Sankalp The Taste of India

This used to be a good restaurant. Now, the service and food have become very bad, especially the lunch buffet. I went there today, there were very few items in the buffet; most of the items were empty all the time; one of the toilets was out of order; the naan was not made fresh; dosa was abysmal; the service was very bad. The credit card machine was not working and they refused to accept checks. Inspite of all this, they had the nerve to charge 15% service charge since there were 6 people in our table. I will never go back there.

Since my friend is changing over to a vegan lifestyle everywhere we eat now has to cater to that which is cool it just means I no longer can pick food places. lol. So we decide to try Sankalp. We arrived around 8:45 and we were the only ones in there at the beginning. The waitress was very kind but she didn’t seem to understand the menu and there was definitely a language barrier but my friend was able to speak a little Spanish so it worked out.
I ordered the ginger tea and the french fries. I am not familiar at all with the food of India so I went for what I know. The french fries are potato wedges with some type of spicy seasoning on it. They were amazing! My ginger tea was interesting but very good. I had no idea they put milk in their ginger tea. My friend ordered the corn soup and another dish and he was pleased with both.
The inside of Sankalp is very clean. The menu is pretty extensive so it shouldn’t be a problem finding something on the menu to try. The prices were pretty affordable in my opinion. Oh and for you Vegans their cheese is not vegan. So make sure you ask about that because they don’t make vegan cheese according to our waittress.

Food was served promptly.
Tried Telangana aloo, coconut rava dosa, chettinad kurma and liked it.

This restaurant is wonderful! The food is South Indian and their menu is different from any restaurant I’ve seen. We have been there three times and enjoyed it every time. They have samosas, dosas, etc. and homemade desserts. You can choose your fillings on the dosas and they are Huge! Everything we have had has been delicious! And even if you’re not a big fan of Indian curries, I’d say give it a try because this place will change your mind about Indian food. For my next visit, I am looking forward to going there for my bday! I know that they switched owners several months ago and all of our visits have been with the new restaurant.

Service is very slow and the manager is chatting with guests while staff muddles along without his help or direction. Also, beware of cracked chinaware!
We watched the manager chat for 20 minutes with guests who had already paid for their meals. All this while the waitstaff scrambled food to tables out of order. When our order arrived it was incorrect.
Finally, we walked out without eating a thing. The manager didn’t even notice. Not going back here.

What a treat! Sankalp is a hidden gem. The food is absolutely outstanding! I have to say it is the best Indian Food in my 8 years of living in the Houston area and probably the best Indian food I have ever eaten. Everything tasted so fresh and the server took the time to explain the menu, which I must add was very well thought out with a large variety to choose from and several different tastes of India. The prices are very reasonable as well. I can’t wait to go back! I also got the opportunity to meet Nick, the owner, who is very professional and has a very caring attitude.

!!! HORRIBLE RECENT EXPERIENCE. WE JUST STORMED OUT AND WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! My experience lasted for 45 mins at the end of which I received an incorrect order.
Gave them 2 stars because of a good experience that I had there in the past. But, havent seen that server there again.
Went there last Thursday for their $ 10 special unlimited DOSA.
1. Pretty much only two inexperienced young boys as servers while the manager was chichatting with a patron for like 15 – 20 mins right next to our table.
2. We went in and ordered the drinks right away (which were served pretty quick)
3. We were ready with our food order pretty but no one came to take our order and servers were serving the patrons who arrived after us. They also got their food before we did.
4. Finally we had to summon the server from the other table. He took our order. All this happened while the manager was chit –chatting with one of the customers.
5. No food showed for atleast 10 – 15 mins on our table but it did on the tables of other people who came in after us and placed the order with or after us.
6. so the second server came and asked «are you ready to order». so when we explained the situation to him, he took our order again. We also pointed out to him about the manager’s chit –chat and he just rolled his eyes in affirmation. He left saying «I will check on your order»
7. Now the first server showed up with utensils, bowls and a jar full of sambar (but it was cracked) and no plates.
8. After 5 minutes the second server came with our food order with two things wrong (one dosa was missing and one was wrong). I said «we did not order that and where is the fourth one». and his expression was mix of confusion and as if we will have to live with what he brought. To my surprise he just left it on our table and went away. Still no plates
9. we waited for another 5 minutes to just give them a chance make this mess correct. But i guess with the manager just chilling out with some patrons. the staff just takes it easy as well.
10. I would have relaxed my review a bit if the food was really good but the food is also average at best. I have had dosa that is way better and service that is much better too even with the restaurant being jam-​packed.
11. I would think that it was someone else, then they would atleast followed us, inquired and apologized for the experience that we had and tried to make it up for that. But the manager was still chit –chatting.
12. I totally understand that a manager’s job is to spend time with customers but also he/​she should know how to get out of a conversation in order to look after the people who are still eating.

I’m in no way an expert on Indian food… but I thought this place was quite good. I had a very nice waiter who made excellent recommendations. I got 3 dosas that I pretty much let him pick out, and they were all wonderful. I don’t know the names, put one was spinach, one was green pepper, and one was potato — like a samosa.
I did think the prices were on the high side… BUT…just a tip — Thursday nights is all you can eat dosas. That’s right… you just keep ordering, try as many as you want for one price.
All in all… I liked it, and I’ll be back
Oh…Ryan is a great waiter. :)

I have been to this restaurant many times. I really like the ambiance and food. The manager over there always welcomes us with a smile and make us comfortable. The waiters are very diverse and well trained. Their dosas (many options and exquisite) are phenomenal and sambar is very authentic, my father-​in-​law is an awesome cook and he endorsed them. Their buffets are very good, it works for me because, we can get a variety in one place. I like Indian and my wife likes Italian (and they include few non-​Indian items and they are very authentic too). Make sure to try the blue sea surfer if you are out there. I am glad that we have a restaurant like this in the Houston area and hope they continue delivering quality and good service. I wish them continued success !

Not recommended — been here several times because it was a new south indian restaurant in Sugar Land and its always been poor to average.

Nice service and they explain things and give suggestions about some of their dishes to try.

This is a preview. «The taste of India» At what price? I do not eat at any restaurant without reviewing the menu and prices. Sankalp is an overpriced restaurant. Thankfully it is hidden behind the Sugar Land Target. Whoever invested money in this place must have enough to price rasam @$ 4.00 and a dosa at $ 8.00. I had my fill of rasam yesterday at Udipi Café. Free with the buffet. I will drive to Hillcroft rather than eat here. Of course the reviews from non-​Indians are positive. I would love this crowd to visit some of the restaurants I have reviewed. Both north and south Indian. Then they can figure out what a rip off this is. They can go within a few miles of this place and probably get better, inexpensive food with better service.

I was first introduced to the food from Sankalp at an event that was catered by them. Finally, I actually went to this restaurant for dinner and was first surprised by the fact that there weren’t that many people there that night. The menu had about 20 different variety of dosas (cheese, mysore, rava, etc). We started off with a bowl of rasam and then we ordered the mysore dosa and the vegetable rice. Both dishes were well-​flavored and delicious. The rice was a bit oily but nonetheless it was of good quality. The dosa was huge and was filled with good amount of potato masala. Finally, we ordered the kulfi (indian ice cream) and it was really creamy and indulgent. The service was pretty good as well. The waiters seemed warm and inviting.

The owner seemed to be able to tell that it was our first time there so she came over with many suggestions and explained the menu to us. She also came back by throughout the meal to see how we were enjoying things. My favorite item were these potato and I think curry appetizer. I don’t remember the name, but it was very good. I had never had a dosaz before was was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor. I will be back to try other things on the menu next time I am craving something a little bit different.

A great South Indian restaurant that has plenty of variety! I don’t know why people say it is a tad overpriced. It is not. And if the dosa is a couple dollars extra than what is available at the shady south indian restaurant that may have been open for the last 20 years, its only because it is TOTALLY WORTH IT!
A fairly new restaurant with excellent staff and service. We were attended to wonderfully and even made special requests that were catered to with a smile.
There are some very unique and unconventional items on the menu that are a MUST TRY!
If being adventurous is your cup of tea, then this restaurant will soon be your favorite!

The most common mistake that Indian businesses make is lack of focus on customers the moment they walk in the door. It is so very important to develop that initial bond that sometimes it can compensate for average and/​or pricey food. Sankalp is yet another restaurant that keeps up this tradition. The staff simply seemed overwhelmed. But to their defense, they did have a sign that reads «now hiring» and they really need some desperately.
To their credit, dosa and rasam was really good but at almost $ 10 a dosa, the quantity is very marginal.
Very unlikely we will return to this restaurant.

We went here for a weekend lunch. A la carte menu. We ordered Malabar Parota with Chettinad Korma, dahi vada and Bisi bele bath. Our first reaction was that the items were very pricey. When the Dahi vada came in a shallow bowl with just enough Dahi to cover the bottom quarter of the tiny vadas, we realized the quantity of food was also very less. The vadas were probably just soaked in the Dahi and did not have the Dahi flavor. The Chettinad curry was also served in a small meager cup which tasted just of uncooked masala. The Paratas were an average palm size at best and were nothing of great mention. And then comes the Bisibele bath, which tasted more like Sambar bath. This was also served in the same atrociously small cup in which the Dahi Vada was served.
Although the place was nicely decorated, the acoustics of the place was very poor with just a few customers in the place. It was very noisy, and this comes from someone who is not very noise-​sensitive. The service was slow and we had to call the waitress every time we needed some more water.
Overall, a very dissatisfying experience. We paid $ 25+ for lunch for two and walked out just satisfying our hunger. nothing satiating.

Good enough south Indian food for Houston

Desi businesses, in general, are real disappointments. Either you get decent food with third-​rate service or decent service with OK food.
The Bad:
I had high hopes for this place considering the pleasing and thoughtful décor. Apparently this place is part of an international chain of restaurants (mostly in indian & u.s.) and they set the world record for long dosa. Of course, it says nothing about the service or quality of the food, and like I said, it was a disappointment.
I imagined an aloo dosa to be something special at a place that charges over $ 8 for it. But instead came a smallish dosa with a few chutney offerings which were tasteless and unfullfilling. Very unsatisfying indeed. Friend had a paneer dosa and paid the same price (literally & figuratively)
The Good:
Like the physical location of it. Inside it was clean and the manager guy was pleasant enough.
Verdict:
Either the prices must fall or the quality needs to be taken up a few notches.

I have visited this place for lunch two times, and it has been a great experience. The food quantity and quality is good for the close to 9 dollars they charge for the lunch special. 4 courses with appetizer of rasam and boondi, main course of chapati and 2 curries, small dosa and payasam.
I have recommended this place to lots of my friends and have taken them there too. The only downside is that the lunch almost takes an hour or more because of the the four course meal :)
Surprisingly the place was very empty for lunch both the times i was there.
Have not gone there for the regular dinner, so I am not sure what the comment below about the dinner points to. However would recommend this place for lunch specially as this is a purely vegetarian restaurant.