The South Indian Restaurant Waltham Locals Have Been Waiting For

For years, if you wanted real South Indian food in Waltham, you drove to Cambridge or Framingham. Not anymore. Peppino's Dosa brought a full South Indian kitchen to Moody Street — fermented dosa batter, sambar simmered from raw dal and tamarind, coconut chutney ground fresh every morning.

What defines a South Indian restaurant

A South Indian restaurant is not a North Indian menu with a dosa tacked on. It's a different tradition — rice and lentils instead of wheat, coconut and curry leaves instead of cream and garam masala, tangy tamarind instead of tomato. It requires its own pantry, its own equipment (a proper cast-iron dosa tawa, an idli steamer), and its own rhythm.

The South Indian menu at Peppino's

• Dosas — masala, paper, ghee roast, Mysore masala, onion rava, and our Peppino's Special.
• Uttapam — the thicker, savory pancake with onion, tomato, and chili.
• Idli & Vada — steamed rice cakes and crisp lentil donuts, served with sambar and chutney.
• South Indian Thali — the full spread: rice, sambar, rasam, vegetable curries, papad, and dessert.
• Filter Coffee — poured from a proper stainless tumbler-dabara set.

Vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free

Nearly the entire South Indian menu is vegetarian, most of it is vegan, and every dosa is naturally gluten-free. We run a completely separate vegetarian kitchen from our non-vegetarian line, so nothing crosses over. See our vegan guide or gluten-free guide for details.

How to visit

We're at 434 Moody Street in the heart of Waltham's restaurant row, a two-minute walk from the commuter rail. Try the Tuesday–Friday Lunch Buffet for a full South Indian tasting at one price, or come Tuesday evenings for Dosa Night.