India Paradise is a restaurant we’re glad to recommend for its wide variety of dishes, offering staples from both South and North India. This selection makes it an excellent gateway for first-timers, as it serves everything from curries to vada, dosa, biryani, and more.

One of their most ordered dishes is ghee roast chicken biryani, which is extremely satisfying thanks to its tenderness, aromatic spices, and desi ghee infusion. 

Fellow customers also shared how the restaurant’s garlic naan, paired with their creamy butter chicken, is hard to beat.

Their menu doesn’t fall short of vegetarian dishes, and all their meats are halal-friendly. Some of their best meatless dishes include the royal and chilli paneer, which consist of soft cheese flavoured with aromatic, spicy ingredients. 

We also think that the restaurant offers great value for money. Their price range falls in the middle between affordable and expensive, and their portion sizes are extremely generous.

Our only gripe is that serving times can be a bit slow during peak hours.

The food is very tasty, and the service is excellent

“Great experience! The food is very tasty, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is very welcoming. There was a 15-minute wait, but that’s expected on weekends for such a great treat.

We ordered Hyderabadi Tandoori Chicken and Ghee Roast Chicken Biryani.

Service review: Everyone pays attention to the customers, but Sumeet greets and interacts with each customer with her excellent smile.”

Yashika Narasaraj, Google Review

Spice level was perfect

“Had an amazing experience here, fantastic service, and the spice level was perfect on every item. Not somewhere to bring your spice-intolerant frufriends without some warning first. 

Diya was our server, and was friendly and attentive with us, making sure to let us know it takes time to make our chai at the end (just a few minutes, it’s made fresh).”

D B, Google Review

Shajeela’s Kitchen piqued our interest during our research because of its strong focus on authentic Kerala cuisine. It’s a cuisine that isn’t much explored in Canada, and we’re glad that this place wears it proudly, offering dishes like Kerala-style fish curry and chicken thatukkada fry.

It’s also among the few Indian spots where we recommend skipping naan in place of Kerala parotta, which is flakier but still pairs great with curries.

The menu is also surprisingly diverse, featuring a wide range of vegetarian dishes and Indian staples like mutton biryani and chicken tikka masala. They also feature a wide selection of curries, with mutton curry among the most ordered due to its tender goat pieces.

Shajeela’s Kitchen isn’t the fanciest place, but it makes the most of what it has, offering a charming canteen-style eatery with photos of iconic Indian sights, like the Taj Mahal.

The restaurant is also among the most affordable options, which is more impressive considering the massive portion sizes. We only wish they were open on Mondays as well, so we could enjoy their food every day.

The mango shake was super refreshing

“When entering the restaurant, I was greeted with colorful photos, representing Kerala and Nova Scotia. I ordered the shrimp biryani, and the portions were incredible! Very tasty and delicious when paired with the date pickle! 

The mango shake was super refreshing and nice for a hot summer day, and the egg puffs were a perfect mid-afternoon snack—I would highly recommend stopping by and trying authentic Kerala cuisine!”

Amala Thomas, Google Review

Must-try items are chatti choru, kalyana choru, beef perattu

“Best Kerala food in town. Loved everything except Fish Biryani, which had a bit of overcooked rice and an abundance of Masala over rice. 

Must-try items are Chatti choru, Kalyana choru, Beef Perattu, Kothu poratta, and Faluda. This place is turning out to be the go-to place for almost every weekend lunch.”

Sreenath VP, Google Review

Sip ‘N’ Dine is an excellent option for casual Indian dining, with a diverse menu and affordable prices. However, it’s a bummer that customers can’t go in here for lunch since they open late.

Nonetheless, it’s beloved for its authenticity, as its dishes incorporate bold flavours and traditional Indian cooking methods.

Also, one of the things that makes it stand out is its incorporation of Indo-Chinese dishes, with their bestselling momos as a prime example.

The restaurant also features an extensive drink and dessert menu, featuring Indian sweets like gulab jamun and fruit cream. Customers we spoke to also told us not to miss their mango rasmalai, which features spongy discs drenched in mango-infused milk.

We also want to highlight this restaurant because of its warm and welcoming staff members. They’re always attentive and even suggest recommendations based on the customer’s taste and level of experience with Indian food.

Warm, attentive, and made us feel truly welcomed

“Amazing experience at Sip & Dine! As someone who recently moved to Nova Scotia, this has quickly become my go-to place to eat. It’s honestly so hard to find good vegetarian restaurants, but I’m really glad I found this gem.

A special shoutout to Radhika and Puneet — they served us exceptionally well. They were warm, attentive, and made us feel truly welcomed. Their service made the whole experience even better.

The food was absolutely delicious, full of flavor, and clearly made with care. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for great vegetarian food and amazing service. I’ll definitely be coming back again and again!”

Muskan Sharma, Google Review

Very tasty, the quantities were good

“I had a great experience here. The food was very tasty, the quantities were good, and the service was super fast. The servers were all nice and attentive as well. 

We ordered more food than we could eat, but I was happy to take the leftovers home. And I will definitely be revisiting this restaurant in the future.”

Eeshita Paul, Google Review

Our respondents recommend Twist of India for two separate reasons: authentic Indian food and nightlife. Starting with its food, the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes from favorites, such as paneer, dosa, and chole bhature.

We also love the restaurant’s street food offerings, including pani puri, which is perfectly executed with its slightly spicy potato and chickpea filling. 

Customers we spoke with also like how the restaurant tones down the spiciness of these dishes without losing their core flavour.

It’s also admirable how the restaurant respects numerous dietary restrictions, offering dishes that are either nut-free, gluten-free, or vegan-friendly.

Twist of India is also a great hangout spot for its wide selection of alcoholic drinks, but if you ask us, we prefer their local Indian drinks, like chaas and lassis. 

However, we can see why locals consider it a great nightlife spot, thanks to its fun and welcoming atmosphere. The prices here aren’t too high either—we’re just a bit iffy about the serving sizes in some of their dishes.

Above and beyond my expectations

“Everything we had was incredible. This restaurant was above and beyond my expectations, and I’m glad I went with a group of friends who were willing to share. 

We did the dine around menu (Appetizers: Hara Bhara Kebab, Chilli Chicken, Tikka Masala boneless Chicken, Drums of Heaven, Mains: Butter chicken, Chicken with hot garlic sauce, and Aloo Gobi all served with butter naan and cumin rice, Dessert: rose jamun and gajar ka halwa) and I got to try things out of my comfort zone that I never would have thought to try. 

The staff were helpful with suggestions and checked in on us without being intrusive. We reserved a table just in case, as we were a group of 5. Definitely a must-go if you’re in Halifax!”

Joanna Crosby, Google Review

Really welcoming and serves very good dishes

“We recently visited the restaurant and came to know the owner has changed. The new owner is really welcoming and serves very good dishes. Their specialty, Jamun Pista Kulfi, is a must-try. 

Also, their Gujarati thali with Jain and Swaminarayan options is something we cannot miss. Shivam served us a very nice drink. Definitely recommend it. Thank you”

Kalgi Shah, Google Review

Makhani Indian Restaurant easily stands out by featuring a strong focus on North Indian cuisine on its menu. We’ve also spoken to their regulars, who shared that this is one of the few places in the area that offers this level of authenticity. 

This place is outside Downtown, though. The food they serve is worth the drive, though, especially for their comfort food selections. Think butter chicken, tikka masala, and paneer makhani.

Our interviewees also shared that they keep coming back for the rich, spicy curries. It’s understandable as well, as these curries are well-made with aromatic Indian spices, and it also helps that the restaurant offers perfectly-cooked naan and rotti.

Makhani Indian Restaurant is also praised for its friendly, helpful staff, who always greet customers with a smile. Furthermore, they offer suggestions and do a great job at patiently explaining each dish on their menu.

Overall, it’s an excellent stopover in Bedford that treats its customers like family while offering homemade Indian delicacies.

Extremely pleased with our meal

“We popped in here for lunch on a cold day after reading some of the reviews, and we are glad we did. Even though the restaurant is in the mall food court, it’s comfortable inside, with large, private booths.

We ordered at the counter with a very nice gentleman who was careful to make sure we understood the menu. The samosas were some of the best I’ve ever had, and the lentils and the chicken were also outstanding. 

The price is reasonable for what you get. Oh, and the naan! It’s soooo good. Their lunch specials are a great deal, as well. All in all, we were extremely pleased with our meal and will be back soon!”

Jason Matsumoto, Google Review

Thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meal

“We are from Quebec City and have been vacationing in Nova Scotia for just over a week. Craving an authentic Indian meal, we did some research and chose this restaurant. Honestly, it was well worth the detour. 

The staff was exceptionally kind and courteous, and the restaurant was impeccably clean with a warm and inviting atmosphere. We opted for takeout, and placing the order by phone was straightforward and efficient. 

On the way back, it was almost torture to resist the enticing aromas of the dishes we had selected, filling the car. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meal. 

We highly recommend this restaurant, and if we find ourselves in the area again, we would be delighted to return and explore more of their wonderful offerings.”

Jonathan Guérin, Google Review