Passage to India — Restaurant in Calgary

I recently had a highly disappointing experience at Passage to India that I feel compelled to share. I called two days in advance to make a reservation for dinner, ensuring everything would be set for our visit. However, upon arriving at the restaurant, I was told they were hosting a private party and could not accommodate us. This was incredibly frustrating, especially considering I had taken the effort to book a cab and specifically planned the evening around this reservation.

When I mentioned that I had called ahead to reserve a table, the staff responded by joining two tables together and hastily bringing over extra chairs. The seating arrangement, however, was far from ideal. We were placed directly in the midst of the private party, where people were dancing and moving around, making the entire experience uncomfortable. It was nearly impossible to enjoy our meal with the loud music, crowded space, and constant interruptions.

As the staff started bringing in chairs and adjusting things around us, I realized the situation was only going to get worse. Feeling completely disrespected and uncomfortable, I decided to leave the restaurant before we were even seated. The lack of foresight and the poor handling of the situation left me feeling disregarded as a customer. The restaurant should have honored the reservation or at least offered a solution that prioritized customer comfort. Instead, we were left to deal with a chaotic atmosphere that ruined what should have been a pleasant evening. Unfortunately, I won't be returning or recommending this restaurant to anyone...

They have MOVED from their minuscule location on 14 St around the corner into what had been Universe for many years, right on 17th. 1415 17 Ave SW. Friend and I got takeout there yesterday, one order each dum aloo Kashmiri, channa pindi, and a paneer dish that I didn't recognize, and two butter naan. This was a redoubtable FEAST, far too much food for two people, and it was delicious! Rich, intense flavours, perfect cook on the channa and the potatoes, and that naan- incredible. All of this was $45 and it's enough for three meals- three BIG meals.

The old location had "seating" for maybe four along the window but it was really only a takeout place. The new one has LOTS of seating, can accommodate, oh, 30 diners and I was worried that their prices would increase commensurate with new higher rent. Well, prices are still very fair; vada pav has gone from $6.99 for two to $7.99 for two which is still a very good deal (they're delicious- I got an order last week). The menu here is moreover completely unlike that for any Indian restaurants nearby; instead of the predictable butter chicken/baingan bartha/aloo gobi (all of which I love) PTI has items I've never seen on an Indian menu before, not even in Toronto. And it's in...

Food 5/5 why?: I had take-out a few weeks ago and the food was excellent. I ordered the veg samosa, chicken tikka, a naan, & a couple of tandoori rotis. Samosas were good, standard fare. The chicken was tender and very flavourful and it lasted for a couple of days as I made myself mini-kathi rolls to enjoy for lunch. Both the naan and roti were excellent however my personal preference is to lean towards the rotis in general. What would I order again: sukhi chicken tikka and tandoori roti will be regular go-to menu items. I had the daal makhani on a previous occasion and would order that again as well w/roti.

Service 4/5 why?: The owner and the person that helped me were very friendly, kind and they took care in preparing my food. The reason a 4/5 vs 5/5, I would have preferred to call in my order but the phone wasn't accepting calls hence I had to walk over and wait. Thankfully I live walking distance or I would have chosen another option as it is not my habit to use one of the delivery services as I understand the restaurants make less money that way.

This place will be my regular, local Indian go to until it is not:). The items I want to try are: poori + potato w/tomato gravy &...