Woodlands, Chandler, AZ

I was stuck in a remote town in the desert of Arizona and desperate for some real food so we found this Indian restaurant listed about 40 minutes away and began the trek. Woodlands is a vegetarian South Indian restaurant located in Chandler, Arizona about 20 minutes south of Phoenix.

When we arrived, we immediately realized it wasn't all I thought it would be. Located in a strip mall, it was a tiny little take-out joint with inside seating for about 20. We took a look at the menu and were pleased to see items that were marked "vegan" so we ordered and took a seat at a booth. The restaurant had a plain interior with cheap tables and black chairs. Towards the back, there was a toppings bar with lots of options. We chose the hot peppers to add to everything we had ordered and waited for our food.

We started with the Iddly steamed rice and lentil cakes. These plain, mostly flavorless cakes were served with a somewhat-runny sauce that left much to be desired. That's not to mention that everything was served on styrofoam plates, which I only tend to see in cities in the middle of nowhereland. So weird.

For our entrees, we ordered two curries. I had the Vegetable Curry that had green beans and cauliflower in a coconut-tomato-based curry. My friend ordered the Dhall Curry, which had lentils with mustard, cumin, and spices. Neither of them were anything special.  And we also asked for super spicy, but they weren't spicy at all.

We also ordered the Parotta Kurma, which turned out to be really odd. They took the bread and sliced it up into pieces, then put a red curry on it. The bread was chewy and slightly spicy, but just odd.

All in all, it wasn't worth the drive out. The guy at the counter wasn't very helpful or personable. The meal was mediocre at best. And the entrees at $8.50 each really could be priced less for what we received. Oh, and the styrofoam and paper plates for those dining in the dining room were pretty tacky.

Woodlands
4980 W. Ray Road
Chandler, AZ 85226
(480) 820-2249