This restaurant has some of the best Indian food I've ever tasted. Their Malai Kofta is out of this world! Don't be fooled by their outdated decor because their food is fantastic. Don't leave without trying their garlic naan. read more

Came here again and I had the mango lassi (DELICIOUS I want one daily) Pakoras (very colorful and delicious, I will say u taste the cilantro a lot if u arent a fan) Samosas (very stuffed to the brim) And cucumber salad. (Felicious) Great prices, cute location. Take out only Highly recommend the service was amazing, very friendly read more

Little India Cafe - a variety of food items - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

A bit pricey, but worth it. Excellent flavors and each plate is crafted to perfection. Cozy and lovely ambience. The staff is very friendly. Easily among the best restaurants. Must try their pakoras! read more

The lunch buffet food was delicious and hot but when it ran out, it ran out so go early The sanitary practices were questionable. A group of 3 was seated at a table near us that was not completely cleared or wiped down or reset. 2 old glasses were on the table from the previous clients and the the unused cutlery was still on the table. The new patrons had to ask for new cutlery The restaurant is small. Not big enough for the volume of customers. I felt packed like a sardine. read more

Best Indian in Ottawa hands down. Everything is of great quality. The lunch buffet is not big but it has a little bit of the main dishes (butter chicken, chicken tandoori, beef, aloo gobi, chana, mushrooms, eggplants, onion bhajis, samosas, salad and desserts) and is more than satisfying. They serves fresh naan at each table! All for $12. Arrive early to get a table as it fills up fast. Dinner is also a great experience. Again, makes reservations or arrive early. Having been a couple of times at dinner time, everything is made with care and when it is indicated that a dish is spicy, it truly is. The paneer pakoras, vegetable korma and chicken murg musalam are among my favourites. Take out is also a good option but the kitchen must be small because if you walk in, it will take some time. Call ahead and pick it up. A small gem! read more

See all

My wife and I went there last week food was amazing . The ambiance is lacking but if you want good food especially the butter chicken and shrimp masala Rice and naan were excellent as well. Would definitely Tec omens this place. read more

What an amazing restaurant. I have been here years ago and its just as good as i remember. The tandori chicken and nan as good as india . In fact everything we had was just awesome. Cant wait to go back to Ottawa to eat here again. read more

See all

I've only gotten takeout from there, but their food is really delicious. My goto orders are butter chicken and goat biryani.

Love their food, and they are also very good at doing gluten free. Like to support them during COVID. read more

Wow, what a disappointment! My wife thought we'd try out this restaurant so we ordered their specialty Tandoori Chicken for takeout (their small restaurant was closed due to the pandemic, but through the window, the place was a mess). We were asked to return in 30 minutes, which we did, and was told the food wasn't ready yet. Nearly another 30 minutes passed before we were given our meals. For two small boxes of chicken and two bowls of rice and one small salad of mostly red onion, we were charged $66! Never again. read more

Best in town. Always busy even line ups. Food is good. Sometimes on a full house I recognized the servers have too much on their hands it can be hard to keep up. Apart from that, I'd recommend this place. Would be nice if they changed the carpet, it looks dirty. read more

The WORST customer service ever. Food was an HOUR late. They didn't even apologize whatsoever "you should have told us you were hungry" SERIOUSLY? After all that, they even added extra items that we didn't order on the check. Only the butter chicken was good the rest of plates were below average. And with their customer service and honestly extremely grumpy waitresses, stay away from that place. read more

This Indian restaurant is OK. The blinds and the curtains need a good dusting. Depending when you go, you might have to search around for parking since the lot is very small and busy. Beware : The naan bread and rice are NOT included in your dish unless specified otherwise. We were disappointed to find out after our meal that they charge 5$ for rice per person! We ordered butter chicken and shahi korma. Both were tasty, the butter chicken could be creamier and had more of a tomato-y flavour than other butter chicken we've had but was still good. Shahi korma was good as well, the beef was very tender. Even though the food was good and service decent, we won't be coming back to this restaurant. Why would we pay 17$ for butter chicken and an extra 5$ for rice and 2.50$ for naan when we can go to another Indian restaurant and pay 15$ for all that included, AND it's just as tasty? Sorry, not sorry. read more

Little India Cafe - Shahi korma(beef) and butter chicken - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Food was prepared quickly and delivery was fast. Prices were high (~$25/entree), but we're new to the city so figured maybe it's normal here. Food was edible, but really not special. The Vindaloo claiming "fresh tomatoes" tasted distinctly of Campbell's Tomato Soup; much too sweet, and no texture at all. The vegetable aloo gobi was fine, but again, very sweet and almost no sauce. The vegetable samosas were deeply under seasoned, with enormous chunks of potatoes under the otherwise nicely fried shells. The Naan was... rubbery? Just not really worth it. For the price ($6 for a side of rice?!), I expected much better. We'll go somewhere else next time. read more

My favourite indian restaurant in Ottawa. Puts all others to shame. Its a small family owned restaurant with 10 or 11 tables. The food is fantastic. Very flavourful and not bland like the other restaurants I've tried. And I've tried 15-20 in the ottawa area until i found this gem!! Highly recommend. Give it a try!! read more

Whenever I've asked a person of South Asian extraction to recommend a good Indian restaurant here in Ottawa, the Little India Cafe has always been the first to come up and after one try I became a regular customer for their noon time buffet in particular. I felt a particular loss when they had to close for that during the covid shutdowns but today, November 24, I was thrilled to make my regular phone check to discover the buffet is on again and full seating has been restored. Had dinner there today and the food is as good as ever, which is to say very good indeed. A great selection of vegetable and meat based items, generally 4 of each, all well seasoned, and a nice big hunk of nan bread are included. Ottawa's Indian favourite is back in business! read more

The first time I came here I realized they have some of the worst sit in service in town. However I have to say the meal was fantastic. They are tied for the best Indian food in Ottawa with Coconut Lagoon. Yes I know they are different types of Indian cuisine but I'm always torn on which one to go to. Here's the thing about those 2 places, their lunch buffet quality is almost if not just as good as their a la carte menu at night. I will only go to Little India cafe for their lunch buffet because their service can be extremely spotty at night and the food is still high quality at lunch. Naan bread is brought to the table fresh! If you order take out I'm going to warn you, I think they start cooking your meal when you get there not when you call...the food is worth it though. read more

my name is Lisa I've been ordering butter chicken and so many other dishes from this restaurant for over 15 years. There's no other Indian restaurant like this place. It's the best it's my go to honestly if I could eat here every day I would. The service is friendly. The food is delicious. Can ask for any better. read more

Super tasty food and the service was really welcoming and kind. We enjoyed the chicken Tikka and vegetarian platter. Always busy. read more

Little India Cafe - Vegetarian platter - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

Place has had a little upgrade and thankfully seems to have a little more seating. I love the food here, but will admit I "only" go during lunch for the buffet. It's amazing, but you HAVE to get there at the right time, or you will either be waiting, in line, or miss out on some foods as they do run out before ending the Buffet at 2 PM.. Back to the food. Always been great over the past 5 years I have been going and always can't wait to eat the tandoori chicken, buttered chicken, samosas , many vegetable Marsala's.. and get the naan bread dropped off. Buffet always has a lineup, and they "WILL" run out of food. ( Again, if you show up at 1:30, you are NOT going to get the best of the treats). Service is friendly, but admit to slower paced. They know me by appearance as I am there a lot with friends, and always throw a nice hello in there. If you are in a rush, maybe this place just isn't for you. I believe the cost is very good, and a second plate .. almost mandatory :-) . I will return.. read more

If you ever speak to a South Asian person in Ottawa about the best Indian restaurant, they invariably say Little India Cafe. A small little spot with maybe 25 seats in the place, but people will wait outside in -40 degree weather for a table. That's saying something. The food is beyond compare. Tandoori chicken beyond any I have ever tasted. Paneer pakoras perfectly seasoned. Food takes a little bit, but it is definitely worth the wait. I will not eat Indian food anywhere else but here. read more

1. The food is just OK! 2. Part-time servers do not get the tips, it goes to the owner, so if you wanna tip the server just hand over the Tip separately. 3. The place is not too appetizing after hearing stories about hygiene practices from an insider. read more

NEVER GO THERE FOR TAKE OUT !!! I have ordered from this place several times. Everytime that I have ordered, I have called in my orders for pickup 1 to 2 hours ahead and have been clear about the time I was going to be there. I am never late to be there. THEY ARE ALWAYS LATE. BE PREPARED TO WAIT, BE IGNORED AND BE LIED TO ABOUT STATUS. Tonight I ordered 1.5 hours ahead. The order wasn't even started when I arrived. There was a gentleman in line behind me who was there because of missing items in his order. There was a delivery driver in line behind him. There was a lady in line behind him. None of those orders were even started. I asked 2 times how long my order would be over the course of 35 minutes in line. Most of the time all people in line trying to ask were ignored. They kept telling me 2 to 3 minutes but you could see the takeout orders being prepared and there was nothing there. After 35 minutes of waiting and no sign of any progress, I let them know I had enough and was leaving to find another place. I got 2 minutes down the road and received a call to tell me my order was ready. I had seen how long it takes them to package an order and knew this to be a likely lie. I knew I would get back there to hear that it would be ready in a couple minutes. The food is good but their customer service is HORRIBLE AND REMOVES ANY POSSIBILITY OF ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE. BEST ADVICE I could offer to customers is to stay away until they can get their act together. I have place orders their several times in the past on different days and it is always the same... they will be late, ignore you and lie to you. Take your money somewhere else! read more

Recommended by a friend but I was sorely disappointed. 1) As mentioned by another reviewer, rice is not included with dishes. That increases the prices considerably. Everywhere else I went, rice was always included. 2) The waitress served something we didn't order. I thought it was the appetizer we ordered and ate it. Anyway, we ended up with too much food and a much bigger bill (I was charged for the item I didn't order). read more

Five starts when it comes to Indian in Ottawa. Pretty tough to beat. Don't expect much ambiance if you are dining in, there is a constant flow of people in and out picking up take out and judging by the 1.5l bottles of house wine on the shelf any wine you order by the glass will likely be off ( beer is better with Indian anyway ) Strongly recommend, worth the drive to pick up! read more

Hands down the best Indian buffet for its food quality. The selection is small but it covers the bases. Usually a couple chicken options, a red meat and a few vegetarian selections. They make the best nan in town and they deliver it fresh to your table. You'll be back for the bread alone :-) If you go for lunch try and get there before 12 noon. It's a small place and fills up fast, especially on Thursday and Friday. read more

I visited this place two times and found hair in the food both the times. No more words to describe.

Went for the lunch buffet today. Arrived about 1:20(buffet ends at 2:00). Many of the dishes on the steam table were empty, or close to empty. It took an eternity to have some of them filled. Never did get any Tandoori Chicken! Rice was dry and stuck together in clumps. Flavors were good. The included Naan was nice. read more

The food here is good overall. However a tad bit sweet for my tounge. Naan is the best here soft and served hot. Butter chicken was good (gravy was a bit sweet though) . I felt the good things are the veggie dishes - potato peppers dish was nice, veg korma was excellent. Didn't try the desserts though read more

Little India Cafe - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

The best Indian dinner I've had in the west end of Ottawa and reasonably priced! We went with another couple and everyone was so impressed. The staff were very friendly and the place was packed! read more

The place is too crowded on weekends and not a lot of place if you were waiting for a takeout order. They would not bat an eyelid to be rude and ask you to move you out of the table they offered where I could wait, to make way for other customers looking for a place to be seated. Realizing the demand, I offered to wait outside until my order is ready. I felt the staff lack the sensitivity to realize that all are customers and have a potential to revisit. When the order was fulfilled, I noticed the price was a few dollars more than what was on the menu. When asked, the staff clarified that it has been revised. Frankly speaking I would not order it from them simply because the Lamb biriyani was much below par and lacked the flavour and meat was just not enough. Not worth the money !! I would not recommend this place. read more

The service was terribly slow, but when I tasted the food -- the service gap i had experienced was rather filled later. I don't know how big is there kitchen, but the restaurant could really use an expansion plan, because it was really small and very busy. Definitely the best place for INDIAN food in Ottawa. This is coming from an Indian, BTW. :D read more

Went here for a post-movie date on Saturday night as it's right across from the Cineplex and I'd been hyped on good reviews. First of all, I really wouldn't recommend going at a busy time, especially if you have somewhere you need to be afterwards. The restaurant was full and they got further slammed by countless takeout orders. The takeout orders got priority over those that sat in-house, as I noticed that my table and others that were sat shortly after us were waiting forever for service. Although waters were refilled regularly, our plates weren't cleared with nearly the same attentiveness. Because I wasn't down for sitting for 2+ hours waiting for the bill to be brought to the table, I paid at the front. The 4 star rating is really a reflection of the food. Most Indian places serve watery, oily curry, and naan that isn't anything special. Little India Cafe is an exception. The curry is thick and delicious, but I'll probably be back for the lunch buffet where I can pretty much serve myself. read more

We ate chicken tikka Masala and Chana paneer. O.M.G. It was amazing. The best Indian food I've eaten, ever. Also, the staff were attentive and friendly :) read more

Arrived at the restaurant at 630pm on a Sunday. It was busy, with only one table available. We were seated promptly, and were served papadum right away. 10 minutes later, our order was taken. We ordered the veg platter, and tandoori chicken. When told the chicken would take 25 minutes, I told our server that it was acceptable. 10 minutes go by, our water glasses arrived, but no water. My wife and I are looking at neighboring diners. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. It was interesting to see a steady stream of people walk in and out for takeout orders. Still waiting for water, I notice on my watch that it is now almost 730. Still no water. And, no food. Yet, the 3 staff members seem busy going back and forth from the kitchen to the dining area. At this point, we had run out of patience, and just wanted to eat. I asked our server if we could get our food to go. She said that it could not be packaged up. Is the food coming soon? It's been over an hour! "oh yes it's coming now" Another 15 minutes go by......... Finally after a 90 MINUTE wait, the food finally comes out after we get our plates and cutlery. And, then, our water glasses get filled. The chicken was good. The veg platter was also good, but perhaps one notch below the chicken. We ate what we could. As I stood by the cash, I was continually ignored by the wait staff as they walked by me. Finally, I was able to communicate with one of them to get our leftovers packed up. So, a total of 2 hours of our lives were spent in this "restaurant". Not once were we asked how the food was, if we needed more water, or any other form of customer service that any other restaurant in the city habitually provides. Will we return? NO. Will we recommend this place to friends and family? NO. Despite the reviews and recommendations on the web for this place, dine-in or take-out at your own risk of being disappointed by the sheer amount of time and effort it takes to get your order. So many other options in this city that would be overjoyed to earn your business. read more

Small and family run. Everything on the menu is incredibly tasty, best naan in town. Worth the trip if it's not your hood. read more

We have been regular customers of this restaurant for the past 15 years. Though the quality of food was consistent throughout, the price of dishes had been exponentially increasing all the time, and now it has reached astronomical level. A vegetarian main dish (that would only be adequate for one person) would cost $18.00, which was only about $10 ten years ago. A buffet dinner will cost $25 and there is absolutely no value for money. The increase in the price of dishes did not align with the simultaneous increase in the cost of materials. The restaurant simply exploits its customers and is hungry for money. The ambience falls below the basic standards of any decent restaurant. Customers are seated in cramped spaces and many a time, they are forced to wait in cold to get a seat. We do understand it is our choice to go to this restaurant. But, it does not make logical sense for customers who drive long distances to go back empty stomach when it is full. The cramped space may only accommodate 25 people. The restaurant has never bothered to ease out this situation. As a food expert, I can only assume the enhanced taste is attributed to ingredients such as cream, butter, cashew paste that are rich in fat. Customers get addicted to this taste. Though your taste buds may get satiated, the long term effects on health could be detrimental due to nutritional imbalance. The restaurant never bothered to provide nutritional information of the dishes for customers to take an informed decision either. In general, the restaurant would not meet the basic hygiene requirements and the kitchen will not meet the basic food safety requirements. The City of Ottawa should grade restaurants based on their compliance with hygiene and food safety requirements.This is the norm in many parts of the world and will help customers to understand if their food is safe and hygienic. R read more

Have been sitting and still waiting for almost 45 mins but still no sign of food. Just got to know it will still take some time...how long God knows. read more

I've been going here since I was in junior high.The food is delicious when they are on top of things. Unfortunately, quality has gone way, way, down in the last few years. Today was the final straw when I bit into what I thought was butter chicken only to find it was a huge clump of spice that didn't dissolve into the sauce. It tasted oily, bitter, and spicy...totally diagusting combination. Stuff like that should not be happening. They've been in the business long enough to know better. Coupled with other quality control issues like hairs in food, and the long wait times for food (e.g. they tell you it will be ready at 6:20 but you get there and it's not ready til 6:45), I am going to take a long hiatus from this place. read more

Their pick up procedures and scheduling need work. They consistently underestimate the pick up times, leaving you to call from the parking lot with fingers crossed to see if your order is ready every ten minutes. The food is excellent, but not worth a 40 min guessing game. read more