Dhaba

Great experience! food is delicious and fresh! Excellent service, waitresses are professional and friendly. Definitely agree with the awards of Best Indian food in Halifax. Our favourites: chicken Tikka Masala, chicken Vindaloo (if you like really «hot spicy but still flavourful «, carrot halwa. Wait. !! actually everything is good!

One of my recommended spots for East Indian cuisine! I love this place! I am not too sure if restaurant had changed over once with new owners or if they have decided to change to a new name. I feel both were good if not better now. Food and service has been consistently good. You won’t be disappointed, just come and check this spot to eat if you haven’t yet.

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, phở, 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.

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. :)

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!

My partner and I are in love with Dhaba’s butter chicken, it’s incredibly flavorful and authentic! We have had some of the other dishes and they are just as great but the butter chicken you just cannot beat. The staff there is so pleasant and helpful, and service is always great!

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

Sunday brunch is where it’s at. Really tasty and healthy options that I haven’t had elsewhere and the chai was authentic and well done too.

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?

This place had great reviews that didn’t live up to our expectations. I’ve been completely spoiled by an Indian restaurant in Ottawa, so the bar is set pretty high. It wasn’t bad, met the curry craving, but it wasn’t good enough to go back to. One downtown was better. Maybe I had an off night.
It was very busy and it takes a fair amount of time to get your take out. They said 40 minutes and it took well over an hour. And when my food finally came they said one of the dishes had run out. They switched it for another dish, that was cheaper and didn’t refund the difference. Not a huge deal but they waited until everything else was ready before they informed me of the problem. I was pretty sure a dine in client was eating my supper… So as a plus I guess they treat the in house guests pretty well!
Another thing that I thought was funny, they proudly display their awards, as they should. But one was for 3^rd best Indian food in the HRM. I didn’t know there were so many Indian Restaurants that this award would be considered a compliment!

Was treated to lunch here on my birthday over a year ago, and immediately liked it. Can’t tell you now exactly what I ate, but do remember enjoying it and being full. Came back for the buffet on a recent Sunday in September around 2pm and enjoyed it again. And most recently, with the Halifax Association of Vegetarians for a private dinner where they were open for our group only. The restaurant itself is very clean, with atmosphere mid-​way between casual and fine dining. You have the choice to sit on either the right or left side (two separate rooms) when you come in the door, with the left seeming more on the fine dining side. Their buffet bar is on the right. Incredibly friendly service. It’s not big overall, with maybe seven or eight tables per side. The buffet is excellent to top up your plate with various things that I unfortunately can’t name right now because I thought I could copy them over from the online menu. They list the Indian names for each dish, but not the description, so I don’t know which is which. I have eaten as several Indian restaurants in other cities but am only good at naming daal and saag paneer, my two favorites. LOL All their dishes are tasty though, with perfect flavor and very filling. Their ‘Dhaba sangria’ drink is excellent too. Next time I will pay closer attention to the dishes and edit this review, and I will be back. :)

The food here was very good. We had the channa masala dinner, the dal makahni dinner and some garlic naan. The saffron rice was delicious and we enjoyed our curry and channa. The restaurant was clean and the waitstaff were very nice. There were also a few kids in there (in addition to ours) so they are definitely family friendly.

I’ve been coming here on and off for the last few years, and the quality is always spot-​on. I’ve come by myself, or taken my family of 5 (3 kids under 8) and the staff is always helpful and friendly. It’s my go-​to spot for take out, always fresh and fast!

We went for their Sunday buffet with 2 other friends. My conclusion: Nice décor, and fast filling of water, but watered down Indian food. I can’t speak for their regular menu, but as far as their buffet goes, it’s the «Americanized/​Canadianized Indian food» They’ve got all the right dishes out, the chaana (chick pea), the vegetarian dish, the meat curry, naan, and etc, but the seasoning is not there. The meat quantity in their meat curry was skimpy. If you are not there right when it comes out, there’s only sauce left.

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

Beware of the Saturday Buffet!
My husband and I ate from the Saturday buffet yesterday at Dhaba, and we have both been suffering since.
Seems as if the food may have been at the wrong temperature for too long or some other series of unfortunate events.
It’s too bad, as it was tasty but we won’t be returning. We are not willing to run the risk of going through this again.

Food is delicious! Had several options for their brunch buffet, always a plus. Perhaps just a touch slow on refilling their buffet trays. Nonetheless, a good place to go!

Have a lot better option for indian food then this. As an Indian I’m ashamed with the quality of the food. They dont even make naan on their own. The food is edible but if you want better india taste, i would suggest you go to a different restaurant.

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 Montréal 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.

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!