Review Light Of India Restaurant - Ottawa

Ate here before, but last visit was a disappointment. Way too expensive. $80 for what is pictured. This was for 2 people! We had just enough leftovers for a half portion of lunch... Which was just rice and sauce. So in summary, small portions and over priced. We'll be eating elsewhere.

Ordered from Light of India last night via UberEats, and it was without a doubt my worst takeout experience. I was charged $60 for two tiny containers (roughly 200grams of food each) of Butter Chicken and Saag Paneer, as well as two Garlic Naans. I do not understand on what planet these tiny quantities should cost nearly $20 each. This restaurant is an absolute scam. In addition to these laughable portions, both dishes tasted as if they were made by someone who had never eaten Indian food before in their life. The Butter Chicken was sweet and void of spices, and the Saag Paneer was just chopped spinach and tomatoes. I have included an apple in this photo for size reference. This is totally unacceptable. I wish I could give zero stars. That is the only deserving rating.

Light of India is hands down is THE BEST Indian food we have eaten. Our family have been regulars for over two decades. They prepare our meals “vegan” as we have requested with no issues or loss of flavour, absolutely delicious every time. Highly recommend!

Such a shame. This used to be my go to. I LOVED their lamb saag gosht, and while I had another place that I preferred the butter chicken, theirs was only like a half star below that one so I stayed with LOI. Well that has now changed. It has been a long time since I had butter chicken from them but recently I got it and saag gosht with beef, as apparently lamb is now off the menu. I I was confused about the butter chicken. It seemed way too sweet, and I was questioning if it always tasted like that? Had I simply not noticed? So today I ordered from Taj, and I was reminded of the proper flavour. What on Earth are they thinking at LOI? I know they know better than this! Are they cutting costs by replacing spices with sugar? I know everything is expensive these days but this is unacceptable. The butter chicken is sweet enough to be classified as a dessert, if only it actually tasted good. Also you get about 5 small pieces of dry chicken with it.

Im not one for making reviews let alone bad reviews; however...just ordered two butter chicken meals from skip the dishes. Almost $60 for a small hanful of homemade tortillas? ..i think. With the order came two small containers of what can only be described as sweet butter chicken SOUP. Nothing else. Liquid with a few chuncks of chicken...no rice. We called to ask if there was a mistake and the mans reply "you didn't order rice, take it up with skip the dishes"

The ABSOLUTE BEST INDIAN CUISINE I’ve ever had. Being from Montréal every time I visit Ottawa I must order at least once from here. The shrimp korma, the vegetarian Briyani the naan, everything is flavorful and fresh upon order. They are also polite and professional. I’ve brought many people and they to agree with me.

This food was absolutely delicious. So fragrant and fresh! Real whole ingredients. Very authentic. 5/5 experience! Fully recommend!

This place is really lovely, it looks, smells, and feels very authentically Indian for sure, and I am saying this as a very high compliment to them. It is conveniently located and had a definite, distinct charm and aura. When you enter you are greeted exotically with colorful art, quiet background ambience, accommodating seating, and incredible service. They go the extra mile to really serve you well. We had some appetizers, which in themselves were quite excellent in quality and quantity, the onion bhaji (sp?) were great as was the prawn topped bread.. spicy and perfect. Their naan in fact is actually Incredible, and would make a fine meal of itself, that's my own opinion. If you like naan, these guys rock! We ordered a couple dishes which were delectable and quite savory. These people know how to really stay true to both sweet and spicy. The dishes were very palatable and we ordered extra basmati rice too. There are enough mild, medium, and hot dishes available. We even sampled some different beers. Cheetah brand is actually very fantastic and I highly recommend it. Tiger is good too, it was unfortunate they had run out of Kingfisher, but no worries. There were ample wine selections too. This restaurant has a good menu and something for everyone, if you like Indian. Tasty treats galore! Their service, as stated prior, is top notch. The complimentary watermelon mini bowl with grapes at the end was a cute touch, and the chocolate mint, after-dinner sticks. Those little efforts mean a lot and go a long way. We will tell our friends, and be sure to return! If you like authentic Indian, these people will probably satisfy your cravings very well. It was full when we went on Saturday night, and many people came in for take out. It says a lot. Certainly was peak hours. See you guys again! 😉✌

I ordered online two biriyani with a nan and paid $56.29, the taste of biriyani is too bad, it does not even has taste of salt. They did not provide me even spoons and napkin papers. While I sent message them through online app, it’s strange that they did not even response me. What a fake and useless service. Please never waste your time and money for such a poor food and services.

I have been to this eatery many times over the years, always for dinner. Recently, I went for their buffet lunch and have to say it was a sorry offering. Light of India, please pull up your socks.

Another mediocre Indo-Bangladeshi restaurant in Ottawa.<br/>This one has better-than-average decor and less-than-average buffet. The owner is a cool guy with a bit of an attitude! Not really impressed.

If you like Indian food, you'll want to give this place a pass. I've visited it various times over the years hoping against hope. Instead, they offer thick, bland sauces, spice levels (presumably reduced for sensitive Western palates) that are vanishingly low, and all around a reduction of great North Indian cuisine to an uninspiring, undifferentiated set of offerings that will disappoint anyone who likes actual Indian food.

This has to be one of the worst Indian restaurants in a city full of mediocre Indian restaurants. I ordered from Light of India for delivery and was sorely disappointed. I ordered relatively simple Indian dishes and they were both awful. Matar paneer, a stew of peas and cheese in a tomato sauce lacked any and all spice that one would associate with this dish. In fact, it tasted rather sweet and even lacked salt. The cheese, which is supposed to be fresh, was rubbery. Very disappointing as this is one of my favourite Indian dishes and one that even the worst Indian restaurant usually pulls off. Even more disappointing was the tarka daal, a typical Indian lentil stew. The most fly-infested roadside stand in India pulls off this dish with more competence than this kitchen could muster. In fact, the dish didn't even resemble Tarka Daal as I know it. It was less a stew and more of a soup and tasted nothing like the smokey and buttery tarka daal I was craving. Even more incomprehensible, was the naan, which was undercooked. Again, it seemed like the kitchen was going through the motions instead of actually trying to make good food. I don't think I'll ever order from this place again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone searching for good Indian food.

Delicious food & amazingly spicey (I had chicken madras) but world's slowwwwwest service. I was pretty sad about having only one water refill while eating something really hot. I think they were short-staffed -- just two people for a busy Sunday night crowd.

03/16 @ 1230pm<br/><br/>Me: can I order some food for pickup please.<br/><br/>LOI: yes but it won't be ready till 2:30-2:45pm<br/><br/>Me: wait what? That's in two hours! I'm hungry now... All I want is a rice and butter chicken.<br/><br/>LOI: you can come to our restaurant and eat in.<br/><br/>Me: do I have to wait two hours if I come in?<br/><br/>LOI: no no we'll serve you right away.<br/><br/>Me: are you serious? Food right away for eat in but two hours for take out??<br/><br/>LOI: yes, we are very busy.<br/><br/>Me: *click*

Best indian buffet in ottawa hands down. The food is well spiced and fresh. The staff obviously take a lot of pride in their food. I went again today and was reminded of how nice it is to like every dish in a buffet, even the vegetarian dishes, which is a big deal for me ;)

We order take out, food is consistently good. The restaurant is quite full many nights so people enjoy it. I love the Lamb Sag Gosht and the Vegetable Bhaji. Only thing I dislike is they put quarter chunks of fresh tomato as a space filler in the carry out so you don't get as much product. Kind of feel cheated.

I would recommend this place to anyone!! Delicious and authentic Indian food in a warm and cozy environment. The service was incredibly kind and helpful with the menu and you certainly get what you pay for in terms of food, as we all had lots to take home. I will be back!!

Best Indian Food in Ottawa. After eating here regularly for nearly six years, their quality and consistency is second to none. Each time I take someone new, they are always impressed. My favourite dishes (I am a vegetarian): begun bhaji, sag aloo bhaji, aloo gobi, tarka dhal, regular and garlic naan, chai. My kids love their butter chicken. The buffet is the economical choice.

Used to be better.

Terrible. I had chia tea while waiting for my takeout order and that tasted bland with no flavour at all. I had a hence at that time it was not going to be good experience. If they cannot make chia tea correctly what will be the food like ? I decided to give them a chance as a while back the food was pretty good. I ordered tandori chicken, lamb curry and nan. All tasted like recycled buffet food for few days ago. The chicken was very dry, oily, and bland. The lamb curry has too many chucks of lamb and hardly any curry. The curry tasted like it has been sitting around for while. The nan was hard and dry. Definitely tasted like old buffet food . I am indian and know what authentic indian food should taste like. Not even close. <br/><br/>Do yourself a favour ( unless there is change of chef or management) and avoid it.

Extremely unpleased. The group I had attended the restaurant with had carefully picked out the restaurant. We'd gone online and read the reviews for multiple Indian restaurants in the east end of Ottawa, loving the reviews we'd read about this one. It took almost half an hour to order, then another hour and a half to receive our food. The staff did not come see us at our table to reassure us that our food was coming. We flagged down a staff member to ask them whether or not our food was coming, and only fifteen minutes later did we receive a response, which was our food being brought to us. When we finally received our food, it was mediocre at best. Definitely not worth the wait, or the money. It was overpriced. A couple had even stopped on their way out the doors (seeing as we were sitting at a table right beside the entrance) to tell us that they noticed how long our wait was and that they felt sorry for us. We later addressed the manager about the issue, and we found that he was very condescending and disrespectful. I understand he is proud of his restaurant but when given a suggestion or a comment, it was arrogant of him to talk down to us. I would never return to this restaurant, no matter what the occasion.

Quality is going down. We have traditionally loved Light of India and always get the Chicken Tandoori, however, last night, the tandoori we ordered had definitely been sitting around for a while... it was dry, tough, very disappointing. Won't be doing take out from Light of India again any time soon...

Amazing food. I have been going to the Light of India for years. It is a fantastic restaurant with great food, and great service. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking Indian food in Ottawa. The cost is approximately $20 a person.

Service is good, Food is Fake. I've heard a lot about this place so I decided to try it out last tuesday. The interior was nice and comfy. The service was excellent with the servers always around to serve water or help us out with any difficulties. The kitchen was also flexible for changing certain stuff according to our taste. But when it came to the food, I didn't like it a bit. The Butter chicken was awkwardly sweet. When asked the manager that if this was authentic. He started boasting that it was the most authentic. I kept on listening to his rubbish. But he didn't know that I've been to India thrice. I've had food at some of the best restaurants including the place where Butter Chicken originated. Not a single place served sweet butter chicken. <br/>Overall experience was about average. I didn't like the food at all.

Very poor. I've been too many times to this restaurant, hoping against hope that the food would be worth it. I'm forever disappointed. Call me foolish for thinking they could turn consistently bland, heavy sauces into the subtle play of spices that properly cooked Indian food should possess.

Lunch buffet was rather plain.None of the dishes made me go back for seconds.

Went there last night for dinner, reservation for 7pm, did not get our food until 830. Tables around us who arrived well after us were served before our table. Although their food was good, it was not worth the wait.

Perhaps a bad night. Last Saturday evening two friends, my wife and I arranged to have dinner at this Indian restaurant. When we arrived there were only six people in the restaurant and a fairly large number of waiters. It took 15 minutes before our order was taken and another 45 minutes before the food appeared. During this time the restaurant became quite busy with take out orders.<br/>Now the food was good and hot but not as spicy as I have had before. Between us we had three dishes with rice and there was no room on the table for anything else. Very cramped. That evening we were attending a concert and had to leave quickly but despite asking several times for the bill, the waiters seem to be asleep. When the bill arrived the waiter didn't seem to understand how to use the machine and became very confused.<br/>I think if you are not in a hurry then this restaurant is pretty good.

One of my new Fav places. Not much to say other than this is fantastic Indian food. Last time I had the butter chicken and Lamb Dhansak with Naan and the Begun Bharta Puri to start (which had a very subtle and savory flavour to it). The Dhansak is a must try IMO. The service was notably good with the staff having a superb knowledge of the menu and willing to help you decide what you want. Suggest making a reservation if you're looking for a table after 6 as we arrived just before 6 and was dead but afterwards people flooded in and there was literally a line-up out the door to get a table.

Miss it !!!!. We used to live in the Glebe and dined here at least once a month. The food, the service and the atmosphere are second to none in Ottawa. In deed the food is about the best Indian that we have had. Now that we live in the country, we miss the Light of India. It is an absolute treat when we have the opportunity, while in Ottawa, to go downtown to pick up a take out , bring it to the country and savour it!!!!!!!

I get cravings.... ...for the Light of India's eggplant bhaji with the naan...oh and the butter chicken....waiters are so kind!

Best in ottawa. Best indian food in town and friendly staff will go back again.

Best indian food. .. Period. Seriously, thick, rich sauces and tender meat. Highly recommend the garlic naan and the multigawny soup to start. Lovely owners, staff, atmosphere and the food is life changing!

This restaurant serves really good food, great staff and owner, the only thing I would change in this restaurant is the décor. I will absolutely go again

Unbeatable price; unchallenging flavours. I had the lunch buffet here last week with a few friends and the service wasn't too great, but I think we walked in at a really busy time. Getting water was a challenge, but the staff were very friendly. For the price, Light of India is unbeatable -- the buffet is only $9.99 and there's a good selection of meats, vegetables, naan and a few other things. The flavours aren't at all challenging; nothing even comes close to spicy, but the food isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. I don't think some of the food is cooked as it might be in other Indian restaurants; I saw them adding cooked chicken to a butter chicken sauce instead of cooking the chicken in the sauce, for example. Not a big thing, but definitely reflected in the taste. Would definitely recommend for a quick lunch, or for Indian beginners, but if you have a special liking for Indian, maybe find somewhere else.

Worst Indian Food. We got Butter Chicken and Chana Masala here last week. Takeout service was rude and we were ignored while our food was left to sit and get cold. Chana Masala was weirdly sweet and cloying, never have I had such a strange tasting version of that dish. Not a hint of spice, not a pleasant meal. Butter Chicken was also strangely sweet and unlike any other Butter Chicken we've had before. We used to get takeout here a few years ago before we moved. It was never great, but this meal was honestly the worst Indian food I've ever tasted. We will never go back!

Best Indian in Ottawa. I've been to Light of India half a dozen times and every time I get reminded that it is the best spot for indian food in Ottawa.

Friendliest Welcome. The staff at Light of India are some of the friendliest and most attentive I've met here. We often eat here for weekend lunch as it is decently priced and they have a good selection of food. The staff almost always tells us what is spicy and not spicy on the buffet. I would say that the buffet selections are sweet, just as most Indian food here in Ottawa is. If you are looking for spicy, then try dinner and ask for spicy.

I didn't think it was possible to find poor Indian food until I ate at this restaurant. I've been several times over the years, hoping for improvements. Sadly, the food remains utterly bland, the sauces heavy and overdone. If you want no challenge to your taste buds, no encounter with the variety and subtlety of a great cuisine, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, stay away.

Loi is by far the best Indian in Ottawa, in fact I've yet to have better anywhere ( including New Delhi) the restaurant has had issues with slow staff but that was resolved quite some time ago. The staff is friendly and their prices are lower than many others in Ottawa. Love this place!!!

Best indian in Ottawa. It is not the best indian I have ever had, but it is the best in Ottawa! <br/><br/>I am a regular at light of india. The service is fantastic, they started remembering who we were after only a couple visits. The food is fantastic, their chicken korma is the best in the city.

The best Indian in the universe. I could wax poetic about Light of India for a very, very long time. They are quite simply the warmest, best hosts, with the finest Indian food imaginable. I recently tried their reasonably priced lunch buffet ($14 with a drink) and was not disappointed either. Although other Indian restaurants may sometimes come close to this level of quality in some of their dishes (e.g. the chicken dhansak at Taj Mahal), Light of India is unsurpassed for consistent quality in everything they offer.<br/><br/>My favourites include: eggplant bhaji, chicken dhansak, butter chicken, lamb korma, samosas (oh god the samosas), onion bhaji, and beef pasanda.

Love the service...better than most Indian in Ottawa. Let's face it. Ottawa is a bad city for Indian food, and anywhere you go, pretty well, you're going to have to settle. I'm a saag paneer junkie, and I agree with the person who said the saag paneer at Light of India isn't so hot. <br/><br/>At the end of the day, I still keep coming back for a bunch of reasons. First, I find the servers are kind, attentive, and totally non-obnoxious -- which is more than I can say for a lot of places in Ottawa.<br/><br/>Secondly, on the whole, the food is STILL some of the best you'll find in Ottawa, and, if you can get past the fact that the saag paneer is not your conventional saag paneer, you'll realize that it too is very tasty. Moreover, they don't scrimp on the spinach the way some other restaurants in this town do. I mean, at least the dish is GREEN, which is more than I can say for some saag paneers I've eaten here. <br/><br/>Finally, the restaurant adds a lot of extra touches: big baskets of popadom, slices of fruit and a hot wipe at the end of the meal. Chocolate with the bill. <br/><br/>Ottawa isn't a great town for customer service, but this is one restaurant that seems like it's making at effort to earn my business. So I'm happy to keep giving it to them.

Deadly.. I went to dinner here with a friend, and we explained very carefully that my friend has a severe allergy to chickpeas. Despite this allergy she's eaten safely at practically every decent Indian place in Ottawa. <br/><br/>At LOI, the wait staff assured us that her allergy wasn't a problem & they'd take every precaution in the kitchen. Then, our veggie curry arrived and it was FULL of chickpeas. Covered. When we pointed this out & sent it back, the waiter laughed it off as if it was a silly mistake. NOT FUNNY. Because of this, I'll never go back here again. <br/><br/>The food isn't my fave indian in the city anyways.

I am currently eating the worst saag paneer I've ever had. Ever. It is so bad that, in the middle of my consumption of it, I've decided to create an account just to warn others to never order saag paneer here. Ever. Ever.

Food blandly spiced. Attended for a Saturday buffet. Food quality was a huge disapointment as it was so blandly spiced, compared to where I usually dine. Service was comparable.

What is this sorcery. I have journeyed far and wide within the downtown vicinity to find some decent Indian food. disappointment after disappointment, I admitted defeat in my quest for an Indian gastronomical experience. despite Ottawa being the capital of Canada, a supposed landmark of cultural flair and diversity; it was but a dream. Light of India, alas I have found you! a true beacon of hope for Ottawa's failing Indian dining scene. don't ever change.

Not impressed. I'm pretty sure there was not any curry in the Curried Vegetables. It tasted like salted vegetables. The mushroom dish I ordered was not cooked properly. The majority of the mushrooms were still raw. Good service but the food was disappointing! Will not be coming back.

The best Indian cuisine in Ottawa by far.. Stumbled upon this cozy family run little restaurant on Bank near Glebe Avenue<br/>last night. Ventured in and ordered lamb biryani with plain yogurt as a side dish.<br/>I was served a basket full of papadums which is common practice as you seat yourself.<br/>The oil lantern added a nice warm glow over the table which helped considering how<br/>cold the weather has been. Within fifteen minutes, my order was brought to me. It also<br/>consisted of a side dish of curried vegetables (free of charge.) Every dish was top notch.<br/>It actually is the best Indian food in Ottawa by far. Few grapes and pineapple pieces<br/>crowned the meal and the hot, individually wrapped moist towel would beat any<br/>paper napkin. A dark chocolate stick was brought with my receipt. Sweet! They certainly<br/>know how to cook and will make you feel at home upon arrival. Highly recommend this place.<br/>I rate it a ten plus. 10+ :)<br/><br/><br/>-----23 Oct, 2011-----<br/><br/>Great buffet. Really small but pretty tasty food. Cozy little family run restaurant. The service is always quite nice too. Worth every penny. Will definitely return. :)

Amazing flavours at this place. The curry, dhansak and naan is a sure bet. I have yet to find a place with better Indian food in the city.

GREAT!!!. Really great food! Nice people, too. A+++++++ all the way!

Fantastic. I have been coming to the Light of India since I was 14. Having travelled around the world and ending up back in Ottawa I still think that this is the best Indian going. I have just made reservations for Friday and I can't wait!

If you don't love the food here, you have a serious deficiency of the tongue. I've been eating here for over 10 years and this place is No1. It dosent travel well so I recommend dinning in. Simply the best Indian restaurant in the city.

This place came highly recommended so I went in with high hopes. Unfortunately it did not live up. The vegetables in the curry & mulligitawny soup were clearly frozen vegetable mixes and were terribly overcooked. The worst part, however was the service. After asking three times for our leftovers to be packed up and waiting over half an hour, we gave up, went to the bar to pay our bill and left very upset. The whole meal the servers were slow and unpleasant, except for one guy who appeared to be from the kitchen, who was very nice & personable and pretty much saved the experience from a total disaster.

Nearly as good as the food in India itself. After returning from 2 months in India, sampling Indian food back in Canada was consistently disappointing. Light of India comes the closest to real Indian food in India. Particularly good are the onion bhaji, the naan, and the tandoori chicken. I'd love to see aloo parathas or peshwari naan appear on the menu, but regardless, this is the best and most authentic Indian cuisine available in Ottawa.

I go to light of India approx. once per week. I thoroughly enjoy everything, the soup is amazing. I had the vegetable biryani that was served at the lunch buffet one time that blew me away. I would say give it a chance for both a la carte or buffet . I don't think you will be disappointed.