Darbar
RestaurantTop Pick
Darbar
Opens Wednesday at 4:30 pm
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The FTA, Festival TransAmériques in Montreal 2026
May 27, 2026 to Jun 11, 2026
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Nov 27, 2025 to Mar 8, 2026
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Reviews for Darbar
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Display Allchef(123) indian(110) darbar(108) recommend(67) dishes(40) naan(38) family(37) authentic(34) thali(33) flavor(32) highly recommend(27) simar(27)Page 1 of 2 - 38 Reviews
Andrew
Had an amazing meal here tonight. So nice for the chef to come to each table & speak to the dishes & ask if we had questions. The food itself was sublime. The best chicken tiki masala we've ever had & the agneau nihari melted in your mouth. A small place so make a reservation! What a way to kick off the new year.
Neha
Truly such a pleasure & wonderful experience eating at Darbar with my family. Having grown up in the GTA, I've had great Punjabi food but this place is exceptional. Chef Simar & his staff are so warm & welcoming. The food itself is incredible, you can taste the authentic technique & use of fresh ingredients in all the dishes. We will be back again for sure.
Richard
I had one of the most delicious, flavorful Indian meals ever at darbar the other evening. I am so glad I discovered this special place. The vegetarian thali platter was exceptional, as was my appetizer of sizzling chicken on skewers served with mint sauce. Plus, wonderful chilled white wine on a hot Montreal evening. I will be back whenever I'm in town; so many dishes on the menu are mouthwatering! The staff is so incredibly friendly & gracious, as is the chef/owner Simar. I also love that darbar is off the beaten path. The real deal, authentic, family run. I highly recommend!
Amitkumar
Wait Time & Service:
It took approximately 30 minutes to get a table, followed by another 15 minutes to place our order, & then 30 minutes for the food to arrive. The service felt disorganized, possibly due to being understaffed for an unexpectedly busy mid-week evening. Dishes did not arrive together but were served individually over time, requiring multiple reminders for pending items.
Food & Quality:
We ordered Dal Makhni, Baingan Bharta, & Shahi Paneer, along with Lacha Paratha & Tandoori Roti (not listed on the menu but available upon request).
• The Baingan Bharta was excellent - definitely the highlight of the meal.
• The Shahi Paneer was overly sweet - it tasted more like a dessert than a savory entrée, & we wouldn't recommend it.
• Portion sizes were noticeably smaller than those at other Indian restaurants in the area.
Ambience & Cleanliness:
We were initially seated outdoors but had to request a change due to flies falling into our water. Inside, we were unfortunately seated near the kitchen area, where we noticed utensils being hand-washed & general disorganization, raising hygiene concerns.
Final Impression:
The entire dinner lasted around 2.5 hours, which felt unnecessarily long for a simple meal. While we understand every restaurant can have an off day, the combination of slow service, portion sizes, & questionable cleanliness made for a less-than-pleasant experience.
Cesar
An amazing experience- from the friendly & attentive staff to the superb food, we couldn't have asked for me. The restaurant was cozy, casual & felt local. The main event- wow wow- the food was incredible. Samir, the head chef, was great as explaining & recommending dishes, you can tell he's passionate about his craft. Everything we tried was 10/10.
Jessica
I knew this restaurant was going to be an incredible experience when the executive chef came out to introduce himself to almost every table. My partner & I ordered the samosas & onion bhaji to start. They were delicious! The tamarind sauce was so tangy it paired perfectly. We also each ordered a thali. It came with rice, naan, papadam 3 stewed dishes & a piece of tandoori chicken. Everything was so delicious I could go on for a while. It was so much food, we could not finish our plates.
On top of the incredible food the staff were all fantastic & very welcoming. Some might consider the service a bit slow, but I believe that is intentional as the chef prepares each dish individually. I for one enjoyed it as it allowed my partner & I to have time to chat & sip our cocktails.
We sat on the patio, its was very comfortable but the noise from cars on the street could be loud.
Kate
Wonderful food & service. The owner & chef came out to our table & was so welcoming. He recommended dishes & they were all delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant
Christine
Darbar is more than just a restaurant; it's an experience. For anyone seeking an authentic, delicious, & truly memorable Indian Punjabi dining experience in Montreal, look no further.
Each dish arrived artfully presented, a testament to the kitchen's dedication to both flavor & aesthetics. & the flavors! These flavors were simply extraordinary. The spices were masterfully blended, creating complex & nuanced tastes that danced on the palate without ever being overwhelming. The Korma shrimp was unbelievable, cooked to perfection & the best I have ever eaten. The Lamb Nihari was aromatic & so tender.
It is clear that only the freshest, highest quality ingredients are used, allowing the authentic essence of Indian cuisine to truly shine.
What truly elevated our experience, however, was the delightful surprise of the chef, Simar, emerging from the kitchen to personally interact with diners. His passion for his craft was palpable as he chatted with us, inquiring about our meal & sharing insights into the inspiration behind his dishes. This personal touch, a rare & welcome gesture, made us feel truly valued & added an unforgettable layer to an already exceptional evening.
We are already planning our next visit! Bravo to the entire team at Darbar for creating such a remarkable establishment!
Michael
Great restaurant! Delicious & clean tasting food, all dishes were perfectly seasoned & spiced. Portions were on the smaller side from my experience at Indian restaurants, we came out full, but not stuffed.
Special mention goes out to the bangin' bhartha & the chana daal dishes! Loved the addition of kaffir lime leaves in the daal!
Francesco
Darbar is a wonderful family-run restaurant that truly cares for its customers. You feel it in the warm hospitality & the consistently excellent food.
The entire team-both in the kitchen & at the front-was kind, attentive, & really knew what to recommend to enhance our experience.
We started with the murg malai, served in a sizzling pot-such a unique & fun presentation! The seekh kebab was beautifully plated, & both dishes were absolutely delicious. The yogurt sauce with the kebabs was light & refreshing, while the spices in the murg malai built up to a deep, flavourful finish.
For our mains, we had the chicken jalfrezie & the nihari lamb. Paired with their crispy, doughy butter naan, the lamb was one of the best bites I've ever had. I literally had to close my eyes to take it in.
We ended with two orders of gulab jamun because my wife loved the first so much-she said it tasted just like her grandmother's, & we couldn't leave without having another.
Fran
Stellar Indian food. Original dishes with lots of classic flavors.
Great service as well.
We'll be back!
Peter
FANTASTIC!
We have rarely, if ever, had a more pleasurable & enjoyable culinary experience.
Owner / Chef Simar Anand greeted us at our table & spent meaningful time discussing our food likes & tastes. He walked us through his menu & his recommendations. As he talked, you could feel his deep passion for food & his family's restaurant. We put ourselves entirely in his hands, & he created a spectacular meal for us.
My wife has celiac disease & can not eat gluten. When I made the reservation online using Google Maps, I mentioned her dietary restriction in the notes field of the reservation form. Chef Simar knew before he talked with us that our meal needed to be gluten-free & indicated he had made GF naan for my wife. He also said all the dishes are made from scratch, & that he would ensure all food would be prepared gluten-free. For those of us who have celiac or are celiac adjacent, you know this type of care is almost non-existent.
The setting is cozy, the service is beyond excellent, the food fabulous, juicy & perfectly spiced & the cost is SO REASONABLE.
DO NOT HESITATE - GO & ENJOY the entire experience.
Brian
From the food to the staff, RestoDarbar offers a truly unique dining experience. The authentic dishes are carefully crafted to excite the palate, with each bite showcasing a blend of flavors & textures. The service was attentive & knowledgeable, enhancing the overall ambiance. As a standout in Montreal, it's a must-visit for foodies & anyone who appreciates exceptional cuisine.
Nitin
The Biriyani is really bad, it's just fried rice without any flavour, other North Indian dishes are decent & portion sizes are quite small for the price. Maybe suitable for western palate definitely not the good Indian food I have tasted in Montréal . I am maybe wrong check for yourself & just don't order biryani
Leo
Super endroit, le staff fait beaucoup d'efforts pour proposer un service en Francais
Great place !
The service is always great, the chef will come out of the kitchen & greet guests when it's not too crowded & is willing to accommodate dishes !
Gregory
We had the pleasure once again of an evening at DarBar. This time we asked Chef Simar to choose our food for us. He treated us to some new dishes he is experimenting with. We are so glad to have made that decision. It's difficult to imagine the food could get even better, but this moved the meal into the handful of my "Once in a Lifetime" experiences. All I can say is PLEASE try out this fabulous place, especially if you enjoy Indian food. & do take the plunge & let the chef show you what magic he can produce. Original review: This is an unassuming little gem tucked away in an interesting but somewhat run-down stretch of "The Main". The food is wonderful! The spices are complex & the heat in the dishes is deep & embracing. Just what one would expect from the very best Indian cuisine. Service is very attentive & the owner is always willing to discuss his vision for the food & the restaurant. In addition to the overall quality of the food, there is great attention to detail. For example, our bowl of rice was not merely seasoned & fragrant, it contained pomegranate seeds that had been marinated in rosewater, so there was an interesting note of sweetness & crunch from the flesh & kernels of the seeds. Nothing on the menu could be considered plain. Everything is an adventure in flavours & textures. Montreal is home to countless great places to eat, so it's quite an achievement for an eatery to stand out, but DarBar certainly does in my opinion.
Kristin
Extremely warm staff running this charming restaurant. Chef came out to introduce himself & to wish us farewell. Many options including vegan/vegetarian. We tried a variety of dishes & all were delicious .
Manisha
Food was amazing with fresh locally sourced ingredients. Traditional hearty dishes with a modern twist & a wonderful backstory to the restaurant. Owner/chef helped us choose our dishes & told us a bit an about the restaurant. He's a lawyer by day & chef by night & you can really taste the passion on his dishes.
Jordon
This is the best 5-star Indian restaurant I've been to. You can tell it takes a lot of prep work to make these dishes. So much flavour!! My girlfriend is pregnant too, & the owner even came over to make sure she was eating certain foods that was allowed for pregnant women.
Kiki
Had an absolutely wonderful evening there recently. Lovely kind staff that are able very knowledgeable about the menu & can provide tailored recommendations. The food was absolutely divine - we had the murgh malai, shrimp rogan josh & malai kofta. Not a single miss. The balance of spice, heat & the exquisite presentation of the dishes served - we were thoroughly impressed. This place definitely deserves more praise!