Easily a 4.5+ restaurant after two visits, this relatively recent entrant into the somewhat crowded…read moreIndian resto scene in the NE and SE of Calgary is definitely at or near the top in terms of close to great food. Across the way from La Jawab (a very good 4.25 star Tamil Indian restaurant also in the same large McKnight and 52nd Street plaza area), Punjaabi offers excellent pomfret fish (tandoori), very good vindaloo and garlic naan bread. They also serve an assortment of other veg and non-veg dishes. Returning there with my wife, together we dove into yet another tandoori pomfret, very fine chicken curry, and garlic naan/paratha with a good-tasting mango smoothie. Despite the restaurant name, it seems their chef can cook several styles, including Tamil from Chennai to Goa, up to Punjab and possibly other parts of the Indian sub-continent. Pretty cool, esp. as these styles all taste wonderfully different. Our waiters were forthcoming and easy to work with. Other customers were largely other Indians, a very good sign. With an attractive upbeat interior, cloth napkins and table cloth, and matching silverware, Punjaabi is distinctly a step up from most of the other Calgary Indian restaurants. But prices are still average per entree, hovering in the $13-15 range, with specialty dishes running up to $22. Leftovers provided 3 home meals this 2nd time, and as a test of the best chefs, the flavours and textures held up nicely. In a red/black art-deco interior likely inherited from the restaurant that recently closed before they took possession, it pipes through Bollywood-styled glitzy music on several flat screens. One slight downside is that there were no female serving crew: it's our opinion that women servers are far more attentively caring than the average man. For instance, to have our waiters play with their cell phones in plain view of customers is bad form: with water covering the handwashing sink area, washrooms need minor cleaning, and we had to call them over for payment and to arrange takeout. With my wife helping run a local pizza restaurant and 7.5 years of customer service and staff supervisory experience in the hospitality industry, it was plain to both of us that in general female servers are simply more with it than the average male. Hint ... hint? A closer alternative to the excellent Mehtab in Cochrane, Punjaabi is well worth it!

Visited the restaurant for a casual lunch and was amazed by the experience…read more.. The Menu is compact and allows one to order some of the authentic Punjabi dishes with an option of Indo Chinese dishes. They also serve types of biryanis and my experience with the biryani was great. The ambience is calm and definitely relaxing. Service was prompt and quick. Definitely will visit again for a dinner experience...

This spot was interesting. The staff kept upselling the wait time and kept saying we were lucky to…read morebe there. As soon as she said that, she also said we got a table (due to a last minute cancellation). When coming into the dining area, it was quite empty so it felt like they were creating artificial wait times. All we ordered was chai and idly. It took a long time (over 30 minutes) to get the food. Our server was Amanjot who was kind, but overall, this was a disappointing experience. The food was not good (unsure how you mess up an idly but it was not good and it was mushy) and came cold. Would not return.

Very busy spot tucked in the outskirts near the airport in an industrial area…read more Authentic food that's visited by predominantly Indians. The Hyderabad biryani feeds 3 and is very spicy. Portions are large and the rice was fluffy. Granite chicken and the dry mutton was flavorful and not too oily. Service was great and the restaurant was nicely decorated.

Lunch buffet is 11-3 for $20 per person. Includes naan. When we came there were tandoori fish,…read morespicy potatoes, goat curry, butter chicken, saag paneer and tikki chicken. There was also basmati rice and some variety of sauces, as well as mango fruit sauce and rice pudding for dessert. We felt full afterwards.

This place was so good I went here twice. I will say their chicken curry is what I expected their…read morechicken vindaloo to be but their vindaloo has a very tangy almost tomato like paste. The vindaloo was not for me. I went home and added some cream to it and it tasted like butter chicken. That being said, the curry chicken was so god. The chicken is moist. The flavors are just perfection. Mom also loved the baighan Bartha. This one is a bit sweeter than other versions I have had but it is equally as good. I really liked it. We got medium spice and it wasn't too hot. The butter chicken was also delicious. They had appetizers with that thin crisp bread and the green mint and red tangy sauce. It was really good. Btw they give a lot of Naan. As in one order of naan is plenty for two people. Overall I really like this place and if I'm ever in Calgary would definitely be coming back!

SO GOOD! We went here and it was super busy. It did take a long time for us to get our chai but…read morethey make each drink from scratch. We got the rose chai, mango chai and the kadak chai. All of them were delicious. The paranthas were also super yummy (we requested with no salt, oil and butter and it was still so good)! Overall, would come back!!

Excellent Chai, service is fast and friendly. Food is excellent. Lots of food options to choose…read morefrom. Highly recommend.

Little mum and pops shop, make the best veggie samosa in Calgary. It has a bit of heat, but just…read morethe right amount! It's a take out place, the service is fast and they make it all fresh to order. I have been going here for the last year and it's the only palace I will buy my samosas. It's a family owned place. No seating. Lots of parking outside store. Tip: if ordering something, call them and order ahead to avoid waiting as they make it all fresh to order.

One of the best hidden gem sweet shops / Indian bakery in the YYC. They make their batches fresh…read moredaily, the owner and his wife are very pleasant people and they make a wide variety of sweets. They also have a small sit-down Indian restaurant inside as well. Definitely worth a try!

Loved the food and service , thank you Priyanka and Manoj ! And they also helped us navigate what…read moreto do on our trip to Banff. For those who want a taste of home style cooking before the drive to Banff stop by . We also snagged snacks to go !

The food reminds me of home. The service is with a smile. Hidden in a small commercial strip, close…read moreto the local Gurudwara - this place takes the pain to stay authentic and affordable. This not a fancy restaurant with made up North Indian dishes - they are the real deal, what you would find at the countless small restaurants and sweet shops all over Punjab and Delhi. Don't forget to taste the wide variety of mithai they have to offer. We stopped here for lunch on our way to Banff, and ended up packing additional food and sweets to go for our stay in the Rockies - so glad we did, as nothing tastes better than a gobi parantha with makhan and achaar on a cold morning in the mountains.

A great local spot for delicious food and helpful service. Fresh quality ingredients are made into…read moregood portions by skilled cooks. I am very lucky to have a top notch eatery in my neighbourhood. I watch other happy customers eat their meals with the same grin that is only face. A steady stream of delivery drivers keep the kitchen going at full speed. Magnificent fish pakora, followed by kheema mutter and garlic naan are my usual choices. I hope to work my way through the entire menu.

I've only eaten in once and it was lovely. I usually order delivery and I really enjoy the food…read more The lamb biryani is my favourite.

This had been the best Indian buffet in town. The quality of food has been great and it's very…read moreclean. There are live counters serving hot food. The staff is friendly and professional. The amount of starters, salads, chaats, North Indian and South Indian varieties plus Indioasian and the different amount of desert is too much to try in one visit. Definitely worth a visit.

$24 per person during weekday lunch is an incredibly good price. Plus, the quality and variety of…read moreoptions make this one of the best-value Indian buffets I've ever encountered. They have 5 bars offering vegetarian and non-vegetarian authentic Indian food. The service was excellent and the inside aesthetics and environment is modern, clean and comfortable. 10/10, I would come back again.