DECCAN FLAVOURS - CANBERRA — Restaurant in District of Gungahlin

I recently visited the restaurant with high expectations after seeing its promises of authentic Hyderabadi and Arabian food and reading other reviews. Unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing, and I left feeling unsatisfied.

We ordered Chicken 65, Szechwan Chicken, Chicken Manchurian, and Chicken Tikka, but to be honest, all the dishes tasted almost identical. Despite the different names, the flavors were dull, with none of the distinctiveness that you'd expect from these classic dishes. None of the dishes stood out, and they all seemed to lack the depth and balance of spices that are essential in this kind of cuisine.

The Mandi, which was also part of our order, was equally underwhelming. It didn't compare to the rich, aromatic Mandi you can find at places like Al Matam Mandi in Sydney. The version here was basic, lacking the nuanced flavors and texture you'd expect.

On top of that, the ambiance left much to be desired. The restaurant is small and feels cramped, which made the dining experience feel uncomfortable. The vibe was completely off, and there was a noticeable lack of cleanliness around the restaurant, especially near the sides of the dining area. For a place that should focus on creating a welcoming environment, this was a big letdown.

All in all, I’ve visited some excellent North and South Indian restaurants in Canberra, and unfortunately, this one didn’t come anywhere near to meeting those standards. The food was bland, the atmosphere was lacking, and the cleanliness wasn’t up to par. I won’t...

I went to this restaurant many times, they served good food specially Biriany, Halim. I took my friends as well. But I want to share my bad experience. Few days back I took one of friend and had lamb Mandi which is really good that's why I took another two friends and ordered chicken Mandi where they gave us chicken tandoori Maryland which is not part of Mandi. I think they thought these people by face south Asian and they don't what is Mandi 😆. Don't judge anyone by face. I go many restaurants in canberra I also suggest people where they can have good cultural food. But the worst part is the behavior we got from their staff. If give bad food with wrong recipe doesn't make a big deal while behavior does. We spent money not get your low class behavior. Yesterday before starting our food one of my friend was asking to wash hand. I understand when some look like south Asian person asking for washing hand can reflect that he is a low level person which wrong. One of the their elderly staff with white beared approached offensive way and say no we don't have facility to wash. We feel gesture and facial expression. Brother you can say which can make us more comfortable and create a positive vibe. The way you said no, it's like someone forcing you to do the job. If you people can't approach to customer in gentle and smile and positive way don't offer your service. We don't pay to get misbehave from anyone. If we want we can argue and create drama but we kept silent give our review here and other social...

I rarely leave reviews, but this one needs to be shared. We ordered the Chicken Kadai for over $20 and were shocked to find only two pieces of chicken — one of which was just a big bone with barely any meat. The portion size was insulting for the price. When we politely pointed this out, the staff denied it outright and insisted there were “more than two pieces,” which was simply not true.

The issues didn’t stop there. The utensils we were given still had visible food marks from previous use — absolutely unacceptable for any restaurant. We asked for new ones, and those were just as bad. In the end, we had to clean them ourselves just to be able to eat.

Customer service was dismissive, with zero apology or attempt to fix anything. Taste was average at best (maybe a 3/5), but when you combine that with filthy utensils, tiny portions, and arrogant service, it turns the whole experience into something you wouldn’t wish on anyone.

If you value cleanliness, decent portions, and even the most basic level of respect as a customer, do yourself a favour and go...