An absolutely incredible meal! We loved all of the cocktails we tried, and couldn't possibly rave more about the food. We started with the kinu cauliflower, which was their take on orange chicken glaze. It was absolutely delicious, and the perfect start to the meal. For entrees, we had the goat dum biryani and the lamb rogan josh, both of which were incredible. My husband loved the biryani, and was so happy to be able to have the puff pastry (he normally cannot due to being gluten-intolerant). I also liked it a lot, but preferred the rogan josh because the lamb shank was so tender and perfectly cooked. I wish we could've tried so many other items on the menu, but we were unfortunately way too stuffed. I would've happily come back for more meals if we had more time in Victoria! read more

See all

The food was interesting and modern and the servers were pleasant, however, they struggled badly with timing. Our drinks didn't come until after dinner started and the kitchen was a bit slow. Ambience was pleasant but music was too loud in small space with hard surfaces. It made it tough to converse. read more

Me and some friends are in town. Really great atmosphere when we walked in. We decided to share a couple of different plates and everything was amazing. The service was also great and we felt very taken care of. Would absolutely come back here! read more

Exceptional doesn't even begin to describe last nights dinner experience at Kinu. The service from Tyler was beyond anything we have ever had, his knowledge, kindness and attentiveness is spot on and on a level Victoria isn't used to, he's a special gem to any establishment. Now to the food. My friend and I shared their Tandoor Prawns, cucumber salad and roti and it's top notch delicious. For our mains we had the lamb shank, which was melt in your mouth decadence and my friend had the butter chicken which was spot of seasoned. Their naan bread is the best I've ever had and their mocktails were perfect replicas of the alcohol versions. My only one hiccups is their reservation system and lack of communication. It's lacking professionalism We tried to directly book through Kinus website 3 times and didn't get a reply, I sent a direct email that is on Kinus website and to this day, I still haven't received a reply... I'm eager to go back and try their palak paneer and other diving dishes! I highly recommend Kinu for the food and Tyler for the best service ever. read more

where do I start!? from the thoughtful and modern new interior design, to the carefully curated menu that represents everything that I love about Indian food, Kinu is incredible. We went on a Friday for a late lunch and practically ordered everything on the menu because we couldn't decide. the mango lassi was some of the best I've tasted, and everything from their take on fish tacos to the show stopping biriyani that came as full table-side performance from our server was incredible. Some of the dishes are as low as $8 which really was insane. They even catered for our 5 year old "fussy" eater by adapting one of their Naan selections. I cannot recommend them highly enough, we flew in from Toronto for a short visit and honestly I can't wait to eat here again when we come back (oh and as a side note, yes we did take alllll of our many leftovers back to the hotel and my husband and I ate them stone cold for breakfast - still just as delicious!) read more

Kinu - Fish tacos and Masala prawns - Indian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

See all

What a wonderful experience filled with unique flavors and fantastic service. My family enjoyed eight different dishes each of which tantalized the palate. The Marsala Prawns. Pakora Gnocchi, Buttered Chicken and Dum Biryani definitely were our favorites. Well done the Kinu Team read more

My partner and I were eager to try the menu at Kinu and we were elated! We started with the goat cheese and nan. If you don't like goat cheese, I suggest you still try this dish, as it magic in a bowl, paired with the best nan I've had in years! We tried the tacos and gnocchi: DELICIOUS! While the tacos had a balanced flavour and light crunch, the gnocchi was soft, pillowy with a pop of crisp from the onion bhaji and kale. The portions were great for price, especially in a city where one can pay $40.00 for a 1/2 cup of gnocchi elsewhere. We sipped on a couple of their signature cocktails while eating, which clearly showcased their knowledge of mixology! At the end of our meal, our server heard us wishing each other Happy Anniversary. On the house, the server offered us a couple glasses of prosecco and a slice of the saffron cheesecake (this cheesecake is a must try! It's not your typical dairy- and sugar-heavy cheesecake. It's light with a saffron sweetness). This was the best meal I've had in the city in recent history-- very excited to have this place in the neighbourhood! I strongly recommend you check it out--- let's keep it open! read more

We ordered butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, plain naan, and paneer pakora. The pakora was lacking flavour and overall not that good, but the curries and naan were fresh and very well seasoned! The quality of the chicken in the curry was very good. The amount of rice that comes with the curry is really small though. We like our food spicy and they offer many different levels of spicy. We will be back! read more

Kinu - Paneer pakora was okay - Indian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

See all

I visited for the lunch buffet ($14.50 plus tax), having anticipated their many vegan options. My expectations were exceeded: they had tons of vegan options on offer for the buffet, including chana masala, dahl, aloo gobi, and a peas and cabbage dish. They also had veggie pakoras / bhaji and a salad bar with lots of vegan options. They even offered to do vegan naan (made with coconut oil instead of butter). The food quality was excellent, especially for a buffet; the aloo gobi and pea/cabbage dish were especially excellent. I left feeling full and happy. What a place -- I'll definitely return next time I'm in Victoria. Highly recommended. read more

Kinu - Assortment of vegan dishes from lunch buffet - Indian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I typically do not write negative reviews but I actively want to prevent others from wasting money on food from this place. I feel sick from the meal. It was overwhelmingly salty, extremely spicy-- to the point of being inedible on one of the dishes, when we requested mild, and all-around sub-par. Even the mango lassi was gross-- too thick to be drinkable and had a overtly sour taste. The meal was expensive and was supposed to be a treat for my family. We tried several dishes-- none of them were good. I just took a long walk to try and get rid of the sick-feeling. I know the meal was too salty because my hands swelled up as I walked. Now that I am back, I need to go see if we have any Tums or Pepto Bismol because I still feel disgusting. We got the meal as take out. We had planned on enjoying the left overs but I will be throwing it in the compost. What a waste on so many levels. read more

Really bad, said everything was gluten free when it wasn't!!!

We hired the Bawa family's team at Sizzling Tandoor to cater for two weddings. The entire 10 day event, we were treated like family, the whole team was flexible with orders, quick with delivery, and thoughtful in service. We had the choice in creating our own menu for each day, being able to think outside the menu, and we had live cooking at our home, and at the gurthwara. It was the service we needed to get through these events. P.s the bbq was the best! read more

I haven't found any other all-you-can-eat buffets in Victoria that I like as much as Sizzling Tandoor. Their lunch buffet is open daily until 3 pm and it's $13 per person for an unlimited, delicious, Indian feast. To be quite honest, it's hard to eat a lot of anything because the naan and rice fill you up so much but I love having the opportunity to try a bunch of different curries and only pay one price. If you're heading over and time isn't an issue, I recommend going at about 2 pm on a weekday, as it's relatively empty but the service is still amazing. All of the staff that I've encountered there have been incredibly nice and conversational and a big plus is that they bring an entire large bottle of water to the table so that you can fill up your glass whenever you'd like, instead of waiting for your server to notice your sweat and pour you some more. For someone like me, who loves spice (even though spice doesn't love me...) this is perfect. For food suggestions, I highly recommend just trying a little bit of everything and seeing what you like the best. Personally, I'm a huge fan of their butter chicken because it has a good kick to it without being overwhelming (plus the chicken is super soft and delish) and I'm ALWAYS stoked to have more of their veggie pakoras. Sizzling Tandoor, you'll always have a special place in my heart. read more

Kinu - All you can eat is a challenge waiting to be fulfilled, every time. - Indian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

The food and service were good, but this place needs a solid clean and some maintenance money. The wait staff were very good, especially the young lady with the long hair. The food was very good too. No complaints about that. However: -the chairs should have been replaced a few years ago, the surfaces have all peeled leaving the cloth mesh under the shiny part exposed. All of them needed to be swapped out, - the windows were absolutely filthy on the inside. If you get a window seat try your paper napkin against it, or just run your fingers along it. It will absolutely shock you. Wash your hands if you touch the windows, but see the note about the washrooms below, - the floor we could see under the buffet carts was terribly filthy, - there were running streaks of food on the wall and down the side of the buffet carts that I don't know the age of, but they looked like long term residents, - the mens washrooms were out of order and the womens only had one working toilet, and - there was a cupboard door under one of the buffet tables that was hanging by one hinge. If this is how the lounge part looks, I wonder what the kitchen looks like. I certainly did not want to try the $14.50 buffet. The staff there seemed to be tried extra hard to make our visit nice, but when they were not at the table and we had a chance to look around we regretted going in there. read more

I've been to the Westshore location but not to this one, until today. I have never been to the buffets until today either. All I can say is WOW! I was really impressed. At first, it looks pretty small, but once you get up close and look there was actually a pretty decent assortment. I was really happy about the many many options for vegetarians, which were all clearly marked with a "V" on the displays. All the dishes were clearly labelled so you always knew what was what, and for a buffet it was kept quite clean and tidy. (impressive, especially given as to how it was quite a busy Saturday lunch service) No tray was left empty for too long -- they were always quick to refill. I also was pleased with them immediately bringing not only water glasses to our table but an entire water carafe which they left on the table and we didn't even have to ask! (it is a huge pet peeve, especially at buffets, to try to get refills or get a snarky look when you ask them to leave a pitcher of water on the table) The food was fresh and tasty. There was rice, raita, and naan to accompany as well as some chutneys and pickles if desired. My dining companion ordered off the menu as she didn't want the buffet and her food arrived pretty quickly which was amazing considering the chefs were probably busy trying to keep on top of the buffet. Really impressed. And at $14 this is definitely the way to go, especially if you'd like a little variety without having to order 6 dishes off the menu. I only wish they'd add a dinner buffet. Even if they charged more, I think it'd do really well. read more

Just moved to Victoria and was craving for Indian food. I tried their buffet today it was delicious. Very good price and a lot of varieties on the buffet menu. I loved that had a special section for chutney, Indian style pickle, salad and desert. Very satisfied with my first visit and will visit again for sure. read more

Kinu - Indian Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

See all

This is the newest location of a restaurant with the same name and owners in downtown Victoria. It just opened recently as part of the newest phase of Uptown. If I were reviewing the food, I would give them 5 stars, no problem. Some of the best Indian food I've ever eaten, hands down. Came here for dinner with the boy, and we left feeling gluttonous. I had the Kashmiri Kofta. It was glorious! So well spiced and flavorful. Boyfriend had Chicken Tikka Masala. He basically inhaled it. The rice was cooked well, the naan was soft and hot.... We had vegetable samosas for an appetizer, and they were perfectly executed with some tasty mango chutney on the side. I am deducting 3 stars for the service. I'm fairly certain this is a case of new restaurant growing pains, but it was not the most pleasurable dining experience. They were slow to greet us, slow to seat us, slow to take our orders, and slow to serve us. My water glass was empty while I was eating my main course, and it was never refilled. Not good when you're eating spicy food. Once we were finished eating, it took quite a long time to get our check, and quite a long time for the debit/credit machine to make it to our table. We would have considered ordering house-made chai and dessert, but we didn't want to be there another hour. In general, the waitresses seemed.... new.... and confused. I hope they work these service issues out, or else I will likely be a take-out customer only. I hope given some time I can update this review with some more stars. read more

I took my wife and 6 months baby there. We were walking in the nearby trail then we decided to have our lunch there. The server as soon as we headed the buffet came next to the food trays and pretended she's busy with kitchen staff through the window there. There's a small window next to the buffet in which the server takes the dishes and serve them to the table (for ppl don't want buffet). So she was watching us all time what we put into our plates and what we do with the food. Was very uncomfortable to have her eying us and didn't know why. Our empty plates stayed on our table for ever and when we went to get food for the 2nd time (and last) she did the same thing. When we headed to pay, we waited at the cashier area for 10mins they didn't come to help us until we called them. One was staying at the window and the other was pretending sweeping the floor. The service sucked, NEVER again. Beware. P.S. we went on Friday at 2 o'clock few wknds ago. Servers were two, one slim and white, the other was brown and a bit stocky. Avoid!! read more

I was pretty excited about trying the food here so we took our son for a birthday meal. Between 5 of us we shared: Appy: Fish Pakoras Paneer Pakoras Keema Naan (lamb suffed bread) Mains: Chicken Tika Butter Chicken Vindaloo Beef Curry Serving sizes were perfect for the 5 of us. Food was good but not spectacular. I personally, found the Pakoras to be way too salty. Menu says they come with chutnets but not what I consider a chutnet. The paneer came with a sweet sauce of some sort that was tasty enough. The fish came with a spicy cilantro type sauce that I enjoyed but no one else from our party did. We ordered the Keema Naan but received the Paneer Naan. Once the mistake was pointed out they quickly brought us a new naan which solved the problem. No conflict, no extra charge. This is the kind of customer service you expect. The butter chicken sauce tasted a little too commercial. It definitely had that canned "Campbells Soup" flavour to it. But the chicke was cooked perfectly. The chicken tikka was exactly what we expected. The beef Vindaloo was my favorite, rich, spicey, delicious. Final bill was around $73. Would I be in a rush to go back? No. but its worth checking out to see if its your thing. read more

Just the best. Their lunch buffet is so generous I can easily get two days' lunch for takeout, and everything is delicious and authentic!

This is by far my most favourite restaurant. I have been a few times, and everytime I have been I have been impressed with the quality of the food. A couple of times that I was there, the owner came over and personally said hello and was very friendly. I have not been for the lunch buffet, only for dinner. The food is pricier than average, but well worth it. I have found that the service has improved from when I first went in in the summer time. The waitresses seem quite knowledgeable and can describe the food well. I definately recommend a side of the naan bread to accompany any of the curries...it is huge and delicious! I like that parking is very easy as it is at uptown mall. It is best to drive up Douglas street and enter from the side. They have always been busy when I have gone there, so it may be best to call ahead if your in a rush. I am looking forward to my next meal there. read more

Initially and throughout, the water was potable with a refreshing crisp! We were successfully seated with our little Italian Greyhound in a medium-sized Sherpa-pet airline bag. We promised him butter chicken that we never gave him. Maybe tomorrow. ---------=------------------=--------- (+) Extremely clean feeling modern aesthetic. I like the pretty blue alcohol wall. (+) The Garlic & Basil Naan was delightfully slathered; most other Indian places I've been add hardly a hint of flavor. Here, just ask and you'll receive. (+) The chicken was just so delectably tender -- not overcooked a hair! (+) The curries I tried, Kabuli and Butter Chicken -- absolutely fantastic. Some of the best I've enjoyed. An exquisite balance of flavors (+) Massive curry portions. I came home with leftovers. The Butter Chicken, a creamy and reliable favorite; the Kabuli Chicken was sweet, savory, and wonderfully textured with nut puree. [ - ] Unfortunately, the dinner entree rice that came with the curries was noticeably unfresh. ---------=------------------=--------- Expect to spend $40 for two people. Reasonable. The mango lassi was okay. The food was outstanding. Except the rice freshness. read more

Terrible. Honestly they get two stars bc they were really nice and took an order right as their kitchen was closing. I've had reheated frozen meal butter chickens' that were better than this ....really wanted to like this place, friendly service, nice looking restaurant but CRAZY that I paid almost 20$ for huge pieces of very obviously pre cooked and reheated chicken breast which was flabby and stringy, way overly tomato flavoured sauce that was feeling old as well, and rice which seemed like re heated uncle Ben's. Not to mention the bread: I know Naan can be chewy and that can be part of the appeal....but in this case, I could barely chew and swallow it. read more

Hands down best Indian restaurant in Victoria. Always great service and their food is amazing. Such an authentic dining experience. Try it, you won't be disappointed!!! read more

Love this place. Great food, great service, great location. Butter chicken and pakoras are so yummie. My personal favs. Free parking. Highly recommend. read more

I was excited to try this restaurant as I LOVE Indian food. I went to meet a friend I haven't seen in months for dinner on a Monday night. I ordered the butter chicken. It was crazy salty and the next day I had intense so school cramps and the runs. The runs lasted the entire week and on the Friday I called to report that I had gotten food poisoning...most likely salmonella from the restaurant. I was transferred to a "senior" server as there was no manager present. I was promised a call back. I'm still waiting for my call back a week and a half later! Horrible food...will NEVER go back. Don't eat here unless you like sitting on the toilet! read more

The Best Indian Food In Victoria! This is a great place to eat, the wonderful decore and ambiance of this place makes you feel like you are anywhere but Victoria. The service was wonderful. I will be going back over and over again. I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for excellent food, service and ambiance. S read more

Food is pretty good, the lunch buffet was pretty good, and I've gotten some bread and appys for take out. Any time I've been the service has been good and pretty quick. read more

As a newbie to Indian food I was very impressed. Overall an excellent experience! The waitress was patient in explaining the types of curries and choices. The food came quickly. We fully enjoyed their chicken curries. Our vegetarian eater ordered the eggplant vegetarian dish was a bit bland and could have been served hotter (heat, not spice) according to her. Rice servings could be a bit bigger for the doubles, but naan servings were generous. The mild is very mild indeed for this newbie. I will likely go for medium next time, especially with the yummy raita. I will definitely go back. read more

I left a public message on this Facebook page for management to explain the situation that occurred last week. This has not happened. Instead I can no longer find my post asking for clarification around a certain policy to do with mis-ordered food. So, since I have no faith in the management responding let alone keeping that post public, I figured I would share my horrific experience here. I have never been treated to the kind of customer service in my life I received here. I am not sure if this is now becoming usual practice of charging for food that was not ordered? If so, I'd advise against coming here as this is what happened to me. Also, I'd like this clearly explained by the establishment whose manager was apparently too busy cooking to come talk with my party. Our waitress misunderstood our table's order and we ended up with five dishes instead of four (for four people and we said nothing about a to-go order). Another waitress (the only one who actually tried to fix the situation) brought our food out and commented how five dishes wasn't right was it? After trying to leave the fifth order at our table in a take out box, our waitress returned to explain that she was just going to leave the order to go and essentially, because she misheard our order, we would be charged for the five meals. Apparently, she had explained this situation to the manager and said we could speak with her if we wanted. Yes, of course I would like the manager to have this policy explained to me and my party. After being ignored and with blatant stares from staff from the window, our waitress finally returned to inform me the manager was too busy to come speak to us as she was cooking in the back. The other waitress was there actually refilling our drinks (imagine that!), and said to her colleague this was a server error and apologized to us. I had to chase down our waitress even for a take out box and getting our bill wasn't much easier. This is truly unfortunately as I live walking distance to Uptown and work nearby. I have taken out food several times and has always been my to-go Indian restaurant. I would at least like some sort of recognition from this establishment for being a long-time customer. read more

Hi guys, I don't usually write reviews but I feel compelled to do so after my curry again tonight. I've been a bit of a connoisseur of curry for forty years and the key to a great curry house is consistency. Every time I have had a Lamb Vindaloo (Hot) from you it has been outstanding. The spice exactly right, the meat tender - just a real treat. I live up at Shawnigan, but any opportunity I get to have a curry from you, I take it. Thank you and again, congratulations. Keep up the great work! David Robertson DBR- Sent from my iPad read more

I actually never tried Indian food before going here so my review is incredibly biased, but I loved it and have ordered from here a few times since. The staff were very relaxed, as well, so the atmosphere was nice. I don't have much experience with Indian food (yet) but I really enjoy it from this restaurant and I'm glad I went. read more

The butter chicken is absolutely amazing!! However, the lamb sheesh kabab is not that good because the meat tasted quite old. The customer service/waiter/waitress' are very friendly however, they should be consistent in their messaging for to go orders (walk in and over the telephone). read more

This place is consistently delicious and always satisfying. We love going to the buffet which is always freshly stocked and very reasonably priced. The regular menu will also never disappoint; with big portions and a variety of options. You also get a complimentary order of naan bread with your meal. read more

We ordered the navrattan korma and palak paneer, both we're seasoned horribly. The korma tasted like canned tomato soup and the palak made me want to vomit. I wish there was some quality control between all three locations because the downtown and Langford locations are so great! read more

We had the lunch buffet today at the Uptown location and it was really really good. The restaurant was clean, comfortable and modern, and we were seated promptly and given water right away. The staff were friendly and as attentive as needed with a buffet. We had a look at the menu and a peek at the buffet and decided to go with the buffet. For $13 it was a great value. We had rice, pakoras, butter chicken, pork curry, curried pakora, potatoes and peas (quite spicy but delicious) and a vegetable dish. The waitress brought us a basket of delicious hot fresh naan. There is also a salad / fruit (melon) and yogurt section and rice pudding. The food was hot, fresh and promptly refilled when low. Everything was delicious and mostly flavourful with a bit of spice, while not too hot for the average tastebuds. The price was great - you could eat as much as you like but one plate was plenty with a bit of the melon and rice pudding for dessert. I passed on the salads. We will definitely go back and my Mum is planning a dinner to try the lamb biryani. read more

Not very good. I would call it Westernized Indian food. Definitely wouldn't go back. Way over priced for quality too.

My son and I love Indian food and we have experienced some of the best Indian food in places like Little India in Toronto. We were exited to try the Sizzling Tandoor as we had been looking for good Indian food since we moved to Victoria. I have to say we were unimpressed at best and, honestly, disappointed. I ordered the roasted eggplant dish and asked if I could replace the rice with naan. The server told us there were no substitutions so I ordered a side of naan. The naan was good but the eggplant was frankly uneatable. It came undercooked with huge chunks of uncooked onion, lots of onions and cut in big pieces. Eggplant is a great vegetable to infuse with flavour but mine was tasteless except for the hot chilli. I could not even taste curry in it. I have had this dish in other restaurants and I have to say that this one lacked the flavour dimensions and complexity of spices that characterizes good and tasty Indian food. I tasted some of my son's prawn tikka masala and while a lot more tasty than my dish, it was not memorable. We also ordered the naan stuffed with ground lamb. It tasted of meat kept in the refrigerator for too long. In addition to this, the service was slow and unhelpful. I asked the server if there had been a mistake in the cooking of my dish and her reply was simply: "this is how the dish is cooked". In any good restaurant, the server would have at least offered to take the dish back and ask the chef to cook it a bit longer, not in this case. After seeing me trying to remove the big chunks of onions from my eggplant dish, the server came back and offered me a 10% discount. This was a nice gesture but considering that I could barely eat my dish, it was not enough. If you don't like undercooked big chunks of onion, do not order this dish or at least ask that they cook it extra. And maybe bring some of your own spices with you from home. read more

My friends have raved about how awesome this place was so my family and I thought we would take my aunt out for a birthday lunch. It wasn't very clean inside which is never a good sign. Service was slow and they all seemed very uninterested in actually being there. We ordered some pakoras which were very dry and the chutney that came with it was sickly sweet. I ordered the garlic basil naan bread. and it looked/tasted like they just coated the bread in oil and threw a handful of garlic powder on top. There was also no hint or sign of basil. I ordered a chicken vindaloo and they made it vegetation. All the curries were very bland and under seasoned. My aunt is a vegan and on their drink menu they advertise Bloody Mary's made with tomato juice (all Bloody Mary's are traditionally made with tomato juice) so my aunt ordered a virgin Bloody Mary and after a few sips she realized it was Clamato. We double checked with the server and were informed they don't actually carry plain tomato juice. This was a HUGE piss off for us. Don't advertise that you have a drink that is traditionally made with tomato juice and even write on your menu that it is made with tomato juice if you do not carry it. The desserts were good but no where near good enough to make up for everything else. Over all it was an insanely disappointing experience and I feel so awful that this was what we did for my aunts birthday. read more

We went for the lunch buffet here and thought it met the mark as far as Indian buffets go. The food was still fresh and hot even though it was almost 3 pm. I personally would've liked a little more spice but understand that when in Canada, do as Canadians do! They were pretty accommodating when we asked for kheer (rice pudding) even though it was well past the buffet closing time. read more