On a budget: Saravanaa Bhavan

No energy left to cook? We get it. But good food is a must—never settle for less. That’s why we’re sharing our tips for truly delicious takeaways, the best delivery services and affordable places.

It remains difficult to find authentic Indian food in the Netherlands. But there is hope. At the intersection of Stadhouderskade and Van Woustraat in Amsterdam, you’ll find Savaranaa Bhavan.

International restaurant chain

The large restaurant is part of an international restaurant chain owned by an Indian family. There are 33 restaurants in India and 56 abroad, mainly in many Arab countries where Indian migrant workers live and work. The name Savaranaa Bhavan literally means ‘South Indian dishes’, and that’s what you eat there in vegetarian form.

Spaceship

You shouldn’t come here for the atmosphere, as the interior resembles a bare spaceship with strange Baroque details. You’ll understand this description immediately as soon as you walk in. Fortunately, the architect isn’t responsible for the food.

Incredible cauliflower

The menu features dishes such as korma with chapathi or parota, homemade chutneys, crispy dosas (a kind of pancake), and masala with cauliflower. Everything you eat here with cauliflower is, incidentally, incredibly flavourful. These dishes range in price from three to eight euros. If you order one of the Saravanaa Bhavan platters, you’ll get a good mix of dishes with chapathi and chutney for around fifteen euros.

FavorFlav regularly spots long queues of people waiting outside the entrance. Once inside, the restaurant is full of Indian people—and that often proves that you can eat well and authentically here.

Saravana Bhavan
Stadhouderskade 123-124,
31 207 531 250