LTH Home

A2B – Expansive South Indian veg in Warrenville

A2B – Expansive South Indian veg in Warrenville
  • Forum HomePost Reply BackTop
  • A2B – Expansive South Indian veg in Warrenville

    Post #1 - October 28th, 2023, 5:10 am
    Post #1 - October 28th, 2023, 5:10 am Post #1 - October 28th, 2023, 5:10 am
    When starting a thread about my favorite west suburban spots, I ask myself does this restaurant offer destination-worthy chow, something unique from or superior to city options?

    It seems like Desi cuisine has begun to geographically migrate from Devon Ave. This works for me, as points north in the city are a real pain for me. More centralized offerings in the city seem to skew upscale or next generation/creative, which is all good. Plus Indian and Pakistani demographics seem to be heading to the burbs bringing lots of restaurants to the west and northwest

    A2B, the American outpost of a popular vegetarian restaurant from Chennai, in Warrenville, might not be particularly unique to Chicagoland with its sprawling South Indian menu. But they do offer a smattering of dishes I haven't seen on other menus, including Sri Lankan fare. And the quality of food here is spectacular, I crave it on the regular and find myself in there at least once a month. I have never been super familiar with these regional cuisines, but A2B is offering me a real education. 

    Image

    The first dish I tried there was love at first bite: parotta kurma. These rolled, laminated flatbreads shatter like the best croissant. And that kurma curry, rich with coconut and deeply spiced. It has been hard for me to stray from this dish, but with so many options, I've soldiered on.

    Image

    Kothu parotta, a popular Sri Lankan dish, is something I haven't seen on menus in Chicagoland and have always wanted to try. It's sort of like Desi chilaquiles – shredded day old roti (aka parotta) sauteed with onions and peppers. It was served with a cool tangy raita and a small dish of that kurma curry, again. 

    Image

    The "mini" tiffin seemed like a good way to sample a breadth of their offerings. Also, I will note that most of the South Asian clientele seem to order tiffin or thali sets. Dosa was the most familiar component here and it was good, crisp around the edges, unfilled, but served with mildly spiced potatoes on the side. I loved the idly, which I maybe have tried once before, airy and pillowy with a nice sour finish, excellent for scooping the piquant sambar. Also great was the Medhu Vada, the donut looking thing in the back, right, light on grease but packed with spices. The plentiful coconut chutney (front right) was fine as was the offering in the back right, which I believe was a mildly spiced Rava Kichudi, a sort of lentil-based porridge.

    Image

    On my last visit, I was ready for parotta again, but I was anxious to dip into the South Indian curry section of the menu. It's mushroom season, so I went for Koon curry, a Keralan style coconut curry. Order of parotta on the side. This was a slam dunk meal, the curry was one of the best I've had, absolutely popping with warm spices including star anise, incredibly rich too, I think fortified with cashew beyond the deep coconut base. That chili oil drizzled on top added a nice lip-tingling heat. I only wish that they'd used a more flavorful mushroom than buttons, some hen of the woods in there would have been oout of this world.

    Oh and they make some of the best Masala chai I've ever had. And I have yet to try, but their desserts seem cool, check out this Titus-approved, trippy Royal faloodeh

    So, yes, A2B is absolutely worth a stop if venturing this far out on 88. It's right off the highway too! It has vastly expanded my appreciation for South Indian food and has been a delightful gift to my rotation out here. 

    A2B Indian Veg Restaurant
    28244 Diehl Rd. Warrenville, IL 60555
    https://www.a2billinois.com/
  • Post #2 - October 28th, 2023, 10:52 am
    Post #2 - October 28th, 2023, 10:52 am Post #2 - October 28th, 2023, 10:52 am
    Jefe wrote:When starting a thread about my favorite west suburban spots, I ask myself does this restaurant offer destination-worthy chow, something unique from or superior to city options?

    It seems like Desi cuisine has begun to geographically migrate from Devon Ave. This works for me, as points north in the city are a real pain for me. More centralized offerings in the city seem to skew upscale or next generation/creative, which is all good. Plus Indian and Pakistani demographics seem to be heading to the burbs bringing lots of restaurants to the west and northwest

    A2B, the American outpost of a popular vegetarian restaurant from Chennai, in Warrenville, might not be particularly unique to Chicagoland with its sprawling South Indian menu. But they do offer a smattering of dishes I haven't seen on other menus, including Sri Lankan fare. And the quality of food here is spectacular, I crave it on the regular and find myself in there at least once a month. I have never been super familiar with these regional cuisines, but A2B is offering me a real education. 

    Image

    The first dish I tried there was love at first bite: parotta kurma. These rolled, laminated flatbreads shatter like the best croissant. And that kurma curry, rich with coconut and deeply spiced. It has been hard for me to stray from this dish, but with so many options, I've soldiered on.

    Image

    Kothu parotta, a popular Sri Lankan dish, is something I haven't seen on menus in Chicagoland and have always wanted to try. It's sort of like Desi chilaquiles – shredded day old roti (aka parotta) sauteed with onions and peppers. It was served with a cool tangy raita and a small dish of that kurma curry, again. 

    Image

    The "mini" tiffin seemed like a good way to sample a breadth of their offerings. Also, I will note that most of the South Asian clientele seem to order tiffin or thali sets. Dosa was the most familiar component here and it was good, crisp around the edges, unfilled, but served with mildly spiced potatoes on the side. I loved the idly, which I maybe have tried once before, airy and pillowy with a nice sour finish, excellent for scooping the piquant sambar. Also great was the Medhu Vada, the donut looking thing in the back, right, light on grease but packed with spices. The plentiful coconut chutney (front right) was fine as was the offering in the back right, which I believe was a mildly spiced Rava Kichudi, a sort of lentil-based porridge.

    Image

    On my last visit, I was ready for parotta again, but I was anxious to dip into the South Indian curry section of the menu. It's mushroom season, so I went for Koon curry, a Keralan style coconut curry. Order of parotta on the side. This was a slam dunk meal, the curry was one of the best I've had, absolutely popping with warm spices including star anise, incredibly rich too, I think fortified with cashew beyond the deep coconut base. That chili oil drizzled on top added a nice lip-tingling heat. I only wish that they'd used a more flavorful mushroom than buttons, some hen of the woods in there would have been oout of this world.

    Oh and they make some of the best Masala chai I've ever had. And I have yet to try, but their desserts seem cool, check out this Titus-approved, trippy Royal faloodeh

    So, yes, A2B is absolutely worth a stop if venturing this far out on 88. It's right off the highway too! It has vastly expanded my appreciation for South Indian food and has been a delightful gift to my rotation out here. 

    A2B Indian Veg Restaurant
    28244 Diehl Rd. Warrenville, IL 60555
    https://www.a2billinois.com/


    I seldom post, but I do read the site daily and living in Kendall county, you've become my northern star for places out west. 4 of us were at Nay last weekend and loved it, it was about a 45 minute drive, but worth it.

    Just know you're not posting into a black hole. I made a note to visit this place Wednesday as we try to eat out 3x weekly at new places.
  • Post #3 - October 28th, 2023, 11:17 am
    Post #3 - October 28th, 2023, 11:17 am Post #3 - October 28th, 2023, 11:17 am
    ords wrote:I seldom post, but I do read the site daily and living in Kendall county, you've become my northern star for places out west. 4 of us were at Nay last weekend and loved it, it was about a 45 minute drive, but worth it.

    Just know you're not posting into a black hole. I made a note to visit this place Wednesday as we try to eat out 3x weekly at new places.


    Awesome, love it! I really appreciate this.

    My Nay post is up next, I'm waiting to try the shish kabob, stay tuned!

    I hope you enjoy A2B as much as I do.
  • Post #4 - May 31st, 2024, 7:33 am
    Post #4 - May 31st, 2024, 7:33 am Post #4 - May 31st, 2024, 7:33 am
    Another slam dunk lunch here this week!

    Image

    I went for the Mysore Masala Dosai. The red tint is from a slathering of "spicy house chutney" which adds a layer of piquant flavor to the slightly sour dosai. There's about a cup of the typical spiced potato mix packaged toward the middle of the fold, but a high ratio of crisp edges for dipping. The bigger ramekin contains a richly spiced sambar with a subtle sweet/sour finish. There was a single chunk in the saucy broth which appeared to be okra but had an inedible string-y texture, so perhaps a spice I'm unfamiliar with.

    I'm a fool for condiments and that trio of dippers made this dish endlessly compelling. The white chutney studded with mustard seed (mild) I was familiar with from mini tiffin. But the other two! The ruddy one might have been the chutney smeared on the dosai with a moderate spice and deep chili flavors. The yellow one was the hottest of the bunch and had a richly caramelized onion base. If anyone can identify these chutneys, please let me know!

    The education continues...
  • Post #5 - May 31st, 2024, 12:53 pm
    Post #5 - May 31st, 2024, 12:53 pm Post #5 - May 31st, 2024, 12:53 pm
    Jefe wrote:I went for the Mysore Masala Dosai. The red tint is from a slathering of "spicy house chutney" which adds a layer of piquant flavor to the slightly sour dosai. There's about a cup of the typical spiced potato mix packaged toward the middle of the fold, but a high ratio of crisp edges for dipping.

    I like the looks of that dosa - the triangle shape makes sense. Reminds me of the best one I've ever had - the gunpowder dosa (rice & lentil crepe, potato masala, sambar) at Semma in NYC:

    Image
    This place looks great. Too bad Warrenville is so far. It's right on the way to Des Moines and the Quad Cities and not that far out of the way to Starved Rock, so it's doable at some point.
  • Post #6 - May 31st, 2024, 12:56 pm
    Post #6 - May 31st, 2024, 12:56 pm Post #6 - May 31st, 2024, 12:56 pm
    Jefe wrote:There was a single chunk in the saucy broth which appeared to be okra but had an inedible string-y texture, so perhaps a spice I'm unfamiliar with.

    Assuming the broth was sambar, the mystery chunk was drumstick. You don't eat the whole thing, just suck out the flesh and discard the fibrous stuff.
  • Post #7 - May 31st, 2024, 2:54 pm
    Post #7 - May 31st, 2024, 2:54 pm Post #7 - May 31st, 2024, 2:54 pm
    MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:I like the looks of that dosa - the triangle shape makes sense. Reminds me of the best one I've ever had - the gunpowder dosa (rice & lentil crepe, potato masala, sambar) at Semma in NYC:


    They have gunpowder dosa on the menu as well.

    cilantro wrote:Assuming the broth was sambar, the mystery chunk was drumstick. You don't eat the whole thing, just suck out the flesh and discard the fibrous stuff.


    Yup, that seems right. Thinking it was okra, I bit into it and released some of the interior, though now I wish I had worked on it more thoroughly. I noticed a "drumstick" dish elsewhere on the menu and wrongly assumed it was some sort of fake meat product.

    Any idea what the yellow and red-orange chutneys might be?
  • Post #8 - June 12th, 2024, 9:54 am
    Post #8 - June 12th, 2024, 9:54 am Post #8 - June 12th, 2024, 9:54 am
    I had a delicious lunch at A2B this week. Thank you for your descriptions of the Mysore Masala Dosai, Koon Curry and Parotta - all of those were hits!

    We did try two additional dishes not described above.

    Kuzhi Paniyaram - Seasoned and fried rice and lentil batter balls. These were perfectly crispy on the outside and light and fluffy inside. They were buttery and tasted rich and savory with nice pops of flavor from the spices in the batter. I think I have a new favorite appetizer (replacing Samosas). The condiments were the same as the red and white ones included with the Mysore Masala Dosai (described above). I will definitely eat this again!

    Image

    And a dessert - Brownie Kesari with Vanilla Ice-cream. This had the texture of a steamed pudding (very soft and moist, but almost a cake) and had more of a cocoa flavor then what I typically think of as an American chocolate dessert. It was well executed for sure, but not really to my taste. My companion ordered it - I probably wouldn't have picked this for myself because of my personal preferences.

    Image

    I happily had some of their Chai for dessert :)

    - zork
  • Post #9 - July 21st, 2024, 7:53 pm
    Post #9 - July 21st, 2024, 7:53 pm Post #9 - July 21st, 2024, 7:53 pm
    When I asked for help to find food near the Morton Arboretum, that thread got a burst of updates after having been dormant since 2007.

    But once Jefe pointed out it wasn't that much further west to A2B, the decision was made. I'm happy to say it lived up to the hype. This place is fantastic. Caveat: I was solo so I only tried two things, but given that there were well over 100 people there at about 1:45 in the afternoon (not to mention the praise here), I feel safe it giving the entire place a strong rec.

    I started with the parotta kurma Jefe raved about and I cosign everything he said. I got mine to go so the parotta wasn't very crispy (I started eating it less than 2 minutes after leaving the restaurant), but the flakiness and the deliciousness were both there in spades. Side note: I was told 1:54 pickup. I got there at 1:43. My food was already packed and sitting near the register so plan accordingly if you get carry out.

    Image
    The ennai kathirikai kuzhambu, a tamarind based eggplant curry, was also really great. Tangy and really well seasoned.

    I'd love to go back with some real ordering power. I'm not sure that's realistic for me given how far it was, but anyone who lives within 15 minutes or so ought to consider having A2B in their regular rotation.
    Last edited by MarlaCollins'Husband on July 25th, 2024, 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #10 - July 24th, 2024, 10:40 pm
    Post #10 - July 24th, 2024, 10:40 pm Post #10 - July 24th, 2024, 10:40 pm
    Jefe,

    I know you love this place. You are digging into the menu.

    If you posted a lunch or dinner (perhaps on a weekend), I know I would show up and probably others. :idea:

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #11 - July 30th, 2024, 12:53 pm
    Post #11 - July 30th, 2024, 12:53 pm Post #11 - July 30th, 2024, 12:53 pm
    I would love to participate in a lunch or dinner at A2B!

    - zorkmead
  • Post #12 - August 5th, 2024, 9:04 am
    Post #12 - August 5th, 2024, 9:04 am Post #12 - August 5th, 2024, 9:04 am
    I ate there last night. My husband is South Indian and I have been to India and the food is authentic indeed. My pic was of course masala dosa, and we also ordered Hakku noodles, parotta, and aloo muttar. The appetizer we chose was masala vada. Naperville (and this is very close to Naperville) seems like the new Devon although it is spread out. Its good for me because it is five minutes away from my house where going to Devon is quite a hike. Warrenville sounds far away but it is about as far as Naperville or Wheaton and is conveniently located near I-88.
    Toria

    "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
    W. Shakespeare
  • Post #13 - January 4th, 2025, 6:55 pm
    Post #13 - January 4th, 2025, 6:55 pm Post #13 - January 4th, 2025, 6:55 pm
    I lunched here on Friday and enjoyed another awesome meal.

    My favorite dish was the Small Onion Uthappam - this was a sort of flatbread / pancake topped with thin slices of onions and shallots. It came to the table hot and perfectly crispy / chewy. It was served with sambar and three chutneys. You can see the chutneys on the side in the picture. They ranged from mild (white) to spicy (red). This was very, very good!

    Image

    We also tried the Mushroom Chettinad (a type of mushroom curry), Aloo Kulcha (Punjabi bread stuffed with seasoned potato) and Vegetable Dum Biryani. The Biryani here is the best I've had (but my Indian friends tell me that it is good, but not great). The Aloo Klucha was a thin bread and the filling was rich and spicy. The mushroom curry probably would have been better with a thicker / plain bread - but we loved the Kulcha for what it was.

    This picture has the Aloo Kulcha and the Biryani on the side:

    Image

    This place does not disappoint! I'm already plotting for when I have a chance to go back.

    - zorkmead
  • Post #14 - January 4th, 2025, 8:48 pm
    Post #14 - January 4th, 2025, 8:48 pm Post #14 - January 4th, 2025, 8:48 pm
    zorkmead wrote:I lunched here on Friday and enjoyed another awesome meal.

    My favorite dish was the Small Onion Uthappam - this was a sort of flatbread / pancake topped with thin slices of onions and shallots. It came to the table hot and perfectly crispy / chewy. It was served with sambar and three chutneys. You can see the chutneys on the side in the picture. They ranged from mild (white) to spicy (red). This was very, very good!

    Image


    Yeah, the uthappam is the goods. The spiced-up masala version is my new go-to. In fact now I'm craving it and will need one in the next week or two.l
  • Post #15 - January 31st, 2025, 7:52 am
    Post #15 - January 31st, 2025, 7:52 am Post #15 - January 31st, 2025, 7:52 am
    MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:
    Jefe wrote:I went for the Mysore Masala Dosai. The red tint is from a slathering of "spicy house chutney" which adds a layer of piquant flavor to the slightly sour dosai. There's about a cup of the typical spiced potato mix packaged toward the middle of the fold, but a high ratio of crisp edges for dipping.

    I like the looks of that dosa - the triangle shape makes sense. Reminds me of the best one I've ever had - the gunpowder dosa (rice & lentil crepe, potato masala, sambar) at Semma in NYC:

    Image
    This place looks great. Too bad Warrenville is so far. It's right on the way to Des Moines and the Quad Cities and not that far out of the way to Starved Rock, so it's doable at some point.


    I finally tried the gunpowder dosai yesterday, on their menu 'Bodi dosai: Classic South Indian thin crepe made of rice & lentil topped with gun powder / milagaipodi" It was a long boy, probably 24", unfilled, though well slathered in red-tinged ghee and coarsely ground spice blend. Like many of the flatbread offerings, it was served with sambar and a trio of chutneys – definitely coconut, a spicier yellow number, and a purple variety. My dining partner wondered if it had ube or some sort of yam. My guess was red onion. Overall, a fun, spicy dish and great for sharing, though I missed the potato filling common to other dosa.

    We also ordered Curry leaf mushroom curry which had a thick, ghee-rich gravy, which judging by its green hue, had curry leaf ground into the sauce. Wonderfully aromatic, if not a bit heavy, better eaten with rice than the oily flatbreads we ordered.

Contact

About

Team

Advertize

Close

Chat

Articles

Guide

Events

more