South Bay: Bezawada
Last month, my elementary school friend AT and I met up after work for dinner to celebrate her finally giving two weeks notice at her job, something that was much overdue. She gave me a list of restaurants to choose from. My first choice turned out to be closed on Mondays, but that was a blessing in disguise since it meant we ended up at Bezawada instead:
Totally unassuming. I wouldn't have known there was a restaurant in that tiny row of businesses if I hadn't been looking for Bezwada specifically. The small parking lot was deserted and the restaurant empty when I got there:
While waiting for AT, I amused myself by watching the (very confusing when muted) Bollywood movie showing on the giant screens. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was going on. He was courting her in a weird, stalkerish-yet-endearing way? Then they got together? But wait, she turns out to be evil? What the heck?!
By the time AT arrived, I was invested. Beyond confused, but invested. I actually kept one eye on the movie while we ate and chatted.
What? I can multitask.
Bezawada is known for its thali, which is essentially a bunch of dishes served on a platter. AT ordered the vegetarian bhojanam ($13.99). I, predictably enough, went with the non-vegetarian ($15.99):
Here's a close up of the good stuff:
There was a dry chili chicken, some kind of chicken curry, and two veggie dishes. Both of the chicken dishes were SPICY. Thank goodness I had two mounds of rice and a dish of yogurt to help dull the pain. The omelet and papadum also helped. (The hidden egg under the papadum was appreciated, but it didn't do much to help with the fire in my mouth.)
I may have killed most of the chapati in hopes of alleviating my pain:
(It came on a separate plate because it wasn't ready until a bit later.)
What did NOT help were the sambar and rasam that came with our meal:
I have no idea which is which. All I know is that they're some kind of soup...and they're FIRE. Or by then the fire was in my mouth and everything tasted spicy.
Our meals came with a complimentary cup of either chai or buttermilk. I went with the buttermilk because I'd never tried it before:
It was...interesting. Simultaneously refreshing and a bit...off. I'm pretty sure I'm not a fan. I think. Maybe it's something that grows on you? I don't know. I'm still a bit bewildered by it.
A man I assumed to be the owner came by our table to check in on us. When he saw that I was struggling with the heat, I offered me a cup of chai:
I can't say it did much for the spiciness, but it was definitely a good cup of chai.
I know nothing about Andhra cuisine, but most people on Yelp seem to say that Bezawada is the real deal. I can attest to the spiciness though. That's no joke. It was delicious, don't get me wrong. There was pain, but a delicious, delicious pain.
The bhojanam was actually unlimited (only at dinner and all day on weekends), however, there was so much food that I couldn't even think about getting a refill. I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I know better now. Next time, I'll be ready.
Bezawada was great. I would definitely go back again, despite the pain. You get so much food for the cost and the service is really attentive.
A+, Bezawada. A+.
Bezawada
127 Dixon Rd
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 833-6333
https://www.bezawada.us/
Totally unassuming. I wouldn't have known there was a restaurant in that tiny row of businesses if I hadn't been looking for Bezwada specifically. The small parking lot was deserted and the restaurant empty when I got there:
While waiting for AT, I amused myself by watching the (very confusing when muted) Bollywood movie showing on the giant screens. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was going on. He was courting her in a weird, stalkerish-yet-endearing way? Then they got together? But wait, she turns out to be evil? What the heck?!
By the time AT arrived, I was invested. Beyond confused, but invested. I actually kept one eye on the movie while we ate and chatted.
What? I can multitask.
Bezawada is known for its thali, which is essentially a bunch of dishes served on a platter. AT ordered the vegetarian bhojanam ($13.99). I, predictably enough, went with the non-vegetarian ($15.99):
Here's a close up of the good stuff:
There was a dry chili chicken, some kind of chicken curry, and two veggie dishes. Both of the chicken dishes were SPICY. Thank goodness I had two mounds of rice and a dish of yogurt to help dull the pain. The omelet and papadum also helped. (The hidden egg under the papadum was appreciated, but it didn't do much to help with the fire in my mouth.)
I may have killed most of the chapati in hopes of alleviating my pain:
(It came on a separate plate because it wasn't ready until a bit later.)
What did NOT help were the sambar and rasam that came with our meal:
I have no idea which is which. All I know is that they're some kind of soup...and they're FIRE. Or by then the fire was in my mouth and everything tasted spicy.
Our meals came with a complimentary cup of either chai or buttermilk. I went with the buttermilk because I'd never tried it before:
It was...interesting. Simultaneously refreshing and a bit...off. I'm pretty sure I'm not a fan. I think. Maybe it's something that grows on you? I don't know. I'm still a bit bewildered by it.
A man I assumed to be the owner came by our table to check in on us. When he saw that I was struggling with the heat, I offered me a cup of chai:
I can't say it did much for the spiciness, but it was definitely a good cup of chai.
I know nothing about Andhra cuisine, but most people on Yelp seem to say that Bezawada is the real deal. I can attest to the spiciness though. That's no joke. It was delicious, don't get me wrong. There was pain, but a delicious, delicious pain.
The bhojanam was actually unlimited (only at dinner and all day on weekends), however, there was so much food that I couldn't even think about getting a refill. I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I know better now. Next time, I'll be ready.
Bezawada was great. I would definitely go back again, despite the pain. You get so much food for the cost and the service is really attentive.
A+, Bezawada. A+.
Bezawada
127 Dixon Rd
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 833-6333
https://www.bezawada.us/
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