Went here on a date and it was lovely, they even had beer from India, the food was delicious and the staff were friendly and respectful. We've been together 6 years now and we come here for anniversaries and other special occasions but also whenever we have cravings for good Indian cuisine. read more

Food was average. we went with the thought that it will serve the legacy of Moti Mahal Delhi restaurants but it was not what it was supposed to be Ambience needs serious work up. Service was good read more

We went there on a Wednesday afternoon for lunch and got there around 1:15pm and they took us even though lunch hours end at 1:30. We got Shahi Paneer thali and Malai kofta thali. All Thalis come with daal, rice, salad, fruit, vegetable jalfrezi and naan. The portion size is perfect for lunch. Their rotis are excellent and I usually substitute naan for roti just to make my meal a little healthier. Everything was fresh, flavorful (not too spicy but they can make it more or less spicy), and not too oily. The service was excellent too. I would definitely go back. read more

Moti Mahal - Thali with Malai Kofta - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Best North Indian food in North America. Solid Mughlai dishes! Flawless naan and meat curries

Very impressed with the servers knowledge of all the dishes and how to accommodate the vegan in our group. The eggplant dish was a hit and the other dishes we had were excellent. Price and presentation was excellent and we were made to feel welcome even though we dropped in 20 minutes before closing. read more

Moti Mahal has been a family favourite for quite some time. While I don't go there often, when I do, I remember how good it is. It's definitely somewhere you want to bring a group so you can try plenty of different dishes. They're always packed with flavour (as does most Indian food). From someone who's travelled to India, the food at Moti mahal is better than almost anything I had when I was there. We had the egg plant bharta, which I've gotta say was my favourite dish of the night. Don't miss in the cocktails either! They're yummy and reasonably priced. It's a great place to go out with the fam if you want something mid range and not too fancy. The decor is reminiscent of India, and it creates a lovely atmosphere. Our server was also lovely and warm, which furthered our positive experience. Overall, my encounters of Moti Mahal have always been positive. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for some sit down Indian. read more

Horrible. Spent $80 on takeout and legit couldn't feed 4 people (2 girls, 2 guys who are all average height and weight). Prawn tikka was actually tiny shrimp. Served with a side of very burnt onion. Jalfrazie was practically sauce less. Vegetables were mostly onions and were not fresh at all. Chicken Tikka Masala was insanely small - only enough for a very very small portion for two people. Naan was all burnt. Overpriced. Bad food. Small portions (usually never complain about portions). TERRIBLE SERVICE - guy showed no care when I called in. Don't support this business. I LOVE Indian food but will never go back. read more

Moti Mahal - Prawn tikka ... More like "mini shrimp with burnt onion" - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Every good Asian knows that value is an important component of your daily diet. Unfortunately, that is a key ingredient (alongside perhaps some more spice) that Moti Mahal is missing. I had the veggie samosas ($5 for 2), and the eggplant bartha ($13). The food quality was pretty good - the samosas were decent, and the eggplant tasted fairly fresh with a nice blend of flavours, but definitely could have used more of a kick. However, at $13, the quantity of eggplant was shamefully disappointing (not enough to fill your standard 500g cottage cheese container), and not justified by the nothing-spectacular quality. Overall, decent food, but rather indecent price vs portions ratio. Might come back for the lunchtime buffet. -- EDIT: returned for lunch buffet, only to find that THERE IS NO LUNCH BUFFET. There's a lunch special instead now, which includes a small dish with a bit of naan and rice, some veggies, a bit of salad, and a few pieces of fruit; prices range from $12 to $14 for the set. It's a bit better value, but still nothing to write home about. On to the next one! read more

This restaurant is fabulous. The lamb, fish, chicken and spinach were super gooood!! The staff was so very nice and helpful.

Yo, this place. THIS PLACE. I come here multiple times whenever I visit Calgary... I'd estimate I've come 10-12 times? The vegetarian options here are consistently incredible. Like, I literally have dreams about the matter paneer. Other dishes I have tried and loved include malai kofta, nauratan (tastes very similar to the matter paneer), mumbai alu, vegetable korma, eggplant bartha, punjabi dhal, and dhal maharani. I also get the mango lassi every time, tried lychee juice last night and it was great as well. I CANNOT EXPRESS IN WORDS HOW MUCH I LOVE THE FOOD HERE. I could eat it every day and be perfectly happy. The location itself is spacious, nice decor, kind of dark--a good place for date night. It's never too crowded--I usually call an hour before to make a reservation and never have to wait. Service is usually quite fast. The boy thinks meat dishes aren't quite as good as the vegetarian options (I wouldn't know), but LET ME JUST SAY THAT YOU SHOULD GO FOR THE VEGETARIAN OPTIONS ALONE. In conclusion: I seriously wish I could get their food shipped to me or something, it's that amazing. I eat a lot of Indian food, and this is definitely by far my favorite place. Prices are quite reasonable. Bring your date here. Definitely order the matter paneer. read more

Moti Mahal - Matter paneer + eggplant bartha + punjabi dhal - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Review #18 for Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012 I went here for dinner on Friday with my boyfriend as our first Indian restaurant experience in Calgary together. (We love Indian and had previously had a bunch in Vancouver) I was very adamant about finding an amazing place to go to. I didn't want to chance it. So I decided on here after looking at the menu, they do Kashmiri style Indian so it is slightly different than the typical fare you might find. They also had a lot of veganizable vegetable curries to choose from as everything was not based on paneer or cream so I was happy. The waitress, although a white girl and no Indian servers to be found, was super friendly, helpful and actually aware of ingredients in menu items. All I had to say was these dishes vegan and she was like no problem. (This sometimes can be an issue as people may not know butter isn't vegan because it is made from dairy which is praised in India.) We ordered the Palak (Spinach) Dal $11.50, Eggplant Bharta $13.50, Mumbai Aloo (Potato Curry) $12.50, Saffron Rice $5 and Roti $1.85 each. So overall very affordable for a lot of food for 2 people. I always get Eggplant Bharta it's a curry made from creamy roasted eggplant and tempered with spices, great for dipping. And the Palak Dal and the Mumbai Aloo were new. The Palak Dal was good, no complaints, I might try a regular dal next time. The Mumbai Aloo was great! It had a tomato tamarind sauce that was the die for. Way different than the traditional tomato based curry, so delicious and I wanted to put that sauce on everything. I'll definitely be looking up the recipe. The only thing was all the dishes came out mild when I asked for the Mumbai Aloo to be medium spicy for my BF cuz he loves spice. But it was still good anyway. We made reservations in advance, which was helpful so there was no wait. Other observations were that it is quite chilly sitting by the window which half of the restaurant does, our feet were freezing the whole time. (Maybe you're supposed to order spicy food to stay warm? Ha!) and some couples brought their BABIES on a Friday night out for dinner... which was a little uncool as they were crying the whole time. But the delicious food and the great waitress made it an excellent meal out and we'll definitely be back to try more of the vegan friendly fare. For meat eaters they have a ton of chicken, lamb and seafood dishes as well that are around $15-$16 each. read more

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I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this place yet since I eat here often. This in my opinion is the best Indian cuisine in the city. We've tried many others and none compare. It's got so much flavour and the portions are decent for what you pay. They have very friendly staff and the place has an authentic look and vibe. The samosas are really good, but that being said it seems they've downsized them since the last time we came. They offer a nice trio of sauces from mint to spicy to go along with. The Chili fish is an absolute must. I'm kind of a spice wuss but we order it every time it's that good. There are so many choices for chicken, lamb and seafood dishes as well as vegetable. They have spice levels to meet everyone's taste. The naan bread is awesome as well. I highly recommend this place if you like Indian food. If I had to gripe about anything it would be the parking. They don't have enough to meet their seating capacity and sometimes when we come the lot is full and we have to wait or choose to go elsewhere. read more

Moti Mahal - Located on corner of 17th ave and 14 st. sw. - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The indian food is excellent. Great spices, they can make it as hot as you want, and the garlic naan is crispy-doughy perfection. The only reason I'm giving it 5 stars is because the lamb was a little tough. I like my lamb so tender it just falls apart, which is definitely not the case at Moti. read more

Moti Mahal Food: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Came here cold and hungry for a late night dinner. Not the best Indian food I've had but it was good. Portions were standard but the pricing is more on the higher end/finer dining. We ordered the butter chicken, fish biryani, paneer and the chili korma with a side of roti and plain basmati rice. Flavours seemed standard, nothing that really stood out for me unfortunately... It hit the spot for the craving and warmed us up but I don't think I would recommend or come back here. Shout-out to the nice menu design and the friendly service! read more

Moti Mahal - Butter chicken, fish biryani, chili korma, paneer - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Although I haven't been here in awhile I always enjoy my experience there. Menu and food are delicious, atmosphere very relaxing and the staff are very helpful. I usually in the past went for the buffet but I have ordered off the menu. Their always interested in making recommendations for me which I appreciate. read more

Abysmal food, they claim to serve the best butter chicken but it's more of a lentil soup paste and has no flavor at all, it should at least remotely have some tomato gravy taste but none. When we complained about it they said it's just how we make it and it's very popular, their malai kofta had a lot of salt as well. We came after reading the reviews but it was very disappointing. The only saving grace was the courteous staff and the naan. read more

Terrible! Food was bland, no depth of flavour or spices. Worst butter chicken I've ever had, weird rice. I eat Indian A lot, and all I can say is the only thing Indian about this restaurant was the decor. I would have gotten more flavour out of McDonald's. If your looking for true Indian flavour, or any flavour at all, skip this one. The one star goes to the waitress, she was attentive. read more

Probably one of the most spacious Indian restaurants out in Calgary, Moti Mahal would score high on everything - food, ambience, service. A little swing just at the entrance makes the feeling very royal. There's a set of wine corks stored outside that brings a smile to your face and invite you to try out the fine wines. What I also liked was the dedicated parking space that they had. We ate quite a lot - Pakoras, Chat, Biryani, Butter Chicken. Everything was very tasty. I had ordered mild food but one of the servings was spicy - the staff immediately said that they would replace it. I liked the gesture although I continued eating the spicy stuff. I have no hesitations in giving these folks a 5 star! read more

Moti Mahal - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Consistent and great selection of appies, entries, and sides. I always get a mango lassi too to really break up all the flavours. Great place for Indian and travels well since it's even better the next day! read more

Got take out. Food was delicious, but the portions were a rip off. Got two $16 curries, a $5 saffron rice and $8 veggie pakoras expecting to maybe have some leftovers. It wasn't enough for two of us. It's really too bad because as mentioned, food was delicious but I have found similar quality but better value elsewhere. read more

Ordered takeout February 2017. Terrible food, the butter chicken, Goa curry, and vegetable jalfrazie tasted old. They must be taken from the freezer and reheated. Honestly disgusting. The veggies were mushie. If you want good Indian food try nawab ! read more

Love this place! I have tried several Indian restaurants in Calgary, & Moti Mahal wins, hands down. At this point I am considering not wasting my time trying new ones, although I am sure there must be good ones other than Moti Mahal & Raj Palace (NE). I first visited in 2005, when my partner was moving into town & we arrived close to closing - they stayed open for us, letting us know it might be a bit slow because the staff were getting their dinners. Needless to say, not knowing the town at all & feeling so lucky to have found a great place to eat at 10 pm, we've been eternally grateful for their kindness that night. This place did have a few years of service problems, back when almost everyone in Calgary had service problems due to the low unemployment rate at the time. But Moti Mahal could train most other establishments on how to deal with screwups like lost orders and 1 hour waits. They actually do their best to make it right, whether it is a free beer or an appetizer taken off the bill, PLUS they make their apologies sincere. I never feel like I am the problem when they mess up, & that is a talent that some other restaurants need to learn. Hmm, 4th paragraph already; maybe I should mention the food, eh? Moti Mahal serves an excellent selection of North Indian cuisine. My current faves on the menu are palak dal - seriously, the spices are so yummy that I will scrape every last bit off the plate - and the eggplant. We've brought numerous out of town guests here & everyone has loved their meals, regardless of what was ordered. They have recently renovated a bit to add a bench along the whole south wall, giving them more seating capacity. Reservations are still recommended for busy times. Restaurant is accessible, including a ramp on the left side of the parking lot. The corner of the ramp looks like it makes for a tight turn, but I have been assured by other customers that they had no trouble getting a chair around it. As other reviewers have mentioned, the parking lot is small & you may need to park in the lot on 16th Ave or scramble for street parking. read more

This was our first time we went to this restaurant. I am extremely frustrated with the food that they served. The taste was horrible as their food was smelly. They do not know the difference between biryani and fried rice. I can still smell that stink of food in my mouth and hand after few hours. I would not recommend anyone to go to this restaurant as its waste of money. The worse think is when we recommend to have better quality food, they are not getting agreed. When we recommend to improve the food, they mentioned that this is how they have been serving over 25 yrs and will continue in future. I seriously wonder how they survive this restaurant. read more

I've been dining at Moti Mahal for about 25 years now, and I never tire of the amazing food and stellar service. I was first introduced to Moti by my dad when they were located on 17th Avenue and 4th St, and I dare say they were the best Indian restaurant in the city then as well. I love the new location off 14th St, and still go there frequently, either to dine in or just pick something up to take home. Beautiful decor and ambience starts your journey to India, the friendly service and savory spiced dishes steal your heart. read more

Moti Mahal is the best all-around Indian restaurant in Calgary. While it hits all the notes as most traditional Indian restaurants in terms of decor and menu, Moti dials down the oil/grease quotient, making dining there better than the rest. Here's an Indian restaurant you can actually leave feeling satisfied instead of full of regret! They have an expansive menu, excellent flavour profile, and appropriate portions. The atmosphere is intimate and more suited to adults/couples or small groups than big parties or families with (loud) kids. The super spicy, super good chicken mumtaz featuring curry with apricots is my favourite! read more

Oh my, the feasts I have had all thanks to Moti Mahal. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, this place simply makes delicious, mouthwatering food for a sect price. The inside is warm, elegant and lives up to the Indian theme of the restaurant. The service has always been good and when you don't want to sit down and eat, they welcome takeout customers. If you like Indian food, this should be a stop for you. Even if you don't like Indian food, this place may change your mind. read more

On the norm the gang at Moti Mahal treat you like royalty taking extra special attention to all the small details. While I won't let one person ruin my favorite memories at this place, it does warrant enough to make a mention. When we asked our server if she had any recommendations for a drink she coyly responded "check the drink list" - not exactly a great way to start our dining experience that evening. The food was great as usual - but that kind of service puts a bad taste in my mouth that makes me question whether I would take clients back. read more

This morning, my little brother moved to India. To see him off, my sister and I took him out for Indian as a 'this is what you'll be eating for a year' meal. After reading many reviews about Indian places in the city, and not wanting to travel to the NE since we were sans car, we settled on Moti Mahal; and I think we chose wisely. The food here is excellent. Between the three of us we had a mango martini, a coconut mohito, a Kingfisher beer, a butter chicken, a vegetables in a delicious cream and fennel curry, a lamb with spinach, saffron rice, naan and chicken simosas; all of which were great. I highly recommend any of the drinks as well as the saffron rice and vegetables * muah * delicious! The decor is quintessentially Indian (or what I think of as 'quintessentially Indian') complete with tapestries on the walls and bronze dishes. The service was a little slow at the beginning, but picked up and was attentive throughout. The server even graciously separated our bill at the end of the meal. Each of us ate and drank for around $40 pp including tip so definitely affordable. Although I am sure there are Indian places in the NE to write home about, the Moti Mahal still offers a yummy and pretty traditional Indian meal if you want to stick to downtown. T. read more

If you are looking for a fantastic place for Indian food, you've found it. This little place has the most amazing food. Read the other reviews and you will see a recurring theme. I went to Moti Mahal based on the recommendations on Yelp, and what a gem. They had the usual staple type Indian items on the menu. Like, butter chicken, tandori, naan, etc. We had ordered these, However, our server recommended a couple of other items. One was an Eggplant dish. I have to say up front, I'm not an eggplant lover, in fact I usually try to avoid it. This was the BEST dish on the table. Our server had a spinach dish recommendation, again, I thought it was better than the butter chicken. And because I love butter chicken, this means the dish was outstanding. Service was prompt, friendly, and very attentive. Also the suggestions from the server was much appreciated and were winners ! Top marks for service. The only downside I'll give to Moti Mahal, is the portion size. Dishes were a bit small. There were two of us, and we ordered 4 dishes, including Naan and rice, Figuring there would be leftovers to take, there was nothing left. If you are doing family style, 1 dish may server 3 maybe 4 and that's it. But I won't knock them on quantity, especially when the quality was so fantastic. Thank you yelpers for rating this place. I found a new favorite Indian place in Calgary, even though I don't live in the city. read more

We quite enjoy this place. Their fish dishes are all quite tasty, and their naan is delicious (it's terrible at a lot of places). Their appetizers (samosas, pakoras, etc.) are also well done. In general, their sauces are pretty flavorful. I think their lassis have too much ground ice in them, but my wife likes them. My four star review has an asterisk beside it, though. The last two times we've ordered chicken dishes (tandoori chicken and shahi jeera chicken) they've been badly overdone, to the point where we didn't finish the shahi jeera chicken or bother taking it home. Still, it's our current go-to Indian restaurant. read more

I lived in Calgary for a number of months, and this is actually the first Indian restaurant I have ever eaten at. It's a beautifully decorated restaurant that is very traditional in decor, so you feel like you might be in India. I loved the copper cups they used for serving water. I was here with a friend. We got vegetable samosas to start, then we had butter chicken, saffron rice, and naan bread. Everything was absolutely delicious. The chicken was a little too spicy for me though. Ever since I ate here, I've been hooked on Indian food. I've been to many Indian restaurants in Edmonton, and none of them match or exceed the wonderfully authentic atmosphere of Moti Mahal. read more

Solid indian food. Pakoras are always my favorite. Can't go wrong with the Mango Prawn Curry and naan. Happy to have this so close.

Great place for Indian food! No buffet for dinner, but understand they do have a lunch buffet. Delicious food and attentive waitstaff. Would definitely come back again. Butter chicken, spinach paneer, lamb dishes were great. Didn't have anything bad on the menu and we were a large party who ordered several dishes and shared... read more

Excellent food and amazing service. We got the lamb masala and the butter chicken and both were good. The lamb masala was spicier than expected but very flavourful. The naan bread was slightly crispy, buttery and delicious. The servers were VERY attentive and we had 3 people check in on us multiple times. The food also came put quickly. Overall, no complaints. read more

Moti Mahal - The bar and seating area in the restaurant. - Indian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I am certainly not easy to please! But Moti Mahal, you impressed me! We celebrated my friends birthday party here. The place was outstanding! They accommodated our group with ease, they were very courteous, very agreeable, the food was great, and the prices for the food and drinks were decent. Love it! Thank you for making my friends party beautiful and memorable! read more

I came here with my parents and we really enjoyed our food! All very flavourful and the service was great. Definitely plan to return! Prices are also reasonable. read more

Every time I end up in Calgary I eat here. Every. Time. I consider indian food my favourite food and this place never once let me down. The veg items were always satisfying, the service has always been exceptional and the atmosphere is always nice and relaxed. I'm also a big fan of the fact that there is a parking lot on site. Easy. Nothing but love for this place. read more

Loved it. Found it on Yelp and decided to try it for dinner before catching a flight home. Service was great. I ordered dishes recommended by server - great choice! I had an eggplant dish I wouldn't have normally ordered but it was delicious! I also really liked that they let you order half portions so you can try a couple different items. Will definitely go back when I am in town again. read more

This is by far the best Indian restaurant in Calgary, and among our favourites worldwide. When we first moved to Calgary, we figured that Indian is always a safe bet for a vegetarian, so we did a review search for reviews and Moti Mahal came up top in the very few review sites that existed 6 years ago. Well, we arrived late, having driven through several snow storms on the Trans Canada from Vancouver, and arrived shortly before closing. We offered to head elsewhere, but they stayed open for us! And this has been the theme for us--even on the odd occasion when some problem would crop up, they would always strive to make it right. So we have brought other visitors to Moti Mahal, and they always ask to go back (or become regulars themselves, if they wind up in Cow Town). The food is delicious. We have ordered all over the menu, both vegetarian and the odd occasion I stray into the meat or seafood sections, and have never been disappointed. The vegetarian selections are extensive, in both the vegetable and pulses sections (their spinach lentils--palak dahl--is a favourite of ours). I think their tandoori chicken is among the best I've ever had. It's Kashmiri cuisine, with nods to western expectations, but they do not skimp on spicing. (If you can't handle spice, stay away from the vindaloo, which I find hot but easily managable, and I'm not exactly insensitive to capsaicin.) Parking can be difficult. A tip: half a block north on 14th St., on the left at 16th Ave, you will see a green P lot just past the book store, ironically near the Green Chili (which is decent, but not in the same class as Moti Mahal). read more

We're regulars here. Love their Chicken Korma, of course with Butter Naan and Saffron rice. Consistently good, with a great sauce. They have a great selection of Indian food. My wife likes the Lamb Bhuna. Tender and flavourful. Recommend! read more