Villa Shanti Villa Shanti - Heritage Hotel for Foodies

Villa

This is just an amazing restaurant. Very nicely laid out with ample space between tables. I really liked the open air space in the middle which has tables. The food is very good. The betel nut and fig salad is particularly good!

Average Food. Ambience is good. Staff is eager to please but fall short. Will I go back again? No. Value for Money? I don't think so. It is a good place to have a drink n hang out when you have nothing to do.

Nice restaurant that serves French and Indian food. The entrance is a bit off the main road but added to the adventure. Went there with my wife for a French dinner since we were in Pondicherry: Appetizers: Citrus Salad and chicken soup Mains: Chicken with cauliflowers and grilled barracuda Deserts: Orange&Almond cake Apple crumble All the food was great, in particular the chicken soup and the desserts were excellent. The restaurant has a nice ambience and the staff were attentive and polite. Pricing is pretty reasonable for this type of a restaurant approx. RS 500 per main dish (we had some wine which was pretty expensive though Rs 500 a glass)

Very nice place. It has the french architecture. The rooms are big and the room set up is very nice. The food at the restaurant is good. Their Sorbet is a must try. The property is located in the white town with walkable access to all the major places around. The rock beach is very close to the property. A very nice place to visit when you travel to Pondicherry.

Visited the restaurant on a sleepy afternoon. It is located on the back lane of the promenade towards the South. It is in the French quarters and quite distinct from other rooftop restaurants. We were the only ones in the restaurant. But a mid-week afternoon is hardly the time to catch the buzz in a leisure restaurant. Had a vegetarian meal and the portions were just right as it gave an opportunity to two people to order of their choice without food going waste.

Visited one afternoon for lunch and wine, we really liked the atmosphere. They have fans and place them near the tables so you can have a pleasant stay. The chicken & eggplant salad is very tasty, although I would like it to have more than just 4 — 5 pieces of meat and vegetables. The service is very professional and fast and the prices somewhat match the overall experience. Desserts are good too.

Beautiful, composed and a serene ambience… Good food, good drinks, well maintained staff and an awesome environment, a perfect place to have dinner or lunch with your loved once… Must visit a great villa in the French colony… Food was amazing.

Very nice place with patio in the center of Pondicherry; We loved our beautiful room, dinner too.
On the other hand, disappointing breakfast and it's amazing for this place!

This has been one of the most reviewed restaurants in town and yes it lives up to it. Location — white town, it is one of the best maintained villas in pondicherry. Food — they do offer an extensive menu to choose from for lunch and dinner. Would advise their continental dishes although their Indian dishes are delicious too. Quantity may not be much but it's not a tiny portion either. Ambience is excellent. They do have air conditioning at a separate extension. Service — prompt and courteous staff. They do know the menu and what to suggest. :) Overall a bit more on the expensive side but I believe it's worth a try. Kudos :)

Very classy restaurant in Pondicherry, good quality and good service.

Loved the food here. Reasonable price… And the place itself is very welcoming. The dessert was really amazing… Highly highly recommend.

Nice restaurant. White color decorations and open space with lots of trees. Nice place to hangout. The menu also looks very good with Indian and continental dishes. The food I ordered was also quite good. I am happy with my experience there.

Ambience "A1" Food "to die for" service "okay". We had ordered a sea food pasta, it was so amazing that we couldn't resist ordering one more. They have a in house boutique as well if you someone wants a food n shopping duo. But considering the people visiting the place, the area is quite small.

I find this place unnecessarily hyped. The place and the ambience is very good and it is also very crowded. We had to wait for a while to get a place to sit. They are very expensive. They also charge a hefty price as service charge. We were shocked to see the hefty service charge they billed us. This wasn't even an AC restaurant. So not sure why they charged us so much. When we asked them the same they got us a print out of some notice and said they can charge as they wish and that did not make any sense.

An excellent restaurant in a beautiful former colonial mansion.

This has been one of the most reviewed restaurants in town and yes it lives up to it. Location — white town, it is one of the best maintained villas in pondicherry. Food — they do offer an extensive menu to choose from for lunch and dinner. Would advise their continental dishes although their Indian dishes are delicious too. Quantity may not be much but it's not a tiny portion either. Ambience is excellent. They do have air conditioning at a separate extension. Service — prompt and courteous staff. They do know the menu and what to suggest. :) Overall a bit more on the expensive side but I believe it's worth a try. Kudos :)

Liked the place for its food and ambience. I suggest you should go there with a prior booking otherwise you might have to wait. The interiors are simple and classy. Food was awesome. All in all a good place to enjoy you lunch/dinner. If you wish to spend some peaceful time, this is the place.

Located in the white quarter, this former residence is tastefully renovated. The rooms revolve around the patio that serves as a restaurant. Prefer the rooms on the second floor to be more off the noise. Many French people frequent this establishment.
Small advice, take a walk in the evening on the waterfront closed to traffic.

Great place for a. Quiet dinner while in pondi. I love the simple decor they have. The food is very tasty and fresh. The only grouse is that they did not have all the items on the menu when we went. Service is courteous but slow. Try out the coconut based fish curry with lemon rice. Its an unusual but surprisingly good combination!

This hotel is Excellent in everything. Experience was very good the only disappointment will be for veggies, veggies don't find a great varieties of food. But the non veg lovers will find a great time here. Old style French colonial with a great service and the staff here are very helpful. It's a one time visit, though a bit costly :P.

A peaceful place to enjoy alcohol and dinner. Recommended for couples or friends who enjoy wine n food together. Closes at 11 so it is highly recommended to reach there by 8 or 9 to spend a decent amount of peaceful time there. You can visit the Rock beach which is nearby and take a calming walk by the shore.

Nice place, central and some luxury. It eats very well but is certainly not a cheap restaurant.

The building itself and the initial impression of the hotel is quite promising, it is well maintained and the location is excellent. However, as our stay progress significant issues appeared. These centre around the poor quality of the food served by the kitchen and the barely trained staff, who were simply not up to the job. The food was ill prepared, usually overcooked, dry and lacking in flavours. Every request took ages to be met, even simple requests for a drink took 20-30 minutes and often needed to be chased up. The laundry service was terrible, all our whites were delivered grey, apparently they don't understand the concept of separating whites from dark colours when washing. There is much to be improved upon.

Beautiful location and delicious food. Reservations are recommended because it was full for dinner and we had to go for lunch instead. Service was a little slow maybe because it was full but the food made up for it. Prices are OK, service charge is included. A must visit.

Very good breakfast and excellent food.

Great ambience — the place is a converted french colonial mansion and the restaurant is in the enclosed courtyard. Restaurant is beautifully laid out and the decor is tasteful though simplistic — overall the restaurant has a very pleasant relaxed vibe. The food though leaves a lot to be desired and can at best be described as quite average. Flavours are missing, dishes poorly put together, vegetables insipid and poorly cut, even the meat was not as tender as it needs to be. I think the management really needs to think about the skill level of the kitchen staff. Overall a good experience though. I would recommend the place for a few drinks in the evening.

Beautiful house tastefully decorated. Clean and tidy. A young French star chef has just arrived to bring this hotel up to range. Too bad the rooms that overlook the patio or the restaurant is noisy as long as it is open.

Love the French architecture. Best place to dine with friends especially if you want to show them a typical French style dining. The food is great. Weekends are tightly packed so you better make reservations.

The dishes are balanced to come tested you will not be disappointed.

Different ambience. Open and closed areas are interesting. Liked the food presentation. Pricey place.

A beautiful ambiance and excellently cooked meals. The menu offers a gastronomic delight. Every thing tasted fantastic so am sure you can order any dish and be completely satisfied. Evenings has a waiting list to find a table so be prepared to wait, as not sure about reservation availability. Must visit when in the French quarters of White Town.

Amazing Continental and Indian cusines in European ambience. Enjoyed dinner in courtyard. 17 feet high ground floor makes the place look larger. Also offers nice rooms to stay. Service is an area which can be improved.

Nice ambience and serene environment. You will love the place. Good quality of food and drinks. Good hangout place in pondicherry. You will see some decent crowd.

Beautiful and quaint feel. Helpful and friendly staff. They have some interesting salads — I tried the betel leaf salad and the green papaya salad. They have a weird frappe though — it's more like chilled lemon coffee than the usual frappe. Make reservations if planning to visit on any festival day. Remains semi closed in the afternoon when only a selection of snacks are available but not meals.

We were a group of 4 and decided to enjoy our dinner at Villa Shanti. The experience was good. Must Try Masala Prawns, Almond and orange cake with Chocolate Mousse.

Well priced and delicious food in a quaint setting. The service was excellent and the portions were generous. Definitely one of the better restaurants I've been to recently.

You'll accept the environment and food with love. From standard to coastal and continental, it serves your tongue and tummy really well. Also to mention the liquor options, which is perfect as an addition to a good meal. Reasonable price. Good location. Perfect for a formal/informal date.

Bumped into this place as a recommendation from fellow travellers and it was definitely worth it. Beautiful place with good array of drink and food options. The service staff is very friendly and help out people coming with good suggestion also. My only 2 nit-picks was to do with the music being a bit too boring and availability of proper ventilation/airflow in the seating area in front of the bar counter. But the staff was very helpful in getting us shifted to the central area later. Overall highly recomended.

Went here late evening. There were tables set for dinner with lit candles. Prices are high. Wine selection is also good. Service is slow.

Too much hype I guess. The dishes are overpriced. The ambience of the place is pretty good. Never felt anything about the food that we ordered (continental). A good place to take your girl may be.

The food here is absolutely delicious! We had the mango and chicken salad with the green pasta and although both were good, the pasta was astonishing! Service is courteous and the place is drop-dead gorgeous. It's an upscale restaurant and the prices are set accordingly but it's totally worth it.

Service was good and the place was beautifully decorated.

Serene, beautiful and quaint place. A little upscale. Good options among French and Indian cuisine on the menu and the food tastes great.

Beautiful hotel. Great food. Amazing rooms. Brilliant service. Highly recommended.

Came along with a local friend for dinner to this place during a 1 day official trip. Out of the many eating options in the area, I chose Villa Shanti as many people had told me not to miss it, plus due to an earlier review mentioning "Best French Cuisine", I had a lot of expectation; however upon seeing the menu I was quite disappointed as there was no French cuisine at all. It is wrong for someone to mislead expletive by giving wrong reviews. Even the Waiter was saying "I don't know why someone has given a review regarding French Cuisine" & was kind enough to suggest other places serving French Cuisine. However due to my lack of time & traveling the same night, we had no choice but to eat there. Food was OK, nothing great. I personally feel there is too much hype about Villa Shanti.

Modern within the old charm. Relaxed yet professional. Safe bet when the occasion is important. Good for couples, less for big groups. Houses the restaurant in the city as well.

What a nice place! Very good food, beautiful setting and great service!

Probably the best restaurant in town, loved the ambience, the food and the service. It's a must visit if you are looking for good french cuisine.

Great rooms and great food as well. Had a very comfortable stay and the location was very convenient, quite close to the pondicherry beach. We even rented bicycles and scooters from the hotel and roamed around the city.

Massive White Walls… Dreamy Lighting, French Heritage Decor and warm delicious cooking! Wow! We went to Villa Shanti to celebrate our Anniversary and it was beautiful! Tried beef and prawn pasta. Their fish wrapped prawns weren't available : ( Beef done brilliantly, for someone who is banned from eating beef, Villa Shanti you made our anniversary special! Oh. And last but not least the flaming crepes in Orange Sauce. Yumm!

Nice n cozy place with great food.

Great food, ambience and also value for money. Loved it and will go there again. Much better than some other over hyped places in Pondy. Few veg options.

Love the sophisticated yet relaxed decor and ambiance — that encourages lingering… my favourite type of actiivity. Their salads are superb — especially the pomelo and prawn salad and that along with the Orange cake topped with chocolate mousse keeps it my permanent go to restaurant for at least 1 meal every time I'm in Pondi.

No ac, other then that, it was great.

Lovely modern white walled interior with an open cord yard. No AC but fans and high ceilings still keep it cool despite the sun from the courtyard. Excellent food and very pleasant staff who refused a tip because "It is our job. " Happily sat on the couch near the bar for a couple of hours during the high heat in the middle of the day. Highly recommended it for a lunch or a drink.

Slow service, good people and good ambience.

Beautiful ambience, good crowd, but very average food My barracuda was overcooked and disappointed me My folks had some of the Indian fare which was decent The swordfish fish was decent The place is beautiful and would be perfect if the food improved! Good bar though.

Great place for Lunch and Dinner.

Charming setting, great food and attentive service. Will definitely go back.

Good ambience and service. Tasty food. Though quite expensive for the portion size. When I say expensive, I am comparing it with similar places and know how to compare fair and square.