. Will definitely visit again - one of the best Indian meals we have had ! Be warned : Food labelled spicy is definitely spicy!!

South Indian culinary paradise in clean, humble surroundings, run by lovely people, usually full of Indian and British-Indian families (always a great sign of authenticity). Recommended dishes: *Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian (classic Indo-Chinese starter) --- *Podi Dosai - or any of the Dosa / Dosai (Pancakes of Rice and Lentil) - served with 4 delicious little pots of sambar and chutney --- *Soft and flaky Parotta / Paratha bread (The real thing, not the fried chapati which many establishments seem to advertise as Paratha) --- *Chicken or Lamb Chettinadu / Chettinad (The finest curry from South India (maybe all of India) and the only example of this worth eating in Cardiff --- *Lemon Rice or Jeera (Cumin seed) Rice --- If you fancy a beer, it's Bring Your Own Bottle. There's a Tesco directly opposite.

Taste like any best South Indian Restaurant of India. Reasonable Price, Tasty Food

Remind you of being in India, food is good, the owner is the waiter, cleaner, cashier and everything else of the restaurant, energetic man. A very small space all filled with tables and chairs. Typically Indian- all three times I visited it was so noisy and loud.

Amazing food & service. Always get the dosa! Cash only - cash point opposite the restaurant

Wow,seriously what an awesome meal,we as 2 adults took our 7 year old son yesterday here for a really great authentic curry,probably the most amazing curry I've had in my life,it was so good,fresh and did I mention the dosa? Yum seriously the 2 guys working the guests are great and the chefs are special,thank you guys :) see you soon :)

Quick and customized food, over whelming service from the staff!!

Great food. Don't tell anyone + it's byo Don't be in a hurry as good food takes time.

I was so happy to eat authentic south indian cuisine my spl food was sambar vada...l loved the food

Lovely people. Lovely food. Must try. You will love this one if you like South Indian authentic with reasonable price.

Friendly staff and excellent food

I think it’s a new place They cancelled our food orders without asking us and gave only what they were able to cook quickly, unprofessional. Food taste was OK

Delicious flavours from Tamil Nadu with excellent service.

Offers some of the best South Indian food available in Cardiff. Prompt service and reasonably priced dishes for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I’ll be visiting again soon!

The best curry we have ever had, an absolute must visit. Nothing like your usual curry houses, and the curries are spicy so no for the faint hearted (even those that don’t say spicy on the menu!). BYOB which is an added bonus. Our favourite place to eat in Cardiff.

Amazing place if you want to experience proper South Indian food. Trust me !! You’ll feel like being home getting food from your mom’s hand. We were two people and had around 8 dishes lol !! Bill was only 37 kwid, Please taste coffee here ! One of the best in the UK. Just met some humble person and happy for him. Will definitely come back here !

From the outside the place doesn’t look like much, but the food was a genuine 10/10 the best curry I’ve ever had and I’m a Brummy. The food feels so fresh and authentic not your usual curry house, the atmosphere was welcoming and wholesome. The owner was friendly and helped us with the menu. The food put me in a trance/trip unlike any experience I’ve ever had. Only issue is it’s cash only but it’s no issue as the food more than makes up for it. Plus there prices are fantastic for the amount of food. Can recommend this for any curry lover and any food lover out there.

Best Indian restaurant in Cardiff

From the outside this place looks tiny but inside its compact and can seat up to 36 people. The decor is nice bright, simple and clean only negative is the chairs need replacing. The owner is lovely, friendly and hospitable English is not his first language but he will take your order with a smile and check your happy with your food or if you need anything also with a smile and positive vibe. The food is authentic South Indian my favourite is the mysore masala dosa but there varieties in dishes and all are full of flavour and spice.

My fav place to eat in Cardiff... Also VERY reasonable in price 🧡

Exceptionally good and authentic South Indian food for a really fair price. Food is being made fresh to order. Simple interior but really friendly staff. Finally a restaurant that stays true to its roots namely being about the food and not some swanky interior design, fancy plating or social media presentation. Go and treat yourself to the Masala Dosa and Saag Dhal, thank me later.

Delicious south Indian food and coffee

Manager very good friendly communication

This place is a hidden gem. It’s BYOB.and the food is unreal. The staff are also lovely!

Worst food that what I can say. No taste at all (Ghee Roast, coconut chutney, kothu poratha, noodles- all pathetic. Hygiene standards also needs to be improved. Please change your damaged chairs at least that itself brings an ugly look.

Incredible, authentic curry with super friendly staff. It was so tasty we came back the next day! Can’t wait to visit again

Delicious authentic food and great recommendations from the owner. Chicken Chettinadu was really tasty if you like a bit of spice!

Superb food, an excellent masala dosa and vadai. Great authentic food.