The Madras Cafe - Sand Lake (FL)

3 /5 Kali Vinayagamoorthy: The restaurant’s name suggests an authentic South Indian experience, but the reality was a major disappointment. While the dosa texture was good and the North Indian dishes (chapathi and paneer) were decent, the South Indian staples were a total letdown. The sambar and rasam lacked any depth of flavor and tasted like they were made from instant "ready-to-eat" mixes. To make matters worse, the pricing is exorbitant. Since they dont offer thalis on holidays, we ordered rice, sambar, rasam, and yogurt individually—only to be charged $8 per item. Paying that much for "miserable" tasting food feels like a total rip-off. We ended up paying over $200 for a family of 4 adults and three children. To top it off, an 18% gratuity was automatically added; given the poor food quality, I truly hope that money actually went to the hard-working waiters rather than the management. It seems the kitchen understands North Indian cooking but is totally lost when it comes to South Indian cuisine.

3 /5 Nikki Leighton: Was excited about thali Which is why we came No thali So We order Dahi puri it was ok no green chutney just tamarind The butter dosa we order was dry and almost empty of filling No tomato chutney just watery sambar and tasteless coconut chutney? We also had rasam no spice but it was hot and tangy My husband had beer Food came out to fifty dollars a little high We left full I was slightly dissatisfied not desi flavor or fresh But filling My husband (he is American) didn’t know the difference and thought it was great Chole batura for $20 Wow Very expensive Thumbs up $8 I don’t recall a chai but if I did it might have been $8 as much as a starter almost Would I go back no For me no

1 /5 ROHIT KATHURIA: Ordered Mysore Masala Dosa and Chilli Garlic Noodles. The dosa tasted good but wasn’t hot enough, same with the noodles. I understand the restaurant was short-staffed and dine-in was closed early. However, it’s better to say no upfront than serve food with long wait times or compromised quality. We also ordered two Kathi rolls to go. Waited 30–40 minutes, which was fine since they informed us. But the rolls were very disappointing — extremely small portions, $16 each is not justified, and they were not properly stuffed. Overall, poor value for money. Quality and portion size need improvement.

2 /5 Wanderer: Paid ~$45 for filter coffee, Gobi Manchuria, and an onion dosa, and honestly, it felt overpriced. Filter coffee at $8 didn’t feel special enough to justify the price. Gobi Manchuria was okay but served in a plastic bowl—if this place considers itself fine dining, the presentation should match the pricing. Onion dosa was average; the sambar was very thin (almost rasam) and the chutney was cold. I will stick with old friend, woodlands Genuine question guys,: Is it just me, or does this place feel way too expensive for what you get? Almost like a rip-off?