Desi Bar & Grill (Markham)- Indian food done right! — Restaurant in Markham

For a newly opened place that is a chain type of restaurant, I expected better service. However, that was the complete opposite. I must say that the Mississauga location offered much more of a positive service.

I do not blame the manager or supervisor and therefore the blame does go to the servers/waitresses for not offering good to excellent customer service. See one thing is that a manager and or supervisor can only do so much. At the end of the day it is up to the employee to outshine and excel in this industry.

Pros:

a) Ambiance - 8/10

b) Food - 9/10. The avocado chaat and rajmah galouti were delicious. Never had this dishes before. Love how there is a fusion of Indian and North American dishes.

c) State of washrooms - 10/10

I was waiting for a location to open up in the Markham area even though I am not from Markham, but it is nice to have Indian restaurants open up in other parts of the GTA in addition to the usual Mississauga and Brampton area.

Cons:

a) Paying for water bottles. When we were sat down by the hostess and when the waitress came, no one told us that the 8 or so water bottles placed on each table were $1.99. If a restaurant be it Indian, Canadian, Italian, etc., has water bottles on the table, they should let the customer know if it is free or not. Our waitress Jahanvi J never told this to us. Never even offered to give tap water in glasses.

Does this restaurant even offer tap water in glasses? If they don't, what kind of restaurant is this? Even your Jack Astors, Moxies, fancier restaurants offer tap water. Yes they do charge for flat water or sparkling water, but they do offer tap water.

b) Spice level. Unfortunately our spice tolerance has dropped within the past 2 years and especially with my family members their tolerance is even lower. We ordered the main entrée - Paneer butter masala mild but noticed they placed 4 chilis which unfortunately by the time we started to eat the dish, the spices were soaked up by the gravy and it was very spicy. We notified our server of this and were told that this is normal. Again this should have been informed at the time of ordering. "Hey, even though you are ordering the food mild, please note that we add x # of red chilis inside our dishes".

You can see that lack of communication is a pattern here.

c) "Peer" pressure. Our server came to our table to take our order and we started to order drinks. Poor thing, one of my family members wanted hot water due to the weather outside and prefers hot water regardless. However, the family member was put into an imaginative corner and was pressured into taking a Banta Lemonade when they did not want that in the first place. It was constant persistence from the server, even when the family member simply said "No, I am fine. I prefer hot water with lime instead due to my age".

d) Service during the meal course. When we were eating our meals, the waitresses were coming and picking up the empty plates/dishes - nothing wrong with this. However with our main plates, without even asking if we were finished, they were picked up. No opportunity was given such as "Are you finished with your meal and may I take it?" It was simply a matter of reaching in and taking the plate out of our hands. No worries, we kept a calm composure and observed to see if another family member experienced this. Lo and behold, they did. Not once, but twice! When it came to almost grabbing my plate, I simply said that I am not finished with my meal.

e) Post meal service. We asked for a container for the paneer butter masala as well as some of the rajmah galouti leftovers. The server clearly heard us, BUT kept the paneer butter masala on our table and took away the rajmah galouti. We inquired and were told "Oh sorry, I didn't hear properly". Any how, again keeping a calm composure here.

f) Expensive mocktails that are sub par. Imagine the cost of alcoholic drinks.

That being said you can see that the cons outweigh the pros and cons. Would I come back? Maybe and hopefully get better customer service next...

This is a wonderful addition to the community of Markham. I absolutely love a restaurant that elevates traditional South Asian food and makes it pop in a slightly Westernized way while staying true to its roots. Desi Bar and Grill is a prime example of this, seamlessly blending authentic flavors with a modern twist.

I have visited this Indian restaurant about three times, and each time, I am delighted to say it is worth it. The consistency in quality and service is impressive, and it has quickly become one of my favorite spots.In terms of ambiance, the vibe is a dark, cool-lit atmosphere that feels modern without being tacky. There is often a sports game playing in the bar area, though they are still working out the kinks in consistently playing the right game. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, as I don't come to Desi Bar and Grill for the sports; I come for the food and the vibe. On a recent Saturday night visit, they had a live performer. As a Chinese Canadian, I didn’t understand the lyrics, but the music was fantastic, and the crowd was really into it. The live performance adds a unique touch, making the atmosphere even more vibrant. However, if you’re not a fan of loud music, you might want to consider visiting on a different night. Overall, I’d rate the atmosphere 5/5.

The servers are incredibly friendly and recognize you when you become a regular. They are knowledgeable about the menu and provide excellent recommendations. Their attentiveness and warm service enhance the dining experience significantly, earning a 5/5 for service.

The food is the main reason I keep coming back. As a non-South Asian, I don’t know the menu very well, but I have focused on naan and various lamb dishes. The meat and sauce dishes are delicious, well-seasoned, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. There’s plenty of sauce to soak up with the freshly made naan. We also tried the broccoli dish, which I highly recommend. It’s crunchy, not mushy, served piping hot, and slathered in a great sauce. For drinks, I’ve only had the beers on tap, which are nice and cold. The selection includes common favorites like Canadian, Guinness, and Stella, along with a few niche craft beers. One thing to note is that the food takes about 15 minutes or more to arrive, which might be too long for some people. However, I think this is fine given that the naan is made fresh, and it gives me and my friends a chance to enjoy the ambiance. So, come with that in mind. For food, I’d give a solid 5/5.

Overall, I give this place 5/5 stars. I hope this place thrives because Markham sorely needs a trendy bar focused on South Asian cuisine. It has all the right elements to become a staple in the community; it just needs to iron out minor issues like the TV setup. I encourage the Markham community to support this gem!

Addendum Went again sep 1. Still a great experience. Ankita was a great...

We made our way to this restaurant for some dinner with the family but upon entering the main entrance we were hit with extremely loud and obnoxious music. We made our way back out because it was too loud for us however the owner or manager saw us leaving and personally guided us to the outdoor patio. He explained that the loud music was due to a party/event going on and that the loud music isn’t a regular occurrence.

We got a table and ordered the following items:

Tandoori Pomfret Fish Chicken Tandoori Momos Sussex Chicken Changezi Lehsuni Corn Palak Chilli Gobhi 3 Garlic Naan

Pros: The tandoori fish, chilli gobhi, and chicken tandoori momos were amazing!! Very unique and delicious. Our service was fast, our host was very nice and explained the menus and portion sizes, and the owner came back and personally checked up on us to made sure everything was good. Amazing staff, owners, and good outdoor patio.

Cons: The Sussex chicken and the Lehsuni corn palak were very “average”. As you can see on the receipt, we ordered our food to be spicy and the curries weren’t spicy at all. The palak was almost sweet and the chicken curry was drenched in oil. We informed the server and to her credit she replaced the Lehsuni corn palak to make it spicy. The garlic naan, were asked to be crispy but the edges of some pieces were borderline uncooked and doughy. Some of the naan pieces were hot while some were cold which made no sense if everything is made to order. The outdoor patio was nice but to be honest we got bumped into many times by the staff because of how crowded and busy it was. Not to mention the mosquito bites and occasional bugs flying over your food.

Overall, I would recommend coming here with your friends for a drink, some appetizers, and pub food. They have a lot of very unique appetizers and side dishes which are delicious and creative. Some of their appetizers can’t be found in Scarborough so huge bonus points for a unique menu. This place perhaps wouldn’t be my ideal choice for main courses such as curries and naan. It’s also slightly on the...