My first visit to the main restaurant in a fair old while, having been frequenting their offshoot in Bedford recently when the curry craving hits. It's larger than it was first time I visited, but still in the little strip mall off Chain Lake Drive. There are two rooms either side of the entrance, both cool, subtly lit and cozy. It was just after they opened on a summer's Thursday morning, so I was the first customer and quickly ordered the meat thali. This comes in six segments. Two meat curries which change from time to time (today it was beef and chicken). A very nice dahl, a good portion of rice, chickpea salad and a quartered plain naan. All very tasty and overall quite a sizeable portion. I was on the ravenous side of peckish when I arrived and left thoroughly stuffed, so you definitely get your value for the $23 with tip. It's not licensed, but has a nice line in cold drinks should you so desire. It's no surprise this place is consistently voted No.1 curry house in Halifax, though it has a lot more competition than it did when it first opened. Thoroughly recommended. read more

Dhaba - Meat thali. So good! - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

So it's my first time ordering food here. They serve their pakoras with plum sauce? That's so weird and it does NOT go together. So maybe its a mistake? I hope it is. Anyway, the pakoras were ok. Butter chicken was very oily. Yes, oily, not butter oil, just oily. (Look at the picture). The best part of the meal is the rice. But even that's not good. It has a nice color to it though. Food is pretty mediocre. I'd come back for a quick takeout but i'd go to other places if I actually want a real, good indian food. read more

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Hello my name is Heidi and I'm addicted to Indian food!! Love the place and the food! Options are interesting and yummy! I Pledge to go through thier menu until every item on the menu is tasted! Service is friendly and helpful.. Oh yes!! Desserts desserts desserts!! All I can say is that always keep room for dessert! Try thier sampler.. yum yum!! After after all that delicious food.. gotta find something to help digest.. that's when thier spicy tea comes in. Diet down the drain.. but it's worth every insult i will be getting from my instructor tomorrow. . God..if you can't make me thin.. Guide my friends to Dhaba ..lol read more

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The easiest way to get me into an Indian restaurant I've been meaning to visit: tell me they serve dosa and I'll be there within 24 hours. And that, my friends, is the story of how I finally made it to Dhaba Express for the first time. I made a specific trip for lunch on Sunday given that it's the only day of the week that they serve these South Indian crepes stuffed with Masala goodness. I've fallen in love with dosa on the west coast and Dhaba's definitely held up to my past experiences. I actually found the crepe portion even tastier than the ones I've had before! At $6.50 a pop with two dips included (spicy stewed veggies and a coconutty blend), it's a bargain but notably smaller than most other dosas I've had elsewhere. But that's okay- all the more reason to order something else to go along with it, right? So that's what we did. I strong-armed Shannon K into ordering a South Indian combination plate off their brunch menu to share post-dosa. Not that it took a whole lot of convincing. Our tray came out with cute sections keeping all the goodness separated for your own mixing pleasure. For about $11, we got a shareable serving of tomato-infused daal, Eggplant curry (I think), paneer korma, chickpea salad, basmati rice, and naan - so basically anything you'd ever want. We each got nice servings out of it and there's still some to spare in the fridge. The only thing is it doesn't come with a whole lot of naan so you might want to order more. I'm looking forward to getting back in for a go at their dinner menu especially after chatting with the server a bit. She mentioned that they try to make it easy for folks to try all sorts of different dishes without having to order full servings of each. Instead of ordering full $12 for each item, you can add on side-servings for something like $3/each. Goodbye hefty bills and awkward negotiations with your dining companions! After all was said and done, we split the bill and paid a lovely $13.80 (plus tip) each. Service was perfectly pleasant and the space itself is way nicer than you'd expect of any spot with 'Express' in the title. I was expecting at takeout joint and was very happy with the bistro feel for dining-in. I'll be back! read more

Dhaba - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I'm not sure why they call it Express, since the food is prepared to order, even your chai. We arrived after the lunch rush, and it was quite, bright, clean, pleasant. The papadam was probably the most delicate I've ever had. My vegetable biryani ($10.95) lunch was appropriately hot both temperature and spice-wise, with chunks of vegetables and cashews and hot peppers distributed throughout the rice, nicely tempered with the cucumber raita for $1.75 more. The butter chicken was equally good, slightly different in taste than others I've had. But I still wanted to dip all my naan into it. I understand they do a Saturday lunch buffet. That sounds really tempting. read more

Came here for the buffet. I've only had indian food like 3 times. Plenty of flavor, food tastes great. Spicy depending on what you get but that's expected from an indian restaurant. It was a bit pricey though but probably worth it all things considered. The bread is realllllllllllly good. Like it's the best part. Service was a little lacking, there was one waitress who was also working the front cash and dealing with the phone/takeouts, but at least she was friendly. -1 service read more

Dhaba - Buffet. Excuse the messyness.... it was yummy. - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

A very tasty meal that was large enough for us to share. Forgot to take a photo until half done but would definitely return. read more

Dhaba - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Okay so first of all the food was really good the chicken was very well cooked some of the food was just okay. The service was a bit slow but that might of been because we ordered a lot. Setup was very nice and kinda semi-classy. However despite everything, I found the restaurant very expensive but might just be me read more

Everyone who thinks this is authentic Indian - this isn't. Actual Indian food is much spicier and tastier- I am indian. The chicken tikka masala was nothing but tomato puree. It was so sweet and tangy that I couldn't finish it. The only reason they get customers here is because there aren't many Indian restaurants in Halifax. What's worse- the service is terrible. It took them an hour to bring my food and I hadn't ordered a lot. They did not even apologise for it. The receptionist wasn't nice either. Never going again. read more

I had some errands near Bayer's lake. Last time I was here it was terrible experience. But we thought to give it a try. And this time we didn't have any complaints. The moment we entered the restaurant it was fully occupied and I could smell all of the spices, flavour goodness. That's how I started to hope for a better experience today. Everything was just so amazing. The food, quality, authenticity, price, cutlery, presentation and staff. Being an Indian myself the food here is very similar to that back home. Full of flavours. Also we had to pack food as we couldn't finish it and they were kind enough to pack it. The dessert made my day. Fresh, delicious, mouth watering food. To my surprise a VERY good experience. I plan to go over the weekend sometime for buffet. I will surely go back there. :) read more

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Service was BUSY... there was 2 servers for the whole place on a busy tuesdsy night. Took about an hour for mains which was ok because we had starters. Papadams and the chickpea fritters which were the pakoras... Then the main was 2 vindaloos, 2 saffron infused rice and 2 naan. All delicious, hot, spicy and filling. The gals did a great job with what they had to work with. . Which was one another with a full dining room. Well done gals!!! read more

Dhaba - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

This place is REALLY good! I have been waiting for good Indian to come to Halifax and I've finally found it. I had the butter chicken combination place ($10) which came with a salad, a good portion of fluffy basmati rice and a half circle of naan. Everything was fresh, flavourful and not heavy or oily. The mango lassi wasn't too sweet, either. The service was very friendly and prompt. They only have about 8 tables, so either go early or make reservations. I am absolutely going back and recommending it to friends! read more

We went to this restaurant looking for a quick meal on a Saturday as we were in a pinch for time. They were offering their buffet at the time, so quick it was! Unfortunately when they have the buffet on, they don't offer their regular menu. The only thing to get is the buffet. Not being told the price by our waitress, we assumed it would be around $12-$14 as there were only about 8 items on the buffet card to choose from. We started by ordering just water. We don't go for Indian food often, but when we do, we like to have it with a bit of spice. This food was bland and didn't make me reach for my glass of water once...well, maybe once, but only to wash out the piece of bone in the bone-in chicken dish which was filled with bones. This food had no kick to it and no spice whatsoever. It was just okay. The service was good, but unfortunately this lunch meal was overpriced for what it was. I was deterred from getting up a second time due to the lack of taste & spiciness. When we went to pay we found out that our bill was approximately $45. For that price, I would have went elsewhere had we of known. Perhaps they should put a sign in their window announcing the "Buffet Only on Saturdays" and the price. The Christmas decor is still up around the cash area. Christmas ended 3 months ago. Time to update the decor. Unfortunately, I probably won't be returning anytime soon. read more

I adore Indian food. I love the spices, the intricate flavours...mmmm, dreaming of pakoras and bhajis as I write... I'm also a tough critic when it comes to Indian food for a couple reasons. One, because I've taken the time (and boy did it take time) to cook authentic dishes at home several on numerous occasions. I know the effort it takes to get it right, and the payoff when you do. And two, I spent five years living in Montreal and was spoiled by the ability to hobble to the Metro and travel to Parc Ex where I paid next to nothing for authentic Indian food anytime I had a hankering. Ok, I've gotten sidetracked, but hey, context is important. I hope that after reading all of this, you understand, I'm not your average naan nosher. And I can say, without question, that Dhaba has some of the best Indian food I've had in Halifax. And, yes, Bayer's Lake hurts my noggin too. Dhaba gets it right. They have the spice blend down, the care in their food is apparent. I've never had the buffet so I can't comment on that, but I'm always happy with my meals here. My faves are the samosas, paneer tikka masala, vegetable biryani, veg korma, saffron basmati rice, and the bodacious bread basket! (That's not the official name, but alliteration. AM I RIGHT!?) My non-veg friends often scarf the beef vindaloo (SPICY) and the butter chicken. I find their pakoras dry, so I usually skip those, but the mango chutney is great! Also, great service, family run, kind staff, affordable prices, and free fresh papadums to start your meal. You should eat here. read more

Being an Indian I was attracted to the name n cuisine but was disappointed. First ordered multigrain soup... it was horrible n pathetic at the same time. Next chicken tikka masala and it was a disappointment too as the taste was no where close to being a tikka masala. I have had food here earlier but it was never so horrible experience. Never suggest or will go there. Bad experience on my Anniversary will be remembered for life. Thanks Dhaba. You can continue faking the Indian taste. read more

Something different in Bayer's Lake! Yay So as you may know, I'm a huge Butter Chicken fan and this place has got one of the best Butter Chicken plates in the HRM. Wanting to try this place for a while I decided to grab some take-out tonight. The combo BC plate came with a large portion of basmati rice, salad and naan bread lightly toasted with garlic. It was pretty amazing. The BC was creamy and flavorful, and the rice was seasoned. DE offers a buffet on Monday evenings and Saturday lunchtime which I will be participating in. Yes, yes I will. The restaurant itself is quite small, but very cute. I look forward to dining in soon. Although my interaction with staff was limited, they left a great first impression. read more

Disappointed they don't offer delivery. I ended up going else where this time. I have enjoyed their food on many sit down occasions.

Second trip for takeout, and it was better then the first time ( first time was great..!). Couple of samosa to start, perfect crust, light, crispy, fillings seasoned beautifully. Chicken vindaloo combo for the entree, rice was incredible, light, fragrant, a real treat. The vindaloo was spicy to my liking, potato was perfect, not mushy, just perfect,chicken was juicy, real yummy. Service was great, friendly, one of my favorite places right now. Try it and you will not be disappointed!! read more

The food here is good, our first visit was awesome, however the service is declining, it's not the servers fault it's management, staff isn't trained properly. This was our 3rd visit. Don't think we will go back anytime soon. read more

Great gem on the outskirts of Halifax. Set in a nondescript strip mall, you'll be surprised by the great food quality. I ordered the shrimp tikka masala. Fresh crisp vegetables in a rich red curry sauce with perfectly sauteed shrimp. The garlic naan was flavorful and the peas pulao was prepared al dente. The young lady who served me was pleasant, knowledgeable of the menu and prompt with service. If you are looking for some great Indian food, make certain to swing by Dhaba Express. read more

Most delicious, fresh authentic Indian food in Halifax. This our second time and we always end up with tasty leftovers. The chicken kabobs were full of spice but not too hot, meat was tender and our side of Saffron Rice and homemade Naan rounded out the meal. We ended our meal with a lovely Masala Coffee. Both times we ate in the dinning room and the service we received from Genevieve and the staff was remarkable. We watched the continuous stream of people picking up orders to go. It's a cozy small space so check the hours and get there early. You can't possibly be disappointed. read more

I have had the opportunity to visit this location a few times. They are always friendly, on time, and the food is consistently good. Though I love their butter chicken so it is my go to, I have tried much of their menu without any complaints. I have often called ahead to pick up my order and the time they indicated on the phone is generally the moment my order comes out of the kitchen. If you are new to this cuisine or restaurant, I do recommend the buffet they have on Saturday; that way you can sample six dishes and find a new favourite dish! read more

Lunch express combos are an incredibly good value. Great service and great food. It's nice to have something besides a big box store in Bayers Lake read more

Dhaba - Indian Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Stopped in for a takeout on a Saturday night, ordered 3 items, appetizer basket and a naan bread. Came back 1 hour later to pick up and pay. Drove to hotel and upon opening bag was surprised to find no rice, which is always accompanying Indian food at other restaurants. Also no plates or utensils. Drove back to the Dhaba and asked why no rice, manager indicated rice only comes with combination dinners. I was of course a bit upset, but then had to pay for additional rice and drive back to hotel. Food was very good but the lack of information at the cash regarding rice and utensils left us a bit disappointed. Suggest Dhaba make these issue clear to folk getting a takeout etc. read more

Absolute worst service on the planet. Called to ask about a seating, was told that the buffet is served until 230 then a la carte after 230. Waited 1.5 hours to show up, so we could order off the menu. Showed up, after 10 minutes waiting at the Front had to go look for someone. Same person I spoke with on the phone tells me they are now closed until 430. How do you fail so miserably at such a simple request for information? I will not set foot in this place again. I sincerely hope your Tandor suffers a catastrophic meltdown. Thanks for wasting my afternoon read more

On a whim we dropped by to try this place out. This place is quite literally off the beaten path on a dead-end in Bayers Lake Park. Neither of us knew anything about Indian food so this was an adventure for us gastro-speaking. We told the waitress we were noobs and in need of help. She desribed some the of the combo-plates and disappeared briefly to re-emerge with samples of their 3 favorite dishes for us to try. After that my decision was set on the beef vindaloo, very spicy and delicious. I will be back. I also found out they have a lunch buffet on Saturday and a Sunday brunch read more

Fancy little place, full of flavour and different smells. The buffet is $20 and that was without any drinks, just water. The selection of food was limited(8different foods), but if you don't like spicy foods, don't eat here. -1* Service; only one person was serving the restaurant, and it was not enough. The single lady had to take care of all the customers and the cash register. I could barley get a refill, after flagging the waitress down for around 5min. read more

So I did love this place. After hearing much about this resto, tucked into the bowels of Bayer's Lake, I needed to try it out. Being vegetarian, Indian food is super appealing and accommodating, so I was excited for some curry, pakora, and samosas. The parking lot was super tiny, and being a weekend at lunch time, it was packed. Servers (the family) were super accommodating and friendly. We did get seated right away. However, we sat there waiting for menus, but soon found out that on weekends they do buffets and no menus. Being on a budget this was disappointing to us. But we figured, we were there now so we had to try it. And how much could it be? Well the selection was about 8-10 items. With a decent rate of replenishment. Except for the chutney, which was deliciously sweet...but did not make a reappearance. The pakora was so amazing, as well as the samosas. They were cut into smaller pieces and in a dish of appetizers. There were a lot of veggie selections, and the naan bread was great. The server did offer us dessert, a rice pudding, but we were in a rush and full. Because it was lunch. we both did not eat a ton, we really were more in the mood for just some small dishes. So when we went to pay the bill we were not prepared for the price. After tax and tip it was $45. For lunch, this is a lot for us, and we definitely did not eat the amount that would justify this cost. But I do know that is our fault, I just wish they had the regular menu on. So for about $16.99, it's not too bad. But with only about 8-10 items, you have to really love the selection. The food was extremely tasty so I know I would love to return for their regular menu! read more

This is probably one of my favourite restaurants in Halifax. It's got a great, well-priced menu, really good authentic Indian food, and helpful, welcoming staff. They have a great lunch buffet and good combo plates on their menu. And I've never had anything but an amazing, satisfying meal here. They do takeout which only takes 20 mins tops and is always well packaged, hot and just as good as when you eat in! This is a hidden gem in bayers lake - my go to place when I'm in the area. It's a delicious alternative in a sea of processed food and big box restaurants. I highly recommend Dhaba to anyone! read more

Ordered take out Sat night @8pm. Food was ready when we arrived, still warm 15 mins later when we got home. Our order: Garlic naan- 1/10 disappointed. No better than buying from a grocery store. Butter chicken- 10/10 fantastic, one of the best we've had. Chicken vindaloo- 9/10 very good, very hot. Chick pea masala- 6/10 good flavour sadly had a large amount of chunks of cinnamon sticks - kinda a turn off Lamb byrani- 1/10 so so so disappointed :( rice was dry and oily, the small amount of lamb wasn't tender or flavourful at all. I'd say the flavours here were very good for the most part but execution was lacking in most areas. Has the potential to be really great if they stopped taking short cuts. Perhaps we received the end of the night old food instead of fresh... Maybe if we went at 7pm the food would have left us more satisfied? read more

Mmmmmmmmmmmm....... The staff are great, the prices are really great and the food is incredible! There isn't much on the menu I haven't tried and my taste buds are continually delighted. A word to the wise... if you've picked up a couple Samosas to enjoy with their Green Chili Chutney and you're driving home without water, do yourself a favour and WAIT until you get home before diving in. The chutney is HOT. I'm talking 'pulled over on the side of the road because my eyes were watering too profusely' hot. Here I was thinking "Gee, that's not very much chutney for two samosas". Yeah, it was more than enough. I love hot, I just wasn't expecting it to be inferno hot - enjoy it sparingly :) As other reviewers mentioned, Dhaba Express is a hidden gem. It truly is both 'hidden' and a 'gem'. Seriously though, it can be really hard to find if you're not familiar with Bayer's Lake! If you see Jungle Jim's and Friends for Life Daycare then you're on the right path! Trust me, it's worth the trip! read more

Butter chicken lovers beware- I dis the dish in this review! After reading some great recent reviews I got a craving for Indian food and decided I need to get some asap! Having lived in Halifax my whole life it is nice to get to the point where we have multiple Indian and sushi joints, pho, etc.- even a Koren BBQ chicken place- for that matter- restaurants. Growing up here in the 80s, Canadian-Chinese was exotic as you got. I've tried Dhaba a few times over the years but mostly for their lunch specials; I like very spicy Indian food and usually go with their fiery beef vindaloo which is excellent. Being Sunday they didn't have take out or a regular menu; it was buffet only for $17.99/person. Located in a strip mall, Dhaba is unassuming from the outside and looks quite small. Given the small front the interior has plenty of tables. However, the area around the buffet and diners is narrow and it looks like it could get cramped with people waiting to fill their plates. We were seated next to the buffet and thought we might have a hard time getting in and out for seconds, (thirds, fourths etc.). This wasn't an issue but there weren't many people as we we were early. They were also playing what sounded like Indian soft-pop ballads. This wasn't bad in itself but they were so loud we had to try to talk over the music to each each other- not ideal. As my friend and I arrived, they were still setting up the buffet. Our waitress apologized several times that it wasn't ready right at opening. We both had good appetites and were ready to dig in. As we waited we saw that Dhaba had all the dished labeled with the dish name and an explanation of what was in it. What a great idea! There were several North and South Indian dishes with two of them being meat dishes and there was a rice option with chicken in it. It was interesting that a party came in just as we arrived but promptly left when they found out that butter chicken wasn't an option on the buffet. Whaa? Sorry, butter chicken lovers but to me that dish is like the sweet and sour chicken (balls) at Canadian-Chinese places. I won't bother to list all the dishes here- just check the photos I added if you want to know. The ones that stood out were the Curry Chicken and Lemon Chicken Rice. The curry had a velvety sauce and plenty of fall-apart, bone-in tender chicken. The rice had nice flavour; I noticed yummy cardamon (pods) and whole cloves. The other meat dish was lamb/beef; I didn't care for this one and don't think I went back fro seconds of it. It just tasted like all ground beef and no lamb; the only thing else in it was mushy peas. I found the vegetarian dishes, bland and similar tasting. There wasn't anything with heat in it. This was disappointing but I can understand that they have to cater to all tastes with the buffet. There was a pickled condiment which was really spicy that I added to some of my dishes to turn up the heat. The Dahl Vada was one of the highlights of my meal. My first time trying them and the crispy-fried texture and the cooling yogurt-y sauce that was on nice counter point to the devilish-pickles. My bill for the buffet was close to $24 after tax and tip. The buffet was pretty good value and I didn't feel Dhaba was cheaping out on ingredients but not much really stood out as well. If Dhaba had dosa I'd be there every weekend! Based on this experience, I wouldn't go for the buffet again and next time I just get a la carte. As I don't go to three-star places again for the most part, I'd give them 3.5 if half-stars were possible. Based on my past vindaloo-experiences, which still have me sweating, they get a fourth star. read more

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I have only ever ordered take-out (never sat down and eaten), so I cannot speak to their service or atmosphere in that regard, but I have had delivery (friendly and fast, if a little expensive at $6 for the Young and Kempt rd area) as well as take-out and both experences have been easy. The first time I picked up my butter chicken, the female cashier tried to downplay the lack of nutritional value or lack thereof (it's my cheat day, I know I'm eating crap, I just didn't need a side of justification). Other than that, she was extraordinarily friendly and with the coaxing of a manager over her shoulder, she provided me with a lunch hour punch card (Customer Loyalty card, buy nine takeout lunch combos and get one free) The quantities are always good, and the place always smells fantastic. read more

I went in thinking, what business does an Indian restaurant have making a seafood chowder. BOY was I wrong. I've had my fair share of chowder growing up with a father as a fisherman and this was the best chowder I have ever tasted I my life. Hands down. When he comes to visit I'm taking him to show him how amazing it was. read more

We had a poor experience a few years back. I've seen the awards in the wall and I had someone rerecommend it again so I figured we would give it another shot. I regret returning. My wife and I love Indian food I've been to numerous places better than here with worse ratings. We were disappointed. Lots of people seemed to enjoy it, so enjoy yourself if you do. I will keep my eyes out for a better place in Halifax but the bar is pretty low. read more

Chicken vindaloo was spicy and delicious. Portion sizes were excellent. Restaurant is very clean. Definitely my favorite Indian restaurant. read more

My husband and I are fairly regular customers for the weekend buffet and have always found the food, service and ambience quite good. On a recent visit, just as we were leaving, I saw a young man eating his food with both hands (no utensils.) This may be acceptable in some countries, but not here, especially since he was likely to return to the buffet counter. It is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. If we should ever return and see someone eating with their hands, I will immediately call the health inspector. read more

Not joking, or being a troll. I wouldn't even give them one star but in order to post this review I had to. This was the worst food we've ever had. The coconut fish curry was a disgusting strong bad fishy tasting mush, the vegetables in the veggie korma seemed like cheap frozen veggies and seriously diluted the thin and tasteless "sauce" with a gross oily orange suspension. We actually feel sick right now, after that "meal". The leftovers went in the garbage. Actually, three-quarters of my meal was shoveled into the trash, stale leathery grocery-store naan and all. Usually, we give a business a couple of chances just in case they have an "off" night but this was so utterly shitty that we are never going back. I was an infantryman in the Army and have had some pretty bad eats in the field and while deployed but nothing as bad as this. Again, I am not being a dick and I have no beef with either the place or the owners: don't eat here. Gordon Ramsay would lose his shit. read more

I got buffet takeout. Good food but you lose out on the all you can eat quantity because you have to stuff everything in a container.

The food here is acceptable, with their best dishes being the butter chicken and the vindaloo. The only issue is the cost versus portion size. I would hope they would consider portion size when it comes to keeping loyal customers. read more