Southern Spice

We used to regularly take veg 555 biryani from the East lake Sammamish location. The spice level and vegetables in the biryani used to be perfect and mild spice level was actually mild. But the Redmond/Bellevue location is very disappointing. They make the biryani too spicy even when reminded firmly about spice level. We tried 3-4 times thinking that it may be inconsistent but every time the spice level is way too high for mild, and still inconsistent. We miss the old location but can't go back to this location again.

We wanted to try their latest offering (thali) for $12.99 veg/chicken or $14.99 lambWe also wanted to try their mouthwatering paneer 65 biryani. Ordered that one spicy and it didn't disappoint. It was served with raitha Not too sold on the thali though. While the food was good, it was not freshly made. It was served in a plastic tray with 2 curries, a pulav or plain rice, a few bhajiyas and crispies. Came with a small serving of yogurt and a spicy chutney plus hot naan. I was hoping they would have a dal and some other veg dish as an addition. Overall the quality is decent. Going forward I will stick with made to order items. They are known for their biryanis especially the 65 and the 555.Service was excellent and the place is pretty clean.

Came here a little before closing and people were still coming in to order and eat.Got the chicken 65 biryani to a while back. Was super fragrant and had just the right amount of kick for me. I split it into two meals and it tasted just as good the next day too. As I'm writing this review, I'm having my wife get another order to go My only gripe with this place which I assume is a one off thing is that they should be louder when calling to go order names. Some people actually walked off with my order because they called the name softly and they just took the order without looking checking the actual order which is on the bag. Luckily for me, when the restaurant workers came out with the other people's order, those people were outside just about to leave the plaza so we got that sorted out.Basically just pay attention if you order in the restaurant for to go because otherwise you might miss your order.

Their chicken 65 biryani and veg manchurian are amazing!! Huge quantity for the biryani easily feeds 2-3 people. Pepper chicken is okay

Been getting food from here and always been high quality and extremely flavorful. Our favorite go to options are 555 biryani and pepper chicken.

My friends and I decided to eat here for dinner on a Monday evening on a whim. One of my friends had done her research and was intrigued that this place specializes in Andhra cuisine. And I am always down for Indian regional food. The restaurant sits in a nondescript strip mall, typical of Eastside dining establishments. And this is exactly the type of no frills restaurant I love. Absolutely no investment in the restaurant's interior decor, (which tells me that it's all about the food)! Rows and rows of generic tables in a brightly lit, big-windowed room, with a tiny counter and tiny fridge at one end. No silverware, just plastic. No porcelain, just takeout containers and paper plates. So, if you are looking for ambiance and low lights, then you 'll have to go elsewhere. But trust me, the food is most definitely the main attraction.The man behind the counter smiled at us and half jokingly asks, "Butter chicken? Chicken tikka masala?" Clearly, he is used to us non-Desi types coming in and ordering the Indian equivalent of General Tso's chicken and Mongolian beef. So we went straight for the dishes that we had never had before: Mylavaram Chicken Biryani and Gongura Goat Biryani along with an old reliable: Chicken 65 Biryani. Upon ordering, the very sweet individual widened his eyes and asked, "Can you handle spicy food????" To which I responded with a 'Hell yeah!" And my friends responded with a, "Maaaaybe." So we got one of the dishes with high spice and the other two with medium. One of my friends grabbed a soft drink, and I thankfully had my Nalgene. (By the way, the water bottle refilling station in the restaurant does not work. Don't even try it.) After a few more rounds of joking about spice levels, we grabbed a table, as a stream of food delivery folks rushed in and rushed out to grab giant plastic bags of food. Our meals and plastic silverware came out promptly. The Gongura Goat Biryani was clearly the crowd favorite. Spicy bone-in goat chunks that start with mellow heat and end with a lingering sour tartness that is the hallmark of the gongura herb. The rice itself added extra layers of flavor, which made this dish so exciting to all of us. The Mylavaram Chicken Biryani didn't have the signature tartness of the Gongura dish, but was spicier and had loads of flavor, especially if you happen to bite into a chili peper. The Chicken 65 Biryani was interestingly the spiciest of the three, and loaded with cream and dairy. This was probably my second favorite given the heat. Also, notably, the chicken chunks in both dishes were amazingly tender and juicy. The garlic naan my friends also ended up ordering was reportedly unremarkable and oddly not very garlicky. Stick with the biryani rice! That and the reliance on plastic silverware and paper plates is why I give Southern Spice a 4 out of 5 stars.Overall, if you are tired of the usual Tandoori chicken and Curry vindaloo and are interested in unique Indian food flavors, try this spot out and be prepared for some wonderful and not too overwhelming (in my opinion) spice!

Stopped here for dinner. Never been to this place before; the choice was purely based on the Yelp reviews since I wanted to try a new place. It's a small restaurant with around 10 tables. Pick up the menu, choose any tables, order at the counter and they will serve the food to your table. That's how it's work there.Menu isn't exuberant. They do have a few number of curries, biriyanis, starters, dosas, tandoor items and desserts. Not fancy, but all decent options. Biriyanis comes in both regular and family pack quantity. We picked the Gobi Manchurian for starter, Kadai Vegetable, Chicken tikka masala, Naan and Chicken 65 biriyani for takeout. They served the food in around 15 mins. The Gobi Manchurian came first. That was decent - not spicy, but lacked some flavor. Really enjoyed the Kadai Vegetable with Naan. That was full of flavor and tasted great with the Naan. "Surprisingly" the chicken tikka masala has the "chicken tikka". We could really feel the flavor of the tikka, which lacks at most of the restaurants. The quality of the Chicken 65 biriyani was sufficient for couple of people. It was spicy but enjoyed the flavor. It was some special festival day and they served the sweets along with the food as well.I have nothing but great about the food and the service. Perfect location, adequate parking, amazing food and service. It was a very cold evening when we went there for dinner. Unfortunately the place was ice cold. They said their heater was not working. Initially they didn't really bother heating up the place. But as soon as a few more customers walked in, they brought out a portable gas heater. It wasn't enough to heat up that space, but something is better than nothing. I could only spot this as a negative about the place. They could have been a little more proactive rather waiting for a bunch of other customers to walk to react to the situation. Having said that, loved the food. I hope they have their heater fixed by now!

DO NO CATER FROM THIS. Owner is the most rude person I have seen in a while. I ordered catering for my daughter's 3rd birthday assuring that food will be mild spice, but the restaurant sent super spicy food. This ruined the party! When I called immediately he agreed to compensate but when I came to his restaurant he said that was "false assurance". He said I could have ordered pizza from some other place than ordering Indian food from his restaurant. He did not even apologize once. DO NO CATER FROM THIS.

I recently ordered and was disappointed. The biryani was heavily colored with artificial food coloring and tasted reheated rather than fresh. Despite prompt delivery and courteous service, the declining quality and lack of freshness in the food are concerning. Improvements are needed before I consider ordering again.

Had my lunch today here. One of my worst restaurant experience. Food was very bad. Customer service was poor. Most of the buffet items were empty and it was very slow to be refilled. They serve the naan at table. It took awhile to bring naan, that was only 4 pieces for a 5 member table. When asked for more naan, they were very hesitating to serve more. Extra cutleries were very difficult to come by.