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Shakahari
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Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Take-out
Offers seasonal vegetarian Indian menu with vegan dishes marked. Makes food to-order so expect a wait. Est. 2016. Reopened March 2022. Open Mon-Sat 11:00am-7:00pm, Sun 1:00pm-7:00pm.
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1458 Boston Post Rd, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, USA, 06475
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 09 Mar 2023 by mark m braunstein
Update business info -
Added by evelinemater on 15 Mar 2017
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4 Reviews
First Review by evelinemater
mark m braunstein
Points +484
Food is okay but ordering it is needlessly inconvenient - Edit
Shakahari is Sanskrit for “vegetarian.” Thus this is an all-vegetarian café. Its online menus (note the plural) of 6 apps, 4 breads, and 8 entrées are as short as this restaurant is small, but it provides ample choices for vegans. Half the dishes already are vegan, and most of the vegetarian dishes can be veganized.
Read moreThey maintain no website nor even a Facebook page, only two confusing and conflicting online menus. The Square Site online menu that at the time of my writing that Happy Cow links to neglects to inform you what is vegan. The totally different Open Menu online menu that Yelp links to does differentiate vegan from vegetarian. You’d think that with no website or FB, the café would resolve the two conflicting menus. Either way, for more info you must phone them or go there in-person. Yet, when you’re there, there’s no printed menu, only an online order menu, an inconvenience for their prospective customers.
Reviewers on Yelp, who mostly are carnivores, lauded this restaurant during its Act One (more about this 2-act play in a moment). If you like Asian Indian food, then you, too, might appreciate this restaurant. But if you are indifferent to Asian Indian food, you might remain indifferent to this restaurant. Asian Indian is my least favorite ethnic cuisine, so I am not in a good position to rate this restaurant. Only because it is all-vegetarian did I eat here yesterday and did I bother to write this review.
Preparation times are longer than usual, so if you place your order in-person I suggest you then go shopping at Foodworks a mile away on the same Route 1, and then return 45 minutes later. Still, if you do stick around and wait, its intimate seating is conducive to quiet conversation. So, unlike other small cafés, this is a very worthy place to meet for a dinner date.
First opened August 2016, it closed 17 months later due to a kitchen fire in January 2018 (Act One). After a nearly 4-year hiatus including 2 years during Covid, it reopened October 2021 (Act Two). Perhaps there’s an interesting story behind that long intermission.
If you do not navigate with GPS, you can easily pass by its inconspicuous white signage and its short strip mall shared with Himalayan Café that sits perpendicular to Route 1. Its location is even harder to spot if you approach from the east from downtown Old Saybrook. So keep a watchful eye for it when on the road.
Pros: small and intimate interior, friendly service
Cons: long preparation time for food, no printed menu, conflicting and confusing online menus
Guest
kforrestt
Points +24
The best Indian food in Town! - Edit
My boyfriend and I love stopping here, we call it our hidden gem! We usually split a couple appetizers but everything we have tried we love! I definitely recommend the Samosas and Paratha Bread to start. If the phone isn’t working, just stop in and order! The woman that owns this gem is so sweet, we love chatting with her when we get our food
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-12-30
Pros: Lots of vegan options , Good variety for mild-spicy food, Reasonable pricing
Guest
JD123
Points +38
Good Treat - Edit
Well i must say the wife and I love to grab takeout once in a while here. The masala dhosa is great. We use this place as a cheat meal now and then. The dishes do have oil in them and have fat. The owner is friendly and pleasant to talk to and will Veganise any dish you request. You must love spices or i suggest going elsewhere. As far as i can see they are true Vegetarian owners and respect Vegan's.
Read moreA must try in my opinion. FYI not inexpensive, although what is these days.
Long wait due to the fact they cook the food to order and has been fresh on all my visits.
Good luck.
Updated from previous review on 2017-12-27
Pros: Tastey.
Cons: Pricey
Guest
evelinemater
Points +129
Yes! - Edit
Shakahari is a small (8 tables), very clean restaurant. The menu changes seasonally. The menu is not extensive, but I still had trouble choosing and can't wait to go back and try the other things that I was interested in.
Read moreEvery dish is cooked to order, so spiciness levels can be adjusted to suit your taste. Ordering and waiting for the food took a substantial amount of time, so even though I thought it was worth it, my impatient mother did not. They were doing a pretty brisk take-away business, so perhaps that also contributed to the delay.
I ordered pakoras (delicious) and Bharela Bangan (eggplant stew), both of which are vegan and were very good. My dining companions ordered the Vegetable Biryani (vegan) and Vegetable Korma (not vegan). Though their Korma is dairy (I've had it done vegan at other places with coconut milk in place of the cream), it looked quite good.
There's no alcohol, but another table had a bottle of wine, so I presume BYOB is permitted.
I can't wait to go back and try the Massala Dosa and some different appetizers!
Pros: fresh, lots of vegan choices, friendly server
Cons: lengthy wait for ordering & food
Guest
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