Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Part of international chain of South Indian vegetarian cuisine restaurants. Serves dosas, idlis, and more. Uses dairy, so let the staff know if you are vegan and do not want yogurt, ghee, or cream, etc. Vegan options are labelled on the menu, either with a V (always vegan) or with a VO (vegan option, can be made vegan). Reported closed October 2024.
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Last update on 31 Oct 2024 by feorag
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Added by Muuuuu on 01 Aug 2018
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23 Reviews
First Review by raelo
Lauraleec
Points +13357
Good food but hectic atmosphere - Edit
Was really excited to try here, the menu is massive. At first the server didn't understand what I was asking when requesting the dish to be vegan (dishes indicate which can be made vegan). I was glad I asked a few times as it became clear he wasn't understanding me but then his colleague came to take our order, however we weren't sure someone else was coming as the first waiter wandered off. The food arrives when it is ready which suits me but something others might not like so good to be aware of it.
Read moreThe place itself is chaotic with people lining up to split their bill and pay and others trying to be seated. The staff were nice but felt they could have used more hands. I would probably go back again if nearnea
Been back a few times since because the food is amazing. Recommended to go at a quieter time for a better experience.
Updated from previous review on 2024-01-20
Pros: Huge menu selection
Cons: Slow service
Guest
Picy
Points +3588
Delicious - Edit
Vegetarian indian food, so delicious. Really liked their dosas.
Read morePros: Delicious food
Guest
GijsJazz
Points +564
An authentic taste of South India! - Edit
This is a very authentic South Indian restaurant, one of the few you will find in Europe. You step in here and it's like you took a portal to Tamil Nadu. Everything looks and tastes exactly the same. They have the same menu items, and even the same interior and cutlery. The staff is Indian and a lot of the costumers are too. (It's a simple good quality restaurant, not a fine dining experience.)
Read moreSouth Indian vegetarian cuisine is very vegan friendly. Most menu items will be vegan, just watch out for ghee, curd or milk, but you can have all the South Indian classics: dosa, idli, uthappam, boonda, vada... The taste is very decent. You get your dosa fresh and crunchy straight from the stove.
Pros: Authentic South Indian dining experience, Affordable, Dosa!
Guest
SaraHosseini
Points +66
Just excellent - Edit
It was insanely good and I had never seen this many Indians in Brussels in the same spot, so authenticity we had leftovers for two days, generous portions. Can't wait to go back
Read morePros: Very clean , Massive portions , Cheap
Guest
RobertaCalce
Points +3983
Authentic south Indian food - Edit
Recommended by my south Indian friend, soo good indian food! Plenty of vegan options, clearly marked on the menu. You can choose from many different dishes, spicy or not.
Read moreGuest
henriquecarv
Points +114
Very tasty masala dosa - Edit
Very good menu, with many vegan options.
Read moreI don’t think they were having a very busy day when I was there, but I had to remind the waiter about my order, after waiting for quite awhile.
Pros: Indian food
Cons: Staff Organization
Guest
veganhat
Points +1868
Convenient opening hours - Edit
Chain restaurant with massive menu (more than 400 dishes). Long service though.
Read moreGuest
Vanessa43
Points +3014
❤️ for Saravanaa Bhavan everywhere! - Edit
I've been to Saravanaa Bhavan in 4 different locations now, and their food is equally amazing everywhere! It's just so flavourful and tasty! Can always recommend their dosas, especially the Masala Dosa (crispy pancake filled with spiced potatoes).
Read moreThey have many vegan options. Vegan by default is labelled with a V, and vegan upon request is labelled with a VO. For Brussels, they are also very affordable with no more than €10 for a dish.
Pros: Amazing taste, Many vegan options , Good prices
Guest
J.P.
Points +606
A Gem!!! - Edit
This restaurant has a huge selection of Vegan options. Absolutely fantastic! I had the Plantain Bjaji and V Thali. So good! Thank You
Read moreGuest
OliviaLally
Points +320
Food is good, but staff are often rude - Edit
The food is good by Brussels standards (since it is tricky to find authentic Indian food here compared to other cities) and they have many vegan options. However, the staff are very cold and often outright rude. Last time I brought family here, I paid for the meal and left a tip. On the way out another waiter shouted at us that we hadn't paid. When I explained we had, the waiter we paid didn't intervene and they were rude about their mistake. We ordered delivery next time, to avoid the bad service but the food arrived very late and very cold - we had to reheat everything. I'd like to go here more often and enjoy the food, but the service has put me off.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
Cons: Rude staff, Poor atmosphere, Bathrooms not clean
Guest
Essdubz
Points +124
Good Food. Worst Service - Edit
The food was delicious however the service was painfully inadequate. We had to try and order 4 times before a staff member came over. After which we waited 30 minutes only for one of our two meals to come out. It then took 1 hour further and numerous attempts to gain the staffs attention before our second meal arrived. Food however was pretty delicious however nothing special. Few good vegan options.
Read morePros: Decent food
Cons: Worst service I have encountered
Guest
ElaineHey
Points +641
Veggie curry place - Edit
Excellent amount of choice for vegans with everything clearly marked on the very huge menu. It did not disappoint. Great location in a street full of eateries with outdoor seating ideal for a summer evening.
Read moreGuest
cyrilvs
Points +47
Disappointed - Edit
Some friends from Amsterdam (where they have a branch as well) had been raving about this vegetarian restaurant (with lots of vegan options) part of a huge Indian chain. So I went for a lunch, with high expectations. Tried their supposedly famous Dosa Masala (kind of a ultra-thin pancake filled with spiced potatoes), an Idly (savory donut) and something I didn't even bother myself to remember its name. It all failed to impress me in any way. What also didn't help, everything came with the same 3 chutneys and 1 other type of sauce. Maybe I should try the Amsterdam branch on my next visit to Amsterdam to see whether I really can rely on my friends jugement. Otherwise this restaurant isn't just for me. Mind you, I really LOVE vegan Indian food while at the same time I don't consider myself a connaisseur at all. So I don't think I am that hard to please. Needless to say I left disappointed
Read moreGuest
JRespi
Points +69
Also for Vegans - Edit
Great place!
Read moreIf you like traditional, veggies and spicy dishes it's the place to be.
There's a lot of vegan dishes on the menu.
Guest
kandimba
Points +471
Nice Indian food - Edit
I cannot attest the authenticity of the food but it's nice. Not excellent but adequate for the price.
Read moreThe place is always packed with Indians, which has to be a good sign. I'd like the food to be a bit more spicy but maybe I'm the only one.
Prices are below average for Brussels and the quality is above average.
The menu can be confusing, as there are 300 entries (yes, 300), but it gets easier when you realize that there are only a few dishes with minor variations. All dishes, including entrees, are served with several sauces and chutneys. Beware that if you order several dishes to share they will come more or less with the same sauces, which can be repetitive. Also beware that one dish per person is enough.
Vegan options are clearly marked but unfortunately there are no vegan desserts or drinks (only juices). Drinks are also overpriced.
Updated from previous review on 2018-12-28
Pros: Vegan options well marked, Reasonable prices, Nice food
Cons: No vegan desserts, Overpriced drinks, Confusing menu
Guest
Muuuuu
Points +3271
Finally south indian food in Brussels - Edit
Idlis, paper dosai... OMG I'm so happy :)
Read morePros: genuine south indian food, reasonable price, vegan menu
Cons: not 100% vegan
Guest
simonpwd
Points +408
Okay Indian food - Edit
Went there for lunch. Plenty of vegan options on the menu, marked as "V". We took a South Indian Thali and a North Indian Thali. Good but the food got cold quite soon. It was a bit cold in the restaurant too.
Read morePros: Plenty of vegan options
Cons: Got cold quick
Guest
symbiosis
Points +439
Not a winner on service but nice food - Edit
I don't understand their menu very well, it's hard to guess the portion size, but it's nice food
Read moreFeels like on the borderline between fast food and family restaurant.
Staff don't seem to under stand vegan. Service can be slow or disorganised ( dishes and drinks arriving at random times ) I will keep on coming
Guest
Qtea
Points +242
Great South Indian food - Edit
It is hard to find South Indian food. The menu at Saravanaa Bhavan in Brussels is very long and there are a lot of clearly labelled vegan items. I had a spinach dosa and another time a vegetable dosa, both really good and served with 4 different sauces (they for sure have special names that I don't know). I liked the metal trays and cups.
Read moreMaybe would be nice to have more wine options and also the possibility to order per glass.
Pros: great South Indian Food, a lot of vegan options, metal trays and cups
Cons: Animal products served, Only one wine option, no vegan lassi options
Guest
joubarc
Points +85
Very authentic feeling - Edit
I found the place quite welcoming and extremely authentic (there were quite a lot of Indian customers which I take as a good sign).
Read moreThe food was very good and quite different from the usual Indian place you find in Brussels (India is big after all so it's nice to be able to get food from a different part of it). The service was fast but could be timed better - I did get my starter way before my sister; and she pretty much got both starter and main course at the same time.
The overall price felt very reasonable for what we got (I'm usually a big eater but felt starters + main course to be quite fulfilling).
The metal plates tend to slide a bit on the tables and don't keep warm (which to be honest I don't care much about myself).
Pros: Authentic, Reasonable prices for the food
Cons: Metal plates don't keep warm and can slide
Guest
mrferret
Points +304
Poor service, tepid food - Edit
On the two occasions I have been to this recently opened place it was buzzing with Indian families of all ages, so it must be doing something right.
Read moreHowever, by my standards the service is chaotic and incompetent. Some of the staff, including the surly manager, do not appear to know what vegan means. One of our group ordered a vegan version of a dish and was brought the vegetarian version which he had to send back.
Though the menu is long (and strangely includes a section with Chinese dishes), people used to 'westernised' Indian restaurants serving standard dishes like curry, tandoori and biryani may struggle to find something they recognise (or want).
Many dishes appear to consist of some form of bread plus a selection of cold dips. Those dips I tried were unremarkable, but perhaps I chose wrong.
All dishes are served on metal plates which are not heated, so the warm dishes we ordered were already tepid when they reached the table. They were soon completely cold.
Drinks are considerably overpriced. The wine list offers 'Bordeaux' but having ordered this we were actually served Indian shiraz (we didn't realise until it was too late). When I pointed out to the manager that the menu is misleading about the type and quality of wine offered, he neither apologised nor seemed to care. The wine was also served chilled instead of at room temperature.
In short: It's good to have an exclusively vegetarian/vegan restaurant and good that it seems popular with the Indian community, but non-Indians might find the service and the food a bit of a culture shock.
Pros: Exclusively vegetarian and vegan, Lively, popular with Indian families of all ages
Cons: Incompetent service, staff don't understand vegan, Warm dishes soon get cold, Drinks overpriced
Guest
arostganomo
Points +68
A taste of South India - Edit
Since we had been to the Amsterdam location twice before, we were very excited to see a Saravanaa Bhavan in Brussels as well! We ate here the second night it was open and the staff, while friendly and eager, were clearly still learning the ropes. Our naan was slightly burned but the rest of the food was lovely. I'd recommend the aloo pepper and of course the tea.
Read morePros: Authentic South Indian
Cons: Somewhat pricey
Guest
raelo
Points +699
Indian vegetarian - Edit
Well some things i didnt like and other things i did so i'm rating 3 stars. What i like the most is that is like real indian food, not so easy to find in continental Europe. What i really appreciate beacuse i was living in India for longtime and is one of my favourite foods. So be ready for real spicy indian food. What i didnt like is that it is a vegetarian restaurant and i am vegan, most of vegetarian indian food contain ghee, butter or milk. And even if some food is labelled as vegan i am not so sure it really is. I asked for vegan thali, and got it served like in 5 minutes. So everything was already cooked. They didnt cook any special vegan item for me. And it was labelled a vegetarian, vegan option, so normally it is vegetarian. The restaurant it is new and waiters looked like newbies too. I paid 5 euro for a bottle of water and asked for extra plain rice with my thali and had to pay for it, when in India it is included. So i dont think i will be back even if its kind of authentic indian food.
Read moreGuest
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