Mgr Palace

03/28/09

Worth a drive from anywhere

by spaghettiwestern at Citysearch

This is the best Indian food in the city. In fact, I seek out Indian restaurants in most cities I visit (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland), and none of them ever compare to MGR, in my opinion. It's that good. I drive 30 minutes to eat here at least 3 times a month. The lunch buffet is an unbelievable deal, usually featuring three entree type options, two to three soups, bread, salad, chutneys and dessert. All are fresh, hot and as good as they would be if you ordered them off the menu. At dinner, the thali plates and dosai are great choices...especially the coconut dosa. The flavors are exquisite, with enough spice and heat but not too much to ruin the balance of any of the dishes. Every detail of the food, down to the lemon/carrot pickle they serve, is better than I've had anywhere. It's family owned, and they really seem dedicated to what they are doing. Go!

• Pros: lunch buffet, dosai, the flavors!!
• Cons: location off the beaten path

12/17/08

Don't Be Fooled, This is the BEST Indian Food in Atlanta

by reallyacustomer at Citysearch

I went to this site to confirm the address and happened to see a negative review so I looked closer. Beware, there are competing Indian restaurants who are posting bogus reviews. My wife and I frequented the owner's previous restaurant and when they moved we moved too. It's a little bit of a drive for us but well worth the effort. Family owned and operated by some of the nicest people you will ever meet and the food is great. My wife, a life long vegetarian (no meat of any kind for 30+ years), has tried every Indian restaurant in the metro Atlanta area and says this is by far her favorite restaurant. I'm a white male who grew up farming in South Georgia (I eat most anything, except liver) and this is also my favorite restaurant. During the time Ram and his father were transitioning to their new location we "shopped around" and nada, nothing came close. Do yourself a favor and go see for yourself. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID. Finally, let me conclude by saying that I've never reviewed anything before now. I can't say that someone won't have a bad day but if you read anything about "unfriendly" or "bad service" then be suspect, those sentiments just don't reflect anything we've encountered (or seen) in the five years we have been customers. Happy trails.

• Pros: read my review
• Cons: none

08/23/08

The advertised 7 feet dosa is a hoax

by swapurvs at Citysearch

We went to this restaurant tonight. The whole experience was terrible. We had to wait for 30 minutes before we were served with water. Food took another 20 minutes to arrive. We drove 40 miles to have the 7 feet dosa which they advertise frequently but were told that they cannot make it since it was a weekend. The food was mediocre at best. Service was appalling. I will never go back there nor recommend the restaurant to anyone else. When we wanted to request to the manager that we drove for an hour with kids o have their signature 7 feet dosa here, he refused to talk to us.

• Pros: Nothing that I was really happy about
• Cons: Deceptive advertising, poor customer service, long waiting for food and order

07/08/08

be careful all indian restaurants are rated 4 on 5

by Padru at Citysearch

There is no Indian restaurant that does not have a 4 / 4.5 star review. Pl be careful. We are an unethical breed of people and inflate our ratings. Least realising that all indian restaurants end up being 4.5 on 5. Pl use word of mouth and personal discretion to visit all of these restaurants.

I wish health and happiness in yr experimentation with food.

05/05/08

very tasty indian cuisine

by civilcritic at Citysearch

vegetarian. well seasoned. everything tasty. multiple menu items samples and all great.

service very attentive.

reasonably priced.

seems family owned.

tucked away in stone mountain off hwy78. great for locals and definitely worth the drive for those further away.

this place is a MUST!

• Pros: well seasoned indian vegetarian, price, service, open late
• Cons: only one location

04/01/08

Great Food + Great Energy = Great Dining Experience

by layliphillips at Citysearch

Food isn't just food, but it's a combination of the ingredients plus the energy put into them by the cook. Madras Sri Ganesh Ram Palace (MGR) is my favorite Indian restaurant -- not just in Atlanta, but in the U.S., and I've eaten at several in many different cities. Chef Ram Nanjunda and his culinary team infuse every dish and every act of service with very positive intent and an uplifting overall vision. You can tell that Ram and his family love what they do and care about their customers. Servers are friendly and a community feel has been pleasantly re-established, for those who remember this team from MSB. The food at MGR is as good, if not better (with a few new dishes spicing up the menu - not to mention the ever-changing lunch buffet), and the ambience is more intimate, with a family feel as well as a spiritual overtone that enhances the entire experience. As a lover of Indian food who is not Indian, but who appreciates both Indian traditionalism as well as Indian-inflected globalism, I love the spirit of this place and appreciate what owner is doing. Even my out-of-town guests with established international taste have commented on the quality of their experience at MGR. In sum, consider me a devotee -- and a repeat customer who will keep on bringing friends!

• Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Cleanliness, Parking, Convenience, Service, Value.
• Cons: Vegan menu items not clearly marked; may have to ask - but chef is flexible on requests.

01/18/08

Simply the best Indian food in Atlanta.

by Ansley14 at Citysearch

The lovely group of people behind the original Madras Saravana Bhavan have re-created the delicious menu, with an even friendlier environment. This food is just fabulous-- dosai and sambar are of course to-die-for (spring dosa is our favorite), but you really can't go wrong with anything on this menu. I can't recommend this wonderful restaurant enough.

• Pros: Incredible food, friendly service, affordable

01/12/08

Simply attrocious.

by vishrao at Citysearch

Another vegetarian restaurant bites the dust. Avoid this like plague. Expected a lot from the chef who earlier owned Madras Sarvana Bhavan. Service is okay but food is simply not upto par. Udipi is still the king.

12/15/07

Lunch Buffet - Good but still can improve!

by killbill001 at Citysearch

Hi,

I have been to Ashiana,Krishna vilas and MGR. MGR definitely has some good food ( now that krishna vilas is renovating). MGR served really good masala dosais, coconut chutney and masala vadai. They also had very good Roti(Naan) , Panner and the Veg Biriyani was awesome. But surprisingly I found that the sambar did not taste like sambar( I would obviously take this into a main consideration while rating this restaurant since it is south indian based).It had a lot of tamarind in it and it was lacking flavour. They can also improve on their chat and dessert section. Comparing Krishna Vilas, the chat and desserts served in MGR is definitely not upto the par.

I recommended my friends who are going today to MGR because their customer service was really good. THese guys were really organized and treated us well.

I would recommend MGr to ppl ( I just hope that the Sambar went wrong only on that day).

Thank You

South Indian Sambar Lover.

• Pros: parking,good ambience,nice staff
• Cons: limited desserts,chat. only vegetarian!!

11/24/07

simply delightful

by gavi1126 at Citysearch

the food is great and so is the staff. Mr. Nanjunda and his family have done a great job with this place. I would go over and over again.

• Pros: location, parking, food
• Cons: na