Southern Comfort: Dosa Corner

Dosa Corner adds tasty South Indian dishes to Columbus' culinary scene

I've found from my time here that the Indian restaurant quotient of the Columbus area is fairly similar to the San Francisco Bay Area. Many are familiar with the styles of dishes more typical of the northern regions, and believe me, my spouse and I do love ourselves a spicy meat-based curry along with a freshly baked naan bread from the tandoor more often than not.

However, that's probably the extent of what many people think of as Indian cuisine, and I have personally tried to learn more of what dishes and their respective taste profiles are related to other regions of India as best as I can. That's perhaps what makes Indian restaurants like Northwest Columbus' Dosa Corner a nice breath of fresh air to me. Similar to Dosa and Udupi Palace in San Francisco, Dosa Corner brings the tasty dishes more typical of Southern India to the forefront. The fact that they do this in an budget-friendly manner is like bonus money found in your pants pocket.

Inexpensive has been and still remains a part of the Dosa Corner's winning combination, but our latest visit there revealed the nice surprise of what seems to be a continual upgrade in appearance and service. While the exterior and interior of this restaurant (which has reached its 10th year anniversary last October) would be considered far more functional than fancy, the sprucing of the space is quite evident. The building exterior looks just slightly more inviting, and the interior adds an Indian touch via artwork, various photos of Dosa Corner's offerings, and other related media scattered along the walls.

In addition, the fast-food style paper plates and plastic utensils familiar to those who decided to dine in have now been replaced by standard flat- and service-ware; some dishes were even brought to us on metal serving trays similar to other Indian restaurants we have visited in the area.  Personally, my spouse and I did not mind this lower-end aspect at all on our previous visits; regardless, this change was well-received by our group and I imagine any other longer-term frequenter of this eatery.

The menu and the interior are fairly simply laid out at Dosa Corner

Dosa Corner is truly one of those places where we have never felt limited by the fact that they do not serve meat dishes; in fact, that factoid rarely enters the conversation at all. Simply, pretty much everything we have had from this eatery has been uniquely flavorful, from the appetizers (the Samosas and Mirchi Bajji (green peppers stuffed with special masala and fried in chickpea batter) being two of our personal favorites) to their dosas (crepes) and utthapams (pancakes) and onward.

Clockwise from Top Left: Onion Pakora, Puliyogre, Onion & Hot Chili
Masala Dosa, and the Spicy Spinach Uthappam

On this visit, we were entertaining a friend from out of town, so we were able to pull a few more items off the menu than usual for sampling. We enthusiastically gobbled orders of our standby Samosas ($3.59) and Onion Pakora fritters ($3.99) while awaiting our mains. With our friend, who is somewhat unfamiliar with Indian cuisine and generally not a fan of hotter/spicier foods, somewhat unsure of what she would enjoy, my spouse suggested the Puliyogre ($6.95) as something she would enjoy. Indeed, this blend of tangy tamarind rice with herbs and nuts brought a satisfied smile to our friend's face as she finished her bowl.

My spouse and I both went for something with a tiny bit more kick, and my Onion & Hot Chili Masala Dosa with herbed potato and my spouse's Spicy Spinach Uthappam, topped with fresh spinach, onions, chili and spices (both dishes $6.99 each) were both prepared well and quite flavorful.

As we were relaxing with full bellies at the end of the meal, we realized upon looking at the cabinet (filled with Indian sweets such as Mysore Pak, Kesari Bath and Pongal) beside us that one of these days, we'll have to save room for dessert. A friend's Indian baby shower we had attended had brought an absolutely delicious Carrot Halwa onto my own personal dining radar, and this was a delicacy I have been kind of craving ever since.

And how convenient that Dosa Corner has this sweet treat on their menu. Not that I really needed an excuse to return, but how can I not go back for another visit now?

Dosa Corner
1077 Old Henderson Road (Northwest)
Columbus, OH  43220
(614) 459-5515
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