The Chennai Club

Nice, small spot in San Mateo. Came with some friends for dinner on Saturday: hungry and craving some good curry. We ordered vegetarian samosas to share (2 per order for ~$5) and I ordered the eggplant with rice (curry). The samosas came out hot and were absolutely delicious. The outer shell had a nice crunch and the stuffing was the the typical potato and veggie medley (so good). The main meal was a very good portion for 9 dollars. You get a big bowl of white rice and a separate dish with the eggplant curry, which you can then mix yourself. The eggplant was tender and very enjoyable. The rest of the curry was alright, some good flavor but overall just ok. I was definitely very full and very happy afterwards. If you go, definitely order the samosas!

Story: Came here on a Friday afternoon for a light work-lunch. We were seated immediated and offered water. The space looks spacious because of the wall of mirrors to the right. The ambiance was lively due to the Bollywood music videos they play. I would describe it as more of a mom&pop's than a fancy restaurant.

Chilli Paneer: (5/5) deep-fried paneer coated with spicy chili sauce tossed with bell peppers! This was super flavorful and crispy! Came out hot and fresh! Paneer is fresh Indian cheese...to describe the texture, think of cheese and tofu having a baby! Very similar to questions fresco (fresh Mexican cheese)

Samosa Chaat: (1/5) ahh this broke my heart! I was expecting this to taste really good but the excess yogurt they drowned my poor samosa in just ruined the dish! I think the samosa would have been better if the sauce and fixings were served on the side instead of it being submerged

Service + Price: Excellent service! Our host and server was very friendly. The price are very fair, too! It's not expensive, but you always have to know that they serve their food in plastic plates instead of clay or fine China. See pictures for reference

Would I return: yeah! I'd give this place another try, next time I'll try a curry and rice dish and report back!

I used to come to the South India restaurant in this very same location but of a different name and interior. Much like the old restaurant, this one is very good. Better than "Curry Up Now", which always makes me sick to my stomach because it is heavy.

Make sure you order a dosa here. Don't skip the Nutella dosa for dessert, it's really amazing. They need to work on their portion sizes, sometimes when I order I get 1/3 less food for some reason? I prefer the dosas at Chennai Club over the ones at Kamakshi's Kitchen because they have a better crispy texture and taste.

Gluten free notes: everything is clearly marked if it is gluten free, lots of options here. Also lots of vegetarian options too.

Parking was a bit of a challenge and it is easy to miss.

They have a big menu with authentic and unique south Indian food and Indo Chinese food. We had the chilli paneer and some dosas. Small portions for the $ but tasty. The dessert dosa with nutella was good.

Nice friendly lady up front taking the order but the folks who served the food were grumpy. Main reason for the low rating is because of the lack of cleanliness. There was a couple with a young child in a high chair next to us and the high chair was filthy...dust and dirt caked in. The place overall needs a deep cleaning! Also heard a loud angry exchange in the kitchen. Yeah...not coming back.

My hubby loves DOSA and he talked about it a lot! So he was happily agreed to check out this place when I told him they seem to have a lot of Dosa selections! It was my first time eating Dosa and so were our friends (we went as a group of 10).

It's a self serve place, you go up to the counter to place your order and pay. The lady (cashier/hostess) was very helpful and friendly. She didn't mind explaining to us what was on the menu for several times!

Most of us ordered the UK Dosa with chicken tikka masala as she said they weren't spicy.... A couple ordered the lamb and egg Dosa, I got the Chetinad Dosa with chicken and a couple others got the rice plate with cumin lamb.

The food was reasonably priced... all the Dosa orders came with 3 pieces of Dosa (Dosa plates are in the $9 range). What is Dosa???? Well, it's basically an Indian crepe (the skin tasted like crepe but a tiny bit sour) filled with potatoes and your choice of protein/mixture and served with some Indian sauces. At This place, all dosa orders came with a lentil soup and a coconut based sauce and a tamrind based sauce. All loved the Dosas but they were a bit spicy (it wasn't for me because I love spicy food). A few of us also ordered the chicken and corn soup that was similar to the Chinese style soup. For $4 the portion was pretty hefty! For smaller stomach... certainly would be enough to make you full! We also ordered mango lassi $3, again, good price, and very refreshing to cool off from the spices.

It's certainly a great place to eat casual meals... the restaurant smell like Indian food when you walk in... but actually surprisingly, we didn't smell when we walked out... or at least we felt that way ahahahha!!

Buyer beware - bait and switch! They are not accepting their own Restaurant.com coupons. The owner told me he would take a $50 coupon not the $25 I bought. Shady place, stay away!

This place is sketchy. The service was a little unfriendly and they refused to honor the yelp check in offer despite the fact that they had a sign advertising to check in on yelp for a discount (see picture). Therefore this was a really bad first impression.

The food however was Ok which is why I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1. I tried to order a "roll" but he said they were out of those. The earlier review of the vermin infestation is a little concerning as well.

Truly enjoyed the food at Chennai Club! We've driven by many times, but always thought it was a "club"! After speaking to the owner, Feroza, she explained that "club" was combining the many dishes of South India with Chinese, hence making them into a "club"! She was also very helpful in deciphering the menu and suggesting items to try. I've read some yelpers disliking the service, but you have to admit, this is not a traditional sit down restaurant where you are being served by a wait staff. Instead, you order at the counter and with your number placed on the table, you await until your meal is freshly cooked and brought to your table. You serve your own drinks, gather your own cutlery, and enjoy the food. The best part is you don't have to clean up after yourself :)!

We decided to try something different and ordered the Tikka Masala Chicken Dosa, Schezuan Garam Masala Potato, and Chilli Chicken Gravy. All were so good! The flavors were bursting! Not too hot, sweet, nor bland. It was a party in our mouths! We also had the ginger lemonade...light and refreshing and complimented our meals perfectly! We will definitely come back again and try other dishes.

Update, long time since I returned. must be new owners. went early afternoon on a friday.

the silly menu monitors are gone, table service is an enhancement, it is clean and the food is genuine but casual.

Check out the menu on the web site. Everything is rated with vegetarian and Gluten Free ratings.

courteous and swift service.

I like the Thali platters for the variety of tastes and nutrition. Both Vegetarian and non-Vegetarian versions are available and good. big meal of small dishes.

We get takeout sometimes from here because it's close and fast. Today I had a "spring" dosa with a bunch of RAW badly shredded cabbage and green peppers enveloped in a dosa that was caked in chili powder. I eat a ton of spicy food but I couldn't handle the dosa. Was starving so I sautéed some of the veggies to eat.

Lesson learned not to try to order 'healthy' sounding stuff here. Just go for the deep-fried or oily meat and carbs that's what's edible.

After reading reviews that it was the same owners as Curry Up Now, I was very hesitant to try this place. I personally think CUN is below average. This place is definitely WAY BETTER than Curry Up Now!

I tried two different dosas. The dosas were a good size and full of flavor. I do wish there was a little more filling in the crepe itself. I tried the UK (Chicken Tikka Masala) and the Tangra Noodles with Chicken.

Beware that the food is VERY VERY SPICY. I took a star off because at one point the spice took over any taste you could acquire.

Some people wrote that this place is not a traditional Indian cuisine. They never claimed to be! They have a fusion menu of Indian and Chinese. As a side note, CUN is Indian and Mexican.

I wish Chennai Club's location was better. This place would be booming if it were better located. They are on El Camino with minimal parking out front. Although parking may be difficult, the restaurant's actual lay out is a good casual dining atmosphere.