The Gerrard India Bazaar in Toronto’s east end was not always a bustling community bursting with bright saris, gem shops, aromatic spices and bumping bhangra. When Gurjit and Davinder Chadha came to Canada from Delhi in 1970 and opened MotiMahal in 1976, it was the first Indian restaurant in the area.
Neelu Sabharwal, one of their daughters who manages the family restaurant, recalls how her parents got some of their first customers: “My father would hang out on the street in front of the shop and when passersby would ask him if he knew any good places to eat, he would say, ‘This place is great!’ pointing to MotiMahal. They would always be surprised when he would follow them into the restaurant and pop up behind the counter to take their order!” After four decades, several franchises, three daughters and a devastating fire that levelled the original restaurant, MotiMahal is still a local institution.
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This place is the McDonald of Indian food, in terms of decor. The Butter Chicken is smokey and creamy ... best that I have tasted so far. I often order the mini samosa for parties.
fantastic, authentic food. its been in business for years and it is easy to see why.
I've had Chicken Tikka before, but a friend told me to try their's and possibly the best ever, everywhere else the tikka is dry, but here was full of color and taste, the kebabs were really good, never had goat kebabs. Best way to describe that meal - Mouthwatering
WE ALWAYS GO TO THIS PLACE. THEY OFFER YOU THE BEST SPICY INDIAN FOOD. TRY THEIR BUTTER CHICKEN, GOAT CURRY, CHOLE BHATURE, VEGETABLE BIRYANI OR ANY OTHER VEGETARIAN DISHES. IN SWEETS -- TRY THEIR RAS MALAI, ITS DELICIOUS DONT TRY THEIR NAAN, NOT THE BEST TASTE, INSTEAD ORDER THEIR ROOMALI ROTI NOT THE BEST PLACE TO SIT AND EAT AND YOU HAVE TO SELF SERVE THERE, BEST PLACE FOR TAKE OUT
disregard by previous review scores...i feel so horrible for not filling this form in correctly and bringing down the overall score of this wonderful restaurant....
When I was a kid, I used to come here with my family. Now I come here with friends. The seating is really basic, and the washrooms are horrible, but the food is fantastic! If you are looking for good cheap Indian food, this is the place to be
Best indian dishes I've ever had in Toronto. Quality, taste and value is way better than any buffet anywhere (and trust me, I've been to most of them - from downtown to uptown t.o. and all of the neighbouring Gerrard St. all-you-can-eats). Although surroundings are minimal, they are clean and it's a serve-yourself style (line up, order and they give you a number). Friendly helpful service. Two of us ate way too much for under $20. Spectacular tasting food, well presented.
One of the best values in Indian Food around. I wouldn't EAT in. Call ahead order Take out. Order what I ordered---as this was all given to me by a Indian national who did full Toronto Research. There is some more fine dining available in the city for this food. But this is where you can feed a bunch of people for 10 bucks a head and get authentic, tasty indian food.
Outstanding food and prices. Down home atmosphere. Boisterous and casual. Great for kids. The food is the best Indian food we've had in Toronto. Blows the socks off of the all-u-can-eat buffets. Cheaper too. Not a fine dining experience. More like a cafeteria. You can do take-out. Sadly they don't deliver! Seriously, the food is very, very tasty. Some people say the butter chicken is the best in Toronto. But everything is good. Be prepared to wait if you come during dinner time; it's crowded, with a line and you have to wait. You can call in your order ahead of time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Competition is an innocent strategy for restaurants to up their game with recipes and service. The fine Indian food in Little India knows this. All restaurants are primed for the friendly game of providing the best butter chicken, and Motimahal competes with the best of them. The four decades of experience in this family business has made Moti a Toronto institution of fantastic food.
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