Holy Spice East Indian Cuisine, Winnipeg — Restaurant in Winnipeg

Got take out from Holy Spice on two seperate occasions. The wife and I always get the same thing when getting Indian food - lamb curry and a paneer dish of some sorts (in this case it was Shahi Paneer), naan and samosas. The first time we ordered from Holy Spice everything was super good - hot and fresh (despite the fact we live 15 minutes away - everything was still hot when we got home), and the food was delicious. The lamb curry was outstanding, with big tender chunks of lamb throughout. The paneer dish was delicious, but I think the paneer could have been cooked a bit more as it was a bit firm and rubbery for my liking, but my wife loved it. The naan was very good and the samosas were among the tops that we have had.

The second time we ordered (the exact same things as the first time we ordered), the food was just ok. The Shahi paneer was decent, but again the paneer was a bit under done for my liking, and there seemed to be less of it than our first time ordering. The lamb curry was again delicious, the flavour outstanding, but the lamb was not the same big meaty chunks that we had the first time we ordered. The second time around it was extremely fatty, small chunks with a little bit of meat, and again it seemed there was much less "meat" than our first order. I know some people prefer fatty cuts, but we do not. The naan was very disappointing, both pieces we got were way over cooked, burnt on the bottom, and to the point that it was not enjoyable. The samosas were flavorful, but were barely what I would call warm, they were room temperature at best.

I will say that the service was very friendly both times I picked up food, and would assume it would be excellent service for a dine in meal. We will order from Holy Spice again, but really hope our third experience will be the same as this first time we ordered, and not the second. If the service wasn't so friendly I likely would have given 3 stars. Will update this review after our third order.

Third order update: same items ordered. Shahi paneer excellent (I've come to terms with how they cook their paneer - to me it seems like it should have been cooked/heated more. I find it a bit too firm and rubbery for my liking, but my wife loves it.), lamb curry flavourful but again got really fatty pieces of meat (not our thing but may be for some. When I pay for meat I want meat, not fat.). Naan was good, but the samosas were cold (actually cold, not even a bit warm - and I'm not exaggerating) in the middle. Service was friendly when ordering and picking up the food. If I could give a half star it would be 3.5. Decent food and friendly service, but inconsistent quality. Will still order from holy spice...

HOLY Wow! Can I just say, I'm so happy that Holy Spice is near home!

We've ordered from this place 3 times in the past couple months and every time we are so so pleased with our experience. The staff, the food, and the overall ordering process.

Location: Located next to Party Stuff on Kenaston. It's tucked away, so it literally is a hidden gem!

Parking: Ample public parking available. Free!

Staff: Whether on the phone or in person, these people are some of the kindest and sweetest restaurant folks I've had the pleasure of interacting with. Very professional!

Inside the restaurant: Beautifully decorated and ample place to sit. I've been told they re-open dining in on July 1 (confirm with them), but they are still operating via pick up!

Food: Absolutely delicious. The price is right! Oh and you can request halal. Now...where to start...

Butter Chicken: I'm not normally a fan of butter chicken, however this place does butter chicken right! You can even ask for it "spicy" and it makes for the best butter chicken I've ever tasted. Not too sweet. Not too spicy. Just perfect!

Chilli Chicken: I just found my NEW favourite chilli chicken place in this city...perfectly fried and coated. I need more. I will be looking for other hakka items on their menu.

Tandoori Paneer: Now I'm unsure if this is the actual name...but wow, paneer with flavour! For vegetarians, this is as close as you'll get to tandoori chicken! Yum.

Lamb Biryani: Very tasty, but if you're in the mood for biryani, this probably won't satisfy your craving. The biryani has a lot of bell peppers in it, not what we were expecting. This said, it was a tasty rice dish. Let me know what you think though.

Chaat Paapri: Some of the best chaat paapri around. The paapri was so nice and crunchy, seemingly fried in new oil, there was no rancid oil taste. It had a nice coating of yoghurt and imli and all the other goodness. My mouth is watering just thinking about this!

Naan: Tasty and served hot and fresh!

Pakora: Very good, crispy!

One thing I really appreciated about this place was the transparency of the staff. The person who took my order didn't actually have one item that was halal but did offer an alternative to us. We so appreciate your efforts in making our experience what it has been.

I've definitely spread the word amongst my friends and even treated them to food from your place. Looking forward to coming back really soon!

Thank you for a tasty Indian food experience, in...

This cosy, sun-lit restaurant is a hidden gem! The food is fantastic, the service excellent, and the prices unbelievably modest. I was there to celebrate a friend's birthday, and had the vegetarian Thali, which surprised me first of all by being large. Each of the main selections -- dal makhani, chana masala, and paneer lababdar -- was sensational. And in addition to rice, salad, and a succulent barfi (which I have never, ever liked, until today), it was accompanied by a too-generous platter of the fluffiest, most irresistible naan bread -- I say "too-generous" because I made an absolute pig of myself. I was astonished to have such an exquisite meal for less than the price of most food court dinners. In the past I've had the navratan korma and the mixed vegetables, and those were also wonderful. The restaurant has such a nice atmosphere - clean, welcoming, peaceful, and unpretentious, with East Indian music playing softly in the background and comfortable bench seating. Thank you, Holy Spice -- we will definitely be back!

I'd like to add an update: We were at Holy Spice again yesterday to celebrate (belatedly) my birthday, and enjoyed our meal just as much as last time. I had the vegetarian Thali again, and it was wonderful, especially the Kerali paneer (I hope I'm spelling that correctly) and the garlic na'an. And we had wonderful service from the sweet waitress, Priti -- she looked after us so well and brought everything so quickly and piping hot! I was especially grateful to her because when I told her that I found the music a bit loud and wondered whether it could be turned down, she took care of my request immediately. ...