The Best Indian Restaurants in Toronto

i'd argue that lahore has the best food but in terms of over all pleasure quotient it's definitely a deserved ranking. and drinking 'thums up' with your food is always a welcome treat.

I'm shocked Bombay Palace didn't make the cut.

There's no such area as "Little India" in Toronto. The Gerrard & Coxwell area is officially called "India Bazaar". http://www.gerrardindiabazaar.com/index.php
Cheers

Uhmm I'm totally losing faith in BlogTo. THE best Indian food in Toronto is @ Babur (273 Queen Street West) 416-599-7720 http://www.babur.ca.

@phil: while i'm totally down with Babur as one of the better purveyors of sub-continental chow in our fair burgh, you only have yourself to blame that it didn't make the list. i mean we ASKED YOU for your faves and we only rated what we got...work it out for next year and stop blaming the writers!

Interesting that in the 'top 10' there is only one establishment from Little,...oops, the Gerrard India Bazaar. That might have something to do with the fact that none of them, including the Lahore, seem to understand the concept of 'good service'.

To aahhrrgg: if you want authenticity, as in what many us would have experienced in India, it isn't about "good service". To people from South Asia, which is what Gerrard caters to, it is about good food, quantity and affordability. Smarmy white people like you need to stick to the "haute" Indian food that is now sprouting - nice, pretty plated presentations, with little spice containing ingredients real Indians wouldn't use. Oh yeah, and have a glass of wine with it (Indians don't drink wine with dinner, if ever).

Desi Man
"Shmarmy white people" Give me a fucking break.
"Indians don't drink wine with dinner" None of them? 1.1 BILLION!
http://indianwine.com/cs/default.aspx
http://www.sommelierindia.com/blog/
http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/mar/16wine.htm

Lahore Tikka House is actually Pakistani, not Indian.

Wihte-Ass Matt, if you ever care to remove the white sheet that you wear, and actually met some Indian people (Canadian-born or otherwise) you'd learn that about 99.9% NEVER drink wine with their INDIAN food. Many, including myself, do drink wine with other types of food. The offering of wine, along with the haute Indian food industry, is simply a new way to generate huge revenues to a discerning non-Indian market that wants plating, presentation and yes, service, to match the huge amounts they pay for other "haute" foods. Nothing wrong with it but it is completely devoid of authenticity, particularly in ingredients, cost and (especially) quantity.

So kindly fuck off, yourself. You know shit about real Indian food.

Oh yeah, and furthermore Matty, you quote "1.1 BILLION". Again, to ANYONE that has been to India and seen the abject poverty that exists, the very thought that 100% of the population (that would be 100%, shit-for-brains) is drinking wine with their meals (while living in a house made out of shit (literally) and dining by candlelight (not for romantic reasons)) is unintentional Caucasian hilarity to the max!!

I'm kinda shocked my grandmother's kitchen didn't make the cut. Best Indian food this side of the ocean, for sure. =)

Can we please have constructive debate without resorting to racial jabs and name calling? Please?

Common!!
i Love going to Lahore Tikka house..
But you cant tell me a nice cold beer wouldn't go great with that Butter chicken!

OK, I'll try to say it nicer than the other fellow: a cold beer definitely goes with Indian food. But he is correct: wine is never consumed with "proper" Indian food. Not that it can't be (that's up to the diner), it just "isn't".

Wine (both red and white) can be paired amazingly with Indian food. I've worked with a great chef and created a killer paired tasting menu before. You're missing out if you refuse to bend your rigid rules, IMO. :)

Jerrold, point taken. I took more offense to the first guy complaining about "service". I'm not saying it's right but a place like Lahore Tikka House that is located where most of its clientele is South Asian is not going to be losing sleep about service. The service is indeed poor but authentic Indian restaurants (there and here) are about quality, quantity and affordability - South Asians don't care about "service" in their own establishments. If they'r not happy, they'll just yell at the owner or cancel their order (if they haven't paid yet) while the meal is being cooked!!

jerrold, it's not about "rigid rules". I'm sure ketchup tastes great on barbecued pork or duck, but you'll never get anyone in Chinatown to go for it.

This is about culture - South Asians generally drink water with their meals, and perhaps a yogurt based drink afterward (to temper any spices - if they're not having a milk-based dessert). The entrance of wine into everyday Indian dining will NEVER happen for a country so steeped in tradition (and forget wine in Pakistani dining - no alcohol for Muslims!!), that is also heavily regionalized in its cuisine (and where a fair number of people don't partake of alcohol)

@ hammers

I was responding to your wine is never consumed with "proper" Indian food statement, hence my calling it rigid.

I'm not suggesting that you're incorrect in your arguing that most Indians don't drink wine with Indian food. That may very well be true. But the food (yes, even proper Indian food) most certainly is enjoyable with wine (which is an excellent spicy food match).

I am also shocked that Bombay Palace is not present! The samosas are the best I've ever had and the service is impeccable!

Best Cheap Indian has gotta be Biryani House at Yonge and Bloor.

We do have a large amount of indian fare in Toronto!
If for some strange reason you find your way to Malton or Rexdale you will find massive amounts of North Indian Fare..
Tandoori Time is one of my fav's......Built in a abandoned KFC!!!!

I love the Indian food I've found in Toronto but every now an dthen get homesick for a sloppy, super tasty, British style Indian meal, does anyone have any idea where I could get one?

@Kate
Tikka Masala Butter chicken etc..

Lahore Tikka house..

If you feel like splurging ($$$$) try Jaaadu at Yonge & St.Clair.

If you don't want good service with your meal, then maybe go back to India. In Canada I expect good service of a restaurant whatever the restaurant type is.
I personally like Anjappar in Scarborough - it's pretty authentic since they have branches in India as well, Host (2 locations), Biryani House and a few others I can't remember.
Regarding the authentic or not, who the f**k cares. If it's good food, it doesn't even have to be Indian owned.

There is also a difference between "authentic" and "traditional." With so many regional variations and so many people, there is a lot of "authentic" Indian food, in other words, what Indian people eat. Absolutely, a lot of that is traditional, and even the haute Indian places in Toronto serve traditional fare (but in a more refined way). But here, and in India, the cuisine also includes modern components that reflect Canadian, and world influences. I had tandoori mushrooms Saturday at Nirvana (in Mississauga), and they were phenomenal. All through India, I never saw such a dish. Great use of the tandoor, I say.

I think customer service in India is pretty good thanks to the disciplined work ethic ingrained in the working class. I disagree that Lahore Tikka house is representative of Indian establishments and customer care, it is not true.
Regardless, I've been to Lahore Tikka House a number of times and have not had any issues with the customer care. I find the servers very warm and genuine, without any pretenses. And if you're too lazy to get up and pour your own water, then that's too bad.

@N, thanks for xenophobic rant!! Given that I've never lived in India, I'll pass on your invitation to "go back". I didn't say that I didn't "want" good service. I said "don't expect" great service in a location that caters to primarily South Asians. In a location that caters to non-South Asians, you should excellent service with your 1987 chardonay and tandoori-infused brocoli florets.

Should they improve service? Of course. Much like the Markham-based Chinese restaurants, where you once couldn't get served if you weren't fluent in Cantonese, which now flourish with some non-Chinese clientele.

Desi Man, not a xenophobe. Just pointing out that a service is a requirement for eating out in Canada. I might as well make my own curry if I am not getting a service at a restaurant...

I find it also strange that a lot of times Indian restaurant or an Indian cookbook is being dismissed because it is not authentic enough (the author or the owner is most often Indian too). Most often from Indian people and I also find it strange that they complain how this food is catered for white people... Many Indian people I know use premade sauces when making their dishes, yet I make the effort to use mortar and pestle. Now you tell me what's more authentic? Maybe my hand is not authentically Indian, but I think I can make a pretty decent dish - certainly better tasting than whatever sauce you can buy.
To me a restaurant is a restaurant regardless of who is the primary target market. If it sucks, it sucks regardless of how authentic it is. And I don't expect to drink chardonay or eat tandoori-infused brocolli florets, but you had to put it there... why not admit that a good Indian restaurant that can be authentic and serve wide variety of people?

saffron tree is best indian restaurant in toronto.
excellent food.people who like indian food I recomand them to go to this place and try out.it is located at 91 gerrard st west(bay and gerrard st

Desi Man, stop acting uncouth, assuming you are not actually uncouth. Not very Indian of you, is it?

I am Indian and god, I loathe people like you just standing by eager to take offence at absolutely nothing and then needlessly defending the other 1.1 billion of us. We can manage by ourselves thank you very much.

Yuck...

Wow, I can't believe some of these ugly comments.

Your right, Indians don't traditionally drink wine with their food. Sometimes beer - India is quite different now. A lot of people with more money to spend and there has been fusion, evolution in the food. However, yes as a Indian living in Canada, we always had water or lassi.

Also, for the individual trying to use the terminology "curry" - Indians don't actually use the word "curry". There is a Punjabi dish called curry (sounds different) (yellow, soup-like with pakoras made with yogourt). However, we have names for each and every dish - no spice called curry - it's a mixture of spices.

What I really wanted to say is that downtown Indian restaurants just don't do what you can get the suburbs - for example Brar Sweets at Albion has amazing vegetarian food. Mississauga has some great restos too. Let's also not generalize about good/bad service at Indian restaurants.

I can't believe Little India Restaurant didn't make the list! Their service is exceptional and the food is fantastic! Plus you can't beat the value of their lunch buffet.