Situated at the northern end of the Ave and semidisguised as a convenience store, Chili’s Deli & Mart is one of the few places in Seattle to get southern Indian cuisine—crepelike dosas and doughnutty vada, all served up in a clean, simple dining area reminiscent of a factory break room. If you’ve never tried southern Indian food, you must, and you should probably start with the masala dosa, a friendly blend of north and south that’s essentially the Big Mac of southern India. (Chili’s Deli & Mart, 5002 University Way NE, 526-9392. 10 am–9:30 pm.)
David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest... More by David Schmader
I called over there yesterday to see what time they served food until. I got an incomprehensible answer and hung up on.
This is a good idea — dosas are wonderful — but they’re not THAT hard to find. Right at the opposite end of the Ave. you can find them at Malabar South Indian Cuisine. Best, though, is Mayuri way up in north Bothell. Long ways to go, but worth it.
@1: This place isn’t really a restaurant and they’re probably not used to calls. Half of the store is indeed a mart.
For more reviews, check out the Yelp comments. (The “reviews” on the Stranger site consist of one review.)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chilis-deli-and-…
(Ok, it *is* a restaurant, but not in the vein of Malabar or Shalimar.)
Fair point stinkbug. It was a 30 second question, but you don’t call a deli for much. I used to call my deli in NYC, and they would deliver vodka, ice and olives, but that’s another matter.
Maybe he was expecting someone else on the line. All I wanted to know was whether there was food to drive over for or whether I should just go to Cafe Yamarka instead for borscht. I did the latter.