Travelers Thali House

I love this place! They have delicious food, and it’s fairly affordable. Everything they make is great. And you feel great after eating it, so healthy. Super authentic, perfectly spiced. Nice atmosphere too. In a house!

Healthy, vegetarian, Indian food. Nothing special. Not sure if I will go back but I am glad I tried it. I recommend it for vegetarians.

Stumbled upon this lovely restaurant and I am glad I did. Very authentic Indian home cooked food! The thali comes with various side dishes, rice etc. — think of it like a bento box. Will be coming back here for sure!

This placed introduced me to the wonderful cuisine that is Indian vegetarian thali. I loved the experience so much that I now regularly bring my friends here, especially those who are vegetarians.

Thali is not a common dish in Indian restaurants, so my disclaimer is that I’ve only been able to order it a few times… But on this occasion I was in heaven. We started with samosas and masala dosa, then three of us shared a full thali. We all had different favourites, but rest assured than every dish was wiped clean, and some of them were argued over. Thali is vegetarian by nature, and there was not one moment that I was missing meat. We finished with chai tea & a mango lassi. The chai was spicy and the lassi was rich – we left stuffed and happy.
Service gets a 3 star-​there was one guy and a packed house. Ambience is a bit funky, but the food is so good you won’t be looking away from your plate.

Price is costly and not a pure authentic food. Safes are not Indian. I think the restaurant is made by some people who are inspired by Hindu culture.

Food is not value for money. Portions are very small and taste wise also it’s not good.

The food was good but the chapati was frozen. Dal and sabji were good but the quantity for the price paid is limited. The service and ambience was good but food could have been better for the price.

Over hyped place. Okay i agree they had good service and good ambience but food was average. The amount you pay and food you eat should be balanced. Frozen chapati and average sabzis. Was disappointed with this place.

Amazing welcoming and warm atmosphere, beautiful art all over and exotic music to set the mood for an authentic and healthy meal. Many vegan options, the food is fresh, incredibly flavorful and healthy.

We ordered the deluxe thali. It was a perfect amount for my bf and i. Lots of different, tasteful dishes! We will definitely be coming again!

Hands down !! Food here is one of a kind, I have tasted many Indian food in Seattle, but, this place is one and only authentic home made Indian food.
I highly recommend this to everyone. Especially for Indians who miss home food.
Best thing to try is Thali and their special chai. You will feel rejuvenated after eating this.

We got to this place at 8:25 pm on a Saturday. It was not very crowded. But no one bothered to serve water until 8:40. At which point I got up to tell them that we are ready to order. We ordered by 8:45. But our food only started trickling in by 9:20 and it was 9:30 by the time the last person on our table got their food. So a good 45 minute wait. Strangely, our server didn’t think it was important to give us any explanation/​updates let alone apologize for it. Their cashier lady did stop by to assure us that we will eventually get our food. But even she was remotely apologetic and thought it was ok to joke about it instead.
Was the food worth the wait? No not at all! Here’s what we ordered:
Masala Chai: It was cold and nothing even remotely close to authentic. Having grown up in north India, I know what masala chai tastes like.
Janta Thali with a side of garlic naan: It was by far our least favorite. It is strange because we thought it was their speciality.
Despite all the wait they still forgot the naan but brought it later. It was clearly a frozen naan so not sure what took them so long.
Masala dosa: It was ok but nothing to write home about. It was pretty cold and cold dosas are no fun.
Bhel puri: It was way too tart for anyone’s taste. I know it is supposed to be tangy but it was sour to the point that it was difficult to eat.
Pakoras: They were not bad.
Gol Gappa: These were actually excellent and the only thing I might consider going back for but not sure if I’d be up to the challenge anytime soon.

Lived on Beacon Hill my entire life — HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE.
The pakora with the variety of vegetables is super delicious. My dude said it «was the best onion ring ever,» so take this into consideration: it’s like curry tempura! The mango lassi was on point, and everything in the thali was super good. We went during a warmer month, so we had a watermelon curry and some creamy salads that were super yummy.
The bitter pickle was quite shocking though, a warning about that would’ve been nice.
We sat outside and the waiter was very nice, informative, and punctual. :)

Really really great food, everything very flavorful, and I love the Indian pickle! The waitstaff are friendly, if a little eccentric, and it’s always hard to tell how much food you should get. I love this little neighborhood spot. It’s like eating amazing food in someone’s living room with a temple wall. I call it the Indian Pickle Temple.
Sometimes they have these little fried shell things filled with tangy salty juicy juice – you pop the whole thing in your mouth all at once, otherwise when the shell cracks all the juice spills out. It’s like an Indian gusher.

For the record, I am most assuredly NOT a vegetarian… but this place sure could make me one. Travelers Thali House is a secret little gem on Beacon Hill that certainly warrants a visit — or two!
WHO SHOULD GO: Adventurous eaters, Anthony Bourdain.
WHO SHOULDN’T GO: Anyone who MUST have meat, people in a hurry, FOX ‘News’ watchers.
THE ROSES: Situated in a old house on Beacon Avenue, TTH exudes a very relaxed vibe. The restaurant features tables both inside and outside; the latter being a treat on nice Seattle summer days! The staff is friendly and do a good job. But the main draw is the food. I ordered the Deluxe Thali, which is the most expensive item on the menu at $ 24, but offers a large selection of dishes to enjoy, along with bread, dessert, and a drink. The flavors are wonderful, and they appear to use very high quality produce and spices. Another standout dish is the Kheer (Indian rice pudding). Unlike many restaurants, it’s made from scratch, and fairly bursts with sweet, creamy, saffron-​infused goodness. The restaurant also features a small market of Indian foods, sweets, and other products.
THE THORNS: The neighborhood is slightly on the sketchy side; gentrification is just starting to get this far south, and as dusk fell, there were a few sketchy characters about. I would not recommend women walk around here alone after dark. Service and pacing is verrrrry relaxed. I’m not going to say they’re slow, but let me just say this is not an ‘eat it and beat it’ kind of place. Relax and go with the flow. As other Unilocalers have noted, the dishes aren’t particularly hot (I mean spicy hot). I’m not saying they’re bland, but you don’t have any of the really hot spicy dishes. For some, this may not be a bad thing, as you still have plenty of flavor, if not the heat. Garlic naan didn’t seem terribly fresh either; not stale, mind, but since I’ve been to some Indian restaurants that make it a point to keep naan coming out of the oven fresh and hot, this is a bit of a letdown.
NEITHER ROSE NOR THORN: The clientele bring TTH to the very edge of being a cliché, making you wonder if you’ve stepped into a set from «Portlandia». TTH attracts a lot of Indian diners (a good sign), though I did get a chuckle at the young Indian fellow who answered a call on his
–issued phone (how could I tell? the phone had a huge
logo on the back!). The rest of the clientele is pretty much your standard natural-​fibers wearing, Tevas-​shod ‘Free Tibet’ types. But the food is still great!
THE VERDICT: Travelers Thali House is a real neighborhood gem, and features food good enough to draw adventurous diners from beyond the Beacon Hill area. I strongly recommend this restaurant.
TOP TIP: Bring an Indian friend to help walk you through how to eat the Thali dinner. Some of the condiments were still a mystery to me. If you don’t have an Indian friend, by all means go out and make a few. It is good to have friends from different cultures and backgrounds just on General Purposes; it makes you — and the world — a better place!

This was a great restaurant find and feel at home when we visit. The different monthly thalis are delicious. Originally we found Travelers Thali looking for a Nepalese Restaurant in Seattle. We fell in love with Dal Bhat, the Nepalese staple dish, while taking on the Annapurna Trail. Long story short, all restaurants in Seattle labeled as «Nepalese» are definitely not.
Travelers came up on a Google search for «Dal Bhat» and the rest is History. We fell in love with Travelers at first dosa plate. It’s crispy with the right thickness and crunchiness. The potato masala dosa filling is just delicious.
We try their monthly thalis (always delicious), the dosa plate, and the rice bowl.
I have traveled quite a bit, and for 2+ years had South Indian food for every meal while attending university, and since then, I have not had that wonderful feeling of eating an Indian home cooked meal… that is, until we discovered Travelers.
The presentation of every thali and dish is beautiful and colorful. Clearly every dish is made with care. We really enjoy eating here.
P. S. My husband and I know that Travelers is a treasure.

Traveler’s is back with a bang in April.
If you haven’t been to travelers the must haves are
— the thali which rotates every month
— the pani puri which is the best you get in the Seattle area
— the saffron kheer
— the gulab jamun
Also, the service is really slow on crowded days (lunch/​dinner on weekends etc) so pick an off day for a more pleasant experience.
This month’s thali is rather good. After a disappointing February (and I missed March)
— The dal is excellent, I love the hint of lemon
— The raita is good
— The Aloo Methi is good too. Cooked like they would in India
— The Sindhi Kadhi is okay. The okra was undercooked.
Overall, April is a fine month to visit. Go now.

The Travelers Thali House is yet another charming gem to neighborhood of Beacon Hill. The moment we arrived, I couldn’t stop boasting about the way it made me feel; far way and homey.
Far away, because of all of the ethnic Indian and Nepalese décor, the large fireplace, the large wooden table, a small grocery section and statue of Ganesh in the corner, etc. It was so Kathmandu-​esque.
Homey because for one, it is in an actual house and it’s so cozy!
The ethnic décor aside, this is probably the most authentic Indian food I’ve ever had. They were so delicious and healthy and the spices weren’t overpowering.
So a thali is a meal made up of a selection of various dishes. I learned that their thali menu changes monthly. In general, a thali usually comes with different types of breads such as roti or naan and different vegetarian specialities. We ordered the delux thali. Didn’t know what we were getting at all, but they were all terrific. I really liked the stirred asparagus, carrots and bell peppers. The delux thai also comes with a delicious chai. The must have though is the Samosa Chaat appetizer. The mashed pastry is covered with homemade cilantro, chutneys and yogurt and it was the best entrée of the night.
Welps, looks like I found my go to Indian food place!

I love coming to Traveler’s because I can try new things – things I don’t/can’t make at home. And since every month is a different menu, I’m constantly expanding my food horizon. I do enjoy some months more than others but it’s always such a treat to taste the combination of spices with the fresh ingredients they use.
I especially like their mango lassi. They sprinkle with spices that other places don’t and it makes it that much more exquisite.
A deluxe thali can really fill you (and a friend) up. I tend to order a la carte because I don’t care for the pickles, four pieces of melon, and dessert. But if you’ve never been, it’s fun to enjoy that big spread of food.
Come with some patience as it could be a wait to sit, order, and then to receive your food. You can always browse the grocery section or admire the artwork to pass time!