Kandice VincentIn a world full of overpriced salads, be someone who chooses a plate full of delicious biryani! Toronto opens its arms – and its buffet tables – to those who crave the addictive and aromatic treasures of Indian cuisine.
Here’s a walkthrough of the best Indian buffet restaurants in Toronto. Let’s explore these spice-filled buffet havens– filled with butter chicken, spicy vindaloo, assorted tandoori, and a parade of lassis– because sometimes, a salad just won’t cut it.
What’s the price range for dining in an Indian buffet restaurant in Toronto?
Our featured Indian buffet restaurants in Toronto offer diverse price points– from $10 to $24 per person.
The pricing depends on the type of buffet restaurant, whether it’s a cozy, kitschy hidden gem like Bombay Palace or an upscale spacious spot like Aroma Fine Indian Cuisine.
How We Chose the Best Indian Buffet Restaurants in Toronto
1. Little India Restaurant
Little India Restaurant has served the flavors of North Indian cuisine since 1994. Nithiyananthan Selvarasa took the reins from his Sri Lankan-born father in 2001, continuing the legacy of this cozy establishment.
They specialize in thalis, tandooris, and curries, which are famous in Northern India, and they open their doors seven days a week.
Little India’s known for its lunch buffet. Priced at $15.95 per person, the spread features a dozen rotating hot options freshly prepared every morning, such as creamy butter chicken, aloo tikki, chana, palak paneer, and veggie pakoras.
Don’t miss their yummy dosa – spongy and generously buttery, thanks to its luxurious and traditional fry in ghee. It also has a salad bar, offering poppadom, raita, pickles, and a daily changing side dish.
To round off your buffet lunch meal, try their comforting chai tea, a blend of plain black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Pros
- 29 years of experience
- Specializes in thalis, tandooris, and curries
- Known for its affordable lunch buffet
- Freshly prepared hot options
- Daily changing side dish
- Wheelchair-accessible
- Street and bike parking
Cons
- Isolated reports of hygiene issues
- Overly sweet butter chicken
Best Indian food in quite awhile
“Came Bchere with a friend from out of town and she found this place (thankfully!)… we had the Chicken Pakora, samosas, Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken with steamed rice, garlic naan and butter roti. For dessert we had the Gulab Jamun (so amazing I wanted more!). Best Indian food in quite awhile. Staff is friendly and moved us to a bigger table without us asking. Definitely recommend if you’re craving Indian food!”
Daniele McAllister, Google Review
Excellent experience with perfect customer service
“Overall an absolutely excellent experience with perfect customer service. The food is extremely tasty and very flavourful. The best naan; thick, soft, chewy, with fresh garlic and nicely buttered. It’s big and pulls apart like a nice pizza dough. The lamb Gosht Karahi is my favourite, as it’s very complex, has fresh cilantro and stewed potatoes, and has a lot of spice (very hot). Spice level can be adjusted by request, however. The butter chicken and Mateer Paneer have a fresh sauce where you can clearly taste tomato and not just sugar and cream, like at many places.”
Market Ranti, Google Review
2. The Host Fine Indian Cuisine
The Host Fine Indian Cuisine was shaped by Chef Sanjeev Sethi’s journey from server to co-founder and executive chef. He arrived in Canada in 1989, worked as a server; and in 1995, he opened The Host’s first location in Yorkville with his brother.
Today, the legacy continues with his son, Ashish Sethi, armed with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and experience alongside Chef Daniel Boulud in NYC.
The restaurant features a diverse lunch buffet menu, from soup and salad to appetizers, hot entrees, and a curry and tandoori grill.
Live cooking stations, including a dedicated chaat station, add an interactive flair to your buffet dining trip. We suggest trying their sumptuous butter chicken with their freshly baked naan.
As a cherry on top, they offer a permanent 10% discount on their lunch buffet every Monday and Tuesday. And, if you visit on Thursdays, you can savor their half-priced house wine.
Pros
- 28 years of experience
- Highly qualified chefs
- Has live cooking stations and a chaat station
- 10% lunch buffet discount every Monday and Tuesday
- Half-priced wine every Thursday
- Has outdoor seating
- Wheelchair-accessible
Cons
- Comparatively pricey
- Reports of food issues
The service here was beyond spectacular
“Highly recommend this Indian cuisine. The service here was beyond spectacular the wait staff continued to check to see if we were satisfied and it there was anything we needed. The food was so good!!! Definitely the best butter chicken we have ever had. The Naan bread was so.soft and tasty. Everything was cooked to perfection. The appetizer which was recommended by the waitress was so good as was the mango chutney that went along with it. To top off the experience the prices were very reasonable for such fine cuisine. We will definitely be returning to the Host. Thank you for the great dining experience.”
Amanda Borowski, Google Review
Offers amazing Indian food
“Visited Host on a weekday and the food was great. Ambiance is amazing and a family as well as a perfect place for a date. Offers amazing indian food. We loved the paneer tawa masala and dal makhani. Felt the service was a bit slow but the staff was kind to inform us about the delay. We felt Do Ranga paneer tikka was a bit expensive as per the quantity served.”
Gossipovercoffee GOC, Google Review
3. Aroma Fine Indian Cuisine
Aroma Fine Indian Cuisine offers both an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet and a diverse a la carte menu with mild-to-hot options. Established by owner Ghanshyam Joshi in 2004, this upscale gem focuses on offering an authentic Indian fine dining experience.
Fronting a chef with experience from India’s esteemed 5-star hotels, it specializes in group, social, and corporate events. It also has professional catering consultants available to customize the perfect menu for your special occasion.
From the classic butter chicken to the fiery lamb vindaloo, it caters to people with different Indian food cravings. Plus, it offers an array of vegetarian and vegan options.
We suggest going for their chicken tikka – a tender and irresistibly tasty dish. Another winner is their chicken vindaloo served with a rich and satisfyingly thick sauce.
The restaurant is proudly halal certified, ensuring those with dietary restrictions can relish in the rich flavors guilt-free.
It also has street and bike parking for added convenience.
Pros
- 19 years of experience
- Spacious and upscale ambiance
- Caters to large groups and events
- Has vegetarian and vegan options
- Halal certified
- Street and bike parking available
Cons
- Difficult to find parking
- Not wheelchair accessible
Absolutely superb
“I’ve been to countless Indian restaurants, this one is absolutely superb. Ordered chicken vindaloo and it was done to perfection, nice thick sauce (unlike the hospital tasting pre-made sauce other restaurants use…). Garlic naan was delicious and perfectly cooked rice as well. 100% will be going back regularly to this spot.”
David Dekel, Google Review
Tasty food and a very lively, cosy ambience
“Tasty food and a very lively, cosy ambience. We had the papri chaat, bread basket with chicken tikka masala, chicken vindaloo, okra do pyaaza and dal tadka – great taste, though a bit small in portion size. It may perhaps be plenty for a table of two or three. We were a group of seven and ran out of the rotis midway. Despite being houseful on a weekday, the service was attentive. Definitely worth a visit.”
Aparna Pengat, Google Review
4. Gautama
Gautama, nestled in Little India Plaza, consolidates over 15 years of culinary experience from its former version named Siddhartha and Gautama. This buffet joint strives to provide genuine Indian flavors in every dish.
Unlike other establishments that offer only lunch buffets, Gautama offers both lunch and dinner AYCE buffets, along with convenient take-out, delivery, and ala carte options.
The menu has traditional dishes like chicken tikka masala, lamb curry, dal makhani, and aloo gobi. A must-try is their rasmalai—a classic Indian dessert featuring spongy discs of cottage cheese in a base of thick milk, garnished with pistachios and saffron.
For those who are vegan or vegetarian, they have options as well.
Gautama also provides outdoor seating for those who prefer to dine al fresco and Wi-Fi connectivity for guests.
Pros
- 15 years of experience
- Offers lunch and dinner buffet
- Has takeout, delivery, and ala carte options
- Has vegan and vegetarian dishes
- Offers outdoor seating
- Free WiFi
Cons
- A bit cramped
- Limited buffet selections
The service was excellent
“The food is good. The service was excellent the restaurant is busy there was line for the buffet and i tried menu it was fabulous. Anchit is the really good
server.”
Yuvraj Kathait, Google Review
Everything is really tasty
“Excellent Good. Excellent Service. Excellent atmosphere. I visited this restaurant many times with my friends for lunch or dinner buffet. Lots of variety in food and everything is really tasty specially Matar paneer, Mix Veg, Aalu Baigan and Gulab Jamun. Anyone can easily reach to this location because it’s directly connected to the public transport. Vegetarian options: I am a vegetarian. There are so many vegetarian options. Must visit place.”
Avaneesh Kumar Mishra, Google Review
5. Bombay Palace
Bombay Palace specializes in authentic North Indian Punjabi-style cooking, showcasing the rich culinary heritage of Punjab. Renowned for its tandoori-style cooking and buttery flavors, this establishment has been a landmark for 35 years.
It offers a daily lunch buffet with 25-30 dishes and an ala carte menu for dinner. Featuring a Winter lunch buffet special and an attractively priced Sunday dinner buffet also makes this place a local favorite.
In fact, compared to other spots, they’re priced competitively, offering buffet deals from $10.99.
Certified as halal, it stands out with its unique black daal, prepared with lentils and kidney beans. These give it a richer flavor and a distinct dark hue.
The restaurant also provides catering services, accommodating up to 500 guests for special occasions.
The warm welcome and attentive service from the friendly and chatty staff add a personalized touch to your buffet experience.
Pros
- 35 years of experience
- Daily lunch buffet with 25-30 dishes
- Competitively-priced
- Has seasonal specials and weekend deals
- Halal-certified
- Also offers catering services
- Attentive and chatty staff
Cons
- Only metered parking is available
- Some dishes were said to be too oily
Amazing customer service, and yummiest dishes were provided
“This cozy restaurant has left the best impressions! Hospitable hosts with amazing customer service, highly knowledgeable staff and yummiest dishes were provided, they presented food beautifully, my favorite part was the wonderful dessert mostly the kheer, its a must try. We reached late there for dinner still the restaurant provided impactful service. I recommend it to everyone.”
Aman Nagra, Google Review
Good for taking people who are new to Indian food
“I took my friend friend to this place who was new to Indian cuisine. We had a buffet there in weekday on Thursday. There were limited items 4 veg curries(palak paneer, chola masala, mix veg and curry pakoda)and 2 non veg curries(butter chicken and goat curry ). There were only one starter frozen samosa only. 2 sweets were there one gulab jamun and cake and ice cream. Hot Naan were served on table. Quality of food was good. Since the place is in downtown and prices are bit higher but still worth going there. Good for taking people who are new to Indian food the spice level was mild to medium.”
Manik Gupta, Google Review
