Erika G.
Yelp
There isn't much question when it comes to Indian food in Toronto - most locals will tell you that Banjara is the best. Located practically in Christie Pits Park, this Bloorcourt Village restaurant has been around since 2003 with Chef Raj Veerella at the helm. They've even expanded into two locations. It was a done deal for me when I saw that NOW Toronto voted them #1 Best Indian Restaurant 2018, and of course that blogTO has them listed as the #1 Best Butter Chicken and #1 Best Indian Restaurant in Toronto. I was very excited to experience it all for myself and visited on a Saturday evening. They don't take reservations for parties smaller than five people but due to the restaurant's specious dining areas they often have plenty of room to seat everyone. I also appreciated the fact that they have their own dedicated parking lot, something very rare for restaurants located in the core areas of the city.
As previously mentioned, the space is quite large and you will immediately be met with a buzzing restaurant and tantalizing aromas upon entry. There are several dining rooms, including an enclosed patio area that allows for a lot of beautiful natural light. The overall decor is fairly modest but you will find colourful sari-style curtains and brightly painted walls. The room is full of busy servers moving plates back and forth. I was happy to be seated in the patio area, right next to the window.
The menu is very long and involves many different categories. I would almost advise to look at the menu online in advance so that you can arrive prepared! We were immediately delivered a basket of Papadum along with two sauces; a sweet tamarind chutney and a green chutney made with mint and cilantro. Papadum is a type of thin cracker. Light and crispy, this one was delightful to munch on as we waited for our order to arrive.
The next thing that I always take care of right away in Indian restaurants is ordering a Masala Chai (Indian milk black tea infused with ginger and cardamom - $3.99), quite possibly my favourite beverage of all-time. Or at least one of them. There is nothing quite like a proper Indian restaurant chai. It's not at all like what you get in coffee shops. This one was exactly the way that I like it, not too sweet and full of warm spice. Chai often gets served with sugar on the side but I never use it. I find that the perfect blend of spices is usually great just the way that it is.
There is also a rose lassi on the menu that I absolutely want to try next time!!
Back to the food menu, you'll find sections for; appetizers, soups & salads, tandoori sizzlers, chicken, meat delights, seafood delights, vegetarian dishes, rice dishes, breads, side orders, and desserts. Like I said, there's a lot. We decided to begin with a starter and zeroed in on the list of pakoras. With six types available, it had to be the Fish Pakoras (Rolled in chickpea batter and deep fried - $7.99 for six). We had ordered these from the starters section in hopes of having them as an appetizer, IE: before the rest of our food. However, these arrived after the rest of our food. This kinda defeats the purpose of a "starter," doesn't it? Regardless, they were enjoyable and I found them to be unique among all other fish pakoras that I have had in the past. I'm accustomed to my fish pakoras being mostly akin to a fishstick, with a pretty indiscernible "fish item" on the inside. This is not the case at Banjara. The fish inside of these pakoras was REAL. I could clearly see that it was a large, juicy piece of pink fish (possibly trout) with the skin still on. I appreciated this a lot! Pakoras always taste amazing dipped in tamarind chutney and these golden-brown, perfectly fried and crispy fish babies were no different.
Our food came out extremely quickly upon ordering it (apart from the pakoras, which took longer). Our friendly server recorded our order efficiently and a parade of various servers delivered our array of bowls and plates soon after. Of course we ordered the Butter Chicken (Banjara's most famous dish - chicken tikka (white meat) cooked in the tandoor, then simmered in a creamy tomato gravy - $15.99) given its reputation of being the best in the city. I loved this. The hype is real. The pieces of chicken were large and juicy. The sauce was a gorgeous velvety bath of richness. There was a slight smokey flavour to the dish that really made it deliciously unique. A delicate mix of spices played in the smoke. Up until this point the best curry dishes that I'd ever tasted were from Lahore Karahi in London, England. This butter chicken totally compares and is worth visiting Banjara for. I will be dreaming about it.
Next, from the Vegetarian Dishes section, we ordered the Navratan Korma (Potato, baby corn, paneer, peas, beans, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower & mushrooms in a creamy cashew gravy - $12.99), another favourite dish of ours. Otherwise known as "vegetable korma," the word navratan refers to the nine key ingredients th