Karuna Cafe - Ottawa, Ontario

Beware of diarrhea We went for dinner there. No other customers were there although nearby restaurants filled with people. We specifically went there to try egg hoppers and kottu despite the bad reviews. The food were extremely bad (the look is ok). The egg hoppers were not as we expected or ... requested. The kottu did not taste good. If you know what authentic hoppers and kottu are, you will be really disappointed. They gave coconut sambal with hoppers but that was the worst coconut sambal I have ever tasted in my life. Despite the quality, the food was extremely expensive. Soon after we arrived home all of us got diarrhea. Probably because of the bad eggs. This restaurant should be avoided at all cost. Read more

Which restaurant puts egg and chicken in a dish they name as "vegetable biryani". And masala dosa tasted really bad.

In my life I had been living in South Indian region for 2 years. I had so many south Indian food here and there. But this restaurant broke my heart. 👎🏻👎🏻 food quality is not good then the price. Super higher price then other Indian restaurant in this area. I ... had Masala Dosa and Mutton Biryani which was a bad dream for me now. Come on man, improve your food quality not price. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻 Read more

Great family owned business serving delicious Tamil food. Can't compare to GTA price/quality, but for Ottawa this place is great!! Definitely recommend if you want to try something new. They don't skimp on the spice, so let them know your preference - they are very accommodating and kind people. I personally recommend ... their veggie rolls! Have great options for vegans and vegetarians (and maybe gluten-free i.e. dosas). Read more

We came here at 1:45pm for a Saturday lunch. We were the only customers for the first hour or so and it was very quiet (which I like). The bollywood music video was muted, for which I was grateful. Inside, there is minimal decor and ambiance. Upon entering, we also ... got hit by the Indian spice + BO combo that is pretty strong until you get used to it. Service was great. Owner answered all our questions about the menu, refilled water promptly, and came to ask how the food was each time an item was served. The food didn't come very quickly but I can understand given there was no customer before us and they might have had to turn everything back on to cook for us lol. Masala tea = one serving was enough for the 2 of us. Just the right amount of sweetness and very pleasant mix of spices. Beef thali = There were 5 different little dishes + rice & a chip thing. Squash, chickpea, cabbage, etc. All delicious, and tasted fresh. Just be careful to not bite into the super spicy seeds. 80% of the beef was not tough but there were 1 or 2 pieces that were tough. String hoppers Kothu chicken = Imagine chicken pad thai with an Indian flavour. It was delicious. My SO wasn't going to finish it.....but he did without even realizing. Payasam = We shared this dessert. Tapioca was undercooked and still hard in the middle so it was difficult to chew...too bad because the rest of the dish was all nice & smooth. Other than that, good comfort food kind of dessert. 4 stars for the food 3 stars for the ambiance Even though food is great, I think the prices are a bit high considering the total lack of ambiance. Read more