The Gerrard India Bazaar in Toronto’s east end was not always a bustling community bursting with bright saris, gem shops, aromatic spices and bumping bhangra. When Gurjit and Davinder Chadha came to Canada from Delhi in 1970 and opened MotiMahal in 1976, it was the first Indian restaurant in the area.
Neelu Sabharwal, one of their daughters who manages the family restaurant, recalls how her parents got some of their first customers: “My father would hang out on the street in front of the shop and when passersby would ask him if he knew any good places to eat, he would say, ‘This place is great!’ pointing to MotiMahal. They would always be surprised when he would follow them into the restaurant and pop up behind the counter to take their order!” After four decades, several franchises, three daughters and a devastating fire that levelled the original restaurant, MotiMahal is still a local institution.
Samosa Vegetable
Deep fried crust filled with potatoes peas
Vegetable Pakora
Chaat Papri
Bhel Puri
Pani Puri
Shaami Kabab
Samosa Meat
Deep fried crust filled with special ground meat
Vegetable Cutlets and Channa
Deep fried potatoes & Mixed vegetable
Chicken Wings
Spicy Chicken Wings
Mirch Pakora
Raj Kachori
Sev Puri
Kachori & Channa
Alu Masala
Deep fried crust filled with potatoes peas
Bhindi
Okra and onion cooked with Indian spices
Vegetable Biryani
Channa
Chick peas cooked with ten kind of Indian spices and herbs
Gobi Alu
karela
Bitter melon and onion cooked with Indian spices
Kari Pakora
Malai Kofta
Mashed cheese and mix vegetable balls cooked in thick curry
Mattar Paneer
Home-made cheese cubes and peas cooked in Indian spices
Sag Paneer
Home-made cubes and chopped spinach cooked with Indian
Dal Makhani
Lentils cooked with Indian spices, cream and butter
Mixed Vegetables
Shahi Paneer
Biryani
Chicken / Goat / Beef
Butter Chicken
Bar-B-Que chicken pieces cooked in fine tomatoes..
Chicken Tikka
Tender boneless chicken pieces cooked on grill with herbs
Goat Curry
Goat meat cooked with special Indian spices and herbs
Karahi Chicken
Chicken pieces cooked in wok with fresh vegetables herbs
Keema
Ground beef and green peas with special Indian spices and herbs
Seekh Kabab Chicken
Spicy minced chicken long kabab
Seekh Kabab Goat
Spicy minced Goat long kabab
Tandoori Chicken
Marinated chicken with Indian spices and herbs cooked
Goat Sag
Goat meat and spinach cooked with special Indian spices
Beef Curry
Boneless beef pieces cooked with special Indian spices
Tawa Tikka
Boneless beef pieces cooked on grill with Indian spices and herbs
Chicken Malaee
Chicken pieces cooked in special Indian spices and herbs
Karahi Meat
Meat Pieces cooked in wok with fresh vegetables herbs
Fish Curry/ Fish Fry/ Shrimp Curry
Channa Bhatura
bread deep friend with potatoes and chick peas
Fish Fry Nan
Kathi Kabab
Masala Dosa Plain Dosa
Paneer Tikkanan
Thali Meatveg
Seekh Kabab Chicken
Seekh Kabab Goat
Tandoori Chicken
Meat Thali
Kabab / Naan
Tandoor Chicken / Naan
Chicken Tikka Naan
Plain Dosa / Idli Sambhar
Chicken Kaab / Naan
Chicken Stuffed Nan
Gobi Prantha
Nan
Prantha
Roomali Roti
Roti
Poori
Deep fried whole wheat bread
Alu Naan
White flour baked bread stuffed with spiced potatoes
Paneer Naan
White flour baked bread stuffed with spiced cheese
Lacha Naan / Butter Naan
Bhatura
bread deep friend with potatoes and chick peas
Alu Parantha
Whole wheat bread cooked on grill with spice potatoes
Garlic Nan
Raita
Tiny gram flour balls in fresh home-made yogurt
Plain Rice
Rice Pulao
Long grain basmati rice cooked with mixed vegetables
Dahee Bhalla
Fine ground lentils balls in fresh home-made yogurt
Plain Yogurt
Drinks
Mango Shake, Badshahi Faluda Royal Faluda, Indian Masala Tea, Lassi (Sweet / Salted)
Mango / Banana Lassi / Juices / Pop
Gulab Jamun
Deep fried milk balls in syrup
Ras Malai
Freshly home-made cheese balls in cold thick sweet milk
Sweets Mixture
Home-made yogurt drink
Sweets (Paneer and Khoya)
Ras Gulla
Fresh home-made cheese balls in cold syrub
Special Sweets
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This place is the McDonald of Indian food, in terms of decor. The Butter Chicken is smokey and creamy ... best that I have tasted so far. I often order the mini samosa for parties.
fantastic, authentic food. its been in business for years and it is easy to see why.
I've had Chicken Tikka before, but a friend told me to try their's and possibly the best ever, everywhere else the tikka is dry, but here was full of color and taste, the kebabs were really good, never had goat kebabs. Best way to describe that meal - Mouthwatering
WE ALWAYS GO TO THIS PLACE. THEY OFFER YOU THE BEST SPICY INDIAN FOOD. TRY THEIR BUTTER CHICKEN, GOAT CURRY, CHOLE BHATURE, VEGETABLE BIRYANI OR ANY OTHER VEGETARIAN DISHES. IN SWEETS -- TRY THEIR RAS MALAI, ITS DELICIOUS DONT TRY THEIR NAAN, NOT THE BEST TASTE, INSTEAD ORDER THEIR ROOMALI ROTI NOT THE BEST PLACE TO SIT AND EAT AND YOU HAVE TO SELF SERVE THERE, BEST PLACE FOR TAKE OUT
disregard by previous review scores...i feel so horrible for not filling this form in correctly and bringing down the overall score of this wonderful restaurant....
When I was a kid, I used to come here with my family. Now I come here with friends. The seating is really basic, and the washrooms are horrible, but the food is fantastic! If you are looking for good cheap Indian food, this is the place to be
Best indian dishes I've ever had in Toronto. Quality, taste and value is way better than any buffet anywhere (and trust me, I've been to most of them - from downtown to uptown t.o. and all of the neighbouring Gerrard St. all-you-can-eats). Although surroundings are minimal, they are clean and it's a serve-yourself style (line up, order and they give you a number). Friendly helpful service. Two of us ate way too much for under $20. Spectacular tasting food, well presented.
One of the best values in Indian Food around. I wouldn't EAT in. Call ahead order Take out. Order what I ordered---as this was all given to me by a Indian national who did full Toronto Research. There is some more fine dining available in the city for this food. But this is where you can feed a bunch of people for 10 bucks a head and get authentic, tasty indian food.
Outstanding food and prices. Down home atmosphere. Boisterous and casual. Great for kids. The food is the best Indian food we've had in Toronto. Blows the socks off of the all-u-can-eat buffets. Cheaper too. Not a fine dining experience. More like a cafeteria. You can do take-out. Sadly they don't deliver! Seriously, the food is very, very tasty. Some people say the butter chicken is the best in Toronto. But everything is good. Be prepared to wait if you come during dinner time; it's crowded, with a line and you have to wait. You can call in your order ahead of time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Competition is an innocent strategy for restaurants to up their game with recipes and service. The fine Indian food in Little India knows this. All restaurants are primed for the friendly game of providing the best butter chicken, and Motimahal competes with the best of them. The four decades of experience in this family business has made Moti a Toronto institution of fantastic food.
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