Good vegetarian Indian food

I have a vegetarian friend who's coming to Chicago and wants to go to a good Indian veg place. A few years back I used to go to the Udupi Palace, which was pretty good, but it's been a long time. I see mixed reviews of other places like Uri Swati (e.g., masala dosas but NO COCONUT CHUTNEY). I'd appreciate any recommendations from people who have dined in these places. Thanks!

I have enjoyed both Udupi Palace and Mysore Woodlands (2548 W Devon Ave) in the past year

Smassey wrote:I have enjoyed both Udupi Palace and Mysore Woodlands (2548 W Devon Ave) in the past year

These are my go-to places also.

Although not vegetarian, GNR winner Khan has a way with vegs. You pretty much can't go wrong w/any of them, although dal fry, chana, aloo palak and bhindi are my standard orders. The aloo paratha is excellent as well.

Jazzfood wrote:Although not vegetarian, GNR winner Khan has a way with vegs. You pretty much can't go wrong w/any of them, although dal fry, chana, aloo palak and bhindi are my standard orders. The aloo paratha is excellent as well.

I agree that the vegetable, bread and rice dishes at Khan are great but also, it's Pakastani (not Indian), which may or may not be a consideration for the OP.

=R=

I used to love the low-key and inexpensive Annapurna back in my college days, but I have only been back once or twice in the last few years. Prices were higher after a remodel, but still pretty cheap, but still tasty.

Does your friend want to go to a place that serves exclusively Vegetarian food or a place that also has good vegetarian food?

Totally vegetarian: Your choices are Udupi and Uru-Swati. Mysore is not really authentic tasting. Annapurna, Kamdar Plaza and Sukhadia are chaat places that also do dinner type food on the side. Arya Bhavan always disappointed me whenever I tried that place. Udupi is pretty good as they have South Indian, North Indian and Indo-Chinese vegetarian. I have never eaten the North Indian and the Indo-Chinese at Udupi as I always get their South Indian stuff, which is really good. Uru-Swati has Chaat + South Indian + North Indian. Again, I have not tired the South Indian stuff at Uru-Swati as I usually get the chaat and North Indian stuff here, which is done well.

If you want to go to a regular restaurant that also serves Vegetarian; I like Viceroy, Tiffin and Nepal House. The Pakistani restaurants like Khan, Sabri, Usmania etc are not vegetarian friendly, in that they have some vegetarian dishes but the restaurant does not put a whole lot of effort into it.

Indianbadger wrote:The Pakistani restaurants like Khan, Sabri, Usmania etc are not vegetarian friendly, in that they have some vegetarian dishes but the restaurant does not put a whole lot of effort into it.

In the case of Khan in particular, I couldn't disagree more. They do an outstanding job with their vegetarian dishes.

stevez wrote:

Indianbadger wrote:The Pakistani restaurants like Khan, Sabri, Usmania etc are not vegetarian friendly, in that they have some vegetarian dishes but the restaurant does not put a whole lot of effort into it.

In the case of Khan in particular, I couldn't disagree more. They do an outstanding job with their vegetarian dishes.

Not speaking to their effort, but notwithstanding the excellent portion size, their limited vegetarian dishes don't really make it a good fit for this request (saag is mediocre, daals are good but more oily than most), IMO. Vegetable Biryani is about the only thing they may do better than an equally priced alternative.

If the location and price fit your parameters, Tava in Morton Grove should receive consideration. Not pure vegetarian a la Uru Swati (okay, too low flavor for me), but their vegetable dishes are as good, or in most cases better, than what a given top tier Devon place (eg Tiffin) can put out.

TAVA Fresh Taste of India
7172 Dempster St
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 966-8282

stevez wrote:

Indianbadger wrote:The Pakistani restaurants like Khan, Sabri, Usmania etc are not vegetarian friendly, in that they have some vegetarian dishes but the restaurant does not put a whole lot of effort into it.

In the case of Khan in particular, I couldn't disagree more. They do an outstanding job with their vegetarian dishes.

The selection is really limited. Moreover, I always feel that their Vegetarian Dishes are cross-contaminated with meat. I have been a vegetarian all life and I always feel a taste in their vegetarian dishes that seems 'off' to me. It could simply be the smell of cooked meat in the air that is coloring my judgment; but if someone is a vegetarian and wants to go to a vegetarian restaurant; I would NOT take them to Khan.

BTW, when I want to introduce people to Indian Food, I almost always take them to Khan. That is probably the only times I have eaten there; and I have never liked any of their vegetarian dishes.

EDIT: A couple of mispelled words.

I think you can count on a certain amount of cross-contamination at just about any restaurant that is not strictly vegetarian. We don't know for sure if the OP wants a vegetarian restaurant or vegetable dishes so, suggestions for either are probably useful, especially if someone other than the OP wants to reference this thread in the future.

I've never had a chana masala in town that I liked more than Khan's version, and I've had dozens. Who knows . . . maybe it's tainted with meat and that's why it tastes so good!

=R=

I'm a big proponent of Uru Swati. Everything on the menu is vegetarian so your friend will have a ton of options and their food is delicious.

Plus you can get a 2-ft. dosa.

gnarchief wrote:Plus you can get a 2-ft. dosa.

Dosa at GNR Uru Swati