Restaurant Review: Banjara Indian Cuisine

Banjara Indian Cuisine
796 Bloor St.W
Toronto, On
M6G 1L7
Ph: 416 963 9360

http://www.torontobanjara.com/

After reading a thread about great indian cuisine this was the place everyone pointed to. Although it is quite far from where I live, I made the trek down for dinner. The restaurant is walkable distance from Christie station, and they do have limited parking which I was able to get. As I was pulling into the parking lot I notice the number of people standing at the bar waiting for a table, and as I entered the establishment, we were greeted right away and asked to wait for about 10 mins for a table for 2. I say it took about 20 mins to wait, as more and more people came in, and alot of them was to pick up their take out. This was promising because many places around the neighborhood at the time was dead and had no customers. There was a huge mix of people eating at this place, and alot of them caucasian.


Photo: Inside Restaurant

The restaurant didn't have very nice decor, and my friend pointed out that it looked like a travel agency above the cashier. They still had their christmas lights out, and the place is very small. From the picture above there was one more table beside me, and you can see how small the place is. Inside was not very well lit, and my pictures might look a bit dark as the christmas lights on the window gave it a glow.


Photo: Meat Samosa

We started off with a meat samosa as an appetizer and it came with this crispy chip item that was a little salty. I wanted to try their Sweet Lassi which on the menu described it as a yogurt type drink. The Samosa was well portioned and had little pieces of meat inside it. The crust wasn't too oily but very crispy. When we bit into it, the food wasn't really hot in temperature and was not very spicy. The Lassi was good, not something I drink very regularly, but nothing very spectacular. It was a good start to the meal.

The table we sat at was very small, and they put 3 very small table very close together to fit 3 groups of 2 people. So it wasn't very spacious and we didn't have much privacy, but the people beside us (stuck in the middle) was very nice, and saw me with a camera, and said this place is great, and they live across the street. They loved every item on the menu, and that they try many dishes and never has been disappointed.


Photo: Butter Chicken Combo Platter

Then came the main course. I decided to get the Butter Chicken combo platter which included, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, butter and rice. There was 2 items I don't remember the name of and do not know of the item's name. The food came out very quickly, before I finished my Samosa, and made it difficult to place all the food around the table. I asked for my food to be mild, as I am not a big fan of spicy food. This was a good level of spice for me when I started eating my meal. The food wasn't hot again, and I am starting to wonder if they premade these food that everyone orders and just heat it up. Also the meal came with a Naan, which was good, and to my liking. It was soft and crispy and that was the only hot item I received that I can remember all night. All the items were good on the combo, and gave me a good chance to try alot of their food at once.

By the end of the meal, I was quite full. Dinner for 2, which included the lassi, 2 combos, samosa and a beer came to $50 with tip. And the crowd didn't dissipate and there was still a large number of people waiting for a seat. I didn't get a chance to visit the washroom, so I cannot give my review of that. The dishes and glasses were clean, and the service was good. They came by twice during my 50 min meal to refill the water. The watiresses took your orders via a handheld device which I don't see quite often, and if you wanted to conduct a business meeting there I believe they have wifi, because I found a hotspot with the name of the restaurant. Overall I would come back to this restaurant, and would like to try their other dishes. My friend also commented he has been to another restaurant which is better, so I'm really interested about that place as well.

I give this place 3/5

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