best indian food calgary

[howlin]

My vote is in ,no one has yet to mention Delhi Darbars in the Glenmore Inn mall .best indian food bar none ,no equal.The food is cooked the way you want it to be ,theres too many restos out there that just make the food ,these guys can modify it the way you like ,i like my butter chicken spicy and thets what i get .Ive tried most of the indian restos in calgary and this one is the best.Try the butter naan no eqal,trust me try it out .on a different note Baba ka dabas makes some real good goat chops,its not on the menu so you have to just order it.

[KiKiKiKida]

I have to second a vote for Puspa!
It's a tiny, family owned, unassuming little place. The decor is hideous, I must admit LOL. But the service is prompt and polite. The food is the best Indian (Next to babaji's of course!) I've ever had! Also, very reasonable.
I would higly recommend their lunch box specials. Delicious indian for less than 10$, a portion to fill you up, and you can be in and out in half an hour.
One of my favourite restaurants, I go all the time. :)

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Puspa Restaurant
1051 40 Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2K 0G2, CA

[Viro]

I went to Mango Shiva last night with a group for friends, and I must say I was very impressed. As mentioned earlier the food is not as traditional as many of Calgary’s Indian restaurants - it is more like the Indian I was used to back in the UK, that is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
Everything we ordered was delicious, I would recommend ordering the lamb popsicles over the shank, as the shank was not as tender as it should have been and it took a lot of effort to get it off the bone. However both tasted great. I found the duck starter to be a little over cooked for my taste, but again the flavor was excellent. All the dishes we well spiced and nothing was too over powering. I would have loved to tried their Vindaloo if it hadn’t have been pork.
I also liked the way each main dish came with a choice of Naan or Rice.
All the Naans were great and the service whilst a little slow was very attentive.
Excellent cocktail list as well, I really enjoyed my Gin Garden - very refreshing.
I will be going back and recommending it.

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Mango Shiva
218- 8th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1B5, CA

[Jetgirly]

I agree- recently used my Living Social coupon for dinner- great "Dirty Mango Lassi" (with rum), paneer kebab (appetizer) and cauliflower dish. I'll bet desserts would have been good too. Also, nice decor (it'd better be- you're paying for it!).

[Mr. Fuji]

Have you tried the lunch buffet? Unlike the menu, it is more of a standard take on Indian food, ie: butter chicken, beef vindaloo, etc; but the quality is top-notch. I like it even more that Glory of India, which seems to have grown too big to maintain their previously high standards of quality.

At Mango Shiva my favourites are their veggie pakoras and seafood curry, and of course the fresh made naan. I wil take any excuse to go there!

[whythreecats]

the most amazing samosa's.....

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Nirvana Restaurant Lounge & Hall
5075 Falconridge Blvd NE #1009, Calgary, AB T3J 3K9, CA

[clouie]

I am partial to Moti Mohal. Lovely dining area, very romantic. My favourite dish was the eggplant puree, which was out of this world delish. The butter chicken was nice, but nothing compared to the complexity and creaminess of eggplant dish. Pricey, but worth it. Naan bread and rice are nice as well, and are good portion sizes.

[Doc1200]

My trip to Delhi Darbars new location last night on 16th AVE reaffirmed they are the best Indian in the city. Had the wonderfully complex "Railway Mutton Curry" which is a bone in lamb dish with potatoes and a rich spicy sauce. They make sure to ask the heat level you want on every dish, even my starter of a creamy and delicious Mulligatawny soup was customised to my taste and ordered extra spicy. Skip the over priced and underwhelming Namskar and walk down the block to Delhi Darbar, you won't regret it.

[jsfoodchat]

I ate at Taste of India just open in Creek Side shopping Center on Symons Valley Road and it was really good. I hope those who live near by support it because it was pretty empty and the food was great.

[NumberFive]

Got lunch on Sunday afternoon at the new "The Taj" which opened in Cranston market. completely disappointed with the "Sunday Special" of Tandori Chicken and Naan bread. Chicken was 2 tiny little pieces and soggy, naan was a huge piece of bread, but again, pretty soggy. Doubtful that I'll ever go again and try anything off the full menu.

[derfster]

I'm going to vote for Glory of India. A little on the pricey side but damn good! And here's a little lunch buffet tip: GANGA downstairs next to Flames Central. Pakistani me thinks but all very good. They have goat vindaloo on occasion so you know they're not dumbing the cuisine down for anyone!

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Glory of India
515 4 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0J7, CA

[Newalgier]

I've found Ganga pretty uneven, and it's off my list. Mango Shiva is way more expensive, but just better in every respect. Part of the problem is that I don't like the "Indian Buffet": it's just impossible to make good Indian food at that price point.

There is only one place that I know of in town with decent dosa, and that's Southern Spice. Very, very good masala dosa, butter dosa, rasam, sambar, just tasty when I want to get my South Indian on. They had a buffet set up last time I went, I noticed: ignore it and maybe it will go away.

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Mango Shiva
218- 8th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1B5, CA

Southern Spice
4655 54 Ave NE #102, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4, CA

[Jetgirly]

My friend and I went to Southern Spice for lunch today; we ate from the buffet and it was REALLY good! I normally find the chickpea flavour in chana masala to overpower the spices, but their chana masala was great. I had a bowl of idli, vada and sambar, and the sambar was really excellent. I also tried the dal, the "vegetable fry" (similar to pakoras) and the "vegetable stir fry" (which was SUPER good... it looked like someone had sauteed up some Safeway frozen mixed vegetables, but it had a GREAT coconut flavour and yummy crunch). The buffet came with fresh masala dosa (brough to the table) which were also fantastic. That's a really cute little area... I'd never been that far northeast before but I'm already planning to go back when I have company in three weeks!

(Also, there was a Turkish store around the corner from the entrance to Southern Spice that had BRAIN CURRY seasoning! Who knew you needed a special blend of herbs and spices to bring out that brainy flavour?)

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Southern Spice
4655 54 Ave NE #102, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4, CA

[greenboy]

Just wanted to recommend my new favourite takeaway Indian. A bit out of the way, but The Taj in Discovery Ridge is REALLY good. Maybe one or two bucks more than some other places overall, but quality is great and well worth the drive (they also deliver). It's basically restaurant quality in a takeaway format. So far I've only tried the Chicken Vindaloo, as it's so good I've ordered it the last three times in a row. Samosas are SO good too. They go with the thicker, rounder tennis-ball sized style than the thinner triangular type. I would drive there just to get an order of those on their own. Pakoras are very good too. This, along with Surya, Green Chilli and Mirchi is now on my regular list. Awesome find.

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Mirchi
825 12 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2R 0J2, CA

[Superhappyfuntime]

Many people don't think of Airdrie, as frankly, we don't have many good restaurants at all, but India Palms on Big Springs Rd is TRUE proper indian food I find. Their naan is perfect, they make their own homemade yogurt and paneer cheese, which really makes the difference for texture and authenticity, and they are a sweet shop, which sell wonderful sweets like burfi, rasmalai and rasgulla. I homemake my own paneer and rasmalai (im a non-indian) and can't seem to come close. I am a purist when it comes to food, so I am definitely impressed with their food. It's a small shack with not much to look at, but I come for the food :) From Sunnyside to Airdrie it's only 30 minutes, and it is worth the drive. :D

[Newalgier]

Good on you. I'd never dream of trying my own rasmalai... most Indians won't attempt it. Thanks for the recommendation: too many Indian restaurants and sweet shops cut major corners on the ingredients, and it sucks.

[John Manzo]

I had "Sunday brunch" at Green Chili today and it was just fantastic. I've had mostly good experiences there with both buffets and dinner (takeout) but today everything just clicked- I had their aloo gobi, peas paneer and chili chicken, with naan and rice pudding for desert. The aloo gobi was notable for being mostly "gobi" which is nice as it's the more expensive and more nutrien-dense aspect, but GC's potatoes are always done perfectly and today was no exception. Peas paneer was good but I never have a huge portion of this as it's so rich. Naan was buttery and crisp, really nice. But what blew me away and motivated this post was the chili chicken- it's a hakka dish and in fact if it were on a regular Chinese menu I'd order it nonstop; it was superbly spicy with tons of fresh garlic; chicken is lightly breaded and just- perfect. You could really get fat on this dish. I've had chili chicken a couple of other places around Calgary and it always tastes a bit junky, like President's Choice General Tso's chicken, sort of. This one is a revelation, fantastic. The chef at this GC location is Nepalese so maybe that explains this somehow- at any rate, this was an amazing lunch.

Another thing that motivates this post is that I arrived at 12:20 and was there for maybe 30 minutes and I was the only customer the entire time. Please give this place a chance.

[sharonanne]

Which location was this, John?

[John Manzo]

17th Ave.

[Major_9000]

Hakka when cooked properly is simply amazing. The Hakka at Karma in the deep SE serves a Chili Prawn that is one of my favorite dishes ever.

[John Manzo]

Do try Green Chili's version- it was so delicious today, I could have eaten two plates of nothing but it.

[ssvic]

For Hakka I highly recommend trying Taketomi Village. We frequent this place at least once every 2 weeks. Hakka, manchurian, chili...all extremely good!

( 403) 207-8608

920 36 St NE

[John Manzo]

great suggestion- odd that after changing hands and going Hakka, they never changed the name.

[ssvic]

I agree. They have now put up a sign that says Haaka Cuisine, or something like that. My visa bill has always read Hakka Village- odd

[howlin]

they used to have sushi ,do they still?

[rosetown]

Good thread.
adding most links - working on a couple more

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Saffron Fine Indian Takeout
3604 52 Ave NW #136, Calgary, AB T2L 1V9, CA

Mango Shiva
218- 8th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1B5, CA

Southern Spice
4655 54 Ave NE #102, Calgary, AB T3J 3Z4, CA

Bombay Sweet House & Restaurant
55 Castleridge Blvd NE #82, Calgary, AB T3J 3J8, CA

Taj Mahal
4816 MacLeod Trail SW, Calgary, AB T2G 0A8, CA

Delhi Darbar
122 16 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 1J5, CA

Mirchi
825 12 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2R 0J2, CA

Surya Restaurant
1207 11 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T3C 0M5, CA

Karma Fine Indian Cuisine
4600 130 Ave SE #309, Calgary, AB T2Z 0C2, CA

Green Chile Cuisine Of India
2128 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB T2M 3Y7, CA

Masala Express
735 Ranchlands Blvd NW #19, Calgary, AB T3G 3A9, CA

Glory of India
515 4 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0J7, CA

Namskar Restaurant Cuisine of India
202 16 Avenue NE, Calgary T2E 1J8, CA

Tandoori Hut
217 10 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1V5, CA

Green Chile Cuisine Of India
1434 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T, CA

[rosetown]

more links:

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Puspa Restaurant
1051 40 Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2K 0G2, CA

Samosa Grill
3393 26 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T1Y 6L4, CA

Mantra Restaurant & Catering
5353 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB T3A 1W9, CA

[CookieGal]

Wow Rosetown! Great addition! I love the map feature!
Looks like SW Calgary needs some Indian Food!

[23skidoo]

Has anyone ordered from "A Touch of India"? 26th Ave & 37th St SW, and also in the Sweetgrass market.

Also, how about Surahi on Macleod Trail?

[mkj361]

Have been wondering about "A Touch of India" for quite a while, but always end up at Moti Mahal. Would love to know if anyone has eaten at Touch and what they think.

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Moti Mahal Restaurant
1805 14 St SW, Calgary, AB T2T, CA

[rosetown]

Tnx CookieGal ! It was a lot of work - most weren't in the database. It's only mapping the 1st 10 listed. It's supposed to map A-Z ,ie 26. I have no explanation.

A trick - if one really wants to see mapping for all Indian restaurants in the database (YYC), select one of the listed restaurants and when it is displayed, select Indian (blue colour) in the upper left hand side and all Indian restaurants will be displayed A-O, and one can page ie (1,2,3 next) in a typical forum manner. Each page maps for the listings on that page.

[ybnormal]

Excellent work - thanks for that trick - works like a charm!

[aktivistin]

What a cool feature! Thanks for organizing, rosetown.

[Scary Bill]

Another "trick".
Go to Google Maps. If you have set your default location, just type "Indian" in the search box and all/most of the Indian restaurants in your home city/location will appear on the map, with links. Great for finding a restaurant nearby. Works for pubs, Chinese, etc.

[John Manzo]

Great suggestion, Scary Bill! Thanks!

[CookieGal]

My fav's are in order:
Namskar (great for a large dinner party, and has been my annual; BD party place for years)
Taj Mahal great for an over stuffing lunch buffet!
Southern Spice for Dosa! mm mm worth the trip to the hood
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Clay over also in the hood
Tandori Hut (a little more pricey I find, but it seems to be consistent)
And Green Chilli for Take out, what a steal, beats pizza and Chinese hands down!

[Merry113]

I like Clay Oven as well. Their lunch buffet is very good EXCEPT the fact that they don't have raita on the buffet. I love raita so I ordered some & it was over $7! That is the smallest size they have!!!! That may seem picky but $7 for a condiment really puts lunch prices over the top.

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Clay Oven Restaurant
3132 26 St NE, Calgary, AB T1Y, CA

[maplesugar]

Ouch $7 for Raita? How big was the serving and did it come in it's own takeout container?

[Merry113]

It was a small-ish bowl. Smaller than a soup cup. I was dining in so it came in a little stoneware bowl. It was way more than I needed and definitely not worth $7!

[maplesugar]

I imagine a lot of people shy away from ordering it if they know the price - or react like you when they receive their bills. Surely the kitchen is noticing how much raita comes back unused? I'd write a letter - explain it's too much for one person so could they offer another size for less...and save $7 for the 2c. takeout container :)

[mckholth]

Got to agree, Clay Oven best in the city. I live in SW and drive across town to go there.

[Seitan]

Mango Shiva (on Stephen Ave.) is extremely good, though it is more contemporary gourmet than traditional Indian.

[ilikebigmactoo]

I have tried a few Indian Restaurant, and my vote for the best indian food in Calgary goes to Namskar. Their food is excellent and lots of variety. My beef with them is their portion is on the small side and their price is a little high.

[sarah galvin]

Has anyone been to Kashmir at 17 Av & 4 St? I have eaten there only once and it was really good. But it is always closed when I'm in the 'hood.

[djdragan]

I've lived in Calgary for over eight years now, the first few, a couple of blocks off 17th ave and I don't think I have ever seen that place open. Very strange.

[John Manzo]

I had lunch there once way back in, oh, 2001, and had to endure a lecture about how much money they lose on the buffet. Then they closed for lunch and posted the weirdest sign on the door: "MONDAY: Lunch: CLOSED Dinner: 5-10" and the same thing for every day of the week. "Lunch: CLOSED." If you're NEVER open for lunch why do this? It's very odd. Add to this the whole streetside windows that are covered with almost opaque curtains- it's like these people have no idea how to operate a resto.

BUT speaking of 17th- looks like Green Chili plans to be open next MONDAY on 17th just west of 14th, what used to be the filipino "convenience store."

[wonderflosity]

I loved Tandoori Hut when they were still a teeny tiny restaurant beside Osteria di Medici... I found something a little lacking after they moved a block north to their present, larger location. Maybe I just miss the hole in the wall feeling.

I think I'm going to have to give Surya a try after hearing all of these positive reviews. Normally, I hit up Glory of India, Taj Mahal (love their monday 1/2 vegetarian buffet, so you can satisfy meat eaters and veggies alike), and Moti Mahal.

I do like the food at Rajdoot, but it's not as good as it used to be, and the service is always terrible. Namskar is my dad's favorite, but I'm only ok with it.

I think it's time to go out for Indian sometime soon.... this week perhaps!

[Jetgirly]

Definitely try Surya; I have been ordering from there waaaaay too often lately. My standbys are the daal masoor, palak paneer and aloo gobi. All are fantastic. All of my attempts to replicate at home have been pathetic and have just made me order more! When I've gone in for pick-up they've been really friendly; if I had more friends who liked Indian food I would be eating in all the time!

[Chef LaRue]

I'm off to try Surya on thursday but in the meantime I can recommend Somosa's near Sunridge mall. Outstanding naan, great butter chicken and many other nice dishes compliment they're everyday lunch and dinner buffet. Now that I think of it I haven't been there in awhile mostly because I make my own East Indian cuisine now but I'm always open to new things.

I learned alot from this personable fellow, a little hard to understand at first but he gives you step by step instructions for many delectable dishes including this one for butter chicken http://www.vahrehvah.com/popvideo.php.... Try making something from one of his videos and see how close you can come to your favourite dish.

[ilikebigmactoo]

Personally speaking, Surya is very bland for my taste. This opinion is shared with a few East Indian I went with

[Backseat Food Critic]

Tried Surya this week on the recc of some Chowhounders - have to say really enjoyed it the flavour was wonderful and I got the impression that they have no problem making each dish to your personal hotness desire... I stepped mine up a bit and hubby had his toned down and both of us were quite pleased with the results... the bill was reasonable and the leftovers were enough for two lunches!

[Office Broccoli]

Went to Tandoori Hut last night. It was really good. I really enjoyed the three sauces that came with our appetizer, the tamarind, mint chutney and a red chili sauce. Had the plain naan which was bubbling, soft but not burnt. There were veggie dumplings with sauce which I really enjoyed and the coconut chicken curry was good too. Service was excellent (what a change in Calgary) even though they were busy.

Been to Surya, highly recommended. Also like the Tarka Dhal at Puspa (Bengali).

[Jetgirly]

I stopped by Puspa today because I was driving past at lunch time (being a teacher it's very exciting to be out and about at lunch!). They have a SIX DOLLAR "lunchbox special"- salad (99% romaine, lightly dressed), rice and curry. I had the mixed vegetable curry which was one of the best "mixed vegetable curries" I've had- it was a good mix of obviously fresh vegetables including cabbage, broccoli and carrots, and there were some chickpeas thrown in too. I doubt you can find a better six-dollar lunch in the city.

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Puspa Restaurant
1051 40 Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2K 0G2, CA

[cadillacgirl]

Tandoori Hut is my favourite - I love their vegetarian dinner for two with the sauces and delicious naan bread... and I always have to start with their lentil soup - I dream of it! One day I'll probably just go and order a whole vat of it with naan :)

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Tandoori Hut
217 10 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1V5, CA

[nadeemq]

Hey I found another nice place the Mantra Restaurant at the In on Crowchild, awesome food buffet on Thu and Sun Eve, the buffet is not everyday and they are closed Mon and Tue, but good Indian food

[sharonanne]

Has anyone been to Nawab? 5th ave east of Center south.

[alley]

yes Nawab is good, same extended family as run the Moti Mahal off 14St and 17Ave SW. Mughlai, northern Indian style mostly. Chicken tikka butter masala, bhindi masala, good tandoori bbq and naan. Parking is a pain if you are coming down in the evening of course.

[sharonanne]

Thanks, looks like we're going there soon. I'll report back. I don't find evening and weekend parking all that bad in downtown. James Short parkade looks like a close choice.

[AriaDream]

There's a little parking lot by the mall that's a very short walk to Nawab. However, they only take cash. I used to park there all the time.

I've been to Nawab many times, and I love it. Make sure you have a reservation though, especially for the lunch buffet, they're not taking people anymore without a reservation.

[ChuckyDee]

I'm also a Nawab fan. I've only been for dinner. Great lamb.

[Major_9000]

Personally I like Taj Mahal, I've always had a good hot meal there. You could say at times they are slow, which is true, but you could also say they never rush their food until it's done...And personally I like the Tacky Taj Mahal ambience.

I live in the South so more and more we're going to Karma off 130th ave. I would say their food is very good and satisfies all my Indian cravings...however if I had to choose I'd rather go to Taj Mahal.

[Major_9000]

Since this thread popped up again, I want to say that Karma has turned into my favorite Indian Restaurant in Calgary. Particularly, because they make vinadaloo very hot, which is how it should be done! And the service is awesome.

[alley]

Have to agree Delhi Darbar has excellent food. I live in the area and ate there again tonight. They have just finished their first year in business, and I am glad to see that they have made it so far. Karma is quite good, but I would pick Delhi Darbar as the best Indian-Pak restaurant south of 17th Ave. Taj Mahal has been through too many ups and downs in the almost 30 years I have been going there, and while Karma has good food I find myself going back to Delhi Darbar. The food is consistently good north Indian style: the Dal Makhani is sinfully rich, and the Bhindi, Chicken Vindaloo (if you order it scorching hot the way it is supposed to be done), Aloo Gobhi, Palak Paneer and the biryanis are all excellent. The menu includes fusion-style dishes, but I have to admit I have not tried them, since I enjoy the classic dishes there, and I leave trying fusion dishes to when I visit Vij's in Vancouver. Delhi Darbar has a very good value buffet every day except Saturday, all the usual dishes and the occasional surprise: I don't go to buffets often, but find it is a good way to enjoy Indian with friends or coworkers, and the buffet there is one of the better ones around, maybe not quite as good as Glory of India, but still high standards and cheap at $12.

[hornvixen]

Just ate three fantastic dishes from Delhi Darbar, and some garlic naan - and it was all very, very good (especially the chickpeas!). Nice to have in the area.

[pants]

i still enjoy surya by the downtown co-op. friendly service and great food - they've been training us with our spice level too, we've been doing pretty well, a little hotter each time...moti mahal is not too bad either, but we keep going back to surya - it's nice when you get to know the people in the restaurant, makes for an even better experience.

[John Manzo]

Hey Pants, does Surya have a dinner buffet?

[pants]

they do on monday and wednesday nights - but it's served mild so if you want some kick order off the menu. I've been to the lunch buffet before and even if it is mild it's still tasty!

[John Manzo]

I was REALLY pissed off and saddened to see that Ruan Thai is suspending its lunch buffet (I've been eating there once a week for, oh, three years or so), but in my grief I walked the block over to Surya (11/11, across the street from Uptown Sushi, as a matter of fact) and had the lunch buffet for the first time (for me) since around their opening.

WOW! It was superb! And the naan- it was tremendous, crispy and buttery, completely distracting. I had curry beef and a couple of veg and it was all lovely- a better lunch buffet than Moti Mahal and a couple of bucks cheaper to boot. I love how they have huge bowls of chutney and raita on ice- keeps them fresh. Anyway, this might become a new weekly haunt for me.

[pants]

i don't take this stuff lightly you know :)

i haven't been for a couple weeks, must go back, hmmm...maybe tonight!

I'm glad you enjoyed it

[pants]

so we did go for dinner last night - tried the buffet for a change - everything was delicious as always and we ate too much as usual, but i think i'll stick to the menu, we've been building our spice tolerance and found we were missing the kick of what we usually get. That isn't to say that the buffet isn't delicious and fresh, just not spicy enough anymore.

Their dinner buffet is the same price as lunch so at $12.99 that's excellent value at dinner.

[feuerzeug]

I'll have to try that one. What do you normally order? Is there a specialty they do that you would recommend?

[pants]

we always get pappadums to start, plain naan (although, I've heard the garlic is good), saffron rice and a combination of 2 of the following(enough for 2 hungry people and one lunch the next day):
chicken madras - so delicious
kadhai lamb
lamb vindaloo
baingan bhartha - best way to eat eggplant.

we're going to have to branch out soon but these dishes are just so tasty

[feuerzeug]

Thanks for that, pants. Next time we go for Indian, we will go to Surya armed with your suggestions!

[Catch22]

Has anyone on the board been to the new Indian joint in Southtrail Crossing in SE Calgary (I think it's called Karma?). I live close by and have been meaning to check it out. If you've been - any recommendations for dishes?

If I'm the first to venture through the gates, I will be sure to post my expereince.

[Merry113]

I've eaten at Karma & it was very tasty. We had the usual suspects....Butter Chicken, etc. It's been a while so I can't remember exactly. I would not hesitate to go back....it's just really, really far from where i live. :)

[amhaffen]

Green Chili in the NW is great for take out - no seating but wonderful food.
Located at Hilltop Plaza
2128 Crowchild Tr. NW

[djdragan]

I tried Surya last night with a couple of friends after hearing they have a dinner buffet on Mon and Wed evenings (something I sorely miss after growing up in Edmonton - dinner buffets are fairly commonplace there).

Everything tasted fresh and was quite tasty, the only thing I didn't care for was the beef curry as it was quite tough. The lamb curry was excellent and the butter chicken was pretty goos as well. One of our party was a vegetarian, and she was thrilled with the selection she she had as well as the taste.

The best thing was the price, only $12.99 a head, a great deal!

[AriaDream]

I got their takeout recently and wasn't particularly impressed. The main dishes were fine, but the samosas weren't that great and the rice pudding was distinctly hard. NOT what I had come to expect from the other Green Chili location.

I'll probably order again just because their the only East Indian place in the upper NW, but I sure hope they do better.

[sharonanne]

Ariadream, I think your reply is to the the mention of Green Chili? It's hard to tell with this format. We liked the buffet but will take your experience as a warning if we consider take-out. I'd like to try their Indian Chinese dishes.

The other East Indian place is the take-out and delivery Masala Express in Ranchlands which has been there for eons. We've been debating if the butter chicken has deteriorated. I don't mean since the 'new' owner took over several years ago but in the last year or so. Is anyone else a regular?

[Zydeco_Mama]

Another great East Indian (takeout only) in the upper North West is Safron across the street from Churchill High School. It is owned by the same people who own the spice store in the same strip mall.

[jsfoodchat]

This place irritates me! It is so SLOW! EVERY single time we have orderde (3 or 4 times) they have taken FOREVER - maybe an hour or more. Once they lost our order TWICE!!! So frustrating!

[ethereal_girl]

I've eaten at Karma twice now, and it's been quite good.

The first time we went they had recently opened. the portions were a bit small and the Butter Chicken was good but not stellar. The other dishes (I think we had Rogan Josh and something else) were very good. I really liked the atmosphere as well, and the diversity of the clientele - couples on a date, older people, small families, etc.

The second time was even better. The portions were larger and the Butter Chicken was great. Everything else the same. Will definitely go back (especially since it's right near us).

[cdn]

Catch22
my husband and I have been there 3 times. the first 2 we were a bit dissapointed with the lunch buffet, we went right when it opened so maybe they were still getting organized. but we decided to give it one more shot the other night for dinner and we ordered off the menu.
the first thing we noticed was restaurant was very busy and smelt delish! we ordered the dinner for 2 for $60.00; lentel soup to start followed by chicken pakora, meat samosa and one other appie but i forget.
then for our main course we choose 3 meat dishes, chicken vindaloo (hot), butter chicken, (quite rich) and a curried beef, (excellent), served with basmati rice and naan a little chewy but still flavorful. mango cheesecake and vanilla icecream followed for dessert, both very good. we were so plesantly surprized with the dinner. it was very good and spicey. my husband eats a lot of indian food overseas, UAE etc. and LOVES it HOT! and he found the vindaloo ,very hot but good. we almost gave up in this place after our first 2 visits but glad that we went back, when we dont feel like driving to the north or DT we will be back. i would give it 3.5 of 5 stars. only because our favorite place in falconridge is 5/5 and this is nowhere close. they sell indian treats there by the 100g soooo good!
anyway, hope that helps.

[yen]

Which place in falconridge is your favourite? I've tried two of the 6 or 7 establishments up there thus far, and they've only been ok...

[cdn]

i guess its really in castleridge, the same strip mall as A1 spice, by the safeway, down in the corner by the thai restaurant.
cant remember ther name right now.....but so good! they have a buffet but we've only ordered off the menu.

[Jasz]

I'm going to guess that you're thinking of Bombay Sweet House, as it's the one I absolutely love for Indian sweets, yum!

[whythreecats]

i've gone a couple of times and it was fantastic. the service was good.
naan bread was great...nice and fresh.
i think they do a lunch buffet...

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Karma Fine Indian Cuisine
4600 130 Ave SE #309, Calgary, AB T2Z 0C2, CA

[feuerzeug]

Waited for 2 hours at Taj Mahal on the weekend for small portions of average food. Only the samosas were outstanding. Have had good experiences at Moti Mahal, Clay Oven and Namskar. I feel like Rajdoot used to be far better; I heard the original owners sold it.

I am still looking for a tandoori chicken as good as the one at the old Curry Pot in Forest Lawn - it was in the strip mall behind what is now Pizza Hut. That place hasn't been there in at least 15 years, but it was so good. I remember they called it chicken tikka, but it was an entire chicken served on a bed of pulao rice.

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Clay Oven Restaurant
3132 26 St NE, Calgary, AB T1Y, CA

Moti Mahal Restaurant
1805 14 St SW, Calgary, AB T2T, CA

Namskar Fine East Indian Cuisine
202 16 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E, CA

Rajdoot Restaurant
2424 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S, CA

[John Manzo]

Mirchi has goat chops too!

[truthserum]

Circled the block to take a peek at the new Firewater, and spotted that Mirchi now has a second location too, with a full dining room. It's on 2nd Ave. SW, just East of 7th Street, in the downstairs spot that was most recently Sahara.

[John Manzo]

Sahara closed?! That means that every place I've taken my department when I was responsible for planning its annual international dinner has closed! First was a Jamaican place in Dover, second was Mt Everests, and now Sahara. I was even joking with the owner about my track record.

[CookieGal]

OH Jamacian in Dover! I miss that place it was soooo good! next to the strip mall church right? I loved it! ox tail curry was so amazing!

[makan2]

Went to Mirchi today for their lunch buffet - $13.99/person - pretty good spread - food with a spicy kick. They had fresh naan, basmati rice, goat curry (omg, so good!), butter chicken, zucchini curry (spicy), pakoras, potatoes and green pepper, tandoor chicken, tandoori short ribs, lentils (so delicious), romaine lettuce with cold pieces of tandoori chicken and salad mix of cucumbers, onion and carrots, raita (yogurty creamy dressing).

Enjoyed the food and the service.

[makan2]

The Mirchi I had my lunch buffet at was the one on 2 Ave and 7 St SW - used to be Sahara.

[John Manzo]

FWIW Mirchi is Pakistani.

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Mirchi
825 12 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2R 0J2, CA

[stephen_35]

What i came to know Mirchi is chili in Indian & Pakistani PUNJABI or URDU language

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Mirchi
825 12 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2R 0J2, CA