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The Host
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
14 Prince Arthur AveToronto, ON M5R 1A9
Neighbourhood: The Annex
(416) 962-4678
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for The Host
19 reviews in English
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Review from Howard H.
2/7/2012
The Host is one of Toronto's finest Indian dining establishments. I have been making quarterly pilgrimages to this cornerstone of Canadian curry consciousness since the mid 90s and disappointment is never on the menu.
Classic Northern Indian cuisine is prepared here with an attention to detail lacking in many similar establishments. All of the constituent ingredients in the dishes manage to retain a presence that simultaneously affords them their deserved attention yet manages to maintain a harmonious melding of the flavours orchestrated by the chef.
The Host is not your every day sub-continental dining experience. Both the overall demeanor of the room, menu , and wait staff conspire to make it an ideal destination for a date for any two people who enjoy Indian food, or an excellent introduction to one of those vestigial relics (older family members, visiting rural folk, reformed recluse, or those otherwise just now joining/re-joining society) who have yet to sample a proper curry. It should be noted that those same elements make this spot far less appealing for more raucous parties or those who enjoy their feedbags based purely on a price to quantity metric.
Quite simply, The Host manages to regularly display all of the culinary elements of classical Northern Indian cuisine with calm certitude and just enough playful elements to constantly earn themselves a return visit. -
Review from Ms. J.
Toronto, ON
2/25/2012
I've eaten and ordered from the Host at the Prince Arthur location many dozens of times, however tonight's food was a unpalatable mess.
We ordered through Orderit Canada, and what arrived was the food you would expect from a strip mall buffet: Kesri Pillaw (boring yellow coloured rice), Tandoori Murg Chicken (red brushed chicken with no flavor what-so-ever), Khandani Nan (doughy tasteless flatbread), and Lamb Roganjosh (a thin, unsavoury curry sauce lacking in the right balance of sweet and salty spices).
We called Order It to complain, and The Host as well. Incredibly, the manager - Indrani said that she hears about these horrible complaints "everyday"! She also said that we should complain about it on dining sites so that the owner wakes up to the cheap Indian labour that he is hiring.
An expensive waste of money on what use to be one of Toronto's best quality Indian restaurants. -
Review from Good T.
Toronto, ON
12/16/2011
I am gonna give it a 3.5, and the fan boys/girls are gonna hate on me!
It's in a nice part of town and has a nice, refined ambiance (veering a bit into fuddy-duddy territory).
The menu is extensive, and the food is good and not crazy greasy Indian style. However, the flavors were as expected, nothing surprisingly good. The calamari appetizer stands out though.
The service was good. Overall no complaints. One of the main reasons I gave it a 3.5 is to convey that it's a bit lower on the deliciousness totem pole compared to India Rice Factory. That's all. -
Review from Gokul M.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2012
Excellent overall experience. Quality of food is good. Variety is great. Assorted appetizer platter should be tried for first comers.
Service can be a little on the down side if you are eating outside at the patio as I was today. But this was lunch time and there only seemed to be one person serving the guests. Likely to be a different case around dinner time.
But certainly an excellent place, and great to talk since it does have a nice ambiance with a quiet atmosphere. -
Review from maverick m.
Toronto, ON
11/21/2011
THE GOOD:
Food was superb. Had the 6 item tasting menu and they threw in a few more. We tried everything and have no complaints. Lighting is kinda dark which I don't usually like, but I thought it was appropriate as it kept the dining experience quiet/intimate. Pricing was reasonable. We were stuffed to the gills and had a bottle of wine and coffee/tea. It came out to approx. $55 each.
THE SO-SO: None
THE BAD: Price is suppose. Was seriously worth it. The food was really well prepared. -
Review from Yeni L.
Richmond Hill, ON
2/21/2012
Ordered prawn curry (8 pieces = $20), butter chicken (6 pieces = $15), fish tandoori (6 pieces= $17)). Dishes were good, but they were definitely, absolutely, overpriced!! When the order came in little bowls, we were shocked. Naan was fresh, delicious. Rice, $4 a little plate. Service was so so, only extremely slow. It took 30 min for our order to come despite the place was only 1/4 capacity. Took another 20 min just to get the bill, so when they force 15% service charge that was almost non-existent, we flipped!
We only tried because we had voucher from groupon. Otherwise, it's not worth the $70 something of your hard earned money! -
Review from Indu S.
Aurora, ON
4/6/2012
One of the best Indian restaurants in Toronto. The food gets better with every visit. Fish kebab, butter chicken, lamb rogan Josh, naan is fabulous. The place to go for delicately prepared dishes and the best service in town.
-
Review from Zoe R.
7/16/2011
Feel free to take this review with a grain of salt. All the other Yelp reviews tend 4-5 stars. I've been here 4x. The first time, I loved going w/ some colleagues and easily blew some $$ here...
Yay's:
-yummy mango lassi, about $5.50;
-and seriously the BEST Baigan Patiala (Eggplant curry) that I've ever enjoyed;
-the garlic naan was also quite tasty - hopefully yours won't arrive w/ too many burnt patches;
-finally my date's Mulligatawny soup was quite satisfying, he's said;
-location is good/convenient enough. If coming by TTC, I'd get off at St. George and then walk east. Closer than if you got off at the Bay location.
Hey's:
-ugh. I can not recommend this place for their Friday lunch buffet. Meal items were not labelled (with the sole exception of their butter chicken), selection was limited, we were disappointed. After all, The Host is an upscale place - we expected more. Limited options also for vegetarians - I didn't even like the veg choices that were offered there, too much;
-gad, it's too easy to feel very full after eating here. Not sure why. I guess b/c there's a lot of cream based foods??;
-also, there's a most annoying whirring near the front door - so while sitting there affords a lot of natural lighting, it will *regularly* and annoyingly sound as though fireworks are going off.
Would I go there again or order online from them? Heck yeah. Their Baigan Patiala is second to none.Listed in: Best of's :)
-
Review from Roma M.
3/16/2011
I've been avoiding this review for a very long time. The owners of The Host are close friends of the family*, and for that it's assumed that I must be slightly biased, but if I weren't a fan I would not review the place with flying colours**. If you enjoy Indian food, or consider yourself a connoisseur, this should be on your go to list for the best meal.
I've been frequenting this restaurant back when they where located at Bay and Charles St almost 15 years ago. Since then, the owners moved to Prince Arthur and expanded to include two other locations. The chefs (one of which is the owner), change rarely, and are professionally trained with experience in renowned restaurants from India. The best part about this comes with the consistency of all dishes. It's become very easy to figure out when a dish is catered by The Host, and presentation is almost always the same.
The dishes are always on the rich, creamy and mildly spicy side. I would avoid this place if you're on a diet, as you'll go home depressed.
My favourite dishes are:
Tava Tandoori Murg: Sizzling, tandoori grilled chicken marinated in yogurt and spices.
Tava Paneer: Sizzling, tandoori grilled spiced paneer (cheese curd).
Tak Tak Jhinga: Tandoor baked prawns, lightly spiced, but hella tender and juicy.
Dum Murg: I prefer this better than butter chicken, as it comes in an almond based cream instead of a tomato based cream. The chicken is always tender and juicy.
Patiala Baigan: Charbroiled Eggplant cooked with chopped onions, fennel and spices. This one is never cream based.
Kofta Dilkush: I see this one as their richest dish yet, with dumplings made of nuts and cheese in a thick, heart attack inducingly delicious cashew sauce.
Order your meal with tandoori naan or roti and a side of raita***, and you'll be in postprandial hyperglycemic bliss.
A meal for two will run you about $60 before tip.
------------------------------------
*No. There's no Corleone complex here.
** If you've ever been here you'd know they really don't need the buzz.
***Raita is pretty much like a spiced, greek yogurt. The naan, raita accompaniments in authentic Indian meals are as ubiquitous as rice is to sushi.Listed in: Indian Food
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Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
1/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Delicious! I've ordered delivery from the Host through http://OrderIt.ca, and I've dined in, and each time the food has been great. The quality of ingredients can't be beat. From the creamy-delicious Butter Chicken to the pea-tastic Mattar Paneer, everything is fresh and cooked with care. The prices are rather steep, but typical of the neighborhood. This isn't your typical weeknight Indian dinner nosh; the Host takes the fancy up a notch with nice linens, dim lighting and a romantic atmosphere in which you can make goo-goo eyes at your date from across the table.
It's nan-tastic!Listed in: Toronto Favorites, Naan-tastic Voyage
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Review from Vivek S.
9/20/2010
Plopped into The Host Friday night in serious need of Indian Food. My date and I got right down to business (food-wise). We started with the spinach chaat, with potatoes, chick peas and spices. It was a bit sweet for a chaat, but still pretty decent. For dinner we shared Lamb Roganjosh, Mutar Paneer, Jasmine rice and a single garlic naan. As to be expected with The Host, the ingredients were all top quality. You could taste the crunch of fresh peas in the mutar paneer, and the lamb was soft and tender. The portions were pretty solid and our single naan easily fed both of us. But ultimately, there were no real standout flavours. Everything was pretty mild and it all kind of blended together. I'll be back of course, but there are better Indian food options in the city for less money. (Like at my mom's, for example.)
Obligatory Title Pun: HOST-a la vista, baby. (WTF?)
Menu Readability: Elegant.
Need to mention: Even though the washrooms are in the basement, they are super classy.
What this place teaches me about myself: It's sometimes hard to pay for Indian knowing my mom's cooking is only half-an-hour away.Listed in: Namaste!
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2009
The Indian side of my family talks about Host like it's the Trump Tower of Indian foods.
Sure, it's located in Yorkville, but it's only a TINY bit more expensive than most Indian restaurants downtown -- veggie dishes hover around the $10 mark and meat ones go upwards from $12...
I ordered the typical pakoras, aloo gobhi and butter chicken. Good, but standard stuff, really, and it didn't break the bank: my share was about $18, including tip. Not bad.
It's a nice place to go, but not groundbreaking or worth the extra 2 dollars and trip to Yorkville.
And I never liked Donald Trump, anyway. -
Review from Paul R.
Toronto, ON
7/11/2010
We ate here on a Saturday night during Summerlicious 2010. My experience was far from seamless but, unlike many other restaurants, especially in this neighbourhood, is that they did try to correct many of the problems, and this is what I appreciated most.
We arrived early for our 7:30 reservation to get a seat on the Patio and they said one would be ready in 5-10 minutes. We returned then but no table was available, so they put an extra table and made room for us.
Drink orders were taken 15 minutes after we sat down and they were out of Mill Street. I ordered a Cobra instead (an Indian lager) and it was quite good. Drinks came 5 minutes later. The appetizers came about 20 minutes later and dinner came about 45 minutes after that. The waiter did apologize and bring me a free beer to make up for the delay, which was appreciated.
The whole dinner took from 7:30 until 9:15 at which point I had to ask for the cheque so we wouldn't be late for the movie. We had to skip dessert. They braught some pistachio ice cream with the cheque and we had a few bites while I waited for them to swipe the card but I wasn't thriled with the taste.
The food was excellent (Muligitawney and Samoasa to start and Tandoori and Vindaloo for the main). The dinner portions were a good size, but while the appetizers also tasted excellent they were very very small.
I was surprised that everything was so slow because most reviews I read said the service was excellent. I could chock it up to a Saturday during Summerlicious but they should be prepared during this busy month.
Regardless, I do recommend that people try this place. It would be a 4 star review had things come on time. -
Review from Jeff M.
8/17/2009
I was at Host last month for lunch on the recommendation of a cab driver. I cannot believe I am rating the buffet four stars, but it deserves it.
Everything was good. The vegetarian dishes were very good.
Just make sure you ask for naan because it is not in the buffet line or advertised.Listed in: Indian
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Review from Kiki P.
Scarborough, ON
4/2/2010
Good food, good serivce. We ordered butter chicken(3 orders), chicken tikkah masala, jasmine rice(1 order easily serves 2), basmati rice(again 1 order easily serves 2 people) , a veggie dish (cannot remember the name), we had a bottle of white wine, a glass of red, an order of naan, and an order of pakoras....there was 5 of us and it cost us $200 (including tip).
The pakoras were good but a little heavy and greasy. Shere Punjab on the Danforth has the best pakoras, in my opinion....light and fluffy, never greasy.
Overall, a nice dining experience, did not feel rushed...would go back. -
Review from Julie W.
10/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Great location just around the corner from our hotel. Food and service both very good, though including rice with our entree would've been nice.
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Review from Toronto T.
Toronto, ON
9/27/2011
Everything was great: the atmosphere, the service, the food, the location! We ordered eggplant curry that other reviewers were raving about, and it was really-really tasty indeed. We will definitely come back to this place. Food was excellent. The patio is very nice.
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Review from Aaron B.
11/27/2009
Not cheap by any means (I racked up $38 by myself with no alcohol), but definitely delicious. Much better than Indian food I've had at similar places (in terms of service and dining experience). Everything is a la carte which is different from most places that offer rice or nan with the entrees...and I got both. And the mango lassi was also excellent with the lamb curry. I plan to go back, probably hit their lunch buffet too. Great place but a little overpriced even for its quality, the service was friendly but leaved something to be desired, and the layout is a bit weird. Overall I strongly recommend it for Indian food in the area.
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Review from Annie L.
Toronto, ON
5/17/2011
The reviews are true! This place has great (though sometimes slow, but nonetheless great) service and DELICIOUS food. Beautiful atmosphere too.
