Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Long established Indian vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles. Casual and colorful setting decorated with Indian tapestry, lamps, and photos of Indian spiritual teachers. Menu features South Indian cuisine including masala dosa, thali, samosas, and more. Dimly lit interior. Parking on street. Confirmed closed, Mar 2019.
14 Reviews
First Review by Cat-astic
arbacadarba
Points +94
Pretty good South Indian - Edit
Really cool interior with lots of decorations and big booths at this place with average tasty south Indian food. Waiter was friendly and attentive and immediately asked about veganism etc. There's a large outdoor patio area and it's open late. We had various thali/plates which provided a nice sampling.
Read morePros: Attentive to vegan options, Nice plates with variety, Cool interior
Cons: Average food, not outstanding
Guest
ArtVB
Points +332
Delicious Indian food - Edit
A hidden gem. I love Indian food and vegan food, this place blends them together. I like the concept. Outside, it looks like a junkie cave or a shady after hours, but inside it's nice and food is very good. Not the best Indian food I have ever tried, but good for a Friday night in LA.
Read moreGuest
Manish21
Points +33
pretty good - Edit
I'm of Indian descent so I know a thing or 2 about Indian food. This place is good but not great. The food could use a little more spice. Either way it is veggie friendly and it's a cool spot to eat.
Read morePros: good service, not to pricey
Cons: not flavorful enough
Guest
PURITZ
Points +52
delicious indian food - Edit
very authentic, good decor and good food!!!
Read moreGuest
Chia
Points +3635
Can't judge a restaurant by its exterior - Edit
I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my Paru's Vegetarian Indian Restaurant review.
Read moreFrom the outside, Paru's looks like a strange low-key place protected behind metal gates, and I had to ring a bell to be let in.
But once inside, I was happy to find many tables filled with diners who seemed to be enjoying their food. The lighting is dim and the inside is decorated with lots of colorful Indian cloths and photographs of Indian spiritual teachers.
The food was delicious and flavorful. Try the samosas, masala dosa, and one of the entree combo plates. Yummy chapati, too.
Pros: authentic flavors, good menu selections, vegan-friendly
Cons: parking on street
Guest
Sera83
Points +54
Chickpeas rule - Edit
this place has great veggie indian food oh yeah ;)
Read moreStuffed Paratha , with the Chickpeas curry, Raitha, Chutney and samosas oh man! i wannas go there now! let go!
Pros: delicious food!, great atmosphere, yum
Cons: it can be difficult to have large groups
Guest
Colinski
Points +109
Great atmosphere, great staff, great food - Edit
I brought my mom here after a movie at the Arclight after hearing about this place for a long time. I think I've been recommended this place by more omnivores than veg*ns and yet knew they catered to vegans so I was intrigued. Everything I was told was true. It really is like you walk into another world when you enter off a fairly seedy part of Sunset into an Indian paradise.
Read moreIt was a fairly cold night but the inside dining required a wait so we opted for the "patio" dining (completely enclosed, but open air). Unfortunately, it proved colder than we thought, and when staff noticed us shivering they brought out a couple old space heaters to make us comfortable.
At first we felt ignored by the staff, but I think they were just very busy. Once we got served the person who took our orders was very helpful and knowledgeable about what was vegan (the majority of the menu, actually). He recommended two dinners to give us a broad overview of their cuisine; the Tanjore Double, and I forget which the other one was. In any case, it was all fantastic! The only thing that wasn't vegan was the raitha, which was kept separate and my mom was happy to eat.
Throughout the rest of the time, our waiter (who I suspect is the owner or part of the family which owns it) kept checking on us about the temperature and the food, but not in an annoying way or anything. All in all, we were extremely satisfied with the food and will definitely do it again.
Pros: Friendly staff, Great atmosphere, Delicious!
Cons: Bad neighborhood, Can be crowded
Guest
procrastinasian
Points +269
Knowledgeable staff, delicious food, funky decor - Edit
I went to Paru's with an omni friend. She and I ordered the same thing (the Indian Thali Dinner, I think), and the waiter helped me sub out the non-vegan items for vegan alternatives. He was very knowledgeable about which dishes contained ghee or yogurt and was friendly and helpful. We went on a cold night so we ate inside, but I imagine that sitting on the patio during the day or on a warm night would be really nice. My dinner was very good, and I'll definitely be going back.
Read morePros: Tasty authentic food, friendly and knowledgeable staff, interesting decor
Cons: Would like more vegan choices
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2359
I'm a little bummed out, I think most will enjoy - Edit
You have to ask for the vegan items. The menu is old school and at first you'll think "can I even eat here?" but if you get a waiter that is hip to veganism they'll customize any items, but basically they do two vegan entrees, a Crepe based on or a Naan based one. It's great if you're there with another vegan because you can both get one and spit or trade plates if you find you like one over the other. The place is really cute inside (after you buzz your way through the white gate and walk through the garden, pull open the shed door and you're in)
Read morePros: fun
Cons: no vegan labels, oily, bland
Guest
lasquizee
Points +36
Diamond in the Rough - Edit
Absolutely the most wonderful food and experience I've ever had in an Indian Restaurant. The chef was accommodating to my Vegan diet and the food was wonderful! The decor was beautiful and completely authentic . . . even the music! The service was excellent, the seating intimate and comfortable with indoor and outdoor options, and the ambiance unforgettable. Can I say again how wonderful the food was? And the servings are more than generous! I call it a diamond in the rough because from the outside it looks not so inviting, but once you're buzzed in you enter a beautiful scenery and you feel like VIP from the moment you step in and the door closes behind you . . . :)
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Great Ambiance, Open Late
Guest
alyssa
Points +111
Yummy Indian Comfort Food - Edit
I'm glad I read about this charming little restuarant before I went because the outside is definitely deceiving and I might have been scared off. Once we were buzzed in we decided to sit at an inside booth. Neither of us had ever eated Southen Indian Food before and were a little overwhelmed by the menu. The owners were very nice guided us into ordering the Tanjore Double and the Punjab Glory dinners so we could try a little bit of everything. They assured us that eveything would be vegan and even brought us the vegan version of their spicy cardamom tea. Delicious! When our entres arrived we dove in with wild abandon, which was made easier by the fact that Southen Indian cooking is mildly spiced. We still don't know what some of the dishes were, but we both loved the lightly crisp potato dosa, the succulent uppuma and the savory eggplant curry. We put their amazing sambar on almost everything. I can see why some folks eat it with a spoon! We'll definitely be back and bring our friends. No one will miss the meat! :)
Read morePros: tasty food, nice ambience, friendly service
Cons: neighborhood
Guest
ewinslow
Points +21
Great meal, great place, great people. - Edit
The food is great, the staff very friendly, prices reasonable, portions just right. The dosa I had was the best I've had anywhere. When you enter this place on this not so nice section of Sunset Blvd. you feel like you've entered an oasis. Highly recommended. Don't let the exterior put you off.
Read morePros: wonderful food, friendly staff, atmosphere
Cons: surrounding area
Guest
VeggiePinkoKat
Points +142
best south indian food I've tasted - Edit
I prefer North Indian food, but if I'm eating Southern, I choose Paru's. My Mum and I got the veggie thalis for lunch and this was her first time eating Indian, she LOVED it. I generally avoid too much fried foods, so just know there are some real hearty and not necessarily healthy dishes here. In any event, the food tasted fresh, the staff is way sweet and Don't worry--yes, the outside is hideous, but the patio inside is lovely and relaxing, definitely don't judge this book by its cover.
Read morePros: hearty food, good value, kind staff
Cons: no parking, ugly exterior
Guest
Cat-astic
Points +21
Attentive Service, but Pricey Mediocre Food - Edit
First off - the entrance is kind of a turn off (which restaurant has to buzz you before you can even get in?). Once inside, the ambience is nice, homey, clean. Service was very nice, they are accommodating (the waiter was nice enough to replace my deep-fried poori bread with healthier whole-wheat grilled chapattis) and someone was always around to fill my glass of water. Food-wise,however, I was not impressed. You really have to spend at least $12.00 on a thali meal to be full, and when I got my dosa (rice crepe with stuff inside) the veggie curry filling was very dry (it literally was falling out of the crepe in clumps) and sour tasting. On top of that, the dosa wasn't even warm and cracked apart as soon as I sunk my fork into it. Chickpeas were delicious but I only got a small 1/4 cup serving. =( Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing? I normally love Indian, esp South Indian restaurants, and I really want to like this one because it's vegetarian but unfortunately this experience made me want to just go back to my regular omni Indian places and request vegetarian dishes.
Read morePros: Good service, Veggie media on walls
Cons: blah food, blah food, in the end it's about the food, right?
Guest
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