Thandi

Thandi Restaurant was a great experience. The food was delicious with big portions perfect for sharing if you don’t eat much… Our waitress “Tare” was amazing!She was professional and patient even during a busy time Her great service made our visit even better. Highly recommend

The food at this restaurant was absolutely delicious and well-prepared. However, I was a bit disappointed with the service. When I politely asked for a better seat, the response from the owner and waiter felt unwelcoming, which affected the overall atmosphere. Great food, but I hope the hospitality improves.

Truly, I liked their food. The overall taste was a blast. I ordered starter for 2 people which comes with tanduri chicken, lamb kebab, fish fry, samosa and 3 types of sauce. My gosh! That was yummy. And for main dish we ordered Banjara and chicken Tikka masala platter and coke. Overall the taste was so good as well as the atmosphere. But a phillipinno guy who was our server for that day, didn’t even bother to tell us what was the special for that day where he was telling that to all other people. I have never seen any server like that. He didn’t even seem interested to invest his time on us where he was rushing everything. We had to call him several times and instead of serving he was throwing food on the table, lol. Though we put tips on as a gesture but that was one of the worst services as I have been there couple of times but never got that type of experiences. I would recommend the food and atmosphere but was not satisfied with service.

We popped in for a Friday lunch break while touring around Saint John. I had the Thai Chicken Mango Curry. You can trust a great delicious meal here + the decor is a conversation starter!

Such amazing food and the portions were very generous as well! Definitely should check out and in the area! We ordered the Indian platter for 2, as well as the saag curry with vegetables (super delicious combo)!

This was my first Indian restaurant experience but definitely not my last. The bar has been set. I had the Vindaloo a signature cocktail and split a sampler appetizer. Absolutely delicious. Great atmosphere and great service.

Delicious Indian (Southeast Asian) Fusion. They have some great Indian and Thai dishes. Their spin on the traditional Pad Thai was excellent, as it uses tamarin as the based sauce, so the Pad Thai is nice sweet and tangy.

Stopped in at Thandi Indian and had the chicken masala. It was rich, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. The spices were well balanced and the portion was generous. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was warm and relaxed. A great spot for anyone craving quality Indian food in Saint John.

We wanted some Indian food and our hostess at the Bed and Breakfast suggested this place. It is an Indian fusion but we enjoyed the delicious food. We ordered the Saag with paneer which came with naan and rice. We also ordered the salmon which was good but not as flavorful as I would typically hope for but we remedied that by putting the saag on it and then it was delicious. The mashed potatoes that came with the salmon were amazing!! The waitress was very friendly and helpful and easy to talk to. The ambiance was very nice with music, decor and lots of other guests. There is a bar you can sit at as well as street level and upper level seating.

Great service, great location and the food is always top notch! Great menu selections to satisfy anyone's palate

Not much Indian variety is available. Don't go on online menu. It's marely to attract. Dishes mentioned in online menu are not even listed in their dinning menu. If you are really Indian food lover this place is not for you. No taste authenticity. Service charges are too high. Not ordered any liquor but liquor serving charges are charged that again 20$ and for serving beverages extra 6$. Means on serving beverages only they charged 26$ along with govt HST Tax 18.30$. On total food bill of 96$ they charged total 44$. Means 45.83% of the charges. Will not recommend at-all to any Indian food lover. Food: 1/5 | Service: 2/5 | Atmosphere: 3/5 Vegetarian options Not have much to order in vegetarian. And what all is available no such authentic taste. Not at all recommendable..

I've had supper a few times with friends and I find it crowded, pricey and they got my drink and food wrong every time

Very nice atmosphere with excellent service. I was able to find only one vegan main course, but it was excellent and would definitely go back

I have had a bad meal here and a good one. The food when good was tasty and large portion. I would not say it's a very Indian experience. You order one dish per person, whereas I'd expect to order lots of smaller things and share. And where are the chutney, and papadams? So I'd say the food is ok but inconsistent, nothing outstanding. Service is friendly enough. Interior is nice enough, lots of exposed brick and all that. I'd go back but without enthusiasm.

What a classy restaurant! My sister just had the best birthday dinner at Thandi. Everyone loved their dinner (samosas, chicken tikka masala, vegetarian curry), the staff was wonderful and the ambiance is perfect. We can't wait to go back!

The food here is amazing!! Each mouthful is bursting with so many different spices and flavor. I was actually so amazed that there is such a high quality of Indian food in Saint John. We were luckly to be here on a Friday, which happens to be butter chicken special day! We took full advantage and it was a great choice. Creamy, buttery and large moist chucks of chicken. I loved that it came with naan and rice, which helped mop up all the delicious sauce. Our second choice was the lamb briyani, which was another great dish. So many different spices went into the rice but balanced each other so well. I will miss this dish when I leave St John! Come and eat. No regrets except when you have to leave St John and Thandi behind!

Absolutely terrible. So wrong in so many ways. Where to begin? I ordered a VIRGIN mango daiquiri (clearly pointing it out on the Virgin Cocktails menu) and only realized once I got close to the bottom of the glass, where alcohol was more concentrated and could actually be tasted through the impenetrable thickness of the mango puree, that our server had brought me one with rum in it. I was pretty pissed off once I realized, because I need to avoid alcohol in order to maintain some quality of health, as a COVID longhauler. It really shouldn't be that difficult or confusing to obtain a non-alcoholic beverage. I would have let that incident slide if the food had been worth it, but the food was -terrible-. ***Extreme salt overload*** in every dish, and I am already on a really high salt diet because of remaining COVID-related issues (yay!). Despite my tongue being accustomed to high salt content in my diet, the food was still salty enough to obliterate any actual flavour there might have been, and left me wanting to drink from a water trough. We got the butter chicken they seem to pride themselves on, and it was horrendous - tasted like the kind of butter chicken goop you see the guys squeeze out of a bag in those curry take-out joints in the Montreal metro (Guy-Concordia, lookin' at you!). But wait, it's much worse, because I'm pretty sure they then water it down with cheap canned tomato soup - that is THE precise flavour. And I don't mean Campbells; I mean No Name. Now, the icing on the cake: my date and I typically order an appetizer for two, and then split a main dish, because we are small-ish people with easily filled bellies. So, we ordered the appetizer for two, and asked about splitting a main dish - specifically what the portion sizes were, because you never know. Our server, attempting to be sly, brought over the small bowl that sits on the main plate, and showed us that, telling us that was the serving size, so that we ended up ordering two main dishes. When the dishes arrived, they were massive plates loaded with a mountain of rice, store bought naan bread, and papadams. In the middle sat the little bowl of saucy meat, nearly overflowing. It was WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much food. I understand the typically large New Brunswick potato farmer appetite, but seriously, c'mon. So, we ended up with an excessive amount of very poor food we didn't want, for a hefty $100+ bill, not including the tip! Finally, such a missed opportunity for decent ambience in this place. The decor was pretty great (awesome chandeliers) but there was no music whatsoever (is that a COVID rule??) and a massive sports TV in the middle of the restaurant near the bar. Meh. I can't even believe the amount of positive reviews of this place. Local peeps, you need to get some freaking standards. And, I'm from here, so I can call you out on that.

This is a review from a VEGAN. I really enjoyed this place... so much so that I returned within a week to order the same dish. I ordered the Channa Masala. It is one of two or three dishes that are actually labelled vegan. It was DELICIOUS. It is pricey at $19 a dish. The first night I finished my meal but was extremely full, the second dinner I took some home. The whiskey sours are not my favorite, but they are pretty good. The environment is quite enjoyable. I felt ok going in with jeans but you could also dress up and be fancy. I sat in the downstairs both times but there is also an upstairs dining area. They had super cute little "single" booths. I wish I were able to eat the naan bread. I also had to avoid the hummus as it is made with yogurt. So just be aware there are no vegan-friendly appetizers but the meals are worth it !!!

This restaurant was excellent, with great food that was made hot, fresh, and flavorful. If you are wanting Indian food, definitely make this your stop. We will definitely return!

Tried this for the first time. Went with the regular fare and stayed within the lines ordering a classic butter chicken from the "authentic" Indian cuisine menu at thandi. Cook time was very fast Service was excellent Environment was cozy, well designed Food was marginal Presentation lacking Serving size small Cost astronomical Gut pay back in full As a well travelled vet foody, this place needs to humble itself. Just because you have a good designer doesn't mean you can charge 30$ for a 10-16 dollar meal.

Loved this place: servers, food, ambiance, drinks, all top notch. On a cold rainy evening in April, everything at Thandi was just right.

Are you in a mood for "indianish" food that will not overwhelm your palate, all at once, with a cornucopia of spices? Don't get me wrong - I love all spices hitting at me at the same time but you do miss the individual taste of the main ingredient when things are dipped in a thick curry+creme sauce. Well come to Thandi and you will love all their improvisation or, as some would call it, cuisine innovation. Delightfully westernized, the place was a bit pricey but quite a find. The stir fry veggies with paneer can be mixed and matched with several accompaniments. We went with rice and the "fusion" dish was extraordinaire' (however we all felt that the same dish over noodles would go even better). Spice level was mild but the veggies tasted - hmmm - like veggies! They don't offer typical Indian flat breads but instead use pita which, in this case, is fairly close to the Indian Naan. Another entree we ordered was Paneer with Peas - aromatic, fresh, and with a subtle hint of spices only. The only entree that appeared fairly traditional was Black Lentils in a creme preparation (Daal Makhani). All entrees served in generous proportions with side of rice and pita. We ordered a take out but wish we had dined at the restaurant. The place is a two-level delight with a nice bar, Santara, on the first floor. Must be a very popular place as it was humming with business. Parking was not a problem for us as there is an adjacent hourly parking lot buy street parking appeared tight.

Beyond disappointing. 1. The Indian platter for two is more like 1.5 - 2 entrees worth of food. Unfortunately the waitress convinced us that the entrees were quite small. Based on that we decide to order two entrees to follow the platter. We ended up with enough food on the table for four people even though it was just the two of us. Having extra food to take away isn't always a bad thing, however: 2. All the meats in the Indian platter were over salted. My partner normally consumes extra salty food and found it overpowering. In my opinion over salting food is usually done to make up for a lack of flavour and/or inexperienced cooks/chef at work. 3. The unexpectedly large entrees arrive. a) The butter chicken was an utter disappointment. I noticed they sell their sauce in Mason jars so presumably they make it in house. Suspiciously enough the butter chicken sauce tasted like prepacked store bought sauce mixed with a can of tomato soup. It was very sweat and very salty. b) The Rogan Josh, made with lamb, was also excessively salty. 4. The rice on both our entrees either had uncooked bits in it OR was old hard rice mixed with freshly cooked rice. The rice was not consumed. 5. My partner ordered a non-alcoholic mango daiquiri. The server brought over an alcoholic one which my partner didn't realize until the drink was mostly consumed. Two issues here: a) she has a health condition that requires her to stay alcohol free b) the amount of alcohol was insufficient for an alcoholic beverage. If you are going to charge for an alcoholic beverage at least make sure it doesn't taste like a regular glass of juice. How all this makes sense for such a highly rated place is beyond me. The prices charged are not appropriate for the quality and flavour of the food. Perhaps we caught it on an off night (inconsistency at a restaurant is never a good sign) however the experience was bitter enough to discourage us from going back and even provided enough motivation for me to spend my precious time writing this review. Some more feedback for the owner/manager, get rid of the TV over the bar. You market yourselves as being more upscale and authentic not a sports bar. How about some appropriate Indian or Asian music to create an experience to go along with your fusion menu? A regret this evening is not confronting the manager with all this in person. I am not one to create a scene in a restaurant (especially during covid times), particularly when online reviews will likely gain more attention and hopefully provide critical feedback to improve things.

Food and drinks were good. Atmosphere was great Had lunch and it hit the spot. Kid friendly!

I was disappointed For the price, I expected real authentic Indian food First the naan was clearly factory made I had better naan at Costco The butter chicken was subpar Chicken was dry too Didn't get a warm welcome from the staff, maybe because I am Asian Was served food without cutlery and napkins

Somewhere between heaven and paradise will you find the tomato soup we had the other night. We regularly drive over an hour just to dine here. The hummus is fantastic, butter chicken, Bombay curry, spicy Thai chicken, always consistently amazing. You'll want to save room for the homemade cheesecake which varies from great to incredible. Just as important is the excellent service- always. Special shout out to Jason who is a true professional.

One of my favorite Indian restaurants in Saint John. The food is so good, so delicious. Ask for Danica, she is amazing. The service is wonderful. The crowd was just excellent when we went- not to crazy, but not to quiet. We were seated fast and served quickly. Love the food and service! Would recommend for my fellow Saint Johners who love Indian.

We purposely did not do a Yelp search. We wanted to stumble upon a yummy place. And we succeeded. This fusion restaurant has beautiful decor. The service was great. I ate the paneer vindaloo. It was full of flavor and spicy. My fiancé had the cod fillet. He thought it was just okay.

First of all what's up with the portion sizes Canada! They are HUGE. haha not complaining but this was too much food for 2 people. Would I do it all over again? Hell yeah! We ordered the naan nachos. If you have not tried this and you get the chance to you must you must you must! It's so creative and so delicious. I mean who would have thought to combine these 2 different cuisines? A genius that's who! We also ordered the paneer masala with a side of vega me biryani. Man oh man. I have never had my palette dance like this. Best part was how all the flavours completed each other and how well balanced it was. The paneer!!! Omg i have never tasted paneer that fresh and good ever (well not in USA anyway). Only thing I would have liked something to cool down my palette but this was no big deal. Oh we also ordered the mango lassi which was not sweet enough for me but the husband loved it. PS: make sure you are hungry when you go here because this is an experience you do not want to do half heartedly. PPS: husband took left overs to lunch and said it tasted even better the next day.

Crazy delicious! Best indian food we have ever had. Their sauces are rich and creamy. We had the Banjara and Bombay. The spice level was spot on. Great meal. It was a bit busy for a Thursday night I guess and our only critique was the wait time, meals didnt arrive until almost 45-50 min after ordering for 8 people. Still though, the food was well worth the wait!

The food I had was excellent. We had the samosas, pad Thai and chicken briyiani. All the food was excellent. I'm a big pad Thai fan, and this take on it hit the spot, aromatic and tasty. The rice in the briyiani was fresh and aromatic. The chicken in both plates was tender white meat. I went for lunch, so it was steal. It might be a bit pricy for dinner, but the food was great. I'd definitely go back.

Whenever I'm in Saint John, I always make a point to stop here. The wait staff is always friendly and down-to-earth (and a little on the quirky side, in a good way) and the chef is very accommodating. It is definitely one of the better restaurants in the Port City and seems to have staying power not only with the tourists but with the locals as well. The decor is very urban with exposed brick and lots of glass and has a very sexy atmosphere come nightfall. If you're looking for a chic place to host an event, I have seen several wedding parties reserve the space for the reception and have never heard a complaint (from either the wedding guests or the wait staff). They are very vegetarian friendly and able to make a lot of substitutes if that's the sort of thing you need. Their dishes tend to be fairly spicy and the portions tend to run large, so be aware and don't eat too much before stopping by. It's not particularly child or teen friendly so leave the kiddies at home and you'll enjoy yourself. There are two stories to the restaurant and as such I've never seen it totally full (but awfully close on some nights and weekends). You won't need a reservation generally but if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night it might be wise to call in advance just in case. I'm not sure who goes to an Indian restaurant and orders seafood but regardless, no matter what you order, be sure to give this place a second (and a third) chance. I didn't know what I was ordering the first time I went and as such wasn't terribly impressed but once I found my dish, I was hooked. They have a wide selection to make just about everyone happy and you owe it to yourself to find the dish that's right for you. Once you find it, you won't be disappointed!

It was just ok! 6 to a 7 out of 10. Was told the butter chicken was the bomb! It was just a fizzle. Sauce very good but a little on the sweet side. Chicken had been pre cooked and a little dry. Podiums with no chutney !!! A tandoori oven would improve things a lot as the flatbread was bad... I may try something else during the week. Could be an excellent Indian, if they work on it.

Came through Saint John on the way from Maine back to Halifax, and stopped in for dinner for the first time. The ambiance is lovely and the staff are attentive. I ordered a margarita. What arrived at the table was something that tasted like Mountain Dew (I'm not kidding). I figured for a place that is rated $$$ on here and charges $7.50 for the drink, it would be real lime juice, triple sec and tequila. But no. It was incredibly sweet and had that hideous fake lime aftertaste. When I informed the server that I would not be drinking it she seemed surprised. Really? It was neon-green soda in a water goblet. In a high-end restaurant. I think not. I had the chicken curry. It was good and the portion was generous (though for $22 it should be) and came with rice and naan. It was a little spicier than I am used to for Butter Chicken and was a little more tomatoey than I prefer. This is a nice place and I would consider going back, but I will be trying out some other places in SJ first before I am back to Thandi's. And next time I'll bring my own lime juice.

Thandi's is definitely good Indian in the Saint John area if you go for dinner. The daytime chef is good at cooking the lunch specials (so don't order off the full menu during the day). The indian dishes are the best as the other Asian dishes fall flat and are either too overly seasoned or taste nothing like the authentic versions. The waitstaff is extremely attentive, but beware that the kitchen can be slow. All that said, Thandi's is still one of my favorite restaurants in Saint John!

The recommendations of locals to come here was spot on. Our server was excellent--knowledgeable, courteous, and gracious. The tempura calamari appetizer was the best I've ever had and the Margo lassi was so good we ordered one for the road. My kids enjoyed the samosas and sataya chicken. My fish special was as good as any I've ever had in India where I travel often and my spouse's butter chicken was tasty even if not my favorite dish. All in all, a wonderful place for dinner in Saint John.

Thandi's ... ahhhhh! Liz & I were there for a date night a while back & it was tremendous. First off, you've got to know that we'd never really eaten at an Indian-specialty restaurant before so it was a bit of an experiment. The only thing that kept me from giving it a 5-star was that the waiter that night was on his first week. So when we asked "What's a good must-try specialty for first-timers?" he didn't know himself. That being said, he quickly hooked up with another staffer & got us each something that we truly truly enjoyed. Although the tables are quite close together, the atmosphere was pleasantly & surprisingly intimate: quite quiet (even given that we were right beside the kitchen / galley where there was a fair bit of traffic & banter between staff). The decor is extremely urban & "uptown". Loved it. Had been in the restaurant numerous times when it was previously Il Fornello's / D'amico, and whereas between that restaurant change there was really very little physical change, Thandi's gave it a very nice makeover. The two of us ate for around $60 (without alcohol) which included coffee & dessert. Not bad really considering the great food and great atmosphere. Thank you Thandi's... we'll be back!

Service- excellent Appetizer - excellent Great place, beautiful restaurant. All was outsanding until we received our entre's . We had the seafood platter, was pricy at $33.00. The platter was cold, fish overcooked, except for the salmon. The mussells were chewy. It appeared as if all the seafood was cooked together. Not much flavor overall. The marsala was also cold. The bacon wrapped scallops were a little underdown for my wife. We got them back they were half the size and had been deep fried. We were having such good time and were so let down after receiving our entre's. But we are willing to give it another try later. Had fun but disappointed.

I love to visit here when I am in Saint John. I will admit I have not tried a lot of things on the menu because I am obsessed with their butter chicken. Servce has always been wonderful. Also I love the chic urban decor.

Good food with a wide array of options. Butter chicken and lamb vindaloo are highly recommended dishes!

We were recommended this restaurant coming from Toronto for our Maritimes vacation. The food looks really good and the menu looks original and creative, however I wonder how the service fares. The place wasn't too packed as we went on a Sunday evening. We were left unattended for 20 minutes after my partner placed his soft drink. At the first 10 minute mark in, I found it odd that he didn't get his drink, but decided to give our server the benefit of the doubt as he was attending to some others. After a while I felt like he was purposefully ignoring my eye contact when trying to convey we were ready. My partner and I noticed patrons that came after us were attended to or the server would choose to wipe the bar. I can't help but wonder if we were discriminated against as the only patrons of colour present at the establishment. We ended up leaving without recieving the drink.

I was traveling in St. John not long ago, when myself and a colleague had a craving for Indian food. This place was a total surprise. Finding it, you go through a somewhat run down area of the city - but boy what a surprise when you walk through the doors! I would definitely take a date here if I lived in the city. I had the Chicken Korma, and it was amazing - my collegue had a different curry dish that was blended with spinach. My favorite part was the Veggie somosas. Portion sizes were generous - there was a good enough size helping for lunch the next day as well. We came in at around $30 each without drinks but with and appetizer and dessert, which is not bad - I'd have spent the same at Boston Pizza for a far less unique experience. Service was good, nothing to write home about either way, but I do highly recommend this place to anyone! The window seats on the upper floor are nice. The only other thing to note is we went on a Saturday after work (around 7 by the time we were parked and inside), and there were few unoccupied tables. I'd definitely recommend reservations on a weekend evening.

I spent a month in Saint John for work and this quickly became one of my favorite restaurants. The service and food were top notch. The Nan is a little different than i am used to and seems more like pita bread but the curry dishes are outstanding. The lamb dishes were my favorite. I could eat here just about everyday if I could.

Great authentic East Indian food. Go directly to the end of the menu for the good stuff. Service is excellent.

Food is very well made, atmosphere is top notch. I have friends that come from out of town just to get their butter chicken. I would recommend this place for business to pleasure for your dining experience. You can also get the butter chicken to go!

The best place for Indian food in Saint John. A bit expensive but the quality of food is top notch. A fantastic place for team dinners or casual lunch. They maintain a good variety of Indian as well as western desserts. I recommend the Rogan Josh.

I find that with Thandi's the food is always delicious. I have never had a bad meal here. However, since it is a thai/ indian restaurant, I stick to that part of the menu. If you are a seafood lover, I would try other places uptown to satisfy your marine taste buds. The only draw back is the service... which is the reason I haven't returned in quite sometime. (After being a 'once a month' place to eat and visit) It's hit or miss depending on the waiter/ waitress serving you. It's a shame really, since their food is so delectable that bad to incompetent wait-staff can destroy the experience. I would like to try Thandi's again soon. Hopefully they have gotten this 'situation' under control and I can just go and enjoy the food again. I would definitely recommend it to anyone staying uptown, or who would just like to enjoy good thai/ indian cuisine. However, I would say when you go... expect to wait a long time and if you don't have to, consider that an added bonus!

Delicious, Decadent, Divine! One of the best Indian food I've ever had. Everything on the plate tasted simply amazing. I ordered chicken Tikka Masala. and my brother ordered butter chicken. Both of the orders came with rice and bread! the food has that unforgettable flavor. The decor is very nice lots of brick. the waiter wasn't very friendly yet very professional, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT.

limited offerings in Saint John for Indian food but there are several dishes that shine at Thandi's. Kudos to the cooks, avenue is 100% and service if good and personal. Rating 5/5 for area due to limited offerings in such a small area, however I would still rate at 3 or 4 out of 5 compared to world travel.

Butter chicken... Butter chicken... Butter chicken. My absolute favourite meal on the menu. Gotta love Butter Chicken Friday---1/2 price meal during the Friday lunch hour. Great service and perfect atmosphere.

Nice setting and I appreciate the waitress pointing out that I was ordering more food than one person could reasonably eat. The naan nachos were a fine meal by themselves.

We dined here on the host of a B & B's recommendation. She said this is one of several places in the city that people come back to her establishment and rave about. We were not disappointed! We had the samosa appetizer. The pastry with filling was hot, crunchy with a flavorful filling and well spiced sauce. Main course was the spicy Thai seafood dish. Yum! We were told there would be enough for 2 people and there was( and my guy is a big guy with a healthy appetite). We are from the US just passing through and do not usually eat out for recreation, but I must say I would definitely eat here again.

Great food but terrible service from waitress with very short blonde hair. She checked in not enough and when at table did not seem concerned if we were enjoying ourselves. She was dismissive, rude and seemed to rush us out of the restaurant and upon leaving could hear her making remarks about myself and date. Very disappointed that such a great kitchen with amazing food can have such a bad/rude server on their front lines... I recommend Take Out if you do not want this experience.

I had the opportunity to eat here once while traveling to Saint John and the food was great. Enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner. Good Service as well.

Excellent Saag curry. Visiting from Washington, D.C. and stumbled onto this place. The food was creative and outstanding.

This is my other favorite place in Saint John. If you like Indian food youll really like this place. Veggie curry was fantastic and so was there vindaloo.

We were pleasantly surprised by this charming local find. The decor is tasteful and the service was excellent. We ordered the salmon on a Cedar plank and it was well prepared and seasoned nicely. The other meal was cooked nicely as well.