Biryaniwalla Northyork — Restaurant in Toronto

From 5 Stars to 1 – A Disappointing Decline

I used to genuinely enjoy dining at this restaurant, and my previous 5-star rating was largely due to the exceptional hospitality. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. My recent visit was deeply disappointing, and it’s clear that either the management has changed or the current team simply no longer cares about service, quality and quantity.

The hospitality, which once stood out, has completely deteriorated. The servers lack basic training in both service etiquette and customer interaction. Their attitude was indifferent at best, making the overall experience uncomfortable from the start.

While food can be a strong point, it cannot carry the entire experience on its own. A poor environment strips away any enjoyment from even a decent meal. Sadly, the current ambiance is far from acceptable. The presence of small flies all around the dining area is both distracting and unhygienic. It becomes more of a task to keep your food clean than to actually enjoy it.

The pricing here has sharply increased, but this has not been reflected in the quality, quantity, or service. In fact, all three have noticeably declined. The washrooms are in a deplorable state – filthy, unhygienic, and overrun with flies. It’s shocking and frankly unacceptable for any food establishment.

There are no complimentary items anymore – not even basic chutney, which used to be a simple but thoughtful addition. The customer is now expected to pay premium prices for substandard service and a poor dining environment. That’s not a fair deal.

If the owner is reading this, I sincerely hope this feedback is taken seriously. It’s not just about raising prices – it’s about maintaining service, hygiene, and respect for your customers.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone in its current state. My rating drops from a well-earned 5 to a disappointing 1. You’ve lost a...

Enter the Biryani Walla, which offers a selection of biryani that's dizzying – meat or vegetarian, bone-in or boneless – you’ll want to try them all. Settling on the boneless mutton biryani ($16.49) our table was impressed. The grains of basmati were distinct, infused with a pop of flavour, and permeates a spicy heat that’s enough to make your tongue tingle.

It’s served with two sauces: salan (a curry sauce that adds a wetness to the rice) and raita (a cooling yoghurt to help balance the spiciness). I used a bit of both and had the rice plain, no matter the combination it was delicious. The mutton was tender and not gamey, with enough chunks throughout to accompany every bowl. While the menu notes it’s a portion for one person, it’s so big that you can share amongst two.

The wet chicken 65 ($14.99) isn’t really that “wet”, despite the menu description. Each nugget was a cacophony of tastes and reminded me of a lighter Manchurian chicken with pronounced curry flavours. Sadly, the chicken was a little dry and could have benefited from more sauce.

In fact, the chef seems to overcook chicken. The malai tikka chicken kabob ($14.99) was tough even though the meat wasn’t overly grilled/baked. There also wasn’t much seasoning so it relied heavily on mint chutney for flavour. While I love the chutney (have some with the biryani), the chicken needs marinade.

The Biryani Walla wasn’t overly busy even during a Sunday lunch. Most customers opted for takeout, which is a shame because the dishes really benefit from being eaten fresh and hot. Consequently, service was attentive and efficient, our server taking the time to explain each dish. Just ensure you bring cash for gratuities as sadly anything given through the machine may not make it into the employees’ hands. Boo, to you, Biryani...

I went here to order a bucket Chicken Mughlai biryani around 12am and while I was ordering, I specifically mentioned that it was the tray for 3 people. The guy in the counter (was of a slightly dark complexion) took my order and when the order was ready after around 10-15 mins, it was not what I ordered as he got me the tray for 5 people and claimed that I ordered this. I told him that I did mention that it was the tray meant for three people and he said that since they already prepared my order, they cannot change it and they were trying to sell me what they mistakenly took out. I am saying this because I specifically asked the guy if he could take the current tray back and get me what I ordered (as what they took out was the same dish I ordered but of a much bigger quantity) and he was keeping on denying my request saying that he couldn’t do anything about it as it has been taken out already. Then I asked him whats gonna happen if I don’t take this and he just said that my order would be canceled. So after a wait of around half an hour around midnight, they said that they couldn’t give me what I ordered and if I wanted the dish I ordered, I had to pay for the bigger portion they took. After asking the guy around 3-4 times if they could get me what I wanted, I politely canceled my order as I was getting denied over and over again. After cancelling the order, I left the place and went to Biryaniwalla Scarborough and got the exact same thing for a better price. This is utter stupidity from the staff as they are trying to sell me the stuff that I didn’t ordered for a much higher price. I had one of the worst customer service experience from Biryaniwalla, North York as the staff working over there think that they can fool customers and manipulate them into taking...