Will Madras Dosa Fill the Void for South Indian Food in New York

COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of hundreds of New York City restaurants, including Chennai Garden, popular for its Indian vegetarian dishes

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(Masala dosa. Photos: courtesy Madras Dosa.)

August 15, 2025

Chennai Garden was the best South Indian vegetarian restaurant in New York. It was located, amidst several competitors, in the Little India section of midtown South. Pradeep Shinde, the owner, was always around greeting guests with a smile and jokes, especially about him being a Maharashtrian serving South Indian food in New York. While his family was from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, he grew up in Chennai, formerly Madras, and spoke Tamil fluently.

The Garden’s closure in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, is a big loss. Today, years later, visitors to New York who ate there, including Americans, ask if it is still around. Diners fondly recall its spread of eight or more dishes, including chana palak (chick peas and spinach), aloo baingan (potatoes and eggplant), and freshly prepared chapatis (bread), served during weekday lunch buffets. It also served a variety of South Indian snacks including Mysore masala dosas (spicy vegetable crepes), vadas (lentil cakes), and idlis (rice cakes); also coconut chutney, sambar (lentil curry), and Madras coffee. The prices were moderate, $12 for the buffet, $8 for the dosas, and $3 for the coffee.

The taste of the dosas, idlis, and coffee at the Garden came close to the renowned South Indian food served by the restaurants, run by Tamilians, in King Circle, Mumbai. Given the Garden’s closure, if you crave decent south Indian food in New York, you had to travel to the canteen at the Ganesh Temple in Queens, an hour-long journey by subway from midtown to Flushing, followed by a 15-minute walk.

(Photo: vadas with chutney and sambar.)

This year, Madras Dosa Company set up three branches in New York City, with a fourth one set to operate shortly. “Our Open Kitchen allows you to see us making dosas live, much like how we grew up seeing them in our mom's kitchens,” Koushik "Babu" Koganti, co-founder and Chief Executive of the chain, states on the company’s site. “We love sharing the entire experience with you, from mixing bowls to serving plates.”

(Photo: idlis with sambar.)

Dosa offers south Indian vegetarian food as well as popular snacks from other parts of India, including some which are a blend of both. For instance, you can have a plate of three Idlis or three vadas (each plate $13), both dishes from South India. In addition to the traditional South Indian masala dosa, there is a pav bhaji (mashed vegetable) dosa; each for $16. Pav bhaji is a popular snack in Mumbai and so is the pani poori, which Dosa also serves, for $13.

North Indian dishes served include aloo tikki chaat ($14), (potatoes and chick peas in a tamarind and coconut chutney sauce), and pulao ($13), (a rice and vegetable dish.) Among the sweet dishes, there is ras malai and gulab jamun, each for $7.

(Photo: pani pooris.)

The second aspect of Madras Dosa is that it serves both vegetarian and meat dishes, which will put off strict vegetarians. For instance, it offers a plate of Aloo (potato) samosas ($9) as well as chicken samosas ($11). Similarly, there is a chicken dosa ($18) and a lamb dosa ($19), versions of the vegetarian masala dosa. Also, kheema pao ($17), minced chicken, lamb, or beef, with bread.

On its site, Dosa states that it does not offer chicken tikka masala since “We focus on serving authentic South Indian dishes, like dosas and idlis, to bring you a unique experience.”

In addition to the four locations in New York City, the chain has three other outlets in the U.S.: Princeton, New Jersey; Boston; and in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night dining, seven days a week.

A posting on the Madras Dosa site implies it is owned/is part of the Flying Lion Group. But the Group’s site just has a banner and offers no details.

In 2021, the first Madras Dosa outlet was set up on Wharf Road in Boston. It is co-owned by Babu Koganti, Teja Chekuri, Sruthi Chowdary, and Uday Reddy, according to Boston.com. The owners have had success with two other South Indian restaurants: Godavari, apparently a chain of franchisees, with more than 30 locations in the United States and Canada; and Khiladi, according to the news site.

Khiladi is located in New York. Its site states that, “Owner Sruthi Chowdary partners with the team behind popular Indian restaurant chain Godavari, to offer dishes that are inspired by Sruthi’s childhood meals, as well as street market staples from South India.” Also, on the site, Chowdary states that Khiladi “translates to player -- someone that is in the game and ready to do anything necessary to get the victory. In my life, that meant going against the cultural norms expected of South Asian women in today's society. See, I'm not your typical Indian woman. I have 5 tattoos and my favorite beer is a Kingfisher. I used to play by the rules I until realized that pleasing others wouldn't lead me to living a happy, fulfilled life.”

On Monday this week, during lunch, Madras Dosa’s Rockefeller branch was mostly full of tourists from India enjoying the spicy food. apparently happy to avoid the pizzas, sandwiches, and French fries, typically served by most eateries in New York. There were also some Indian and American employees from the offices nearby.

Madras Dosa’s goal, co-founder Koganti said in a company press release, is "to set the industry standard for fast casual Indian cuisine." While Dosa’s food does not match that of Chennai Garden, its branches fill a gap in New York by serving freshly prepared South Indian dishes. Will Pradeep Shinde emerge to restart Chennai Garden or another version of it?