Saravanaa Bhavan in Köln

Very tasty vegetarian restaurant, which also offers great vegan dishes. There is something for every palate. 🤤

Very spicy badly cooked Indian food. Most of the dishes are full of either fat and spice specifically chilly, garam masala and not properly prepared. Chana Bhatura was dripping with oil, they serve fast but for a table of four bring one dish at a time and rest others keep waiting. This is bad planing. We fell sick multiple times and shows poor kitchen hygiene. Think twice before you spend 50-100€ to enjoy your evening. It is not worth it and surely not recommended!!!!🙁

Completely unfriendly and without any manners!

Poor service, staff not friendly. Value for money was very low.Will I come back? No. I won't recommend it to anyone

The food was so bad!!! It had no salt, the paneer was old and had a weird taste, and when you complain, the manager comes and asks you to not drink your own water because it’s an outside beverage (really?). As per human rights I'm allowed to drink my own water! A north indian who ruins the reputation of the franchise name and treats the workers like trash, all because of the amount of people who come in after hearing the name. SHAME ON HIM!!

Lovely food and fast service but the washroom could have been a bit more clean.

One of the best Saravanaa Bhavan we visited, we went there 3 times in 4 days. Loved their food. Service could be improved a bit.

I ate with you yesterday (04/19/25) in Cologne Saravanabhavan. Unfortunately it was very bad and unhealthy (very salty). We got sick because we ate there. Your coarse ones don't use gloves and so our children have stomach aches and diarrhea. We never want to eat at your place.

We absolutely loved our visit! The waiter was super friendly and explained the dishes to us really nicely - including a recommendation as to what we should try. The food was delicious and completely vegetarian. We had the Ghee Masala Roast and the Paneer Butter Masala – both were really good and super authentic. Definitely coming back! Clear recommendation!

Authentic Sound Indian food 🙂 Must try - Mango Lassi, South Indian Thali in which Rasam was ultimate and soft inside and crispy outside Vada

Normally, our experience with Sarvana bhavan is always good thorugh out the world, but the Sarvana bhavan in cologn really disappointed us. The manager over there was very rude, pushing us to sit outside in the evening even though tables were free inside. Our 5 year old kid was shivering, and the restaurant didn't allow us to change the table and go inside. I'm really disappointed as it is focusing on making money rather than making their customer happy.

Usually crowded, but seats are available

1. No hospitality - dint let to charge the phone . 2. Taste was not up to the mark.Too much oil in food. 3. Food was not worth the Price.

I have tasted food at many saravana Bhavans across Europe and I had my worst experience at the Cologne branch. -Taste was not authentic -Food was too oily -Worst of all they served spoilt food (chutney) and I mentioned it to them twice and they carelessly ignored it.

We ordered vegetable kofta which was way too salty, Butter naan was rubbery and difficult to tear into, Thali was very bland and lacked any flavour in majority of the dishes like Paneer Sabji, Daal and Channa. Only dish we enjoyed was vegetable manchurian which was on point. Service was pretty ordinary.

Best South Indian restaurant there is across the world! Been in London, Calgary, Munich and now Cologne!😀

One of the best restaurants for having traditional South Indian cuisine. I highly recommend.

First time there but we'll be back. The food was good and tasty. The service staff friendly. There are menus in German and English (which is still the exception). The restaurant seemed clean and tidy. If you value vegetarian or vegan food, you're in good hands there

Staff was wonderful helpful kind. I asked for no spice and it doesn’t seem like they have nothing not spicy so no one ate the food. And I ordered chai to go, the cap was broken and it spilled everywhere.

I've eaten here several times and am absolutely thrilled every time. It tastes authentically like in (South) India. Service was friendly and quick, portions were absolutely sufficient.

As an Indian, it's absolutely wonderful that there's an authentic vegetarian Indian restaurant in Germany. Having previously visited many branches of Saravanaa Bhavan in the Emirates, I can confidently say this restaurant keeps up its good name here. The food was excellent, and it was much anticipated as I had a nice ghee roast. The service is also wonderful, sometimes they have busy days but they work hard and fast to get your requests out ASAP. The atmosphere is calming, which is a nice contrast and provides a break from the big crowded area of Cologne Central. I would absolutely give it 5 stars, however, it's the pricing. I do understand that it's much harder to get one's hands on Indian ingredients (the batter, for example) but the food here is insanely expensive compared to the branches over in the Emirates. It makes it a once-in-a-while meal, and that makes it a little harder to part with your favourite cuisine. Regardless, it's still one of the best restaurants to go to if you really want to try out vegetarian Indian cuisine.

Finally there is this restaurant in Cologne!! The food is very good and tasty, the service is attentive and quick. I recommend it!!

Very nice food service and ambience.

Recently went here, the food was delicious! There were a lot of people and despite it being slightly chaotic, the quality of food and service was quite good. We ordered sada dosa, ghee roast and ghee rawa dosa and all were amazing, including the sambar and chutneys. Filter coffee could be better. Given a choice, I would request the staff to play the music at a lower volume than what we experienced.

The ambience is ok but the interiors are dirty and smelly, unhygienic washroom. The furniture is dirt ridden, fabric is full of pilling and dust,just unclean...immediately after consuming the food, developed body rashes and itichinesss, blotchness.. and vomits. Staff stopped me from taking photos of the unhygienic inside of the restaurant. Food tatsted bland, perhaps because of refrigeration and of stale nature, wasn't fresh - no aroma. When discussed with the owners, the reply was pay and leave. Sheer shame.

No stars because service was really bad and even after politely asking for napkins, they said yes but ignored it, the food had been pre-cooked for a long time but wasn't warmed up properly. And dosa was still ok but the chola bhatura was a disaster. The milk tea wasn't fresh either. Already pre-cooked at least from the morning. No fresh tea.

Lots of choice, I was a bit overwhelmed 😬. But very tasty and completely reasonable in terms of price.

The Dosa was so big I couldn't finish it. But tastes just like home. 🏡

Simply Amazing- super good food and lighting fast service (even though it was quite crowded). Must try- Dosas, Kathi Rolls and Mini Idlys.

Very good vegetarian restaurant with a large selection from all over India, especially good South Indian specialties. Friendly service who doesn't speak German but only English.

Authentic South Indian food. Very tasty food. Helpful staff.

Unique experience. Perfect for people who don't always want to eat the same thing

Went in pretty last minute but they served hot dosas and vadas, filter coffee was also served right! The service was fast and nice, the food was great too.

The food and service is good, the kitchen is also authentic Indian cuisine (I can judge this because there are Muslim restaurants in a similar format in Sri Lanka that serve their dishes on a vegetarian basis), but the sanitary facilities are below any average that I have seen so far in my life. The dining experience must always be viewed holistically. It also counts that you want to visit the toilet before and after. I won't go into detail about what exactly wasn't good, but that it needs to be changed.

I come from Too Good to go, the food should be much more. I could simply order what I got using another app, but with Too Good to Go the quantity should be more. I'm disappointed 😞

If you are a fan of Indian food and a vegeterian, this restaurant has a lot of delicious and authentic dish to offer! One of the staff is really friendly and helpful. He took the time to explain the dish and make recommendation. Fortunately it was not full when we were there, so he has a bit time for our questions. I didn't get his name. The service was fast. Food was really good. I like the music too.

Ordered 2 dishes and Lassi. Paneer butter masala and Chana Bhatura were horrible. Paneer gravy taste completely off, and Chana curry tasted as if they cooked Chana just with kasuri Methi. Even the consistency of lassi was like water. What was more disgusting was that the guy was pouring Lassi out of a big while plastic bottle. I don’t know if plastic container was even Food safe. Overall spend more than 32€ on food and it was complete waste. I would not recommend anyone to go here.

Masala Dosa, Mango Lassi, Idli/Vada taste good. Enjoyed Different types of chutney including Coconut chutney. It's a Heaven for Pure Veg Eaters as it is difficult to find good South Indian food in Cologne.

Tasteless food as per cost, Only expertise in south indian dishes Not highly recommended if you want to eat other than south india.

¡La comida era buena! Pero el servicio era peor , no veo ningún tipo de modales en el personal allí, ya que un restaurante indio Ssaravanvhavan tiene una reputación, pero este lugar es una desgracia! Totalmente decepcionado

Great food, authentic, and friendly service. Music would make it top-notch

The food was tasty, but unfortunately way too spicy for me personally. I ordered a surprise bag from too good to go.

Best service Love it very delicious

Wir gehen sehr oft hier essen. Immer sehr lecker, freundliche Bedienung. Über die Toiletten kann ich nichts sagen. Bestes Naanbrot.

Ordered via “ToGoodToGo”. The dish cost €6 to take away. It was a “dough donut” with rice curry potato sauce. Unfortunately it was way too spicy, you could hardly eat it. At first it wasn't that bad but then the spiciness came through so much that it felt like everything was burning away. Too bad!

Nice location but food is not so good . Utappam and dosa was really disappointing.

We went to Saravanaa Bhavan for lunch today. The ambience is okay. The food was very tasty. The photo shows the dish Ghee Onion Rava Masala Dosa. South Indian food is cooked here, a little spicy means very spicy, if you don't like that, you should point this out when ordering. Mango Lassi and the original Indian coffee are also recommended.

Anyone who has ever been to India knows that it is difficult to find authentic Indian food in Germany. The dishes are often too sweet, too creamy or extremely buttery. However, you will find what you are looking for in this restaurant! Delicious dosa in countless variations, sambar that tastes the way it should, thali as we know and love it. The way it is served on metal trays and in bowls is also the same as I know from many family restaurants in India. The fact that many of the guests have roots in India or Sri Lanka clearly speaks for the restaurant and makes the visit even more authentic. Even the fact that the dishes are often brought to the table one after the other instead of all at the same time is somehow very typical. I went home very happy and will definitely come back when I'm in Cologne again.

Too commercialized. Very cramped place. The servers are sincere and try to make you comfortable. Food quality has gone down drastically since a year. Dosa doesn't taste authentic at all. Disappointing.

Good food. But tea and coffe are bad.

Malditamente horrible. Avoid. Nunca me sentí tan apresurado a terminar una comida. Los baños eran asquerosos. Enfermo en el lavabo. Comida caliente en lugar de caliente aunque muy sabrosa. ¡Pero picante! Ojalá no hubiéramos cruzado la puerta pero se veía increíble. Qué pena.

I visited Sarvana Bhavan with my family and honestly everything was so disappointing. It was Christmas weekend and it was very crowded. Service was pathetic, we ordered tea and they served coffee. Then we ordered paneer butter masala, but they don’t provided spoons and plates. Food was also not good. So overall, I am not visiting any of Sarvana Bhavan’s atleast for some time.

Very busy Few eat small portions Not that expensive

It is located at Heumarkt and is easily accessible. God is good as usual.

Perfect South Indian restaurant

24 Dec 2024-Lunch for two:33.7€ Mysore masala Dosa - Good Idly - Excellent Medhu vada-crisp and tasty Service: excellent Atmosphere: the music played is terrible, north Indian music. And the crowd is too loud. Wouldn't go there again.

Authentic Indian taste at the heart of Cologne!

The attached picture is Schezwan fried rice and not tomato rice😓 We ordered gobi 65 and dosa also. Gobi 65 was worse and i forgot to capture the picture, it was not cooked and some 10 florets they tried to filled up the plate. Dosa was good.

We had filter coffee and kara dosa. The service was prompt and the food was good! Much better than other saravana bhavan branches but it took them such a long time to prepare a roast that we were wondering if the delay was deliberate! Maybe meals would have been faster since we went during lunch time but still.

I went to the restaurant today and the malefront staff was really the worst ever I have ever seen. Like I am the customer but the attitude he gave and left us unattended after giving the menu card. This is not the first time this has happened and from the same person. Also, I won't complain about the food quality and the staff who served. Saravana bhavan can really afford a much better front staff as its the person who can really make a customer come in or turn away.

Delicious Food, never disappoint

Absolut erbärmlicher kundenservice Tldr: Bad Service, Average Food. Review from an Indian. The OG Saravana Bhavan in Chennai (with a bigger crowd) handles customers far better than this branch. So we reached this place with a group of 9 and a toddler. Of course, there is no system of reservation in this place so we came to the entrance inquiring whether there is a room for our group or not, hoping to have a warm lunch here on a cold afternoon. No greeting or an effortless smile from anyone from the staff. We were polite and stayed without causing any disruption to the existing customers. We were asked how many of us we were FOUR times by different staffs but no one concluded whether we should stay, or if there was any delay. They would ask and be on their way. Because I could see that people entering the place who had a fairer skin got preferential treatment I asked the person behind the bar if he could give us an indication how much more time it could take for the tables to open up, he was quite annoyed with that question and straightaway requested us as a group to move out of the restaurant. Absolutely rude and crass behaviour. If you wanted us to wait outside you should have your staff at the gate. We moved out however due to the lack of coordination within their staff’s, another person who took our count earlier let us in and we were cramped into a space next to the washroom. Food: It wasn’t great. We requested extra chutney and it took them 10 mins to fill a steel bowl smaller than the palm of our hands and bring it to us. We left after we’re done but could overhear a heated discussion between the staff and another group of customers for the really bad service.

Great food , good service and pleasant staff

Absolutely pathetic customer service, poor management, the guy who seemed to run the show and mostly at the cash desk was unpolite and rude. Food tastes below par compared to other restaurants of this chain. To say the least, we had unbelievably bad dining experience, never again!

Dosa & Idly were really good but the mains came out cold! Service was slow, staff weren’t very attentive or friendly and the toilets were absolutely DISGUSTING.

Worst place. They destroy the reputation of south indian Hospitality. They will ask indians to change tables every 5 minutes but never the white skin people. WORST PLACE

I have ordered Mysore masala Dosa and unfortunately it's just another normal masala dosa with partially cooked batter and the authenticity of Mysore dosa is completely missing.( To be honest, it's just some partially cooked dosa) Then comes the Chana Bhatura, the Bhatura is flat and cold and the Chana is Kuruma base with Chana. Then I tried the shezwan friedrice, oh my.... there is no flavor and no taste. This place is not for people who prefers authentic south Indian food. Sorry

We visited Saravana Cologne without reservation during the lunch hour. We got a corner coffee table which was pretty uncomfortable due to lack of space. We ordered Mysore masala dosa, onion rava masala dosa, idli and Vada. Idli and Vada were good. The masala (potatoes) was not the typical masala of the 'masala dosa' it was a bit watery with peas and capsicum which didn't please my traditional south indian palate much. The coconut chutney was not flavourful. Though the Sambar was nice.

Tried the paneer cheese kathi roll. The taste was good but the quantity was a little less. Also card payment only accepted above 10 euros so can be a little annoying.

They deserve nothing less than 5 stars! The atmosphere was so warm it felt like being back in India. The food was pure nostalgia on a plate. We went overboard with idli, dosa, and chhole bhature—absolutely shameless, but can you blame us? And the sambaar... pure bliss. It was a feast that left us laughing, stuffed, and planning our next visit before we even left.

One of the best South Indian restaurant in Germany. Food was very delicious

In general it is very good chain but the quality and the taste of food is slowly going down. Restaurant owners, please watch this out and try to bring back the authenticity. Will be looking forward to visiting soon.

The food was very bad , we ordered masala dosa, schezwan noodles and paneer noodels. At first we got a hair in the masala dosa, second the friedrice was like a wet rice total waste of money

Great location, great food. Really tasty food. It's not very common to have an Indian restaurant with good South Indian food. I tried Masala dosa and Mysore masala dosa at Saravanaa Bhavan, and both were authentic. They also have good filter coffee

We found this place way too expensive for veggies. The food taste was just ok! Not going again to this place.

Aneesh and team Superb Service . strongly Recommend to visit

Aneesh and team good service.stroghtly recommend to visit

Aneesh and friends served superb... strongly recommend

I had a paneer fried rice but i got a paneer upma. The worst Indian food that i have ever tried in Germany.

The food is simple 😋 👌 😌 ☺️ delicious 😋 😍 & The location is also good.

Was missing home when I came across this place and my craving was satisfied! Being a South Indian, I approve the authenticity of the food too!

We had Onion Dosa and Sound Indian meal. It’s was good. South Indian meal had poori, rice, tindli palya, rasam, sambhar, pappad etc. Filter coffee was NOT good. Service is excellent, friendly and polite.

Poor response by staff. Walked and reached all the way staff refused to serve even 30 mins before. Indians don't support Indians in foreign land how do we expect someone else support and respect us Very had experience

The dosa was soggy and overly oily, without the distinct aroma or flavor of ghee as advertised. On a positive note, the sambar was quite delicious. However, the overall experience was ruined by the behavior of the restaurant staff, particularly the manager, who was exceptionally rude and unprofessional. This is certainly not the way to treat loyal customers.

Be careful before ordering the food, their portion is hugeeee! I couldn‘t even eat half of my main course, because apparently my appetizer was so big and made me full already. I felt so bad to throw the food but yeah, maybe you better share one appetizer and so you can eat your main course nicely. But everything we ate were tasty, we won‘t complain for that. Absolutely delighted by the South Indian served at this restaurant. Located in the heart of Köln markt, this place serves delicious food. I ordered malagapodi dosa along with mango lassi. The ambience resonated with India - as they played a bunch of popular Indian music. The service was quick and Dosa was delicious. The highlight for me was the 'podi' they applied in the Dosa and the chutney(s). It was a blend of spices and garlic packed with tasty potatoes. The portion size was good and I really admire the tomato chutney they serve along with the Dosas. It is delicious! The sambar and coconut chutney were good too. Mango lassi was refreshing and worth the price. Overall, it was a nostalgic trip and a nice experience.

Delicious food. Good service and quick food. You can usually get a seat quickly. Unfortunately the toilets were like an indoor swimming pool/indoor public pool.

Good place for a fun and authentic South Indian meal in Köln. The ambience is pretty and the food is good too.

Food was a good, but coconut chutney was spoilt and they didn’t even checked before serving.

Dirty. Unfriendly waiters who offer no service other than serving orders and only speak English (not a problem for me). Even carefully selected dishes that were supposed to be mild were extremely spicy. Not suitable for children.

Nice food amazing but I feel lhad real southindian food after long time in Germany

Most rude behaviour of the waiter there.. we were sitting on a table and it was dirty which on requesting to clean it, they refused and rudely replied by ordering us to wait outside if we want a clean table.. absolutely unfriendly behaviour.. The owner should look into such behaviour and train the staff to talk to customers politely .. I would never recommend anyone to come here again. Spoiled our Diwali completely… thank you so much for the hospitality :/

They are spoiling the name of Saravanaa Bhavan. The waiting staff was completely rude. As we were being seated the person to greet us was unnecessarily rude. Then when we asked the waiter to clean the table he replied angrily to wait outside. One can say the same thing while being polite. As an Indian you don't expect someone from the same country to treat you poorly, especially on diwali, worst experience

The real taste of South Indian Food. I love it. A must visit.

A wonderful taste of India, with scrumptious food on offer. Reminded me of the very good dishes that I have had at Saravanna Bhavan chain in Chennai.

We came with our family ., really it’s worth and cost valuable . Our kids were enjoyed sambar Idly and Sambar vada . Paper Roast was awesome . All together it’s a nice one ., experience the true taste of south Indian dishes here .😊😊😊😊

Unfortunately, this is nothing more than standard. It's definitely not a bad meal - the dough and filling are really decent, but unfortunately nothing more! The service is nice, but the ambience - and this may be a very personal assessment - does not invite you to linger. The nice thing is that the platters are well arranged for sharing, but still have a bit of the charm of a cafeteria meal.

Went there spontaneously today and were thrilled with the food. Super tasty and I have never seen such a large vegetarian menu. The service was friendly and unobtrusive but only in English, which was fine for us but might be a problem for some. Since the clientele consisted almost exclusively of Indians and Pakistanis (always a good sign), this probably works very well in everyday life. However, we didn't like the fact that there is a gastro dishwasher in the restaurant itself, the passage to the toilets is hardly accessible when it's full and you see a lot of cleaning utensils on the way there such as brooms etc. For me, that doesn't belong in the guest area. Cleanliness in the toilets could be improved but ok. O. Prices appropriate for the location. Drinks around 5 euros.

We asked politely if we (my partner & I) could use the toilet for €1. We were then “kindly” pointed out a sign at the entrance that said that using the toilet would cost €5 per person. I haven't seen that before either.

We love the idly sambhar here. But otherwise not really our go to place. The service is slow most of the time.

The traditional taste of Saravana bhavan. Food is delicious; enough space inside and outside. We sat outside to enjoy the food with street views. The atmosphere is fantastic; neat and clean toilets.