Tikka Take — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

We were in Canberra for a foodie weekend and whilst our friends decided to go to an expensive hatted restaurant for a degustation, we were looking for something cheap and cheerful. We found Tikka Take via a google search and we are so glad we did. Located in the centre of Canberra CBD, the friendly service and quality food proves you don’t need fine dining to leave a restaurant happy and satisfied (nor with empty wallets).

Tikka take could be described as a modern street food style restaurant. Order at your table via a piece of a notepad, press the table buzzer and presto, the waitstaff come. All the staff here were super friendly and helpful and extremely efficient.

The menu here is predominantly Indian food but they draw on flavours from Central Asia and India, featuring some options from other countries such as Nepal. There’s rice and curries, biryani, naan, Thali, chaat, paratha as well as Himalayan and Indo Chinese favourites. The menu is extremely extensive. There’s kids options and desserts too.

The word ‘Tikka’, after which the restaurant is named (also known as ‘Teeka’ or ‘Teekka’) refers to skewered pieces of meat cooked over fire. This technique is used around the world for kebabs, yakitori and in plenty of cultures’ cooking. You can watch the chefs cook this way, as well as preparing curries and making dosa.

We ordered a Thali, which is essentially a platter, arranged in multiple small plates, filled with a variety of items. Each Thali consists of 2 Curries of your choice, 1 Daal & 2 Naans of your choice accompanied by mini papadum, mini samosas, salad, raita, rice and gulab jamun dessert. This is such a great way to enjoy many of their dishes in a tasting style manner. For $30, it is also incredibly good value.

We also ordered a South Indian Favourite, the Idly Sambhar, or round fluffy and steamed rice cakes served with a delicious lentil soup and a side of chilli and chutney. This was so delicious in every way, I actually ordered a second one.

We would thoroughly recommend this restaurant and definitely plan to...

We ordered the chicken and lamb kebabs. chole bhatura, onion pokora and papadi chaat. For dessert we ordered the falooda and pistachio kulfi and for drinks we ordered the Indian style mojito and rum. I would say that the restaurant had real hits and misses. I can say that the desserts including the falooda were a disappointment. The kulfi tasted like ice cream and the falooda was so sickeningly sweet, I couldn't taste anything except just sugar. The Indian mojito literally tasted like someone put a teaspoon of masala. The other rum drink was really good though.

For entrees we ordered the onion pakodas which unfortunately we're not cooked enough. You could taste the raw dough. We did however mentioned this to the staff who took back the dish without hesitation and didn't charge us for it.

For mains we ordered the 2 lamb Kebabs and the chicken kebabs. The chicken was delicious, very juicy, extremely tendener and perfectly spiced. The 2 lamb Kebabs we ordered however were extremely different. They were both tasty but one seemed to have been cooked a little better than the other. The first time we ordered it, it was cooked perfectly. We enjoyed it so much, we decided to reorder it. However it tasted a little different. The spice was a bit on the raw side and had a flavour was quite unlike the previous one, not bad just not the same as the first one.

What we truly did enjoy the most were chaats. They were a massive hit. The flavour was perfect, the combination of the sauces was just right, it's hard to fault it. I Highly highly recommend trying their chaats. I also recommend ordering the chole bhatura too. The puff bread was just so fluffy. I also recommend perhaps going there at a time when it's...

Tikka Take in Canberra delivers a mixed dining experience that leans toward the average, warranting a 3 out of 5 star review. While the menu is diverse and inviting, the execution of several dishes left room for improvement during our visit.

The Garlic Naan was decent — soft in parts, but lacked the signature crispness and garlicky punch expected from a freshly baked naan. The Pav Bhaji, though colourful in presentation, fell short on authentic flavour; the spice balance was off, and the pav (bread) could have been more buttery and toasted.

A key letdown was the Saffron Basmati Rice, which was undercooked and chewy, affecting the overall enjoyment of the meal. Similarly, the Chicken 65 Biryani and Hyderabad Chicken Biryani had bold aromas but lacked depth in flavour. The biryani rice didn’t carry the richness of spices evenly, and the chicken was dry in parts, with the Chicken 65 version particularly overwhelmed by sauce rather than integrated with the rice.

For dessert, the Rasmalai was underwhelming — the texture was too firm, and the syrup lacked the creamy sweetness typical of a well-made rasmalai. On the other hand, the Kaajar Halwa was a modest highlight, warm and comforting but slightly too oily.

Service was courteous, and the ambience was casual, though not particularly memorable. For a place with such promising variety and concept, the inconsistent food quality holds it back. Tikka Take may appeal for a quick Indian fusion fix, but it doesn’t quite deliver on traditional flavours or fine execution. With some refinement in cooking technique and attention to ingredient quality, the restaurant has potential, but this visit didn’t rise...