Samudra Vegetarian Restaurant & Chaat House

Loved the Dosas and chaat. Also had surprisingly good northern Indian curry for a place that at first seems focused on southern Indian food (we had the great malai kofte). Prices are great (even for a giant flying horse beer) the service was friendly and prompt. I recommend you come to a place like this in Jackson Heights and give Jackson Diner and Indian Taj a breather.

Best Indian food I’ve ever had! We were introduced by a friend, and we came back 2 weeks later lol. Everything is good on the menu, love the Masala Dosa and the Okra dish! Delicious and cheap love love love

Super sweet place. Food is really tasty and staff is super sweet and attentive. We only ordered chaat, but everything was very fresh. Can’t wait to try an entrée.
Décor is not its strong suit so if you’re looking for ambience, this is not the place. That said, the food makes up for it and based on the diversity of customers and how busy it was, the ambience is hardly an issue. Will definitely come back.

When I’m in Jackson heights — the hub of ethnic food (especially Indian/​Pakistani) I expect to have a good meal. This meal was just average. We ordered the cheese uttapam and butter masala dosa along with mango lassi and masala chai. The cheese uttapam was ok (a bit plain) and the butter masala dosa was average also (slightly better than the uttapam). Not quite sure about the buttery consistency of the crush of the dosa but the potato filling was certainly lacking some flavor. The mango lassi was quite nice but the best part of the meal was definitely the masala chai.
I wont be back but this place isn’t awful — just have had much better South Indian food elsewhere.

I order something different every time I go and I’m always blown away by deliciousness. I’ve eaten Indian food all over the world (sadly not India, yet) and Samudra is one of my favorites. The staff is kind and attentive. Other points of mention, the unassuming décor, or lack thereof, followed by a wallop of culinary prowess tickles me everytime. Eat here, go now. You deserve it.

Unfortunately this place has gone down hill in the last 12 months. The flies in the food might explain the health inspection grade too! The food tastes okay, and they are trying, but there are plenty of better alternatives in the area for food, service, atmosphere and definitely hygiene. Based on the declining experiences I won’t return.

The sambhar vada was pretty spot on. The masala dosa was very good too. Although, I would have preferred a bit more fermented and a bit more crispier. The filing could take a little more bells n’ whistles (mustard seed, onions, etc.).
Overall a decent choice of classic indian fare prepared correctly with tasty outcome.

Just had an amazing brunch here. The batata dahi puris are excellent!
I’d also recommend the spinach dosa.

Wow !!! Too good Idlis. And sambhar is way too good. And the chutney is as good as it gets in NYC. I am lucky to have this place close to home. And the owner’s wife is very attentive and helpful.
Idlis are soft and vada is crispy. Just like I like it.

I savored my lunch at Samudra, a quiet south Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights that takes you away from the hubbub of Manhattan. I ordered the spinach dosa and was stuffed before I could finish my plate. They don’t skimp on the filling (woohoo meeting my vegetable quota!) and are very attentive with making sure your water glass is always full. Trust me, you will need the water because some of the dips that accompany the dosa are spicy. The restaurant owners were also very friendly, thanking each patron as they left, and their warm hospitality contributed to the overall charm of the restaurant. I’d much rather come here than a loud, crowded Indian place in Murray Hill.

I miss having coconut in my food and love their Dosas, it’s not only delicious, it’s simply mind blowing!
Love the staff, they are very friendly, making sure everything is alright, especially Giri takes good care of everyone. Excellent service and amazing food!
Worth every penny you spend! Go for Dosas for life peeps!

Ive been here multiple times. The food is always great & nicely cooked.
This time i went with an elderly couple at around 9:15pm and I know they close at 10pm so I was worried if we woukd have time to eat properly. They respectfully asked us to order quickly. The staff was patient while we finished our meal and left at about 10:10pm. We didnt feel rushed to eat. Sometimes small things make a big difference.
We had masala dosa & vegetable vindaloo. Yumm.
The plain dosa is great coz it comes with no-​onion sambhar… so in case anyone doesn’t like onions that’s good too.
I highly recommend the place whether it is simple daal-​rice or chaat food.

I’m not big on eating vegetables (unless it’s potatoes or of the fried variety), but I absolutely LOVED the food here. It was a definite nice change of pace from eating the typical Indian buffet fare (and I do love me some Indian buffets).
Walking distance from Jackson Heights/​Roosevelt St. (but a little out of the away from the street), the service was decent, the décor left a lot to be desired, but I wasn’t really there for the atmosphere.
I would and have definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for something a little different as far as typical/​mainstream Indian food is concerned.

No no nooooo.
The customer service is almost uncomfortably awkward. It would be better if the staff just didn’t even try; but they try to be somewhat attentive and then make you feel like you are somehow imposing. I’ve come twice, and had the same level of awkwardness both times. The second time we felt rushed out, though the restaurant was practically empty and it was still early in the evening.
The food variety and quality is mediocre.
We had the samosa chaat– because it was the only chaat that had yogurt. There was very little yogurt, and the taste and textures were fine but not fun and exciting as chaat should be. The diced tomato and onion were quite fresh though, adding flavor to the dish. There were only about 5 chaat options in total.
We also ordered the idli and vada combo. The idli was weirdly a little dry on the outside. The vada was fine, if a little greasy. I did not like the accompanying sambar (too chunky and bland), coconut chutney (too watery), or red chutney (weird aftertaste).
The dosa was okay– no comparison to saravana bhavan. The plain dosa was too crisp, couldn’t properly break off, fold, or dip it. Every time I tried to break off a piece, I felt like I just created a bunch of dosa crumbs. No fun. The sambar that came with the dosa had a better texture, but was still bland.
I cannot recommend this place. Still looking for a go-​to South Indian joint in Jackson Heights (happy with Saravana Bhavan for Manhattan).

The food must be good to eat at the restaurant, but takeout is another story. May be the nature of the food, or just that they don’t care much if you’re not there to criticize the food, but everything from the Dosas to the bhel poori to the chat to the Pav bhaji was soggy.
And the grossly unchopped onion in the bhel puri just go to illustrate my point further.
Also, when I went to pick up my order, the owner gave me some serious attitude. I don’t know what it was I did to piss him off, but he just pointed to my bag at the far end of the counter after I was done paying. Whatever, man.

We stopped in here for an afternoon snack today. The interior is nice, the seats are comfortable, and the service is great.
We tried the Bhel Puri and Rasmalai (one of my favorite South Asian desserts).
The Bhel Puri seemed to be a type chaat, which was a very good blend of various flavors and textures, especially with the addition of imli chutney (tamarind sauce).
The Rasmalai was also good, but it was on the thicker and sweeter side than I am used to.
Their Dosas look delicious. I would definitely consider going back to try their Pani Puri and Dosas.

I took my mom here for lunch as a trial run for our trip to India next year. I have to say I am SO thrilled to find a place that serves both South and North Indian food and does both well!
We started with the obvious choice, a mango lassi to share and some plain idly. The rice idly are perfectly soft and fluffy and you get two enormous idly with the sauces and broth for only $ 4. Total steal. The lassi was sweet and thick and exactly what you want on a warm summer day. Loved it. My mom was a huge fan too, I think she sucked down most of it before I even got a chance to taste it.
For our meal I went a little overboard and ordered two northern dishes and a dosa, probably because I was so excited. We had the mattar paneer, the baigan bharta, and the masala dosa. The dosa was deeeeelish, Nice and crispy at the edges, just enough filling on the inside (though the potatoes were a tad cold). It was enormous and lovely and totally worth it.
Both the mattar paneer and baigan bharta were out of control tasty. They had that perfect blend of spices where you know you’re tasting something unique that you can’t quite put your finger on, that if it had been left out would have made for a totally flat dish. Both were creamy without feeling heavy and so fragrant and flavorful, my mouth is watering just remembering. We ate the leftovers for two days!
I couldn’t have been more pleased with the dishes, and I only hope that if I want to order something spicy next time that it will live up to the other dishes. I can’t wait to go back.

Now I’ve had my fair share of South Asian cuisine, my favorite Indian restaurant is in Bay Ridge and another on the East Village where I’ve religiously taken newbies to school them on what Indian cuisine should taste like. Yes I’d like to think I know a thing or two! All that being said I was happy to discover that there’s a vegetarian restaurant near my new abode.
There are plenty of good Asian restaurants in Jackson Heights but I would not hesitate coming here for my cheat meals considering: (1) delicious vegetarian curries & dosas (2) great service (3) vegan options and (4) probably the best Indian restaurant within the 5 mile radius. The only thing on the menu I could live without was the samosa, it was good but wasn’t too crazy with the seasoning.
I recommend trying the palak paneer (non vegan) if your stomach can handle that much spinach. The food was filling (carbs galore) and worth all the calories/​sodium. I’m a fan for sure!
Happy Eats and Happy Unilocaling!

This place is amazing! Perhaps one of the best Dosa’s I’ve ever had! It’s crisp, buttery, and huge! The only complain I have is that I wish the potato inside had a bit more flavor to it… but I guess it makes up with the condiments it comes with (sambar, a gravy based chutney and coconut chutney, my fav was the red gravy based chutney).
We also tried the Aloo Paratha, Bhel Puri and Pani Puri. The Dosa itself was quite filling, and perhaps he best! I’d recommend sticking to it. This place is highly recommended for Vegetarians, since it’s a purely veg place.
All I can say is that, I can’t wait to go back!

There are a lot of Indian restaurants in Jackson Heights and I figured this would be a place to go to for real authentic food. I was somewhat disappointed.
I had the:
Aloo gobi (stir fried vegetables and cauliflower cooked with ginger, garlic and onions) — didn’t taste much of the Indian spices, not flavorful.
Roti — very dry and tasted rough
Samosa — not flavorful and the skin was way too thick, they tried to make a giant meatball
Mango lassi — this was $ 4, more expensive than in the city, at least it was decent, or else I would of flipped out.
FYI: It’s vegetarian, you won’t find any meat here.