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There was a time that if you wanted to have Indian food in Toronto, you’d have to schlep to Little India — and even then you’d be lucky to find more than some so-so butter chicken. No more. The cuisine of the subcontinent is now not only found in every corner of the city, it has expanded beyond its humble roots to evolve into something altogether more exciting.
Sure, you can still get some butter chicken — only now, it’s expertly crafted, and truer to its roots. But there are many more options: dishes from regions all across India, including the South; hot and sour street food like chaat or wraps; and, increasingly, food from chefs who are innovatively experimenting with melding parts of Indian cuisine with Italian, Mexican, and other cuisines. Finally, a diversity of Indian food has arrived in Toronto — and it can also arrive at your door, too. Here’s where to find Indian food in Toronto near you.
Annalakshmi
Known around the world for its South Indian food, Annalakshmi arrived in Toronto in a rather unique location, just steps away from the Rogers Centre. Now, folks who live downtown can also indulge in innovative dishes like the Veg Spring Cheese Masala Dosa, which puts cheese into a traditional rice crepe with potatoes and veg, and then serves it in slices like a quesadilla. Also on the menu are Rava dosas, the tangy, thin semolina and rice crepes available with a spicy onion filing. You can even invent your own creations at home, as Annalakshmi also delivers dosa batter. Hot tip: South Indian cooks swear rubbing an onion over a hot pan prevents dosas from sticking.
Atchayam South Indian Restaurant
Chicken 65 is one of those dishes that has become legendary — literally. If you ask someone from South India where it came from, you’ll get all sorts of stories — that it has 65 spices, or used 65-day-old chicken — but the truth is that it was invented by A. M. Buhari of the Buhari Hotel in Chenna in 1965. And thank goodness for that. At Atchayam, pieces of chicken are marinated in an array of spices including a hefty dose of red chilli and then deep fried. It’s an ideal starter before some chicken biryani, or a veg thali. That latter meal gets its name from a plate with little compartments — here filled with an array of curries, rice, and a dessert made from vermicelli and milk.
Banjara Indian Cuisine
Perched just west of Christie Pits, Banjara has for a couple of decades been the go-to local spot for westenders in search of good Indian food. It’s no wonder. Banjara — a term which refers to nomadic tribes in India — serves food from all over the subcontinent. From the North there are an array of items grilled in the tandoor oven, whether the spicy green chunks of haryali chicken tikka or cubes of paneer with onion and veg. From further south, Hyderbadi Chicken Biryani mixes pieces of chicken into the baked rice dish that wafts aromas of cinnamon and clove. Beef Shahi finds hunks of beef in a creamy coconut curry. Better get some naan so as not to waste that gravy.
Barkat
When you visit Barkat, you can see they are trying something new, whether you’re observing the flower-filled ceiling or the menu full of playful twists. Chef Ravneet Johar wants his food to be reminiscent of both street food in Delhi and his mom’s cooking — and adds items that are just plain interesting. Sure, you can start with the traditional Amritsari Fish Tikka, which takes pieces of fish and coats them in spices and chickpea-flour batter before frying. But then you can move on to tacos — theirs are a play on Mexican Birria tacos that substitutes lamb for goat, and traditional Mexican spicing for hard-to-find Indian red chillies — or AlooTikki Sliders, crispy potato patties tucked into little burger buns. Still, classics are classics for a reason: Mom’s Chicken Curry is best paired with a flaky, layered Lachha Paratha to scoop up every last, rich bite.
The Biryaniwalla
Indian food, of course, has a reputation for being spicy. But among Indian regions, food from the state of Andhra Pradesh is known for being the spiciest. So you know that The Biryaniwalla’s Palnadu Chicken Biryani, a dish from Andhra Pradesh, isn’t messing around. Fiery red chicken sits atop spiced rice and will knock your socks off. Live a little and order it “spicy.” For something a touch tamer but no less flavourful, get the Ghee Roast Mutton Biryani, hunks of marinated mutton pan roasted in clarified butter over fragrant rice studded with spices and onion.
Butter Chicken Factory
I believe there are certain principles to ordering takeout, and one goes like this: “if the name of a dish is in the name of a restaurant, then that’s what you order.” So! Select whether you want it mild, medium, or spicy, and get the butter chicken from Butter Chicken Factory. The famous dish, which puts pieces of barbequed chicken in a rich, spiced tomato gravy, isn’t all that’s on offer though. Malai Kofta sees soft spheres of potato and cheese stuffed with raisins and cashews, and then cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. On the side, get chicken dum biryani which has boneless pieces of chicken baked with rice made aromatic by an array of spices.
The Copper Chimney
Sometimes you want cooking to be novel or unusual. At other times, you want something more straightforward but no less enjoyable: that is to say, the classics, expertly crafted. That’s The Copper Chimney. The Chef’s Special is lamb shanks, braised in yoghurt and spices until they’re fall-apart tender. Dal Bukhara, long-simmered black lentils with a generous amount of butter, is best scooped up with Whole Wheat Roti. Mango Prawn gets some acidic bite from green mango that then gets rounded out with fenugreek and coconut milk. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash, which means it is one of the top-rated and most reliable restaurants on DoorDash.
Cumin Kitchen
Every morning, Chef Phanindra Acharya collects fresh vegetables and meat for what’s on the menu at Cumin Kitchen. It reflects an emphasis on quality and freshness — something that’s found in the restaurant’s offerings of vegetarian dishes, helpfully labelled “Gandhi’s Picks” (Gandhi was famously a strict vegetarian). Bhindi Dopiaza — which roughly means okra and onion two ways — highlights the allium in both a diced onion-based sauce as well as sweet petals of onion in the stir-fry. Desi Chicken Curry finds bone-in chicken cooked in a traditional sauce of onion, tomato, and spices that positively calls out for some plain basmati rice. For dessert, icy, creamy kulfi can be had in both pistachio and mango flavours.
Curryish
Fusion food can often go wrong, melding cuisines in ways that are inartful or just plain weird. At Curryish, chef Miheer Shete bucks expectations and gets it oh so right. Here, Aloo Gnocchi and Cauliflower is an inventive play on aloo gobhi — pillowy pockets of potato swimming in a coconut gravy laced with curry leaves, while the cauliflower sits atop, charred and smeared with tamarind chutney. Molasses Beef Cheek Curry sees tender morsels of beef in a deeply-flavoured gravy with a rich sweetness from molasses, brilliantly paired with crispy onion rings. There are nods to Canadiana too: A flaky layered paratha gets topped with everything bagel seasoning, and is a perfect accompaniment to the beef cheek curry. Innovative, delicious, and refined, Curryish is a treat.
Curry Twist
Curry Twist, despite its name, has been offering up classic North Indian food with an emphasis on quality ingredients for nearly 20 years. That’s not to say there aren’t some twists at this favourite Toronto Indian restaurant for delivery near you. Stuffed Bread Rolls put potatoes, peas, ginger, and spices between bread and then coats them in a chickpea batter before frying up the whole thing. But there’s a reason the butter chicken and channa masala are popular here: Sometimes you just want those go-to dishes made really well. A lesser-known veggie dish that shouldn't be overlooked is rich Baigan Bharta. Whole eggplant is charred then peeled, and the resulting smoky, creamy insides are sautéed with onion, ginger, tomato, and chilli.
Desi Tadkaa
With an influx of young people from India to Canada, Indian cooking in Toronto is both changing and expanding. Desi Tadkaa is a perfect example, as it ventures further afield to present a range of Indian cuisine we don’t always see here in Toronto. While originally from the Himalayan region, momos here are filled with chicken and topped with a spicy coating. Traditional kulcha takes the flatbread stuffed with the usual potato but gives it a unique twist by pressing whole coriander seeds into its surface. It also happens to be the perfect vessel to scoop up Rara Goat, a curry of cubes of boneless goat in a fiery red gravy of tomato and red chilli that will warm your soul on a chilly evening.
Dilse
Besides being the name of a popular Bollywood movie from the late ’90s, Dilse means, “from the heart.” At this Michelin-recommended Roncesvalles restaurant, Chef Mani Ram serves refined takes on Indian classics, with some inventiveness of his own. Take Chicken Kamasutra: While the name might make you think of something else that’s spicy, the dish itself adds a fancy touch to chicken curry with cashews and saffron. Paneer Lababdar is composed of pieces of Indian cheese in a gravy that has been strained and flavoured twice for a rich, velvety dish. Feel like indulging a group? The Tandoori Platter lets you try a wide mix of grilled meats, like Haryali Chicken Tikka, which coats chicken in cilantro, chilli, mint, and spices before roasting at high heat in a clay oven.
The Host
Ask any Indian family in Toronto where to get Indian catering, and there’s a solid chance they’ll say The Host. Helmed by Chef Sanjeev Sethi since the mid ’90s, The Host has been a local institution for the Indian diaspora, first at its Yorkville location and then at its sister location in Richmond Hill. North Indian classics are the move here. Dilliwala butter chicken emphasises the New Delhi roots of the dish in this spicier, less creamy version. Vegetarians will love a couple of Punjabi specialities: Dal Makhani has creamy lentils made creamier with butter and cream, while Palak Paneer puts hunks of cheese in a bright green sauce of spinach and rapini. Grilled items from the tandoor oven are a must: a sampler platter of lamb chops, malai kebab, and seekh kebabs will please a crowd.
Indrapastha Indian Kitchen and Bar
Out: a bucket of fried chicken. In: a bucket of chicken biryani. At least, that’s what you might say after perusing the menu of Indrapastha Indian Kitchen and Bar. There, biryani is available by the bucket, in a slew of options. Try the Chicken Ghee Roast, which adds the richness of clarified butter to the usual melange of chicken curry spices. For something a bit more unusual, try the Egg Roast Masala which takes whole eggs and then coats them in a rich, spicy gravy of onion, garlic and ginger.
Khau Gully
Aditi Uzagare’s Davisville Indian restaurant isn’t doing the same old Indian food of yore. Instead of sticking to the cuisine of just one region in India, it takes you on a tour of the country from north to south, all with a good dose of flair. Start with Bhindi Rajasthani, crisp fried okra dusted with an array of spices, or Yakhni Shorba, mutton in spiced broth. Try the Keralan fish curry — white fish in a coconut broth, golden yellow from turmeric and fragrant from curry leaves. Paneer Achari Masala’s hunks of cheese in pungent, funky pickle spices are best scooped up with naan. The aroma from Chicken Dum Biryani might just knock you off your seat; saffron and cinnamon will fill the air as soon as the lid is cracked.
Leela Indian Food Bar
In Hindi, food that is both sour and spicy is called chatpatta. And the quintessential chatpatta dish? Chaat, a cold street food that usually mixes something crunchy with toppings that are soft, sour, and hot. Fortunately, chaat also happens to be a speciality at Leela Indian Food Bar. The aloo tikki chaat, for example, smothers fried potato patties in yoghurt, tamarind chutney, and mint and coriander chutney for a lip-smacking savoury hit. So too are eggplant fries, fried fingers of eggplant coated in funky chaat masala and served with tamarind chutney. Another signature is the Lasooni Cauliflower, deep-fried florets tossed in a garlicky sauce and sesame seeds. For a main, butter chicken gets lifted by a hit of charcoal smoke.
Little India
In 1995, Little India was one of the first restaurants to bring Indian food to the downtown work crowd. But while the word “little” is in the name, nothing about the food at Little India is diminutive. The menu boasts nearly 100 items spanning both north and south Indian cuisines. While the garlic naan is a must, consider the aloo paratha, the flaky, potato-stuffed flatbread that is a north Indian brunch staple. Use it to scoop up morsels of the lamb rogan josh with tender piece of lamb in a rich sauce with almonds, or the channa masala with chickpeas in a spicy gravy with ginger and tomato. For a piquant south Indian treat, the chicken kothu roti chops up and mixes flatbread, chillies, curry leaves, and chicken for a hearty meal. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Mother India
Nearly 20 years ago, when Parkdale was far less hip than it is now, Mother India started serving comforting Indian curries. Thankfully, despite the city changing a lot, Mother India has not. Pick, say, a lamb vindaloo — chunks of lamb swimming in a fiery, vinegary gravy the restaurant accurately describes as “tongue tickling” — and then choose whether you want it over rice or, in true Toronto style, wrapped up as a roti. Vegetarians love the classic, creamy saag paneer. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Moti Mahal
Moti Mahal is a name with history. It’s the moniker of the original restaurant in New Delhi that claims to have invented butter chicken. But Toronto’s own Moti Mahal has history, too: Not only has it been around since the mid 1970s, it also starred in the Canadian film classic “Bollywood/Hollywood.” Unlike its Delhi namesake, however, this Little India restaurant is most famous for its chickpeas — specifically, its channa bhatura, a go-to Indian brunch dish of deeply flavourful chickpea curry served with fried flatbreads.
My Roti Place
Roti — that is, an East or West Indian curry, wrapped up in a flatbread — is a quintessentially Toronto dish. And at My Roti Place, you can get it made as you like. Sure, you can get a butter chicken or saag paneer roti. But it’s better to invent a masterpiece. Select a “Create Your Own” roti, pick a base, whether roti or rice, then choose a protein like chicken, paneer, or shrimp. Select your sauce, whether tikka masala or a creamy, nutty korma, and then, finally, decide on a spice level — from mild to “stupid,” for the particularly brave. Whatever you end up creating, though, be sure to order the crisp and saucy Honey Garlic Cauliflower as a starter for delivery near you.
Roti Cuisine of India
On its website, Roti Cuisine of India presents a straightforward and compelling case for its rotis: they’re “an easy way to enjoy Indian food.” And it’s true: Wrapping up curry in a roti shell so that you can eat with a knife and fork does make things easy! Thankfully, what’s inside the roti is also tasty. Mutter Paneer is a favourite, soft cheese in a spiced gravy punctuated by little pops of green from the peas. Shrimp Vindaloo Roti, which coats shrimp in the famous Goan curry of vinegar and chillies, comes with the caveat “Can Not Make Mild [sic],” so you know it’s good. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Roti Mahal
A few years ago, Torontonians were momentarily crushed when it seemed like Queen West roti institution Gandhi’s was shutting down. The sadness was short-lived, as it was reborn as Roti Mahal, and its focus on intensely flavoured curries wrapped in wheat rotis remained unchanged. Get the butter chicken because it is among the best in the city, full of a depth of flavour and, if you want, a serious dose of heat. The saag paneer roti is another must order for delivery near you, in a perfect rendition of the Punjabi classic of cubes of soft cheese added to greens cooked down until creamy. End on some gulab jamun. To the uninitiated, “syrup-soaked spheres of milk solids” might sound odd, but its heady, sweet depth is famous across India for a reason.
Saffron Spice Kitchen
Almost every culture has what you might call “drunk food” — that hearty dish people turn to after a night of partying (note: you don’t have to drink to love “drunk food”). Saffron Spice Kitchen showcases one of the world’s very best post-drinking foods: kothu roti. While the dish is firmly Sri Lankan, Saffron Spice Kitchen mixes things up by adding north Indian butter chicken to its signature meal. Roti, butter chicken, chillies, curry leaves, and onion are all put on a flat top and cooked and chopped up until you end up with the spicy, fragrant meal of your tipsy dreams. Sri Lankan “short eats” are also on offer, which are usually deep-fried snacks. Curried Lamb Rolls are cylinders of potato and spiced lamb, coated and fried until the exterior is crispy. The veggie curries go beyond the ordinary. Spicy Eggplant Curry puts chunks of eggplant in tomato, tamarind, and chillies for a punchy sour-hot hit of flavour.
Saranava Bhavan
Since the 1980s, famous global chain Saranava Bhavan has been bringing South Indian food to the masses all around the world. With such a legacy, it’s almost mandatory to get the Masala Dosa, a thin rice crepe stuffed with spiced mashed potato. On the side, get some Uthappam, small rice and lentil pancakes that can be studded with tomato, onion, and chilli. Or order some idli with sambhar, fluffy rice-based cakes that are dipped into the sour lentil stew.
Shahi Rasoi
The heart of Punjabi cuisine is the simple roti, a thin, pliable flatbread that is made from only 2 ingredients: whole wheat durum flour and water. It’s plain, but also a perfect vessel for scooping up, say, an array of Punjabi curries, which are a specialty at Shahi Rasoi. Best to get a veg platter and sample a few, including channa, peas and paneer, or an eggplant curry. Also a good idea: wrapping a little roti around some tandoori chicken, especially with some salad to add some crunch. To start, go with a chaat. Bhel puri has crispy little noodles of chickpea flour topped with yoghurt and tamarind chutney.
Sher-E-Punjab
When a restaurant has been around for just shy of 50 years, you know it’s doing something right. And as its name suggests, Sher-E-Punjab is a go-to for the classics of Punjab. So, some advice from a Punjabi! Order yourself a naan or three, and then add in things with which to fill them. The Sizzling Tikka, pieces of boneless chicken cooked in a tandoor, will go perfectly with the naan, especially if (hot tip) you add crunchy slivers of red onion. Butter chicken gets creaminess from cashews, the sauce a perfect match for the naan. Before all that, though, the pakoras are a must. One more tip: The crispy onion and spinach fritters are best when dipped in a green mint and coriander chutney. This is a Most Loved Restaurant on DoorDash.
Udupi Palace
Since 2001, the restaurant has been serving all-vegetarian South Indian food in Little India. Medhu Vada are a perfect little snack — small donuts of lentil batter best dipped in either coconut chutney or sambhar, the South Indian staple of a lentil stew with vegetables made sour with tamarind. Of course, it wouldn’t be a South Indian restaurant without dosa. Masala dosa is the most popular: paper thin rice flour crepes filled with fragrant spiced potato or onion. For a bit more kick, get the Mysore Dosa, which smears a spicy red chutney inside the dosa and is famous for leaving people sweating.
Vindaloo Indian Cuisine
Vindaloo is notorious among Indian curries for its pungent spiciness. In addition to more commonly found ingredients, vindaloo relies on lots of red chillies for heat, fenugreek for an earthy base, and vinegar for sourness. It’s also the eponymous speciality of Vindaloo Indian Cuisine, particularly its seafood vindaloo, which loads shrimp, scallop, and fish into the spicy red gravy. For another heat-filled dish, try Chilli Chicken Momos, which take the Tibetan chicken-stuffed dumplings and then wok-fry them in chilli sauce, bell peppers, and onions for a satisfying starter.
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