BY VEENA RAO

Suresh Sajja is a happy man. Within months of his moving into Atlanta and getting into the Indian restaurant scene, success has come to him on a platter. His restaurant, Sai Murali, at 3070 Windward Plaza in Alpharetta, which earlier housed Dosa Houze, has seen a 200% increase in customer volume within months of its opening.

The restaurant has also done some large scale catering including the Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta’s (TAMA) Sankranthi and Ugadi programs.

Sajja, who owns fast-food places like Quiznos, Subways and Dunkin’ Donuts in the Ohio/Detroit areas, attributes his success to quality food and quality service. 

Sajja is an innovator. His ‘lunch box’ idea has taken off within weeks of its introduction. Employees from the big corporations that dot the Windward Parkway exit and nearby areas have started to regularly take advantage of the ‘lunch boxes’, which are delivered to their offices. Priced at just $4.99, office-goers can choose from a vegetarian box or a non-vegetarian box. The box includes a curry, a dry item, pulao and naan.

Sai Murali also offers the happy hour Monday to Thursday. Between 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm on these days, any eight-ounce appetizer and any 12-ounce beer costs just $1.99! 

With 44 items on the weekend lunch buffet menu, this restaurant boasts a wider range than most Indian restaurants offer. On this particular Saturday, the buffet had appetizers that included medhu vada, masala dosa, puri bhaji, upma, dal, rasam and sambhar. The non-vegetarian section included eight delectable items including sheesh kababs, tandoori chicken, chicken 65, Andhra style chicken, butter chicken, goat biriyani, chicken dum biriyani and fish pulusu.

There were several vegetarian items including Andhra delights like tindora chutney, gutti vanakaya koora, pulusu and those that find favor with most customers like palak paneer and baingan bhartha.

The delectable array of desserts included custard, gulab jamun and fresh fruit.

Priced at $8.99 on weekdays and $9.99 on weekends, the lunch buffet, is a must try for finger licking good food, and the sheer variety!

The a la carte menu has a whole range of entrees including an Indo-Chinese section, a dosa and uttapam section, and a seafood entrée section besides the regular sections. Priced at an average of $12.95, dinner includes a naan and rice. The thali dinner includes one entrée, dal, sambhar, rasam, raitha, one naan, rice and dessert.

The chefs at Sai Murali are well-known names in the Atlanta Indian restaurant scene. Srinivas and his wife Padmavathi started the famed Sapna restaurant off Cobb Parkway in 2004. They were later owners of Priya restaurant off Jones Bridge Road in Alpharetta, which didn’t do so well because of the recession. The couple then worked briefly at Dosa Houze, until it was taken over by Suresh Sajja. With over 35 years of experience in the restaurant business, the duo is primarily responsible for the success of Sai Murali, as they share family recipes with happy patrons.

“We try to satisfy all customers. We offer a range of items to suit all palates,” says Srinivas. “During week days, 60% of our patrons are Americans. So some of the items are toned down to suit their tastes.”

The restaurant offers catering and has a small party room that can seat 30 people.

The restaurant has a traditional Indian décor with a large mural of the Taj Mahal covering one wall. A large screen TV plays Bollywood hits all day long. So, whether it is for the cozy, home-like atmosphere, or the standout food, a visit to Sai Murali is a must. It will not be long before you are a regular!