Dubai Marina: Saarangaa Bhojan Shala – Cheap and tasty vegetarian food

Considering Meatless Mondays? In Dubai, the great selection of Indian vegetarian restaurants makes it really easy for those of us wanting to cut down on meat, and the other day, I found out that one of the best, Saarangaa Bhojan Shala, is just a few minutes’ walk from where I live. I have seen the restaurant pop up many times on GoogleMaps, but from the outside, it does not look of much, so it took a while, before I finally ventured inside.

The first thing I noticed was how clean it was. The staff were all wearing gloves and masks, and every other table was blocked so diners weren’t seated too close to each other. We also had our temperature checked and our hand sanitized before we were shown to our table. Not a requirement, but an appreciated gesture these days.

There are so many different dishes to choose among, so if you don’t know what you are after, it can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to ask the staff for advice, they are very helpful and managed to steer us away from the probably-too-spicy-for-you dishes.

The mango lassi (yogurt drink) I ordered was served with a small platter of fresh fruit, and tasted delicious.

I am usually not very fond of Indian-Chinese fusion food, but the Paneer Manchurian is outstanding. You can choose to have it with or without gravy (take the one with gravy), and spicy or non-spicy (I chose non-spicy). We also had thali (different kinds of small dishes and pickles) and a lunch set.

Some of you asked me on Instagram why there are so many Indian vegetarian restaurants in Dubai? The short answer is that there are so many expats from India in Dubai. Many people in India are vegetarians for religious reasons, so the refined array of amazingly delicious vegetarian food is an integrated part of Indian cuisine.

Update: I ordered home delivery from Saarangaa Bhojan Shala today, and it was just as good as what we had in the restaurant. I ordered directly from their website, and even though the user interface might not be the most visually pleasing, it worked fine, and the food arrived quickly.

Saarangaa Bhojan Shala, Marina Pearl Building GF, Dubai Marina