Santè Spa Cuisine Pune Review: We Went Looking for Healthy Food. We Left Looking for Dinner.
Every year, Navratri changes the way we eat. At our home, it means a short break from non-vegetarian food. This time, instead of cooking at home, we decided to finally try a restaurant that had been on our wishlist for months.
Not every review ends with a recommendation
We had heard Santè Spa Cuisine described as one of Pune’s finest healthy vegetarian restaurants, a place where nutritious food wasn’t supposed to feel like a compromise. That idea fascinated us. Could healthy food really be exciting enough to justify premium pricing? On a Saturday evening, the three of us finally decided to find out.
First impressions: beautiful from the outside
The restaurant sits inside a beautiful property surrounded by greenery. Valet parking was available, and the entrance caught our attention immediately: lush plants, flowing water, a serene Buddha statue, soft lighting. It didn’t feel like entering another busy restaurant in Pune. It felt calm. Inside, despite a good Saturday crowd, everything looked elegant, balancing fine dining with a wellness-inspired atmosphere. Our first impression? This looked promising.
She honestly replied that she didn’t.
The waiter came over and asked our daughter whether she liked the pizza. Instead of asking us what we thought or whether something could have been improved, the conversation ended there.
A few small things that started feeling bigger
Although we had called barely thirty minutes earlier and were told no reservation was required, the first question we were asked was whether we had a reservation. We still waited five to ten minutes to be seated. The seating area felt surprisingly warm and humid.
The chair my daughter sat on had torn upholstery. It may sound small, but at a premium restaurant, details matter, and like most toddlers she immediately started playing with the loose fabric. Water was served in copper glasses but poured from a regular packaged bottle, a small inconsistency for a restaurant built around wellness. None of these things ruined the evening. But they certainly lowered our expectations.
When we asked for someone familiar with the menu to recommend Santè’s signature dishes, the waiter said he would call someone, then returned several minutes later to recommend them himself. He confidently said these were the signatures. We trusted him.
What we ordered
The drinks: interesting to look at, forgettable to drink
The Zero Garibaldi looked refreshing with its vibrant orange colour. We were told it contained hibiscus, but neither of us could identify it. Pleasant. Nothing more. The Activated Charcoal Lemonade was visually more interesting, a completely black lemonade, but once the novelty wore off it tasted remarkably like regular lemonade.
Strawberries and Avo Chaat
At ₹790, we expected strawberries and avocado to be the stars. Instead, the dish was dominated by green moong, with a handful of small avocado slices, a few pomegranate seeds and just three tiny pieces of strawberry. It was spicier than expected, so our daughter couldn’t enjoy it either. The only thing she happily ate was those three little strawberry pieces.
The pizza we wanted to love
The Organic Farm Fresh Vegetable Pizza on a gluten-free ragi base sounded exciting. The taste never matched the concept. Healthy food doesn’t have to be bland, and we’ve had healthy meals packed with flavour. This wasn’t unpleasant because it was healthy; it simply lacked depth. Every course had taken ten to fifteen minutes to arrive.
Dessert became our last hope
The Tiramisu, recommended as one of the best desserts, wasn’t available, so we ordered the Dark Decadent Brownie. We waited twenty to twenty-five minutes. The restaurant wasn’t unusually busy, and several waiters stood chatting nearby. Eventually our waiter apologised and admitted it hadn’t come yet. By then I had rested my head on the table. The only thing that aged beautifully that evening was our patience. Even our daughter, who rarely says no to dessert, stopped after a few bites.
Hospitality
Nobody really asked us how the meal was. The waiter checked in after the mocktails, but after the food arrived there wasn’t much conversation. For a restaurant charging premium prices, it felt like a missed opportunity to understand why guests weren’t enjoying their meal.
Is it worth the price?
Was it worth ₹2,956? For us, no. The ambience certainly justified being called premium. The food didn’t. When you spend nearly ₹3,000 on dinner for three, you expect at least one memorable dish. We left without finding one.
Final thoughts
The biggest disappointment wasn’t that the food was healthy. It was that it wasn’t memorable. As we drove home, my husband smiled: “We had to try it once.” After a pause, he added, “I’m just glad we did… because now we know we’re never coming back.”
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Questions people ask
Is Santè Spa Cuisine Pune worth visiting?
For the peaceful ambience, perhaps. Based on our visit, the food did not live up to its premium pricing, and service was slow.
How much does dinner cost at Santè Spa Cuisine?
Our dinner for three, with two drinks, a chaat, a pizza and a dessert, came to ₹2,956.
Is Santè Spa Cuisine good for toddlers?
The setting is calm, but the chaat was too spicy for our toddler, her chair had torn upholstery, and long waits between courses made it difficult.
Would Table for Three return to Santè Spa Cuisine?
No. We left without finding a dish memorable enough to bring us back.
