Moti Mahal Restaurant

I had one of the worst dining experiences at Moti Mahal Calgary. The food was extremely disappointing — it lacked freshness, flavor, and quality. On top of that, the service was just as bad: slow, careless, and unfriendly. Honestly, nothing about this visit made me want to come back. Definitely not worth the money or the time. YOU ARE RUINING THE NAME OF THE MOST ICONIC INDIAN DELHI BUTTER-CHICKEN BRAND please change it as it was definitely 1000000 miles away from a normal butter chicken taste. Forget about real moti mahal chicken taste.!!

They really should’ve worked more on developing interior, that decoration doesn't seem like an organic indian palace; the food was not tempting at all. The food as per our request wasn’t made, clearly waste of time & money! Only the person who was hosting us was on his toes to make us feel comfortable.

Came here for the first time with no expectations, but immediately was flabbergasted by the quality. Food? Amazing. Service? Impeccable. Atmosphere? Great. 10/10 would come here frequently.

Amazing food, service and ambiance. If you are lucky enough you shall get the opportunity to meet Bill at the restaurant. Tried the meat platter and the chili paneer, the flavors in both the dishes was amazing.

One of the best Indian restaurant we’ve tried so far! Certainly in Top 3 in the city! The place gets full really quick at evening so be prepared and reserve ahead of time. There were lots of parking spot outside and it’s really close to 17ave party district. The staff at Moti are amazing and highly attentive to our needs and inquiries. We ordered the Moti Platter, Garlic Naan, Paratha bread and Chicken tikka Masala. Moti platter is basically a mix of tandoori meats (chicken, lamb, beef) with spicy red sauce, served over a sizzling iron plate. It was a bit spicy but Super Delicious!! Best eaten with the Naan bread. Chicken Tikka Masala was perfect too! Not too spicy and best served with extra onion and jalapeños on the side. I also tried their Indian Lager Beer (King Fisher) and it was refreshingly good after a long day! Definitely coming back here!!

The food and vibe of Moti Mahal are very unique. We had the pakoras as a starter. The main course of chicken tikka masala, seekh kebab, palak, lamb masala, biryani and naan. The portions are smaller but filling and are meant for sharing. A must try dining experience.

Extremely Disappointed – Not Worth the Time or Money We were initially considering Moti Mahal as a venue for our upcoming office party, so I decided to try it out personally about two weeks ago. I wasn’t planning to leave a review, but the experience left me with such regret that I felt compelled to share. The food was far below expectations. I ordered Chilli Paneer, which was oddly prepared in curry masala—completely off from the classic dry, tangy version it’s supposed to be. The Chicken Biryani tasted like sticky boiled rice mixed with a sauce and tossed with chicken pieces—completely lacking flavor, texture, or authenticity. The most disappointing dish was the Daal Makhani (Maharani). It looked old and had a strange taste. When I raised concerns, I was assured it was fresh, but as someone who has worked as a North Indian chef for 8 years, I can confidently say it wasn’t. What truly sealed the experience as both funny and unprofessional was when the waitress asked us to save our dirty cutlery from the starters to reuse for the main course. That was a new one for me. The whole experience left me with nothing but guilt over wasting both time and money. We immediately canceled our plan to book the space for our office event and I will not be returning. I would never recommend this place to anyone who genuinely appreciates Indian cuisine. They might be able to pass their food off to those unfamiliar with authentic Indian flavors, but not to those who know what it's supposed to taste like

Moti Mahal has been my regular restaurant for quality Indian food. I have been going to this place for around 7 years now and the quality and service hasn't changed in that time. It's a family run business by one of the kindest and most accommodating families that I have had the pleasure of meeting.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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 !

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Stumbled across this gem .Beautiful food great value lovely friendly staff. The wine was not too bad either lol. Definitely will be going back.

Very rude people. We called before going there and they said that they had all their food available. When we arrived 2 minutes later they didn't have food ready so we couldn't eat. Sry horrible experience. Never go here.1/5

I wanted to try this place for such a long time as it has always had great reviews. So I had really high expectations that were only partly met. The shrimp salen was the tastiest dish although the cauliflower alu was also very nice. Butter chicken was only average. The nannn was fresh and the garlic and butter added a nice flavour to it. Mango lasses were thinner and less yogurty than what I have been use too but were still ok they way they served it. The atmosphere was less authentic than I had expected. It felt very westernized and somewhat mainstream despite the use of copper and metal traditional dishes. Seemed to attract less of an ethnic crowd but maybe that's just due to location. Overall was a good experience. Servers were nice and efficient also.

Great Indian food! The best garlic naan. Yum!! The curries were good too. Atmosphere is the restaurant was great and clean. Staff were fantastic and super nice. They accidentally charged us for an extra portion of rice and gave us the refund without question.

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.

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.

My husband and I love spicy food and food from around the world. I grew up in Vancouver with homemade Indian food at friends' homes and in Little India which really caters to Indians. I have also made many Indian dishes myself. That's all to preface my 5*s. Portions are good-sized (unlike at some places where your dish would only fill half a cup), delicious flavours, beautiful naan, and wonderful service. They are eager to accommodate their customers. My husband always orders extra-extra-hot for his dish and this is the one place in town that gives it to him. My favourite used to be the Taj Mahal, but this place is twice as good with bigger portions.

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.

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!

I ordered the Lamb Dhansak (boneless lamb, yellow lentils, tamarind and mustard seed curry) from their lunch menu. This $14 platter included cubes of watermelon, a small iceberg lettuce salad, marinated vegetables, basmati rice, and a few wedges of garlic naan. Everything was delicious, and service was attentive without being overbearing. Their mango lassi was just the right balance of sweet and tart.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Okay, this was a drop in for us and we were blown away! The good food was phenomenal- okra, chicken tandoori and seekh kebabs sizzling at the table. What an unexpected source of great food in Calgary! The service was fabulous too! Thank you Moti Mahal!

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.

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...

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!

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.

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!

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.

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).

I wanted to try Indian food while in Calgary because I saw so many Indian in this city. Yelp helped me to pick this restaurant. When we got into the restaurant, we were greeted nicely. Our table was being prepared. After 5 mins, we were seated. Indian decoration is all over the place. Our server did not come to our table not until 10-15 mins since we sat down. We were ready to order and went ahead to order the food (roti, quarter chicken tandoori and lamb kashmiri based on her recommendation). When the food arrived, we received more pieces of chicken than I thought. Couldnt finish the food because it was plenty. The taste is very good. When the bill came I was surprised that they charged half chicken even though we ordered quarter chicken. Earlier, I also heard the restaurant owner apologized to the customers next to our table because the same waitress mistakenly took order. It was not a big deal for me just because of the quality of the food. I recommend to try this place if you want to taste some good Indian food.

Been here once, loved it, will go back again soon. Lately, I've been dissatisfied with some of the other restaurants I usually visit. I decided to try something new! This place has very dim lighting and Indian music in the background. I think this place is very well decorated - especially metal door fixtures on the wall. We got to drink out of what it looked like a tin cup? It felt like we were truly in India. I don't even know where to start with food. We ordered a thing of rice, shrimp something sauce (amazing), and spinach-cheese sauce. I think it's inappropriate to call them "sauce", maybe curry? I forget the names but I will revisit soon and edit the list of things to get there! Overall, had a wonderful time, there was a little delay from the server side, taking good 5 minutes till he visited us for the first time. We were seated by the lady who was at the front. Otherwise, lovely, lovely, place to eat.