Best place for your South Indian food cravings. Staff here welcome us with warm smiles. Surely we will have a nice contented smile while going out. Couldn't find a better buffet than that. Very crowded during weekends. But quick to get a table. Always happy with their service
(4)
Avinash K.
Good dosa buffet here. Not too many desserts. Awesome Pav Baaji.
(3)
Jhomer R.
This is an excellent place for an Indian lunch buffet but it is pricey. There were plenty of options to choose from. Lunch items served at the time were chicken 65, veggie pakora, butter chicken and few other tasty dishes. There was also a dosa server giving out fresh dosas. The desserts was excellent with Double Ka Meetha and Mango Ice-cream. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for an excellent lunch buffet. Friendly environment and old school music videos.
(5)
Steven W.
The Dosa buffet is the best thing going here. There are at least 12 dosa styles and the usual chutney's -coconut, tomato and peanut along with sambar. they just keep on coming until you are full. Dosa's are made to order and things such as idli and tomato/potato curry are also included. For those that are not familiar with the Dosa and Idlis here is the rundown. Dosa's are a kind of crepe made with rice and lentil flour. Some are paper thin, others are very thick. Sometimes things are added like cheese, egg or extra seasoning. Idli is a kind of steamed rice cake. Both are meant to eaten in conjunction with a semi liquid such as sambar or chutney. Sambar is a thick vegetarian soup. Chutneys are a kind of condiment or dip. All of these items are made in house at Priya, and the Dosa's are made to order. Outside the Dosa buffet, the gobi manchurian is a standout dish. The veg dishes seem to be better then the meat ones although fish and chicken are also on the menu. I'm especially fond of the indo chinese options. Not so busy on weeknights, but the Dosa buffet can be packed. The parking lot is shared with the village tavern which is also super popular at dinner, but Priya is located on the opposite side from them and thus always has parking available.
(5)
Subbu R.
We visit this place often on Thursdays for the dosa Buffett. Good selection of dosas along with lemon sevai, upma, bajji and payasam. Our fav dosas are : Ghee roast, Achar Dosa and the egg&pepper dosa. Overall - good South Indian joint.
(4)
Jasmine S.
Perfect dosa night every Tues/Thurs with Buffet style serving. The dosa is made to order which guaranteed freshness.
(5)
Foodie S.
What I like about this place, -Dosa Buffet -Few authentic dishes like Punugula/Bonda and Bajji What I don't like about this place, -They don't seem to get lot of main dishes like Naan,curries and other rice items right -I am also not a fan of any dessert here. They taste like store-bought ! Overall, a good place to try ! But, there are far better places to enjoy a buffet in Schaumburg..
(3)
Sathish K.
Good south Indian food., not spicy but tasty. The dosas, (crispy Indian pan cakes are unlimited). We started the buffet before 12:00, we were able to beat the crowd on a sunday. I started the buffet with pakoras and some vegies, good varieties of south indian chutneys. There was no naan, but they had chapati's another variety of bread. The second course of the buffet was rice varieties, they had excellent Biryani and pulav and there were good entrees for the rice items. I did not taste the desert, but kids loved it. Finally the tea was authentic., but remember to add sugar before going back to the table. Service was ok., they were unable to remove the buffet plates right away, it was a big deal for us ad we were dining with two small kids. So four stars Ambience was ok, But the pictures that are hung were good. Finally the checkout was using, ipad dongle. It was kind of first time I saw in an Indian food place. Will recommend this place to cheese heads when they come to Chicago.
(4)
S C.
Me and my friends went to Priya. The service was horrible and the manager himself has no sense of customer service at all. Dosa were ok, and chicken 65 was poured with lemon or what? We asked them why it was so sour they told us since its made with yogurt it has the sour taste. We were like "we have had this dish before at many other places and we know surely it is not like drinking pure lemon juice." They apparently redid and brought it back but it didn't taste good. We had to keep calling for service, shouldn't they be making sure of taking care of their clients? I will never go back to Priya. The food is barely ok and overpriced. And the service is the worst of all.
(1)
Pradeep M.
Today I went for dinner with friends the food was too bad ...I felt sick after eating this omg .....that was terrible night
(1)
S N.
It was the first time I came across the concept of Dosa Night thru a friend. I didnt had high hope till I went in I was like I just want to have a dosa.. But this was actually amazing. All the chutneys, rasam and sambar were very tasty made in authentic south indian style which I have been looking for everywhere in Chicago downtown, uptown and its suburbs. I have tried all places for south indian food esp. dosa and vada but havent found this taste. Even this r4estaurant I ordered food online but they serve only coconut chutney that way, which I am not a big fan of. But at this buffet, I could get any chutney I can think of with south indian food. The customer service was also okay.. I would recommend a Dosa night for all dosa cravers like me..
(4)
Mohan P.
Food is authentic and tasty but nothing to applaud about. Pros: Chilli chicken was awesome. Sambar and Rasam was nice too. Cons! More cons than pros. I was very disappointed that roti's were super cold..and so was the Medu wada. Food in restaurants have to be served hot. Roti's probably was made on the morning. Biryani was super dry. Please serve food hot and fresh!!!
(2)
Aswinikumar A.
First time we went, we had Priya masala dosa and Gutti Vankay curry. Both tasted very good. Gutti Vankay was way beyond my expectation and I recommend everyone interested to taste it. The second time we went on a Thursday for dinner to taste the veg buffet that includes unlimited dosas. I would rate 3 on 5. Good for families.
(4)
Lolakshi Pooja G.
The best weekend lunch buffet I had ever had in States.Strongly recommend. Love all the dishes in veg and non veg. Even the pickles too. Try it out.
(5)
Sam P.
I have been meaning to start reviewing on yelp for a long, long time, but it took dining at this place to finally push me to do it. We decided to try Priya despite mixed reviews, and we're very glad we did. The restaurant is a decent size with lighting that can only be described as romantic, and there was just one other table dining while we were there (a Monday night around 7). The food: We ordered butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, and chapati. The paneer was delicious, so creamy and full of scrumptious onions. The chicken tasted very fresh, though I think we'll order it spicy next time (our fault for ordering "mild" since we were sharing with our two year old). The only thing I can find to criticize is that they ran out of coke and tried to serve me diet without letting me know of the shortage. The facility: The bathroom was pretty decent, especially compared to other similar restaurants (sorry, but you know it's true). The manager came out at the end of our meal and seemed enamored with our son - so much so, that he invited the three of us back for a tour of the kitchen! Wow! Everyone there was friendly, and I have only limited commercial kitchen experience, but it all looked okay to me. He showed us the separate cooking areas for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, which I know is important to some people. I saw one other reviewer mentioned getting sick after dining here, so I'm just going to go ahead and address that. I'm just rounding out my first trimester of pregnancy and have not had exciting food in about three months, so I think if anyone were going to be made ill by this cuisine, it would likely be me. All good! I'm very pleased.
(5)
Hersh A.
Had great dhosas and Uttapam here. Liked the Paper Dhosa & Priya Special Spicy Dhosa a lot. The Paper one is huge. Good sambhar & chutneys. Deliciouso. Definitely a must try for South Indian cuisine. Also, the Chicken Charminar appetizer is really good. Spicy and full of flavor. Service is decent. Little on the pricey side.
(4)
Elle F.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had! Great buffet selection and nice owners. Totally recommend it.
(5)
Donna G.
My new favorite Restaurant. The food is plentiful and delicious, they have an excellent buffet and the staff is warm and welcoming. Try Priya. You won't be sorry!
(4)
Katie D.
If you are a local in Schaumburg neighborhood....this is one of the best Authentic south indian restaurant so far. Service and food both are really good. The only one thing I will tell you to be aware of is the spice level, if you are not a big spice eater make sure you mention while ordering. Whether you order south indian or Punjabi they will always serve you some papad with a nice spicy chutney, this is a nice twist to starting your meal. The quantity of the dosa is really good and it is served with 3 different chutneys all with great authentic flavor. Ambience is okay not the best one but not the worst also.
(4)
k a.
Had stuff catered and every one totally love the food. I like that they make traditional andhra styled appetizers.
(3)
Hassan G.
Went there for the Dosa Buffet, food was pretty good, decent selection
(4)
Richa G.
The service was really slow !! We ordered dosa at first! It tasted good and when we ordered another one they almost took 40 mins to make it!! Above all, music there was hammering my head. I planned to go somewhere else and eat something else but when i left my appetite was killed because of the wait and music selection!! Ruined the whole day! 2.0 for good sambar 0.5 just to be nice!!!
(1)
Rachna B.
Exceptionally good food and amazing hospitality. Great place if you want to have some really good Indian food. Mr. Kevin is such a lovely person and will make your dinning experience very memorable. A must go for everyone...
(5)
Priya B.
I have catered several events and eaten here a plethora. This place is awesome and consistent. If you are looking for authentic south indian food like mom would make done the best way, Priya is the place for it!
(5)
Rajie M.
Very good food, friendly staff and a reasonably priced. Their unlimited Dhosa on Tuesdays and Thursday are worth trying. Choose from 18 different variety of Dhosas. Amazing!!
(4)
Harshavardhan K.
Good place and has a decent variety of food. The dosa buffet is a must try. Pudina chicken as an appetizer is my personal favorite. The catering is one of our favorites. .any functions or social gathering among our friends the food mostly always comes from here..
(4)
J T W.
I came here for the brunch last weekend; it was fantastic.Big variety of food and not the same tired old cliched entrees you find at most Indian buffets. The service was great too--very quick and attentive. I'm not into vegetables but the way they cook them up here made me a believer. Plus it's great to have a buffet that serves up real good lamb and goat dishes too!The other great thing is that the customers that dine here are practically all (if not 99.9%) Indian--so you know Priya is keeping it real and not dumbing down the ingredients for anyone!
(5)
Vi N.
The last time we ate here, we were served heated Mexican tortillas as chapatti. When we asked, the manager kept insisting that it was freshly made ! I'm Indian and I should know. The tea was just leftover heated up. What started out as a decent Andhra restaurant has become an overpriced, rude, smelly, dark excuse of a restaurant. There are other places (name starts with C) that have way better Andhra food. Will never come back here again.
(1)
Vishal S.
This restaurant is located in the Schaumburg area. It is Indian cuisine tilted towards South India, especially Andhra Pradesh. One of the best things about Priya is their range of Chutneys. This is the closest you can get to authentic Ginger, Peanut, Tomato, Coconut and Mint chutneys anywhere in North America. The Dosa buffet brought me in for the first time two years back and they have a very wide variety of Dosas (Pesarattu - A Dosa made using green lentils; included). The other items in the Dosa buffet are pretty average causing me to knock one star off. Their regular buffet on Sunday is typical pan Indian cuisine with Dosas included. I definitely recommend this place only for the Dosa Buffet and the Sunday Buffet + A La Carte is worth a shot. The ambiance is more from the 1980s to 1990s interior, so don't expect much. Parking is not problem due to the strip mall location. Prices for the buffet vary between $13 to $15 which seems nominal. The service (when not done by the owner) can be a little more brisk.
(4)
Vinay K.
I had total mixed reviews eating at Priya. The start was horrid since we were a group of 10 and made to wait nearly 30 mins for table. Totally understand since the crowd was big but there were not ample chairs at the waiting area. The restaurant is small for the crowd that visits on weekends. The cashier lady is very rude. Its natural for customers to inquire about availability and she was so rude to us. To top it all she announces that a group that had made a phone reservation would be given preference over our group. I was losing patience when another staff came in and handled the situation and we were given split tables. I wud give a 1 star for this behaviour. Now the food in the buffet sort of dowsed the tensed atmosphere. Most of the dishes were very good. Plus: The pakoras were yum, Dosa and Idly was serveed hot and also quickly, the Egg curry was good. Desserts were nice and not very sugary. Sambhar had a lot of veggies. Cons: Except the regular chutney all others were horrible, THe Rotis were hard and chewy, The biryani was over and no one bothered to refill it. And Rasam was garlicky. Overall I will be fair and give a 3 star. If they improve customer service the star cud be better. im sure they have a lot of potential to becoming a fine-dine restaurant which they sadly arent today.
(3)
Meghan F.
Tried Priya tonight for the first and LAST time. Ever since Taj Mahal in Bloomingdale closed, my boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a new favorite Indian restaurant to frequent. We were pretty excited to give Priya a try, given that it is just a short distance from home. Words hardly suffice to describe our disappointment and disgust. We ordered the Butter Chicken, one of our favorite dishes. On top of the entrees being incredibly overpriced, the food was just downright awful!! They call the meat they put in there chicken? Perhaps they gave us the cuts that were intended for their pets at home. Nothing but fatty, bony, chewy pieces that my boyfriend couldn't even get through without spitting it into a napkin! Not sure if plastic is a new addition to southern Indian cuisine, but I certainly don't prefer finding it in my food.. gross. Long story short: We will absolutely never eat at Priya again. For what they charge, you would think they would take a LITTLE more pride in what they serve the general public. Tsk tsk.
(1)
Chris W.
I have now been here twice. Both times the food was average. Don't question or complain because in this restaurant the customer is never right. I'd recommend going to another restaurant .
Spicy , very spicy , red chilly powder dumped food . Hair in the food , ugly , not well maintained , unclean interior . Colon on fire
(1)
William B.
I think I've found my new go-to indian cuisine in the western burbs. Largest selection of dosas anywhere. They have entire nights and lunches dedicated to unlimited dosa buffets. Someone once told me that the secret to excellent indian food is when it has been slow cooked for days. Probably why Indian food from most places is often better as leftovers- lets the flavors meld. Priya has that days long, slow cooked taste to it with the first bite. I wanted to say it has that 'leftovers' taste to it, but doesnt sound as appealing, even if i mean it in a good way. The papadam chips they bring out were very good. thin and crispy. Served with an excellent chutney. We started with the vegetable pakoda app. the only item we weren't really impressed with. way too much batter around a single sliver of vegetable. Excellent chutneys, though. Then we ordered a dosa. i think we picked one with potato & onion. The kids tore the dosa apart. Served with excellent, and widely diverse selection of chutneys. Then we ordered the mutter paneer- mild, mostly for the kids. I would certainly order medium spicy or even hotter next time. but was nice and creamy as mild. We also ordered the chicken fry. It appeared to be mostly dark meat chicken- bone in. most excellent. Lots of ginger flavor- big hunks of it right on top. Would definitely order again. Very large menu. I can't wait to go back and try something new.
(5)
Mina H.
Stripmall location, entrance doors are limited to one all the way to the left (past 2 others - blocked off with signage), awkward foyer with view into kitchen and no one waiting to seat us. Friend was starving and we asked the waiter about quick appetizers, got admonished because we were taking too long trying to decipher a confusing menu (with inconsistent descriptions on items... some didnt have any!) during the long pauses between his visits as a response. Had to ASK for chips (normally that is brought out with water and menus), while trying to order... finally decided on 'safe' chicken biryani and friend got lamb version. Meat was on bone. Not our expectation nor to our liking, I picked mine out completely. Rice was otherwise decent enough, took the majority home. Groupon failed me this time... I have one more I have to (ack) use. Let me know if anyone wants it.
(2)
Giuliano F.
This place is very mediocre. The food was ok but the service was poor. The waiter was persistently creepy and condescending since I'm not Indian. I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)
Rahul M.
Worst customer service. Very rude owner. My order was placed 1 hour ago for carry out, and when I asked the owner what is taking so much time, he just asked me to wait for another 10 mins .... No apology...but just a bad attitude!!!
(1)
Puni P.
We went here since my mother in law had been here before when they have their dosa buffet and it must have been good then. We went for lunch buffet and it was a waste of money and of our time. They do not refill the buffet so if you like one item there you are pretty much screwed. The staff never even asks if everything is good since they could care less. The dosas are ok, but their is no dosa filling with the buffet. The place is so outdated! If you must have South Indian food and want a buffet then head to Udupi since it is clean and you have more of a selection of food especially for buffet.
(1)
Nikhil K.
Search for Good South Indian restaurants ends here.period. Being a foodie from India and actually having tasted every possible South Indian dish,in the entire south india,i crave sometimes for authentic or near authentic South Indian food My brother is a bigger fan of the food as well! So here we were braving the Chicago rain just to satisfy our cravings. Not disappointed at all!! The spread is different for Mondays,Tuesdays an Thursdays,we went on a Monday,and ill just say,its the closest you can get to South Indian food and the other one is UDIPi at Devon. These two are anyday better than Mysore woodland. I am a big fan of sambar,and i found both here ant UDIPi to have great sambar! Austin( the guy who helped us) was great and helpful to have around.special mention about him as well. For others,who have complaints-i sometimes wonder why people can be so dumb/ignorant. You have come to a South Indian restaurant,why in the world would you order something from them which is not their specialty and then complain? Its like going to a Japanese restaurant here an asking for French fries or pizza! When in rome-be roman,eat roman.just an advice.
(4)
Dodge S.
Went to dinner with a group of friends during Dec or Jan. They were doing a special on Dosa which is like a lite and thin pancake, almost like pita or lavosh flatbread. So we all ordered the endless Dosa. And they kept coming out with different flavored Dosa and they were all delicious. Some of them were very spicy, baked into the bread. Turns out there was a buffet setup, but it was all for chutney. So you take your plate to the buffet and dish up some spoonfuls of your favorite chutney, then come back to your table and spread the amount you want on the Dosa. We laughed over several Kingfisher beers and had a great time. It is a small place that you probably wouldn't think twice about if you saw it from Wise Road. But it is definitely worth a visit for authentic Indian food from the southern central part of the country.
(4)
Pri P.
We have been to this restaurant quite a few time now. Food here is delicious!!! The service here is not that great but if the food is good i don't mind waiting :) Dosas, idli, vada, sambar, chutney, chicken, fish, roti everything is yummy...
(5)
Summer H.
Terrible terrible food & ambience!!!... I will never never go back again.. There is no place to sit .. You feel so cramped... The table traps you and hits you in the chest...No room to move & the seats are narrow.. my back started aching.. The chicken chettinad was nasty!.. I felt like puking after smelling it & puked after eating it.. It smelled so bad and tasted even worse..The tamarind chicken was just tamarind and artificial color.. It was so sour.. Could not make out what I was eating in the main dish..
(1)
Masala B.
The best place for authentic south indian food. The food is really spicy, unlike the joints in Devon. The weekend lunch buffet is amazing. Try the Wednesday night dinner special if you want to try out a little bit of everything at a less crowded setting. The Thursday night unlimited dosa dinner special is also great if you want to try out the different variety of the dosas (crepes) and spicy chutneys.
(5)
Dennis J.
I'm still trying to figure out what the folks who run this place were thinking. My friend made a reservation here for 40 people for their rehearsal dinner. If you've been by, you can see that that's pretty much their whole restaurant. Now, if you've got a large (well, huge) group coming in, you'd think you would want to make sure the tables were ready right? No. Not a single table was ready for our group. In fact, we had to trickle in as people finished their dinners. That ... was terribly awkward. Maybe the food would redeem it? No. No, it would not. The dosa buffet is setup so you gather whatever you'd like to eat your dosa (uh .. a savory crepe?) with and wait at your table to order whatever kinds of dosa you'd like. The main problem I had was that they selection of fillings was terrible: barely any vegetables, no protein, and bland dessert. But lots of chutneys. So, there's that. The folks that come around and ask for the dosa orders were kind and seemed embarrassed at their lack of preparation, but weren't that helpful. There's 30-40 different kinds of dosa but no description to help you choose between them. By the time we actually got ours, we were too hungry to be picky. I wouldn't come back here with a large group ... or a small one.
(1)
Ramya P.
Buffet that mainly focuses on South Indian food Wanted to eat here since a very long time ago when I heard that this restaurant serves Andhra food. Got the urge to eat here after an exhausting morning at Ikea and me n the hubby quickly drove up here. I'm turned off by buffets but it actually sounds good when you're starving! The lunch buffet costs $14/person during the weekends and its totally worth it. Don't expect a very inviting ambiance or super attentive friendly service, come here with the sole motive to get some good food. The dishes are mostly south Indian. Crispy hot dosas are brought to the table that taste divine with the mint chutney. The vadas are cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The sambar and rasam took me back to the days when I would ditch dinner at home and sneakily eat at my neighbor's place. They do have chapathis and a couple of sides but as I said earlier the south Indian food is the primary focus and it is very good. The vermicelli porridge n halwa were so damn delicious, that I ate more food than my husband. This is why buffets are a bad bad idea for me... Off to the gym now!!
(4)
Victoria W.
I liked the curry in my Malai Kofta, but the actual "balls" (more like 3 sausage-shaped pieces) had a soft texture/taste that made me doubt there was cheese in them--it was probably gourd-based. My partner enjoyed his Kadai Chicken. The masla dosa came with a lot of food for the money, but the potato curry was extremely spicy for being a mild order. We only received one container of rice though we ordered 2 entrees; it wasn't nearly enough. Ordered Gulab Jamun ($5) and was disappointed to find that it was only two pieces in a syrup that lacked the complex spiced flavor I was used to. Tasted like a sugar syrup with some honey. They actually forgot to include the dosa when my partner picked up the order. They called us as he returned home, and he had to drive back to pick it up. They were very apologetic about it though. Updates: Mutter Paneer: Pretty good, not as tomato-based as usual and light on the peas, very salty. Butter Chicken: Good but also rather salty.
(2)
Deepak N.
Went there last nite w fam for mother's day. Really a bad experience. Brother made reservations - which at the time I thought was pointless since I've never seen a packed indian restaurant before. Turned out to be great since huge line and packed house at priya. The waiter/host was friendly and had good sense of humor. He was also really nice and efficient on the phone. We got to sit right away at reserved table = nice While seated - didnt get a waiter to come to table for 20mins. Didnt get apps til like 40-60mins. We were there 1.5hrs and our main food didnt come yet. They were severly understaffed, unorganized and just seemed like amateur hour -maybe first time ever they've been this packed? Asked the guy how long they've been in business (thought they must've been new) - nope, been around for 10yrs!! Plus it felt like 100+ degrees and super humid inside. Zero ventilation + packed house + hot kitchen = sweating nonstop. The annoying light hindi music (too low to hear, but loud enough to sound like a buzzibg bee) made it even worse. It was all around a miserable experience. Food also expensive. And of course - super diarrhea 2x this morning from their food ;)
(1)
Don Z.
I will start out by saying that I am an American. I may not have the properly trained taste buds to appreciate this food. I have been to a handful of other Indian restaurants and enjoyed them to varying degrees. So I am not an expert, but not completely uneducated either. Priya is in a strip mall with adequate parking. I visited on a Saturday for lunch which meant buffet style. The place was filled with people. My wife and I were the only European Americans. I only mention that because perhaps the food is very authentic and loved by someone that grew up with this style of cooking. The air was filled with the heady aroma of spices used in Indian cooking. We worked our way through the buffet and took a little of this and a little of that. The meat dishes were really boney, which I found irritating. Unfortunately I didn't like anything. I really tried. Something about the spice combinations used in every dish I tried just did not agree with my stomach. On top of that everything had too much hot pepper in it for my delicate mouth to enjoy. I don't like sweating from my food. My wife was not as disappointed. She found a few things that she liked. The prices were really on the high side too. I couldn't believe they would charge $15 a person for the buffet which didn't have many choices. Overall, I will not be going back to Priya. The food may be authentic, but it is not for me.
(2)
Deepika B.
By far the best Indian (south indian) buffet I have had in Chicago. I have been to this place quite a few times now and is one of our favorite destinations on a sunday afternoon. Very authentic south indian food. The variety of dishes they serve is awesome and elaborate. The biryani, rasam are always good. The rasam is as spicy and hot as it should be. The chicken starters are always without an exception tasty and yummy and never fail to hit the right spot. Even the veg starters are well made and tasty. My husband loves the pongal and the veg dishes they serve here. Even the desserts are tasty. Recently, we had been to Dakshin which was not great at all and definitely not worth the price that we paid there. Any given day, I would prefer Priya over any other buffet. The ambiance is okay, but go for the awesome food. Though the buffet seems a bit expensive, but they serve much much better food here than I have tried at other places. Of all the buffets, this is worth every penny. (The only irritating and unbearable thing are the songs of the 90's which they play. Ow, no complaints)
(5)
Simir S.
this place is horrible for the food the serve and the service they pretend to give. Be ready to be disappointed go to Udipi better service cleaner place.
(1)
Vanitha S.
This place totally bombarded my Madurai senses. My parents and I came in after an afternoon of shopping at Deepkala. And wow. We went in and it was packed with Indians speaking all kinds of southern languages--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam. The buffet line is nothing like I've ever seen before. It was divided into a non-veg and veg side, and the traditional southern dishes that we eat at home in the buffet line shocked me! There were various pickles, yogurt rice, rasam, sambaar, tamarind rice, etc. among the regulars like curry chicken, biriyani, etc. I have NEVER seen yogurt rice in a buffet line. ever. And fresh dosas were brought to the table, which were delicious with the sambaar. Buffet was a bit expensive, but worth it for this experience. I just wish this place was closer to the city because I'd go here more often.
(5)
Heather B.
Great food, great service. Our waiter helped us pick our entree's and they were so yummy. Everything had heat and my nose was running... in a good way! Nan was fresh, buttery and amazing. Interior needs serious updating, and music needs to be turned down a bit, but the food and our waiter were wonderful!
(4)
Atulya B.
Unlike other Indian restaurants, Priya Restaurant is different. Different in the sense that it is actually one of those restaurants that serves authentic south Indian food. Make no mistake about it. Whether you're ordering the original Chicken Fry or the spicy Chicken Chitinad or the unmistakable Fish Pulusu, the taste is right there. Takes you right back to the sub-continent and makes you very nostalgic. The Indo-Chinese items, like the fried rice and the Chicken Manchurian or the Chili Chicken are very true to their original taste and are quite good. Priya also does a variety of tiffins or breakfast items and they are tasty too, though these days most Indian restaurants get them right. But what sets Priya apart is their Dosa (or crepes) night on Thursday, where you get to experience a variety of Dosas made with different kinds of batter and stuffed with your choice of filling - well this depends on what kind of Dosa you order. And vegetarian food here is good too with the ever-popular Panner Tikka Masala, Tadka Dal, Kadai Panner and other regulars gracing the menu. Ambience and interior settings wise Priya doesn't score well but who cares as long as the food is good, right? So head over to Priya you're craving real, authentic south Indian food.
(5)
Danny V.
Updating my review of the place as this time the food was absolutely delicious. All the chutneys were delicious. The vegetarian dishes were good and the multiple non vegetarian dishes were great too. They probably had an off day the first time I visited the place but I have no such complaints this time around. Great Service and amazing South Indian food.
(5)
Dessy D.
Surprising that there are absolutely no reviews of this place.. First up -- Its REAL SOUTH INDIAN food. You know what i mean? As in the real 'REAL'...The real spices, the real taste , the real heat, the real aroma... Let me start with dosas - The chutney you normally get in any restaurant on devon is called 'coconut chutney' with a domination of coconut. In priya its more 'Andhra' (A south indian state) style where coconut forms the minor portion and fried 'chana dal' is hte major ingredient. And they also serve 'Onion' and 'Ginger' chutney....one word ..'WOWWWWWW' I tried the chicken curry, chicken chettinad, chicken 65, chicken chilli, shrimp masala, chapathi, puri masala, rava dosa, pesarat, idly, babycorn manchurian..All were fantastic but for chicken chettinad..... If I have a craving for some REAL indian food, this definitely is my go-to place. Dakshin on Salem drive is a super close competitor. Dakshin has its own special dishes where it scores. But then Priya truly deserves a 5-star. P.S. : One of those INDIAN restaurants were INDIANS get some respect along with FOOD...:) :)
(5)
Pratik P.
Great food and better service. My friends come here and let the manager order for us. Had the goat, butter chicken, manchurian, cilantro chicken... So good
(4)
Manya A.
Went to Priya about 5 years ago and loved it! Recently when hubby suggested going again, I was excited. We went for a saturday lunch buffet. Ugh..they didn't have real utensils or plates and bowls. It was around 12.45 pm and practically all the food was gone. We waited for 20+ mins but no one refilled/restocked the buffet. There was just 1 waiter guy who promised to bring us dosas. We got exactly 3 dosas for the 3 of us. After that, we told the waiter at least 4-5 times to bring us more dosas and he just didn't. What kind of service is this? After being charged $15 for a buffet, we couldn't even get more dosas! This is after they have advertised it as a lunch buffet with unlimited dosas. There was a lady at the reception and she could not possibly have been more unfriendly. She just frowned at us and when we pointed out that we didn't get the dosas but did like the food she just rolled her eyes at us. The food would have been decent if there had been any. Not sure why this place was so packed. It certainly couldn't have been for the negative customer service or the lack of food. Very disappointing since it seems like they have a lot of promise but dont deliver.
(1)
Megan L.
Really great authentic South Indian food. I grew up eating South Indian food at my best friend's house, so I'm familiar with South Indian home cooking and Priya does not dissappoint! The spice level is where it should be - they are not afraid to spice things up. The service was very good... not fast, but I expect to wait a bit for freshly made food. Their soups (esp the Rasam) are very good. I love the variety of chutneys that come with the Dosas. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Vamshi N.
Only good for south Indian tiffins - say no to the biryani... Owner serves food too... Dosa is spicy.. Idhi Chana hot guru
(3)
Bee L.
Skip the appetizer platter. The only thing of worth was the punugulu. Servers were excellent but food to table was slow and in parts. I recommend the dinner platters. There is a variety of food and plenty of it.
(4)
Kailash N.
This review only applies to their Thursday evening all you can eat dosa buffet. Now the place opens up for buffet at 6 PM or so. I would say if possible arrive before 6.45 PM or so. After that the crowds start building considerably and you may need to wait a little bit to be seated. The buffet itself is somewhat of a unique offering (it is priced at $9.99) They have about 20+ varieties of dosas from which you can choose as many as you like as many times as you want. Now the dosas are somewhat small thus the waiter itself would suggest you to choose 3 or 4 at a time. The other items of the buffet includes appetizers such as pakoras, 4 types of chutney (coconut, peanut, tomoto-onion, ginger), idli, upma, different podis for dosa, sambar, aloo onion subji (as in masala for masla dosa), pulao, curd rice, dessert (usually kulfi), chai (welcome addition I would say). Now it is quite amazing that they keep running like a well oiled machine despite the crowds and all the multiple requests they get for different types of dosa. Usually with this type of arrangement there is a greater chance for pandemonium but surprisingly I have been served dosas typically 5-10 minutes of my requests (for a group of 4). A great and unique experience for serious dosa lovers.
(4)
P J.
My wife and I found this restaurant on our GPS recently and were glad that we did. We came on a weekend afternoon and they were serving lunch buffet. As soon as we saw the size of the food selection, we could not wait to get started! The food was absolutely delicious.Some items were spicy but not too spicy, and there were so many choices, we tried as many as we could. Everything was clearly marked as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and there were some tasty desserts. We will definitely come back - we're not sure if it will be for the buffet again or for the dinner menu. This is a very authentic southern Indian restaurant and you will be very pleased. If you like Indian food, you will love the food at this restaurant.
(5)
Kalyan M.
Just okay experience... first the service was pretty shabby, mixed up orders and forgot to get rice for the curry dish and got extra bread that we didnt order. All the dishes had confused taste. Worst of them were gobi manchurian and chicken-65. They didnt taste even close to what they should be. Chicken Biryani was ok. Lamb curry could have been better, overall just average experience. I want to go once again and try their famous lunch buffet.
(3)
Mrsotle O.
Priya Indian Restaurant is by far my favorite to go to for a good Indian dish. My favorite meal is the Chili Chicken with gravy and extra spicy. I love spicy food and they make it perfectly. I've asked for extra spicy at restaurants before and it's usually still too mild. I've never been disappointed with a dish from here before. Unlike many other Indian Restaurants they give generous portions for a decent price.
(4)
Mable S.
I've been to this restaurant a few times and I'll continue to go back. The food is excellent and they offer more north Indian foods, which is sometimes difficult to find (it seems that southern Indian is more common). The service is always great and the restaurant always seems to be busy, which is another good sign.
(4)
A V.
One of the decent Indian restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area if not the best. Very courteous service. They can revise their prices. Also, they need to work on improving their speed with respect to waiting the tables. Overall, a nice place to visit for a hearty andhra style food.
(4)
Sanjay J.
This place started off about 10 years ago as an awesome authentic Indian restaurant. Gradually, like most Indian restaurants, they tried to cut corners while increasing the prices and now it is very mediocre. We had stopped going there for a few years and when a Groupon came out a few months ago, we decided to try it out again. Big mistake, the quality still is poor. The trick they use is to have foam take out containers which bend internally so that it looks like they are giving you a lot but you find out later that you got ripped off. Biryani was awful. I will NOT be going there again.
(1)
Stephanie R.
Wonderful service. Great food. We will definitely be back.
(5)
Ruma R.
This is a review for the weekend buffet, for which I just knocked off one star. (My views on dosa night remain largely unchanged since I haven't eaten there after that). I landed up at the weekend buffet two weeks back and it was absolutely AVERAGE, even with my favorite guy, Austin, around. (I mean, how many hands can he possibly have--he's human!) It was crowded, which I expected, but the dosas took FOREVER to come to our plates, by which time the masala was completely cold. The upma was okay--the only thing I could palate at all. There were literally no decent options for vegetarians as far as veggies went. The rice dishes were bland and around three-fourths of the way through our meal, we noticed that the big "appetizer wok" which had chicken tikka or something had been replaced with one containing pav bhaji, which we vegetarians would have loved to try BEFORE stuffing our faces with substandard stuff. Dishes took a LONG time to be replaced, and I don't like eating oily curries, dry pieces of chapathi/parantha, and bland rice, when the meat-eaters have SO many options to choose from. The double ka meetha, my fave, was *gasp* too sweet. SIGH.
(3)
foodie f.
The food is so mediocre. I am from south india and it is a joke to call this food south indian food. Sure, the heat is there. But heat alone does not a south indian cuisine make. Where are the complex flavors, the subtle variations. We ordered Bhagara Baingan, and all it was just ground coconut and peanut paste masala, it was white in color - could not taste the flavors that are so quintessentially hyderabadi. When we spoke to the owner, he did not even apologize. He backed up his dish and said it is from another version of the dish - seriously....how convenient. Anyways, we have not gone back since, and will not go back either.
(1)
Sri S.
Definately worth trying. The indian food is more authentic for sure and its different from the regular indian food. The food type is Andhra cuisine and its typically more spicy. Chicken pakoras were out of this world. Chicken briyani was pretty good as well. Try the weekend lunch buffet. This place is spicy, so not for the faint of heart. Caters towards indian clientle. Ambiance was mediocre to poor. Loud music was blaring and I requested them to lower the music but I dont think that was done. Nevertheless, food is the most important thing when going to a restaurant and the food was good. something you must try for sure if u want a regional authentic indian food from Andhra.
(4)
Matt T.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. The service is good and so is the food. The food has the right amount of spice in it to be really good. It is a bit far from my house, but worth the drive. I live in Chicago. But this is the only restaurant my wife will let us go to, to have Indian food. So make a trip out there. It is worth the effort.
(5)
Jasmine S.
Perfect dosa night every Tues/Thurs with Buffet style serving. The dosa is made to order which guaranteed freshness.
(5)
Jhomer R.
This is an excellent place for an Indian lunch buffet but it is pricey. There were plenty of options to choose from. Lunch items served at the time were chicken 65, veggie pakora, butter chicken and few other tasty dishes. There was also a dosa server giving out fresh dosas. The desserts was excellent with Double Ka Meetha and Mango Ice-cream. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for an excellent lunch buffet. Friendly environment and old school music videos.
(5)
Deeps K.
Best place for your South Indian food cravings. Staff here welcome us with warm smiles. Surely we will have a nice contented smile while going out. Couldn't find a better buffet than that. Very crowded during weekends. But quick to get a table. Always happy with their service
(4)
Steven W.
The Dosa buffet is the best thing going here. There are at least 12 dosa styles and the usual chutney's -coconut, tomato and peanut along with sambar. they just keep on coming until you are full. Dosa's are made to order and things such as idli and tomato/potato curry are also included. For those that are not familiar with the Dosa and Idlis here is the rundown. Dosa's are a kind of crepe made with rice and lentil flour. Some are paper thin, others are very thick. Sometimes things are added like cheese, egg or extra seasoning. Idli is a kind of steamed rice cake. Both are meant to eaten in conjunction with a semi liquid such as sambar or chutney. Sambar is a thick vegetarian soup. Chutneys are a kind of condiment or dip. All of these items are made in house at Priya, and the Dosa's are made to order. Outside the Dosa buffet, the gobi manchurian is a standout dish. The veg dishes seem to be better then the meat ones although fish and chicken are also on the menu. I'm especially fond of the indo chinese options. Not so busy on weeknights, but the Dosa buffet can be packed. The parking lot is shared with the village tavern which is also super popular at dinner, but Priya is located on the opposite side from them and thus always has parking available.
(5)
Subbu R.
We visit this place often on Thursdays for the dosa Buffett. Good selection of dosas along with lemon sevai, upma, bajji and payasam. Our fav dosas are : Ghee roast, Achar Dosa and the egg&pepper dosa. Overall - good South Indian joint.
(4)
Ruma R.
This is a review for the weekend buffet, for which I just knocked off one star. (My views on dosa night remain largely unchanged since I haven't eaten there after that). I landed up at the weekend buffet two weeks back and it was absolutely AVERAGE, even with my favorite guy, Austin, around. (I mean, how many hands can he possibly have--he's human!) It was crowded, which I expected, but the dosas took FOREVER to come to our plates, by which time the masala was completely cold. The upma was okay--the only thing I could palate at all. There were literally no decent options for vegetarians as far as veggies went. The rice dishes were bland and around three-fourths of the way through our meal, we noticed that the big "appetizer wok" which had chicken tikka or something had been replaced with one containing pav bhaji, which we vegetarians would have loved to try BEFORE stuffing our faces with substandard stuff. Dishes took a LONG time to be replaced, and I don't like eating oily curries, dry pieces of chapathi/parantha, and bland rice, when the meat-eaters have SO many options to choose from. The double ka meetha, my fave, was *gasp* too sweet. SIGH.
(3)
foodie f.
The food is so mediocre. I am from south india and it is a joke to call this food south indian food. Sure, the heat is there. But heat alone does not a south indian cuisine make. Where are the complex flavors, the subtle variations. We ordered Bhagara Baingan, and all it was just ground coconut and peanut paste masala, it was white in color - could not taste the flavors that are so quintessentially hyderabadi. When we spoke to the owner, he did not even apologize. He backed up his dish and said it is from another version of the dish - seriously....how convenient. Anyways, we have not gone back since, and will not go back either.
(1)
Sri S.
Definately worth trying. The indian food is more authentic for sure and its different from the regular indian food. The food type is Andhra cuisine and its typically more spicy. Chicken pakoras were out of this world. Chicken briyani was pretty good as well. Try the weekend lunch buffet. This place is spicy, so not for the faint of heart. Caters towards indian clientle. Ambiance was mediocre to poor. Loud music was blaring and I requested them to lower the music but I dont think that was done. Nevertheless, food is the most important thing when going to a restaurant and the food was good. something you must try for sure if u want a regional authentic indian food from Andhra.
(4)
Matt T.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. The service is good and so is the food. The food has the right amount of spice in it to be really good. It is a bit far from my house, but worth the drive. I live in Chicago. But this is the only restaurant my wife will let us go to, to have Indian food. So make a trip out there. It is worth the effort.
(5)
Hersh A.
Had great dhosas and Uttapam here. Liked the Paper Dhosa & Priya Special Spicy Dhosa a lot. The Paper one is huge. Good sambhar & chutneys. Deliciouso. Definitely a must try for South Indian cuisine. Also, the Chicken Charminar appetizer is really good. Spicy and full of flavor. Service is decent. Little on the pricey side.
(4)
Hassan G.
Went there for the Dosa Buffet, food was pretty good, decent selection
(4)
Richa G.
The service was really slow !! We ordered dosa at first! It tasted good and when we ordered another one they almost took 40 mins to make it!! Above all, music there was hammering my head. I planned to go somewhere else and eat something else but when i left my appetite was killed because of the wait and music selection!! Ruined the whole day! 2.0 for good sambar 0.5 just to be nice!!!
(1)
Elle F.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had! Great buffet selection and nice owners. Totally recommend it.
(5)
Donna G.
My new favorite Restaurant. The food is plentiful and delicious, they have an excellent buffet and the staff is warm and welcoming. Try Priya. You won't be sorry!
(4)
Sathish K.
Good south Indian food., not spicy but tasty. The dosas, (crispy Indian pan cakes are unlimited). We started the buffet before 12:00, we were able to beat the crowd on a sunday. I started the buffet with pakoras and some vegies, good varieties of south indian chutneys. There was no naan, but they had chapati's another variety of bread. The second course of the buffet was rice varieties, they had excellent Biryani and pulav and there were good entrees for the rice items. I did not taste the desert, but kids loved it. Finally the tea was authentic., but remember to add sugar before going back to the table. Service was ok., they were unable to remove the buffet plates right away, it was a big deal for us ad we were dining with two small kids. So four stars Ambience was ok, But the pictures that are hung were good. Finally the checkout was using, ipad dongle. It was kind of first time I saw in an Indian food place. Will recommend this place to cheese heads when they come to Chicago.
(4)
S N.
It was the first time I came across the concept of Dosa Night thru a friend. I didnt had high hope till I went in I was like I just want to have a dosa.. But this was actually amazing. All the chutneys, rasam and sambar were very tasty made in authentic south indian style which I have been looking for everywhere in Chicago downtown, uptown and its suburbs. I have tried all places for south indian food esp. dosa and vada but havent found this taste. Even this r4estaurant I ordered food online but they serve only coconut chutney that way, which I am not a big fan of. But at this buffet, I could get any chutney I can think of with south indian food. The customer service was also okay.. I would recommend a Dosa night for all dosa cravers like me..
(4)
Mohan P.
Food is authentic and tasty but nothing to applaud about. Pros: Chilli chicken was awesome. Sambar and Rasam was nice too. Cons! More cons than pros. I was very disappointed that roti's were super cold..and so was the Medu wada. Food in restaurants have to be served hot. Roti's probably was made on the morning. Biryani was super dry. Please serve food hot and fresh!!!
(2)
Rachna B.
Exceptionally good food and amazing hospitality. Great place if you want to have some really good Indian food. Mr. Kevin is such a lovely person and will make your dinning experience very memorable. A must go for everyone...
(5)
Priya B.
I have catered several events and eaten here a plethora. This place is awesome and consistent. If you are looking for authentic south indian food like mom would make done the best way, Priya is the place for it!
(5)
Rajie M.
Very good food, friendly staff and a reasonably priced. Their unlimited Dhosa on Tuesdays and Thursday are worth trying. Choose from 18 different variety of Dhosas. Amazing!!
(4)
Harshavardhan K.
Good place and has a decent variety of food. The dosa buffet is a must try. Pudina chicken as an appetizer is my personal favorite. The catering is one of our favorites. .any functions or social gathering among our friends the food mostly always comes from here..
(4)
J T W.
I came here for the brunch last weekend; it was fantastic.Big variety of food and not the same tired old cliched entrees you find at most Indian buffets. The service was great too--very quick and attentive. I'm not into vegetables but the way they cook them up here made me a believer. Plus it's great to have a buffet that serves up real good lamb and goat dishes too!The other great thing is that the customers that dine here are practically all (if not 99.9%) Indian--so you know Priya is keeping it real and not dumbing down the ingredients for anyone!
(5)
Foodie S.
What I like about this place, -Dosa Buffet -Few authentic dishes like Punugula/Bonda and Bajji What I don't like about this place, -They don't seem to get lot of main dishes like Naan,curries and other rice items right -I am also not a fan of any dessert here. They taste like store-bought ! Overall, a good place to try ! But, there are far better places to enjoy a buffet in Schaumburg..
(3)
S C.
Me and my friends went to Priya. The service was horrible and the manager himself has no sense of customer service at all. Dosa were ok, and chicken 65 was poured with lemon or what? We asked them why it was so sour they told us since its made with yogurt it has the sour taste. We were like "we have had this dish before at many other places and we know surely it is not like drinking pure lemon juice." They apparently redid and brought it back but it didn't taste good. We had to keep calling for service, shouldn't they be making sure of taking care of their clients? I will never go back to Priya. The food is barely ok and overpriced. And the service is the worst of all.
(1)
Avinash K.
Good dosa buffet here. Not too many desserts. Awesome Pav Baaji.
(3)
Pradeep M.
Today I went for dinner with friends the food was too bad ...I felt sick after eating this omg .....that was terrible night
(1)
Aswinikumar A.
First time we went, we had Priya masala dosa and Gutti Vankay curry. Both tasted very good. Gutti Vankay was way beyond my expectation and I recommend everyone interested to taste it. The second time we went on a Thursday for dinner to taste the veg buffet that includes unlimited dosas. I would rate 3 on 5. Good for families.
(4)
Lolakshi Pooja G.
The best weekend lunch buffet I had ever had in States.Strongly recommend. Love all the dishes in veg and non veg. Even the pickles too. Try it out.
(5)
William B.
I think I've found my new go-to indian cuisine in the western burbs. Largest selection of dosas anywhere. They have entire nights and lunches dedicated to unlimited dosa buffets. Someone once told me that the secret to excellent indian food is when it has been slow cooked for days. Probably why Indian food from most places is often better as leftovers- lets the flavors meld. Priya has that days long, slow cooked taste to it with the first bite. I wanted to say it has that 'leftovers' taste to it, but doesnt sound as appealing, even if i mean it in a good way. The papadam chips they bring out were very good. thin and crispy. Served with an excellent chutney. We started with the vegetable pakoda app. the only item we weren't really impressed with. way too much batter around a single sliver of vegetable. Excellent chutneys, though. Then we ordered a dosa. i think we picked one with potato & onion. The kids tore the dosa apart. Served with excellent, and widely diverse selection of chutneys. Then we ordered the mutter paneer- mild, mostly for the kids. I would certainly order medium spicy or even hotter next time. but was nice and creamy as mild. We also ordered the chicken fry. It appeared to be mostly dark meat chicken- bone in. most excellent. Lots of ginger flavor- big hunks of it right on top. Would definitely order again. Very large menu. I can't wait to go back and try something new.
(5)
Mina H.
Stripmall location, entrance doors are limited to one all the way to the left (past 2 others - blocked off with signage), awkward foyer with view into kitchen and no one waiting to seat us. Friend was starving and we asked the waiter about quick appetizers, got admonished because we were taking too long trying to decipher a confusing menu (with inconsistent descriptions on items... some didnt have any!) during the long pauses between his visits as a response. Had to ASK for chips (normally that is brought out with water and menus), while trying to order... finally decided on 'safe' chicken biryani and friend got lamb version. Meat was on bone. Not our expectation nor to our liking, I picked mine out completely. Rice was otherwise decent enough, took the majority home. Groupon failed me this time... I have one more I have to (ack) use. Let me know if anyone wants it.
(2)
Giuliano F.
This place is very mediocre. The food was ok but the service was poor. The waiter was persistently creepy and condescending since I'm not Indian. I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)
Puni P.
We went here since my mother in law had been here before when they have their dosa buffet and it must have been good then. We went for lunch buffet and it was a waste of money and of our time. They do not refill the buffet so if you like one item there you are pretty much screwed. The staff never even asks if everything is good since they could care less. The dosas are ok, but their is no dosa filling with the buffet. The place is so outdated! If you must have South Indian food and want a buffet then head to Udupi since it is clean and you have more of a selection of food especially for buffet.
(1)
Sam P.
I have been meaning to start reviewing on yelp for a long, long time, but it took dining at this place to finally push me to do it. We decided to try Priya despite mixed reviews, and we're very glad we did. The restaurant is a decent size with lighting that can only be described as romantic, and there was just one other table dining while we were there (a Monday night around 7). The food: We ordered butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, and chapati. The paneer was delicious, so creamy and full of scrumptious onions. The chicken tasted very fresh, though I think we'll order it spicy next time (our fault for ordering "mild" since we were sharing with our two year old). The only thing I can find to criticize is that they ran out of coke and tried to serve me diet without letting me know of the shortage. The facility: The bathroom was pretty decent, especially compared to other similar restaurants (sorry, but you know it's true). The manager came out at the end of our meal and seemed enamored with our son - so much so, that he invited the three of us back for a tour of the kitchen! Wow! Everyone there was friendly, and I have only limited commercial kitchen experience, but it all looked okay to me. He showed us the separate cooking areas for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, which I know is important to some people. I saw one other reviewer mentioned getting sick after dining here, so I'm just going to go ahead and address that. I'm just rounding out my first trimester of pregnancy and have not had exciting food in about three months, so I think if anyone were going to be made ill by this cuisine, it would likely be me. All good! I'm very pleased.
(5)
Vi N.
The last time we ate here, we were served heated Mexican tortillas as chapatti. When we asked, the manager kept insisting that it was freshly made ! I'm Indian and I should know. The tea was just leftover heated up. What started out as a decent Andhra restaurant has become an overpriced, rude, smelly, dark excuse of a restaurant. There are other places (name starts with C) that have way better Andhra food. Will never come back here again.
(1)
Chris W.
I have now been here twice. Both times the food was average. Don't question or complain because in this restaurant the customer is never right. I'd recommend going to another restaurant .
Spicy , very spicy , red chilly powder dumped food . Hair in the food , ugly , not well maintained , unclean interior . Colon on fire
(1)
Vishal S.
This restaurant is located in the Schaumburg area. It is Indian cuisine tilted towards South India, especially Andhra Pradesh. One of the best things about Priya is their range of Chutneys. This is the closest you can get to authentic Ginger, Peanut, Tomato, Coconut and Mint chutneys anywhere in North America. The Dosa buffet brought me in for the first time two years back and they have a very wide variety of Dosas (Pesarattu - A Dosa made using green lentils; included). The other items in the Dosa buffet are pretty average causing me to knock one star off. Their regular buffet on Sunday is typical pan Indian cuisine with Dosas included. I definitely recommend this place only for the Dosa Buffet and the Sunday Buffet + A La Carte is worth a shot. The ambiance is more from the 1980s to 1990s interior, so don't expect much. Parking is not problem due to the strip mall location. Prices for the buffet vary between $13 to $15 which seems nominal. The service (when not done by the owner) can be a little more brisk.
(4)
Vinay K.
I had total mixed reviews eating at Priya. The start was horrid since we were a group of 10 and made to wait nearly 30 mins for table. Totally understand since the crowd was big but there were not ample chairs at the waiting area. The restaurant is small for the crowd that visits on weekends. The cashier lady is very rude. Its natural for customers to inquire about availability and she was so rude to us. To top it all she announces that a group that had made a phone reservation would be given preference over our group. I was losing patience when another staff came in and handled the situation and we were given split tables. I wud give a 1 star for this behaviour. Now the food in the buffet sort of dowsed the tensed atmosphere. Most of the dishes were very good. Plus: The pakoras were yum, Dosa and Idly was serveed hot and also quickly, the Egg curry was good. Desserts were nice and not very sugary. Sambhar had a lot of veggies. Cons: Except the regular chutney all others were horrible, THe Rotis were hard and chewy, The biryani was over and no one bothered to refill it. And Rasam was garlicky. Overall I will be fair and give a 3 star. If they improve customer service the star cud be better. im sure they have a lot of potential to becoming a fine-dine restaurant which they sadly arent today.
(3)
Meghan F.
Tried Priya tonight for the first and LAST time. Ever since Taj Mahal in Bloomingdale closed, my boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a new favorite Indian restaurant to frequent. We were pretty excited to give Priya a try, given that it is just a short distance from home. Words hardly suffice to describe our disappointment and disgust. We ordered the Butter Chicken, one of our favorite dishes. On top of the entrees being incredibly overpriced, the food was just downright awful!! They call the meat they put in there chicken? Perhaps they gave us the cuts that were intended for their pets at home. Nothing but fatty, bony, chewy pieces that my boyfriend couldn't even get through without spitting it into a napkin! Not sure if plastic is a new addition to southern Indian cuisine, but I certainly don't prefer finding it in my food.. gross. Long story short: We will absolutely never eat at Priya again. For what they charge, you would think they would take a LITTLE more pride in what they serve the general public. Tsk tsk.
(1)
Nikhil K.
Search for Good South Indian restaurants ends here.period. Being a foodie from India and actually having tasted every possible South Indian dish,in the entire south india,i crave sometimes for authentic or near authentic South Indian food My brother is a bigger fan of the food as well! So here we were braving the Chicago rain just to satisfy our cravings. Not disappointed at all!! The spread is different for Mondays,Tuesdays an Thursdays,we went on a Monday,and ill just say,its the closest you can get to South Indian food and the other one is UDIPi at Devon. These two are anyday better than Mysore woodland. I am a big fan of sambar,and i found both here ant UDIPi to have great sambar! Austin( the guy who helped us) was great and helpful to have around.special mention about him as well. For others,who have complaints-i sometimes wonder why people can be so dumb/ignorant. You have come to a South Indian restaurant,why in the world would you order something from them which is not their specialty and then complain? Its like going to a Japanese restaurant here an asking for French fries or pizza! When in rome-be roman,eat roman.just an advice.
(4)
Katie D.
If you are a local in Schaumburg neighborhood....this is one of the best Authentic south indian restaurant so far. Service and food both are really good. The only one thing I will tell you to be aware of is the spice level, if you are not a big spice eater make sure you mention while ordering. Whether you order south indian or Punjabi they will always serve you some papad with a nice spicy chutney, this is a nice twist to starting your meal. The quantity of the dosa is really good and it is served with 3 different chutneys all with great authentic flavor. Ambience is okay not the best one but not the worst also.
(4)
k a.
Had stuff catered and every one totally love the food. I like that they make traditional andhra styled appetizers.
(3)
Dennis J.
I'm still trying to figure out what the folks who run this place were thinking. My friend made a reservation here for 40 people for their rehearsal dinner. If you've been by, you can see that that's pretty much their whole restaurant. Now, if you've got a large (well, huge) group coming in, you'd think you would want to make sure the tables were ready right? No. Not a single table was ready for our group. In fact, we had to trickle in as people finished their dinners. That ... was terribly awkward. Maybe the food would redeem it? No. No, it would not. The dosa buffet is setup so you gather whatever you'd like to eat your dosa (uh .. a savory crepe?) with and wait at your table to order whatever kinds of dosa you'd like. The main problem I had was that they selection of fillings was terrible: barely any vegetables, no protein, and bland dessert. But lots of chutneys. So, there's that. The folks that come around and ask for the dosa orders were kind and seemed embarrassed at their lack of preparation, but weren't that helpful. There's 30-40 different kinds of dosa but no description to help you choose between them. By the time we actually got ours, we were too hungry to be picky. I wouldn't come back here with a large group ... or a small one.
(1)
Ramya P.
Buffet that mainly focuses on South Indian food Wanted to eat here since a very long time ago when I heard that this restaurant serves Andhra food. Got the urge to eat here after an exhausting morning at Ikea and me n the hubby quickly drove up here. I'm turned off by buffets but it actually sounds good when you're starving! The lunch buffet costs $14/person during the weekends and its totally worth it. Don't expect a very inviting ambiance or super attentive friendly service, come here with the sole motive to get some good food. The dishes are mostly south Indian. Crispy hot dosas are brought to the table that taste divine with the mint chutney. The vadas are cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The sambar and rasam took me back to the days when I would ditch dinner at home and sneakily eat at my neighbor's place. They do have chapathis and a couple of sides but as I said earlier the south Indian food is the primary focus and it is very good. The vermicelli porridge n halwa were so damn delicious, that I ate more food than my husband. This is why buffets are a bad bad idea for me... Off to the gym now!!
(4)
Victoria W.
I liked the curry in my Malai Kofta, but the actual "balls" (more like 3 sausage-shaped pieces) had a soft texture/taste that made me doubt there was cheese in them--it was probably gourd-based. My partner enjoyed his Kadai Chicken. The masla dosa came with a lot of food for the money, but the potato curry was extremely spicy for being a mild order. We only received one container of rice though we ordered 2 entrees; it wasn't nearly enough. Ordered Gulab Jamun ($5) and was disappointed to find that it was only two pieces in a syrup that lacked the complex spiced flavor I was used to. Tasted like a sugar syrup with some honey. They actually forgot to include the dosa when my partner picked up the order. They called us as he returned home, and he had to drive back to pick it up. They were very apologetic about it though. Updates: Mutter Paneer: Pretty good, not as tomato-based as usual and light on the peas, very salty. Butter Chicken: Good but also rather salty.
(2)
Deepak N.
Went there last nite w fam for mother's day. Really a bad experience. Brother made reservations - which at the time I thought was pointless since I've never seen a packed indian restaurant before. Turned out to be great since huge line and packed house at priya. The waiter/host was friendly and had good sense of humor. He was also really nice and efficient on the phone. We got to sit right away at reserved table = nice While seated - didnt get a waiter to come to table for 20mins. Didnt get apps til like 40-60mins. We were there 1.5hrs and our main food didnt come yet. They were severly understaffed, unorganized and just seemed like amateur hour -maybe first time ever they've been this packed? Asked the guy how long they've been in business (thought they must've been new) - nope, been around for 10yrs!! Plus it felt like 100+ degrees and super humid inside. Zero ventilation + packed house + hot kitchen = sweating nonstop. The annoying light hindi music (too low to hear, but loud enough to sound like a buzzibg bee) made it even worse. It was all around a miserable experience. Food also expensive. And of course - super diarrhea 2x this morning from their food ;)
(1)
Don Z.
I will start out by saying that I am an American. I may not have the properly trained taste buds to appreciate this food. I have been to a handful of other Indian restaurants and enjoyed them to varying degrees. So I am not an expert, but not completely uneducated either. Priya is in a strip mall with adequate parking. I visited on a Saturday for lunch which meant buffet style. The place was filled with people. My wife and I were the only European Americans. I only mention that because perhaps the food is very authentic and loved by someone that grew up with this style of cooking. The air was filled with the heady aroma of spices used in Indian cooking. We worked our way through the buffet and took a little of this and a little of that. The meat dishes were really boney, which I found irritating. Unfortunately I didn't like anything. I really tried. Something about the spice combinations used in every dish I tried just did not agree with my stomach. On top of that everything had too much hot pepper in it for my delicate mouth to enjoy. I don't like sweating from my food. My wife was not as disappointed. She found a few things that she liked. The prices were really on the high side too. I couldn't believe they would charge $15 a person for the buffet which didn't have many choices. Overall, I will not be going back to Priya. The food may be authentic, but it is not for me.
(2)
Dodge S.
Went to dinner with a group of friends during Dec or Jan. They were doing a special on Dosa which is like a lite and thin pancake, almost like pita or lavosh flatbread. So we all ordered the endless Dosa. And they kept coming out with different flavored Dosa and they were all delicious. Some of them were very spicy, baked into the bread. Turns out there was a buffet setup, but it was all for chutney. So you take your plate to the buffet and dish up some spoonfuls of your favorite chutney, then come back to your table and spread the amount you want on the Dosa. We laughed over several Kingfisher beers and had a great time. It is a small place that you probably wouldn't think twice about if you saw it from Wise Road. But it is definitely worth a visit for authentic Indian food from the southern central part of the country.
(4)
Pri P.
We have been to this restaurant quite a few time now. Food here is delicious!!! The service here is not that great but if the food is good i don't mind waiting :) Dosas, idli, vada, sambar, chutney, chicken, fish, roti everything is yummy...
(5)
Summer H.
Terrible terrible food & ambience!!!... I will never never go back again.. There is no place to sit .. You feel so cramped... The table traps you and hits you in the chest...No room to move & the seats are narrow.. my back started aching.. The chicken chettinad was nasty!.. I felt like puking after smelling it & puked after eating it.. It smelled so bad and tasted even worse..The tamarind chicken was just tamarind and artificial color.. It was so sour.. Could not make out what I was eating in the main dish..
(1)
Deepika B.
By far the best Indian (south indian) buffet I have had in Chicago. I have been to this place quite a few times now and is one of our favorite destinations on a sunday afternoon. Very authentic south indian food. The variety of dishes they serve is awesome and elaborate. The biryani, rasam are always good. The rasam is as spicy and hot as it should be. The chicken starters are always without an exception tasty and yummy and never fail to hit the right spot. Even the veg starters are well made and tasty. My husband loves the pongal and the veg dishes they serve here. Even the desserts are tasty. Recently, we had been to Dakshin which was not great at all and definitely not worth the price that we paid there. Any given day, I would prefer Priya over any other buffet. The ambiance is okay, but go for the awesome food. Though the buffet seems a bit expensive, but they serve much much better food here than I have tried at other places. Of all the buffets, this is worth every penny. (The only irritating and unbearable thing are the songs of the 90's which they play. Ow, no complaints)
(5)
Simir S.
this place is horrible for the food the serve and the service they pretend to give. Be ready to be disappointed go to Udipi better service cleaner place.
(1)
Vanitha S.
This place totally bombarded my Madurai senses. My parents and I came in after an afternoon of shopping at Deepkala. And wow. We went in and it was packed with Indians speaking all kinds of southern languages--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam. The buffet line is nothing like I've ever seen before. It was divided into a non-veg and veg side, and the traditional southern dishes that we eat at home in the buffet line shocked me! There were various pickles, yogurt rice, rasam, sambaar, tamarind rice, etc. among the regulars like curry chicken, biriyani, etc. I have NEVER seen yogurt rice in a buffet line. ever. And fresh dosas were brought to the table, which were delicious with the sambaar. Buffet was a bit expensive, but worth it for this experience. I just wish this place was closer to the city because I'd go here more often.
(5)
Heather B.
Great food, great service. Our waiter helped us pick our entree's and they were so yummy. Everything had heat and my nose was running... in a good way! Nan was fresh, buttery and amazing. Interior needs serious updating, and music needs to be turned down a bit, but the food and our waiter were wonderful!
(4)
Rahul M.
Worst customer service. Very rude owner. My order was placed 1 hour ago for carry out, and when I asked the owner what is taking so much time, he just asked me to wait for another 10 mins .... No apology...but just a bad attitude!!!
(1)
Atulya B.
Unlike other Indian restaurants, Priya Restaurant is different. Different in the sense that it is actually one of those restaurants that serves authentic south Indian food. Make no mistake about it. Whether you're ordering the original Chicken Fry or the spicy Chicken Chitinad or the unmistakable Fish Pulusu, the taste is right there. Takes you right back to the sub-continent and makes you very nostalgic. The Indo-Chinese items, like the fried rice and the Chicken Manchurian or the Chili Chicken are very true to their original taste and are quite good. Priya also does a variety of tiffins or breakfast items and they are tasty too, though these days most Indian restaurants get them right. But what sets Priya apart is their Dosa (or crepes) night on Thursday, where you get to experience a variety of Dosas made with different kinds of batter and stuffed with your choice of filling - well this depends on what kind of Dosa you order. And vegetarian food here is good too with the ever-popular Panner Tikka Masala, Tadka Dal, Kadai Panner and other regulars gracing the menu. Ambience and interior settings wise Priya doesn't score well but who cares as long as the food is good, right? So head over to Priya you're craving real, authentic south Indian food.
(5)
Danny V.
Updating my review of the place as this time the food was absolutely delicious. All the chutneys were delicious. The vegetarian dishes were good and the multiple non vegetarian dishes were great too. They probably had an off day the first time I visited the place but I have no such complaints this time around. Great Service and amazing South Indian food.
(5)
Dessy D.
Surprising that there are absolutely no reviews of this place.. First up -- Its REAL SOUTH INDIAN food. You know what i mean? As in the real 'REAL'...The real spices, the real taste , the real heat, the real aroma... Let me start with dosas - The chutney you normally get in any restaurant on devon is called 'coconut chutney' with a domination of coconut. In priya its more 'Andhra' (A south indian state) style where coconut forms the minor portion and fried 'chana dal' is hte major ingredient. And they also serve 'Onion' and 'Ginger' chutney....one word ..'WOWWWWWW' I tried the chicken curry, chicken chettinad, chicken 65, chicken chilli, shrimp masala, chapathi, puri masala, rava dosa, pesarat, idly, babycorn manchurian..All were fantastic but for chicken chettinad..... If I have a craving for some REAL indian food, this definitely is my go-to place. Dakshin on Salem drive is a super close competitor. Dakshin has its own special dishes where it scores. But then Priya truly deserves a 5-star. P.S. : One of those INDIAN restaurants were INDIANS get some respect along with FOOD...:) :)
(5)
Pratik P.
Great food and better service. My friends come here and let the manager order for us. Had the goat, butter chicken, manchurian, cilantro chicken... So good
(4)
Manya A.
Went to Priya about 5 years ago and loved it! Recently when hubby suggested going again, I was excited. We went for a saturday lunch buffet. Ugh..they didn't have real utensils or plates and bowls. It was around 12.45 pm and practically all the food was gone. We waited for 20+ mins but no one refilled/restocked the buffet. There was just 1 waiter guy who promised to bring us dosas. We got exactly 3 dosas for the 3 of us. After that, we told the waiter at least 4-5 times to bring us more dosas and he just didn't. What kind of service is this? After being charged $15 for a buffet, we couldn't even get more dosas! This is after they have advertised it as a lunch buffet with unlimited dosas. There was a lady at the reception and she could not possibly have been more unfriendly. She just frowned at us and when we pointed out that we didn't get the dosas but did like the food she just rolled her eyes at us. The food would have been decent if there had been any. Not sure why this place was so packed. It certainly couldn't have been for the negative customer service or the lack of food. Very disappointing since it seems like they have a lot of promise but dont deliver.
(1)
Megan L.
Really great authentic South Indian food. I grew up eating South Indian food at my best friend's house, so I'm familiar with South Indian home cooking and Priya does not dissappoint! The spice level is where it should be - they are not afraid to spice things up. The service was very good... not fast, but I expect to wait a bit for freshly made food. Their soups (esp the Rasam) are very good. I love the variety of chutneys that come with the Dosas. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Vamshi N.
Only good for south Indian tiffins - say no to the biryani... Owner serves food too... Dosa is spicy.. Idhi Chana hot guru
(3)
Bee L.
Skip the appetizer platter. The only thing of worth was the punugulu. Servers were excellent but food to table was slow and in parts. I recommend the dinner platters. There is a variety of food and plenty of it.
(4)
Kailash N.
This review only applies to their Thursday evening all you can eat dosa buffet. Now the place opens up for buffet at 6 PM or so. I would say if possible arrive before 6.45 PM or so. After that the crowds start building considerably and you may need to wait a little bit to be seated. The buffet itself is somewhat of a unique offering (it is priced at $9.99) They have about 20+ varieties of dosas from which you can choose as many as you like as many times as you want. Now the dosas are somewhat small thus the waiter itself would suggest you to choose 3 or 4 at a time. The other items of the buffet includes appetizers such as pakoras, 4 types of chutney (coconut, peanut, tomoto-onion, ginger), idli, upma, different podis for dosa, sambar, aloo onion subji (as in masala for masla dosa), pulao, curd rice, dessert (usually kulfi), chai (welcome addition I would say). Now it is quite amazing that they keep running like a well oiled machine despite the crowds and all the multiple requests they get for different types of dosa. Usually with this type of arrangement there is a greater chance for pandemonium but surprisingly I have been served dosas typically 5-10 minutes of my requests (for a group of 4). A great and unique experience for serious dosa lovers.
(4)
P J.
My wife and I found this restaurant on our GPS recently and were glad that we did. We came on a weekend afternoon and they were serving lunch buffet. As soon as we saw the size of the food selection, we could not wait to get started! The food was absolutely delicious.Some items were spicy but not too spicy, and there were so many choices, we tried as many as we could. Everything was clearly marked as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and there were some tasty desserts. We will definitely come back - we're not sure if it will be for the buffet again or for the dinner menu. This is a very authentic southern Indian restaurant and you will be very pleased. If you like Indian food, you will love the food at this restaurant.
(5)
Kalyan M.
Just okay experience... first the service was pretty shabby, mixed up orders and forgot to get rice for the curry dish and got extra bread that we didnt order. All the dishes had confused taste. Worst of them were gobi manchurian and chicken-65. They didnt taste even close to what they should be. Chicken Biryani was ok. Lamb curry could have been better, overall just average experience. I want to go once again and try their famous lunch buffet.
(3)
Mrsotle O.
Priya Indian Restaurant is by far my favorite to go to for a good Indian dish. My favorite meal is the Chili Chicken with gravy and extra spicy. I love spicy food and they make it perfectly. I've asked for extra spicy at restaurants before and it's usually still too mild. I've never been disappointed with a dish from here before. Unlike many other Indian Restaurants they give generous portions for a decent price.
(4)
Mable S.
I've been to this restaurant a few times and I'll continue to go back. The food is excellent and they offer more north Indian foods, which is sometimes difficult to find (it seems that southern Indian is more common). The service is always great and the restaurant always seems to be busy, which is another good sign.
(4)
A V.
One of the decent Indian restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area if not the best. Very courteous service. They can revise their prices. Also, they need to work on improving their speed with respect to waiting the tables. Overall, a nice place to visit for a hearty andhra style food.
(4)
Sanjay J.
This place started off about 10 years ago as an awesome authentic Indian restaurant. Gradually, like most Indian restaurants, they tried to cut corners while increasing the prices and now it is very mediocre. We had stopped going there for a few years and when a Groupon came out a few months ago, we decided to try it out again. Big mistake, the quality still is poor. The trick they use is to have foam take out containers which bend internally so that it looks like they are giving you a lot but you find out later that you got ripped off. Biryani was awful. I will NOT be going there again.
(1)
Stephanie R.
Wonderful service. Great food. We will definitely be back.
(5)
Masala B.
The best place for authentic south indian food. The food is really spicy, unlike the joints in Devon. The weekend lunch buffet is amazing. Try the Wednesday night dinner special if you want to try out a little bit of everything at a less crowded setting. The Thursday night unlimited dosa dinner special is also great if you want to try out the different variety of the dosas (crepes) and spicy chutneys.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
Deeps K.
Best place for your South Indian food cravings. Staff here welcome us with warm smiles. Surely we will have a nice contented smile while going out. Couldn't find a better buffet than that. Very crowded during weekends. But quick to get a table. Always happy with their service
(4)Avinash K.
Good dosa buffet here. Not too many desserts. Awesome Pav Baaji.
(3)Jhomer R.
This is an excellent place for an Indian lunch buffet but it is pricey. There were plenty of options to choose from. Lunch items served at the time were chicken 65, veggie pakora, butter chicken and few other tasty dishes. There was also a dosa server giving out fresh dosas. The desserts was excellent with Double Ka Meetha and Mango Ice-cream. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for an excellent lunch buffet. Friendly environment and old school music videos.
(5)Steven W.
The Dosa buffet is the best thing going here. There are at least 12 dosa styles and the usual chutney's -coconut, tomato and peanut along with sambar. they just keep on coming until you are full. Dosa's are made to order and things such as idli and tomato/potato curry are also included. For those that are not familiar with the Dosa and Idlis here is the rundown. Dosa's are a kind of crepe made with rice and lentil flour. Some are paper thin, others are very thick. Sometimes things are added like cheese, egg or extra seasoning. Idli is a kind of steamed rice cake. Both are meant to eaten in conjunction with a semi liquid such as sambar or chutney. Sambar is a thick vegetarian soup. Chutneys are a kind of condiment or dip. All of these items are made in house at Priya, and the Dosa's are made to order. Outside the Dosa buffet, the gobi manchurian is a standout dish. The veg dishes seem to be better then the meat ones although fish and chicken are also on the menu. I'm especially fond of the indo chinese options. Not so busy on weeknights, but the Dosa buffet can be packed. The parking lot is shared with the village tavern which is also super popular at dinner, but Priya is located on the opposite side from them and thus always has parking available.
(5)Subbu R.
We visit this place often on Thursdays for the dosa Buffett. Good selection of dosas along with lemon sevai, upma, bajji and payasam. Our fav dosas are : Ghee roast, Achar Dosa and the egg&pepper dosa. Overall - good South Indian joint.
(4)Jasmine S.
Perfect dosa night every Tues/Thurs with Buffet style serving. The dosa is made to order which guaranteed freshness.
(5)Foodie S.
What I like about this place, -Dosa Buffet -Few authentic dishes like Punugula/Bonda and Bajji What I don't like about this place, -They don't seem to get lot of main dishes like Naan,curries and other rice items right -I am also not a fan of any dessert here. They taste like store-bought ! Overall, a good place to try ! But, there are far better places to enjoy a buffet in Schaumburg..
(3)Sathish K.
Good south Indian food., not spicy but tasty. The dosas, (crispy Indian pan cakes are unlimited). We started the buffet before 12:00, we were able to beat the crowd on a sunday. I started the buffet with pakoras and some vegies, good varieties of south indian chutneys. There was no naan, but they had chapati's another variety of bread. The second course of the buffet was rice varieties, they had excellent Biryani and pulav and there were good entrees for the rice items. I did not taste the desert, but kids loved it. Finally the tea was authentic., but remember to add sugar before going back to the table. Service was ok., they were unable to remove the buffet plates right away, it was a big deal for us ad we were dining with two small kids. So four stars Ambience was ok, But the pictures that are hung were good. Finally the checkout was using, ipad dongle. It was kind of first time I saw in an Indian food place. Will recommend this place to cheese heads when they come to Chicago.
(4)S C.
Me and my friends went to Priya. The service was horrible and the manager himself has no sense of customer service at all. Dosa were ok, and chicken 65 was poured with lemon or what? We asked them why it was so sour they told us since its made with yogurt it has the sour taste. We were like "we have had this dish before at many other places and we know surely it is not like drinking pure lemon juice." They apparently redid and brought it back but it didn't taste good. We had to keep calling for service, shouldn't they be making sure of taking care of their clients? I will never go back to Priya. The food is barely ok and overpriced. And the service is the worst of all.
(1)Pradeep M.
Today I went for dinner with friends the food was too bad ...I felt sick after eating this omg .....that was terrible night
(1)S N.
It was the first time I came across the concept of Dosa Night thru a friend. I didnt had high hope till I went in I was like I just want to have a dosa.. But this was actually amazing. All the chutneys, rasam and sambar were very tasty made in authentic south indian style which I have been looking for everywhere in Chicago downtown, uptown and its suburbs. I have tried all places for south indian food esp. dosa and vada but havent found this taste. Even this r4estaurant I ordered food online but they serve only coconut chutney that way, which I am not a big fan of. But at this buffet, I could get any chutney I can think of with south indian food. The customer service was also okay.. I would recommend a Dosa night for all dosa cravers like me..
(4)Mohan P.
Food is authentic and tasty but nothing to applaud about. Pros: Chilli chicken was awesome. Sambar and Rasam was nice too. Cons! More cons than pros. I was very disappointed that roti's were super cold..and so was the Medu wada. Food in restaurants have to be served hot. Roti's probably was made on the morning. Biryani was super dry. Please serve food hot and fresh!!!
(2)Aswinikumar A.
First time we went, we had Priya masala dosa and Gutti Vankay curry. Both tasted very good. Gutti Vankay was way beyond my expectation and I recommend everyone interested to taste it. The second time we went on a Thursday for dinner to taste the veg buffet that includes unlimited dosas. I would rate 3 on 5. Good for families.
(4)Lolakshi Pooja G.
The best weekend lunch buffet I had ever had in States.Strongly recommend. Love all the dishes in veg and non veg. Even the pickles too. Try it out.
(5)Sam P.
I have been meaning to start reviewing on yelp for a long, long time, but it took dining at this place to finally push me to do it. We decided to try Priya despite mixed reviews, and we're very glad we did. The restaurant is a decent size with lighting that can only be described as romantic, and there was just one other table dining while we were there (a Monday night around 7). The food: We ordered butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, and chapati. The paneer was delicious, so creamy and full of scrumptious onions. The chicken tasted very fresh, though I think we'll order it spicy next time (our fault for ordering "mild" since we were sharing with our two year old). The only thing I can find to criticize is that they ran out of coke and tried to serve me diet without letting me know of the shortage. The facility: The bathroom was pretty decent, especially compared to other similar restaurants (sorry, but you know it's true). The manager came out at the end of our meal and seemed enamored with our son - so much so, that he invited the three of us back for a tour of the kitchen! Wow! Everyone there was friendly, and I have only limited commercial kitchen experience, but it all looked okay to me. He showed us the separate cooking areas for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, which I know is important to some people. I saw one other reviewer mentioned getting sick after dining here, so I'm just going to go ahead and address that. I'm just rounding out my first trimester of pregnancy and have not had exciting food in about three months, so I think if anyone were going to be made ill by this cuisine, it would likely be me. All good! I'm very pleased.
(5)Hersh A.
Had great dhosas and Uttapam here. Liked the Paper Dhosa & Priya Special Spicy Dhosa a lot. The Paper one is huge. Good sambhar & chutneys. Deliciouso. Definitely a must try for South Indian cuisine. Also, the Chicken Charminar appetizer is really good. Spicy and full of flavor. Service is decent. Little on the pricey side.
(4)Elle F.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had! Great buffet selection and nice owners. Totally recommend it.
(5)Donna G.
My new favorite Restaurant. The food is plentiful and delicious, they have an excellent buffet and the staff is warm and welcoming. Try Priya. You won't be sorry!
(4)Katie D.
If you are a local in Schaumburg neighborhood....this is one of the best Authentic south indian restaurant so far. Service and food both are really good. The only one thing I will tell you to be aware of is the spice level, if you are not a big spice eater make sure you mention while ordering. Whether you order south indian or Punjabi they will always serve you some papad with a nice spicy chutney, this is a nice twist to starting your meal. The quantity of the dosa is really good and it is served with 3 different chutneys all with great authentic flavor. Ambience is okay not the best one but not the worst also.
(4)k a.
Had stuff catered and every one totally love the food. I like that they make traditional andhra styled appetizers.
(3)Hassan G.
Went there for the Dosa Buffet, food was pretty good, decent selection
(4)Richa G.
The service was really slow !! We ordered dosa at first! It tasted good and when we ordered another one they almost took 40 mins to make it!! Above all, music there was hammering my head. I planned to go somewhere else and eat something else but when i left my appetite was killed because of the wait and music selection!! Ruined the whole day! 2.0 for good sambar 0.5 just to be nice!!!
(1)Rachna B.
Exceptionally good food and amazing hospitality. Great place if you want to have some really good Indian food. Mr. Kevin is such a lovely person and will make your dinning experience very memorable. A must go for everyone...
(5)Priya B.
I have catered several events and eaten here a plethora. This place is awesome and consistent. If you are looking for authentic south indian food like mom would make done the best way, Priya is the place for it!
(5)Rajie M.
Very good food, friendly staff and a reasonably priced. Their unlimited Dhosa on Tuesdays and Thursday are worth trying. Choose from 18 different variety of Dhosas. Amazing!!
(4)Harshavardhan K.
Good place and has a decent variety of food. The dosa buffet is a must try. Pudina chicken as an appetizer is my personal favorite. The catering is one of our favorites. .any functions or social gathering among our friends the food mostly always comes from here..
(4)J T W.
I came here for the brunch last weekend; it was fantastic.Big variety of food and not the same tired old cliched entrees you find at most Indian buffets. The service was great too--very quick and attentive. I'm not into vegetables but the way they cook them up here made me a believer. Plus it's great to have a buffet that serves up real good lamb and goat dishes too!The other great thing is that the customers that dine here are practically all (if not 99.9%) Indian--so you know Priya is keeping it real and not dumbing down the ingredients for anyone!
(5)Vi N.
The last time we ate here, we were served heated Mexican tortillas as chapatti. When we asked, the manager kept insisting that it was freshly made ! I'm Indian and I should know. The tea was just leftover heated up. What started out as a decent Andhra restaurant has become an overpriced, rude, smelly, dark excuse of a restaurant. There are other places (name starts with C) that have way better Andhra food. Will never come back here again.
(1)Vishal S.
This restaurant is located in the Schaumburg area. It is Indian cuisine tilted towards South India, especially Andhra Pradesh. One of the best things about Priya is their range of Chutneys. This is the closest you can get to authentic Ginger, Peanut, Tomato, Coconut and Mint chutneys anywhere in North America. The Dosa buffet brought me in for the first time two years back and they have a very wide variety of Dosas (Pesarattu - A Dosa made using green lentils; included). The other items in the Dosa buffet are pretty average causing me to knock one star off. Their regular buffet on Sunday is typical pan Indian cuisine with Dosas included. I definitely recommend this place only for the Dosa Buffet and the Sunday Buffet + A La Carte is worth a shot. The ambiance is more from the 1980s to 1990s interior, so don't expect much. Parking is not problem due to the strip mall location. Prices for the buffet vary between $13 to $15 which seems nominal. The service (when not done by the owner) can be a little more brisk.
(4)Vinay K.
I had total mixed reviews eating at Priya. The start was horrid since we were a group of 10 and made to wait nearly 30 mins for table. Totally understand since the crowd was big but there were not ample chairs at the waiting area. The restaurant is small for the crowd that visits on weekends. The cashier lady is very rude. Its natural for customers to inquire about availability and she was so rude to us. To top it all she announces that a group that had made a phone reservation would be given preference over our group. I was losing patience when another staff came in and handled the situation and we were given split tables. I wud give a 1 star for this behaviour. Now the food in the buffet sort of dowsed the tensed atmosphere. Most of the dishes were very good. Plus: The pakoras were yum, Dosa and Idly was serveed hot and also quickly, the Egg curry was good. Desserts were nice and not very sugary. Sambhar had a lot of veggies. Cons: Except the regular chutney all others were horrible, THe Rotis were hard and chewy, The biryani was over and no one bothered to refill it. And Rasam was garlicky. Overall I will be fair and give a 3 star. If they improve customer service the star cud be better. im sure they have a lot of potential to becoming a fine-dine restaurant which they sadly arent today.
(3)Meghan F.
Tried Priya tonight for the first and LAST time. Ever since Taj Mahal in Bloomingdale closed, my boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a new favorite Indian restaurant to frequent. We were pretty excited to give Priya a try, given that it is just a short distance from home. Words hardly suffice to describe our disappointment and disgust. We ordered the Butter Chicken, one of our favorite dishes. On top of the entrees being incredibly overpriced, the food was just downright awful!! They call the meat they put in there chicken? Perhaps they gave us the cuts that were intended for their pets at home. Nothing but fatty, bony, chewy pieces that my boyfriend couldn't even get through without spitting it into a napkin! Not sure if plastic is a new addition to southern Indian cuisine, but I certainly don't prefer finding it in my food.. gross. Long story short: We will absolutely never eat at Priya again. For what they charge, you would think they would take a LITTLE more pride in what they serve the general public. Tsk tsk.
(1)Chris W.
I have now been here twice. Both times the food was average. Don't question or complain because in this restaurant the customer is never right. I'd recommend going to another restaurant .
(1)Pinky P.
Just happen to be driving by after dropping off my son for bball practice. Heard a few people mention this place so tried it out. Not a fancy décor or anything special but clean. I tried the masala uttapam. Made crispy to my liking. Manager very pleasant and attentive. Food wasn't too spicy but just right. Definitely take my family there for a meal in the near future.
(4)Raj V.
Spicy , very spicy , red chilly powder dumped food . Hair in the food , ugly , not well maintained , unclean interior . Colon on fire
(1)William B.
I think I've found my new go-to indian cuisine in the western burbs. Largest selection of dosas anywhere. They have entire nights and lunches dedicated to unlimited dosa buffets. Someone once told me that the secret to excellent indian food is when it has been slow cooked for days. Probably why Indian food from most places is often better as leftovers- lets the flavors meld. Priya has that days long, slow cooked taste to it with the first bite. I wanted to say it has that 'leftovers' taste to it, but doesnt sound as appealing, even if i mean it in a good way. The papadam chips they bring out were very good. thin and crispy. Served with an excellent chutney. We started with the vegetable pakoda app. the only item we weren't really impressed with. way too much batter around a single sliver of vegetable. Excellent chutneys, though. Then we ordered a dosa. i think we picked one with potato & onion. The kids tore the dosa apart. Served with excellent, and widely diverse selection of chutneys. Then we ordered the mutter paneer- mild, mostly for the kids. I would certainly order medium spicy or even hotter next time. but was nice and creamy as mild. We also ordered the chicken fry. It appeared to be mostly dark meat chicken- bone in. most excellent. Lots of ginger flavor- big hunks of it right on top. Would definitely order again. Very large menu. I can't wait to go back and try something new.
(5)Mina H.
Stripmall location, entrance doors are limited to one all the way to the left (past 2 others - blocked off with signage), awkward foyer with view into kitchen and no one waiting to seat us. Friend was starving and we asked the waiter about quick appetizers, got admonished because we were taking too long trying to decipher a confusing menu (with inconsistent descriptions on items... some didnt have any!) during the long pauses between his visits as a response. Had to ASK for chips (normally that is brought out with water and menus), while trying to order... finally decided on 'safe' chicken biryani and friend got lamb version. Meat was on bone. Not our expectation nor to our liking, I picked mine out completely. Rice was otherwise decent enough, took the majority home. Groupon failed me this time... I have one more I have to (ack) use. Let me know if anyone wants it.
(2)Giuliano F.
This place is very mediocre. The food was ok but the service was poor. The waiter was persistently creepy and condescending since I'm not Indian. I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)Rahul M.
Worst customer service. Very rude owner. My order was placed 1 hour ago for carry out, and when I asked the owner what is taking so much time, he just asked me to wait for another 10 mins .... No apology...but just a bad attitude!!!
(1)Puni P.
We went here since my mother in law had been here before when they have their dosa buffet and it must have been good then. We went for lunch buffet and it was a waste of money and of our time. They do not refill the buffet so if you like one item there you are pretty much screwed. The staff never even asks if everything is good since they could care less. The dosas are ok, but their is no dosa filling with the buffet. The place is so outdated! If you must have South Indian food and want a buffet then head to Udupi since it is clean and you have more of a selection of food especially for buffet.
(1)Nikhil K.
Search for Good South Indian restaurants ends here.period. Being a foodie from India and actually having tasted every possible South Indian dish,in the entire south india,i crave sometimes for authentic or near authentic South Indian food My brother is a bigger fan of the food as well! So here we were braving the Chicago rain just to satisfy our cravings. Not disappointed at all!! The spread is different for Mondays,Tuesdays an Thursdays,we went on a Monday,and ill just say,its the closest you can get to South Indian food and the other one is UDIPi at Devon. These two are anyday better than Mysore woodland. I am a big fan of sambar,and i found both here ant UDIPi to have great sambar! Austin( the guy who helped us) was great and helpful to have around.special mention about him as well. For others,who have complaints-i sometimes wonder why people can be so dumb/ignorant. You have come to a South Indian restaurant,why in the world would you order something from them which is not their specialty and then complain? Its like going to a Japanese restaurant here an asking for French fries or pizza! When in rome-be roman,eat roman.just an advice.
(4)Dodge S.
Went to dinner with a group of friends during Dec or Jan. They were doing a special on Dosa which is like a lite and thin pancake, almost like pita or lavosh flatbread. So we all ordered the endless Dosa. And they kept coming out with different flavored Dosa and they were all delicious. Some of them were very spicy, baked into the bread. Turns out there was a buffet setup, but it was all for chutney. So you take your plate to the buffet and dish up some spoonfuls of your favorite chutney, then come back to your table and spread the amount you want on the Dosa. We laughed over several Kingfisher beers and had a great time. It is a small place that you probably wouldn't think twice about if you saw it from Wise Road. But it is definitely worth a visit for authentic Indian food from the southern central part of the country.
(4)Pri P.
We have been to this restaurant quite a few time now. Food here is delicious!!! The service here is not that great but if the food is good i don't mind waiting :) Dosas, idli, vada, sambar, chutney, chicken, fish, roti everything is yummy...
(5)Summer H.
Terrible terrible food & ambience!!!... I will never never go back again.. There is no place to sit .. You feel so cramped... The table traps you and hits you in the chest...No room to move & the seats are narrow.. my back started aching.. The chicken chettinad was nasty!.. I felt like puking after smelling it & puked after eating it.. It smelled so bad and tasted even worse..The tamarind chicken was just tamarind and artificial color.. It was so sour.. Could not make out what I was eating in the main dish..
(1)Masala B.
The best place for authentic south indian food. The food is really spicy, unlike the joints in Devon. The weekend lunch buffet is amazing. Try the Wednesday night dinner special if you want to try out a little bit of everything at a less crowded setting. The Thursday night unlimited dosa dinner special is also great if you want to try out the different variety of the dosas (crepes) and spicy chutneys.
(5)Dennis J.
I'm still trying to figure out what the folks who run this place were thinking. My friend made a reservation here for 40 people for their rehearsal dinner. If you've been by, you can see that that's pretty much their whole restaurant. Now, if you've got a large (well, huge) group coming in, you'd think you would want to make sure the tables were ready right? No. Not a single table was ready for our group. In fact, we had to trickle in as people finished their dinners. That ... was terribly awkward. Maybe the food would redeem it? No. No, it would not. The dosa buffet is setup so you gather whatever you'd like to eat your dosa (uh .. a savory crepe?) with and wait at your table to order whatever kinds of dosa you'd like. The main problem I had was that they selection of fillings was terrible: barely any vegetables, no protein, and bland dessert. But lots of chutneys. So, there's that. The folks that come around and ask for the dosa orders were kind and seemed embarrassed at their lack of preparation, but weren't that helpful. There's 30-40 different kinds of dosa but no description to help you choose between them. By the time we actually got ours, we were too hungry to be picky. I wouldn't come back here with a large group ... or a small one.
(1)Ramya P.
Buffet that mainly focuses on South Indian food Wanted to eat here since a very long time ago when I heard that this restaurant serves Andhra food. Got the urge to eat here after an exhausting morning at Ikea and me n the hubby quickly drove up here. I'm turned off by buffets but it actually sounds good when you're starving! The lunch buffet costs $14/person during the weekends and its totally worth it. Don't expect a very inviting ambiance or super attentive friendly service, come here with the sole motive to get some good food. The dishes are mostly south Indian. Crispy hot dosas are brought to the table that taste divine with the mint chutney. The vadas are cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The sambar and rasam took me back to the days when I would ditch dinner at home and sneakily eat at my neighbor's place. They do have chapathis and a couple of sides but as I said earlier the south Indian food is the primary focus and it is very good. The vermicelli porridge n halwa were so damn delicious, that I ate more food than my husband. This is why buffets are a bad bad idea for me... Off to the gym now!!
(4)Victoria W.
I liked the curry in my Malai Kofta, but the actual "balls" (more like 3 sausage-shaped pieces) had a soft texture/taste that made me doubt there was cheese in them--it was probably gourd-based. My partner enjoyed his Kadai Chicken. The masla dosa came with a lot of food for the money, but the potato curry was extremely spicy for being a mild order. We only received one container of rice though we ordered 2 entrees; it wasn't nearly enough. Ordered Gulab Jamun ($5) and was disappointed to find that it was only two pieces in a syrup that lacked the complex spiced flavor I was used to. Tasted like a sugar syrup with some honey. They actually forgot to include the dosa when my partner picked up the order. They called us as he returned home, and he had to drive back to pick it up. They were very apologetic about it though. Updates: Mutter Paneer: Pretty good, not as tomato-based as usual and light on the peas, very salty. Butter Chicken: Good but also rather salty.
(2)Deepak N.
Went there last nite w fam for mother's day. Really a bad experience. Brother made reservations - which at the time I thought was pointless since I've never seen a packed indian restaurant before. Turned out to be great since huge line and packed house at priya. The waiter/host was friendly and had good sense of humor. He was also really nice and efficient on the phone. We got to sit right away at reserved table = nice While seated - didnt get a waiter to come to table for 20mins. Didnt get apps til like 40-60mins. We were there 1.5hrs and our main food didnt come yet. They were severly understaffed, unorganized and just seemed like amateur hour -maybe first time ever they've been this packed? Asked the guy how long they've been in business (thought they must've been new) - nope, been around for 10yrs!! Plus it felt like 100+ degrees and super humid inside. Zero ventilation + packed house + hot kitchen = sweating nonstop. The annoying light hindi music (too low to hear, but loud enough to sound like a buzzibg bee) made it even worse. It was all around a miserable experience. Food also expensive. And of course - super diarrhea 2x this morning from their food ;)
(1)Don Z.
I will start out by saying that I am an American. I may not have the properly trained taste buds to appreciate this food. I have been to a handful of other Indian restaurants and enjoyed them to varying degrees. So I am not an expert, but not completely uneducated either. Priya is in a strip mall with adequate parking. I visited on a Saturday for lunch which meant buffet style. The place was filled with people. My wife and I were the only European Americans. I only mention that because perhaps the food is very authentic and loved by someone that grew up with this style of cooking. The air was filled with the heady aroma of spices used in Indian cooking. We worked our way through the buffet and took a little of this and a little of that. The meat dishes were really boney, which I found irritating. Unfortunately I didn't like anything. I really tried. Something about the spice combinations used in every dish I tried just did not agree with my stomach. On top of that everything had too much hot pepper in it for my delicate mouth to enjoy. I don't like sweating from my food. My wife was not as disappointed. She found a few things that she liked. The prices were really on the high side too. I couldn't believe they would charge $15 a person for the buffet which didn't have many choices. Overall, I will not be going back to Priya. The food may be authentic, but it is not for me.
(2)Deepika B.
By far the best Indian (south indian) buffet I have had in Chicago. I have been to this place quite a few times now and is one of our favorite destinations on a sunday afternoon. Very authentic south indian food. The variety of dishes they serve is awesome and elaborate. The biryani, rasam are always good. The rasam is as spicy and hot as it should be. The chicken starters are always without an exception tasty and yummy and never fail to hit the right spot. Even the veg starters are well made and tasty. My husband loves the pongal and the veg dishes they serve here. Even the desserts are tasty. Recently, we had been to Dakshin which was not great at all and definitely not worth the price that we paid there. Any given day, I would prefer Priya over any other buffet. The ambiance is okay, but go for the awesome food. Though the buffet seems a bit expensive, but they serve much much better food here than I have tried at other places. Of all the buffets, this is worth every penny. (The only irritating and unbearable thing are the songs of the 90's which they play. Ow, no complaints)
(5)Simir S.
this place is horrible for the food the serve and the service they pretend to give. Be ready to be disappointed go to Udipi better service cleaner place.
(1)Vanitha S.
This place totally bombarded my Madurai senses. My parents and I came in after an afternoon of shopping at Deepkala. And wow. We went in and it was packed with Indians speaking all kinds of southern languages--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam. The buffet line is nothing like I've ever seen before. It was divided into a non-veg and veg side, and the traditional southern dishes that we eat at home in the buffet line shocked me! There were various pickles, yogurt rice, rasam, sambaar, tamarind rice, etc. among the regulars like curry chicken, biriyani, etc. I have NEVER seen yogurt rice in a buffet line. ever. And fresh dosas were brought to the table, which were delicious with the sambaar. Buffet was a bit expensive, but worth it for this experience. I just wish this place was closer to the city because I'd go here more often.
(5)Heather B.
Great food, great service. Our waiter helped us pick our entree's and they were so yummy. Everything had heat and my nose was running... in a good way! Nan was fresh, buttery and amazing. Interior needs serious updating, and music needs to be turned down a bit, but the food and our waiter were wonderful!
(4)Atulya B.
Unlike other Indian restaurants, Priya Restaurant is different. Different in the sense that it is actually one of those restaurants that serves authentic south Indian food. Make no mistake about it. Whether you're ordering the original Chicken Fry or the spicy Chicken Chitinad or the unmistakable Fish Pulusu, the taste is right there. Takes you right back to the sub-continent and makes you very nostalgic. The Indo-Chinese items, like the fried rice and the Chicken Manchurian or the Chili Chicken are very true to their original taste and are quite good. Priya also does a variety of tiffins or breakfast items and they are tasty too, though these days most Indian restaurants get them right. But what sets Priya apart is their Dosa (or crepes) night on Thursday, where you get to experience a variety of Dosas made with different kinds of batter and stuffed with your choice of filling - well this depends on what kind of Dosa you order. And vegetarian food here is good too with the ever-popular Panner Tikka Masala, Tadka Dal, Kadai Panner and other regulars gracing the menu. Ambience and interior settings wise Priya doesn't score well but who cares as long as the food is good, right? So head over to Priya you're craving real, authentic south Indian food.
(5)Danny V.
Updating my review of the place as this time the food was absolutely delicious. All the chutneys were delicious. The vegetarian dishes were good and the multiple non vegetarian dishes were great too. They probably had an off day the first time I visited the place but I have no such complaints this time around. Great Service and amazing South Indian food.
(5)Dessy D.
Surprising that there are absolutely no reviews of this place.. First up -- Its REAL SOUTH INDIAN food. You know what i mean? As in the real 'REAL'...The real spices, the real taste , the real heat, the real aroma... Let me start with dosas - The chutney you normally get in any restaurant on devon is called 'coconut chutney' with a domination of coconut. In priya its more 'Andhra' (A south indian state) style where coconut forms the minor portion and fried 'chana dal' is hte major ingredient. And they also serve 'Onion' and 'Ginger' chutney....one word ..'WOWWWWWW' I tried the chicken curry, chicken chettinad, chicken 65, chicken chilli, shrimp masala, chapathi, puri masala, rava dosa, pesarat, idly, babycorn manchurian..All were fantastic but for chicken chettinad..... If I have a craving for some REAL indian food, this definitely is my go-to place. Dakshin on Salem drive is a super close competitor. Dakshin has its own special dishes where it scores. But then Priya truly deserves a 5-star. P.S. : One of those INDIAN restaurants were INDIANS get some respect along with FOOD...:) :)
(5)Pratik P.
Great food and better service. My friends come here and let the manager order for us. Had the goat, butter chicken, manchurian, cilantro chicken... So good
(4)Manya A.
Went to Priya about 5 years ago and loved it! Recently when hubby suggested going again, I was excited. We went for a saturday lunch buffet. Ugh..they didn't have real utensils or plates and bowls. It was around 12.45 pm and practically all the food was gone. We waited for 20+ mins but no one refilled/restocked the buffet. There was just 1 waiter guy who promised to bring us dosas. We got exactly 3 dosas for the 3 of us. After that, we told the waiter at least 4-5 times to bring us more dosas and he just didn't. What kind of service is this? After being charged $15 for a buffet, we couldn't even get more dosas! This is after they have advertised it as a lunch buffet with unlimited dosas. There was a lady at the reception and she could not possibly have been more unfriendly. She just frowned at us and when we pointed out that we didn't get the dosas but did like the food she just rolled her eyes at us. The food would have been decent if there had been any. Not sure why this place was so packed. It certainly couldn't have been for the negative customer service or the lack of food. Very disappointing since it seems like they have a lot of promise but dont deliver.
(1)Megan L.
Really great authentic South Indian food. I grew up eating South Indian food at my best friend's house, so I'm familiar with South Indian home cooking and Priya does not dissappoint! The spice level is where it should be - they are not afraid to spice things up. The service was very good... not fast, but I expect to wait a bit for freshly made food. Their soups (esp the Rasam) are very good. I love the variety of chutneys that come with the Dosas. I can't wait to go back.
(5)Vamshi N.
Only good for south Indian tiffins - say no to the biryani... Owner serves food too... Dosa is spicy.. Idhi Chana hot guru
(3)Bee L.
Skip the appetizer platter. The only thing of worth was the punugulu. Servers were excellent but food to table was slow and in parts. I recommend the dinner platters. There is a variety of food and plenty of it.
(4)Kailash N.
This review only applies to their Thursday evening all you can eat dosa buffet. Now the place opens up for buffet at 6 PM or so. I would say if possible arrive before 6.45 PM or so. After that the crowds start building considerably and you may need to wait a little bit to be seated. The buffet itself is somewhat of a unique offering (it is priced at $9.99) They have about 20+ varieties of dosas from which you can choose as many as you like as many times as you want. Now the dosas are somewhat small thus the waiter itself would suggest you to choose 3 or 4 at a time. The other items of the buffet includes appetizers such as pakoras, 4 types of chutney (coconut, peanut, tomoto-onion, ginger), idli, upma, different podis for dosa, sambar, aloo onion subji (as in masala for masla dosa), pulao, curd rice, dessert (usually kulfi), chai (welcome addition I would say). Now it is quite amazing that they keep running like a well oiled machine despite the crowds and all the multiple requests they get for different types of dosa. Usually with this type of arrangement there is a greater chance for pandemonium but surprisingly I have been served dosas typically 5-10 minutes of my requests (for a group of 4). A great and unique experience for serious dosa lovers.
(4)P J.
My wife and I found this restaurant on our GPS recently and were glad that we did. We came on a weekend afternoon and they were serving lunch buffet. As soon as we saw the size of the food selection, we could not wait to get started! The food was absolutely delicious.Some items were spicy but not too spicy, and there were so many choices, we tried as many as we could. Everything was clearly marked as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and there were some tasty desserts. We will definitely come back - we're not sure if it will be for the buffet again or for the dinner menu. This is a very authentic southern Indian restaurant and you will be very pleased. If you like Indian food, you will love the food at this restaurant.
(5)Kalyan M.
Just okay experience... first the service was pretty shabby, mixed up orders and forgot to get rice for the curry dish and got extra bread that we didnt order. All the dishes had confused taste. Worst of them were gobi manchurian and chicken-65. They didnt taste even close to what they should be. Chicken Biryani was ok. Lamb curry could have been better, overall just average experience. I want to go once again and try their famous lunch buffet.
(3)Mrsotle O.
Priya Indian Restaurant is by far my favorite to go to for a good Indian dish. My favorite meal is the Chili Chicken with gravy and extra spicy. I love spicy food and they make it perfectly. I've asked for extra spicy at restaurants before and it's usually still too mild. I've never been disappointed with a dish from here before. Unlike many other Indian Restaurants they give generous portions for a decent price.
(4)Mable S.
I've been to this restaurant a few times and I'll continue to go back. The food is excellent and they offer more north Indian foods, which is sometimes difficult to find (it seems that southern Indian is more common). The service is always great and the restaurant always seems to be busy, which is another good sign.
(4)A V.
One of the decent Indian restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area if not the best. Very courteous service. They can revise their prices. Also, they need to work on improving their speed with respect to waiting the tables. Overall, a nice place to visit for a hearty andhra style food.
(4)Sanjay J.
This place started off about 10 years ago as an awesome authentic Indian restaurant. Gradually, like most Indian restaurants, they tried to cut corners while increasing the prices and now it is very mediocre. We had stopped going there for a few years and when a Groupon came out a few months ago, we decided to try it out again. Big mistake, the quality still is poor. The trick they use is to have foam take out containers which bend internally so that it looks like they are giving you a lot but you find out later that you got ripped off. Biryani was awful. I will NOT be going there again.
(1)Stephanie R.
Wonderful service. Great food. We will definitely be back.
(5)Ruma R.
This is a review for the weekend buffet, for which I just knocked off one star. (My views on dosa night remain largely unchanged since I haven't eaten there after that). I landed up at the weekend buffet two weeks back and it was absolutely AVERAGE, even with my favorite guy, Austin, around. (I mean, how many hands can he possibly have--he's human!) It was crowded, which I expected, but the dosas took FOREVER to come to our plates, by which time the masala was completely cold. The upma was okay--the only thing I could palate at all. There were literally no decent options for vegetarians as far as veggies went. The rice dishes were bland and around three-fourths of the way through our meal, we noticed that the big "appetizer wok" which had chicken tikka or something had been replaced with one containing pav bhaji, which we vegetarians would have loved to try BEFORE stuffing our faces with substandard stuff. Dishes took a LONG time to be replaced, and I don't like eating oily curries, dry pieces of chapathi/parantha, and bland rice, when the meat-eaters have SO many options to choose from. The double ka meetha, my fave, was *gasp* too sweet. SIGH.
(3)foodie f.
The food is so mediocre. I am from south india and it is a joke to call this food south indian food. Sure, the heat is there. But heat alone does not a south indian cuisine make. Where are the complex flavors, the subtle variations. We ordered Bhagara Baingan, and all it was just ground coconut and peanut paste masala, it was white in color - could not taste the flavors that are so quintessentially hyderabadi. When we spoke to the owner, he did not even apologize. He backed up his dish and said it is from another version of the dish - seriously....how convenient. Anyways, we have not gone back since, and will not go back either.
(1)Sri S.
Definately worth trying. The indian food is more authentic for sure and its different from the regular indian food. The food type is Andhra cuisine and its typically more spicy. Chicken pakoras were out of this world. Chicken briyani was pretty good as well. Try the weekend lunch buffet. This place is spicy, so not for the faint of heart. Caters towards indian clientle. Ambiance was mediocre to poor. Loud music was blaring and I requested them to lower the music but I dont think that was done. Nevertheless, food is the most important thing when going to a restaurant and the food was good. something you must try for sure if u want a regional authentic indian food from Andhra.
(4)Matt T.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. The service is good and so is the food. The food has the right amount of spice in it to be really good. It is a bit far from my house, but worth the drive. I live in Chicago. But this is the only restaurant my wife will let us go to, to have Indian food. So make a trip out there. It is worth the effort.
(5)Jasmine S.
Perfect dosa night every Tues/Thurs with Buffet style serving. The dosa is made to order which guaranteed freshness.
(5)Jhomer R.
This is an excellent place for an Indian lunch buffet but it is pricey. There were plenty of options to choose from. Lunch items served at the time were chicken 65, veggie pakora, butter chicken and few other tasty dishes. There was also a dosa server giving out fresh dosas. The desserts was excellent with Double Ka Meetha and Mango Ice-cream. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for an excellent lunch buffet. Friendly environment and old school music videos.
(5)Deeps K.
Best place for your South Indian food cravings. Staff here welcome us with warm smiles. Surely we will have a nice contented smile while going out. Couldn't find a better buffet than that. Very crowded during weekends. But quick to get a table. Always happy with their service
(4)Steven W.
The Dosa buffet is the best thing going here. There are at least 12 dosa styles and the usual chutney's -coconut, tomato and peanut along with sambar. they just keep on coming until you are full. Dosa's are made to order and things such as idli and tomato/potato curry are also included. For those that are not familiar with the Dosa and Idlis here is the rundown. Dosa's are a kind of crepe made with rice and lentil flour. Some are paper thin, others are very thick. Sometimes things are added like cheese, egg or extra seasoning. Idli is a kind of steamed rice cake. Both are meant to eaten in conjunction with a semi liquid such as sambar or chutney. Sambar is a thick vegetarian soup. Chutneys are a kind of condiment or dip. All of these items are made in house at Priya, and the Dosa's are made to order. Outside the Dosa buffet, the gobi manchurian is a standout dish. The veg dishes seem to be better then the meat ones although fish and chicken are also on the menu. I'm especially fond of the indo chinese options. Not so busy on weeknights, but the Dosa buffet can be packed. The parking lot is shared with the village tavern which is also super popular at dinner, but Priya is located on the opposite side from them and thus always has parking available.
(5)Subbu R.
We visit this place often on Thursdays for the dosa Buffett. Good selection of dosas along with lemon sevai, upma, bajji and payasam. Our fav dosas are : Ghee roast, Achar Dosa and the egg&pepper dosa. Overall - good South Indian joint.
(4)Ruma R.
This is a review for the weekend buffet, for which I just knocked off one star. (My views on dosa night remain largely unchanged since I haven't eaten there after that). I landed up at the weekend buffet two weeks back and it was absolutely AVERAGE, even with my favorite guy, Austin, around. (I mean, how many hands can he possibly have--he's human!) It was crowded, which I expected, but the dosas took FOREVER to come to our plates, by which time the masala was completely cold. The upma was okay--the only thing I could palate at all. There were literally no decent options for vegetarians as far as veggies went. The rice dishes were bland and around three-fourths of the way through our meal, we noticed that the big "appetizer wok" which had chicken tikka or something had been replaced with one containing pav bhaji, which we vegetarians would have loved to try BEFORE stuffing our faces with substandard stuff. Dishes took a LONG time to be replaced, and I don't like eating oily curries, dry pieces of chapathi/parantha, and bland rice, when the meat-eaters have SO many options to choose from. The double ka meetha, my fave, was *gasp* too sweet. SIGH.
(3)foodie f.
The food is so mediocre. I am from south india and it is a joke to call this food south indian food. Sure, the heat is there. But heat alone does not a south indian cuisine make. Where are the complex flavors, the subtle variations. We ordered Bhagara Baingan, and all it was just ground coconut and peanut paste masala, it was white in color - could not taste the flavors that are so quintessentially hyderabadi. When we spoke to the owner, he did not even apologize. He backed up his dish and said it is from another version of the dish - seriously....how convenient. Anyways, we have not gone back since, and will not go back either.
(1)Sri S.
Definately worth trying. The indian food is more authentic for sure and its different from the regular indian food. The food type is Andhra cuisine and its typically more spicy. Chicken pakoras were out of this world. Chicken briyani was pretty good as well. Try the weekend lunch buffet. This place is spicy, so not for the faint of heart. Caters towards indian clientle. Ambiance was mediocre to poor. Loud music was blaring and I requested them to lower the music but I dont think that was done. Nevertheless, food is the most important thing when going to a restaurant and the food was good. something you must try for sure if u want a regional authentic indian food from Andhra.
(4)Matt T.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. The service is good and so is the food. The food has the right amount of spice in it to be really good. It is a bit far from my house, but worth the drive. I live in Chicago. But this is the only restaurant my wife will let us go to, to have Indian food. So make a trip out there. It is worth the effort.
(5)Hersh A.
Had great dhosas and Uttapam here. Liked the Paper Dhosa & Priya Special Spicy Dhosa a lot. The Paper one is huge. Good sambhar & chutneys. Deliciouso. Definitely a must try for South Indian cuisine. Also, the Chicken Charminar appetizer is really good. Spicy and full of flavor. Service is decent. Little on the pricey side.
(4)Hassan G.
Went there for the Dosa Buffet, food was pretty good, decent selection
(4)Richa G.
The service was really slow !! We ordered dosa at first! It tasted good and when we ordered another one they almost took 40 mins to make it!! Above all, music there was hammering my head. I planned to go somewhere else and eat something else but when i left my appetite was killed because of the wait and music selection!! Ruined the whole day! 2.0 for good sambar 0.5 just to be nice!!!
(1)Elle F.
Some of the best Indian food I have ever had! Great buffet selection and nice owners. Totally recommend it.
(5)Donna G.
My new favorite Restaurant. The food is plentiful and delicious, they have an excellent buffet and the staff is warm and welcoming. Try Priya. You won't be sorry!
(4)Sathish K.
Good south Indian food., not spicy but tasty. The dosas, (crispy Indian pan cakes are unlimited). We started the buffet before 12:00, we were able to beat the crowd on a sunday. I started the buffet with pakoras and some vegies, good varieties of south indian chutneys. There was no naan, but they had chapati's another variety of bread. The second course of the buffet was rice varieties, they had excellent Biryani and pulav and there were good entrees for the rice items. I did not taste the desert, but kids loved it. Finally the tea was authentic., but remember to add sugar before going back to the table. Service was ok., they were unable to remove the buffet plates right away, it was a big deal for us ad we were dining with two small kids. So four stars Ambience was ok, But the pictures that are hung were good. Finally the checkout was using, ipad dongle. It was kind of first time I saw in an Indian food place. Will recommend this place to cheese heads when they come to Chicago.
(4)S N.
It was the first time I came across the concept of Dosa Night thru a friend. I didnt had high hope till I went in I was like I just want to have a dosa.. But this was actually amazing. All the chutneys, rasam and sambar were very tasty made in authentic south indian style which I have been looking for everywhere in Chicago downtown, uptown and its suburbs. I have tried all places for south indian food esp. dosa and vada but havent found this taste. Even this r4estaurant I ordered food online but they serve only coconut chutney that way, which I am not a big fan of. But at this buffet, I could get any chutney I can think of with south indian food. The customer service was also okay.. I would recommend a Dosa night for all dosa cravers like me..
(4)Mohan P.
Food is authentic and tasty but nothing to applaud about. Pros: Chilli chicken was awesome. Sambar and Rasam was nice too. Cons! More cons than pros. I was very disappointed that roti's were super cold..and so was the Medu wada. Food in restaurants have to be served hot. Roti's probably was made on the morning. Biryani was super dry. Please serve food hot and fresh!!!
(2)Rachna B.
Exceptionally good food and amazing hospitality. Great place if you want to have some really good Indian food. Mr. Kevin is such a lovely person and will make your dinning experience very memorable. A must go for everyone...
(5)Priya B.
I have catered several events and eaten here a plethora. This place is awesome and consistent. If you are looking for authentic south indian food like mom would make done the best way, Priya is the place for it!
(5)Rajie M.
Very good food, friendly staff and a reasonably priced. Their unlimited Dhosa on Tuesdays and Thursday are worth trying. Choose from 18 different variety of Dhosas. Amazing!!
(4)Harshavardhan K.
Good place and has a decent variety of food. The dosa buffet is a must try. Pudina chicken as an appetizer is my personal favorite. The catering is one of our favorites. .any functions or social gathering among our friends the food mostly always comes from here..
(4)J T W.
I came here for the brunch last weekend; it was fantastic.Big variety of food and not the same tired old cliched entrees you find at most Indian buffets. The service was great too--very quick and attentive. I'm not into vegetables but the way they cook them up here made me a believer. Plus it's great to have a buffet that serves up real good lamb and goat dishes too!The other great thing is that the customers that dine here are practically all (if not 99.9%) Indian--so you know Priya is keeping it real and not dumbing down the ingredients for anyone!
(5)Foodie S.
What I like about this place, -Dosa Buffet -Few authentic dishes like Punugula/Bonda and Bajji What I don't like about this place, -They don't seem to get lot of main dishes like Naan,curries and other rice items right -I am also not a fan of any dessert here. They taste like store-bought ! Overall, a good place to try ! But, there are far better places to enjoy a buffet in Schaumburg..
(3)S C.
Me and my friends went to Priya. The service was horrible and the manager himself has no sense of customer service at all. Dosa were ok, and chicken 65 was poured with lemon or what? We asked them why it was so sour they told us since its made with yogurt it has the sour taste. We were like "we have had this dish before at many other places and we know surely it is not like drinking pure lemon juice." They apparently redid and brought it back but it didn't taste good. We had to keep calling for service, shouldn't they be making sure of taking care of their clients? I will never go back to Priya. The food is barely ok and overpriced. And the service is the worst of all.
(1)Avinash K.
Good dosa buffet here. Not too many desserts. Awesome Pav Baaji.
(3)Pradeep M.
Today I went for dinner with friends the food was too bad ...I felt sick after eating this omg .....that was terrible night
(1)Aswinikumar A.
First time we went, we had Priya masala dosa and Gutti Vankay curry. Both tasted very good. Gutti Vankay was way beyond my expectation and I recommend everyone interested to taste it. The second time we went on a Thursday for dinner to taste the veg buffet that includes unlimited dosas. I would rate 3 on 5. Good for families.
(4)Lolakshi Pooja G.
The best weekend lunch buffet I had ever had in States.Strongly recommend. Love all the dishes in veg and non veg. Even the pickles too. Try it out.
(5)William B.
I think I've found my new go-to indian cuisine in the western burbs. Largest selection of dosas anywhere. They have entire nights and lunches dedicated to unlimited dosa buffets. Someone once told me that the secret to excellent indian food is when it has been slow cooked for days. Probably why Indian food from most places is often better as leftovers- lets the flavors meld. Priya has that days long, slow cooked taste to it with the first bite. I wanted to say it has that 'leftovers' taste to it, but doesnt sound as appealing, even if i mean it in a good way. The papadam chips they bring out were very good. thin and crispy. Served with an excellent chutney. We started with the vegetable pakoda app. the only item we weren't really impressed with. way too much batter around a single sliver of vegetable. Excellent chutneys, though. Then we ordered a dosa. i think we picked one with potato & onion. The kids tore the dosa apart. Served with excellent, and widely diverse selection of chutneys. Then we ordered the mutter paneer- mild, mostly for the kids. I would certainly order medium spicy or even hotter next time. but was nice and creamy as mild. We also ordered the chicken fry. It appeared to be mostly dark meat chicken- bone in. most excellent. Lots of ginger flavor- big hunks of it right on top. Would definitely order again. Very large menu. I can't wait to go back and try something new.
(5)Mina H.
Stripmall location, entrance doors are limited to one all the way to the left (past 2 others - blocked off with signage), awkward foyer with view into kitchen and no one waiting to seat us. Friend was starving and we asked the waiter about quick appetizers, got admonished because we were taking too long trying to decipher a confusing menu (with inconsistent descriptions on items... some didnt have any!) during the long pauses between his visits as a response. Had to ASK for chips (normally that is brought out with water and menus), while trying to order... finally decided on 'safe' chicken biryani and friend got lamb version. Meat was on bone. Not our expectation nor to our liking, I picked mine out completely. Rice was otherwise decent enough, took the majority home. Groupon failed me this time... I have one more I have to (ack) use. Let me know if anyone wants it.
(2)Giuliano F.
This place is very mediocre. The food was ok but the service was poor. The waiter was persistently creepy and condescending since I'm not Indian. I wouldn't recommend it.
(2)Puni P.
We went here since my mother in law had been here before when they have their dosa buffet and it must have been good then. We went for lunch buffet and it was a waste of money and of our time. They do not refill the buffet so if you like one item there you are pretty much screwed. The staff never even asks if everything is good since they could care less. The dosas are ok, but their is no dosa filling with the buffet. The place is so outdated! If you must have South Indian food and want a buffet then head to Udupi since it is clean and you have more of a selection of food especially for buffet.
(1)Sam P.
I have been meaning to start reviewing on yelp for a long, long time, but it took dining at this place to finally push me to do it. We decided to try Priya despite mixed reviews, and we're very glad we did. The restaurant is a decent size with lighting that can only be described as romantic, and there was just one other table dining while we were there (a Monday night around 7). The food: We ordered butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, and chapati. The paneer was delicious, so creamy and full of scrumptious onions. The chicken tasted very fresh, though I think we'll order it spicy next time (our fault for ordering "mild" since we were sharing with our two year old). The only thing I can find to criticize is that they ran out of coke and tried to serve me diet without letting me know of the shortage. The facility: The bathroom was pretty decent, especially compared to other similar restaurants (sorry, but you know it's true). The manager came out at the end of our meal and seemed enamored with our son - so much so, that he invited the three of us back for a tour of the kitchen! Wow! Everyone there was friendly, and I have only limited commercial kitchen experience, but it all looked okay to me. He showed us the separate cooking areas for vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, which I know is important to some people. I saw one other reviewer mentioned getting sick after dining here, so I'm just going to go ahead and address that. I'm just rounding out my first trimester of pregnancy and have not had exciting food in about three months, so I think if anyone were going to be made ill by this cuisine, it would likely be me. All good! I'm very pleased.
(5)Vi N.
The last time we ate here, we were served heated Mexican tortillas as chapatti. When we asked, the manager kept insisting that it was freshly made ! I'm Indian and I should know. The tea was just leftover heated up. What started out as a decent Andhra restaurant has become an overpriced, rude, smelly, dark excuse of a restaurant. There are other places (name starts with C) that have way better Andhra food. Will never come back here again.
(1)Chris W.
I have now been here twice. Both times the food was average. Don't question or complain because in this restaurant the customer is never right. I'd recommend going to another restaurant .
(1)Pinky P.
Just happen to be driving by after dropping off my son for bball practice. Heard a few people mention this place so tried it out. Not a fancy décor or anything special but clean. I tried the masala uttapam. Made crispy to my liking. Manager very pleasant and attentive. Food wasn't too spicy but just right. Definitely take my family there for a meal in the near future.
(4)Raj V.
Spicy , very spicy , red chilly powder dumped food . Hair in the food , ugly , not well maintained , unclean interior . Colon on fire
(1)Vishal S.
This restaurant is located in the Schaumburg area. It is Indian cuisine tilted towards South India, especially Andhra Pradesh. One of the best things about Priya is their range of Chutneys. This is the closest you can get to authentic Ginger, Peanut, Tomato, Coconut and Mint chutneys anywhere in North America. The Dosa buffet brought me in for the first time two years back and they have a very wide variety of Dosas (Pesarattu - A Dosa made using green lentils; included). The other items in the Dosa buffet are pretty average causing me to knock one star off. Their regular buffet on Sunday is typical pan Indian cuisine with Dosas included. I definitely recommend this place only for the Dosa Buffet and the Sunday Buffet + A La Carte is worth a shot. The ambiance is more from the 1980s to 1990s interior, so don't expect much. Parking is not problem due to the strip mall location. Prices for the buffet vary between $13 to $15 which seems nominal. The service (when not done by the owner) can be a little more brisk.
(4)Vinay K.
I had total mixed reviews eating at Priya. The start was horrid since we were a group of 10 and made to wait nearly 30 mins for table. Totally understand since the crowd was big but there were not ample chairs at the waiting area. The restaurant is small for the crowd that visits on weekends. The cashier lady is very rude. Its natural for customers to inquire about availability and she was so rude to us. To top it all she announces that a group that had made a phone reservation would be given preference over our group. I was losing patience when another staff came in and handled the situation and we were given split tables. I wud give a 1 star for this behaviour. Now the food in the buffet sort of dowsed the tensed atmosphere. Most of the dishes were very good. Plus: The pakoras were yum, Dosa and Idly was serveed hot and also quickly, the Egg curry was good. Desserts were nice and not very sugary. Sambhar had a lot of veggies. Cons: Except the regular chutney all others were horrible, THe Rotis were hard and chewy, The biryani was over and no one bothered to refill it. And Rasam was garlicky. Overall I will be fair and give a 3 star. If they improve customer service the star cud be better. im sure they have a lot of potential to becoming a fine-dine restaurant which they sadly arent today.
(3)Meghan F.
Tried Priya tonight for the first and LAST time. Ever since Taj Mahal in Bloomingdale closed, my boyfriend and I have been on the hunt for a new favorite Indian restaurant to frequent. We were pretty excited to give Priya a try, given that it is just a short distance from home. Words hardly suffice to describe our disappointment and disgust. We ordered the Butter Chicken, one of our favorite dishes. On top of the entrees being incredibly overpriced, the food was just downright awful!! They call the meat they put in there chicken? Perhaps they gave us the cuts that were intended for their pets at home. Nothing but fatty, bony, chewy pieces that my boyfriend couldn't even get through without spitting it into a napkin! Not sure if plastic is a new addition to southern Indian cuisine, but I certainly don't prefer finding it in my food.. gross. Long story short: We will absolutely never eat at Priya again. For what they charge, you would think they would take a LITTLE more pride in what they serve the general public. Tsk tsk.
(1)Nikhil K.
Search for Good South Indian restaurants ends here.period. Being a foodie from India and actually having tasted every possible South Indian dish,in the entire south india,i crave sometimes for authentic or near authentic South Indian food My brother is a bigger fan of the food as well! So here we were braving the Chicago rain just to satisfy our cravings. Not disappointed at all!! The spread is different for Mondays,Tuesdays an Thursdays,we went on a Monday,and ill just say,its the closest you can get to South Indian food and the other one is UDIPi at Devon. These two are anyday better than Mysore woodland. I am a big fan of sambar,and i found both here ant UDIPi to have great sambar! Austin( the guy who helped us) was great and helpful to have around.special mention about him as well. For others,who have complaints-i sometimes wonder why people can be so dumb/ignorant. You have come to a South Indian restaurant,why in the world would you order something from them which is not their specialty and then complain? Its like going to a Japanese restaurant here an asking for French fries or pizza! When in rome-be roman,eat roman.just an advice.
(4)Katie D.
If you are a local in Schaumburg neighborhood....this is one of the best Authentic south indian restaurant so far. Service and food both are really good. The only one thing I will tell you to be aware of is the spice level, if you are not a big spice eater make sure you mention while ordering. Whether you order south indian or Punjabi they will always serve you some papad with a nice spicy chutney, this is a nice twist to starting your meal. The quantity of the dosa is really good and it is served with 3 different chutneys all with great authentic flavor. Ambience is okay not the best one but not the worst also.
(4)k a.
Had stuff catered and every one totally love the food. I like that they make traditional andhra styled appetizers.
(3)Dennis J.
I'm still trying to figure out what the folks who run this place were thinking. My friend made a reservation here for 40 people for their rehearsal dinner. If you've been by, you can see that that's pretty much their whole restaurant. Now, if you've got a large (well, huge) group coming in, you'd think you would want to make sure the tables were ready right? No. Not a single table was ready for our group. In fact, we had to trickle in as people finished their dinners. That ... was terribly awkward. Maybe the food would redeem it? No. No, it would not. The dosa buffet is setup so you gather whatever you'd like to eat your dosa (uh .. a savory crepe?) with and wait at your table to order whatever kinds of dosa you'd like. The main problem I had was that they selection of fillings was terrible: barely any vegetables, no protein, and bland dessert. But lots of chutneys. So, there's that. The folks that come around and ask for the dosa orders were kind and seemed embarrassed at their lack of preparation, but weren't that helpful. There's 30-40 different kinds of dosa but no description to help you choose between them. By the time we actually got ours, we were too hungry to be picky. I wouldn't come back here with a large group ... or a small one.
(1)Ramya P.
Buffet that mainly focuses on South Indian food Wanted to eat here since a very long time ago when I heard that this restaurant serves Andhra food. Got the urge to eat here after an exhausting morning at Ikea and me n the hubby quickly drove up here. I'm turned off by buffets but it actually sounds good when you're starving! The lunch buffet costs $14/person during the weekends and its totally worth it. Don't expect a very inviting ambiance or super attentive friendly service, come here with the sole motive to get some good food. The dishes are mostly south Indian. Crispy hot dosas are brought to the table that taste divine with the mint chutney. The vadas are cooked perfectly and very flavorful. The sambar and rasam took me back to the days when I would ditch dinner at home and sneakily eat at my neighbor's place. They do have chapathis and a couple of sides but as I said earlier the south Indian food is the primary focus and it is very good. The vermicelli porridge n halwa were so damn delicious, that I ate more food than my husband. This is why buffets are a bad bad idea for me... Off to the gym now!!
(4)Victoria W.
I liked the curry in my Malai Kofta, but the actual "balls" (more like 3 sausage-shaped pieces) had a soft texture/taste that made me doubt there was cheese in them--it was probably gourd-based. My partner enjoyed his Kadai Chicken. The masla dosa came with a lot of food for the money, but the potato curry was extremely spicy for being a mild order. We only received one container of rice though we ordered 2 entrees; it wasn't nearly enough. Ordered Gulab Jamun ($5) and was disappointed to find that it was only two pieces in a syrup that lacked the complex spiced flavor I was used to. Tasted like a sugar syrup with some honey. They actually forgot to include the dosa when my partner picked up the order. They called us as he returned home, and he had to drive back to pick it up. They were very apologetic about it though. Updates: Mutter Paneer: Pretty good, not as tomato-based as usual and light on the peas, very salty. Butter Chicken: Good but also rather salty.
(2)Deepak N.
Went there last nite w fam for mother's day. Really a bad experience. Brother made reservations - which at the time I thought was pointless since I've never seen a packed indian restaurant before. Turned out to be great since huge line and packed house at priya. The waiter/host was friendly and had good sense of humor. He was also really nice and efficient on the phone. We got to sit right away at reserved table = nice While seated - didnt get a waiter to come to table for 20mins. Didnt get apps til like 40-60mins. We were there 1.5hrs and our main food didnt come yet. They were severly understaffed, unorganized and just seemed like amateur hour -maybe first time ever they've been this packed? Asked the guy how long they've been in business (thought they must've been new) - nope, been around for 10yrs!! Plus it felt like 100+ degrees and super humid inside. Zero ventilation + packed house + hot kitchen = sweating nonstop. The annoying light hindi music (too low to hear, but loud enough to sound like a buzzibg bee) made it even worse. It was all around a miserable experience. Food also expensive. And of course - super diarrhea 2x this morning from their food ;)
(1)Don Z.
I will start out by saying that I am an American. I may not have the properly trained taste buds to appreciate this food. I have been to a handful of other Indian restaurants and enjoyed them to varying degrees. So I am not an expert, but not completely uneducated either. Priya is in a strip mall with adequate parking. I visited on a Saturday for lunch which meant buffet style. The place was filled with people. My wife and I were the only European Americans. I only mention that because perhaps the food is very authentic and loved by someone that grew up with this style of cooking. The air was filled with the heady aroma of spices used in Indian cooking. We worked our way through the buffet and took a little of this and a little of that. The meat dishes were really boney, which I found irritating. Unfortunately I didn't like anything. I really tried. Something about the spice combinations used in every dish I tried just did not agree with my stomach. On top of that everything had too much hot pepper in it for my delicate mouth to enjoy. I don't like sweating from my food. My wife was not as disappointed. She found a few things that she liked. The prices were really on the high side too. I couldn't believe they would charge $15 a person for the buffet which didn't have many choices. Overall, I will not be going back to Priya. The food may be authentic, but it is not for me.
(2)Dodge S.
Went to dinner with a group of friends during Dec or Jan. They were doing a special on Dosa which is like a lite and thin pancake, almost like pita or lavosh flatbread. So we all ordered the endless Dosa. And they kept coming out with different flavored Dosa and they were all delicious. Some of them were very spicy, baked into the bread. Turns out there was a buffet setup, but it was all for chutney. So you take your plate to the buffet and dish up some spoonfuls of your favorite chutney, then come back to your table and spread the amount you want on the Dosa. We laughed over several Kingfisher beers and had a great time. It is a small place that you probably wouldn't think twice about if you saw it from Wise Road. But it is definitely worth a visit for authentic Indian food from the southern central part of the country.
(4)Pri P.
We have been to this restaurant quite a few time now. Food here is delicious!!! The service here is not that great but if the food is good i don't mind waiting :) Dosas, idli, vada, sambar, chutney, chicken, fish, roti everything is yummy...
(5)Summer H.
Terrible terrible food & ambience!!!... I will never never go back again.. There is no place to sit .. You feel so cramped... The table traps you and hits you in the chest...No room to move & the seats are narrow.. my back started aching.. The chicken chettinad was nasty!.. I felt like puking after smelling it & puked after eating it.. It smelled so bad and tasted even worse..The tamarind chicken was just tamarind and artificial color.. It was so sour.. Could not make out what I was eating in the main dish..
(1)Deepika B.
By far the best Indian (south indian) buffet I have had in Chicago. I have been to this place quite a few times now and is one of our favorite destinations on a sunday afternoon. Very authentic south indian food. The variety of dishes they serve is awesome and elaborate. The biryani, rasam are always good. The rasam is as spicy and hot as it should be. The chicken starters are always without an exception tasty and yummy and never fail to hit the right spot. Even the veg starters are well made and tasty. My husband loves the pongal and the veg dishes they serve here. Even the desserts are tasty. Recently, we had been to Dakshin which was not great at all and definitely not worth the price that we paid there. Any given day, I would prefer Priya over any other buffet. The ambiance is okay, but go for the awesome food. Though the buffet seems a bit expensive, but they serve much much better food here than I have tried at other places. Of all the buffets, this is worth every penny. (The only irritating and unbearable thing are the songs of the 90's which they play. Ow, no complaints)
(5)Simir S.
this place is horrible for the food the serve and the service they pretend to give. Be ready to be disappointed go to Udipi better service cleaner place.
(1)Vanitha S.
This place totally bombarded my Madurai senses. My parents and I came in after an afternoon of shopping at Deepkala. And wow. We went in and it was packed with Indians speaking all kinds of southern languages--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam. The buffet line is nothing like I've ever seen before. It was divided into a non-veg and veg side, and the traditional southern dishes that we eat at home in the buffet line shocked me! There were various pickles, yogurt rice, rasam, sambaar, tamarind rice, etc. among the regulars like curry chicken, biriyani, etc. I have NEVER seen yogurt rice in a buffet line. ever. And fresh dosas were brought to the table, which were delicious with the sambaar. Buffet was a bit expensive, but worth it for this experience. I just wish this place was closer to the city because I'd go here more often.
(5)Heather B.
Great food, great service. Our waiter helped us pick our entree's and they were so yummy. Everything had heat and my nose was running... in a good way! Nan was fresh, buttery and amazing. Interior needs serious updating, and music needs to be turned down a bit, but the food and our waiter were wonderful!
(4)Rahul M.
Worst customer service. Very rude owner. My order was placed 1 hour ago for carry out, and when I asked the owner what is taking so much time, he just asked me to wait for another 10 mins .... No apology...but just a bad attitude!!!
(1)Atulya B.
Unlike other Indian restaurants, Priya Restaurant is different. Different in the sense that it is actually one of those restaurants that serves authentic south Indian food. Make no mistake about it. Whether you're ordering the original Chicken Fry or the spicy Chicken Chitinad or the unmistakable Fish Pulusu, the taste is right there. Takes you right back to the sub-continent and makes you very nostalgic. The Indo-Chinese items, like the fried rice and the Chicken Manchurian or the Chili Chicken are very true to their original taste and are quite good. Priya also does a variety of tiffins or breakfast items and they are tasty too, though these days most Indian restaurants get them right. But what sets Priya apart is their Dosa (or crepes) night on Thursday, where you get to experience a variety of Dosas made with different kinds of batter and stuffed with your choice of filling - well this depends on what kind of Dosa you order. And vegetarian food here is good too with the ever-popular Panner Tikka Masala, Tadka Dal, Kadai Panner and other regulars gracing the menu. Ambience and interior settings wise Priya doesn't score well but who cares as long as the food is good, right? So head over to Priya you're craving real, authentic south Indian food.
(5)Danny V.
Updating my review of the place as this time the food was absolutely delicious. All the chutneys were delicious. The vegetarian dishes were good and the multiple non vegetarian dishes were great too. They probably had an off day the first time I visited the place but I have no such complaints this time around. Great Service and amazing South Indian food.
(5)Dessy D.
Surprising that there are absolutely no reviews of this place.. First up -- Its REAL SOUTH INDIAN food. You know what i mean? As in the real 'REAL'...The real spices, the real taste , the real heat, the real aroma... Let me start with dosas - The chutney you normally get in any restaurant on devon is called 'coconut chutney' with a domination of coconut. In priya its more 'Andhra' (A south indian state) style where coconut forms the minor portion and fried 'chana dal' is hte major ingredient. And they also serve 'Onion' and 'Ginger' chutney....one word ..'WOWWWWWW' I tried the chicken curry, chicken chettinad, chicken 65, chicken chilli, shrimp masala, chapathi, puri masala, rava dosa, pesarat, idly, babycorn manchurian..All were fantastic but for chicken chettinad..... If I have a craving for some REAL indian food, this definitely is my go-to place. Dakshin on Salem drive is a super close competitor. Dakshin has its own special dishes where it scores. But then Priya truly deserves a 5-star. P.S. : One of those INDIAN restaurants were INDIANS get some respect along with FOOD...:) :)
(5)Pratik P.
Great food and better service. My friends come here and let the manager order for us. Had the goat, butter chicken, manchurian, cilantro chicken... So good
(4)Manya A.
Went to Priya about 5 years ago and loved it! Recently when hubby suggested going again, I was excited. We went for a saturday lunch buffet. Ugh..they didn't have real utensils or plates and bowls. It was around 12.45 pm and practically all the food was gone. We waited for 20+ mins but no one refilled/restocked the buffet. There was just 1 waiter guy who promised to bring us dosas. We got exactly 3 dosas for the 3 of us. After that, we told the waiter at least 4-5 times to bring us more dosas and he just didn't. What kind of service is this? After being charged $15 for a buffet, we couldn't even get more dosas! This is after they have advertised it as a lunch buffet with unlimited dosas. There was a lady at the reception and she could not possibly have been more unfriendly. She just frowned at us and when we pointed out that we didn't get the dosas but did like the food she just rolled her eyes at us. The food would have been decent if there had been any. Not sure why this place was so packed. It certainly couldn't have been for the negative customer service or the lack of food. Very disappointing since it seems like they have a lot of promise but dont deliver.
(1)Megan L.
Really great authentic South Indian food. I grew up eating South Indian food at my best friend's house, so I'm familiar with South Indian home cooking and Priya does not dissappoint! The spice level is where it should be - they are not afraid to spice things up. The service was very good... not fast, but I expect to wait a bit for freshly made food. Their soups (esp the Rasam) are very good. I love the variety of chutneys that come with the Dosas. I can't wait to go back.
(5)Vamshi N.
Only good for south Indian tiffins - say no to the biryani... Owner serves food too... Dosa is spicy.. Idhi Chana hot guru
(3)Bee L.
Skip the appetizer platter. The only thing of worth was the punugulu. Servers were excellent but food to table was slow and in parts. I recommend the dinner platters. There is a variety of food and plenty of it.
(4)Kailash N.
This review only applies to their Thursday evening all you can eat dosa buffet. Now the place opens up for buffet at 6 PM or so. I would say if possible arrive before 6.45 PM or so. After that the crowds start building considerably and you may need to wait a little bit to be seated. The buffet itself is somewhat of a unique offering (it is priced at $9.99) They have about 20+ varieties of dosas from which you can choose as many as you like as many times as you want. Now the dosas are somewhat small thus the waiter itself would suggest you to choose 3 or 4 at a time. The other items of the buffet includes appetizers such as pakoras, 4 types of chutney (coconut, peanut, tomoto-onion, ginger), idli, upma, different podis for dosa, sambar, aloo onion subji (as in masala for masla dosa), pulao, curd rice, dessert (usually kulfi), chai (welcome addition I would say). Now it is quite amazing that they keep running like a well oiled machine despite the crowds and all the multiple requests they get for different types of dosa. Usually with this type of arrangement there is a greater chance for pandemonium but surprisingly I have been served dosas typically 5-10 minutes of my requests (for a group of 4). A great and unique experience for serious dosa lovers.
(4)P J.
My wife and I found this restaurant on our GPS recently and were glad that we did. We came on a weekend afternoon and they were serving lunch buffet. As soon as we saw the size of the food selection, we could not wait to get started! The food was absolutely delicious.Some items were spicy but not too spicy, and there were so many choices, we tried as many as we could. Everything was clearly marked as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and there were some tasty desserts. We will definitely come back - we're not sure if it will be for the buffet again or for the dinner menu. This is a very authentic southern Indian restaurant and you will be very pleased. If you like Indian food, you will love the food at this restaurant.
(5)Kalyan M.
Just okay experience... first the service was pretty shabby, mixed up orders and forgot to get rice for the curry dish and got extra bread that we didnt order. All the dishes had confused taste. Worst of them were gobi manchurian and chicken-65. They didnt taste even close to what they should be. Chicken Biryani was ok. Lamb curry could have been better, overall just average experience. I want to go once again and try their famous lunch buffet.
(3)Mrsotle O.
Priya Indian Restaurant is by far my favorite to go to for a good Indian dish. My favorite meal is the Chili Chicken with gravy and extra spicy. I love spicy food and they make it perfectly. I've asked for extra spicy at restaurants before and it's usually still too mild. I've never been disappointed with a dish from here before. Unlike many other Indian Restaurants they give generous portions for a decent price.
(4)Mable S.
I've been to this restaurant a few times and I'll continue to go back. The food is excellent and they offer more north Indian foods, which is sometimes difficult to find (it seems that southern Indian is more common). The service is always great and the restaurant always seems to be busy, which is another good sign.
(4)A V.
One of the decent Indian restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area if not the best. Very courteous service. They can revise their prices. Also, they need to work on improving their speed with respect to waiting the tables. Overall, a nice place to visit for a hearty andhra style food.
(4)Sanjay J.
This place started off about 10 years ago as an awesome authentic Indian restaurant. Gradually, like most Indian restaurants, they tried to cut corners while increasing the prices and now it is very mediocre. We had stopped going there for a few years and when a Groupon came out a few months ago, we decided to try it out again. Big mistake, the quality still is poor. The trick they use is to have foam take out containers which bend internally so that it looks like they are giving you a lot but you find out later that you got ripped off. Biryani was awful. I will NOT be going there again.
(1)Stephanie R.
Wonderful service. Great food. We will definitely be back.
(5)Masala B.
The best place for authentic south indian food. The food is really spicy, unlike the joints in Devon. The weekend lunch buffet is amazing. Try the Wednesday night dinner special if you want to try out a little bit of everything at a less crowded setting. The Thursday night unlimited dosa dinner special is also great if you want to try out the different variety of the dosas (crepes) and spicy chutneys.
(5)