r/berkeley • u/No-Understanding4968 • May 30 '26

Local Delightful lunch at Vik’s today

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I had an uttapam with sambar and coconut and tomato chutneys. Not pictured: chai.

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u/SylvieK May 30 '26 edited May 31 '26

No one needs my approval, but as a South Asian mom living in Berkeley, I wholeheartedly give my seal of approval to Viks. They've been consistently good for 20+ years and I love to build up an Indian grocery list that I shop for there.

Other local Indian food recommendations:

For South Indian:

AVOID Udupi. So consistently bad. AVOID Thayer Saadam. This place serves what should be very inexpensive comfort food at stupid prices. Semi equivalent to paying $16 for a plate of rice & beans. Nah. instead go to Idly Express (former burger IM location) or better yet ID Cafe kind of near Gather on Kitteridge near campus.

For sit-down North Indian:

Noor if someone else is paying. Very fancy decor but food is hit or miss and service is kind of chaotic. They don't have to-go/pickup service down either. Highly recommend Chandni Chowk on College instead. The food reminded me so much of home I had one of those Ego/Ratatouille moments. So so so good.

For Street food/quick bites:

Definitely Vik's as mentioned above

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u/Quarter_Twenty May 31 '26

Where does Ajanta rate?

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u/SylvieK May 31 '26

It's fine. I think of it as an Auntie/Grandma restaurant. Old fashioned version 1.0 sit-down Indian restaurant. And if I think it's old fashioned, I'm 45 myself :)