Ariya Nivaas A Vegetarian Hotel

The quick service and authentic, delicious South Indian food make this a go-to spot for tourists and locals. It’s a busy, bustling restaurant with lots of food options, and you may have to wait depending on the time of day. Being close to the train station and bus stop is a definite plus. They’ve also started a multi level car park, which is very helpful.

The filter coffee was the highlight, I ended up having two. I also really liked the dahi vada, and the sambar and chutney were excellent. The masala dosai was just okay. I went to the restaurant for food, not to stay in the rooms.

The attached restaurant is quite good, and the rooms are small but cozy. The location is great, close to the major hubs. But don’t trust the hotel website photos, they’re absolute crap. Housekeeping is lacking, and the receptionist was pathetic. There’s no open car parking, just a Multi level car park that’s operatable only between 7 am to 10 am.

We’ve been visiting Ariya Nivas off and on since the restaurant opened in 2002-03, and the car parking facilities are really good now. What bothered us on our last visit was the tiny plates they use even for special dosas. The dosa sides touch the table, and there’s no room for the chutneys. I can see how a small plate makes a big dosa look even bigger, but I’ve eaten at good vegetarian restaurants all over South India, including A2B, Sangeetha and Geetham in Chennai, and haven’t seen plates this small for big dosas. They could serve a small benne dosa with the sides on a small plate, like Rameswaram cafe, or keep the standard expected of a premium Veg restaurant.