Al-Mani Grill & Biryani — Restaurant in Toronto

Friday, September 30, 2022 Had to kill the craving! Tonight I had plain biryani rice, butter chicken, bihari kabab and naan 😋😋😋

Thursday, April 21, 2022 Vegetable biryani with chicken tikka masala...so good. 😋😋😋

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 First of all, let me explain that all of the other dates in my review start from the OLDEST review and then run chronologically to most recent.

Today was the first time since COVID hit us in March 2020 that I actually had the chance to dine in, and oooh, I missed this place. (I did, however, manage a Skip the Dishes delivery a few months back, but that doesn't count.)

The food is still as good as I remember, and the aroma coming from the kitchen is almost intoxicating. I had the Al-Mani Classic combo from the menu: chicken tikka, beef kebab, plain biryani and naan. Sooo good! Why did I wait so long?

Wednesday, August 7, 2019: Now THIS is the kind of restaurant we've been waiting for in the Main and Danforth area! The menu is filled with a large variety of South Asian foods which should appeal to everyone!

I had the lamb biryani - succulent pieces of lamb in a mountain of deliciously spiced basmati rice, topped with green chilies (at my request), cilantro and red onions, and a wonderfully cool raita on the side.

I saw the outside sign go up a few weeks ago and just couldn't wait!

Friendly service with a smile, clean and inviting atmosphere; some traditional music in the background is a much needed accent.

Get in and try something! You'll know what I mean!

Wednesday, August 14, 2019: Today is the second time I've visited this restaurant (happens to be my birthday), and again, not disappointed! Ordered the beef biryani - a treasure of tender, melt-in-your-mouth chunks of beef buried under light and fluffy, aromatic and well seasoned basmati rice cooked to perfection, accompanied by raita and tamarind sauces. And a sweet mouthful of gulab jaman to follow.....looking forward to my next visit!

Saturday, August 24, 2019 Took my Bangladeshi friend (his first time at this restaurant). We shared naan, lamb karahi and 12 incredible wings served on a sizzling skillet (that's steam you see rising in the photo!). An order of plain rice followed 3 seconds after I took the photo.

Every time I go, I'm more impressed than the time before. Never tried Bangladeshi/Indian style food? Then here is the place to start! Clean restaurant, table service on real plates and a 100% professional kitchen! Hats off to Iqbal, who does most of the cooking. A-one!

Friday, October 4, 2019 Stopped in on my way home from visiting a friend and wanted to try something different.

I chose the spicy karahi chicken and plain biryani rice. It was a feast for the senses: the beauty in the simplicity of the presentation, the fragrance of the spices, the succulence of the chicken - I was in Heaven!

What are you waiting for?

Tuesday, October 8, 2019 Couldn't stop myself - just HAD to go back! This time, lamb rogan josh - tender chunks of lamb smothered in a rich tomato/peppers/yogurt sauce, plain biryani, and a beef seekh kabab (which arrived on a sizzling platter with red onion and lemon). AND some garlic naan to make sure I got every bit of everything from my plate. Mmm-mmm-mmm😋!

Friday, November 1, 2019 Was craving some good local food and came in after work. Good choice, Thom! Chicken seekh kabab, beef seekh kabab and chili chicken tikka over plain biryani rice just hit the...

Very bad experience.

Ordered "Karahi Beef"; half of tandoori chicken, and two garlic naans.

I couldn't see "Curry" beef anywhere on the menu. Maybe that should've been the giveaway.

I even spoke with them about Curry Beef in PARTICULAR; for over 10 min. I discussed this with him. I'm assured this is the BEEF dish I should order.

Order is placed; "Ordered "Karahi Beef"; half of tandoori chicken, and the two garlic naans"

Waited for 20 minutes. Took the packaged meal home.

I dig into the sauce covered, "beef", with some naan. I immediately hit bone. First thoughts didn't even occur to me that this isn't even BEEF.

The ordered beef dish is chicken; VERY disappointing!

I'm hungry, so I take a some of the chicken I already have caught up in the naan and try the food anyway, Under-cooked chicken. Highly disappointing.

I'll be honest with you; I would've even eaten the wrong served dish, because I was so hungry, if it had actually been any good.

I phoned the place; and the guy says "the next time I come to his place, he'll make me my dish for free". I replied I didn't get what I ordered, but you're suggesting I eat what you've WRONGLY packaged here and come back another day? I would like the ordered beef dish.

He replies that I can come by right away, as he's preparing the beef dish now. I hang up and get ready to pack up this order to drive back to this place.

I get a phone call, asking if I'm coming by?

I said , "I ordered BEEF. and yes I'm coming back.

I get back to this place. Same thing happens again. I wait.

The prepared beef dish is under cooked; as if they just want me gone as quickly as possible. Then there are bones in it. Four large chunks of bones are still there for me to return to his place so he can SEE them for himself on what he's served his customer.

The beef is not tender at all; I've never had issues with breaking up the beef with a touch of the naan in the past. This was horribly prepared.

I've ordered this dish far too many times to count, and there has NEVER been any bones for me to EVEN think about when I dive in with the naans.

NEVER EVER!

The tandoori chicken was horrible. Again, this is a dish I'm FAR too familiar with the number of times I devoured whole tandoori chickens, for ANYONE to tell me what it should taste like!

You would think they would make the beef dish, I just came back for, with some additional care to make sure it is appealing to their customer after all this time you've already wasted for your customer.

The tandoori chicken is still sitting there, if he wishes for me to return it.

This is what he does give me for my inconvenience:

Three gulab jamuns.

Which I'm afraid to even try; perhaps he wishes them back for his next disappointed customer?

Horrible restaurant.

Very disappointed FIRST time customer. I can provide you with the number of a restaurant for your in-house cook to learn how to prepare these common...

I just returned after picking up an order for myself. Apart from the food not being ready (I called an hour in advance and went 10 minutes later than the pick up time), I was shocked to see the man at the register without a mask. He got up and went in to grab a mask, before talking to me (enough distancr between us, so I didnt mind).

While waiting for the food (tandoor items only), I heard a man in the kitchen sneeze loudly, twice. I was a bit alarmed and hoped he was not the food handler or wore a mask. In a few seconds this man inside the kitchen went from one side to the other of the door, I saw him. No mask, no gloves, no hair net despite having a head full of medium size hair.

As you know tandoori chicken and kebabs have to be handled with hand, I was very concerned. I broyght this to the attention of the man at the register who then stood by the door and told the other man to wear a mask, I believe there was some back and forth and the man said, the customer wants you to wear a mask (yes, I very well speak and understand Bengali). Then the kitchen man wore a mask.

Unfortunately I had made my payment, of about $20.00 before I heard the sneezes. The man at the register strongly responded with a "yeah" when I asked him if he is the same man who handled my food (its a small take out so I doubt there will be more than one food handler). I could not bring myself to eat that food. I threw it away at a Dawes road dumpster.

I checked, this resto was last inspected in January 2020. I would rather starve than order anything from here. (The food was okay, nothing extra ordinary and definitely not worth any health risk in a pandemic)

Reply: I did not see you sneeze, I heard you sneeze twice. You and the other man had a back and forth when he told you to wear a mask, so had you sneezed in your mask, he wouldnt have had to explain the need for a mask to you. You had no gloves and no hair net. So I am not going to believe that you wore a mask when you sneeze. The fact that the 1st man got up and grabbed a mask from the kitchen when I went in, also says a lot.

If you cannot wear a mask in a kitchen that sells food to customers, maybe working in a kitchen isnt a good idea at all.

Thank you for the offer to make new food, I will not be able to trust your safety practices anymore.

Thank You

Whoever is looking me up on Facebook and sending me friend request from the restaurants facebook profile and staff sending me lewd messages, need to reconsider their...