Bindia Indian Bistro

Originally found this place through Unilocal,and decided to try it out while on a visit to the area.
It was a quiet night for dinner, so we were seated in a nearly empty restaurant. It’s a bit of a shame, since the food was delicious! Over the course of our dinner, multiple people came in for takeout. At the end of our meal, our server asked for feedback and we expressed how surprised we were that it wasn’t more busy.
I had the butter chicken, and my partner had the mint tikka. We ordered a side of rice and fresh naan to go with our meals. I had a glass of house wine ($ 8.50) which was refreshing to cool down the spices.
Our dishes were well portioned and seasoned. I would certainly suggest ordering rice and naan to dip the delicious sauces. My partner’s chicken was seasoned particularly well.
The service was attentive but not at that annoying level where we were constantly interrupted. The waiter would quietly come and check up on us, and we appreciated that.
Definitely a nice spot for a casual dinner!

The service and cost for what you get is subpar. The person helping us which I presume was the owner or manager was terrible when dealing with us. We will not be going back again.

I came here with my girlfriend for my birthday and we got the Sev Puri, Bhuna Lamb, and Paneer Tikka Massala. Usually, I’m hesitant to go to an upscale restaurant that serves ethnic food because I find that the flavors are diluted, however this was not the case. Although we didn’t enjoy the Sev Puri that much, both the Bhuna Lamb and the Paneer Tikka Massala were really good. The Lamb was extremely tender, and the cheese in the Paneer Tikka Massala was really dense which I liked. Just a note though, the mains do not come with rice or naan, so you’ll have to order it separately. We got both the naan and the rice, and the naan was really good also. The waiter accidentally served my girlfriend the wrong dish, but at the end they comped us with Kheer which more than made up for it. I would definitely recommend getting the Kheer, I usually don’t like rice pudding that much, but I really enjoyed this one.
One thing that I didn’t like though was that the service was kind of slow, it took 30 – 40 min for us to get served, and it looked like the people around us had to wait a similar amount of time.

Wife and I were hungry and hit upon Bindia right on their 5pm opening Saturday afternoon. Both waitresses were very knowledgeable and efficient.
The food was spectacular. The kitchen knows authentic Indian. Don’t be deceived by the seemingly small portions. With either the naan or rice (we had one of each) as a side, we couldn’t finish and were happy to take home leftovers.
Every dish on this menu works. Well done, we would recommend this restaurant to all.

As an Indian food know-​it-​all, my test for Indian restaurants typically involves two visits or orders. Bindia is the only one that has consistently served me amazing food three deliveries in a row. My secret test where Indian food goes is to order the kofta. Its a mild curry but its really easy to screw up the flavours — as all Indian restaurants have done each time I’ve ordered it. Bindia has delivered amazing kofta dishes two times in a row — combined with their pulao, it was just a ridiculous combo.
Their lamb seekh kabab is juicy and flavourful too. The only very small let-​down was their nan which was thick/​pasty in some parts, thin in others.
This restaurant is only Indian restaurant downtown that I think I will keep visiting.
Excellent food. Go!

Really good service with decent prices. Ordered vegetable pakora, haryali tikki, dal makhani and garlic naan. Nice and cozy place. The food was fresh and delicious. Would definitely recommend it for dinner.

Excellent! My wife and I had dinner at Bindia. The service was outstanding and the food was amazing!
We are complete Indian novices. We had no idea what to order, other than naan.
Fortunately for us, our host, a very engaging gentleman, was gracious enough to spend a ridiculous amount of time with us explaining how almost ever item on the menu is prepared, the region of India where it comes from and what to expect from the flavors in the dish.
We settled on dahi wada to start. It was two lentil flour doughnuts soaked in yogurt and presented in a sauce of yogurt, mint, coriander and a sweet sauce that I still can’t describe.
My wife chose Tarka. It is a mildly spicy blend of lentils and vegetables in a vegetable broth. Hot and flavorful.
I decided on Lamb Vindaloo. Make no mistake, it is good and it is hot! Super spicy, tender lamb and potato stewed in a fantastic sauce that is reminiscent of a mole. It is flavored by tamarind, cardamom pods, black pepper and coriander. Absolutely fantastic!
We also ordered naan, terrific rice and raita to go with, and to cut the heat.
The food was fantastic, the service was fast and our host was gracious.

I went into Bindia as a substitute for next door’s Market Catch being closed. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the door: While being immediately greeted by the host, I noticed the restaurant had very modern décor with fine lines (a favorite style of mine).
Since I wasn’t starving, I decided to order only a main. I opted for the butter chicken (medium spicy) and a side of basmati rice. As I’m from the US, it is strange to me to have to pay an additional charge for rice. Regardless, my food came out promptly, hot and fresh. Normally, there are 3 – 4 chunks of meat in standard Indian dishes, but my butter chicken was overflowing. The chicken was cooked perfectly while the sauce was rich but not overwhelming. The only «complaint» (if there could be one) was that medium spicy was underpowered. Perhaps the Canadian spiciness scale is lower than the US’s, but next time I’m going to order my dish spicier.
Overall, I give Bindia 4.5 stars (unfortunately, Unilocal only allows for 4). The décor, service, and food quality were all very good. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you are in the mood for Indian food — it’s a great value for your money.

Update (10÷20÷15): the owner very kindly reached out to me to acknowledge the lack of friendly service I received during my visit. That was very nice of him. It’s good to know those within the city’s restaurant business are striving for improvement and acknowledge the concerns of the patron.
Perhaps I *will* return.

While the food was tasty, I think the portions are too small and the mains are overpriced. $ 17 for a tiny portion of butter chicken that does not even come with rice (you have to order it separately as a side dish) is too expensive. There are better Indian restaurants in the city that give far better portions at a more reasonable price.

The food was super yummy. Went for lunch and their lunch specials were so big that we took them home and had the leftovers for dinner. The staff are very friendly and went the extra mile for us. We were traveling from the US and asked about an attraction in Toronto. They told us all about it and plulled up the website for us on a tablet so we could check it out! This place is awesome!

The place is modern but I find the restaurant design a bit «off». It is just a personal thing but I look for the whole dining experience including the eating environment, ambiance, service and so on.
We were greeted warmly. The server was friendly and provided good food recommendations.
Food was good but the servings were very small. A kid (I think he’s the owner’s son) was roaming around trying to talk to his mom which I found a bit unprofessional, and dangerous too.
Overall the experience was so-​so and I am not sure if I will return.

This is my second time checking this place out and I will not make the mistake for a third time. The food was really very bland and without any flavour; absent also was the rich aroma that I so love about Indian food. The service was also rushed and intrusive — the place was more than half empty and the waitress kept coming by our table so we felt pressure to eat and get out. Even at the end, as soon as we paid, she quickly took our water away. Anyway I hope this place is replaced with another restaurant asap since we really need a good one in the neighbourhood. If you have to pick a place along this street, this shouldn’t be it.
UPDATE: the owner sent me a polite and professional message after reading my review stating that changes would be made. Though I haven’t gone back yet, I thought it only fair that I share this info with readers.

We went to this place 3 times now, the first we dine in and ordered a lot amount of food because we wanted to try everything and other two evening we order take out because we live just across the street and wanted something quick for dinner (lentil soup for cold winter evenings) after work.
The décor is really nice and the staff is friendly and helpful, our waiter –sorry I don’t remember the name– helped us going through the menu and adviced us on which meal we could like based on our conversation.
The portion are just about the right size for each person but you can split a bit of it with your other loved one just for a quick «try bite»!
The food is Indian but not Indian from little India kinda of meal is more westernized Indian so there are no problems if you think you might not like some of their dishes or ingredients, everything they serve is pretty much tasty and you won’t find weird tastes here so even the most sophisticated person can go blind here and I’m probably sure you won’t find anything that you won’t like.
The price is about right too, and to be in this area is certainly not bad, since it’s the best area in downtown and everything it’s so pretty around here.
I encourage you to try it, it does not disappoint.

Amazing food, great service, wonderful menu and the best cocktails in the city. Everything is fresh about this place. Butter chicken is amazing. Get the chicken tikka, delicious.

This was an impromptu visit to this place as the fast food (health food focused) had an unbearable ventilation problem (yes Kale stinks!) We walked in and mentioned that we wanted a quick meal as had a play to catch later nearby.
Ordering was fast we ordered a Chilli Chicken (Haka Style) and a malai tikka. We ordered some nans as well.
The service is prompt and we got our food rather quickly.
First the chilli chicken if you have western palate this one has little bit of kick no surprise. As for the taste hmm didn’t do it much for me. The malai tikka was fantastic and cooked to perfection IMO. Soft and not over cooked even though they used white meat. I will just be back to try their other tandoor options as this one hit out of the park.
3.5 Stars though will adjust after I have tried their other offerings.

After a long day of volunteer work, my mom and I were starving we walked down the street to Bindia. Located near St. Lawrence Market is a brightly coloured bistro with ambient lighting and an inspired menu.
Butter Chicken, Curry Chicken and fresh naan were in order. The presentation was great and made for easy sharing. The Butter Chicken was creamy and had just the right amount of spice. Paired with the naan, I was in my glory. My mom’s Curry Chicken was hotter than she expected, but the seasoning was delightful. So savoury! If you’re wondering, we both needed water and extra napkins… that’s how we roll.
After all that savoury goodness, it was time for dessert. We tried the Gajrela (Indian Carrot Cake) and Kulfi (Indian ice cream flavoured with cardamom). Neither was what we expected. As you can see, the carrot cake was not a cake. It had cashews, carrot purée and nuts. That is one heavy cake! It kept you trying to figure out what is in it. It has so many different textures and layers; I’d absolutely order it again. The Kulfi was not as enjoyable. It looked like ice cream, it was cold like ice cream, but it was not ice cream. The presentation was great, but the texture of it was strange. Flavoured with cardamom, it didn’t have much flavour. I do realize I’m used to the sugary variety, but after such a savoury meal, something a sweet should’ve stood out. The carrot cake is the way to go.
The service there was good and the food was fresh. When we were puzzled by the carrot cake, our server was very knowledgeable (probably a common inquiry) and was able to solve some of the mystery. Plates were cleared quickly and our water glasses were (thankfully) kept full. The pricing was higher than we’re used to, but from Durham Region and expect most restaurants in Toronto to be higher anyway.
I wonder what other gems are around the St. Lawrence!

A-​OK pretty much sums up our experience at Bindia.
Post Christmas Market, cold and hungry, we stumbled into Bindia after a few other restaurants on the strip rejected us because of lack of reservations. The hostess hemmed and hawed about letting us in, but eventually after a bit of a wait we did get a table — strangely enough it was the table that was empty pretty much since we got there…
The food at Bindia is decent! They have a large (but not overwhelming) menu, and while the prices are a bit higher than I’d like (I’m used to Brampton /​suburban Indian pricing), overall I did enjoy my meal. Four of us split three mains (the palak paneer was great!), some garlic naan, and a few apps including their shrimp (which was quite good!).
Here’s an interesting fact I learned at Bindia — most Indian food is gluten free! So if you’re stuck trying to figure out where to bring a GF friend, you’ll have plenty of options at Bindia. They were very informed about what was GF which was very convenient!
We did get rushed out at the end of our dining experience, we lingered a bit too long and were asked to leave the table. While annoying, it was fair enough and they did offer us coupons for our next visit. Will that visit ever happen? I’m not convinced.

Lamb kabob and chicken kabob platters were out of this world! Great service and ambiance. The most juiciest indian grill dishes in the GTA!

The food at Bindia is definitely tasty and well prepared. I don’t care if it is authentic or not, as long as it tastes good and it does. But there are a lot of good Indian places in Toronto which are similar, for a lot less. The prices here are higher, and you get less protein/​paneer in comparison too. You are basically paying a premium because of the location and space.
Definitely cute and clean, and the service was fast.
We had the lamb vindaloo and it had just the right amount of spice. The stuffed naan was also great. I had never had stuffed naan before and it was definitely worth the extra money compared to the regular naan.

magnifique restaurant, accueil rafiné, menu intéressant, dix sur dix pour les plats, restaurant à recommander