In search of outdoor dining on or off pioneer blvd. in artesia

does anyone know if any of the better indian restaurants have any semblance of outdoor dining? one of the upsides of my mother-in-law having moved to seal beach is that artesia is now much closer. i haven’t been back since we left l.a in 2003. i had been hoping to hit up a couple of places with the fully vaxxed family but with the omicron situation we are going to prioritize outdoor dining as much as possible.

Rajdhani has a large outdoor seating area. It does not offer reservations, though.

Outside Artesia, Badmaash on Fairfax has good outdoor seating and accepts reservations.

1 Like

It was a few months ago but Ashoka and Surati Farsan both had outdoor seating when we were in the area. Those were the 2 places we picked up food from. It felt like most of the places on Artesia had some type of outdoor seating situation.

1 Like

warrior: I agree with the rajdhani recommendation. it may be the best restaurant in artesia, and it has a big second floor patio.

1 Like

i have to confess i’m not the biggest fan of gujju thalis even when in bombay. but our kids will find nothing to eat there anyway so it’s moot. will definitely check out surati farsan mart–it’s been so long!

@MyAnnoyingOpinions, long-time jealous lurker here who’s happy to make a contribution. Yay, always wishing I can eat & drive to all the awesome places north of us. I did a drive-by since I’m nearby (apologies for the fuzzy pix) SFM (pix w/all the lights) and Ashoka look to have sidewalk dining (sorry, my darn camera wasn’t focusing at Ashoka so no pix). Oops, I’m limited to 5 pix.

If you don’t already know, pls be careful to reduce your speed to 15 mph from 183rd to South Street; the 2-lane Pioneer from 183rd also merges into 1 lane after the light. I don’t think Artesia has asked biz to remove sidewalk dining areas. As a matter of fact, the city widened the sidewalks & added a median area for dining/functions/gatherings years before the pandemic but only the sidewalks are used for dining.

I agree w/the Ashoka, SFM (they have the best pani puri crispy balls & India House for the buffet. While you’re in the area, drive around so hopefully you can make mental notes of restos you might want to try during future visits since you’re now coming from Seal Beach. I took pix of other places along South Street so let me know if you’re interested in other restos other than Indian. Artesia Blvd/183rd Street/South Street are EW;Norwalk/Pioneer/Gridley (Mall) are NS.

Enjoy your visit and hope you find nice meals in our neck of the woods. Can’t wait to read about your experiences. Happy Holidays and safe trip back home w/the fam.Processing: 214587C0-070D-439A-B077-891A897AF1F4.jpeg…
Uploading: B7ED5305-B15E-4D37-AA94-2995672F9BD7.jpeg…
Uploading: 0CE9546C-62EB-4E50-9CAC-0F457F906431.jpeg…
Uploading: 19CF701B-C10F-4E15-B476-DFB5D9CADE41.jpeg…
Uploading: 026AABA2-E8F4-4493-8324-6133F2A4F026.jpeg…

9 Likes

thanks so much!

first and second course at surati farsan mart.

third and fourth course at chennai dosa corner.


can confirm that many–though not all–of the indian places of and off pioneer blvd. have outdoor seating, a lot of it covered. a good thing too as indoor mask usage seems spotty (and not at all enforced)–it was fine at surati farsan mart but in the crowded chennai dosa the guy taking orders/manning the front didn’t have a mask on and many customers had theirs off their noses while waiting for tables etc. i was very happy to be outside.

5 Likes

@MyAnnoyingOpinions I’m not an expert on Indian food and always willing to try different dishes. How did you like the pani puri @ SFM? Have you had better ones around this area that I could try? What are those dishes you had @ CDC cause I usually only get a variety of their dosas.

Shame Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se (I was usually the only customer the last few times I went), Tara’s Himalayan (Nepali Special Thali & momo) & Yellow Chilli in Buena Park (I liked their buffet) all closed. PS, this gentleman wore his mask properly​:+1:t4::clap:t4:. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all.:christmas_tree::santa:t3:

4 Likes

this was my first indian meal in the l.a area in a long time–it’s not a priority usually on our regular trips back here. that said, i liked surati farsan mart’s paani puri as i always have. it skews to the sweet end of the paani puri spectrum, which is not a surprise as surati food is sweet even by the standards of sweet-toothed gujarat. the so-called “delhi chaat” is also on the sweet side and is best kicked up with additional tamarind and mint chutney–both of which you can ask for.

at chennai dosa i had the idlis and a plain rava dosa. (i was dining sans the family today as they chose in-n-out instead.) i am sorry to say that both were just about acceptable–the idlis a little better than the dosa. i did like the tomato-onion chutney both were served with a lot though. the sambar was acceptable. the coconut chutney was on the sad side: if it had been ground in the restaurant kitchen it didn’t happen this morning.

maybe on my next trip i’ll give podi dosa down the road a try.

@MyAnnoyingOpinions thanks for all the info. I :purple_heart: mint & green chutneys, I usually pass on the tamarind cause too sweet. Haven’t tried Podi Dosa since son’s Indian friend didn’t give it high marks but I should try for myself. Udupi Palace is what my former office mate recommended for dosas but haven’t been in years cause there are just too many places to try & the fam usually prefers Ashoka or India House in Buena Park (Kamal, the young owner is awesome). Haven’t had much luck getting khandvi @ SFM cause they haven’t had it lately; used to get from now closed Standard Sweets & Snacks. Side note, kids travelled to England this past summer and liked their meals @ Dishoom in King’s Cross (you went to the London location in 2016). Uncle in London recommended resto a few years ago but son didn’t have enough time then so this time they made better plans.

2 Likes

For dosas I actually prefer Amabala a few doors down. I went in the fall and they had a large outdoor area…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTYJidqPG-0/?utm_medium=copy_link

yes, they have a large tented area. as does flavors of india in the same strip. no takers for either in the rain yesterday.

ambala sweets’ dosas must have improved a lot since i last ate one there.

I wouldn’t recommend it - they aren’t any better than Chennai Dosa.

1 Like

a fuller look at my stop at surati farsan mart on the blog today. chennai dosa corner coming tomorrow.

1 Like

und so.

.

I really enjoyed the uttapam at Udupi Palace.