Saravanaa Bhavan is a popular chain stretching from Asia to the Middle East. Step inside, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by Indian families. Instead of clink of spoons and forks, you’ll notice the quiet, satisfied focus of people eating with their right hands, the way the food is intended in India. It’s a beautiful, sensory experience.
Restaurant Profile
🏷️ Name of the Restaurant: Saravanaa Bhavan (incl. menu)
📍 Adress: Kaiserstraße 68, 60329 Frankfurt am Main
🍜 Style: Indian Cuisine – vegetarian, rice dishes, curry, dosa (indian crepe), street food, deep fries, uthappam (thick rice and lentil pancake), kati rolls, stir-fries etc.
💰 Price: approx. 15–25 € per person (including drinks & tips)
Drink: A Soothing Mango Lassi
We often start an Indian meal with a Mango Lassi.
Saravanaa’s isn’t one of the overly sweet, syrupy versions – but thick, creamy, and fiercely fruity.
It’s a smooth, cold shock of sweet, tangy mango yogurt that glides down your throat, preparing your palate for the spices to come.
No. 6: Medhu Vada
Similar to a golden, ring-shaped doughnut, but savory. Made from lentil flour, it’s fried to a medium crunch that shatters slightly as you bite in. The inside is mild, soft, and soothing. Though fried, it doesn’t sit heavy.
The dip includes cold coconut chutney—think of it as a spicy, milky, almost ricotta-like sauce, but with a fresh, clean, vegetable-forward vibe. Then there’s the warm, spiced sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew that’s slightly tangy from tamarind. Dunk the crunchy, mild vada generously into the dip. The hot and cold, the spicy and the mild—a flawless balance.
No. 48: Ghee Roast Masala Dosa
For a dosa lover, Saravanaa is a pilgrimage site.
The dosa arrives at the table rolled into a huge, golden-brown cylinder, its surface glistening. Ghee in the name “Ghee Roast” is a clarified butter. With the milk solids removed, it has a high smoke point and a rich, nutty, toasty flavor that’s absolutely delicious.
When you tap the dosa with your knuckle, it’s not a soft thud; it’s a crisp, hollow sound, like you’re tapping an edible drum. It’s SUPER crunchy. Break off a piece. The inner surface is lined with a warm, smashed potato and chickpea, spiced with cilantro, green beans, and black mustard seeds that pop with a subtle heat and earthiness.
The dipping sauces are familiar, cooling coconut chutney (the green one), and a red, slightly sour and spicy sambar sauce with tomato pieces. Dip a shard of the ultra-crunchy, ghee-infused crepe into the spicy sambar, then scoop up a bit of the warm, spiced potato from inside. The textures alone are divine: the shatter of the dosa, the softness of the potato, the crunch of the vegetables within. It’s pure magic.
No. 64: Ghee Onion Rava Masala Dosa
Next up, the Ghee Onion Rava Masala Dosa. Unlike the rice-lentil version, this crepe is made from semolina, giving it a more delicate crunch. It’s sprinkled with ghee and stuffed with spiced potatoes.
The lacy edge – a crisp, golden-brown web of fried batter, so thin it looks like intricate doily lace – is fried to a beautiful curl. The crunch echoes in your ears.
Inside, the soft potato is studded with green beans, onions, peanuts, and lentils. The toasted black mustard seeds are ready to burst with a pungent kick. The sauces here are the same cool, spicy coconut chutney, the fresh green coriander chutney, and a red, more intense, spicy masala sauce with onions. Every bite is packed with a million little pops and flavors, like a spicy, savory party in the mouth.
No. 46: Milagaipodi Masala Dosa
“Milagaipodi” is a famous South Indian spice blend sometimes called “gunpowder spice.” It’s made from roasted lentils, sesame seeds, and dried chilies.
This dosa is thinner, with no ghee butter, letting that fiery spice powder burst through.
Inside, the usual suspects—onions, potatoes, chili, coriander—are all amped up. The flavor is decidedly more intense, a deep, roasted, earthy heat.
The dips are the same soothing companions, which you’ll need to balance the dry, spicy kick of the dosa itself.
No. 156: Saravanaa Special Meals
It’s a rainbow platter of Indian flavors. You get two pooris (the hollow bread), an appalam (crunchy, spiced cracker), rice, sambar, rasam (a tangy, peppery soup), and a constellation of small bowls:
- Creamy, spicy vegetable curries (a dal makhani and a mild paneer), offering a soothing richness.
- A more spiced curry with onions and cauliflower—creamy, comforting, and warm.
- A red dish that’s deep, smoky, and roasted, with a slightly bitter edge.
- A soothing, starchy vegetable dish with beans
- Two types of plain, cool yogurt (curd). One of them is noticeably richer, with a strong milk flavor.
The hollow bread – an airy, fried balloon of joy – is mild and perfect for wrapping all those incredible flavors.
You take a piece of the airy poori, scoop up a bit of the smoky red curry, add a spoonful of rice and sambar, and then dip it in the yogurt to cool it down. It’s a balanced, exciting, and heavenly mix of textures and temperatures.
No. 157: North Indian Thali
The centerpiece is an orange-hued rice. The color comes from turmeric and a touch of saffron, giving it a gingery, earthy warmth. It’s studded with green beans.
The small bowls include a fresh salad of carrots, tomato, onion, and cucumber. Then, a potato and cauliflower curry—peppery, spicy, and comforting. The orange-colored paneer is soft, lightly spiced, and has a subtle, fruity sweetness from the tomatoes in its gravy.
The dhal (lentils) is mild and soothing, with a hint of turmeric and onion. And chickpeas are soft and deep in flavor. The cool, white raita (yogurt with vegetables) is there to quell the flames.
On the side, you get two soft, lightly chewy breads—chappathi—perfect for dipping. The thin, savory cracker adds a fantastic crunch.
There’s also a small bowl of an intense, salty spice paste—that’s the pickle (achaar), meant to be used in tiny, potent pinches. This dish also comes with a dessert – a honey-sweet sugar ball called gulab jamun – a perfect sweet end to a flavorful feast.
Saravanaa Bhavan is often praised as one of the best, authentic Indian restaurants in the city center. It’s high-carb, high-flavor, so maybe not the first choice for someone strictly dieting. But if you’re hungry, Saravanaa makes sure you’ll eat happy, taste joy, and leave in a blissful food coma.
It’s also fully vegetarian – so much so that even eggs are a stranger here. Yet the flavors are anything but modest. I once dragged a friend there who lives for meat and wouldn’t go near a broccoli. Even he was scraping his plate clean – the food is just that explosively, ridiculously good.
Thanks for the recommendation, this Indian restaurant was such a pleasant surprise. It’s very close to the train station and the flavors feel really authentic. The place does not take reservations, and when we arrived around 7:30 pm there was already a line outside, but the turnover was quite fast. Inside, it felt like at least half of the guests were Indian, which says a lot about the authenticity.
The menu is quite extensive, even including some Chinese style wok dishes. Everything we ordered was delicious. A lot of people were ordering dosa as well. We tried the platter you mentioned, which was great for tasting a bit of everything, although everything leaned quite spicy.
The fried cauliflower was a highlight for me. It looked simple at first but turned out to be very impressive, with a flavorful batter and an incredibly crispy texture.
Prices are very reasonable at under 20 euros per person.