Utsav

The restaurant itself was small (seats ~30) and a bit cramped, but everything was and bright and clean.
I got the butter chicken lunch special for $ 9.95, which included:
— a small salad (disliked the dressing)
— 8 pieces of warm, chewy naan
— butter chicken with 7 pieces of chicken
— rice
Not the best butter chicken I’ve ever had, but still very good, especially once the value is taken into account.

I think this is the first Indian restaurant I’m reviewing, I could be wrong but it’s def my fave.
I’ve been to a couple, none were worth reviewing except this one. I’ve been here a few times. I normally don’t like Indian food to begin with but this place has made me less stubborn.
The portions are huge so you can def share with up to 3 – 4 people or have leftovers for a full portion dinner the next day too (better if you share with less tho; that way you have more deliciousness for you and company of 1 more haha)
We ordered:
Matar Paneer — $ 10
Cottage cheese and green peas cooked in butter flavoured onion and tomato gravy
Chicken Vindaloo — $ 14
Chicken cooked with herbs and spices in special hot spicy and tangy sauce with potatoes
Vegetable Biryani -$ 10
Saffron flavoured basmati rice cooked with vegetables, spices and nuts.
Nan -$ 2
Leavened bread
Gulab Jamun -$ 5
Condensed milk balls in sugary syrup
This is a wonderful spot, anyone looking for authentic Indian food, this is the place to go. They deliver as well and it’s pretty quick.
Enjoy :)

Cozy, intimate restaurant in Yorkville. My spice tolerance is pretty bad so for people like me, I would recommend the shrimp malai curry. It was creamy and delicious with just a hint of spiciness. Our meal came with complimentary papadam along with a couple chutneys which were pretty tasty. For dessert I got the Gulab jamun which was a tad too sweet for my taste. From what I remember, the dishes were fairly priced too.

Ordered delivery. Service was nice. Delivery was fast– about 45 mins. Food was hot and good.
Was not as good as my favourite Indian restaurant (which is not in TO.) My husband didn’t love the butter chicken but I thought it was pretty good. He doesn’t want to order it again and I’m happy to keep looking for better options for us and our preferences. Still thought it deserved 4 stars, but it won’t be a regular place for us. Husband didn’t think it was great.
If you’ve never been I’d still say it’s worth a try! Lots of good reviews so it depends on your preferences. Hope to find an Indian delivery restaurant that we love!

Apparently, if you go during dinner time. the curry does NOT come with rice nor pita… so you have to order them, otherwise i doubt you can swallow the super savory (or spicy depends on your order) curry dish… small portion but tasty!, price is very reasonable consider it is yorkvile area. hmmm your clothes smell like it after you leave the restaurant…

Great Indian food, highly recommend. It’s a small place with limited tables and they fill up quickly because this place serves delicious Indian food! One of the best butter chickens I’ve had. Service is always fast and very friendly. Will continue to come here!

I came across this restaurant in one of the weekly or every other week emails from Unilocal.I had received the email of 5 restaurants, and I thought I’d try this one first. Plus, it was also good timing, as I treated out my mother for her 56^th birthday.
I definitely recommend you make reservations for this restaurant. I made an Open Table reservation for 7:15PM and arrived there on time. There’s ample parking nearby. Either street, or Green P parking within 2 to 5 minutes walking distance. I’d go with the multi-​level Green P parking, and the rate is $ 6 flat on Saturday evenings. Arriving at the restaurant, we had to wait outside for a bit, as there were few other patrons in front of us waiting to be seated. They either had reservations or not. I warn you, and I bet others have, this place is tiny to begin with, so its highly recommended you make reservations. A party of 2 were rejected, as all the tables were reserved.
We waited for 5 minutes, and were seated. There was a tad miscommunication with the reservations I had made with Open Table. I had to show the reservation on my phone, and they then seated us. They did have my name, but apparently they didn’t write it properly down. There were only two waiters, and 1 bus boy. We were seated by the corner, and one portion it was very cramped. Granted, it was due to the place being «small», however we managed.
There were probably 5 to 6 other groups before us, and we had to wait 15 minutes for our orders to be taken. We ordered the onion bhajia, which looked more like pakoras. Bhajias are usually rounder. I know this because, pakoras and bhajias are usually of South Indian cuisine. For the entrees, we ordered the dhingri masala, and baigan ka bartha. We ordered a serving of basmati rice, followed by naan, tandoori roti and lachha parantha (pronounced paratha).
The appetizers took 30 minutes to arrive, and the waiter apologized. However, it was definitely worth the wait. I’ve never had such exquisite onion bhajias/​pakoras in my life. Well other than my mom of course. These were the next best, and even now writing about it, and thinking about it, its making my mouth water. They were crisp, fried properly, and the overall taste were great. They did not skimp out on the portions of this. Soon after 10 minutes, the main dishes, rice and the rest arrived. I won’t really comment about the rice, as there’s nothing to comment. It was cooked, so that’s a positive thing. For the naan, lachha parantha, and tandoori roti, they were tasty. The texture was great, and not salty. I’ve been to places where they have naan or tandoori roti which are salty. Again no issues with the portion. Coming to the entrees, the spice level was just right, the amount of salt was perfect, and you could tell that they did not rush the dish. All three of us were able to finish everything, and not leave one bit of gravy left.
I was also amazed by the overall price, and I’d say out of all the Indian restaurants I’ve been to in the GTA, both vegetarian and mixed, this would be #1. Definitely there’s value for the money paid, and I’ll definitely come back.
Here’s what could improve. P. S I am not including the fact that the place is «tiny», so that’s understandable.
1) The service could be better. Waiting for 15 minutes for us to take our orders, when we were the only table left at the time we arrived. The other tables were already having their dinner. Two tables came after us in a 30 to 45 minute period, and they had their orders taken promptly. We also had to wait 20 minutes to get our cheque, despite the fact that they cleared out our table, and notifying the wait staff that we are ready for the cheque.
2) They gave out complimentary Papadam, which is not to be confused with Appalam, another South Indian variation. They only gave three, and I feel that perhaps they could have given slightly more.
3) The green chutney for the Papadam was very watery. Usually this chutney should be slightly thicker.
That being said, I can see myself returning back, and will recommend this restaurant.

This place has grown on me. It’s a small restaurant downstairs to the Chinese restaurant Dynasty. Small, but quiet. I think the word is quaint! I would say this has become my favorite restaurant in the yorkville area.
I think it’s a small operation here, probably a family business. I say this because i think the service is really good here. The low noise level is also good for conversation as well.
I keep coming back here though for the fish curry. The first time i had it, i found myself thinking, it’s good but nothing that would keep me coming back… Little did i know :) it’s mild in flavor, not a lot of zip or zings. It’s strangely this aspect of it that when i want fish curry, i think of utsav. And i mean this in the nicest way, because i do come back here for it.
This last time we also got the sag paneer and veggie pilau. Yum! I thought everything tasted so good. Good food, good atmosphere, good service. Couldn’t ask for more!

One the best Indian food I’ve had!
It’s a hidden gem.
Butter chicken — extra spicy and I love how its a good balance of tomato sauce and spices.
Paneer — so rich that it’s makes you want to order more
Biryani — I ordered vegetarian, chicken, lamb (not my favorite)

Really really loved both the
Gosht Beryani and Chicken Tikka.
I usually «hate» Beryani but honestly I have not had Beryani that’s this fresh and tasty.

Undoubtedly, Utsav claims the title for favourite Indian restaurant in Toronto. This is also my favourite restaurant by far in Yorkville.
This quaint restaurant is tucked under a small flight of stairs right at the mouth of Yorkville avenue.
Your typical meal starts out with a delicious complimentary appetizer– Papadum. Papadum is a lentil cracker with black lentil flour and masala spices. This appetizer comes with chutneys of jam and mint to dip in.
I really love the ambience of this restaurant. It’s cozy and endearing. The restaurant is family run and the owner is extremely courteous and accommodating.
My favourite dish is the shrimp malai curry with mild cashew cream sauce. This dish just melts in your mouth: a potpourri of sweetness, umami, delicate seasoning and all things good in life. I never leave the restaurant unhappy after eating this dish.
I would also recommend the Sag Paneer (cottage cheese smothered in seasoned and tempered spinach) and Lamb Khorma.
The curry is way more than enough for one person, especially if you order Nan and rice with it.
The only caveat of this restaurant is that it is small, with seating for only maybe 20 – 25 people.
Make sure to get reservations if you are coming here for weekends.

Great place for lunch and prices were really good. Portions are pretty big. I had the lunch butter chicken special.
The lunch special includes salad, butter chicken, rice and the naan.
The salad… i actually did not like the salad at all. It had some sort of spices that made it sweet and sour. The tomatoes and mangoes that they added in made it taste much better, but there wasnt enough of it to cover for that odd aftertaste.
Butter chicken was done nicely and had lots of flavor. It came with a big bowl of rice (enough for 2 – 3 bowls) and naan. Rice was dry, but the naan was done perfectly.
Service needs to be better because they didnt refill the water and never noticed my raised hand for 5 minutes.
But as it costs 11 $ for everything, im perfectly fine with that.
Very pricey for dinner though and not worth it.
This is for within the area, there are better Indian places, but not within a working lunch distance.

I came here couple of times and just love it!
Price is very fair and the food is delicious!
The Lamb Sag is my favourite!
Owner always around, great staff, amazing chefs!

Super convenient location. Super lovely deco.
It is my first time trying Indian cuisine. And it was such an amazing experience.
Ordered garlic naan and butter chicken according to the staff’s recommendation and they all turn out to be good choice.
The chicken itself is tender, but kind of dry. But the sauce is art. I will say it’s clean and refresh. After you finish, only the fragrance of spice stay in your mouth, not the curry.
The garlic naan is also chewy enough.
I ordered butter naan later. And I really really love it. The outer layer is crispy, while the inner layer is chewy. You can smell the wonderful butter.
For me, most restaurants are delicious, but nothing impressive. But this one is not only delicious, but «wow»!!

We came as a group of 25 for dinner. We initially didn’t know the restaurant only seats around 35 people, so we took up most of the restaurant. The service staff were very patient with us throughout the night despite the difficulty of us ordering a la carte instead of from a prix fixe menu. Understandably the kitchen was a bit swamped, but the food was still very excellently prepared.
We tried a lot of their appetizers, and the group seemed to particularly enjoy the fish tikka and murg malai tikka. I had the Goan fish curry paired with lachha parantha and it was simply exquisite. The curries are probably not that spicy, but still very aromatic and flavourful. Overall, a delightful experience at very reasonable price, especially considering its location in Yorkville.

Their butter chicken is so so so weird. Its less creamy and buttery than what I’m used to, and very strangely sweet. Almost as if they add honey or some type of sweetener. And the sauce is more of a tomato sauce than cream sauce… It really throws me off and uh, no thanks, wont order ever again. I understand that different regions in the India have their variations on Butter Chicken — but the one at Utsav is not to my preference, too sweet and tomatoey.
Their chickpea masala is over salted and unremarkable.
I’ve called ahead multiple times to place pick up orders and nine times out of ten, they always make me wait as if they just begin making the dish when I walk through the door.
Meh. Gave it a few chances and wont be returning when there are better Indian joints around the corner.

If you are in the area and crave Indian food, this is a nice place to go to.
It is a small restaurant, and the atmosphere, with pale yellow walls is not the typical Indian Restaurant décor, but I liked it. The food was good and our waitress friendly. Utsav was not too far from our hotel, so it was quite convenient, but I would not make a special trip to eat there. A nice little Indian restaurant, but nothing exceptional.

I love Utsav. Well-​spiced food. What more could I want? Their butter chicken is flavourful. It tastes great and they are able to do a sweet and spicy version. mmm! The veggie pakoras are yummy. Love the garlic naan. Bland dishes don’t exist here. They keep our usual order on file so it’s quick & easy.
They have only ever let me down once. I headed there with some colleagues for lunch. When we asked for some takeaway containers the waitress brought dirty containers. It looked as though someone had spilled some food on the lids. Sigh. Sooo embarrassing. If the food wasn’t so yummy that would have been it for me, but yummmm so good!

Very nice family ran restaurant. The service is very hospitable. The food is very good, and rich. Most of the dishes are pretty standard Indian cuisine. Nice amount of heat on some of the dishes.
The decore is plain, but pleasant. Wines are reasonably priced.

Talk about disappointing
Had a meal here a week back, a birthday treat. The venue was my idea; By the end, I insisted on paying cause I could not imagine making anyone else pay for such a mistake.
The chips that came before the meal were stale. And the preserves to go with were gummy instead of jelly– clearly not fresh.
We had the butter chicken and the cauliflower (vegetarian) dish. Both were tasteless. The naan was also sans flavour.
We even tried to send back the butter chicken at the waitress’s insistence. It came back tasting exactly the same.
Those of you saying this is the best Indian in Toronto, please… Step away from the Yorkville bubble and explore your city. Indian town (Leslieville/​Gerard st), Brampton and Sauga, some pockets of downtown, and even midtown (Yeg and davisville) have so much more flavour to offer in terms of south Asian cuisine. I may have to start a Unilocal list cause clearly people don’t know???
I will go as far as to say that I have NEVER had a butter chicken I did not enjoy on some level… I mean never and nowhere… before Utsav’s. It was so bland, chicken and stew, that I took it home and fixed it to just make it passable. Still wouldn’t have served that to anyone myself.
Caveat– The service was good but I have to insist on one star because the food is a sham.