- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee |
- All
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
9 reviews for Rashnaa Restaurant
All Reviews
Delicious! Toronto is the best place for Indian food I've found and Rashnaa doesn't disappoint! The eggplant is especially delicious. It's cooked properly and all the yummy flavours are released into the foods. Eggplant is hard to cook but they do it right. If you get the vegetarian dishes everything is fairly affordable. I can't remember if I've tried the butter chicken, but I like their vegetarian dishes. You have to be choosy about what you order because sometimes it's really good and others it's only so-so depending on what it is. It's been a while since I've ordered but it's delicious last I remember. I'm a repeat customer.
What a disappointment. The butter chicken was really average. Nothing special at all, and it would not get me to go back. The saag paneer was kind of brothy, rather than creamy, which I'm willing to chalk up to a style difference, however it was so salty it was barely edible (and I like salt a lot).
The small veggie side dishes (we had beets, eggplant and lentils) were a highlight and the naan was fantastic. The chai was delicious but too sweet for my taste.
The main dining room space is nice and casual. Maybe 10 tables. There's a good size patio that I imagine is lovely in the summer. There are two very cute two-person tables upstairs nestled in a dormer window, however I can't imagine sitting up there as you are bombarded with the aggressive, sickly sweet smell of the bathroom air freshener, and one of the seats looks directly at the urinal in the men's washroom (the door seems to be at rest in the open position when the washroom is not in use).
The service was fine and the kitchen was fast. No complaints at all there. It was fairly kid-friendly, although they do not have a high chair.
I've had much, much better Indian food in Toronto. The Host and Siddhartha both blow this place away. I probably wouldn't go back, even if I were in the neighborhood.
Rashnaa is a restaurant providing Sri-Lankan/South Indian cuisine. I have to say it is in the rather surprising location of Parliament and Wellesley.
The kothu roti, which takes traditional south indian thin roti (veethu roti) cut up, mixed with spicy gravy, meat and fried egg is pretty decent. However, I have to say it will never come close to the authentic stuff from Sri Lanka. Even the roti used is not as good.
Not a fan of their thali's at all. Please go to a real south indian restaurant like Udupi's on Gerrard.
3 stars. Half decent SL food and a decent place. Nothing to write home about.
After reading the positive reviews, I had to check it out myself. I got take-out and it was ready to pick up in 20 minutes. Vegetable samosas were some of the best I have had in Toronto. Not too greasy, but not too dry. I'm not sure if they make them on site, but they are definitely delicious.
I followed that up with the butter chicken. Definitely a different taste, but definitely delicious. The sauce was better than the chicken itself, with hints of cinnamon really making the dish.
I'll have to go back to make a more complete review, but good all and all.
RASHNAAAAAAAAAAAA.
hmm. it doesnt quite work as well on paper. or on the internet. but i love saying their name. when i know my wife and i are going to order takeout, from the bottom of my feet, up through my legs, through a belly growling in anticipation, do I belt out like a lion the declaration of battle that is Rashnaa.
a battle of spices and food names that swirl around your tongue like a serpent tempting you in such a way that youll never touch a piece of wonderbread again.
we have been at the restaurant once before with my niece. boy was that stupid. each bite she took was successively more torturous, as she wondered why she was crying when she wasn't the least bit sad. Yes. Rashnaa can be quite spicy, but not so much so that you cannot taste your food or anything else afterwards. you might experience a little vibration in your lips, a little fire alight in your mouth, but be sure there are yoghurty delights to temper it all, like the Mix Raita which is cucumber, tomatoes and onions in spiced beaten yogurt.
Its great to put that on your other dishes (in fact I would, at least if youre doing takeout, order 2 of them) like any of the String Hopper Kotu which is red (roasted) rice flour noodles chopped and sautéed with onion, green peppers, eggs and spices with a choice of mutton, shrimp, beef, chicken, vegetables, eggs, fish, squid or shrimp. hoowee. lots of choices. This dish is rice like in its consistency, very filling, and very tasty with any of the above. I usually get the squid.
I have also gotten the Vegetable Delight many times. This is a bunch of different veggie dishes that come with ghee basmati rice with a few different kinds of curry and more. my favorite in this combination is the cashew and green peas curry. its so creamy.
for apps or extra stuff try the egg rotty, the beef pancake roll, seafood cutlet, veggie samosa, or a mixed plate of it all.
If you get a main course dish and all the suggestions I have mentioned, you can have leftovers for the next day and keep it going and going and going...
Rashnaa is tucked away in a part of Toronto few tourists actually see. It lies in the upper reaches of the Cabbagetown neighborhood, diagonally across an intersection from a huge commie-block style development, complete with rusted out balconies full of junk and barking dogs that you can hear, but for some reason, can never see.
One rainy evening, from the 504 trolley, we got off at Parliament St. (Cabbagetown's main drag) and wandered up to the proper intersection (at Wellesley St) only to not see the restaurant. It turns out, the restaurant is down several doors in a converted rowhouse on the very residential Wellesley St. In other words, it's incredibly easy to miss.
Upon entering, you are greeted by warm beige walls, incredible smells, warm lighting and even warmer temperatures. Upstairs, where the bathroom is, the temperatures shoot up at least another 15 degrees. The dining room is small, perhaps the size of a large living room, with about 10 tables to go around. On that Friday night, we were initially the only patrons dining in, which I at the time wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. But, after a time, a group of about 8 Indian guys about our age came in and brought the place to life, with laughter and conversation (in Indian) to boot. At that point it was easy to forget one was in Ontario and was instead in some eatery in the south of India. When I watched how skillfully they ate with their fingers, I felt like a looser, sitting there with my fork.
Our server was efficient and fairly friendly, the latter something of a rarity in my Indian restaurant experiences of the past. As usual, I got a mango lassi which was expertly made with a perfect balance of salt, mango and yogurt. I believe we also ordered some roti to go along with our meals. For dinner, I ordered the butter chicken because I'm more of a fan of the savory (savoury for you Canadians) than the spicy. Amanda ordered something with a spice level that would make baby kittens cry if they just looked at it.
The butter chicken was unfairly good; unfair in the sense that I cannot eat this every single night. The sauce was rich and tomato-y, the chicken perfectly cooked, the roti good and flaky. In other words, it was the best Indian dish (and meal) I had ever had and to this day, has not yet been topped. Best of all, I don't think we slapped down more than $35 (including tip). This is a steal considering Toronto's food prices are higher than those of Boston, regardless the strength (or rather, weakness) of the dollar.
If I'm ever in Toronto again, this place is #1 on my list to re-visit.
If you like SPICY...try the devil chicken! Amazing! Not a lot of atmosphere but great food!!
Loved the food (delivery), try the faluda (dessert drink).
Came here because I was in the neighbourhood and had read the other reviews on the site. And I must admit, I was very impressed by the flavour of the food. I had the butter chicken, which was the tastiest I've ever had and the mutton Sri Lankan specialty. I also got the appetizer platter. Along with two naans and a plate of rice, this was enough food for two dinners as well as two left-over lunches (all for $39 before tip).
This was easily the tastiest Indian food I've had yet in Toronto.
I took off one star only because the service was a bit slow, although the waiter apologized profusely for this and mentioned that he had never seen it so busy on a Monday night before.
