Chaats & Currys, Sunnyvale, CA

Very good quality food for such an affordable price tag. I am almost convinced they are selling themselves short. For less than $12 you get a very fulfilling dinner that comes with soup, salad, vegetable, rice/nan together with your choice of entree. There are free chutney, various condiments and sauce to go with your food as well.

The tandoori chicken was a bit drier than I would like but the lamb korma curry was a pure labor of love. I had a very enjoyable meal that really hit the spot. Ambiance is basic but the restaurant is clean and bright. It was rather fun to watch some Bollywood movies there too. Can’t wait to return and try more items on their menu.

Final Verdict

Food: 4/5. Quality food made with labor of love.

Service: 4/5. Very friendly and helpful.

Ambiance: 3/5. Not much of an ambiance but the restaurant is neat and bright.

Price to Value: 4/5. Can’t get any better at this price.

Sunnyvale Cafe, Sunnyvale, CA

I think I have found my new favorite place for a falafel wrap. Sunnyvale Cafe is really just a hole in the wall mom and pop shop. Food was simple but created with sincere attention to details. I like how the falafel wrap filling is evenly spread out and wrapped in a nicely toasted pita. Every bite was as tasty as the first.

The little meat pies were amazing. They had just the right amount of herbs and flavors. I will fight you for those when they are just fresh out of the oven.

Falafel STOP nearby still have better sauce and pickles for the wrap but I like the simplicity of the food they serve here at Sunnyvale Cafe.

Final Verdict

Food: 4/5. Simple and delicious.

Service: 5/5. Very friendly people running the mom and pop shop.

Ambiance: 3/5. Tiny hole in the wall place.

Price to Value: 5/5. Good quality inexpensive food.

Asteria Grill, Sunnyvale, CA

I felt like a little gnome eating at human’s dining room. Have you seen a single piece of baklava bigger than your palm? Describing the portion as generous would really be an understatement. The falafel, spanakopita and dolmas were easily twice as big as those from other restaurants.

Despite the unusually large size, the food tasted fairly decent. All the dishes I have tried - veggie appetizer plate, grilled octopus, swordfish filet - were well prepared. Octopus was as tender as I have expected. The swordfish, a relatively lean fish, was moist and sweet. Flavors weren’t stunning but delicate and quite likable.

It seems like the quality of their service suffered because of the Groupon campaign. They were really short staffed and we had to aggressively flag down someone to get our bread/pita and utensils.

Is the food is as good as everyone’s favorite Greek restaurant Athena? I am not sure yet. I will have to return again after their promotion to try out more dishes. One thing I do know is that Athena makes much better pita and dip.


Final Verdict

Food: 3/5. Reasonably satisfying.

Service: 2/5. Where is my server?

Ambiance: 2/5. Casual cafeteria style dining room.

Price to Value: 4/5. Oversize but not overpriced.

Madras cafe, Sunnyvale, CA

Fans of Southern Indian food will be thrilled about this little cafe. They make one of the best dosa in the area. These little pan fried Indian crepes were paper thin and perfectly crisp. It tasted great even on its own without condiments and fillings. I like their dosa and batura better than many other fancier places around. Unfortunately the sambar and chutneys on the side were a bit mellow and I certainly had better ones elsewhere.

Madras does have a very cafeteria like ambiance. You order from the counter, wait a bit to be seated and then they will bring out your food when ready.
Despite the no frills setup, the decor is modern and clean. It might be a hole in the wall mom and pop shop but by no means ghetto.

Final Verdict

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 2/5

Price to Value: 4/5

Taqueria Latina, Sunnyvale, CA

Cheap and very tasty. Granted most Mexican taqueria aren’t that expensive, the food here is really quite a steal for the quality. It is a very clean place and the staff are friendly and helpful. They actually took time to explain the menu and made good recommendations. That was some good customer service.

Food was good. Everything is made to order. You will get fresh food served piping hot but expect a little bit of wait. Tried various tacos, flautas, quesadilla and nothing disappoints. They have really good super crispy tripa (tripe). The goat meat was very tender and flavorful too.