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The Host
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for The Host
Review Highlights
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"However, the lunch buffet is truly a steal." In 9 reviews -
"This was authentic many years back." In 3 reviews -
"CHICKEN TIKKA NAN (stuffed nan bread with chicken) awesom." In 3 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Ashley P.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2012
This was my first time at The Host. I made reservations for 8:00pm on a Friday night and I'm glad I did as it was quite busy.
The decor was OK. The food on the other hand was surprisingly good. We ordered Chicken Jhangiri, Dal Makhni, Garlic Naan, Onion Kulcha and Raita. Everything was delicious and full of flavour. I was expecting to have realtively average indian food based on the reviews on Yelp, but I wanted to go because I had a 2-1 dinner coupon. I am very happy I came here, because I really enjoyed my meal. However, it was overpriced, but that's what you get at "fine dining" indian restaurants. -
Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
11/5/2011
The Host.
Lunch Buffet perfect setup for Business Lunches and Foreign Visitors.
Allows them to avoid the expectations of Fine Dining services.
Also lets customer come and go without the wait of scratch cooking.
Dinner is more Full-services Fine Dining which tends to be less busy.
The Managers are more outgoing than the Water-pouring at Lunch.
Flavours are pleasant but not too intense which fits the community.
Lunch Buffet - 2.0 Dinner Time - 3.0 Mean avg - 2.5'dListed in: 2.5 **Stars**, This is why I'm Hot!
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Review from Mel C.
10/15/2011
I've visited this restaurant multiple times for dinner but never lunch. Once I came with a coupon deal so I tried many items I would've normally not get. All in all this is a good Indian restaurant. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but for decent food and good service, I would definitely come here.
My favorite thing here is their butter chicken and naan. I've tried their different flavor naan but my favorite is still the original plain one. Their samosas were good but a tad spicy. My friend who can't take any heat at all didn't dare take a second nibble out of her samosa and we had to wave the waiter down for more water.
If you've never had Indian food before and you're looking for a good Indian restaurant, I highly recommend this restaurant. I would opt for their lunch buffet so you can try all sorts of different Indian dishes as oppose to the 2-3 entrees you would probably order for dinner. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
5/6/2011 6 photos
2.5 star
I am never a fan of Buffet... but if my friends are interested, I am always game..since at least I know even the food sucks, I have fun sharing the experience with them!
The Host lunch buffet ($11.99) was a really disappointing experience. Since it was not too busy on a Wednesday afternoon, I found most of the food were lukewarm... and most of the the dishes were toned way down for the level of spiciness.
At first my friend was worried about the spiciness of the food after his Mother India's and Hopper Hut spicy experience... but here, he can just chowed down plates and plates of food without even asking for water refills or breaking a sweat!
The services were indifferent and cold...without a smile... the waiters did do their job of filling up our water glasses and taking away our dirty plates.
I don't think I will come to The Host again for their lunch buffet. -
Review from Dan C.
North York, ON
12/19/2011
This is the second time I have been to this location. The food and service was fantastic. The highlights included: veggie biryani, butter chicken, saag paneer and tandoori chicken. It was some of the best Indian food I have had. The flavors were a tantalizing fusion of northern and southern Indian cuisine. Some people may complain about pricing. However, we ordered two mixed appetizers, the biryani, butter chicken, tandoori chicken and the saag and one beer for me. This fed 5 and it was $23 per person before tip. Great stuff overall.
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Review from A U.
Toronto, ON
12/27/2011
Tried this place for dinner last night. The parking lot was full, leading me to believe the restaurant was, too. Not so - just about 5 tables were occupied. I guess the crowd must have been for the Asian hot pot place in the same strip mall!
The service was prompt, the food tasty if a little mild for Indian palates. We ordered several dishes, and every one of them was tasty.
Shahi murgh (chicken in a nutty, creamy sauce) is mild and yet flavourful - the cardamom overtones reminded my friends of dessert. The goat curry was tasty without being overwhelmingly spicy, the saag paneer was bland but went across well with the non-Indians. The fish tikkas came out on a sizzling hot plate - the fish itself had a tad too much marinade on it, but was done to perfection, not dry like at many Indian restaurants.
The naan was perfect: hot, soft, not dry at all: they must have made a fresh batch when we ordered. The beef biryani was nicely flavoured, but the beef itself was on the tough side.
Mango lassis on the side helped everything go down smoothly.
The bill, for three adults and a not-hungry five-year-old (with about a third of the food packed up in doggy bags): about 90 bucks plus tax and tip. Definitely on the pricey side for Indian restaurants.
On the whole? If I am in the neighbourhood, I'll go back - the food is definitely tasty. However, I am not sure I'd trek there from downtown T.O. just for the food - especially as there is a branch in Yorkville that I haven't yet tried! -
Review from Andrew C.
Toronto, ON
5/25/2011
We were seated right away during the lunch hour.
Good selection of meat and veggie options in the lunch only buffet. Very good food quality.
Service wasn't spectacular as we had to track down our bill. -
Review from bold c.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2011
This was authentic many years back. Now it is decor and buffet.
30 Sec Summary
-----------------------
1. Skip the buffet unless it is really busy (food turnover is key)
2. Order Al-la-carte and be pleasantly surprised
3. Great Vegetarian options
4. CHICKEN TIKKA NAN (stuffed nan bread with chicken) awesom
5. TANDOORI LOBSTER (GET THIS FOR DINNER)
Recommendation -GO FOR DINNER NOT LUNCH -
Review from Michelle L.
North York, ON
12/29/2010
Bad service, it took an hour to get the food, made reservation over the phone but was cancelled in error by the time our party arrived at the restaurant, they made multiple errors with our bills.
It was my first visit there and my last. -
Review from Bobby C.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2012
Tried it once with a friend & we were both ill for days _ food poisoning no doubt
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Review from Devan R.
7/16/2009
I have been frequenting the Host's Indian restaurants for many many years now. Since being established in 1997, owners and brothers Sanjeev and Jay Sethi have made quite a name with the Host dynasty. Owning three locations respectively in Mississauga, Richmond Hill, and Yorkville, the Host has prided itself on quality Indian food and good service.
Over the past few years however the prices of dishes have increased, with the quality of food being hit or miss on several occasions. At times the food is too salty and sometimes too greasy. So... I will tell you how to absolutely get the biggest bang for your buck in two words: LUNCH BUFFET.
The Host lunch buffet at $9.99 is arguably the greatest deal that exists in my arsenal of lunch venues. I really don't understand how they rationalize the insane concept, but I will attempt to recall to the best of my ability the Richmond Hill Buffet experience.
The buffet consists of a salad bar with many items like raita (yogurt, cucumber, spice concoction - must have), plate of sliced red onions (must have), and many other pasta dishes and Indian condiments.
Rice is always available in either basmati or yellow rice (dyed with turmeric) form, followed by fried appetizers such as pakoras and onion bhajis accompanied by mint and tamarind chutney. Next in line are the fresh naans which you can see the chef retrieving from the walls of the tandoor from the clear glass window. The clear window is equipped with a little sliding door so that the chefs can replace the naans and tandoori chicken with ease.
The mains begin with veggie dishes which alternate from day to day. You can expect to find at any given time: Saag Paneer - puréed spinach and cheese, Malai Matar Paneer - peas and cheese in a tomato cream sauce, Dal Makhni - slow cooked black lentils with cream or butter, Channa Masala - chick peas roasted into a curry with Indian spices, or Aloo Gobhi - fried cauliflower and potato medley just to name a few.
The meat dishes as well are alternating daily except for the Murgh Makhni (Butter Chicken), you can expect to find that dish there every day Mon-Fri. Other meat dishes they may offer are: Lamb Roganjosh - lamb curry with yogurt and spices such as saffron, Beef Curry, or Beef Vindaloo - A goan curry with a rich sauce. As for the butter chicken, it is typically the best tasting meat curry they offer. It is rich and sweet in flavour, good consistency, and they are generous with the chicken. Best butter chicken around? Negative, but well stellar on a good day.
After the meat curries is a South Indian inspired station complete with Idli's (soft rice patties), Sambar - a vegetable and pigeon pea stew, Dosa - crepe like item made out of rice and lentils, and various chutneys made from coconut, tomato and tamarind.
All in all a great spread for an Indian buffet. One may find some dishes to be hit or miss, but overall
Overall many of the dishes at Host can be hit or miss depending on the day you go. However, the lunch buffet is truly a steal. Take for example the Butter Chicken dish priced out at roughly $13.99 on the dinner menu (like most restaurants), at the Buffet this dish is all you can eat in a massive bowl for $9.99! Not to mention all the other dozens of items available all you can eat. Bang for your buck I would rank host as the #1 indian buffet joint. If you were to come for dinner I will warn the menu is pretty big. You will find many traditional dishes with modern and gourmet twists, but you'll have to really pay for them.
Buffet all the way, but if you can't make lunch try them out for dinner. It will be expensive but the Host has the potential to bang out some great food. -
Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
Updated - 8/12/2009 1 photo
Unfortunately, the Host has bumped up the price for the lunch buffet and are charging $12 for food that's dropped in quality. The servers here don't seem to be concerned with addressing your needs. The only time someone showed interest in us was when we started to leave and a waiter asked if he had paid the bill yet.
I was pretty disappointed when I came back here in August to find that a lot of the food was lukewarm and some of the dishes that were set out weren't perfectly clean. The saag paneer, channa masala and aloo gobi were decent, but it's just not what it used to be.
Looking around the crowd, it seems that most of the people here are just regulars.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2009
This is probably the most authentic and deluxe Indian food you will get outside of Little India on… Read more »
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Review from Sally H.
Markham, ON
8/16/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I came here for lunch on a Monday around noon. The place was not as busy as I thought it'd be. The server didn't acknowledge us when we walked in. He just continued doing his thing, even though I asked for a table of 2. He seemed busy, but we were eventually led to sit by the windows.
The channa masala was fantastic, though the naan wasn't as great as I expected. Some of the pieces were burnt a bit on one side. My partner in crime had the butter chicken and commented that it was very delicious.
Service was slow, even though the restaurant was not very busy. -
Review from Joram D.
Whitby, ON
12/22/2009
Food is great and so is the price for lunch - $12 buffet can't be beat. Only thing is, you MUST get there early for lunch (early being 11:30am) if you plan on getting a couple servings. We arrived there around that time, got our first plate, buffet was clear. At 12pm, the line up was at least 20 people long. At 12:30 it was 40. If you only have an hour for lunch (like most), you ain't getting a second serving if you get there late. You have been warned.
Also, usually I look for lamb curry...there was only chicken and beef for meats, no lamb. Anyone get lamb? -
Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2010
3 of us arrived around 7 on a Friday night with no reservations and no wait. There were lots of seats. No complaints about the service either. It was attentive and responsive.
We ordered all veggie dishes, and I find that at many Indian restaurants, they kind of blend together. Nothing really distinguishes the taste of one from the other. In this case, the flavours were distinct and delicious. I especially liked the dal. Great naan too.
I'm not sure it's worth the schlep to Richmond Hill if you live downtown, but if you're in the area... -
Review from Ariel G.
7/23/2009
Four of us trekked to the Host drawn by its reputation. It has been around for a long time and has a following. We went there for a leisurely dinner, and it turned out to be so-so. It may have been a bad night.
We all love a large variety of Indian food (the wife does not like goat), and the 2 other dinners were extremely familiar with Indian offerings. They had been vegetarians in years past for many years.
The setting is dated, but aspires to be elegant. I guess it could be a 'date' restaurant and features nicely set tables, and a dated early 90's decor.
The service was at best laconic. There was no sense that the wait staff were at all interested in us as customers. They were just going through the motions. When we asked a few questions about preparation, they were just a bit too snooty.
The nan which is continuously prepared was very good and hot. I found the mango pickles to taste 'metallic', probably the canned not bottled version. I am always looking for Jeera Paani, a refreshing spice water, but they only have the ubiquitous Lassis.
I will endorse the Butter Chicken here, but its not the absolute best I have tasted. The Vindaloo was extremely so-so, not all that spicy, although we had requested that. The other dishes we consumed more properly belong on a lunch Buffet than on a nice dinner menu. On the meat side the Mhurg almost seemed to have been made from frozen meat.
This restaurant, by all accounts, is reputed to produce superior Indian food. It has grown to 3 locations based on its quality. Could we have come on a weekend evening, when something was out of the ordinary? This is the only review so far, where I have made that argument, and given them 3 Stars on the basis of such speculation.
We all concluded that, in view of the brisk prices, that this would be the ideal place to come back for the lunch buffet. I will try this place again, just maybe they were having an 'off' night. -
Review from Jason D.
Aurora, ON
11/12/2009 1 photo
I have visited the lunch buffet here at The Host a few times, it's great... for the price. Can you really complain about a $12 All-You-Can-Eat?
You are not going to get the top of the line fine dining you may expect going our for a fancy dinner, but for a quick lunch buffet you really can't complain.
I especially liked the chance to try ALL the items, then go back for more of what I enjoyed the most. I would definitely recommend The Host for the Indian Food Newbie (like me) who wants to try new things, but doesn't want to leave a plate full of something leftover that you didn't like.
I also noticed some lack of interest from the wait staff, but in the end the overall experience was good enough to come back to. -
Review from Peter R.
Richmond Hill, ON
11/11/2010 3 Check-ins Here
There is a much better place on Deneson called Taste of India. The Host is far to oily and the selection if very limited.
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Review from David C.
11/16/2009
You can't beat the Host buffet for price and taste. I really don't think you could hope to sample the wide variety of Indian dishes for the price anywhere in North America. As Yasoon indicated, this is a great place to get an introduction to Indian cuisine. Even with all of the awesome Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the vicinity, this one is worth a try.
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Review from Kiki I.
Toronto, ON
7/12/2009 1 Check-in Here
I have to say this has to be one of the best Indian Restaurants I have been too in a long time. The food is authentic and full of flavour and the dishes are great for sharing, so going in a group is recommended. We went on a Saturday (four of us) and the place was packed, lucky to get a table actually, so I would suggest making reservations before you head out.
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Review from Aret M.
Thornhill, ON
7/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
The butter chicken is fantastic. The best I've ever had. Paired with the naan, you just can't go wrong. The prices are a bit on the high side, therefore four stars.
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Review from Rafi N.
Toronto, ON
9/30/2010
I came here many times with coworkers for the lunch buffet. The food is great. The help is exceptional: they'll come around and ask you if you need anything, refill your water, but not to the point of annoyance. The restaurant is clean. The price is very right.
Listed in: Curry Favor
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Review from Shamsa K.
Scarborough, ON
11/13/2010
Just went for the lunch buffet yesterday. The food has really gone down hill. I remember going to for dinner a maybe 2 years ago was sooo good. It was a little pricey. The lunch buffet is not what it used to be. The food was almost cold. I remember the place used to be busy during lunch. This time it was only half full. Servers were attentive, but also rude. Well one of them was rude. Did they change chefs? Even my boyfriend who isn't indian said it was pretty bad. I think indian takeout tastes better than this. I recommend just buying take out from silver spoon on sheppard or babu. Its cheaper and has more flavour in my opinion.
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Review from Kartik K.
Toronto, ON
1/13/2009
We (group of 4) visited the Host on a saturday evening. We showed up without any reservations, so we understood having to wait for 10 minutes.
For beer, i would recomment cheetah on tap. For entree we ordered the lamb biriyani, lamb shank in gravy (Nali ghosth), dum murgh (chicken in a rich sweet gravy) and Dal makhni (lentil preparation) and of course Nans for the table.
What I liked:
The food was really good. The lamb dishes were really tender and well seasoned, which is rare to find in most restaurants. What impressed me about the menu was the unique choices they had compared to most other indian restaurants. The biriyani was excellent, probably in the top 5 for indian style biriyanis from among the restaurants i have been to.
What I didnt like:
The service was just horrible after they brought the entress. No refills on water, until we flagged down a waitress. I wanted more beer but was done with dinner by the time they came around again. And to top it all the waitress started clearing the table before we were done, until stopped by us. I have eaten at their yorkville location, which has much better service. -
Review from Merijaan J.
Toronto, ON
5/2/2011
I went for dinner with my family because I was on a voucher from dealfind. I paid 30.00 for 60.00 worth of food and I was not as upset as I would of been if I had of paid full price! The decor was very outdated and dirty. The tablecloth had popadum crumbs all over it and there were stains all over chairs. They actually brought the popadums to us in a dirty, old basket that look as if it had never been washed. The waiter was very detached and never look at us in the face. He was utterly board. The food was brought out by what looked to be the chef and he had a very somber face. No smile, no talking, nothing. Just put the food on the table and walked away. No one ever took away our dirty dishes from our appetizer, so we had to pile them on top of each other to make space. Food was mediocre...nothing special and a little greasy. Naan was very dry and not hot. ( that was also brought in a dirty, old basket). I would of rather eaten frozen food from the Indian section of Loblaws! Will never go there again.
