Saravanaa Bhavan in Köln

Mannerless staff especially their waiter named Dev, passing racist comments on us. Regret going here and would not recommend anyone to visit here. Had a really good time at their Frankfurt restaurant but in Cologne we had to deal with a pos waiter named Dev.

Staff and special manager surjit singh Worst behaviour

Sarvana Very nice hotel Food is very tasty and hotel hospitality too

Lovely South Indian Good, Must Try…

Yummy food and very good service

So tasty food i loved it. Service and quality top notch.

Experience is just awesome. The food makes you home away from home…loved it.

Fantastic food. Texture of food imitates south india in Europe indeed!!

Absolutely yummy food especially Dosa , so crispy

Amazing food, with prompt service. The taste is same as always. Very happy.

One of the worst experiences I have ever had. The staff over here is completely classist and racist, they don’t know how to talk and think as if they are serving for free. One of the staff was continuously making classist and racism remarks towards us. We had to walk away in the middle of our meal

Worst attitude and service. They behave like they don’t need customers. We were 10 people and they were absolutely rude by in taking orders as well as when they made mistake. They did not let us finish our already ordered meal as well. We ordered for jain food but they were totally clueless about what food is available in jain or and what is not. And on top of that they behaved as if they are doing a favour. Only 2 out of 6 orders came on the table and while eating the same, they suddenly informed that they don’t have jain stuff further. And on top of that they were not trying to settle matter but they were trying to cover up their mistake of not providing the required jain stuff. My suggestion is stay hungry but don’t go to Saravana Bhavan!!

Very tasty food and reasonable prices. No matter what you eat there, it's always something unique. I'd go back again and again!

We are travelling for Interzum fair at cologne, but want to share feedback of sarvana bhavan, We had gone on Sunday 18 May and enjoyed food, we went yesterday 21 May but were provided wrong orders and cold food BUT the team accepted their mistake and apologized so we were ok TODAY 22 MAY WAS BLACK DAY THE MOST HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE IN MY 30 YEARS OF TRAVEL, FOOD THAT WAS PROVIDED YESTERDAY OR SUNDAY THE SAME WAS DENIED TODAY, THE TEAM TALKED RACIST, THEY SAID FOOD IS OVER DEV THE STAFF WAS THE WORST GUY EVER MET DONT EXPECT THIS FROM SARVANA BHAWAN REALLY DISAPPOINTED AND SINCE WE WERE WITH KIDS DID NOT WANT TO PURSUE IT OTHERWISE TODAY MATTERS WOULD HAVE ESCALATED

Authentic Indian restaurant. Great south Indian food Dev is very good and serving with smile Indian food. He alsi is very cooperative and suggest new cuisines as per need. Overall great experience

Super experience and great taste Delicious Indian food Gem of a place Nice to have Dev at the restaurant who serves food with smile and always happy to suggest and cooperate. Will definitely recommend to all

Very average. Food not great. Specially North Indian food is not great. Highly priced and not value for money. All gravies will be same.. Only change of vegetable. Tasteless food. Bland is the word rather. Just that it is totally vegetarian and only veg restaurants are difficult to find around. So..

Very nice experience, delicious food, authentic south Indian and also very good north indian food Dev at the restaurant provided great customer experience and service and he took care of us during of meals. He is very nice smiling and always happy to serve any requirements

"Sarvana Bhavan Köln - Very Bad Experience " I regret that I went here. The experience was terrible. We ordered Panjabi dishes and specifically requested them to be spicy, but they weren't prepared to our liking. The rice quality was also very bad. To make matters worse, the service was lacking. We weren't provided with plates, and when we requested them, the staff seemed dismissive and unfriendly. Their attitude implied we were trying to take advantage of free food, which was unwarranted and rude. I also ordered Lassi, but they forgot to bring it. Even after reminding them three times, they questioned whether I had actually ordered it, which was frustrating. It seemed like they were understaffed, which might have contributed to the poor service. Overall, I feel like I wasted my money. I wouldn't recommend this place."

Best Indian food I had outside of India. Will definitely come back. Dosa to die for. 😍🇮🇳

Auténtica y sabrosa comida del sur de la India (probamos ociosamente, sambar, pongal, dahi vada, papad, gulag jamun). Pulgares arriba, recomendar para familias y amigos para una buena comida genuina. Personal amable

Very welcoming and fast service 🙏🙏🥳

Wonderful place near Neumarkt, fantastic vegetarian food

Disastrous service and no Indian food. Something like that shouldn't be called saravana bavan. That was pathetic. You can tell that the location in Cologne Heumarkt specializes in drunk guests. They don't care what they eat to prevent vomiting. But at the price I expect at least reasonable service. A shame for Indian hospitality.

“I had a fantastic experience at Saravanaa Bhavan in Cologne! The dosas were crisp, the sambar was flavorful, and the service was warm and efficient. It's a perfect spot if you're craving real South Indian food. The ambiance was clean and inviting, and the menu had great vegetarian options. Highly recommend for anyone who loves Indian cuisine!” 💯

Excellent food and excellent staff. Enjoyed the vibes and music. Very tasty food and definitely recommend to visit if you crave indian food.

First of all: the food was okay. Unfortunately the service wasn't good. We only received a children's chair after the second request. Unfortunately the food was not served at the same time. And the drinks came so late that we wanted to give them back, but that wasn't accepted because there would have been so much to do. When we asked for containers to pack, they completely ignored it, so we left it behind. Unfortunately we won't be coming back here again.

We visited the Cologne branch twice, and while the food is good, the service and management definitely need improvement. The staff weren’t particularly friendly, and we had to wait to be acknowledged and seated, even though the place wasn’t very busy. It felt like the staff prioritized their own tasks over attending to customers. One time, we received the wrong order – could be an honest mistake, but still something to note. Also, the men’s restroom was out of tissue paper, which gave off a bit of a careless impression. Food-wise, it’s good if you’re in the area and craving South Indian food, but the experience doesn’t compare to the Frankfurt branch.

Very unfriendly waiter. I asked nicely if I could go to the toilet. You would think that it is now normal to be able to go to the toilet anywhere. He rejected me very rudely and said only for guests. I then went to Sausalitos and luckily it wasn't a problem to go to the toilet! 🙏🏼

The waiter was very rude , the waitress was kind

I regret to share my view and re view about this restaurant. As being a fan of Indian food, I try to find Indian restaurants around me. One my Indian colleague recommended me this restaurant and I went with my friend, unfortunately they don't have much of what they offer on the menu. They usually say, it is finished even in the mid day, means they are not in the mood to serve it. On first visit a year ago, my friend fell sick after eating, I didn't get what I want and the waiter pushed me to take something that I didn't want to take. He tried to be friendly with me by speaking urdu and taking advantage of it as a business. It was clearly unprofessional behavior. On that day it was working day of the week and they mentioned that they had some menus only for weekends. Almost a year later, today I went on weekend, I didn't find what I ordered. They simply excused that it has finished at 4 o clock, wow. Then they brought something, but was not fresh, even seemed from yesterday. This time I was with another friend and I was really disappointed because my. Friend couldn't eat the meal. I honestly and kindly request the managers to offer the menu they really have fresh of the day. I am talking about the köln one, near haupbhanhof

I had ordered channa bhatura. The food was too oily and not up to the mark anyway. Really disappointed, was expecting so much more.

Great all vegetarian menu, amazing service, great food

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!

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.

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.

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.

Very nice food service and ambience.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

Good food. But tea and coffe are bad.

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.

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.

Authentic Indian taste at the heart of Cologne!

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

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.