Thandi — Restaurant in Saint John

I don’t write reviews often, but our experience at Thandi’s Uptown was so disappointing that I feel others should be aware.

We booked the private space over a month in advance for a birthday dinner and traveled all the way from Fredericton to celebrate with friends and family. We arrived 15 minutes early, only to be told we were being seated upstairs. When we asked about the space we had reserved, the female owner informed us that a wedding party (“who had originally booked the patio” says the owner ?) was now using the room due to rain I believe, or messed up the bookings.

We understand things happen, but what made it worse was that no one contacted us in advance. The owner claimed she called my sister (who made the booking), but no such call or messages was ever received. If we had been notified, we would’ve changed our plans and NOT of Came !!

Then owner told another party member they were given the room because they showed up an hour early — which was especially frustrating, as we were also early and BOOKED OVER A MONTH AGO. We were told it would only be 15–20 minutes, but 45 minutes later, a server (not the owner or manager) was the one who had to tell us the other group wouldn’t be leaving because they were still drinking… so no mention to the other group that the room was actually reserved for another party? Just made us wait? Okay. We would’ve left but it was pouring and our party was hungry. So we sadly had to stay…

One of our guests approached the owner again, and instead of speaking with the person who booked the reservation, she returned with an offer of three appetizers for a group of 15 people — along with a very minimal apology. It felt dismissive and unprofessional.

We ended up asking some of our guests not to come because there wasn’t enough space, and the entire experience completely ruined what was supposed to be a joyful celebration….

The only positive note was our server, who was kind, attentive, and clearly doing his best despite the situation. He deserves recognition.

If you’re considering Thandi’s Uptown for a special occasion or large group — proceed with caution. Double and triple-check your reservation, and don’t expect accountability if something goes wrong. We won’t be returning!!!! EVER.

(Also not looking for a comment from the owner, obviously still miscommunication...

Went here on Saturday night Dec 29 the. Reservations had been made for 7pm and had been made at least 4-5 weeks in advance. They had been made for 4 but one party increased to 6, 3 days before the dinner! When we arrived about 6:40, on Sat evening we we're greeted by a young man who promptly took our name and reservation time he went to speak to the owner Holly Singe and I knew something was up!! When I had made the reservation I had asked for a table up stairs near a fireplace or front windows they assured me no problem!! She informed me that they had to change that we had a table next to the front door with a huge window at our back and a bright light in our face!! I told her our original request, and was told by this woman that they don't HOLD reservations, if a large party of like 18 came in they have to be accommodated because of their size....what does that tell you more customers more money!!!! Reservations mean nothing at this establisment...she then offered us a table upstairs but insisted we would not like it ...please let me be the judge of the table thank you. It was at the top of the stairs but quite nice...the meals were something else ..out of three of us to order meals on our side of the table two were under par; my haddock was full of bones...a no-no that any half decent sous chef would fix, veg was cold and potato only half baked, my friends Saag was overly seasoned... we were not offered a free drink or dessert by the owner for the problems!! The saving grace to this whole fiasco was the awesome wait staff named Emma she was fun and extremely capable at her job, she could go to any good restaurant. So... beware Thandi's, not the place they claim it to be will never go there again.. end of rant ! Also this will probably be taken down by Hollie because it seems , that may be the way she rolls, but my FB is Public so this will go...

Feeling the need to escape from our home and now office, we drove to Saint John for a two night vacation. In addition to beating the fall blues, keeping the support for the local economy flowing was also a consideration.

After checking into the Delta in the city centre, we searched for Indian cuisine, not something readily available in our hometown. To our glee, Thandi was just a short walk, maybe two blocks from the hotel.

Arriving early on a Sunday evening, we easily got a table. There were a few other customers and a steady stream of folks picking up takeout orders.

We order a couple beer and an order of Calamari for sharing while we chose our mains. Both arrived promptly. There were a reasonable selection of craft beers on tap mixed with the more common national/international offerings.

The Calamari arrived mixed in a warm coleslaw like salad. They were not overcooked and rubbery like many calamari but fresh and tender. The salad twist was a great pairing idea as a starter salad was not needed. There was also an offering of naan bread with a little humus which I assume was on the house.

For mains, we had Chicken Tikka Masala with added vegetables and Vindaloo with Lamb. Each were served with basmati rice and papa-dams. Both were sooo good. The meat was tender, the vindaloo with good “heat” and servings quite sufficient. Actually we couldn’t finish, which is a good sign.

Our server was great. Pleasant and polite, checking in just enough. Timing was perfect.

The restaurant has a good ambiance with a mix of bar and restaurant. With a full house, it would be quite lively atmosphere.

There was also good respect for COVID protocols.

Definitely a place we...