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Mother India
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
1456 Queen St WToronto, ON M6K 1M2
Neighbourhood: Parkdale
(416) 588-4634
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
61 reviews for Mother India
Review Highlights
"Was it the best butter chicken that I have had."
(in 21 reviews)
"Saag Paneer was so marvelous I just couldn't stop eating it."
(in 16 reviews)
"...pakoras and I always order the malai kofta, medium spice."
(in 5 reviews)
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61 reviews in English
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Review from Coy W.
11/8/2011
I walked into the place and thought it was closed! I also thought it was a dining hall but it's a restaurant. They have a limited menu as they only do a few things but there's nothing wrong with that.
I ordered a chicken tikka masala roti to go and man was I annoyed that I was not given a wheelbarrow to take this thing home in.
The flavour was really good, it has great filling compared to some of the other places I've been for roti. It wasn't just good filling but good flavour in the filling, It was damn good, damn large and a decent price. I'll be back to try the lamb.
I forgot to mention I ordered my roti medium hotness and it had serious kick to it! This is not a North American hot scale it's the universal proper hot scale so adjust accordingly! -
Review from Jay M.
Toronto, ON
1/30/2012
I will hand it to Mother India for one thing... Their selection of roti's seems second to none, with around a dozen options between all the meat and vegetarian options.
They make a mean Butter Chicken Roti which is something I haven't seen at a lot of other roti places. Definitely is a nice change of pace from the typical Curry Chicken Roti. On the curry tip... The curry itself isn't as good as one of my preferred joints down the street so if Im in the chicken curry mood I do go elsewhere, but I'm very impressed by the fact they have a Lamb Roti for around $9 plus tax. I mean really, where else can you spend $10 and get a plate of lamb anywhere? As a lamb fan, this is a big motivator to come to this place.
On the appetizers front, try the pakoras. For $1.50 you get a big vegetable patty thing which you can either dip in its accompanying sauce or chop it up and mix it into the roti for a true flavour party.
I also enjoy that they actually supply decent take out containers for the rotis. It keeps them nice and together and ensures they are still plenty hot by the time they make it home when getting take out. The pakoras on the other hand they just throw in a bag so its best to have a microwave if you're bringing those things home. -
Review from John M.
Toronto, ON
12/2/2011
The best rotis. The roti itself is fluffy and tasty and the filling is always aromatic, flavourful and has a decent kick. I enjoy the lamb roti or the every-popular butter chicken. And they're huge! I could eat one in a single sitting, but it's a bad idea. I usually grab some samosas and/or pakoras with my roti and turn it into two meats!
My mouth is watering just thinking of their rotis in writing this review. -
Review from Aurum C.
Toronto, ON
2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
i am sorry to give Mother India only three stars. i found the place a few years ago on Yelp and fell in love with the saag paneer roti. i think they have a new chef. the dish is still "okay" but it has lost the deep, richness that kept me coming back.
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Review from Wagner P.
Toronto, ON
1/3/2012
We split a mixed vegetable roti and a lamb roti between the two of us, and it was a fantastic meal. We ordered it medium-spicy and that was perfect, I'm not sure how hot their hot is. The waiter provides customers with a jug of water which is fantastic thing to do for this type of lunch. I'll go again the next time I'm in Parkdale. Don't be discouraged by the bleak entranceway, once you start to eat you'll be satisfied.
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Review from Patrick M.
Toronto, ON
10/4/2011
Toronto has many claims to the title "best roti". It seems like every roti shop I walk by has that tagline painted or posted somewhere, which is a shame. I've had some good roti in this city. But there's "good", and then there's the peerless roti served by Mother India. All others I've had pale by comparison, and I find myself bypassing all shops claiming "the best", knowing -- a priori! -- that they're merely pretenders to the throne.
What makes Mother the best?
1) Superior, tender dough -- I never need a knife, but it still holds up to the moist filling inside without falling a part. Magical!
2) Superior filling with a deep flavour profile. Most of the roti in this city is very basic in its filling. Mother's is complex, with layers of tastes to explore.
3) Superior, generous ingredients. I've yet to experience bone or big hunks of fat in my roti; their meat fillings are mostly meat, as opposed to mostly potato. The fresh herbs and spices are plainly evident.
4) A cheerful willingness to accept the "no, really, I like it HOT!" challenge. And not with an extra three tablespoons of hot sauce, oh no! Mother's chef dices multiple hot green chilies, seeds and all, then folds them through the filling and takes care to cook so as the heat really permeates the dish. When "hot" is met with fresh, delicious chilies, I'm a happy camper. They even bring out some nice, cooling yogurt with a sly "just in case". Victory!
So what's my favourite? The best of the best, so to speak? Lamb roti, extra hot if you will, with a helpful side of yogurt. It's more food than one should really consume in a sitting, as so many have observed, and it clocks in under $10 before tax and tip (the latter of which must always be generous -- these guys are "the best", after all!).
So thank you, Mother India, thank you for ruining me towards other roti shops. Thank you for showing me the one, true way to roti heaven! Thank you thank you thank you!
(A final note: While some like the butter chicken roti, I find the chicken gets a bit overcooked... and butter chicken is the "meh" of the Indian culinary world -- venture out into the unknown and you'll be in good hands! Mother knows best!)Listed in: 30 in 30? Quantity & Quality!
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Review from Julia B.
7/20/2011
4.5 stars, since I've only been once.
This was the first time I'd had rot filled with curry, or roti at alli. I still wasn't really sure what it was until they arrived at our table. I think we even asked for naan and the waiter looked at us a bit funny since, duh, roti is bread (but obviously I didn't know this).
They bring you cups and a jug of water to pour yourself. I love this at restaurants. We usually go through a fair amount of water and it's a pain to always be beckoning the waitstaff over to give us more water, so bonus points for that!
The roti was amazing. I had the butter chicken and oh my god. So good! I felt a little awkward at first since I'd never had the dish before, but as I put a forkfull in my mouth all I could think was om nom nom nom.
I will definitely be back here if I'm ever in Toronto again. -
Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
9/28/2011
Ever since I had a roti here, no other roti has topped it. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on where you live, I don't happen to be in PArkdale very often, so I haven't had one in a while, but I still think about it. Seriously, it's that good.
As I said, I am not a regular, so I was the fool who sat and waited for 20 minutes while smarter people than I came in for the orders they'd called in earlier. Either way, it is super delicious, and worth the wait. Affordable too! I was shocked at how big the roti was! I had half and saved the rest for later - it was still good reheated.
I had the chicken roti, but I do want to try them all. I'll call ahead next time and just randomly order something. Based on the other ratings, it sounds like they're all good! -
Review from Justin H.
Toronto, ON
6/30/2011
My first roti that was filled with curry, and it was delicious. Usually, when I have roti, it's just the bread and we use it to complement our curry dinner or whatnot. Growing up in an Indian/Caribbean family I can't believe that I've been missing out on curry filled roti.
The only thing that could have made this place better was knowledge of their selection of chutnis. I only realized they had that selection as I was leaving. Thanks Mother India, but no thanks.
And Thanks Kent P. for suggesting the place. -
Review from Tonja B.
Toronto, ON
6/15/2011
Am I missing something?
A number of friends (including fellow Yelpers) have raved about this place in Parkdale and suggested that I try it since I live in the neighbourhood. I have to say, I wasn't that impressed.
While the prices are very affordable and the portions are large enough to either share or save for next day's lunch, the service and taste were just 'OK.'
I ordered the saag paneer roti (medium spice) and my dinner companion ordered the curried lamb and rice. Not knowing all the ingredients that go into saag paneer, I thought the little tasteless squares in it were tofu when they were actually small pieces of cheese!
Our server was attentive but had just about as much personality as a doorstop.
Are there any honourable mentions?
- You could probably feed a small family of 4 here for $10 -
Review from Cameron O.
Toronto, ON
8/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Same ownership and cookery as Gandhi's (just east of Bathurst) but with a seating area and better hours!
So you need not look any further than my review of Gandhi's to know that I love the food. I can't possibly say enough wonderful things about it without sounding like a crazy person.
If my last meal on earth came from this place, I would die a happy man.
I'm not quite sure if the spice rating system here is the same as Gandhi's, although I have the suspicion that they both somewhat recently started making the spicing levels more westerner-friendly and far less spiteful/vengeful. (The "hot" was pretty brutal when I first found out about them a few years ago... think molten lava pouring out of your face inferno) -
Review from Lynn C.
5/2/2011
I was hoping for AMAZING, but I didn't get AMAZING. I did get pretty good though.
We got Butter Chicken on rice ($13) and Saag Chicken (12) on on rice, 2 samosas ($1.5 each), and mango lassi ($4). I have to say that the place is a bit more expensive than I expected and it definitely was not the best indian food I've ever had. It was good, the portions are big, but I wasn't wow'ed. There wasn't a lot of chicken in the dishes either, mostly sauce, rice, and potatoes. The samosas were the most disappointing, after being nuked in the microwave.
I was asked how spicy I wanted my food, and I said "spicy!" and the server said "are you sure? because it's really spicy" so i settled for medium. The medium was a good amount of spiciness that induced a bit of snot running down my nose, but I would have preferred HOT and have tears and snot running down my face.
Maybe I'll go back and try their rotis -
Review from Huntting B.
6/1/2011
If you read only the first line of this review and are going to decide whether or not to come based on it...read the second sentence:
This is not a typical/full menu Indian place. They have about 5 meat options (including Butter Chicken, Lamb + Chicken Curries and Chicken Vindaloo). These items are either served with Rice or Roti. Their specialty is the Roti. If you are looking for an Indian buffet, or for a larger variety of dishes, or Naan, then this is not your place to go.
That said: If you are a fan of Roti, and you are looking for a budget meal, this place is the place for you.
The curry chicken ordered very spicy was about a 6 on the spicy scale where Jalapeno is a 3, Habanero an 8.5 and Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce a 10.
That means it started to make me sweat slightly, and I was totally OK with that. I prefer more spicy, but didn't fight too hard for it today.
The food was Excellent however. The Roti is sort of a Roti burrito filled with the meat of your choice...comes out piping hot, and super tasty. This place is pretty inexpensive too and you get a lot of food. if my date and I liked the same dishes we totally could have shared a single order of the Roti.
Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yummy Yum! -
Review from Stephanie C.
Toronto, ON
11/18/2010
Delicious saag paneer roti served here! Creamy, spicy, spinachy goodness with bits of potato and cheese inside. Yummy.
But a word of warning: do not start eating your roti right away as it is still too hot. I made the grave mistake to not wait for my food to cool down and burned the roof of my mouth. It took days to heal. Painful.
Mother India is a great place to come to when you're craving a roti on Sunday because they're open.Listed in: Cheap Eats, One ain't the loneliest number
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Review from R H.
Etobicoke, ON
11/20/2011
Best Roti in the city. Because they don't sell beer, we always get ours to go and eat it at home with a cold one. Never disappointed, always delicious.
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Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
10/13/2010
How I met your Mother(India) was from a group taking me to the entrance. I walked by this place an hour before but didn't notice it. They have a Green/Orange banner outside and I'm color-blind with Green(Lettuce, Spinach) and Orange(Orange, Carrots).
Also I usually tend to associate those colors with something Vegan or Vegetarian, NOT Indian but I was told by a fellow yelper that there is no specific way to determine Vegan except to take the restaurants word.
1 Asian Server, 1 Indian Manager, 1 Asian Cook and 1 Indian Cook was available this night in this ceramic tiled dim lighting Indian painting on walls type of Restaurant. The doorway to the downstairs washroom is recognizable by a metal clothes hanger on the knob and a key in the door. Turn the key right, if you wish to open this door.
I was pretty happy with the Butter Chicken Roti($11.95) in terms of flavour and portion. It was SPICY for my taste and had trouble tasting the Dosa flavour profile afterwards however the texture was a bit interesting as the Dosa had a unique crunchiness while the Mashed Potato interior was a good contrast. Dosa isn't something I would order over other Indian favourites but definitely nice for Rookie's to try.
How spicy was that Butter Chicken to me? That Metallic Cup was totally unnecessary as I easily consumed half the Glass Milk Jug of complimentary Tap-water.Listed in: This is why I'm Hot!
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Review from Melissa L.
Toronto, ON
3/16/2011
We went there last year since we had been craving Indian food and we used to live around the corner.
We ordered a Chicken Roti for take-out.
Back home we discovered they had given us a Chicken Rice instead.
We decided to just eat that, but it didn't really knocked our socks off cause the entire dish contained 3 tiny pieces of chicken. The rest was just rice.
Kind of disappointing.Listed in: T. Dot - West
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Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
10/21/2010 12 photos
Mother India is a perfect restaurant if you are into sharing your food!
Not just that their Veggie Roti has enough calories and fat for a your whole day worth of daily consumption or more.. but the size!!
I almost fell off my chair when I saw that Dosa they dumped on our table! Who is able to finish this gigantic carb monster in one seating? Not only just the flour outside, the inside has this huge scoop of potato!! It is hard to say the taste of this Mint/Corriander is excellent because I ate this after I have the taste of butter chicken Roti. The favour of the butter chicken is so strong, it kind of overrider everything I ate after even with glasses of water!
I am glad that we only order 2 things to share between the 4 of us. Too much food in front of me really takes away my pleasure of appreciate the taste of food itself.
I have to say the price here are great!! The table are a little small for 4 people with these big plates! I was really squeezing my tablemate next to me all the way to the end of the table.. I am so sorry.. Maybe I got big from all these eating!
Mother India is a little out of the way for me, I don't mind coming if I am in the area but won't be coming here just to eat!Listed in: India and Sri Lankan eateries…, A Day in Parkdale!
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Review from Giuliana B.
SCARBOROUGH, ON
8/22/2010
After walking by this place countless times, I finally decided to pop in and satiate my cravings for Indian food. The place was pretty empty on a Thursday evening, and the lady behind the counter was very friendly and smiled the entire time while I asked and she answered my questions regarding the menu. For example, what is in the mixed veggie roti. ( BTW is cauliflower, potato, and green peas).
I originally wanted a dosa, but I was told that their fridge had stopped working earlier that day, and so they had to throw out everything they need to make the dosa. Oh well. I settled for a mix veggie roti, and the bf got a chicken roti, both were takeout. We sat down and perused through some magazines that they have for those who are waiting for their take - out, and in less than 10 mins, out came another lady with our orders packed up and ready to go.
We got home and opened our containers, and WHOA!! These things are huge! We dug in, and this was the verdict:
-Mix Veggie Roti was ok. I wasn't totally won over by it, I got mine medium hot, and it was spicy but there was also a sweetness to the sauce that I wasn't crazy about.
- Chicken Roti was yummy! I really liked it, it was delicious, and saucy and my only complaint would be that my bf got his mild ( the big baby) and I wanted more kick to it! Otherwise totally delicious.
Like I said, these things are huge, so I got halfway through mine before I almost had to undo a button on my pants. If you're a guy however, this is probably just the right amount of food, as my bf ate all his and then finished mine up.
Most importantly, this place is really affordable, two roti's for a little over $16.00 tax included. :)Listed in: Parkdale Eats
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Review from Anne M.
1/16/2011
I ate here today and had a fantastic experience! The portions were plenty to share between two hungry people. In fact I cannot imagine getting through more than half on my own...
We got the chicken roti, medium spice. While it was really hot temperature-wise, it was just enough heat spice-wise. The sauce itself was very good and I was happy that it wasn't overpowered by onions!
For $10 I will definitely go back again... -
Review from ivy L.
11/2/2010
Straight to the point:
Everything was ordered mild to med heat cuz I heard it can get pretty spicy (and I can usually handle spice)
Saag paneer roti - amazing! Must try!
Butter chicken roti - different taste/sauce from the butter chickens im used to eating in NY and jersey city; good but not great.
Also tried the masala dosa which was just okay. -
Review from Kent P.
9/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
It was as good as the ratings suggest.
I ordered something other than a roti by mistake...the manager said it would be no problem to bring me one...so he switched it! And it was my fault! I had a lamb and veg roti. Fuck. It was great. Eat half though, save the rest for later. You don't need a whole roti.Listed in: VEG that's more than risotto.
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Review from Vanessa M.
North York, ON
2/1/2010 ROTD 5/30/2010
Oooh yeah, I have to give Ghandi Cuisine the big F U right now!
:P j/k... I still respect you, Ghandi. It's just you are so hard to access by car.. your seating area is so tiny.. and you serve everyone in a tin foil box, even if you are dining in.
Mother India is a legit restaurant, with menu, server, water, steel cutlery, washroom and space for several tables. I did not get to try the Butter Chicken Roti when I was at Ghandi last time, but went for it here based on strong Yelp recommendations, and I was not disappointed.
Was it the best butter chicken that I have had? Mmm... not really. That title would belong to Babur. But I am knit picking here, because it was still very deeelish.
And yeah, all the other compliments that went out to Ghandi goes here too--perfect level of spiciness (I had medium, and it was exactly that, medium level of heat), texture, dirt cheap and friendly service. A fresh! You can hear the vegetables being chopped in the background. When your food arrives, it is piping hot!
Definitely a repeat visit.. if you have a favourite roti that you think I should try, shoot me a message please =) -
Review from susan c.
1/7/2010
What's that noise you hear? Oh, that was me grumbling that Gandhi Roti[1], though delicious, is too expensive for a hole-in-the-wall take-out joint that doesn't even have the decency to throw in some free chutney or pickles--or any other freebies with your order to compensate for the long waits and trapping pungent odors reminiscent of a NYC cab in your hair, long after you've paid and gone home to eat your food.
Lucky for nit-picky, pain-in-the-ass diners like me, and the 10 other Yelpers in our group, partner establishment Mother India has the same exact food as Gandhi Roti at the SAME prices BUT also provides: menus, tables, seats, servers, real plates, real cutlery, and carafes of water to fill your metal cup.
FOOD
I went with my favorite: saag paneer roti at medium heat. The saag (spinach puree) is dense and creamy, interlaced with the occasional potato chunk and cube of paneer (homemade cheese) to break up the monotony. All of it is tucked snug into a big sturdy blanket of tasty roti (Indian flatbread). And when they say "medium," they really mean medium, not wimpy Toronto medium.
My saag paneer roti tasted exactly the same as at Gandhi but I think the portion may have been smaller because I was able to finish it this time. (Or maybe my stomach has adjusted to piggy-Toronto portion sizes.)
With one bite of Connie T's mutter paneer, I was hooked on the buttery curry of peas and paneer. So mutter-flippin' good!
The vegetarian roti start at $7.95 and the non-vegetarian roti are around $12.95 (butter chicken, for example).
Soda, lassi and teas are available but no alcohol.
SERVICE
Brisk and efficient; blessedly free of the "Yes, right away, ma'am" and refilling-my-water-glass-after-every-sip business I see at other Indian restaurants. The dishes arrive as the kitchen prepares them so don't expect all 11 roti to hit the table at the same time. But I adhere to the old rule that it's OK to eat when at least three diners have been served, anyway.
VIBE
A no-frills dining room that looks like it could be rented out after-hours for AA meetings.
BOTTOM LINE
Everything I love about Gandhi Roti, minus everything I hate about Gandhi Roti. 5 stars.
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[1] See my review http://www.yelp.ca/biz... -
Review from Nicole B.
Toronto, ON
3/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
Don't tell "momma" India but I've had better roti.
It may be because I'm biased that I love my west indian roti better. It may be that the medium heat, which even our server claimed would be pretty hot, did nothing for my spicy tastebuds. It may even be that after I was done eating, I was craving roti.
Meh, it's all of the above.
I did really sense the flavour. The chicken roti was more temperature hot than spicy. It felt like it needed a kick of something. I didn't mind the thinness but it just felt like something was missing. I didn't finish it all and it's not just because I was full. It left me wanting. I think for good roti, I'll stay on the Bloor subway line route.
I almost feel like there's a story behind the metal cups. They intrigue me.
I did love the server though and his account of being robbed. It wasn't really funny but him telling it with a smile on his face made it funny.
5 stars for Yelpers as usual. I love sitting back & listening to the various stories and jokes. This night did not disappoint in that department. Honourable mentions to everyone on my end of the table. -
Review from Kat F.
9/26/2009 7 Check-ins Here
Mother India = Gandhi Roti on weekends.
I don't know why Gandhi doesn't post a sign on their door on Friday nights when they close for the weekend directing traffic to their sister restaurant in Parkdale. I suggested it to our server and he seemed uninterested by the idea.
Same owners, same menu, except instead of standing in a line ten people deep and muttering under your breath about how long it's taking, you can sit in a quiet, virtually empty restaurant with plenty of seating and ventilation.Listed in: Curry Fix: Top Indian…, Best Roti In Toronto
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Review from Matthew S.
Toronto, ON
3/11/2010 ROTD 10/12/2010
For my 100th review I wanted to pick a place that lived up to the honour and represented exactly the type of restaurant I love. Food that's delicious, cheap, and plentiful. Good vegetarian options. A bit of a hole in the wall. The kind of place that you get excited about when you discover and you love telling your friends about. Mother India is exactly this sort of restaurant.
Mother India takes your favourite Indian curries (Saag Paneer, Mutter Paneer, Butter Chicken, to name a few) and wraps them up in a delicious roti. The curries on their own would be awesome but inside the roti they're even better. My favourites are Saag Paneer and Mutter Paneer both of which are about $8 and huge. If you've never been here before ask for your roti medium. I consider myself very spice tolerant and I even find the spicy almost too much.
One of my favourite places in the city for a cheap and delicious feast.Listed in: Top Spots Under $10, Eating The Subcontinent
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Review from Dale M.
Toronto, ON
10/18/2009
This place has nine reviews. Six of them are five-star, and there's a reason for that.
The food is DELICIOUS, and the service is great. I had the chicken vindaloo roti, which I'd recommend t anyone who can handle a bit of heat (the medium was more than spicy enough for me, and did wonders for my sinuses).
A few slight beefs though (maybe 'beefs' isn't the right word; I don't think I saw that on the menu). Water was served in stainless steel cups, which is fine if you're serving good water. In this case, I think it might have accentuated the minerals in the tap water. I'd have gone for a beer instead of water (a nice pale ale is almost a necessity), but ditn't see any on the menu. Finally, presentation was bland. almost all of us got rotis, and they just kind of came out, sitting on lplates. That was it.
All said, the place is great. -
Review from Natasha E.
Markham, ON
5/13/2010
Hot, steaming and fresh are the words to describe this establishment. Their rotis are some of the best that I have ever had. Their rice dishes are pretty good too, particularly the butter chicken. They don't hold back on the spices either; the most we could handle was medium and mild. Portions were a little over the time. I found it amusing that when you request for a container to take the left over home, they provide you with one that fits your leftover perfectly... which makes me believe they are very aware how much you can eat in one sitting. lol
The only downer was their samosas. They were pre-fried, and they reheated it by nuking it in the microwave, making the outside crust soggy. And nobody likes soggy samosas. Yuk.
The atmosphere was kind of dingy, but clean enough. The basement washroom was a little suspect, so I never used it. Service was prompt and attentive though. -
Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
10/22/2009
"A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled." ~Emily Dickinson
Ok, so when I'm down and troubled and need some loving care I head straight to Mother India. What this Mother can do with buttered chicken roti, in my opinion, sends her right to the Mommy Hall of Fame. By far and away, Mother India serves up the best buttered chicken roti I've ever had the good fortune to wrap my lips around.
I took a friend there last week for a quick bite and we indulged in onion bahjias, samosas, rice with curried vegetables and of course my beloved buttered chicken. I just don't know how they make it taste so damn good. It is spiced perfectly and the lightness and fluffiness of the roti is astounding. I have often shied away from roti because it is so heavy and chewy. Not the case at Mother India. They have always used white chicken meat and not once has the chicken ever been dry or had that shredded like consistency.
Service was pleasant. I would have five starred this spot but the dining room leaves something to be desired and I must be honest here, I don't care for those metal drinking glasses. Other than that, for food quality and price, this is a total win win situation. -
Review from Mark M.
Toronto, ON
9/28/2010
This yummy spot is a block from my elementary school and only a short walk from my home, so I was surprised at the fact it took Yelp to tell me how great the food is here. Although, you can't really blame me considering the location of this place and it's unassuming appearance.
The Saag Paneer here is so BOMB!!!! By that I mean it's awesome, but it also means that every bite is an explosion in the mouth, especially when you order it spicy. The spinachy, creamy, spicy goodness is out of this world. The size of the roti is pretty darn good too. It's big enough to last two meals. Eat one half for lunch and the other half later on. Just don't eat it as a late night snack unless you want the spicy burn to wake you up.
An interesting personal note is the fact that this is probably the only restaurant I've visited multiple times that I never ordered a meat dish. That truly is something coming from a carnivore. -
Review from Bryan T.
Toronto, ON
3/15/2011
This place is great, as others have said. I thought I would add that they are very flexible in terms of adapting their menu. For example you can recombine their ingredients to suit your taste or dietary requirements-- I like to substitute channa for potatoes in the saag roti. Or you can get them just as a curry (no roti shell). I love their cooking and really appreciate the adaptiveness. Wish that more restaurants were like this.
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Review from Rick Y.
Toronto, ON
2/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
1st experience at Mother India tonight. Hate to disagree with so many Yelpers, but I wasn't blown away.
1st, I'd have to say that I'd call it "East indian food with a West Indies presentation". I'm ok with that, but when I think roti, I think West Indies.
I had the Saag Paneer Roti (hot), my wife had the mixed veg roti (medium).
The Saag Paneer roti was ok, the spice was flavourful but not overpowering. Definitely more East Indian flavour than West Indies.
My wife's mixed veg roti was also good, but not enough to compel a quick return visit.
Both of us prefer Bacchus's roti (specifically the bread) to that of Mother India. -
Review from E L.
Toronto, ON
3/18/2011
Love love love them. mmmmmm.
I enjoy the vegatable pakoras and I always order the malai kofta, medium spice. Perhaps my favorite meal in this city. -
Review from Nate G.
Toronto, ON
5/18/2010
It's Gandhi's, but open on the weekend and more consistent.
Done.
Why are you not there now? -
Review from Anthony R.
1/8/2010
Mmmm yummy! I came here for a UYE while in town on business and the food was great. I'd only heard roti used stateside to refer to the bread itself, not the bread-wrapped bundle of goodness that comprises roti here in Toronto.
New terminology or not, the butter chicken roti was awesome. I asked for medium spicy, and I'd say it perfectly hit what I'd expect for medium spice level -- good kick, but nothing that left me rushing for a glass of ice water -- which is good, because carafes of room temperature water are all they serve.
Portions were big but not unreasonably so -- I left satiated but not uncomfortable.
Sadly, Mother India is sorely lacking in ambiance. Lighting is sort of dim, but you don't get the sense it's that way on purpose. There were white streamers with rainbow "Happy Birthday" messages printed on them hanging up on the walls when I was there, which was equal parts cute and confusing.
No booze, which is too bad -- I can see a nice cold malty beer being THE perfect accompaniment to the spicy and rich roti.
All in all pretty good though! -
Review from Andrea L.
York, ON
10/15/2009
So delicious. I even managed to convert or at least open up the possibilities for my caribbean roti loving boyfriend. We ordered the chicken roti, saag paneer roti and the butter chicken roti. All was right with the world. It was spicy and tasty at the same time. Bonus, we ordered enough to have leftovers to freeze. FYI, the leftovers thaw nicely and are still super tasty!
We too experienced no line and the server was very friendly. -
Review from Jay G.
Toronto, ON
2/8/2010
This place is fairly far from where I tend to be in the city. It is also a pain in the butt to get to. It's not all that nice inside. The sign looks like it should be an Indian convenience store.
Fan-Effing-Tastic. If you've never had Ghandi's roti, skip it and come here. If you have had Ghandi's you'll definitely love their sister restaurant Mother India. It's all the flavor and roti goodness of Ghandi's but with cutlery, water, seats, tables, and a wider selection.
Food spicing and quality is equal or better than Ghandi's or maybe the cutlery and seats make it that much better. This place is nevvveerrr busy but that may change and the yelposphere start broadcasting this place.
The servers here are also super nice and on the ball when it comes to water and other things. It's really hard for me to go back to Ghandi's when I can get the same thing with more comfort.
Overall, Mother India is Ghandi's on crack and that my friends is a good thing. The price is super cheap for the quality and quantity of food you get. I'm drooling right now just thinking about this place. I'm leaving. Right now. Need roti. So good. -
Review from lindsay s.
Toronto, ON
4/16/2010 8 Check-ins Here
Finally! I can talk about how amazing this place is, too!
AH-MAZING!
As Kat said, "same owners, same menu", only a few dollars cheaper!
AND, there's no huge line up.
They even have seats you can sit at while you wait for your take out.
PLUS, when I was there last night around 7pm, the dining area had one lowly couple in it ...it was quiet and very very clean.
The 2 men (okay, more like one young dude, and an older dude) who greeted us when we walked in, where very polite, and well dressed with matching white dress shirts (tucked in, which is a rare sight these days!) and black dress pants.
They quickly and efficiently took my order.
And BAM! 10 minutes later, my order was all ready to go.
Our rotis were even HOT by the time we arrived back home. , And was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooo yummy. (i'm sure you get the point with all of those 'o's!)
I'm dying for more.
Maybe even again tonight --
Make it a ROTI NIGHT, 'cause I said so! -
Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
9/25/2009
I think I might be the only person who hasn't tried ghandi yet. Mother India was a delight! I got a take-out order of Saag Paneer Roti. It was burning my hand just holding the container. I normally don't shy away from spices but I decided that it probably wouldn't be the greatest idea eating a roti that burns a hole in my stomach when bedtime was just around the corner so I opted for the mild version which still had some kick to it.
It was savoury and the portion was perfect (although I was forcing the last few bites down only because I didn't think it would make a good nuked re-heat).
Next time I visit, I'll spring for the veggie kofta roti!
yum yum!
