I highly recommend visiting this restaurant. I'm visiting Canada from the US and stopped by Ottawa for just a day. I am lucky and very glad to have found this place! It is a very comfortable setting and doesn't give off a "large restaurant" vibe. Very friendly environment. The owner was there and was extremely helpful with me and my grandmother, he gave great recommendations. Everything we ordered was absolutely excellent. The meats I chose (beef and shrimp) were cooked flawlessly, the flavors were amazing, and the portions were great. I highly recommend going and wish I lived closer to come back sooner! read more

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I have only ordered takeout from Shafali, so I apologize when I can't make a proper assessment of the atmosphere or service. What I got was the Butter Chicken Meal; it's a combo of butter chicken (half portion), rice, assorted vegetables, and naan. The total online came to $26.00 before taxes. I'd say this is reasonably priced for its pretty substantial portion size (butter chicken has that effect), but my frugal side would've hoped to see it a bit lower. The dish was good, and I'd say it's better than most other Indian restaurants I've been to. The naan was enough to dip through the curry, which itself was worth it. I enjoyed the sides. Very good for takeout. If I'm in the area again, I'll consider going here to dine in. read more

I found the service polite and the food was good! I don't understand the 3 star ratings? ‍

My go to Indian restaurant. Great food great service. I have brought tonnes of friends family acquaintances and as far as I know they all have become regulars. read more

Fabulous food and great service. Had the dinner for two which was decently priced and honestly was more food than we could eat. Had the butter chicken, lamb curry and cauliflower dish for mains and a nice selection of appetizers to sample. Rice and naan included. Definitely a place to return to read more

Shafali - Dinner for two - butter chicken, lamb, and cauliflower - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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This is a really clean, pleasant restaurant with a cozy vibe. I decided to go in after glancing in the window while walking by, and catching a whiff of the delicious curry smell! It was close to dinner time and I was utterly ravenous since I'd skipped lunch. This usually means I get hangry and snappy at any little misstep, but I had no reason to be upset here! Our server was prompt and friendly, our water glasses were kept full and the food came quickly! We ordered the appetizer platter for two, which was a perfect amount of food. And then we shared a butter chicken plate with naan. That was plenty of food for the two of us. The food was really good, though the curry was a bit sweeter than what I'm used to. everything was nicely spiced though. We really enjoyed ourselves and I think we'll be back when we need our next curry fix. read more

Shafali is slightly more expensive than other Indian restaurants with comparable food quality. As usual, the ByWard Market location is most likely the reason for the higher pricing. I enjoyed my meal here and my serving was more than enough to fill me, although that's not saying much because I find it hard to pack much food away in one sitting. Out of the menu, I'm most pleased with the option of having a variety platter of their appetizers that you can share with friends before eating your main course. Shafali is one of the better places to go if you're in the market and looking for quality Indian food in a nice dining atmosphere. read more

Shafali - photo from their website - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I am amazed to read all these negative experiences. Shafali is, to me, all I can hope for in an Indian restaurant. Warm service, cozy ambiance, and outstanding, delicious food. This is one of my go-tos in Ottawa. read more

Definitely not a fast past environment. I read good things about this Indian restaurant and wanted to check it out for myself. Food was good. Customer service was surprisingly disappointing. Nice servers but need work on serving customers. Got in, sat us down without menus, didn't get menus until I finally waved someone down. When receiving our food, server didn't even know what we ordered when we asked which dish was which. She guessed, we said we didn't order that and said our dish name, she said oh yes that's it. ...? Oh my. Didn't ask us how our food tasted. Restaurant space isn't big and wasn't too busy so it was really disappointing. We don't plan on coming back as that turned me and my guest off. What a shame. Mango lassi was very delicious. read more

I was in Ottawa for biz and being by myself, I could try something I hadn't had in awhile and didn't need to consider anyone else. East Indian it was, I decided. I wanted a different taste in mouth. I was treated to a very spicy chicken curry dish called zhalfraji. It's not even the spiciest dish on the menu, but it had my nose running!!! Shafali definitely deserves better than the three stars I gets. read more

Visited Ottawa for a business trip a few weeks ago, and was enticed to and eat at this restaurant even though I had doubts based on the yelp reviews. Being Punjabi I have eaten a fair amount of North Indian food over my lifetime, at home and at restaurants. The restaurant was quite empty the night we went. My colleague ordered pakoras for an appetizer which were grossly overpriced (this is snack food). Out came four bland pieces which had no spices, spinach or onion. For the main meal, I had a fish curry was alright, but portion size was very small and it was lukewarm. I was also overpriced. Also naan/roti was extra, which I also think is a rip off considering most Indian restaurants in big cities will give it complementary (plain naan at least). My colleague didn't finish her food, she wasn't impressed either. There seem to be much better Indian restaurants in Ottawa. Pass on this one. read more

As a huge fan of Indian food I've visited five or six Indian restaurants in Ottawa and can say without hesitation that Shafali is the best. To better qualify that remark, I am vegan so this review is based on the restaurant's veggie items. Shafali offers everything you come to expect from great Indian food, fresh, warm fluffy naan and dishes bursting with a veritable cornucopia of flavours. read more

I never really liked Indian food until I had Shafali's. I've since tried other Indian places in town and hands down, Shafali is my favourite (though Coconut Lagoon is also quite nice). Shafali is slightly more expensive than other Indian restaurants, especially since I like rice and garlic naan with my meal, all of which you have to buy separately. Throw on drinks and an appetizer (the onion baji is yummy) and it can be a little steep. However, their chicken dishes are so tender, and I am always stuffed when I leave so it is easy to justify the expense. I recommend the butter chicken, korma and pasanda. I have never had problem with service; they are always quite attentive (though they now recognize me as a regular as I've been back quite a few times). However, service can be quite slow. I chock this up to it being a fairly small restaurant with limited staff both out front and in the kitchen. Overall, a great, cozy atmosphere and great food. read more

Shafali is near my house and I finally got around to grabbing takeout from here one night. Their butter chicken is everything I could hope for butter chicken to be! The sauce was perfectly creamy and the chicken itself was not dry. Pair it with some naan bread and you've got a fantastic meal. I will definitely be returning in the future! read more

The food was delightful, the dining environment fun and low key, and the service was fantastic. I definitely recommend the place and will be back for sure read more

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It's ok. I won't return though. Dahl soup was very nice. I didn't like the samosas or the sampler for two. Small portions and overpriced. Nice ambiance. read more

Go to this Indian store with a friend.. We have a wonderful night. The restaurant is full of people on Saturday night, the dish waiting time is a little bit long, but service and environment is good, so it doesn't bother us. As recommend by my friend, I tried a Indian drink which turn out I love very much! The name is lassi, which is a little bit like yogurt, but has other attractive aroma that I can't describe... I ordered mango flavored one, and it is really good! Highly recommend! I also got lamb curry with nann.. Hahah I always love nann! Nann here is super freshly served, which is too hot to hold at first! The nann is a little bit salty than I expect, but is still very good. Lamb curry is a big serving with so much lamb... Ummm, and be careful, it is quite spicy! Not the best Indian food restaurants I have been to, but the service is warm and environment is comfortable.Recommend this place to anyone who love Indian food. read more

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I am no great judge of the prices, I am not even sure of the exchange rate but I can say as an eater that judges my meal price by how I felt about the quality and quantity of the meal I think this was a value. Shefali had some service issues, one waiter for the entire dining room, it caused a bit of slowness on ordering and getting drinks. However after we got started everything was fine and the were more than attentive. The food quality was high, I am a bit of a fan of Indian food and maybe a poor judge of authenticity. My taste told me that my meal was well prepared and good quality ingredients. overall I would return here. read more

I first visited Shafali about 8 years ago, before I lived in Ottawa. I remember it as a very good experience, so I trusted that another visit would be decent. Unfortunately not. My friend and I were THE FIRST ONES THERE for the dinner rush, and it took over an hour for our meals to come out. I'm not exaggerating - I looked at my phone and laughed because we had been sitting there since 5:30 and it was almost 7:00. The food: My butter chicken was on par with food court butter chicken, and her curry was way too spicy to get through. I will say that the cheese naan bread was very good, but really, who serves bad naan bread? My combination plate was to include dessert, which they had to be reminded about. Also it wasn't written that the dessert is rice pudding. I like rice pudding, but at that point, gulab jamun would have been the only thing to cheer me up. The service was friendly, when they were around. Not a selling point. If Petit Peru wasn't closed for a private party that night, Shafali would have been spared this grumpy review. read more

I don't care where you live, or how far you have to travel: go here and order the Chicken Malai. You'll thank me later. It may be the most delicious, succulent dish I've ever eaten. Seriously, I haven't lived in Ottawa in 5 years, and I still daydream about it. read more

Shafali was a lot better before their renovation. I used to LOVE it. Now I find it's really overpriced for what you get - they've really started skimping. I popped over for one of their takeaway lunch specials the other day (that day I got curry chicken) and I paid around 12 bucks for a dish that contained literally only two very small pieces of chicken. If I'm willing to pay upwards of $10 for a lunch dish at least make it decent portions, you know? The worst part was I was watching her scoop the curry onto the bed of rice in my take away dish and she dug through the curry dish to find a lot of potatoes to give me instead of chicken, and then when she felt my gaze she decided to give me one more piece (for a total of 2 small pieces) of chicken in my chicken dish. I wouldn't write a negative review after just one bad experience either - I've given them the benefit of the doubt three or four times (I work around here, that's why I go so often lol) but it's the same thing every time. (Their location in the market mall is better in terms of service, quantity, etc.). This may sound like a cheap person's rant but it's not - I'm not cheap, and I genuinely used to love this place. It used to be my absolute favourite. I've just been really turned off by the cheap servings and modified recipes following their reopening after their renovation this year. That's all :) Hoping the owners will read this and seriously consider it! read more

I just had dinner at Shafali, and absolutely loved everything about it. The restaurant is on Dalhousie, in the hip Bayward Market area. The whole district has an unstoppable vibe and energy, calling you to try the significant variety of cuisines, offered by businesses of all calibers and preferences: casual take-out, simple cafes, boisterous pubs, charming restaurants, or chic eating establishments. Shafali is one of the "charming" choices: cozy, lovely décor, with intimate tables for two near the window, or comfy booths, or tables set in the center of the restaurant. The walls are hung with lovely paintings, and the chandelier light sheds a soft glow over the entire room. The music is not loud, but with a distinct Asian / Indian tune and beat. Now to the good stuff: the food! I was craving Indian, so I came prepared - an order of pakura and naan to share with my colleague dinner companion; an order of seafood curry for him, and chickpea curry for me - extra spicy! A glass of pino grigio to start off, and I was ready. There were no papadum or other nibbles served, so when the food arrived, I dug in. The pakuras were freshly made, but a bit soggy: I like mine crispier on the outside. The naan did not arrive until after the main courses were delivered to the table, and looked and tasted a bit different than what I'm used to [in US], but still fresh and yummy. Now, the chickpea curry: Kabli Channa - soooooo gooooood! A fantastic richness of flavor, layered with spices - figuratively, not literally: the heat slowly penetrates, as opposed to hit you like a ton of bricks. The aroma, the textures - it was simple yet perfect. I dipped the naan [many many times!!] into the seafood curry: it was not heat-rich, but balanced so nicely with the coconut milk and variety of spices. I'd say the serving could use a few more shrimp: I only saw two when the dish arrived, and no scallops -- perhaps they were hiding under the significant filet of fish, dominating the plate. This was a wonderful dining experience for the senses. I will make a point to return the next time I'm in Ottawa - hope it will be soon, and hope all will be just as good and enjoyable. NAMASTE. read more

This might be the best Indian restaurant in downtown Ottawa, but compared to "Toronto standards" it's rather mediocre quality. We had chicken tandoori and a couple of other chicken dishes. None of them were bad (i.e. we finished it all because we were hungry), but NONE of the dishes would make us say "WOW" or even give us a reason to go back ... the overall value for money is two stars. the food quality is 2.5 stars. read more

My party and I may have just picked a bad day to try this place out, but the service on this particular night was horrible. The restaurant was very much understaffed and it took about 2 hours for us to be served our appetizers. We found the food to be decent (mediocre). But certainly not worth the wait. It was take-out quality Indian food, but without the speed of a take-out place. Also, after the poor service, the wait staff refused to separate our bill. After lashing out on the staff and manager, they agreed to do so. But did it incorrectly. Overall, a very poor experience. Will not be returning. read more

Ordered take out from here. Was supposed to be a combination for two - but for some reason they only gave us 1 soggy Samossa, 1 hard piece of Naan. We ordered an extra portion of veggie pakura's which were burnt. Portions were tiny and didn't look like they were meant to feed two people. Curry was really mediocre - for nearly 60$ I was expecting FAR BETTER. We ordered about an hour before the restaurant closed and I felt like we got whatever was sitting at the bottom of the pot. I was quite disappointed as I've had wonderful food from here before and I'm not sure what happened. I won't be eating here again! read more

I visited Shafali with a good friend of mine on the weekend, it was fairly busy when we got there but got a nice table for two. After having looked at the wine card and picking a bottle of Chardonnay the server rudely quoted to my friend "you look young can I see your ID" making the whole situation a little awkward, considering we wouldn't be going out for dinner and getting a bottle of wine if we were underage, that being said its part of his job. The food was very good even though the portions were fairly small. The atmosphere was nice but nothing special, will maybe give it another try because I live so close but its nothing to die for. read more

I'm sorta blaming myself for my mediocre experience here. Considering I'm such a Yelp addict, I really should have checked the reviews first. The food wasn't bad. The naan was good and I really liked the jalfrezi sauce, which was hot and flavourful but not inedibly spicy. The chicken that came with it unfortunately was not the best quality though. Quite chewy. The service was really sweet and friendly but lots of minor things went wrong which ensured that this wasn't the best experience: - I wasn't given any cutlery. - we ordered one coke and one diet coke - we got two diet cokes. - I wasn't allowed order chicken rogan josh (was told it HAD to be lamb). I understand lamb is the "proper" meat for rogan josh, but every other Indian restaurant I've ever visited has accommodated my preference for chicken. - our rice came to our table almost five minutes after the naan and curries were brought to the table. Annoying to say the least. Prices were high versus the quality and portion sizes. 4.50 for a bowl of basmati rice?! Why?? The cocktail menu looked very inviting and the drinks we ordered were indeed tasty but poorly presented - no fancy cocktail decorations here. I wouldn't go back. However, I will reiterate the friendliness of the staff. read more

After going to bluesfest, my friend and I went here for supper. Was my first time here and I was impressed considering their review on yelp. We ordered the vegetarian combo platter for two and it was delicious! The service was fast and friendly also the dishes were served hot. I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone! read more

So-so Indian food that took over 45 minutes to come out of the kitchen. All diners were having the same experience. The waiter was apologetic but a man who seemed to be the owner was arguing about it with another table that was having the same issue. read more

Good n yummy vegetarian food. Ordered dal tarka with okra bhujia with Tandoori roti. Recommended overall! Servers are very courteous.

We ate at the Cafe Shafali kiosk at the Byward Market and it was quite awful on all counts- food, service and price. I asked for the saag-paneer plate and the women insisted the muttar-paneer had saag in it and was the same thing (which simple is not the same). The portions were inadequate. My friend's Kabab was dry as hell, so much so he wanted a drink to wash it down- which unknowingly added a whooping $4 (a small bottled drink). We felt extremely gipped, hungry and unsatisfied. Did I say they were rude? and the place looked not so clean... eeks! read more

Our family was in Ottawa for the long Easter weekend. We stumbled upon Shafali one day for lunch. It was some of the best Indian food we've had in years. The fish curry was fresh, perfectly seasoned and delicious. The owner waited on us. He was super friendly and helpful. They serve Mill St on tap, which is nice if you've been on the road with the family all day and want to have a pint or two to relax. Awesome place. I'll be back! read more

Slow Service, Cold Food, Small portions. I love indian food however this place fell short of the standard. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

I am always torn when writing reviews on what star rating to give, especially for a place I've only been to once. So I technically think they deserve a 3.5 but I'm being nice and rounding up to 4. We went on a Saturday afternoon and we were the only people there. Quite different than 2 nights ago when we walked past and it was packed. We got squished in to a small booth (2 adults and 4 kids) when everything else was wide open. Then we looked at the menu and waited and waited and waited to place our order while the server was busy reading something on his computer. Ugh. We ordered the food, then he came back and said they were out of something. Annoying. Once the food got there, our table was really crammed. The lunch meals include 3 small portions of different dishes, rice, and nan (and the plates take a lot of space!). It's a good bit of food for the price but I'd rather be able to order a dish that just has my favorite thing. The food we liked: chicken curry, beef curry, nan (super delicious!), chana curry, and tandoori chicken. The buttered chicken was quite disappointing. The waiter was nice despite the slow start and slow ending (we had to ask for our check--and let me repeat, we were the only people in there!). So overall the food was pretty yummy, but the service was lacking. read more

Like many people, I found the service to be abysmal. We waited over an hour for our meals and never got our apps. People who came in 30 mins after us were almost finished eating by the time we finally got our food. This is inexcusable for a table of three during dinner. Don't waste your time. read more

I really used to like this place, but I went there last night with some friends. My wife and I paid $80.00 for two so-so dishes, some rice, some naan and flat beer. The shrimp dish had...wait for it...FIVE shrimp. Wow. Hay and two wafers of papadams cost $10.00! Maybe it was an off night, but I won't be going back anytime soon to find out. read more

Please bear with my long review but worth reading. I am not sure if there is anything less than one star one can give to a restaurant. We love Indian food but not being allowed inside one smacks of complete and utter unprofessionalism. Me & my family caught a cab to get to Shefali after checking for it's closure time we reached at 9 pm the website said open until 10 pm so one hour we reckoned was good to indulge in some nice naan and curry. We reached the restaurant and as we were entering one person trying to exit wearing his warm cap said we are closing I am the chef !! I said we reached within the time you advertised as your business hour . He smiled and said business Is slow today so we are closing. Without a care in the world he walked off. He did not realize with his attitude he might as well shut shop. It seemed he was running the restaurant to pass time and could operate at his whims and fancy . We could see one couple inside eating dinner they seemed to be happy but looking inside the window for us it appeared to be a sad scene 12/7/2016... read more

This place was a bit of a disappointment. First, the service was a little slow (and not the most friendly) and we had to wait quite a while for the food. The kitchen microwave was regularly beeping in the background and made me a bit worried about how fresh my food was going to be. Well, I am sure other restaurants also rely on microwaves, but at least they are smart enough to mute them... My dish was a bit on the small side (compared to the servings of other restaurants), and the rice was extra, even though the dish was one of the most expensive ones of the menu. On the upside, the flavor of my food was actually quite good, even though the meat quality could have been better. read more