TLDR: This place is amazing. Food is absolutely scrumptious. Vivek hooked us up for our first time eating South Indian cuisine. I told the cashier we've never been here before, but wanted to try something new and asked for his recommendations. He was super friendly and helpful and told us to get three different things to split amongst us. We also got a mango lassi and it was so refreshing a perfectly cold and sweet mango yogurt drink. The first dish that came to us was the Andhra Spicy Masala Dosa since we told him that we love spicy food. We were shocked when we first saw the enormous portion being served. We were eating it wrong initially by tearing from the edges, missing out on the potato and pea filling inside, but he came to check on us and guided us in how to pinch off the dosa, by splitting it down the middle first. My friend and I both blushed having an inkling we were eating wrong. However, we were both absolutely delighted with the texture and the drippings were delicious. I loved the spicy chutney. I had to tell my friend it's traditional to eat with your hands and use the dosa as a utensil and he was skeptical at first, but conceded and tried to dip with the dosa, but he and I were unfamiliar to this practice and I was fumbling terribly making a mess. It was difficult having a crispy dosa turn soggy as soon as you dip into the warm spicy liquid trying to pick up the diced carrots inside. I made sure to keep cleaning up after myself, grabbing napkins to wipe up, not wanting the staff to have to deal with my mess. The next dish that came to the table was the poori. I liked that they had their menu and its history playing a slideshow on their TV. I also appreciated that they served the dishes as soon as they were ready unlike some restaurants that make all food go out all at the same time. So some dishes are already cold compared to others. I'll be honest, I felt relieved seeing the video of a man using his hand to hold poori and grab the chickpeas, it was a reaffirming comfort. It was a beautiful cloud of sweet dough and deflated as soon as we pinched off a bite. The chickpeas complimented the poori really well. My friend had given up on just using his hands and needed a spoon to get more of the liquid from the chickpeas with his bites of poori. I really loved the yogurt dipping as it was so refreshing and cool with carrot shavings inside. The last dish to come out was the Gobi Manchurian which our cashier recommended. It was fascinating that South Indians could imitate Chinese spices. My friend was amazed when I told him that it was cauliflower since he was convinced he was eating chicken because of the crispy dough on the outside. We both agreed it was the best Chinese spice we ever tasted. My friends said it was "like fancy Panda Express" which made me smirk. I grabbed us both forks because this dish was steaming hot. It also came with the yogurt dip, but it was so delicious by itself I didn't use the dipping though my friend needed it to cool the food since it was still piping hot. The cashier became our friend, Vivek, and checked on us again after having completed our meal. I said I'd love to try the Idli next time because I was curious since that's the restaurant's name sake. He asked if we were still hungry and my friend said he was okay since he had a burger for lunch, but I said I was a little. Vivek was so kind as to offer to give us a sample of the Idli for free since he said they sell so often they make a fresh batch every hour. My friend declined, but I said I'd take one if he was willing. My friend and I ended up splitting the complimentary Idli that Vivek gave us. It had another helping of the spicy chutney and this yogurt coconut milk dip. The Idli was somehow dense yet spongey in texture, but felt so light as it absorbed the liquid coconut milk yogurt dip. My friend enjoyed his half with the spicy chutney. I'm still grateful to have been treated so hospitably by Vivek. After the complimentary Idli, Vivek came around to every table with a tray filled with cute little treats and offered me and my friend one. I was absolutely delighted to taste this pastry since it smelled delicious. They were small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, but I enlarged them so you can see the texture. The flavor of these little bites was phenomenally sweet and buttery with a slight hint of coconut. I will definitely be going again to San Idli for more South Indian cuisine and try Thali next time.

I am in San Diego to visit my friend and he took me to this San Idli restaurant. Simply superb food! Ambiance is simple but food is very good and they served the awesome food fast. I had Rava Dosa which is very good with good sambar and coconut chutney. I went with my friends and whatever we ordered, everything tasted if you are visiting San Diego don't miss this restaurant.

If you are looking for a South Indian restaurant for authentic food, this is the place. Period.

Filter coffee: 5/5 if you are a fan of strong coffee, definitely try their filter coffee. Combo plate: good for sharing. We tried idli casa combo, breakfast combo (mini dosa, idli, vada, upma) and it was good for sharing. Masala dosa is pretty big, definitely enough for one person. We went there on a Fri morning and it was just 4 of us. They made everything fresh. Vada came out at the end but that's because it was made fresh and was delicious

San Idli is a game-changer for vegetarian food--it doesn't just compete with meat-serving restaurants; it surpasses them effortlessly. I visited SoCal in early June and was on the hunt for Desi food that felt familiar yet different (being Pakistani and all). San Idli delivered exactly that and more. The dosas were phenomenal--crispy, flavorful, and unforgettable. The sambar, idli, Manchurian, chole, gulab jamun, and mango lassi were equally outstanding, making it some of the best South Indian food I've ever had. The only dish I didn't enjoy was the Veg Uthappam, but that's just a personal preference (I've never liked it). The service was just as memorable. Vivek Bhai added a personal touch with his humor and playful jabs at my Hindi and Urdu (being an ABCD), making us feel right at home. With exceptional food and warm hospitality, San Idli deserves to be celebrated. Highly recommend!

Great spot for Indian food! I got the masala dosa and it really hit the spot. My bf got the thali and he really enjoyed it too. We both got their mango lassi and honestly I think it's the best mango lassi I've had in SD, and maybe even in all of California. It's just sooooo packed FULL of mango flavor but with a nice liquidy consistency. It's a must try!! Honestly I would come here just for that. The workers were also super nice because we brought our dog because they had outdoor seating, but it was already occupied so they brought out a table and chairs for us.

We went in for breakfast before going to downtown San Diego. The establishment was pretty clean and has decent amount of seating. The food was flying out of the kitchen at a normal pace but the servers were definitely overwhelmed juggling the register, to go orders, packing the catering order etc. Considering this restaurant opens pretty early and food tastes really good. What we ordered: poori sabzi (for the kids) Breakfast platter, poori Chole, and rava masala dosa.

We have been to San Diego so many times and never got a chance to try this place. Now, we are beating ourselves on missing out this gem. We were there for 4 days in San Diego and went twice to this restaurant. Once for lunch and the other day for breakfast. After many years in the US, so happy to see some authentic, clean, hygienic vegetarian/vegan food served in heart of San Diego. They have thali's and I highly recommend them. Their breakfast menu is lit, they serve everything from idli, dosa, vada, uttapam, upma, pongal and more. Do, not miss the filter coffee after. The lunch menu is good too with thali, sambhar rice, puri chole and more. Everything I tasted was fantastic, their service is top notch, you order at the counter and food is served at the table which is the best way. The pricing is reasonable in terms of California standards. Their filter coffee was perfect to end the meal and tasted delicious. Overall, really happy with the experience and the food. We only wish, we had this in the valley. We left content and gleeing at the same time.

Indian Food is a type of cuisine that I have yet to truly explore. I came across San Idli while looking for a spot for lunch around Miramar road. San Idli specializes in South Indian food. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between south and north but all I know is that this place is all vegetarian/vegan. I tried their Veg Thali. Which is only available for dine-in. My order came out within 10 minutes. What I liked about it was the assortment of different items. I was going into this blind so I don't remember which one I liked the most out of the selection. Again, I'm not so used to Indian flavors so it didn't wow me but food was still great. I would honestly share this with someone next time since it was too big for me. For less than $20, it's a deal. The restaurant itself was clean, service was quick, attentive, and friendly. There is also plenty of seating and parking spaces. I came on a weekday during lunch hours and it wasn't too crowded. I would love to come back here and try their other dishes.

My daughter recommended this establishment and now I know why. This is simple, wholesome, authentic, vegetarian, South Indian cuisine without thrills and frills. The service was friendly and was attentive when called upon. I came here for the Thali, which is an assortment of flavors and small dishes presented in tiffins in a circular manner. You can ask for refills on the small dishes but not the "breads" Delicious. So good. I loved the rasam (pepper water) and the dal and the tomato chutney. Lovely. The only question mark was that the business had a "B" grade on the window. There was no explanation and there didn't seem to be any concerns by all the patrons who were 95% Indian customers. Love it.