Gautama (Indian Restaurant) — Restaurant in Toronto

I really wanted to try this place, I walk by almost daily and the pictures of the buffet in the window looked wonderful, Lunch buffet is now only available on weekends so we went Sunday at noon. Although they open at 11:30 NOTHING was set up and they didn't even know we were there. Not to be detoured, we went over to the Flying Pony to have a coffee and give them time to set up. Half an hour later, the buffet was half full at this point we should have walked, but hubby knew I had been wanting to try so we decided to stay. Slowly the additional dishes were brought out but we found most of them watery and lacking substance. There were several dishes labelled Paneer but it was hard to find any Paneer in them. When I pointed this out they did bring out a bowl and add more cubes. Come on now, we were the first customers of the day it is not like someone before us picked the dishes clean (unless of course, they were recycled from the previous nights buffet).

The food was over seasoned and I know this because I eat Indian cuisine about once a week. Fresh naan was not on the bar, it was made to order and brought to the table, with a choice of regular or garlic, It was not brought until we were well into our second plate of food and it was one piece quartered. There were two of us, they gave a single diner near us the same exact basket. They offered more when the basket was empty, but who has all afternoon? It was close to 1pm before they brought out the chopped lettuce for the salad bar, well over an hour after they opened. I see all these wonderful reviews about the eggplant, that must have been in the one remaining empty spot on the buffet when we left, as there was none. Although I am not vegetarian/vegan my daughter is and I am quite familiar with eating this way. This was the gassiest experience I have ever from a vegetarian restaurant.

The price is very affordable and the staff friendly but we will not...

Prior to coming here we had plans to visit Lahore Tikka House (one of my favourite restaurants in the city) however, the wait there was too long, and we were SO hungry that we opted to find a new place with a patio. Gautama Indian Cuisine had a great looking patio and a decent amount of people on it, so we decided to give it a try. They also had a buffet option which looked tempting to my bf. Once we were seated it took FOREVER for our server to come to us (probably like 15 minutes). My bf ended up getting the buffet option which he regretted since the food was barely warm and tasted a little stale (especially the deep-fried stuff like the pakora’s which were soggy). I got the chicken tikka masala which was on the menu (not the buffet) and the garlic naan. Honestly, the tikka masala chicken was a little tough to eat and chew (not a good cut of meat) and didn’t really have much flavour…it tasted like something made with sauce from one of those jars that you can buy at No Frills. The garlic naan was also very dry and barely had any garlic. Overall, we were both NOT impressed with this place. The only good part was the patio. Next time we will endure the long wait at Lahore Tikka House since that place has way better food and service! Overall, Gautama Indian Cuisine has some of the worst Indian food I’ve had in the city…even fast food options are better so it’s disappointing that this place is located in the heart of...

Date of Visit: August 13th, around 7 PM My experience at this restaurant was deeply unsettling. I arrived with my boyfriend, who stepped away to use the washroom, leaving me alone at our table. During that brief time, the young man taking orders—a brown-skinned employee—began giving me inappropriate and uncomfortable stares. His behavior was not just unprofessional; it was downright disrespectful. I felt so uneasy that I left the restaurant as soon as my boyfriend returned. I didn’t share what happened with him because I know he would have escalated the situation immediately. However, I fully intend to speak with the owner about this disturbing encounter. It’s alarming that someone like this could be employed, raising serious questions about the safety of female customers. In my opinion, this restaurant is not a safe space for women. The order-taker’s behavior was borderline harassment, and it happened right in front of other customers. Despite my visible discomfort, he approached me twice while I was seated by the window, engaging in what felt like unwelcome and inappropriate advances. I urge other women to be cautious if they consider visiting this establishment. I certainly don’t feel safe returning here until I’m confident that the management has addressed this serious issue. This requires immediate attention...