Saravana Bhavan

Saravana Bhavan is a South Indian restaurant in a strip mall in Irving with a strictly vegetarian menu. But don’t get vegetarian food mixed up with the beansprout cookery of a vegan restaurant. There is no texturized bean curd or tofu masquerading as some other animal protein. Every dish is vegetarian because that’s how it was created from the start. The food here is rich, satisfying and highly in demand. In fact, Saravana Bhavan is so popular that a wait in the evenings is the norm. Don’t miss the paper dosa, which is so big it eclipses the plate beneath it, or the chili mushrooms that are breaded and fried before they’re sautéed in an intensely spicy curry. Almost everything here is hot, and the dining room is filled with Indian families who aren’t complaining.