Karaikudi Chettinad Restaurant
“Other excellent dishes were the Chili and Peppers Uthapam, the Vegetable Biryani and the Avial (a vegetarian dish with a coconut and yogurt base).”
“This restaurant is hidden right behind the Habib National Bank (we had to make a u-turn since we had passed it).”
“And we always carry out their fish curry and Kara kozhambu ( a must try delicacy )
Very friendly service and good atmosphere !”
Karaikudi Chettinad Restaurant
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I highly recommend this place for excellent Chettinad cuisine, very authentic and really really spicy!
From the main course the Nanddu Masala – king crab cooked in spicy Chettinad masala was a winner. It was a really huge portion, succulent, tangy and spicy and we loved it.
We also tried the Chicken Chettinad and the Prawn Biryani – both were very good.
Between the four of us this was more than enough food and we also had leftovers. Definitely give Karaikudi Chettinad a try, you won't be disappointed. We'll definitely be back for more.
Business is closed since they got evicted. Went there yesterday for lunch after from boston on the way to PA. There was a sign outisde for eviction notice and the place was locked down with furniture still in there.
The food is just OK . Food is spicer than other restaurants in the area. I loved the chicken poppers , they were awesome.
They also have dinner buffet with huge selection of menu items. The ambiance is also OK, they do have a huge sitting space.
Overall an OK restaurant. Will recommend to try the dinner buffet.
Note: They do not accept the yelp dinner buffet discount !
We intended to go to the highly touted buffet, but didn't realize it was only for dinner. Regardless, with a menu as vast as Karaikudi's, we had no problem finding some things to try. My wife and I love Indian food, the spicier the better and had tried Chettinad before and really liked it. We ordered what I think were two of the hottest items on the menu, the chicken chettinad, and the Mutton Sukka Varuval. We also got the paneer 65 to start and a side of rice and naan.
The paneer was very interesting, it was deep fried and then marinated in masala. It was a huge portion, plenty for two to share and the paneer itself was very well made. Our main dishes were also delicious. The chicken, though on the bone which I typically don't like as it is too much work, was tender and extremely flavorful. This was spicy, but not runny nose spicy. The mutton was incredible, succulent cubes of boneless meat smothered in a delicious, burning hot sauce. I may have looked like I was tear gassed while protesting something by the end, but it was totally worth it for the food. The huge portion of rice (a single order between two people was plenty) and the delicious naan helped soak up the extra sauce and cool down a bit. The naan was one of the best I've ever had, we ordered the special one which was covered in onions and masala. The portions were also standout as we normally run out of sauce way before rice at other Indian restaurants and here we had plenty left.
Service was a bit spotty as we had our places set, unset, then set again as well as waiting about 15 minutes to have our places cleared after finishing. They still weren't completely cleared even after we payed and left. Our waiter though was friendly and helpful.
The atmosphere is very authentic with Indian tv playing and music in the background. It is obviously a favorite with locals as well as it totally filled up by the time we left.
Nice Indian food for a good price. Tucked away behind the storefront Karaikudi offers large portions of well prepared dishes in a decor that is well travelled . Each main dish is two meals (with the addition of more rice).
I think I'm bumping Karaikudi up on the list of go to Indian lunch buffets by the office.
If you're new to the Indian scene, be mindful that Southern Indian is typically veggie, so you must seek out to make sure you'll get some meat. I double checked that karaikudi would give me my protein fix and was delighted that they had goat when I got there. The selection is not vast, but when you're dealing with buffets, that may be a good thing since I tend to try everything.
As others have mentioned, most things here are spicy. The best way to put it is tolerable spice level, but when you're shoveling buffet food in your mouth, your mouth is bound to be overwhelmed and slowly light on fire.
My one experience illustrates why many nonSouth Asians have difficulty with authentic Asian restaurants:
1. We do not like nongrilled items served on the bone, especially in dark sauces–it is too easy to swallow a bone or chip a tooth, especially if you are having a conversation while eating.
2. We tend to find goat unappealing–not in principle in my case, just often stringy and not tasty.
3. Authentic Indian hot=American very hot, so you need to adjust your order.
4. Often some of the staff is not fluent in English.
I love chicken Chettinad and figured what better dish to have to sample at a Chettinad restaurant?
Unfortunately, I thought the portion was quite small and it was a pain to eat off the bone.
The spice level was not a problem–I like spicy food and had asked for medium, but the sauce had no complexity.
I have wanted to try their weekday buffet, but when I ask what the nonveg items are, I am told goat curry plus one other, which is not a lot of variety, but I may be mistaken, because it is hard to follow what is said.
I'm embarrassed to say that despite growing up in Edison, this is the first Indian restaurants I've ever been to in my hometown. I've had their chicken tikka masala, aloo gobi, and garlic naan – all of which were perfection. I would love to come back during their lunch buffet hours to take advantage of their other menu items.