Karaikudi

A group of us went to this restaurant on the weekend to take advantage of their «pay-​once-​eat-​twice» anniversary promo. We could smell the delicious food as we drove up, even though our windows were closed. Conversely, despite the mouth-​watering aromas that greeted us, we didn’t actually smell like cooking when we got home, so their ventilation must be really good. Our server was a really nice genuine guy. For 6 people it ended up being about $ 30/​person (a la carte) so it was a little pricey compared to other Indian restaurants I’ve been to. But the décor is nice, they play all the popular Tamil music and the food was all very yummy. I would recommend this restaurant if you’re jonesing for some authentic Chetinnad cuisine :)

After craving for some South India food and being disappointed by many restaurants I came upon this place.
During the first visit I had the Veg. thali and Mr. H had the Uttappam. We also tried the Mutton Sukka and they were all delicious. The Mutton Sukka actually would make me come back… again and again.
During the second visit Mr. H and I both tried their biriyani’s (Chicken and Mutton) and Oh My God! It was the best thing ever! The rice was so soft and moist, the mutton would melt in your mouth and the spicy flavour was just right.
Once again however, my food was better than Mr. H’s, he did like his Chicken Biriyani a lot but the Mutton was awesome. Their service is pretty good and fast.
Next time I try the fish biriyani. :)

I came here for the Indian buffet and was sorely disappointed by the limited selection of food available. I’ve been to a lot of Indian buffets and was surprised to find that they didn’t have paneer or butter chicken or any of the masala dishes that I normally see in an Indian buffet. Heck, there wasn’t even naan there. Their dessert selection was also disappointing. It had a total of 5 items: a rice pudding like dish (Payasam), an orange mash like dish (Kesari), and 3 trays of old looking diced fruits (cantaloupe, honeydew, apple/​fruit mix). I was so sad that I couldn’t find the gulab jamun! This is the first time ever that I didn’t go back for a second helping in a buffet (I’m normally a glutton, what can I say?). They advertise their buffet saying that there’s over 30 items in there but there definitely wasn’t. There was maybe 10 or so that were considered actually food (the rest being sauces). The food also wasn’t very appetizing for me to even want to go for seconds. For $ 12.99, there are way better buffets out there with way more appetizing options.
The quality of the food there was lacking. The mixed fruits that were available were browned and warm. The deep fried foods were soggy. The szechuan chicken (weird that it was in an Indian restuarant in the first place) was overly fatty. A lot of the food just isn’t that great compared to other buffets. Of course, I don’t expect fine dining with an Indian buffet but having gone to quite a few of them, this is one of the worse places I’ve been to.
It seems a lot of reviewers here recommend ordering a la carte. Maybe the quality is better othere. But given the quality of the food they rolled out for the buffet, I won’t be back to try their menu items.

After driving by this restaurant many times, we decided to go in. Should have done so a long time ago. The service was friendly. The food was hot, fresh and delicious. The kairali chicken was moist and juicy with just the right amount of heat. The ghee dosa was huge! We also ordered the mutton curry and shrimp biriyani. Everything was great but the price might have been a little higher than other restaurants in the area. Will definitely go back though.

Well, the amount of food served for the money is very small. There are lot’s of other indian places that will serve better quality and quantity for less than what these guys are charging. —Just 7 or 8 small cubes of chicken in a butter chicken dish costing 12.99.
–a small bowl of steamed rice costs 5 bucks!
I am not coming back for sure, to me Indian restaurants should not be this expensive as it is nowhere near fine dining experience.

This is my second time here, the 1^st being a few years ago, and I don’t know why it took me so long to return because the food was ssooo good. By a recommendation from someone else’s review I read on here, I got the mutton biyaani which was amazing. I also got the chetinnad chicken, which I didn’t love because there were only 3 pieces in it and 2 of the bigger pieces we mostly none, not worth the $ 12! Got a popular mutton dish, but don’t remember the name, it was the 1^st one on the mutton list. Also got garlic butter naan which was so buttery and delicious. I’m stuffed!
The service was also quickly and friendly. Was in and out within an hour on a Sunday evening.
Looking forward to my next visit!

Good food but expensive.
Tried devil’s chicken, quantity is very poor compared to price

We ordered their Masala Dosa and butter chicken. Masala dosa was really delicious. Butter chicken was as usual a bit sweet for our taste but I guess some people prefer it like that. Over all the food was good. Our favourite was hands down the Masala dosa.

Amazing food. The sambar lentil soup was good and not too spicy. Egg dosa was sort of pricy but a huge size. I tried the mutton sukka masala (sp?) was so good and not too spicy.

3.5 stars here.
Tandori chicken was really good! The spicy chicken dipped in cooking yoghurt made me crave for more.
Extra large ‘crêpe like thing was ok. Wasnt a fan of the dips that they offered with it. Though loved the presentation and crisp of the crêpe.
Mango lassi was delicious too.
Rasmalay was great though my gf didnt like the texture too much. Expensive though for 2 pcs$ 5
Service was slow, there was only 1 server/​hostess when we arrived. 2 more staff cane after, spacious and clean looking place. Worth going
Collect point of every dollar spent. $ 200 =$-10 .
Would go back to try other items.

If you enjoy spicy flavour filled meals, then this is definitely the place to go! The waiters/​waitresses are fast, the restaurant is clean and the food is always consistent with taste. If you’re not sure what to get, the waitresses are really helpful too! I would make reservations if you’re going on a weekend evening or Sunday lunch.

Not worth the buffet for 13.99. The buffet refills took so long that we did not eat most of the items. The cook was catering to the people who order off the menu and the buffet was refilled at the end. It took for ever to get even the water. Would avoide buffet. May be food is food if you order off the menu!

Went here for dinner last night. This is the 4^th time I’ve eaten here, or gotten take out. The flavor is generally pretty good, but every time the food has been lukewarm, or the sauce is hot but the centre of the meat is cold. I’ve concluded that everything is reheated instead of cooked from fresh. Time to find another Indian place to eat in Scarborough.

Last time, I went there were cockroaches running around. Truly disgusting. The manager tried to tell us that it might be the customers that had brought them in, and showed us that they had passed the health requirements. But obviously they shouldn’t have. Never going back to a place that can not control their dining area from insects. Also they can’t even cook a butter chicken properly, they once served raw chicken. That tells me a lot about their kitchen staff. To be honest they should get no stars. I hate to see a local business do such a poor job.

Karaikudi has a special place on our weekly roster thanks to their Fried Fish (King fish). Wifey loves it and doesn’t share! :(
Our server is a pleasant guy (every time the same person) and dumb that I am sometimes, I always forget to take his name.
The places itself is nestled away in comfortable area with plenty of parking and on weekends there’s a wait.
Food itself is appealing. Standard items like Dosas, Idly, Vada and appetizers are fairly good. We recently tried Kothu Roti which was very filling and worth every penny. The Mutton Biryaani is one the best in eastern hemisphere so give it a shot.
They recently upgraded and now they take orders on a tab. Adds to the glamour quotient. I know, I’m a sucker for technology!

It has been a while since I dined at an Indian restaurant so I was looking forward to this one after a friend had recommended it. Service was friendly and courteous. So that alone would make me want to go back. Since there was a group of us, we were able to taste a number of dishes.
Because Indian food is not exactly cheap nor are the portions big, I’ll base my individual ratings mainly on the quality of the food and their prices/​portions. This may be helpful to those who are new to South Asian dining.
[Appetizers]
Chili Gobi Dry — Sort of like their version of vegetable tempura. Was very nicely seasoned so it was very flavourful. Because it’s deep fried, it was of course a little on the greasy side. ⁴⁄₅.
Devil Chicken — If you like spicy, then you’d like this dish. I didn’t find it overly spicy that you would lose its flavour so I thoroughly enjoyed this. Good sized platter and with the flavour of the chicken, I give it ⁵⁄₅.
[Side Dishes]
Chili Chicken — Very very nice. You get a good amount of garnishing along with the good amount of chicken. Definitely worth the cost. ⁵⁄₅.
Butter Chicken — Didn’t exactly try the chicken but I definitely tried the sauce. I’ve never had such creamy sauce. Was so creamy that it was even a little bit on the sweet side. I usually have Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice but due to dietary restrictions (I know, dietary restrictions but going to an Indian restaurant. lame), I instead enjoyed it with some of their Garlic Naan and a piece of Parotta (I’ll get to those shortly). Some people drink the Swiss Chalet sauce and if I weren’t watching my diet right now, I’d be drinking this sauce, too. ⁵⁄₅.
Boiled Egg — I know it’s boiled egg but some people don’t know how to boil a damn egg. I’m a (self acclaimed) egg connoisseur and I must say that these babies were boiled perfectly. If this were a scene from A Hundred Foot Journey (which every foodie should watch, by the way), I’d hire the person who was in charge of boiling eggs to be my Head Chef. Or maybe just my main boiler. ⁵⁄₅.
[Indian Breads]
Parotta — Delicious. Definitely a must have along with that delicious Butter Chicken especially if you’re a lame-​o like me trying to avoid as much rice as possible. ⁵⁄₅.
Garlic Naan — As delicious as it was, I felt a little cheated. Seemed like they just took some plain Naan and brushed it with some butter and garlic. Again, don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but I’ve had better. Specifically at Samosa King where I literally wait 10-​minutes for the fresh Garlic Naan. The difference? The one at Samosa King seems to be kneaded directly with the minced garlic and then brushed with butter. Because of the amount they give you, though, I’d give it ⁵⁄₅.
[Biryani]
Chicken Biryani — You’re given a choice of boneless or bone-​in chicken. The difference is basically white meat/​breast or drumsticks, respectively. That’s what I’m assuming anyway because that’s what I got and let’s face it, drumsticks are cheaper to serve. You also won’t really know until you receive it and after digging underneath the rice (yes, I caved in and ordered rice). Boneless I’m assuming is white meat since there’s a difference in price. $ 2 to be exact. With each order, you’ll also receive a boiled egg. Going back to Samosa King, I’ve had their Chicken Biryani but I prefer this one better. Found the flavour of this one a little simpler yet very satisfying. But focusing on the price vs quality/​quantity, I’d give it ⁴⁄₅.
Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would definitely go back. Because of its richness, though, I’d wait a little while to go back. As active as I am, I’m probably still burning the calories earned from this lunch.

Kairakudi is a popular restaurant frequented by South Indian and Tamil clientele, but offers a range of North and South Indian dishes.
The food and service is excellent. Fast attentive wait staff work with quick kitchen staff to bring your meal quickly. My only minor complaint is the sauces for the North Indian dishes are too similar (or same) such as Butter Chicken and Mutter Paneer which are almost identical flavour.
Recommended: Paper Dosa, for the ridiculous size and good Facebook photo moment!

if you are here for the buffet, it is only on the weekday mornings except for Tuesday.
Food is awesome. If you appreciate south indian food then this is a place that you must try. Generally speaking, this particular line of cuisine is famous for using indian spices with a special focus on herb based ingredients.
The servers were fast and courteous. You’ll probably have a nice experience here.
I took out one star from the review, because of their timing does not agree with me as I preferred weekend and evening eating out.

The food was expensive but tasted bland. Spicy with no true flavour. Service was not the best. They just dumped plates and we had to lay them out.

Awesome and spicy!