Amma's South Indian Cuisine Reviews

Good location in central city, staff very helpful with menu choices. Quick service, food arrived hot and was delicious. I was going to take out, but changed my mind, and was pleased. Decor is plain, but dining room was clean and comfortable. Tables are close together, but I was limited to a two top. Food was fresh, well prepared, and excellent value. Not at all pricey.

Authentic South Indian food! On a Sunday, it had people waiting!! We had to wait for almost 15 minutes before getting a table. The inside of the premises gives you a feeling of a garage turned into a makeshift restaurant. However, the food was really very tasty. Highly recommended if you have time to wait!

There is nothing positive that I can say about this restaurant. We were served warm water (on a very hot day) and had to ask for ice. It took a very long time for a server to come to our table to take our order ( They were not busy). Our appetizer came out cold and one entree was also cold, so we had to send back two items. My husband also had to get his own plate since they had to heat up our appetizer and entree. They never gave him a new plate . The dal curry was tasteless so was the rice. No one ever came to our table to ask how everything was. They were very quick to give us our check and clear the table for the next customer. We eat Indian food often and by far this was the worst and I will never return!

We had no reservation on a Saturday night at 7:00pm and had to wait 15 minutes to get seated. I'm glad we stayed. Staff was friendly and explained everything in the menu. We ordered onion masala dosa and it was cooked perfectly- NOTE: you must like onions because they are generous with it. We also ordered lamb Thalassery and it was excellent. Give it a try, you won't be sorry. We'll be back!

Lovely atmosphere with amazing authentic South Indian food and the kindest customer service specifically from Tejaswi and Manasvi!!

The Amma location in center city Philadelphia opened relatively recently. Their specialty is South Indian food which is relatively rare in the Philly area. We drove in from the burbs and spent 30 min driving around looking for parking before having to go to a $31 garage. Not a great way to start the evening. The restaurant was very busy at 9pm on a Sat evening. We ordered a mix of items andtold the waiter to go easy on the chili hotness. He promised they would, but the food was way too chili hot for us when it arrived. The first few bites weretasty, but after that all I could feel was my tongue burning. Probably won't go back because they don't seem to be able to adjust the chili level.

This review is for the University City location. The restaurant is clean with minimal decor. The food was excellent. The bad: We had made reservations for 12 PM noon, as we were a party of 7. The restaurant was empty upon arrival but despite waitstaff standing around, no one bothered to show us to a table. Once we were finally seated, no one came to take our order for about 20 minutes. We placed our order including appetizers to make it a little quicker and easier for the waiter. The appetizers came out one by one over the span of 15 minutes. At around 12:45 the first meal arrived with no plate. We asked for plates but by the time the second dish arrived, there were still no plates. By 1 PM 4 of our party had their meals. One of our party had to go back to work, so the staff said they would bring her meal packaged up right away. They brought a plate! And then the dish not packaged up as she was leaving. It was the wrong dish. The waiter tried to argue that is what she ordered but at the beginning when they took our order, he read it back to us to make sure he got the order right. As we were finishing up (1:45 PM), they brought the correct dish all wrapped up to go, 45 minutes after our friend left. One would have to assume if you are going to lunch on a workday, that you actually have no more than an hour for lunch. All in all, I will say it was not the best experience.

Gets as close to Indian authentic cuisine as is possible, do watch out for the "hotness levels" as they are pretty peppy! The Paan is a great way to complete the meal. The decor definitely needs to be worked on as it does not do justice to the food quality. Better service stations would work towards a more hygienic feel.

We ate here on Sunday for an early dinner. We were seated right away. Started with the spinach onion pakoda and masala vadai for apps. Our entrees were chicken saag, chicken gongura and lamb thalaressi. All were plentiful and wonderfully spiced. The chicken gongura was a dish we hadn’t tried before. Although a bit spicy, it was delicious. Prices were very reasonable. Our waitress,Tejaswi J was efficient, pleasant and very helpful. Will definitely go here again when in the city.

During our stay at Philly we went there twice. The service was really good and we ordered vegetarian food only, and that was good. We had to ask to add some spice. First day they served the coffee that was little cold but next time I had asked to ensure it was warm enough and I did get as requested... everything we ordered tasted good. Table size can be improved. Tables are too small given the size of their dosa plates.. two are hard to adjust.

Sadly we were disappointed on this second visit. Dishes were served lukewarm; one dish arrived 10 minutes after the others, significantly taking away from our family meal experience. Given the unpredictable nature of this location I might not go again.

This place was recommended to my work Team by a South Indian colleague. She comes to this place with her family regularly. That speaks volumes. The food is good, and there are a number of options. They have a lunch platter which includes a sampling of different dishes. Even the coffee is served in an authentic way. It is a great look into South Indian culture.

This is the newest Indian eatery in this area. I have been here for both Lunch and Dinner, the food taste is awesome, authentic and delicious. I specially loved the Sambar here.

We've been to Ammas several times as the food is flavorful and good. Our biggest issue is the portions are very small. We ordered 3 entrees plus 2 apps for 3people to share... Entrees were 2 with chicken and 1 with shrimp. There was plenty of sauce for them but, barely any meat or shrimp. In fact the chicken tiki had potato chunks in it that we thought were chicken pieces.. This has happened each time we've been there so it's no fluke. For $17 and $18 for a small pot there should be something in them. We keep giving them a chance hoping it would get somewhat better but there's not enough food for the cost.

‼️NAGA'S SOUTH INDIAN CUISINE IS A PREJUDICE RESTAURANT‼️ This restaurant is prejudice against people of Africa and African Americans. My two sisters and I went to Naga's today 02/03/2023 for lunch. Upon entering, we were told to wait to be seated, so we did. After a few minutes, the Waiter came with three plastic generic bottles of water in his hands and we were taken to a table. He placed the bottles on the table and walked away. As I looked around, I noticed that our tabke was the ONLY TABLE IN THE RESTAURANT WITH PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES AND NO DRINKING GLASSES. SO, I raised my hand to get his attention. When he came over, I asked why didn’t he bring the glass water bottle and drinking glasses that were clearly seen on every table except ours; but he had put plastic bottles without drinkware. He had THE AUDACITY to tell me that TO TELL ME THAT in the restaurant, THERE WERE NO MORE GLASS WATER BOTTLES NOR DRINKWARE. HOWEVER, WE SAW MANY OF THE GLASS WATER BOTTLES AND DRINKWARE SITTING NEAR THE BUFFET. HOW MUCH MORE RACIST CAN NAGA'S BE? HOW DARE THOSE INDIAN PEOPLE? AFRICANS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, BE AWARE THAT THIS IS A RACIST RESTAURANT. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY THERE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE WALKED OUT WITHOUT EATING. DR. ELSPETH V WALKER

My family and I are big fans of the NJ branch of this restaurant and were very happy to find out they had opened a new location in Philly during our recent visit to Philly. The food was as amazing as the NJ location and the service was phenomenal, with very attentive and friendly staff. Amma's can compete with any dosa spot I've been to in India! Highly recommend the Mysore Masala Dosa!

Nice place. Had Dosa. StandRd fare. Well made chutneys. The plaza paneer had cut tomato sprinkled on the top. Did not like that thing. Fusion of North Indian dish with tomato is a disaster. Two chapattis cost $6 or something. lunch for two coats $51. Two dosas and palak paneer.

Loved it. Highly recommend the split bean/chickpea fritter thing that was an appetizer. Super friendly nice staff too. Told me where to get beer to bring in. Right in the middle of downtown area.

A friend and I decided to grab some Indian food though neither of us has tried this restaurant we saw it as a reflect opportunity to try it. The restaurant itself is nice and clean and a good atmosphere but the service it self wasn’t. It took more than 30mins for the food to come to the table and no one really check on us for refills or etc unless we asked for it. When the food finally came my friend and I Chicken tikka masala was simply DISGUSTING! the food had no flavor or spice to it what do ever. It tastes like a frozen TV dinner. I do not recommend that if you go to Ammas that you get the Chicken tikka masala you will be disappointed like we were and leave regretting spending the money. P.S. the only good thing that we had there was the Mango Lassi.

Food was excellent! Kind of spicy but excellent. They also were very accommodating given we did not have a reservation on a Saturday night.

Customer Service was great. They were very alert. They are a friendly staff. Great Vibes. Food was awesome. I would go back again.

Excellent - and I've had Indian food all over the U.S. and Europe. They offered a vegetarian plate that was superb, small portions of exquisitely prepared food. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, good prices as well.

The food here is authentic and absolutely delicious. The servers are attentive and friendly. I will be recommending this often and will return.

This is the place . Good quantity, authentic preparation with Indian music in the background. Must try once

Amma's on Chestnut street is an off-shoot of its main restaurant. We had read a very positive review of Amma's in the local paper so we decided to have lunch there quite recently. Since Dosa is a specialty of south Indian food that is not easily available elsewhere we decided to order two different varieties. Both dosa were freshly made and served promptly. One bite and there was no doubt about the authenticity of the food. And the taste was absolutely terrific, just the right amount of hot spiciness; not wimpy at all. The staff was excellent, polite and unobtrusive. The service was superb. We came away with the decision to visit Amma's again for an extensive dinner.

I might like Amma's more than other Indian restaurants because it is South Indian, not the usual North Indian. I have been in Philadelphia on business for more than a month and have dined here at least 6 times. Their chapati's and parotta's (sp?) are especially good. I have had the lunch tali, good, but I have preferred ordering separately. Very good have been the lamb beriani, lamb vindaloo and the masala dosa. (My spelling is probably challenged. Friendly and fairly quick service. Apparently popular with the local Indian population.

While walking around with a growling tummy on Chestnut Street, a little non-descript place tucked away between large stores seemed to beckon us. We stepped inside Amma's Kitchen not knowing what to expect. But what we were treated to was a South Indian cuisine lover's ticket to paradise. We ordered Andhra style masala idli, Royalseema dosa, bissi bele bhaat, filter coffee, masala dosa, spinach pakodas and lassi. Every single dish was a treat to our taste buds that were craving for that Indian zing ! One could right away make out that the quality of spices and ingredients used was really good. The Andhra style masala idli was dynamite spicy and should only be ordered by the adventure seekers. But delightfully delicious, nevertheless. The coconut chutney , which is best indicator of the freshness of the ingredients also scores a perfect 10 ! The lassi we had was the creamiest yummiest ever. Those who love South Indian cuisine will be over the moon at the amazing Amma's.

Excellent place for authentic close to home made dishes. Been there 3 times in one week .. it’s that good! We sat at the bar and EXCELLENT service and attention by bartender Olivia Fernandez and GM Sanjeev. Thank You both for making the visit delightful. My only critique is that I wished they had more dishes with chicken breast instead of only serving dishes that are chicken leg and thigh .

Awesome very authentic food, every item we ordered was very tasty and fresh. All staff members were very welcoming too. The only reason for 3 stars is , The trouble we got were that the parking voucher provided to us to park in near by partaking garage never worked and even after calling repeatedly no response. Finally we had to pay for parking ($30) , that was insane. This has been avoided if restaurant should have informed us.

There’s a reason why this place is busy-it’s because it’s good, really, really good. Waitstaff is pleasant and very accommodating when it comes to explaining anything on the menu. I got the chicken dosa-and it is quite the presentation! We also order chicken Vindaloo-it lives up to the spiciness that a Vindaloo should. The heat level is hardly noticeable at first, then builds. Nothing too hot, but just an all over warmth. Make sure you try the hand washer outside the bathroom before you eat-was a first for me and truly was unique! It’s a great BYOB spot.

Small restaurant and they take reservations for large parties. Good service and great south Indian food. Its such a pleasure to be at a restaurant that offers both the popular south Indian food dosa, idli and wada as well as seafood and chicken. They have great options. We enjoyed the shrimp moilee with delicious coconut sauce and pomfret fry. lassi and limca bring back memories We enjoyed the gobhi manchurian. The sizzling brownie dessert and gulab jamun was yummy too.

Fabulous authentic food and great service. We would definitely recommend the the sharing dish for a good selection of tasty dishes.

We have passed by this place many times and noticed it was always crowded, so tonight we stopped in. We are so glad we did! Every dish was even better than the last! Since we don’t have a lot of experience with Indian food, we asked our waiter for recommendations. Each dish was delicious, down to the coffee and the dessert special. Chicken Pepper Varuval & Aloo Bonda for appetizers. Then for entrees: Chettinad (so many delicious spices. Just the right amount of ‘heat’), Malabar Fish Curry (A slightly sweet dish), and Kerala Shrimp Moilee (rich, buttery flavor). Dessert was a semolina based warm dessert (on the lines of a rice pudding) with cashews and golden raisins. (Such a great comfort food). We can’t wait to come back!

Dropped in on a Thursday at 8 pm. This very simply decorated easy to find restaurant was packed with happy young adults. I told the friendly waiter that I was not hungry and he recommended their Onion Rava Masala Dosa ($13.95). It was plentiful and delicious, and came with three wonderful dipping dishes, all so tasty, one clearly spicy. Was stuffed with potato veggie combo also yummy. There is no beer here, but their Mango Lassi was superb. Room for sweet and hot Gulab Jamun, also perfect. Very efficiently run by large attentive staff. Wish I lived nearby!

Had Amma’s Dosa and a chicken curry. Nicely spiced. Service was efficient and the staff continued to watch tables for need. BYOB

When we reached this place, the typical smell itself made us gratifying for our hunger. The Thali and assorted items as well are quite tasty and affordable. I noticed many non Indians too liked the food here.

Our meetup group LEADER selected this restaurant & 10 of us showed up for lunch. After asking our waiter how hot the items were. He responded "medium" and I retorted how so? He demonstrated with his hand gesture lower. I took this to mean mildly hot. As background, I am Caucasian & I ordered the non-veg sampler. My first taste was of a quite hot sampling. Another member of our group who is Asian ordered the same item. She replied that it was mildly hot. I concluded that our ethnicity influenced what we determined was the level of burn. My mouth concluded it was a 5 out of 10, whereas the Asian diner classified it to be 3/10. The food was tasty, well portioned, & reasonably priced while the service was OK. I would return if the burn could Max out at 2.

Food was excellent. Very large portions. Quite spicy. Restaurant itself not really decorated. Friendly service.

Excellent Clean and tasty food Service needs improvement delayed on everything ordered Parking is difficult to find as it is downtown area Interiors are also decent Overall for roi just service is not that great as food

The combo meals were a sampling of fine South Indian vegetarian fare, and they were done well, though with a high degree of spiciness. One south Indian chicken dish was very spicy and came with just four pieces of meat in a large bowl of gravy. Service was decent and kind, not quite great, but you got everything you needed or asked for. Prices were very good. The restaurant was clean. There's just one bathroom for all.

I had a business lunch at Amma's and I very much want to go back, with more people, for dinner, so we can try other things. I had the South Indian meal, which is a mix of tastes. I saw loads of other things coming out that looked good.

Good, close to authentic south Indian food. After Devi in Exton area.. this one is good.... with their Thali.

This is our absolute favorite restaurant in center city. Affordable, amazing food. Our friends always ask to go here when they visit. If you haven’t tried South Indian food, do it.

If one need to enjoy authentic Tamil Nadu (South Indian) style food,this is the place in Philadelphia.The food is great.