359000 Wed Jan 10 20:01:31 -0800 2007 75 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 2174236 Having just read through the downtown butter chicken thread I thought I'd ask. Where can you find the best butter chicken? Is the Little India area over on Gerrard the best? Or can you find places way better in Brampton? My friends adore Indian Rice Factory's butter chicken, if that's any indication. We're willing to go to Brampton but not much further. Any recommendations? Wed Jan 10 20:01:31 -0800 2007 20727 rael 1 2175697 I suspect that responses are sparse because this matter has been debated often and recently. I don't know how to provide the link, but just search on butter chicken and you will find previous threads on that subject. I would recommend Little India on Queen Street for great butter chicken and all-around Indian food. Thu Jan 11 01:54:33 -0800 2007 2174236 12420 Fwagra 2 2177060 I'd definitely second the Little India recommendation. http://littleindia.ca/ Thu Jan 11 15:23:18 -0800 2007 2175697 13175 xtal 2 2177286 I like the butter chicken at Aroma @ King & John. Actually their buffet at lunch is fantastic! Thu Jan 11 16:18:17 -0800 2007 2175697 27866 TOfoodie 3 2185794 I haven't eaten at too many Indian restaurants in toronto...the first one i tried was Aroma and i loved it (so why keep looking?). The butter chicken is amazing and so is the fresh naan bread. Aroma has my vote! Sat Jan 13 20:54:08 -0800 2007 2177286 28772 jen2202 4 2186323 I'm so happy to hear someone mention Aroma, hands down it's my favorite Indian food in the downtown area. Sun Jan 14 00:07:51 -0800 2007 2185794 23715 Lyndalh 5 2186391 i probably ate at mcdonalds first, then A&W, then Burger King. GOOD thing I didnt stop at one of those and declare it the best! Try some of the highly rated alternatives and let us know if Aroma is still "it"! Sun Jan 14 00:34:47 -0800 2007 2186323 48505 deelicious 1 2177275 I saw the last few threads, but they all discuss downtown locations for the most part. I know Brampton has a large Indian population, and I was curious if Brampton is to downtown Indian food as Markham is to downtown Chinese. Thu Jan 11 16:14:57 -0800 2007 2174236 20727 rael 2 2179064 I've had Indian food in Brampton many times, and there are some real gems (Brar Sweets, Curry House, Friends), but none of them have a particularly great butter chicken. In fact, due to authenticity, many of the Brampton Indian joints are completely vegetarian. Thu Jan 11 22:12:40 -0800 2007 2177275 13175 xtal 1 2177688 My husband like Kama Sutra on bayview avenue. Of course, we don't know if that is 'good' as Indian food isn't our forte, but there you go... Thu Jan 11 17:42:55 -0800 2007 2174236 18394 kawarthagirl 2 2177765 This is an Indian restaurant that is seldom mentioned on Chowhound. However, I am a longtime Indian food lover and it's my favourite upscale Indian restaurant. I have never been disappointed by a dish there. I usually get the brie pakoras (yum), chicken vindaloo and eggplant bharta. Thu Jan 11 17:55:05 -0800 2007 2177688 16797 bogie 3 2177791 I love their chicken curry... and they make a mean Cosmo (although they call it a Cosmostra.... :) I just wish they would do a lunch special on the weekend, the way they do during the week.... Thu Jan 11 17:59:46 -0800 2007 2177765 18394 kawarthagirl 1 2182118 I know it's not very original, but I am obsessed with Gandhi Cuisine's butter chicken. They must put crack in it, it's so addictive! Getting my fix tonight... Fri Jan 12 18:25:53 -0800 2007 2174236 27754 AmandaEd 1 2182518 I'd try Utsav on Yorkville: http://www.utsav.com I haven't had the butter chicken but have loved every dish I have had there (okra, other chicken dishes, peas...). It is order-off-the-menu, not buffet. It is new (just opened in 2006) - and fabulous. Fri Jan 12 19:31:08 -0800 2007 2174236 63948 balthazar 1 2183866 Great thing about TO is lots of good Indian. My favourite is http://www.dhaba.ca . I've meet the Chef P.K. and asked him to turn my dishes up a notch in spice. There is an amazing vegetarian Indian restaurant out by Square one but sorry can't recall its name. It is in a strip mall and is a bit cafeteria style but the food is better then when I was in India. Sat Jan 13 01:36:52 -0800 2007 2174236 66506 justlogic 2 2186363 I second Dhaba. This is definitely my fave. Sun Jan 14 00:24:38 -0800 2007 2183866 66498 kensie 2 3954437 Dhaba is underrated imo.. They have a great lunch buffet that even I can afford, the food is great, the owner is very personal and likes to get to know his guests (without being weird! nice guy) and there is always a nice selection of foods.. I never get to try everything at the buffet! Light foods on one table, heavier stews, curries and meats at the back. Don't skip the soup!! Fantastic soup. Also I've heard the butter chicken is "b grade" in a sense for lunch buffet, and is better at dinner time. I've never been for dinner, but I doubt I'd be able to tell anyways.. It's great at lunch Wed Aug 13 13:54:50 -0700 2008 2183866 50992 SocksManly 1 2184299 you really need to try MOTI MAHAL on gerrard st. its the BEST butter chicken EVER. and trust me, i've tried them all.. its AMAZING Sat Jan 13 04:52:40 -0800 2007 2174236 35207 indianchik 2 3069146 I have heard other Indians (Punjabi's) speak highly of Moti Mahal. I've enjoyed it as well, but I only tasted the Woodbine Ave location. Fri Oct 26 07:24:48 -0700 2007 2184299 83092 Apprentice 2 3074527 Second that, though I haven't tried "them all". Sun Oct 28 14:32:55 -0700 2007 2184299 19782 Full tummy 1 3068629 I guess you guys have'nt tried the butter chicken at curry twist yet. Thu Oct 25 22:34:22 -0700 2007 2174236 137610 roche 2 3071899 Agree absolutely, there were some hiccups there for a while, but BANJARA have got their shit together and the food is back to being superb, had the butter chicken last night and it is silky, well spiced and delicious. Banjara is back in the game. Sat Oct 27 06:15:06 -0700 2007 3068629 21703 ministerofkebab 1 3070062 We are now confirmed BANJARA diners (Bloor & Christie)...used to trek out to Little India to The Regency or The New Haandi 2000 but tried Banjara early in the summer and it is now OUR first choice. Have heard that there were problems with service but we have not had ANY problems. Food & Service have been A1!! Butter Chicken is great! What I/we have noticed is that the 'servings' seem to be larger (a welcome treat) than in any other place we have tried over the years..no more problems with sharing the pieces of meat (chicken or lamb) Sometimes when there are 6 dining we still get by with one order to share and it works out just fine. Used to find that there were only 5 pieces of any given dish..leading to "oh, you have it..I insist". Honestly BANJARA has been our major surprise and delight this year. Fri Oct 26 11:27:52 -0700 2007 2174236 78717 pearlD 2 3072567 Where is Little India? Sat Oct 27 12:28:48 -0700 2007 3070062 28772 jen2202 3 3072677 Little India is the stretch of Gerrard Street from about Greenwood to Coxwell. http://www.gerrardindiabazaar.com/index.php Sat Oct 27 13:28:52 -0700 2007 3072567 98493 JamieK 2 4830132 The Regency is the best I've had. Nice and creamy with the perfect blend of tomato. Good perfectly cut portions of non fatty chicken. Aromatic sauce. The best. Sat Jul 04 18:51:28 -0700 2009 3070062 61937 food face 3 4834641 We're now back at The Regency...haven't been to Banjara since last year ..We did try Mahar (Gerrard Street) and quite liked it but there were 6 of us and we found that portions were too skimpy for all to share..we'll give it another try and if there are more than 4 people we'll double up in the ordering.. We'll also go back to Banjara this summer...there seems to be a lot of pro/con lately...we'll wait til after the garbage strike and try again. Mon Jul 06 16:21:56 -0700 2009 4830132 78717 pearlD 1 3070740 I'll put a vote in for Rashnaa, the Sri Lankan restaurant on Wellesley - best I've had. Although I agree with pearlD that Banjara's version is good too. Fri Oct 26 14:24:11 -0700 2007 2174236 14498 n10sity 1 3071037 Bombay Bhel in Richmond Hill Fri Oct 26 16:13:00 -0700 2007 2174236 137836 dlane007 2 3938652 I'll second that. I love their butter chicken, and they have great naan to go with it. Thu Aug 07 12:47:13 -0700 2008 3071037 136066 graydyn 1 3071339 www.theindiankitchen.ca 7330 Yonge St. (at Clark) Thornhill I've had take-out twice,those 500g tubs are expensive but tasty! Fri Oct 26 18:28:55 -0700 2007 2174236 110296 ultrablue 1 3071835 Maroli use to have a great Butter chicken. Sat Oct 27 04:55:29 -0700 2007 2174236 10810 Charles Yu 1 3071980 Makkah is REALLY good. Sat Oct 27 07:09:02 -0700 2007 2174236 76307 JaPe 2 3073568 I like Nirvana in Mississauga, I really enjoyed their butter chicken. Sat Oct 27 23:20:48 -0700 2007 3071980 86819 callitasicit 3 3075955 Actually Nirvana's food is above average but you pay for it. Mon Oct 29 07:43:45 -0700 2007 3073568 83092 Apprentice 1 3073584 I quite enjoy the butter chicken sauce from Loblaws (the President's Choice brand). Just brown some chicken and dump the sauce on top of it ... let it simmer a bit and voila! The taste is comparable to what you get in India Town. Buy some of that Loblaws naan too to sop up the sauce and you have a very good meal! Sat Oct 27 23:42:42 -0700 2007 2174236 24214 Megan2 2 3910120 Madras Palace at West Beaver Creek has great butter chicken. I was especially surprised when it was offered for the lunch buffet. Shockingly good considering it was part of the buffet selection. Mon Jul 28 21:32:26 -0700 2008 3073584 86819 callitasicit 1 3910236 I'll second Rashnaa . . . It's one of my favorite restaurants in the city . . . It consistantly serves great food and is also a great delivery option in an area that really lacks good delivery options ... SB Mon Jul 28 22:52:31 -0700 2008 2174236 17544 snackboy 2 3910392 They also have a huge delivery area! I live at Greenwood and Gerrard and they're willing to send food out that far. Tue Jul 29 03:44:52 -0700 2008 3910236 75881 vorpal 3 3912191 Little India on Queen west is by far my fav Indian food in the city. The best chicken tikka however for butter chicken I still go with the all but forgotten Queen's Arms / Maharani Restaurant on the Queensway. Tue Jul 29 13:30:31 -0700 2008 3910392 69186 bjinyyz 4 3932065 Went to Little India for the first time on Civic Monday, you can read my review by typing Little India in the search tab above. I had butter chicken at Chauhan's and it was good, but that was my first try at Indian cuisine, so I'm certainly no expert. The butter chicken at Little India tasted sweeter. Is it supposed to be slighlty sweet, or varies from place to place? Tue Aug 05 12:21:49 -0700 2008 3912191 84151 red dragon 1 3932191 I love Gateways to India on Baldwin, their butter Chicken and Saag Paneer are out of sight! Gandhi is also great in a fast-food way... Tue Aug 05 12:55:07 -0700 2008 2174236 216187 cometier 2 3933253 If you are going out Brampton way, check out Anjippur Chettinad at Steeles and Hurontario across from Shoppers World. Their butter chicken is excellent and the service is great. It's a South Indian restaurant so there's lots of great things to try there to add to your dining out... Tue Aug 05 18:58:56 -0700 2008 3932191 215566 chaptwo 2 3933688 Gateway to India has excellent butter chicken!! Tue Aug 05 22:21:35 -0700 2008 3932191 86819 callitasicit 1 3933679 I usually dislike butter chicken, but had a taste at Dhaba, and I actually enjoyed it, have to agree with previous reviewers. Nicely layered flavour, without that overly coconut-heavy sweetness. I still prefer the spicier dishes, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this one. Tue Aug 05 22:17:12 -0700 2008 2174236 53727 Ginsugirl 2 3934333 I've had the Butter Chicken at Kama Sutra on Baview ( near Davisville) dozens of times. Consistently excellent. Lunch is about $11 and it comes with a soup or samosa, rice and Naan. Highly recommended ! Wed Aug 06 07:50:12 -0700 2008 3933679 216238 philehohfish 2 3949650 I'm with Ginsugirl on this one. Was actually at Dhaba last night and, though the usual complains applied (overpriced, mediocre service, etc.), they do accomplish one mean butter chicken. It was the favourite dish of 3 of the 4 diners. Tue Aug 12 06:12:21 -0700 2008 3933679 157039 KayceeK 1 3942637 In Brampton, at the little plaza at Peter Robertson and Torbram, is a small Indian restaurant called Sweet Palace. You'll walk in and see your usual fare of sweets. Walk to the cash, and you'll see a vegetarian thali bar. Look up, and you'll see a menu of items that can be made to order, along with several non-veg items. I'm Indian, and I've been getting my butter chicken fix here. Now, mind you, I live in Brampton, so I might just be lazy and not tried other places to compare. But I love the chicken items here. They're all good, but you asked for butter chicken. Fri Aug 08 21:37:55 -0700 2008 2174236 217119 HorizonXP 2 3942884 Hi HorizonXP, a new Indian friend of mine suggested I try a buffet in Brampton (I'm new to Indian food). She says the variety is mind boggling, especially the desserts, but she can't recall the name. Wonder if you would know, or are there too many Indian restaurants in Brampton for you to name? TIA (thanks in advance)! Sat Aug 09 05:50:33 -0700 2008 3942637 84151 red dragon 3 3954450 There's a large buffet style place that's always PACKED.. Last time I went there were literally 50 people standing in their lobby waiting for people to finish eating so they could get a table. It's on Dixie Road, between Queen and Steeles, west side of the street. It used to be a bad italian buffet that everyone said was "gross" ... It's not the best indian food I've had, but I want to go back.. like now! Wed Aug 13 13:58:11 -0700 2008 3942884 50992 SocksManly 4 3956696 And the name is? Thu Aug 14 09:12:31 -0700 2008 3954450 84151 red dragon 1 3948680 Anyone have any recs for great butter chicken in Scarborough/Malvern (south of Bombay Bhel) area? I just wanted to emphasize east just north of STC. (not just butter chicken, but any nicely flavoured curries that are not too fire-y hot). TIA Mon Aug 11 17:52:10 -0700 2008 2174236 201877 BokChoi 1 3949480 There have been a lot of comments about Lahore Tikka House in Little India going downhill. I was there Sunday night, and I have to say it may have gotten a bit greasier, but the food still tastes great. Kebabs with a good level of spiciness. Very tasty channa masala. To the OP, their butter chicken is great. There's actually a background of spiciness to it, and a nice twang to the sauce. They must add sour cream or something. I really enjoy it. It's probably the best in TO. Mind you, I've had more bad ones than good ones. Tue Aug 12 04:32:10 -0700 2008 2174236 157056 grandgourmand 1 3952924 The Queens Arms Pub and restaurant in Etobicoke is AMAZING. It is right beside the Maharini Restaurant and you can either eat in the restaurant or the pub. Its a relaxed atmosphere with great food. I love it. Its on the Queensway near Kipling. Wed Aug 13 07:38:50 -0700 2008 2174236 218104 babaroo 2 4830312 ok i have been on this search for the perfect butter chicken for a while. Having had it many places all over india, the closest best i can say is in brampton ironicallly in a south indian restaurant called anjappar chettinad at hway 10 and steeles. Pl try it and let me know if you agree Sat Jul 04 21:25:00 -0700 2009 3952924 266127 chillihigh 1 4832299 Bar none, Lahore Tikka House has the best butter chicken! I don't know if they put crack in the sauce or not, but it's just awesome!! It's located in Little India/Gerard India Bazaar. I'd also recommend a butter till naan to go with it. The caveat here is that yes, it's gonna be a lil oily, but that's part of the butter chickeny goodness!! Sun Jul 05 23:34:38 -0700 2009 2174236 1091185 Bhangra Pimp 2 4834234 I really don't understand the appeal of this place. Mediocre Indian food served in unsightly surroundings at average prices. You could do a lot better! Mon Jul 06 14:10:28 -0700 2009 4832299 75881 vorpal 3 4834267 It's not Indian food but yes, it is mediocre. Id you've ecer been to Pakistan, you will understand the surroundings. Mon Jul 06 14:22:10 -0700 2009 4834234 41175 foodyDudey 3 4834530 I don't really agree. Lahore Tikka House has some really stand out classics. I ate there yesterday so it's still clear in the mind. Their Kulfi is home made. Cones of ice cream goodness made with real almonds, cream and cheese. Not too sweet but rich and wonderful. Their samosa's are also way above average. The beef samosa have a nice thin soft delicate shell and the filling is seasoned so perfectly. I think the kebabs are delicious but are comparible to other kebab houses in the area. It's a neighborhood staple and the trailer tent is part of it's charm. I stand by Lahore Tikka House. Am I saying it's the best all round...no but it is a must try. Mon Jul 06 15:42:09 -0700 2009 4834234 61937 food face 3 4835500 Like most places, definitely depends on the dish. I'm sure there are ones that aren't quite stand-outs by any means, but definitely has the best butter chicken for sure. It's the sauce....even after you're done with the chicken pieces, you're still eating it. The owner's actually really nice as well. We had mentioned to him a concern we had one time, because our vegetarian friend couldn't enjoy the sauce, so, he tinkered around and brought back a paneer makhani/ shahi paneer type of dish which has now found its way to the menu. I'm with Food Face on this one! Mon Jul 06 23:16:12 -0700 2009 4834234 1091185 Bhangra Pimp 4 4835840 The sauce at Lahore has a great tang that so many other butter chicken's lack. And a pleasant level of heat. I really like the kebabs and the naan is delicious. the veg dishes are pretty oily. My main issue with Lahore is the waste they produce, not the food. Eating on paper plates (euphemism for styrofoam) and plastic utensils was neat in the beginning because it feels cheap and cheerful, or whatever, but after a while you feel disgusted seeing it all get tossed. If you want to feel even more disgusted, take a walk around their back patio, by the exit from the kitchen. the deck is black and sticky, as are the railings. that's where all that trash is unceremoniously dumped. Tue Jul 07 06:09:05 -0700 2009 4835500 157056 grandgourmand 5 4838135 I always have taken food out from Lahore. Makes me think twice about it now. Glad you mentioned about the excessive waste going on there G-Gourmet. Thats shitty. Tue Jul 07 19:22:37 -0700 2009 4835840 61937 food face 6 4838793 it's a shame, and not just because of the waste. I enjoy the food there a lot, but have an issue with their waste. Wed Jul 08 05:25:48 -0700 2009 4838135 157056 grandgourmand 4 4840159 I have to say I much prefer the butter chicken at Moti Mahal. Cheaper too. Have you tried it? Wed Jul 08 11:43:04 -0700 2009 4835500 19782 Full tummy 1 4835810 Love the butter chicken at Gandhi Roti. I sometimes get it on its own and have it with rice at home. The butter chicken roti can be easily shared by two adults - its huge. Gandhi Roti 554 Queen St W Toronto, ON, M5V2B5 (416) 504-8155 Tue Jul 07 05:56:33 -0700 2009 2174236 69499 TOchowgal 2 4840189 Agreed, best by far --- and Mother India does the same in Parkdale (same crew) I don't even have a close second, but believe Banjara and North of Bombay were good too... Lahore was awesome too but they can't touch the Gandhi Wed Jul 08 11:49:59 -0700 2009 4835810 16234 dannyboy 2 4840280 I love the Butter Chicken roti at Gandhi's. You can tell how they use freshly ground spices, and it has a certain zestiness that many other butter chickens lack. As for Moti Mahal, I find their butter chicken to be pretty standard as to what you find in most places. Wed Jul 08 12:13:43 -0700 2009 4835810 1091185 Bhangra Pimp 3 4881532 I'll put my ballot in the box for Gandhi as well. (And as an aside, not just for butter chicken, but generally for all their curries). The thing that really impresses me about Gandhi is their ability to make their butter chicken mild, medium and blistering hot without changing the flavour. I don't know how they are able to get that range of spiciness, not to mention that the "mild" can be made with absolutely no spice whatsoever (as opposed to most restaurants that can never make curry completely mild). Aside from that, I'd vote for Bombay Bhel in Richmond Hill (the other locations are sub-par) and Amaya. lunchboy http://nofreelunchonbayst.blogspot.com/ Wed Jul 22 12:46:24 -0700 2009 4840280 1095840 lunchboy 4 4881655 cayenne powder. it adds a lot of heat but little flavour. Wed Jul 22 13:23:50 -0700 2009 4881532 1090730 clamnectar 5 4883468 Interesting. Do you know this is what they use for fact? I would imagine it would be more along the lines of chili oil. I find cayenne to have an immediate mouth heat, but not much in the way of deep heat that I get from the curry. And it would take quite a bit of cayenne to get the "hot" up to the level of heat they get it to, which presumably would change the colour, if slightly. lunchboy http://nofreelunchonbayst.blogspot.com/ Thu Jul 23 06:20:02 -0700 2009 4881655 1095840 lunchboy 6 4883769 I can't speak to anyone in particular's recipe, but yeah it's pretty common to use cayenne to easily vary heat. It doesn't take much to have a strong effect, so it doesn't really affect the colour. Thu Jul 23 08:23:41 -0700 2009 4883468 1090730 clamnectar 6 4883785 Chili oil is not commonly used in Indian recipes, I've never seen it in any recipe book. Red chili powder is what is used to make it hot, so add more if required. And butter chicken is not a dish that is usually made blisteringly hot, I've never had it that way even in India. Must be a Canadian style! Thu Jul 23 08:29:52 -0700 2009 4883468 41175 foodyDudey 7 4883828 Oh yes, I certainly agree with that last statement. I'm not used to having butter chicken too spicy, but they are willing to make any dish with your requested heat level. I guess they allow people to have super spicy butter chicken and medium vindaloo in order to please everyone! lunchboy http://nofreelunchonbayst.blogspot.com/ Thu Jul 23 08:43:37 -0700 2009 4883785 1095840 lunchboy 1 4840986 i say moti mahal in Little India. I've had a lot of sweet, cloying butter chicken but theirs is smoky and savory. There is definitely heat. I buy it and then add more chicken breast because, like all indian restaurants, they never give enough meat. Plus, their samosas, chicken and all veg, are terrific and cheap. Wed Jul 08 15:14:58 -0700 2009 2174236 1087995 ellerbee 2 4880612 the huge one you guys are talking about on dixie north of steeles is tandoori flame, right next to the tim hortons south of the huge rogers complex (formerly the nortel complex). its pretty good, gets crazy busy, but the selection if ridiculous, you can find anything there. the eggplant masala is particularly yummy. Wed Jul 22 08:49:56 -0700 2009 4840986 1095793 torontochris 1 4883606 I'm a huge butter chicken fan. I've had many bad butter chicken dishes. I have to agree with the people who mentioned Dhaba, Aroma and especially Little India (on Queen). Thu Jul 23 07:21:07 -0700 2009 2174236 254372 hbada