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Apalla
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
811 Queen St WToronto, ON M6J
Neighbourhoods: Niagara, West Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods
(647) 428-7119
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10:30 pm
Tue-Sun 12 pm - 2:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
15 reviews for Apalla
15 reviews in English
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Review from Atif K.
Toronto, ON
4/3/2012
Absolute best Indian Restaurant in the City! I have posted a number of reviews, am of South Asian decent, and have to say these guys have the best food in the City! I used to live downtown but since moved uptown. Anytime I am near the Queen area, I MUST get take out to go home at the minimum. There is a super busy chef in the back named Ricky who used to literally do it all. I would laugh my face off as he would take your order, run to the back, cook, AND take your bill.... Thank God the man hired some help, which appears to be his brother or something from India.
Portions are not huge, but the man can really cook!!!!! Must go! I almost feel like I am writing this to send him more people so he can stay open.
My vote as best hidden Gem in Toronto..... -
Review from Susan C.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2012
Maybe this review might need a second chance in the future...but as of my last visit there, I'm not planning to return unless I'm conveniently nearby.
My friend, that lives outside of Toronto, came to visit me and we always go out for Indian food when she comes to visit. It's what we do best. After reading some good reviews from Yelp, I brought her here for early dinner. Since we were hungry after shopping around Queen St. West area, we decided to go for an early dinner here at 5PM. Yes, we knew they just opened, but we saw a table of 4 already seated, so it seemed appropriate to go in right at 5PM.
The waiter was nice, but the service was quite slow....and do put in consideration, it was only two seated tables at the time - us and one other table. The man gave us the menu, but did not give us any water. We had to ask for it. After ordering, it took 25-30 minutes for them to bring out our food. The waiters didn't come by to check on us or fill up our empty water glasses. My friend had to ask them for more water. It was an awkward dinner throughout considering they were staring at us at the back the whole time. Kind of made dinner very uncomfortable knowing we were being watched...and to make it even more uncomfortable, there were two waiters who were doing that to us!
The food was average, but pretty bad comparing to other Indian restaurants we've been to. When I go to a new Indian restaurant, I always order butter chicken. (I HAVE TO, that's how I judge the restaurant! :P ) This location butter chicken was not good enough for me to crave for it, not as good as the one from Banjara, which probably the best I ever had. My friend ordered a vegetarian dish and she didn't like it. She was very disappointed.
Probably not returning back anytime soon, but I will probably give this restaurant another chance in the future (maybe...). -
Review from Tara A.
3/31/2012
** Delivery Review***
I am not professional when it comes to Indian as it just entered my diet only recently but anytime I have a craving, I always call Apalla. The food is always fresh with the appropriate amount of spice. I'm yet to have a less than perfect meal. My Go to Meal includes: Vegetable Pakora. I always get the right amount for two people, Chicken Tikka Masala and 3 slices of Naan (one of which is always Garlic)
When I call the restaurant or answer the door for delivery, everyone working there always is friendly and warm.
The only downfall is that sometimes the delivery is a bit slow. This usually only occurs during peak hours so I cannot blame them.
Overall, delightful experience... always -
Review from Shiona R.
3/13/2012
I went here with a group of friends, a couple of nights ago. The food was fantastic.
We ordered samosa's, mixed pickle, poppadoms and raita to start. We then just spilt curries and ordered lamb vindaloo, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and saag paneer and some garlic nan's. The lamb vindaloo was off the scale good, super tender and perfectly spiced. The portions are not huge but very filling. We split 4 curries between 5 and still had some leftovers.
The service was fine, no complaints! -
Review from Imran N.
2/11/2012
Appalla was appalling. Sorry i had to.
I've heard this is a much better place to take out that dine in.
In any case, i went here with two friends without a plan, and the place was completely empty. As a result, the service was extremely slow. To the point of frustration.
The decor is as you would expect at any Indian place. Depressing music and red table cloths. The service was a little awkward but not bad.
The food was not impressive. The portions were way too small, the side orders were annoying, the food tasted like it was not very authentic.
I think this place is a 2.5 with potential. I don't want to say its the worst place, but i'm definitely not going back here any time soon. They really have to still work on flavour and value at this place for their prices relative to other Indian restaurants.
I hate to say this, but it's not made for people who know the cuisine well.Listed in: I wouldn't do that if i were…
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Review from shyni y.
2/3/2012
I think all I can say right now that describes the way I feel about the butter chicken I had from this place is: ORGAASMIC. I'd actually give it a 10 out of 5 if I could.
It was a visual AND nasal feast from the moment the food arrived and the thick, flavorful and buttery sauce with Naan was heavenly.
A side note is that when you get delivery, they bring it up to your unit - you don't have to run down to the lobby.
That is all....they are awesome; in every possible way and I guarantee that your stomach and your taste buds will be fully satisfied. -
Review from Brett C.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
My wife and I decided we were in the mood for Indian, and based on the Yelp reviews and the close proximity to us we decided to give Apalla a try for a sit-down dinner. We were not disappointed.
We had three dishes (butter chicken, beef vindaloo, and a veg dish I don't remember the name of). All three were very good. They warned us the vindaloo and they were not kidding! But they were nice enough to take it down a notch (which was still not mild enough for my wife but fine for me). Toss in rice and garlic naan and the total came in under $40 before HST which seems like a good deal to this Vancouver transplant.
Service was also very friendly and helpful. When my wife needed milk to cool off her mouth from the spice they brought it free of charge. All other requests were handled promptly and with a smile.
Overall we were quite happy with our meal and expect to go back! Only missing a star because it was not a "OMG how can they do this at those prices!" meals. -
Review from Michael M.
Toronto, ON
11/16/2011
I think this ranks as one of my favourite Indian places in the city. The food is always perfect and fast, and the woman who usually serves us is so friendly and helpful. They also change their menu often, which is nice since there is usually somethihng new to try, or something I haven't seen in a while.
**Disclaimer - I'm vegetarian so I have never had their meat dishes**
I have never used Just Eat for their delivery, but I usually don't like to use services like that since they charge a fee to the user (me) and commission to the restaurant. I would rather give my money directly to them, especially since they're so small.
Delivery is very good, well above average for an Indian restaurant. Also, the portions are much larger with delivery than if you eat in the restaurant, and the containers are good for storing leftovers in the fridge.
Eris B. complained that rice wasn't included with their meal, and she is correct to assume that you need to order it separately. The naan is delicious, but on the light side portion wise, so order a bit extra. The rice portions are huge - one per two people is enough. I recommend the peas pulao.
Highly recommended! -
Review from Eris B.
Toronto, ON
6/15/2011
We ordered take out last night from Apalla. It was delivered via Just Eat and came exactly at the time that I selected, which was a nice surprise (Indian always seems to take a very long time for delivery).
Ordered achari chicken, saag paneer and daal. One order of naan and raita.
First off, there was no rice. I couldn't imagine ANYONE eating Indian food without rice. I am not sure if this was a mistake or rice is to be ordered separately, but if it was the latter, they should have said something when I ordered because who in their right mind would want indian food without rice? I would have happily paid extra to have it, if only I had known it wouldn't have come with our order. Amazingly, we had leftover rice in the fridge that we were able to reheat and eat with our dinner.
In the meantime, we set about dipping the naan in the lentils and realized that an order of naan was only two small pieces. I have come to expect when eating at an indian restaurant, a nice basket full of fluffy naan. Again, if they had indicated on the menu that it was only half of a wheel of naan, then I would have ordered more.
Besides these surprises, the food was excellent. The achari chicken was a nice mix of sour and spice, with the dill flavor quite complementary. The lentils and spinach were probably considered "mild" but did have a bit of heat that might be too intense for the more sensitive of palates. The raita was a bit thinner than I am used to, but helped balance the smokiness of the main dishes nonetheless.
Overall, it was delicious and I would definitely order from Apalla again. My only recommendation is if you're going to do something out of the ordinary (not provide rice with entrees or give smaller than usual portions of naan) please let the customer know! -
Review from Alex P.
Saanichton, BC
8/19/2011
Never had a bad meal here. Always quality food, generous portions, and utterly delicious. It always blows my mind that people are lined up for Terronni across the street, when you can walk right into cosy Appalla sit down and have a quality meal without standing and waiting. Friendly, great. A nice paced meal, romantic even. Pleased to be a repeat customer.
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Review from Tabitha I.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2011
This place is great. I eat here as often as I can considering the distance I live from it. I find that sometimes there their dishes surprise me with some sweetness which isn't bad, just well... surprising. Also, if you are a big Naan eater be sure to order extra as it never seems quite enough to sop up all that delicious butter chicken sauce! I also found out that they deliver (check out their website for the phone number) no need to use Just Eat or any of those other websites.
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Review from Monique P.
Toronto, ON
9/16/2010
My husband and I ate at Apalla for the first time last night and it was delicious! We ordered the butter chicken and the lamb vindaloo, ate very well, and ended up taking quite a bit in a to-go bag. We were the only two in the restaurant for the first 30 mins of the meal which tends to worry my husband when a place is completely empty. The server was great, very nice. The music has room for improvement. It was the same two songs played over and over. We learned that take out is %15 off with free delivery. I recommend Apalla, and we'll be back.
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Review from Terry P.
6/14/2010
Have only been here once - on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch, and it was very quiet. They have a lunch combo special which reminds me of a bento box. You get to choose one meat and two veggie dishes from a small selection. I had chicken tikka masalla, chickpeas, and spinach and cheese. It also comes with rice and naan, so needless to say it is a very hearty lunch! The naan was not as great as some that I've had, but everything else was delicious.
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Review from Jawahar B.
Mississauga, ON
5/28/2011
Just came back from apalla. The food was excellent quality. Portions were right and service was great. It was our first time there and we will return soon.
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Review from private p.
Toronto, ON
4/22/2010
By chance, I had dinner at this restaurant. It is described as modern Indian food. A perfect description. We had two dishes, a fish coconut curry, and panneer sagg. Both were perfectly cooked and spiced. Presentation was also wonderful. Very nice atmosphere I am new to Toronto from Vancouver and have been looking for a great Indian restaurant. I have found such a place. I will be returning, often.
