Zyka Elevated Indian Restaurant Banff — Restaurant in Banff

During our recent visit to Banff, we decided to try Zyka Restaurant, which offers a South Indian and North Indian menu. While the experience was mixed, here’s a detailed breakdown of what we tried and how we felt:

We started with the cheese dosa, which turned out to be the highlight of our meal. The dosa was crispy, flavorful, and generously filled with melted cheese — definitely a dish we’d recommend to anyone visiting. It was served with chutney and sambar, which paired well and brought in that comforting South Indian taste.

However, things went a bit downhill with the other items. We ordered Malabar parota and Bhindi masala, but unfortunately, both were underwhelming. The parota was oily, and the bhindi masala didn’t resemble the usual preparation we’re used to. Instead of a rich gravy or spiced dry curry, it seemed more like a simple stir-fry with caramelized onions, which gave the dish a very strong onion flavor that overpowered the bhindi. It lacked the balance and depth of flavor typically found in Indian curries.

We also tried the aloo parota, which felt very average. The stuffing wasn’t flavorful enough, and the parota itself lacked the flakiness and richness we expected. It felt more like a rushed version of what could have been a hearty and satisfying dish.

Service-wise, the experience was okay but could definitely be improved. The staff were polite but very slow — we had to wait quite a while before our food arrived, even though the restaurant wasn’t too busy at the time.

The ambience is very quiet and minimal, with a basic setup. If you’re looking for a more lively or vibrant atmosphere, this may not be the place. However, it’s calm and clean, which might appeal to those looking for a no-fuss meal.

Overall: While the cheese dosa was impressive, the rest of the food didn’t meet expectations, especially given Banff’s premium pricing. The bhindi masala and aloo parota could use more attention to flavor and preparation. Service delays also took away from the overall experience. With a few improvements, Zyka could offer a more satisfying Indian dining...

Unacceptable Experience – Poorly Managed and Extremely Disappointing

Our recent visit to Zaika Elevated Restaurant in Banff was nothing short of frustrating and deeply disappointing. We had made a reservation in advance and were given a one-hour time slot, which we assumed would be well-managed by the restaurant. Upon arrival, we were seated promptly, and everything seemed fine at first.

However, that’s where the good part ended.

What followed was over two full hours of sitting at our table without receiving a single dish. We were repeatedly told by the staff that “your food is ready” or “just a few more minutes,” but nothing ever arrived. This continued for the entire duration of our stay. We saw other tables also waiting and looking equally confused and upset. Despite the obvious delays and backlog in the kitchen, the restaurant kept accepting more and more guests—clearly prioritizing bookings over actually serving food.

It became evident that the kitchen was completely overwhelmed and the staff were either misinformed or just trying to keep us seated in hopes we wouldn’t leave. Unfortunately, after waiting that long with absolutely no resolution or honesty from the staff, we had no choice but to leave—without eating anything at all.

What made this experience even more disappointing was that we had guests visiting us from the USA. We had chosen Zaika hoping to showcase Banff’s great dining options and hospitality, but instead, we were left feeling embarrassed and upset.

This visit felt like a complete waste of time and money (not to mention the parking and travel involved). A restaurant with such a great location and potential should be able to handle its operations better. Sadly, what we experienced was poor service, terrible time management, and zero accountability from the staff.

I would not recommend this place to anyone, especially if you’re planning a special evening or hosting out-of-town guests. There are far better and more reliable dining...

We checked out Zyka Banff’s Lunch Buffet offerings a few weeks ago after :) we had lunch already. The person showing us the food was courteous and the food items looked yummy so we kept Zyka in mind as a potential Banff lunch spot. Yesterday, we were in Banff and checked out Zyka again and the Lunch Buffet ($20 per person) still :) looked yummy and the courteous person even remembered us and sat us at a nice table. (Thanks Manager Naren!) My better half asked Naren if the Chai drink was included in the Buffet, Naren said not, but he will make it free of charge for her. We didn’t see papadam on the table like last time and Naren confirmed it is included as part of the buffet. My better half loved the soup. We quite like the samosa, naan, and especially LOVE the super crunchy & light papadam (we had so many baskets of them)! We love most of the items (e.g. the Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala?)) and especially LOVE the Curry Chicken which was so tender even for breast meat which usually (even my best attempt) are very tough but Zyka’s was soft, tender, and yummy! One of the items (I forgot the name) was a bit too salty for our taste and not sure if it was always that salty. The dessert item is interesting but not really our thing so maybe there will be other dessert items offered in the future so we can sample them. Anish (Zyka owner) was super nice to us and offered us great service during the meal as well. I believe in earned customer loyalty, all in all, we LOVE Zyka a lot and will definitely go again assuming the food still looks yummy and the service is still great in the future! I LOVE to see cool owners like Anish do well with their businesses because great price and awesome services should be rewarded with repeat customers (and not so good ones slowly disappearing). I just hope Naren & Anish will keep the food yummy, service great and get us a nice table when we visit next time! Who knows, maybe Naren & Anish will remember us...