Urban Maharajas — Restaurant in Vaughan

My first visit to this place was in December 2019, when both the food and service were truly outstanding. However, over time, I noticed a steady decline that eventually led me to stop visiting. Hoping for a better experience, I returned last night with family & friends. While the ambience remains inviting, the spirit of 'royalty' — which defines this restaurant's unique charm — was noticeably absent.

Food Quality & Hygiene Concerns Our meal started on a sour note when we found a hair in one of the appetizers. Instead of creating a scene, I 'discreetly and promptly' brought this to the server’s attention, and while it was replaced, the new portion was noticeably much smaller and padded with greens and cherry tomatoes. To be fair, 2 small pieces from the original order were consumed but are we really at a stage where we are cutting corner (I mean portions)? Additionally, despite specifically requesting a mild version as this was for the kids, the replacement was even spicier than before. Mistakes happen, but at the price point you charge, I expect attention to detail — especially with food safety and honoring customer preferences.

Excessive Wait Times After placing our order for the mains, we waited nearly 29 minutes for the food to arrive, with no effort made to update us or explain the delay. While long wait times might be understandable during busy hours, the restaurant was almost empty when we placed the order (around 9:20pm), with only one other group who were being served. Considering our order was just two simple dishes with naan bread, such a delay is hard to justify. If extended preparation times are unavoidable, it’s only fair to set clear expectations upfront about what's available (or not) to avoid leaving guests in the dark. On a positive note though, once the mains arrived, the food was flavorful.

Poor Service & Lack of Attention The most disappointing part of our visit was the service. On multiple occasions, we had to flag down staff or even approach the counter ourselves just to get basic attention. After finishing our mains, we waited again for someone to take our dessert order. Ironically, the staff passed by our table several times but seemed too hurried to even acknowledge us. Eventually, we gave up and I went to the counter to request the bill, only to find it had been printed and just sitting there. For a restaurant that charges a 20% service fee, this level of inattentiveness is simply unacceptable.

Diners expect more than good food — they seek memorable experiences, warmth, and thoughtful service, especially at a place that promises to make everyone feel like royalty. Your story and commitment to hospitality set high expectations. I hope management takes this feedback constructively to restore that vision and ensure every guest truly feels valued...

I had Urban Maharajas for the first time this evening, and I feel like my overall experience is a bit discombobulated. Theres things I really enjoyed, and a lot that fell short as well. Please keep in mind that this review is based on a single takeout experience only from the new Esplanade-Toronto location!

What I ordered: -Chicken Tikka: Definitely my favourite of the three. It was very rich without being super overwhelming. It had a nice consistency that was very creamy and kind of greasy but in a really nice emulsified way - kinda like a hollandaise but thicker and with more substance. Sort of a gross way to describe it but it was actually great lol.

Schezwan Popcorn Chicken: Decent. Not particularly crispy, not particularly chicken-y, not particularly schezwan-y. Good tang and sweetness, but not particularly great. Pretty much not crispy at all.

Naan (w/ butter): Good but not anything out of the ordinary - a little thinner than Im used to and not as fluffy as I like. Still pairs nicely with a curry since it was so rich.

The biggest thing that I found this meal was missing was either substance, or some kind of wow factor. It really didnt have either.

I find the prices they have kind of ludicrous considering the portion that you get. The popcorn chicken was pretty small and not a lot of them, maybe just smaller than a ping-pong ball and only about 9~ of them. Not bad, but they were not particularly high-end/exciting and were also $18.

The chicken tikka was admittedly good, and considering the location - $28 dollars isnt THAT insane for the portion you get. Its pretty generous and overall good. What is a little disappointing is that it doesnt come with a side: rice, naan, etc.. Its extremely rich and honestly a little overbearing without something to take the richness away. Considering the naan is $4 each, I probably wouldnt order this again with at least 2 naan since they're so thin and only enough for about half the portion.

Overall, I spent $50 for one person. I wasn't super satisfied with the portion or blown away by the dishes in any manner. I would consider coming back here if I really felt like Indian food, but I would only come here if you dont mind spending money on good food thats a bit over priced.

P.S. To owner if you read this, would love to see the price adjusted/portion increased on the...

Simran, the server, was the only staff member managing the entire establishment without any assistance, which was quite disheartening to witness. I greatly appreciate her efforts under such challenging circumstances.

We reserved a table for 8:15 PM and were seated promptly at 8:00 PM, as we arrived early. However, we were waiting for two of our friends to join us. Despite this, we were asked to place our order quickly, which we did at 8:30 PM. Unfortunately, the food did not arrive until 9:45 PM. This was extremely disappointing, especially since we had already informed the staff that we had been waiting for over an hour and a half. The food itself was mediocre, and to our dismay, they substituted the potatoes with paneer without consulting us, which was quite a disappointment.

Regarding the drinks, we requested a non-alcoholic piña colada and inquired if it was available. The next thing we knew, we received a piña colada that was excessively sour, and no one informed us that they typically do not prepare non-alcoholic versions. It appears that our inquiry was mistakenly taken as an order. When we asked the server (not Simran) to confirm with the kitchen, they said they would check and get back to us, but this did not happen.

The most troubling aspect was that even after we lodged an official complaint, and began receiving our food around 9:45 PM on a Wednesday evening, not all the dishes were served together. When the remaining bread was finally brought out, we were left without the corresponding curry. This caused everyone to eat out of order, as the bread was not ready and we were all quite hungry.

To add to our frustration, we were informed that we needed to place any additional orders within the next five minutes, as the restaurant had decided to close at 10:30 PM. This was particularly unreasonable given that we had not received our entire order by 9:55 PM, yet we were expected to adhere to the kitchen's closing time.

Overall, our experience was deeply unsatisfactory. Our mood and appetite were significantly affected as we had come to dine after a busy day, having specifically reserved a table to avoid waiting on a potentially busy weekday. Regrettably, there was no apology offered for the poor service and disrespect we...