So I ordered food for lunch through Skip the dishes after looking at its reviews. The most horrible INDIAN food I have ever eaten. We ordered Baingan Bharta and the Bhuna chicken. The baingan bharta had a weird smell to it, nothing that would remind me of eating roasted eggplant. I just hope that I don't fall sick after eating this food. The bhuna chicken on the other hand was not a bhuna chicken, it had the gravy of a vindaloo mixed with something else. But tasted awful. I really hate restaurants when they mix something else and call it a bhuna. I ordered a bhuna and that's what I should be getting.Never ordering from this place ever again. read more

The service can be a little slow at time, but their food is amazing. Always fragrant, fresh and spicy. This has been one of my favorite Indian resaturates in Calgary for a long time. Their customer rewards program is very good as well - free birthday and anniversary dinners. read more

Went there for dinner, service wasn't exactly quick or friendly but still adequate. Decided on the buffet as it was super popular. Now I do understand that it will be a bit more mass appeal kinda stuff on the buffet but this was a bit ridiculous. Tons of selection certainly can't fault them there, nice fresh naan brought to your table but the food on the buffet was just soooo bland. To the point of you would have a tough time identifying what you were eating. Just so mass appeal, everything was mild, the same flavour and it was noticeable that some of the dishes were old. That being said I may give them ago with the ala carte menu, but never again with that buffet. Again so many good Indian restaurants around, if you want a buffet don't go here. read more

You know what's a worrying sign to me about a resto these days in Calgary? It isn't so much the odd bad review, since everyone has an off day. It isn't that something on the menu might be sold outt or even if the place is perpetually 1/2 empty. It's how often they use discount coupon promotions. Rajdoot had been the first indian restaurant that I visited in Calgary 9 years ago, and it was actually pretty decent. I tend to go there probably twice a year, and in each and every visit, I see little changes in the food, the decor, things like that. And for awhile, I did notice the food quality drop a bit, then take a sudden rebound in recent years (my guess a new cook), and then meh. Now since January or so, I've seen Radjoot follow Wicked Chili in a similar pattern, that is, they always seem to be in one deal or another, virtually every other week. Either it's $15 for $30, or $25 for $50 or whatever, but in the end, it started to appear like desperation to me. You see, the way these coupons work is that the resto offers the discount, but 1/2 of that money goes to the resto and 1/2 goes to the deal provider. Soooo... if you bought a $30 for $60 use, the resto actually gets $15 back, or a 75% cut on their sale. Now used sparingly, it can be quite a spectacular promo. For example, the Brasserie Kensington, one of the best restos in Calgary, has used it only ONCE in their year of existence. Teatro, also one of the best, has only done it once throughout the 2 years that such deals has become popular. But if you use it like the now shuttered Wicked Chili did, that is, literally have a deal every week on the week for over a year (so they were effectively selling their food at cost and losing money on every sale), well.... you're going to die a horrible death of 1000 cuts. However, I have enjoyed the food in the past. While not the very best of indian for Calgary (I reserve that for Namskar and Mango Shiva), it was still a great place for a nice easy dinner of some butter chicken, lamb vindaloo and awesome veggie samosas. Last night however, could probably be described in twitter as #epicfailure. I had walked in with a $30 for $60 groupon for a set multi-course meal dinner for 2. It was a nice set vegetarian or meat menu. Instead, when I showed my groupon, the waitress suddenly went from a happy grin to a look reserved for those who just killed Bambi's mom. She then started to steer us from the set menu for 2 as in the deal, to the cheaper buffet. Being a little taken aback, I simply thought... ok, this is the woman who will serve you and she's copping a bad attitude, I better just do the buffet and besides, most of the foods on the special table set menu was there anyways, though not freshly made of course, but I thought, what the hell... I paid for it already. The buffet was well... acceptable. It was running low on some items, and since I walked it around 8pm, it didn't look like it was being replenished anytime soon since the resto was 3/4 empty except for a small birthday party that had already seemed to have eaten. The samosas was still quite good, but the nan was definately at least 1 hour or so old in the heat steamer, the tandoori chicken was getting to be quite dry, the curries were ok though nothing too particularly epic to report. Overall, a passable meal, but if my goal was that, I really would have just ordered take out. In the meantime, we were in a hidden corner to ensure that either no one could see us or that they didn't have to deal with us (service was barely passable at best. ) Finally the bill, and they then hit us for the full amount of a buffet at $35 or so with a single mango juice extra ordered. I then reminded them of the $60 dollar groupon I gave in... and they returned with the bill at $4 for the mango juice. Let's see... $60 - $35 = $25 left... not me owing them $4. But by this time, I really just didn't want to be there any longer, and paid the $4, a 10% tip (not a 15 or 20% for decent service... but if I really wanted to voice my displeasure, I should have left a penny.) and then walked out. So.... Pluses: free parking, still awesome veggie samosas. Ok buffet not great. Negatives:service and the attitude of the lady. the overall all atmosphere (sorry, but ICirque du Soleil music really doesn't add to the atmosphere) End Result? I made a mistake in not following my gut reaction when I started noticing the endless deal groupons and so on and deep sixed the resto. I'm gone. Here's a note from my lovely dining partner: she noticed that the bartender, an eldery gent, didn't deviate from the tv once during the night, and the heck with the patrons. Great job people... really. read more

I had a very poor recent experience at Rajdoot. While the staff was very friendly and helpful, however the food was a major let down. My chicken rogan josh was seriously under seasoned, it was bland and boring. The naan was fairly good with the right amount of chewiness. However, the roti was miserable. Instead of dense and unleavened it was more like a naan. There are far better Indian restaurants in Calgary, I will not be back. read more

Big disappointment. Used to be the best Indian restaurant in town. Went with 7 friends for the Saturday buffet around 6pm. Service was dreadful although place only partially full. Wait staff were sullen and inattentive. Food on buffet ranged from okay to not recommended. Samosas were cooked to inedible. One bright spot - the naan was outstanding once we could find staff to bring it to the table. Would suggest you spend your restaurant dollars elsewhere. read more

I've only checked this place out during the lunch buffet. Although I'm not a fan of travelling downtown, in my opinion it's one of the better Indian buffets in the city and worth the drive. Fairly priced and the food is always good. I remember this being my first experience of Indian cuisine so maybe that's another reason I have a soft spot for it lol. read more

Not as good as some people had raced on over here. The food was just okay! Nothing to write home about & the decor was pretty lame. Sadly, I won't be returning to this Indian restaurant. There's better more authentic food I've had in Calgary. & $21.95 for buffet is a little on the higher side if you ask me. read more

I made a reservation for dinner for my boyfriend and I after buying a Teambuy coupon ($20 for $40 worth of food) and when we arrived, the host ignored me and spoke only to my boyfriend. Weird. We were sat with menus and waters and were ignored for the next 15 minutes while others sat after us at surrounding tables had their drink and dinner orders taken. Needless to say we left and went to the bar at Earls Tin Palace where the bartender there practically did backflips to make sure we were well looked after despite a busy Friday night. We may try Rajdoot again since we already paid $20 for the coupon. Or we may just get a refund from Teambuy. Seeing the other reviews, the Taj Mahal (my personal favorite) or the one by Safeway suggested by a fellow reviewer may be the better bet in the end. read more

We live around the corner from Rajdoot and eat there fairly often as a result. There is nothing innovative or transporting about it, but we have always found the staff to be mostly pleasant, the buffet well stocked, and lots of interesting vegetarian options on the buffet. For a solid, hot Indian meal that's right around the corner, Rajdoot can't be beat. Plus, they are supportive community members. read more

Pretty good food but highly incompetent staff when processing a take out order. How hard can it be? Just look at the receipt taped to the bag and give it to the correct person. Simple. Good thing you don't tip them for giving your order to someone else. read more

After reading the reviews, I was a bit lukewarm about trying out this restaurant. My husband, son and I decided to have dinner here on a Friday night (it was half full of diners when we arrived). We ordered mango lassis and a strawberry smoothie to go with our appetizers--fish pakoras and tandoori chicken drumsticks(which my son thought was absolutely delicious!). The pakoras were moist and seasoned perfectly. Our pleasant server promptly followed with a plate warmer and our entrees (and sides of Basmati rice and naan): Saag Gosht Nepali(we chose lamb), Prawn Korma Shai, Butter Chicken and Eggplant Bhartha. The lamb nestled in spinach was very tender, the prawns were firm(I dislike soggy/limp prawns) with a creamy sauce, the butter chicken just melted in your mouth, and the eggplant was very flavorful(although I would have preferred to see larger pieces of eggplant, like Surahi does it...) However, I was disappointed with the Basmati rice. The two platefuls of the usual soft, fragrant rice were interspersed with hard, dry clumps. I hope they didn't mix last week's rice with the new batch... Overall, we had a great dining experience. My son enjoyed watching the chef work at the tandoor(we sat at a table overlooking the glass-windowed kitchen) as well as eating the food. read more

Disappointment! And we both felt really yucky after eating their food. Butter chicken tasted like it was campbells condenced tomato soup. So not authentic! The other sauces tasted like they were possibly from a can or jar. And way to salty! The pakaras and samosas were way over cooked and hard. Not fresh!The raita had a very off taste and I love raita. The deserts were not great either. The only thing fresh tasting and good was the naan. Not worth the $24 for the dinner buffet. As well we were not asked if we wanted anything to drink other then water, and it took forever for the dishes to get cleared. Very disappointed! read more

Rajdoot has been one of my favourite East Indian restaurants in Calgary. I particularly enjoy their korma dishes. Their naan is also very good and fresh and never too greasy. Their butter chicken is quite good as well. read more

The portion sizes were little less for the price compared to other indian restaurants i ate. The food was decent. Lamb & prawn Biriyani were good but the prawn/shrimp in the biriyani is so bland. They would have added boiled shrimp with the Biriyani rice just before serving. It has a pleasant atmosphere. read more

I ordered takeout late..10:45PM on a Thurs. nite..'it didn't take long..'just over half hour to arrive. Expensive tab, $45. for two entrees, slice of naan, tiny mango chutney n rice pudding..'they incl. rice I didn't order..The Malai Kofta Tibet is heavy and not my favorite, I do like the Eggplant Bhartha, 'not too spicy, fresh, 'just right. The rice is fine and probably necessary to soak up the juices. I ordered the Peshawari Naan & it's weird with the Christmas like fruit in it, 'wish I'd just ordered regular Naan, 'it is fresh tho, 'just one slice and I'm sure if it was the regular I'd be loving it. The rice pudding smells good and I am so full fr. just a third of the food, 'it'll have to wait for a review later. I'm fr. Vancouver originally and spoiled by places like Vij however this will do in a pinch, 'it's A-OK read more

Went here with a large group of people on sunday and had a fantastic time! We got the buffet, which was well stocked and everything tasted fresh and warm. The food wasn't as spicy as other places I've been to, which was actually nice. It was still spicy, but I didn't need to chug a glass of milk afterwards. Nothing fancy, but the service was fast and very polite. I'd drop by again if I find myself in the neighborhood. read more

This a great neighbourhood spot when you're looking for something fun, casual and convenient. I have been many times and will return. The food and service has always been pretty good. The prices are not bad either (especially if you go for lunch). I'll keep going back to this place. read more

I liked the food buffet styles. A good selection of curry chicken was available, the nan bread was delivered by the table without fault as in never an empty dish. Food was quite good, they had a booster seat for my son to sit at and it was a decent sized restaurant. I disliked the washroom as there was visible like decay of the wall and pipes were showing, also when you first enter the restaurant there's no waiting staff or hostess, so my wife and I found ourselves standing awkwardly near the front without direction, we had to go out of our way to grab a waiting staff to ask to be seated. read more

My husband is a food courier in Calgary and has delivered from here a few times always telling me how amazing it smells. About a week ago I ordered from Rajdoot for delivery and LOVED IT. Tonight, we ate in for the first time. The staff were friendly and efficient, the buffet was totally full and everything looked and smelled amazing. We will definitely be back for more! read more

Great lunch buffet with casual feel. Nice decor with some rich decorations. Food was good quality. Not a fancy date place but I'm definitely adding it to my list of good affordable food locations! read more

Lunch Buffet very ordinary. Very slow refilling empty containers. Maybe it is better earlier in the lunch rush,but we made mistake of going approx 1pm. When paying for lunch the waiter asked me how I found the buffet and I honestly and politely said I didn't enjoy it. He asked why and I mentioned the chicken (both tandoori and butter chicken pieces) were very dry. He looked at me skeptical so I bought my plate over ( which still not not been taken off our table) and showed him the chicken I left on my plate cause it was too hard to even cut. He told me I must have got a bad piece. Hmmmm, well it was in the buffet and I got it!! No apology or offer of discount what so ever. Maybe ordering off the menu will result in better quality..... maybe I will never find out. read more

First time eating here and we loved it. Used a groupon on a Friday night. Very jealous of my bf being able to have the naan bread, he said it was amazing and I don't doubt it. Only very very minor issue we had was not being able to get his food to be spicy. He's white but from Africa and really misses the spicy Indian food he got there. They went easy on the spice in his vindaloo. When ordering the waitress spent a good 5~6 mins warning him how spicy it would be. Pity it's likely been an issue in the past. read more

Great food. I loved it, especially the times I didn't find a piece of plastic in my pakoras.

Overpriced meager portions are the norm. They changed owners about seven years ago. Food is quite boring, sometimes disgusting. The menu plays to the white folk. There is no such thing as Nan Khyber Pass in India. The Khyber Pass is not even in India; it is between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The nan in that region is called Rogni Nan, not Khyber Pass. Want good reasonably priced food downtown, go to the Mirchi on the south side of 12th Ave SW at 8th St. across from the Safeway. Go during off peak hours or you wont get a seat. read more

I've been to Rajdoot a handful of times before, and have always had a decent experience. Was there earlier this month, and the place didn't disappoint. I love Indian food . . . the mix of spices, the tastes, the textures. Had stopped most recently for their lunch buffet on a weekday, and enjoyed it all. The service was decent, the hotness of the food from the buffet was good, and the taste was great. It's just a great little place for a tasty Indian buffet, without busting your wallet. I'll definitely be back again in the future :-) read more

My husband and I have been going to Rajdoot for many years! One of my favourite Indian restaurants for the buffet. So thankful for the many vegetarian dishes offered in the buffet, which is predominately why we frequent this establishment. Would love to see some vegan dishes too ;-) The service is always quick and polite and the tables and buffet area is clean. read more

You could not pay me to eat there again! I went there with my fiancee and we waited over two hours for food that was at best mediocre. Mediocre food and horrendous service might have warranted two stars but for the fact that at the end of it all, they added a ridiculous "tax" to the bill. This tax amounted to something like 40% of our meal. We came on Groupon, so we were more than willing to splurge a little, when we were first seated that is. As the time went on and on while we sat there, starving and already committed to eating there, we got more and more upset. Twice the waiter mixed up our meals with another table's order. Then he brought us the meals after they were already sitting on that table for awhile. Seriously, does anybody know any food inspectors? I'm absolutely certain that's a major violation of food safety. So in short, you would get better service in the middle of the Gobi desert, the food won't make you gag but might poison you, and you might have to pay an obscene amount of "tax." Only set foot in here if you are very much into masochism. read more

As a person who grew up in an Indian community Abbotsford BC. Samosas are always an greasy indulgence. This restaurant puts them in a convention oven and drys then right out. Flavourless... 20$ for 6 flavorous dry samosas.... sucks hardcore!!!! read more

went with a groupon for a dinner for four - orginally we were to be a party of four but the other two cancelled at the last minute. Didn't start well, we were seated in a back corner and despite try to attract our server for almost twenty minutes I had to physically get up and track him down. We ordered everything at once yet we were still there for two hours. Appetizers were okay, had the ground lamb skewers (not served on a stick) which were smoking spicy and the paneer pakoras, very, very bland - not like a pakora at all, although they came out late they were very hot, fresh out of the deep fryer. We then had the Rajdoot Invitation Azamani (chicken with mango, butter chicken sauce, this was pretty good, really good mango - gotta love a good mango), lamb Shai Korma Muglai (okay, not much depth to it, it does say mild but it can still be flavourful, the nuts were ground to thicken the sauce), Saag Prawn Colombo which was prawns with spinach, this was my favourite but still nothing wow, Mutter Paneer Narvana, I'm glad it wasn't called Nirvana because it wasn't. I grew a love for paneer in India and this dish is my absolute favourite, it was watery, again no depth to the sauce, rice was good, flavoured with cardamon but the naan was obviously reheated and crisy, not the way naan should be. They do put a heating element on the table to keep the food warm but the food should come out hot in the first place which it didn't, everything but the paneer appetizer came out lukewarm. Finally our server stops by (first time) after the dishes have been cleared and asks us about dessert, and, on his recommendation we chose the homemade mango icicle (yes, it was supposed to be icecream but in this case was an icicle, and of course the gulab jamun (hard to screw up, even I can make this). So... disappointing enough I asked for a refund on my second groupon. As I've said before I can do mediocre service and great food and vice versa but not both. Won't be back. read more

I don't know if this counts as a review, because I never got to try the food. At 7pm on a Saturday I was told that they would only serve parties of 4 or more, and refused to seat my party of 2. Food smelled good though. read more

Good service, not bad for Canadian standards. Had the dinner buffet, would give it 3/10. The food tasted like it was made a few days back, reheated over and over again. The tandoori chicken was old and so hard to even chew. The dessert was okay, but the overall food and curries were an absolute NOT GOOD! Overall I was very disappointed. I would not recommend this restaurant at least for the buffet. read more

Terrible. I will NEVER go back to Rajdoot. The service was slow and inefficient, the food was subpar at best and ridiculously overpriced, etc. Would never recommend this restaurant to anyone! read more

Love the buffet! The staff is always very pleasant and the food is tasty!

Horrible service. Asked to change up the order and they cancelled it just because I asked to change it. Never getting delivery again.

I just came from having dinner at Rajdoot. The food was quite good but the service was surly and slow by a little man wearing a hat, and he tried to charge me for four buffet dinners when there were clearly only three people at our table. There was no apology whatsoever when I pointed out the error. Moreover, the bartender has no idea how to make Singapore Slings. The ingredients are listed correctly on Rajdoot's drink menu, but the drink that arrived at my table in no way resembled a Singapore Sling, nor did it contain the ingredients listed. No apology again. I think these restauranteurs need to pull themselves up sharply if they want their restaurant to continue to flourish in the present economic climate in Calgary. I will likely return but there will be no tip next time if the service does not improve. read more

had the dinner buffet! great bang 4 ur buck! lots of meat and veg option. hot or not hot food. yummy chutney.my husband was super happy full but my tummy was'nt happy with me. Still i want 2 eat there again. read more

We order from Rajdoot frequently, if is always timely and amazing food! Love this spot. Butter chicken is fantastic

Best Indian cuisine in Calgary. I tried it once and have never gone back to any other Indian restaurant.

I've been here three times once for dinner buffet and once for off menu. For dinner buffet I went with a large group of friends (13) that I work with and we decided to come here after work. I'd gone to another Indian restaurant once for lunch and thought of trying a different place. It was just filling up so we had no problems getting a table put together even though we hadn't reserved one. The staff's really polite and welcoming and as soon as we got comfortable our waiter was there with water asking for drinks. The selection of dishes is great for the buffet, we had samosa's and pakoras for apps. And for main there are too many dishes to list but I picked about four dishes to go with my rice and everything tasted good and tasted fresh. And ofcourse I can't get over the naan, it's served not even a minute after being cooked. They cut the naans into smaller pieces so our table shared the naans, and they would bring us just enough, which was great service (they could have just brought a bunch together which would have gotten cold by the time we got to the last few pieces), our waiter would walk by and see that we're almost done and he'd ask us if we wanted some more and in a minute or two we had more fresh bread!! That's one thing I'm very particular about, if the naan is cold than the food doesn't taste good no matter how good it is. Me and my girlfriend went to Rajdoot for dinner over the weekend and we decided to order off the menu. She had her favorite dish, a lamb korma, and I had mine, a butter chicken medium spicy with peas rice and buttered naan and mango lassi. The Mango Lassi is the best I've ever had anywhere ( thick and flavorful), she had a couple of strawberry margaritas . We had great service, booth seating, awesome tasting dishes and of course fresh naan to go with it. We really had a great experience there and she's brought the restaurant a few times and wants to go back real soon. It's a great place for a family as its a family restaurant, but it's also a great place to bring a date and it's a different experience from the usual western restaurants. The ambiance is modern with lots of sun light during the day and the right amount of light during the evening... sitting in a booth, having cocktails or wine, makes it an intimate experience. Definitely Recommend. read more