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Mysore Cafe
Photo by Aaron Fenster
I once traveled all the way to Udupi in Karnataka, India, in search of the perfect masala dosa. (Udupi is actually the birthplace of masala dosa.) But the opening of the new Mysore Cafe in Uptown means I can find terrific south Indian vegetarian cuisine much closer to home. My own love affair with south Indian vegetarian cuisine began at the Udupi Cafe (now closed) in Columbia Heights, where I was introduced for the first time to iddly (steamed rice patties) and uttapam (a thick pizza-like rice and lentil pancake), and rasam, the hot and sour vegetable sour.
A couple of years ago, on vacation in India, Carol and I found ourselves at the Mangalore train station one morning with six hours to kill between trains. I happened to notice that the town of Udupi was only an hour away, and so we flagged down a taxi and sped off.
Mysore Cafe, 2819 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis,. Closed Mondays. No alcohol.
Udupi, it turns out, is a temple town, with a famous temple devoted to Lord Krishna, and many striking shrines and religious sculpture. We joined the pilgrims in a long line at the temple, where Krishna is offered food every day. Men were required to remove their shirts. We walked slowly past a shrine with a statue of Krishna, and then received a blessing and a sprinkling of holy water from a Hindu priest.
Afterwards, our bemused driver led us to a small cafe near the temple, where we all ordered masala dosas, enormous crisp pancakes made of rice and lentil flour, filled with curried potatoes.
The Udupi tradition of creating special foods for Krishna has given rise to a whole culinary tradition, which has made Udupi (according to Wikipedia) synonymous with excellent vegetarian cuisine.
The Mysore Cafe, named after another pilgrimage town in Karnataka, offers 16 different kinds of dosas, with fillings ranging from onions and cauliflower to spinach and paneer (homemade cheese). (From what I gather, the use of onions in a dosa isn’t strictly kosher; vedic dietary laws prohibit the use of onions and garlic.) Although most of the menu is south Indian, a limited selection of northern dishes is also offered, such as Punjabi mutter paneer (peas and cheese in a tomato onion sauce), vegetable vindaloo from Goa, and navratan dhansak, a Parsi dish popular in Mumbai. My favorites include the chilly gobi, lightly breaded cauliflower in a savory red chili ginger garlic sauce, and the bharwan baigan, stuffed eggplant in a rich and spicy sauce.
One good way to sample the variety Mysore has to offer is to order the Mysore Royal Thali ($14.99), a generous assortment of small dishes served in stainless steel bowls: choice of soup, iddly (rice patties), wada (fried seasoned lentil donuts), basmati rice, chappati (puffy flat bread), sambar and rasam, chickpea curry, pongal (a rice porridge), served with avial – vegetables in a rich cream sauce, and a dessert of payasam – a pudding of noodles cooked in milk with raisins and cashews.
Alternately, go for lunch ($7.99 weekdays, $9.99 weekends) when the buffet offers an extensive sampling of southern and northern specialties, and freshly made masala dosas are included in the price of the meal.
Portions are generous, and prices are extremely reasonable: except for the thali combination plates, nearly all dishes are under $10.
Comments
Harrowing experience of Mysore Cafe!!!
I have no words for this Restaurant’s staff. The other day me and my friends drove to this Indian Restaurent searching for some Indian food. We lost our way and the called up to the Restaurent for the direction he gave us the worst possible way so that we couldnt get in before 3 ( buffet closes at 3). Though the weather was really bad that day we managed to reach at 2:50. We had the most harrowing experience with the staff that we ever had in any of the restaurent. He literally drove us away. The food must be as bad as that staff. If you want the worst possible hospitality that you ever had in your life… check this restaurent…. the staff will be waiting there to drive you away…... I canot comment on the food since he drove me away….but for sure i will give 0/10 rating for this restaurent.
Horrible staff, driving out customers, customers leaving
Sorry to say this potentially wonderful Indian cafe has gone nowhere but downhill of late. In early Jan we stopped for dinner – no dosai, no mango lasso, no wine, no apologies. We left. A month later our son was begging for dosai again so we called up to make sure they were open and serving dosai first. However, when we got there they were out of just about everything else – lassis, wine, and good service. The dosai was burned and the sambar was cold. There were only 2 tables when we got there at 6 pm on a Sunday evening. Three other potentials came in while we were dining and all of them left before ordering. One table because the waiter never even talked to them. My husband thinks its a front for something else. Who knows? Just don’t go there. Drive another ten miles and go to Nala Pak on Central Ave. Their dosais are awesome and the service is lovely.
HORRIBLE service. Do NOT go here...
I am of South Asian origin and my husband is American, both new to the Twin Cities. We love the variety of cuisines this city has to offer, and decided to check out Mysore Café this weekend while uptown. The food was delicious—cold and old, in cases (ex: pakoras, sambar), but still delicious. That was the good part.
Service was HORRIBLE. The place was understaffed, with one Indian greeter / waiter / manager for the entire restaurant and another guy, seemingly of some Caribbean origin, helping out “from another location” (I didn’t know they had another location). He wasn’t even supposed to be there, but with his hospitality and attentiveness, he saved the night for us and many other fellow diners.
The Indian waiter literally ordered us to a table, which was unclean, and refused to seat us at either of the two clean tables right next to it when we requested. Pointing at the unclean table, he said “Please take a seat at this table, other tables are not available.” The other waiter came around seated us at a different table next to the window.
My water goblet had smears of heaven knows what on it. Before we got to take a bite out of our first course, the Indian waiter came by with the check, handed it to my husband (who was in the process of lifting his food to his mouth) and demanded we pay it right then, saying they were understaffed and he needed the bill paid. He continued to interrupt the meal repeatedly, reaching over us at various occasions, demanding something or the other while we tried to eat.
While we were standing in line at the buffet, he approached the people right in front of us who seemed to be hesitating or considering the options, barking “Do you have questions? Do you have any questions? I am asking you if you have any questions? If you don’t have questions just take your food.”
The iddlies, pakoras and poories never got refilled while we were there (approximately an hour) even though who appeared to be a chef came in to check on the status of the buffet. Sambar and korma remained cold. Korma and spicy chicken tasted the same, at least to me.
We had been craving samosas for the longest time, and the Indian waiter refused to entertain this request outright, saying it was not possible tonight—we had to come back later. When we asked the Caribbean waiter, the Indian waiter continued to grumble in the background in a most unprofessional way, saying “no samosas.” The Caribbean waiter came back to tell us later that it definitely would be possible at an additional cost, but the grumbling continued across the way.
After my husband signed the check, the Indian waiter avoided our table altogether, shooting disgusting looks in our direction the entire time we were there, and turning his back to us when he saw us leave. I don’t believe we will be returning, or recommending this place to anyone.
I've been to Mysore Cafe
I’ve been to Mysore Cafe three times now and it’s wonderful. The food is always delcious. A vegan friend I dine with is overwhelmed by the choices she has.We love the dosas. My only negative comment is that in the winter it was freezing in there, and at this time of year, they don’t seem to udnerstand the need for air conditioning. Other than that, excellent. If anyone is unsure if they want to try it, they should stand out in the alley and inhale.
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