In Denver we have a huge selection of North Indian cuisine, but for years we have not had much selection for good south Indian cuisine. North Indian usually consists of the spicy curries that we are all familiar with and those lovely Tandoori items like Nan and Chicken Ticca, but South Indian cuisine usually consists of dosas, which are large rolls of rice flour and are stuffed with a variety of vegetables and/ or meats. Despite the fact that my family is from North India, we love South Indian food and we were ecstatic when we heard about Masalaa in 2000. Initially, the restaurant had great food, decent service, and a wonderful atmosphere. In later years as Massala's popularity grew the restaurant expanded and even won the ""Best Indian Restaurant in Denver"" from 5280 magazine in 2004. However, the quality of the establishment has deteriorated rapidly in the last few years. A few weeks ago my friends and I headed there for dinner and the place was pretty busy when we got there. Nevertheless, we were seated promptly and given menus. A busboy walked past and put down a jug of water, I guess you now have to fill your own water. :-( Another 15 minutes passed before we got a glimpse of server and we ordered. It took the server, 15 more minutes to get me a coke and our paneer pakoras took over 35 minutes, yes 35 minutes! Our main dishes took over an hour! When we asked our server about the food, he responded angrily that they are coming and would be here soon. After getting the paneer pakoras he threw the basket in the middle and walked away and the same was done with our plates. The food was good and had nice spice. The paneer pakoras were soft and fresh and had a nice spicy orange sauce on the inside. My plain dosa tasted excellent and went well with the Narial (Coconut Chutney). For desert we ordered gulab jamun, but they were horrible. The food at Masalaa is good, but the horrendous service ruins it.
Pros: good food, ambinance
Cons: horrible service, restaurant is small
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