Ayur Shri — Restaurant in Dartmouth

Food 5 stars, atmosphere 1 star

I used to love this place. My wife and I would come here a few times a month and always order the same things. Management changed a few months back, and now we don't like it nearly as much as we once did.

The food still tastes the same, but the new owner makes us feel very uncomfortable. He insists on talking to you while you are trying to eat, and tries to make jokes with no idea that the joke is most unwelcome. Once he made fun of me for ordering basmati rice without ordering curry to eat with it - he said eating white rice plain was a very strange thing and called me weird for doing it, laughing at me the entire time.

We went in today on Mother's Day, and he was wishing everyone who walked through the door a Happy Mother's Day if they had a woman with them - which made my wife and I uncomfortable when he wished us the same. A party of four came in - presumably two mothers and their daughters - and he told the younger women that the best gift they could give their mothers was to make them grandmothers. They all chuckled uncomfortably and he kept pushing. One of the older women said "you're telling the wrong two", and one of the girls said "I can get you a grand-dog, maybe?" and he KEPT PUSHING! No social boundaries whatsoever!

Even though the food is good and the restaurant is fairly local, we have decided we never want to go here again. The entire time we were eating tonight we had to turn away from him and pretend to have a conversation with one another just so he wouldn't try to speak with us. It was awkward and we want no part...

I don't often have negative reviews to post but this one is warranted. From service to food....there is nothing positive to say about this restaurant...other than maybe the building itself. The front dining area has maybe 8 tables or so. We came on a Saturday evening and we were seated promptly but right next to the kitchen....like rightnext to the kitchen....no space. We ordered an appetizer which we never received and we did order beer which wasn't particularly cold (though they do give you a chilled glass). We ordered our entrees which though simple and straightforward took well over an hour to receive. The food was honestly tasteless....I'm so confused how food that should normally have rich and delicious flavor can LOOK the way its supposed to and be completely tasteless. The driest Naan EVER and no flavor....I've never had such bad Indian food in my life. I'm sorry to say. I most definitely won't be returning. The service was subpar as well. Our server never checked on us, never informed us of the delay with our order and we had to seek him out every time we did need something - ex. new beverages. If you're looking for even decent Indian, just go elsewhere if you can. Your patience and your wallet will thank you. Also to note there is just one single occupancy...

This wasn’t just a bad meal,it felt like a cultural letdown.

We’re visiting the area and trying to make some family memories. Ordered what we hoped would be a comforting, mildly spiced chicken biryani. What arrived was anything but. It was more like a confused pulao, frozen peas, capsicum, soggy rice, and even burned cashews tossed in like an afterthought. No aroma, no balance, no care. Just disappointment in a takeout container.

This isn’t about being harsh. It’s about honesty. When a restaurant calls something biryani but serves this, it doesn’t just miss the mark, it misrepresents the culture. Indian cuisine is rich, layered, soulful. This had none of that. Some people are fortunate to bring their food heritage to the U.S., but when you take shortcuts like this, you’re not sharing the culture, you’re flattening it.

It was 9:40 PM. Dinner should be a time of calm and comfort, especially while traveling. Instead, we ended the day irritated, and after just a few bites, we had to toss the food and head to another restaurant. There are places that do justice to Indian food. Sadly, this wasn’t one of them.

No pride in the plate. No respect in the preparation. Just a careless dish that should’ve never left...