Saravanaa Bhavan Leicester Square in City of London, Westminster

Rating: 0.5/5 I recently visited Arya Bhavan for the second time, and I am extremely disappointed with the level of service. While the food was acceptable, the service was nothing short of horrendous. Firstly, our drink order never arrived, and the table was poorly set with insufficient cutlery. When the waiter finally brought our order, he was juggling multiple plates in one hand and ended up spilling curry all over me, completely ruining my hoodie. Although he offered a half-hearted apology, he took my hoodie to wash, only to make the situation worse. Even after a machine wash, the oil stains from the curry are still there, and the hoodie is now completely ruined. Throughout our meal, we had to shout for attention to get anything we needed. Once the food was served, it felt like we were completely forgotten. The staff seemed disinterested, and getting any additional orders required a significant amount of waiting. The manager (or owner) was conspicuously absent during service and only appeared at the end to take payment and free the table for the next guests. This level of inattentiveness and lack of basic customer service is unacceptable. It was a disappointing experience, and I would not recommend this restaurant based on the service we received.

As ever the dosa is absolute perfection. Perfectly spiced and the right size for lunch. Great choice. Excellent and speedy service. Considering its location the pricing is fair. 100% recommend.

Excellent food authentic South Indian restaurant. Service by staff was great and they were all very polite and helpful specially the person who served us Bharat he was really good and professional.

Hi, I have rated this restaurant as 1. Unfortunately this is the lowest i can select. The reason for this is the 10% gratuity charge on bill. When asked for the reason, they have not answered but removed the 10% from the bill. This place use to be Saravana Bhavan earlier and they did the same. Looks like the management is same in this place. FYI. Food quality is good but the price is double than the Eastham restaurant. This is acceptable to some extent as this is central London. But, over charging with 10% gratuity looks unreasonable. I have no hopes that the hotel management will look into this review and stop charging extra. Whoever reads this review, ensure you talk to them and get 10% removed from your bill

Gorgeous vegetarian South Indian menu, helpful staff and very authentic, filled with locals. Don't miss thisplsce, prices are reasonable too.

Very good south indian food with good options for north Indian food items too. Definitely recommend to everyone. Good service and good ambience too.

Totally delicious dosa and the atmosphere was very sweet. Lots of smiles and joy. Very enjoyable place to eat and to sit in

Leisurely, delicious lunch in town. Busy enough to be obviously popular, but at this time, not overcrowded. Dosa, vada (lentil doughnuts) Sambar, and amazing freshly made chutneys (that's my 'go to' fare but everything I noticed people eating looks good). I love South Indian food. This was a perfect lunch, kind, pleasant but not over-attentive staff. Thank you, Saravana Bhava. What a gem in London central!

Disappointed Asked for chutney, they took time until almost my food is over. They use desiccated coconut for chutney preparation in replacement to fresh coconut. They should prepare with fresh coconut for the price they are charging as there is no difference between and any other ordinary restaurants. Chutney is the main accompaniment for south indian dish. Coffee was just milky and cold. Not worth visiting. Don't waste time and money instead find any other ordinary restaurant.

I recently dined with friends at the Leicester Square branch of Saravanaa Bhavan, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The food served was cold, indicating a lack of attention to quality and presentation. Moreover, the manager’s performance was subpar, contributing to an overall unsatisfactory visit. It seemed like the staff prioritised serving the chef’s relatives, leaving us feeling ignored and undervalued as customers. We have visited many other branches, and the food was great. However, at this particular branch, the food, manager, and management were absolutely terrible. When I complained about the food, the manager, as well as the staff and chef’s relatives, were laughing. Absolutely disgusting and worse. I hope the management takes these issues seriously and works towards improving the quality of service and ensuring that all customers are treated with equal importance. Think twice before visiting this branch.

Hi, we went with 38 friends group on 5-12-23 for day trips,with Christmas lights seeing. We spent nearly 90 minutes at restaurant.its super South Indian cuisine, Manager Suresh who looked after us plus excellent India masala tea severed. excellent restaurant condition.we all have a wonderful time.

Please check all your orders and the bill item by item. Went to buy a take away for a family of 4. They finally brought in a small bag. When I questioned them on where is the rest of the order...they realised their mistake and gave me a second bag of food which they forgot to give me. When I got home I realized they put all the dishes but no rice! Called the manager who apologised and said will call me back and sort out the refund. But he did not have the courtesy to call me back or provide the refund.

Place is not reall good for stoping.I won't recommend this place to any one who are passing by.thanks.

My disappointment at Saravana Bhavan in London was exacerbated by the poor service. When I requested a water bowl for my mom, who has a knee injury, the staff insisted she walk to their kitchen wash basin on 18/11/2023. This lack of understanding shows the restaurant isn't suitable for people with disabilities. Additionally, the girl who took our order, supposedly from India, displayed a considerable ego and lacked proper customer communication skills. It was an overall frustrating experience.

Very tasty and authentic South Indian food. Really loved it 😍. Thanks for the good service too 🙏

Great food for the price in Centrtal london. Lots of choices and loved their coffee. The rava dosa and the vada were great the best we have had in a long time.

Phenomenally poor service with decent food, but with a chain feel to it. A lot of Indian people are in here, but I think it must be because it reminds them of home because the food is just not that good. It kind of reminds me of going to McDonald’s when you’ve lived overseas for a long time and you just want something from home, but you know it’s not going to be that good. That is this place exactly. Service is absolutely horrendous as many people have commented, rude, and the manager/host is incompetent and rude, what a combination. Food taste like it was created in the board room, which was..

Phenomenal south Indian food. Home cooked, authentic, extremely delicious and beautifully presented. I have had masala dosas, South Indian thali (truly exceptional), mango lassi and more. Busy, but relatively big, so you can often get a walk in though not always. Amazing value too.

Food is ok, and service needs to improve. Manager needs to be changed as you can see him below. Would recommend if you want to have dosa and South Indian cuisine.

Stay away. Very poor food quality and really bad service. Staff is absolutely unprofessional. Many good eating joints around. Try something else but stay away.

The food was cold. Pretty much everything had to be sent back to reheat. It’s beyond me how dosa can be cold. Not at all value for money or a pleasant experience.

Terrible service a food. The food was a terrible. Forced us to leave a few times despite a family member still eating. Roof leaking on me while I was eating. Rude waiters would not recommend to anyone

Somehow felt like a shadow of the original tent-pole location of this restaurant. Like a beta-version or some such. Divyang the server was friendly and helpful but the rest of the staff seemed to be too overworked / busy to really care. We had barely...

This restaurant is at a great location and we went there for dinner. After waiting for 30 min, we were offered a table for 4. Our experience at this restaurant was mixed. While the food was excellent, we must admit that the service was very...

Nice to have a dosa option in the city…potato filling for my masala dosa was smaller than usual but did appreciate the free top up of chutneys :)

Having visited Saravanaa Bhavan Ilford a number of times over the years, after a theatre visit in London, a friend and I decided to go to Saravanaa Bhavan in Leicester Square. We had not booked but waited a few minutes to be seated - we...

They treat the riders like garbage, especially the one who seems to be their manager. Whenever I go it seems that I am transparent, even me being respectful, as if they don't care.

Service is extremely slow. Food is average. Prices pretty high. Overall, found it average. Govinda's nearby is a much better option.

Don't write many reviews but wanted to thank the staff for welcoming me at 10pm, serving a sweet lassi and masala dosa quite quickly even though the place was really busy. Food was tasty and I felt very comfortable visiting as a single woman. OK...

I have heard so much about this restaurant, so I gave it a try. It was busy, and the welcome was okay . The service was slow , it took a good 10 minutes for our drink order. The food order took another ten minutes....

Being to many outlets across the globe several times, but the branch in Leicester Square is very poor. The way how staff is behave to the customer was very very bad. And when told them the excuse was made by saying I am a student....

Very poor coordination of reservations and people had to wait outside and no place to sit. Very tightly squeezed tables and no privacy and very noisy. Food is just ok and I would not go again.

The worst Indian food of my life is what I can say to begin with. We ordered 4 items and they were all overwhelmingly appalling, I did jot expect the food to taste so bad. we left 80% of the food we ordered and the...

The food was ridiculously overpriced, and tasteless. Service was slow. This is nowhere close to the Saravana Bhavan food that you can taste in Chennai.

Extremely poor service. We were 2 friends and were given a very squeezed table. When we requested for a different table the Manager was extremely rude and told us to wait outside. There were atleast 5 empty tables but he made us wait for 15...

If I could give this place zero stars for customer service, I would. My husband and I ordered Rava Masala and Onion Rava Masala Dosa. The order came after 20 minutes or so ( which was understandable , as the place was busy) However, the...

Worst service and rude waiters. Food took forever to arrive. Waiters think they are above all and doesn't care about the customers. Disappointed and won't recommend

Food: tasteless Service: non existent Manager: useless Experience: wasted Worst branch of this group, waited 1 hr to get tasteless food..tables adter us got food before us

I ordered a business Thali which was OK. Not much of a selection, but the quantity was fine. The service was nice and pleasant.

My husband and I ate at Saravanaa Bhavan this evening, after going to a show. The food was delicious and the service very good. I always enjoy Southern Indian cuisine but this was exceptionally good. I shall definitely be going again to try more on...

We started with a bad customer experience when we didn't like one of the food, and didn't get a refund/change or even a sorry. We only got aragued by the staff that the food was half eaten which was acceptable, but could have been delivered...

Very very bad experience. First of all, food took forever to arrive. Friend ordered the sweet chilli soy chunks and was too way too peppery. When we complained to a waiter, he was very rude and dealt with the issue very unprofessionally. Other foods were...

Very worst hospitality and serving very very late and even after ordering the food told order not given

Service not good , staffs not friendly. I went pickup online ubereats order they said 10 minutes and I waited 1 hour and there service not very poor

We went as family of 7. The filter coffee was one of best !!! Ended up ordering a repeat. Service was not great. The sambar was repeatedly served cold even after requesting hot at the beginning. Dont think they have the process to keep serving...

Great south Indian food, the dosas, idlis, and chutneys are very tasty. Madras Coffee is excellent. Nice location close to a busy square

The staff have absolutely no respect for people’s time or requests. We ordered food for 6 and they completely ignored one of the items. When asked after waiting for half an hour they brought a completely different item! When challenged, they had the attitude to...

The food was delicious, the service kind and polite. Price was fair. 2 minutes walking from Trafalgar Square makes it even better.

Vegetable dosa, mango lassi and north Indian thali dishes+1 dessert) all are amazing and a must to try. Cauliflower manchu (deep fried with a delicious sauce) is delicious but soggy. Treveni (berry juice) was okay. Will definitely come back again. Prices are very suitable.

The Saravana Bhavan in Leicester Square serves pure South Indian Vegetarian food. There is a good variety to choose from but we mainly stick to the same items. The food is tasty and the service a bit slow but good and friendly. It is rather...

The service was extremely poor here and wrong drinks were given. Definitely would NEVER visit this place again. I also do not appreciate South Indian Food

Visited this well known Brand in Leicester square. Appalled by the dirty rest room to even wash hands. Staff struggling to get some wipes or gel. Food another story. Most items of the thali did not seem fresh. Basically mediocre not worth visiting this place...

Big disappointment: Sarvana Bhavan, Charing Cross Road branch. I’m a regular visitor to Sarvana Bhavan in East Ham, Wembley & South Hall. I am a lover of South Indian food here. But this Charing Cross road branch was a big let down, because of the...

Love this restaurant, brings back fond memories of India.mango lassi and onion masala dosa! Always pleasant service

Had a great visit. The dosas are excellent and I would suggest getting a plain dosa with a curry dish. The cauliflower was amazing. It isn’t really a starter main type place. We had a Ras Malai to share afterwards but were disappointed not to...

It was great dose of South Indian thali and dosa platter. It was amazing tasting authentic Indian food in the UK. The servings are appropriate for every person and in south Indian thali don’t hesitate to ask for more rice and curries if you run...

It was a truly disappointing experience. Food was stale and tasteless. Staff was rude. Above all, toilet was dirty and non functioning

Me and my partner happened across this quaint restaurant whilst we were rushing to the theatre, and what a find! We were truly blown away by how incredible the experience was, and we were left without a single flaw to report. In a desperate hurry...

Visited here with a friend mid week. Gets very busy. The food is delicious but can be very bad for your digestion if you choose the deep fried options too many times. Staff seemed friendly enough. Toilets are downstairs and were clean.

We went to Saravanabhvan last night for dinner, my mother, cousin and I. We had the most amazing and nicest hostess, Anju Arun. She was exceptional with taking care of us and being super polite and helpful. We had a wheelchair for my mother and...

Great experience solid food… must visit The food was really good and the company was even better. Wifi not the best but food made it fine

I went there with my gf on her birthday . I went downstairs with my gf and we noticed that the floor was slippery and I tried to tell the staff and the lady turned out to be manager of the restaurant I told her...

I realised the red chutney had gone off from the smell and the distinct taste. As soon as I realised, I notified the waitress. The waitress disappeared and then saw her carry on with her work as normal. I called to speak to the manager/supervisor....

an amazing find... fabulous authentic desi Khanna!! reasonably sized portions served with a smile! the tables are a bit cramped but that contributes to the atmosphere! altho with covid I did feel a bit uneasy. 2/3 servers manage the entire restaurant they really do a...

Was served by Ashita Ji who looked after us very well, food came out very quick and tasted lovely. I was very happy with service and the quality of the dosa and gol gappe, my son loved the spring rolls

Staff were impatient and unfriendly. The food was WAAAAY overpriced, Wembley branch is half the price ( I know ,it's in Leicester Square so bound to be more expensive). The chappati in the Business Thali was undercooked and thick-inedible, the poppodom looked like a supermarket...

Visited twice. Food is good, cooked fresh and very flavoursome. Comes out quick but sometimes not all at the same time which is frustrating for everyone on table. However staff seem uninterested and not friendly at all. Staff need to be trained further on hospitality.

Me and my husband visited the restaurant yesterday (09/08/20), the waitress named Jazmine did not have any knowlegde about the menu when asked, I must say a very arrogant waitress I have come across. She then made us wait on purpose to take our order,...

A great post theatre treat. Food was excellent and service perfect by our waitress Anna. The rest of the staff were very polite with a good service ethic. Good value too. Looking forward to going back.

I visited the Restaurnt with my friends and had a push scooter, the man at the door instructed me to leave it outside and come. Quite aware of the health and Hazards in a public environment, the attitude he was terrible !! . The owners...

Wow guys I actually don't know where to start! I had an extremely new experience visiting this restaurant! When we arrived here there was a queue outside the door, this is surely a good impression right? When I got to the reservation desk I was...

DON'T EVEN BOTHER GOING HERE! First of all, the manager thinks he owns the entire Saravana Bhavan and he thinks he is way too prestigious. From poor treatment of customers, EXTREMELY OVERPRICED, most crammed restaurant and small food portions ... Everything screams *avoid this place*...

Been here quite a few times, food ranges from good to fantastic, but service is consistently poor. Good for south Indian dosa.

My wife and me ordered Sambar Vada amongst other things on the evening of Feb 8th. The sambar was very cold and the vada was not at all fresh.  The waiter ( one of the male waiters who was bald, I could not get his...

Loved the south Indian food and chutneys, and special thanks to Anna for the great service with a smile! All the best.

Spicy, tasty, authentic and so much to choose from ❤️ I was looking for Indian vegan and I found it just 2mins from the hotel.

Had lunch there today and was very good Indian veg food at a reasonable price. Was served by Ashna who was very nice and welcoming. Will certainly visit the restaurant again.

Went here tonight cos we were going to Garrick across the road and was blown away by how Tasty the food was and how good the service ( thank you Asad Ali ) it was a great night in a super friendly restaurant I will...

Price is almost 3 times compared to the Saravana Bhavan in Ilford or east ham or wembley.. I will never go to this branch again.

Amazing place with great ambience, friendly staff, fast service and of course delicious authentic South Indian food. Most importantly, they give you free refill for sambar and chutney which is not so easily found outside India. Ghee Pongal on weekends is a must try. Combine...

Really lovely food and pleasant service on the edge of theatre land on the Charing Cross Road. All the South Indian dosas and a variety of excellent curried dishes and three different Thalis. The food tonight was perfect. The house wine could be better but...

As we are students from India who have been craving for some vegetarian food for months. Heard about this restaurant and frankly after reading few reviews, we weren't convinced to go there. However, we took a leap of faith and decided to try it anyway....

Just had a South Indian Thali and a Masala Dosa - would have be a 5 star review had the food come hot - it was lukewarm and we had to ask for the food to be hot. To be fair they took the feedback...

Had lot of expectations but it disappointed to the next level.. not at all value for money .. I am a big fan of sarvana Bhavan .. but this one is really bad... They serve you ice cold food... Staff is good... But the taste...

Me and my wife visited after a theatre visit for some post theatre curry and this was a huge disappointment! We went having visited both Tooting and Wembley branches which’s the pretty decent, and hard to believe is part of the same group. We asked...

This is one the worst restaurant that I have visited in London. This restaurant only works because of it location. Understaffed. No one bother to ask us for seating for 10 Mins as no one to greet at the reception. Few guest actually left after...

We are visitors from USA. Ordered 8 different times. Each item is so delicious. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. Customer Service is great. Served with smile 👍

A hidden gem near trafalgar. Great dosa. Can work a little more towards customer service. Like at least saying a thank you when customer compliments on a dish.

A group of 12 of us visited one work lunchtime. Mixture of vegetarian starters - the paneer, aloo and samosas were especially delicious. We then got a range of main dishes to share - curries, masala dosa, onion and masala dosa, idly etc. all very...

Great place, took my mother who had been to one of the other branches in India. Quick service, lovely food, very busy...not gourmet or high class but just down to earth good quality real food.

Most of the people had ordered thali so we decided to go for 1 with this and the other one another distinguished Indian dish. The food was mediocre. I uploaded some photos from that night.

Found this place by accident in the rain, looking for somewhere to eat ... what could be better, a curry house ( we thought). Omg, this is not standard tikka masala and rogan josh English dishes. This is authentic southern Indian food. We first visited...

Been here many times. This week the food was exceptional. The best Dosa I've had and I have travelled in India a lot. A truly real authentic south Indian vegetarian restaurant. I will visit more regularly.

Baby corn Manchurian is good. We ordered mysore masala dosa and mysore dosa and both were so soft and soggy. All masala dosa is supposed to be crisp including Mysore masala dosa. Just spoiled the meal.Service is ok, food presentation is good. Hence 2 stars.

Excellent idli and masala dosa. Asked for extra chilliest and they delivered. Basic food cooked exceptionally well.

Have visited a few of these around the world and looking for a good south Indian veg fix. Was not disappointed. The special thali was as good as expected, and the service was friendly and prompt. Prices not too bad for the Thali (considering location)...

My friend took me here and the place was jam packed with customers. I was probably the only non-Indian in the place. The food was exceptional, highly enjoyable. I understand some people may not be impressed with the service, but the place was very very...

After a show of Harry Potter, we were roaming in Leicester Square - to find this rather prominent name in South Indian food. It is also interesting that in Delhi, while this brand has top quality outlet and service, it is not so in South...

I thought I would try it even though I had read some reviews about the service. After a wait for more than an hour of finishing the food they brought the food of my son. Food is also below average. Pls don’t go with reputation...

The Leicester location of Sarvana Bhavan is the worst restaurant we ever went to. It has extremely poor service and long wait times, even when they are not busy. It appears they want to create a hype about the place by making people wait outside...