HITCHKI The Grand Indian Buffet — Restaurant in Calgary

Indian food is my favourite and I have been waiting for this place to open!

We arrived right at opening (5pm) and we're the first people to be seated. A server came to take our drink orders and we were having a special family night and wanted to treat ourselves. There were cocktail and mocktail placements on the table advertising drinks. Unfortunately our server could not answer any questions about what went into the drinks and said she would send someone from the bar. Nobody came and I ended up going to the bar and asking myself. The Blue Shark drinks made the kids happy and my wife enjoyed her Mango Lassi. I ordered the Indian Sling which was a tasty rum and lychee based drink but very small in size. I had to ask many times for water initially and hunt them down to refill, which they would refill one of our cups and not the rest before disappearing.

The restaurant was cold and the kids kept their jackets on to stay warm.

The buffet itself looked impressive when walking into the restaurant with the salad station directly ahead. I really enjoyed the Puri station, ignoring the 1 basket that only seemed to have broken ones and grabbed from the much better looking basket. They had choices of delicious fillings, my favourites being the tomato and mint based ones.

The Dosa basket was empty each time I looked but my wife grabbed me one when she saw it wasn't empty. It was tasty with a good filling. Watching the chef make the naan bread was impressive (and tasty). It's the first time I've had a chance to try the Bhatoora which is deep fried and appreciated they advertised to make it fresh on request.

Half our family does not do well with spice while I love it. It would be handy for the curries to indicate spice level. My wife asked what was not spicy as her body doesn't react well to spice and the chef pointed out 2 paneer options and indicated everything else was spicy.

I enjoyed the butter chicken, tandoori chicken and goat curry that I tried. The chicken and fish pakoras were packed with flavour.

As expected they had Gulab Jamun (donut like in sauce), Jalebi and a couple tasty cookies. They also had a few cakes that looked like they could have been from Costco (Chocolate, Carrot and Maple) which were not authentic or very good. They had a cooler of hard ice cream flavours and a soft serve machine with vanilla and milk chocolate. The milk chocolate just came out as water at first, after flagging someone down they said it needed more time to freeze. Ice cream was an obvious hit with kids and tasty to end any meal with..

Maybe because I was so excited to try it and most things were good but not great, or I felt like I was sitting in a fridge, or tired of trying to get water, we'll likely not go back and stick with our familiar take out Indian restaurant.

Later into our visit as we were grabbing a few items, there were huge lines and congestion, hard to navigate...

Underwhelming ,Overpriced and An Overhyped Disaster – Save Your Money!

As someone who loves cooking and exploring restaurants, I had high expectations for Hitchki, especially after all the social media hype. But let me tell you—this place is nothing but a glorified scam. From misleading menu claims to flavorless food and outrageous pricing, this buffet is a complete disappointment.

They proudly advertise 150 dishes, but that number is a joke. They count cut fruits and vegetables as separate dishes, which is just a pathetic way to inflate the menu. If I wanted a plate of raw cucumber and papaya, I’d go to a grocery store, not a restaurant.

For $37 per person, you’d expect rich, authentic, and well-prepared food. Instead, most dishes tasted like they were cooked by someone who hates seasoning. If you want to test an Indian restaurant’s quality, try their Dal Makhni—and here, it was a disgrace. Flavorless, and completely lacking the signature creamy texture. The only edible items were some tandoori starters and Matar Mushroom. And shockingly, the raita (a side dish) had more flavor than the so-called "main courses." That says everything you need to know.

The biggest insult to Indian cuisine was their Laal Maas. If you know anything about Rajasthani food, you’d be offended by what they served. It was just regular goat curry with no authenticity, no depth of flavor, and no richness. If you don’t know how to make Laal Maas, don’t put it on the menu! The meat itself was below average, making it an even bigger disappointment.

Even the small street-food section was a failure. The Bhalle were tasteless, and the Golgappe were forgettable. The only decent desserts were gulab jamun and ice cream, but at this price, they should’ve been spectacular, not just “fine.”

The biggest mystery is how this place has so many 5-star reviews. Either people have terrible taste buds, or this restaurant is flooding the internet with fake reviews.

For $37, this buffet is a complete ripoff. Save your money and spend it somewhere that actually serves flavorful, high-quality food. There are far better restaurants in Calgary where you can truly enjoy authentic Indian cuisine. Avoid this place unless your only goal is to stuff yourself with a lot of food without caring about...

I am a connoisseur when it comes to food and drinks, I love to try new places and experience not just the food but the overall ambience coupled with the customer service hygiene etc, and the need for a feedback by the owner/employees. My very recent experience in this quest of mine led me to HITCHKI The Grand Indian Buffet, and as the name suggests it is indeed grand in everything, the location, the accessibility, the setup, the ambience the food, the variety, the customer service and of course the price for all this experience. The food was amazing very well cooked and quiet fresh. The cutlery was very neat, clean and very well placed in a very organized manner. The food items were conveniently accessible with the name of the dishes written on the overhead glass panels, naan was freshly prepared right in front of you. The staff was very polite and courteous. I enjoyed the lunch buffet with my family and had a sumptuous meal and relished it. Our server was Gurpuneet who served us par excellence. And not to forget Aneet the amazing host at the reception desk who like a true professional got the feedback regarding our experience at Hitchki, I could see her hop between tables and ask the guests regarding their requirements/feefback. She is truly a thorough professional who knows how to get the guests back to savor the the grand buffet over and over. I would highly highly recommend Hitchki to anyone wanting to experience a true tasty Indian food and would also be going back to try other dishes which I couldn't the first time. Good job Aneet keep it...