We wanted to try some Indian food while in Victoria. We love the spices and found Sizzling Tandoor…read moreon Yelp. Mostly five star reviews so we decided to give it a go. We had a high bar because we had just gone to an Indian restaurant in Chicago that was over the top good. Sizzling Tandoor met that bar. It was just as good as Chicago. Many reviews mentioned the Rogan Josh Lamb so we ordered that and balanced it off with Chicken Tikka Masala. We each ate half of each entree. A side of plain Naan completed the meal. We like hot food and we're going to order hot, but our server, Muskan, convinced us to get medium hot. It was perfect. Muskan was attentive but didn't hover. She engaged us in a nice convo after our meal and was very pleasant. The most difficult part was deciding which we liked better. The lamb won, but only by a small margin. Both were excellent.

We stopped in at Happy Hour where they have beer, wine and apps of samosas or spinach nann on…read morespecial. For dinner My hubby ordered the sizzling tandoori chicken and I had the most amazing rojan josh lamb dish in their perfectly spiced sauce in a generous serving. I ordered med hot which was flavorful. Our waitress was so nice always checking on us and we enjoyed our dinner so much we still keep thinking about how delicious it all was!

Nice little Indian eatery in the heart of downtown Victoria. The restaurant serves both vegetarian…read moreand non-vegetarian dishes. There is street parking available. The restaurant is tastefully decorated. Excellent design and comfortable sitting. We ordered the vegetable samosa. It was amazing as was the chutney. We also had some Amritsari Kulcha. The Kulcha was not quite as tender as expected, but it had been overcooked, and the Chana (chickpeas) had not been properly cooked, since they nevertheless remained tough. We would, however, give this restaurant another shot. The service could also be improved. There was only one waitress that were looking after three other tables. Great ambiance as they played some Indian Bollywood songs on tv, which was enjoyable. If I had to select one drawback, it would be that the restrooms require some attention, and that they be kept clean because they were unclean!

Stopped here for lunch with some friends after a Saturday morning rehearsal. The server steered us…read moreto the buffet rather than the menu and there was a variety of options available. They even had hot chai at the buffet, and the server made sure to get us some fresh rice and naan. There were 4 in our party. I was seated in the corner next to the wall, making it harder to get out and to the buffet so I don't think I ate enough for the price, but the food was very tasty and everyone else in our group was quite satisfied with the experience.

This place is lovely!! My local friend took me to Dosa Paragon where he and his wife love the dosa…read more I had not had southern Indian cuisine very much and only one dosa before. The food here is great! The dosas were lovely. Dosas are like thick crepes made from chickpea flour so it's great for gluten free people. We had the South India combo and the butter chicken dosa. Both were very nice. We also ordered the beef madras which was my favorite. I like a good curry and the ladder was very nice and not too hot at a medium spice level. We also had sukka coffee with a nice ginger flavor and tasted like a wee bit of sugar in it. My friend, fancies it and it was delicious. We had asked for that to come out before dinner and it came out about halfway through. But that takes a while to make and better ill-timed coffee than cold food. The food as it was was delicious and piping hot. The staff here is very sweet and helpful. Very kind with explanations of the meals and Indian geography and history. We got a little lesson, which we both loved. I would absolutely return to Dosa Paragon!

This is 100% legit South Indian food. Real Sambar. The sambar and chutneys were on point. Podi dosa…read moreand mysore masala dosa were both excellent. They were nice enough to give me dry podi and ghee separately when requested. Restaurant was fairly full but my dosas were ready in 15 min. Would definitely recommend

"Are we going to have leftovers?" That was the plan, but we enjoyed it so much that it almost…read moredidn't happen. We ended up here after a short walk from our short-term rental. The hosts recommended it and we made a date night of it. Mango lassi was delicious and the Kingfisher beer hit the spot, too. Then we were ready for the meal. Naan and garlic naan were both hot and tasty. Palak Paneer was our favorite, with Aloo Gobi and Chicken Tikka Massala tied for a close second. Service was helpful and attentive. Ambiance overdelivered. I'm sorry we're leaving town tomorrow, or I'd be tempted to check out the lunch buffet. On the next visit, I'll be back.

Really friendly service. My son really wanted curry. I was a bit nervous about if the food would be…read moretoo spicy (i am not brave with spice). Asked the server for recommendations and settled on tandoor chicken. It came out sizzling and was delicious! Especially enjoyed the nice mint sauce for it too. My son really enjoyed his chicken curry too. We also had some naan bread - nicely made with garlic and basil. My son opted for the take out samosa which was nicely mixed and full of flavour and came with a nice sweeter sauce. We finished the meal with rice pudding and a chai tea. Definitely plan to return. It is so nice that they have mild, (truly mild!!!), medium and hot for those far braver than me! (My son had medium ). Thank you for a cozy meal!

A deeply underwhelming dining experience at Namaste Indian Cuisine, highlighted by heavy execution…read moreflaws across classic dishes. * **Mattar Paneer:** Ordered with zero spice as a custom request. It was decent, providing a mild and edible baseline, but nothing memorable. * **Kadhai Paneer:** Marketed as a house specialty, yet it completely missed the mark. The dish was a total mess featuring an overly rich, heavy-handed gravy that swallowed any authentic flavor, completely missing the signature crisp bell peppers that define the dish. * **Baingan Bharta:** Suffered from an identity crisis, containing far too many peas rather than focusing on the smoky roasted eggplant base. * **Naans:** Dense, rubbery, and a sorry excuse for traditional Indian flatbread. Save your appetite and skip this restaurant entirely.

Tasty Indian Food, But Beware Of Spiciness…read more My wife & I went here for lunch after a long drive down from Ucluelet. Here's what we ordered and how I'd rate each item on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being best: Tandoori Naan Butter (6): More greasy than buttery, and not very flavorful. Garlic Cilantro Naan (7): Subtle garlic flavor, but tasty. Gobhi Garlic (8): Recommended by the waiter. Very tasty, with a great texture, though I could've used a bit more garlic flavor. Chicken Tikka Masala (7): Good flavor, but not enough chicken. Also, despite asking for the mildest spiciness, it still made my scalp sweat. Butter Chicken (9): Delicious! Tasted exactly the way it was supposed to, with a rich, thick creamy tomato sauce. Highly recommend. I'm giving them 4 stars because I'm rounding up from what I think they deserve, which is 3 1/2 stars. Overall, their food was good, service was prompt & friendly, and their prices were very reasonable making them a good value.

Too oily and they just throw the whole cardamom into the food, with out even bothering taking the…read moreseeds out of the inedible pod. Maybe if it was street food this would be acceptable, but at top dollar restaurant prices there are better Indian food places than this - even in twee, wee Victoria.

I'm not sure why some of the other reviews for this place are quite negative but I had a positive…read moreexperience with Royal Spice. I can't comment on the atmosphere or service because I ordered takeaway, but the food travelled smoothly and was well-packaged, with all directions followed. I ordered Chole Bhature, which included Indian pickles, Bhindi Masala, and Chilli Paneer. The Chilli Paneer was my favourite. All of the dishes were full of flavours, textures and depth, perfectly satisfying Indian appetites. I look forward to dining in next time!

I'm thanking the stars this place opened up in Esquimalt. What a great restaurant. I absolutely…read moreloved the buffet and have been to it twice now -- once with my wife and two kids, and the next with a busload of extended family because it was so good. Great selection in the buffet of meats and veggie dishes. The butter chicken and muttar paneer were far beyond any Indian buffet quality that I've had previously, and are on par with a la carte dishes made at good Indian restaurants. And I'm from Vancouver where there's an abundance of good Indian restaurants. What really stole the show for us were the naan. Without even ordering, we were given perfect naan bread fresh out of the oven, piping hot, golden brown crispy and fluffy. If I had the stomach capacity, I'd be stuffing my face with it all day. Best of all, this bottomless naan is complimentary. Had a chance to chat with the owners too, a husband/wife duo. Truly kind and big-hearted people, going far out of their way to help community members in need. I won't go into details here but I'm glad they're part of the community and we'll be regulars for sure.

Absolutely spectacular food! I consider myself something a bit of a connoisseur of Indian cuisine,…read moreand Spice Valley Indian is a stand out among the best! Not only were the spices, complex and authentic, but the portions were enormous, and the price was affordable. Highly recommended!

Mantra was a great find as we cycled past it on the protected bike lane and could smell the spices…read more When we arrived, the nicest server ever greeted us and we enjoyed a laugh when a robot brought our naan on its tray! We ordered Rogan Josh lamb in a perfect med hot spiced sauce and my hubby had the tandoori chicken, expertly done! Everywhere in Victoria is serving mint chutney as a yogurt now? (it's ok,.. but I miss regular mint chutney of the past.) Naan is really good here too. I liked the decor/ambiance and really nice waitress! A great stop on the way back from the art gallery!

We ordered delivery for dinner and it did not disappoint! We ordered a lot of vegan food - all…read moresuper yummy Kachumber Salad Gobhi Garlic Garlic Naan Onion Bhajia Papdi Chaat Navratan Korma Vegetable Coconut Curry Everything was the perfect spice level! Now we are very full with some leftovers too.