Dera Restaurant is praised for authentic Pakistani and Indian flavors with fresh naan, flavorful curries and standout dishes such as paya, haleem, nihari, biryani and tandoor items, while the service is described as friendly and the family friendly atmosphere and good value for money for both dining in and catering. Reviewers frequently note generous portions and spices that appeal to desi cuisine lovers, and many say the restaurant is a reliable go to for meals with family or groups. At the same time experiences are mixed, with a few dishes described as bland or overly heavy on masala, some meals arriving cold or lacking freshness, and concerns raised about cleanliness and ambiance. Dessert options are hit or miss, though several diners highlight kheer and halwa puri as highlights on other visits. The paya and haleem are repeatedly singled out as among the best in the area. Overall the restaurant is seen as a solid, approachable choice for authentic desi cuisine in Montreal, popular for lunch and dinner and for events, with room to improve presentation and consistency to elevate the dining experience.
Beef Karachi, chicken biryani & butter chicken are excellent. The prices are on the lower side. Have been coming back since 2009. They also offer catering & gladely accommodate big groups.
We had a wonderful family dinner at Dera Restaurant. The food was fresh, flavorful, & truly authentic. The haleem & chicken tikka were outstanding, & the staff made us feel very welcome. Murtaza is the most handsome owner & kind. If you need special spices touch go see him. The atmosphere is perfect for family gatherings. Highly recommend for anyone looking for quality Pakistani cuisine in Montreal!
Feb 14, 2026
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Quality & taste of food has went down over the years, not sure if the owner or chefs changed. But notice there are serious lack in quality for my last 3 visits. & everytime, i tell myself. Maybe it's just this time. Now it's confirmed, this location isn't being run properly by the kitchen staff. Will not be going back for sure.
- Chicken Tikka Masala : Ok 👍
- Beef Haleem : Good 👍
- Butter chicken : Seemed old, stale & reheated from yesterday or before...
- Chicken byriani : Old, stale, dry, tasteless & reheated from yesterday or before...
- Pani Puri: Water & spice mix, completely off, something is seriously wrong here.
Second & third experience (5 stars): I visited for breakfast. Halwa puri was perfect! My family enjoyed the food & service. We appreciate the experience.
I am glad that I gave them a second chance. I will be visiting for the breakfast here often.
First experience (1 star): I visited late night. Despite a decent interior, the dining experience fell short with below-average food.
The chicken kabuli pulao lacked freshness, & cold when served. The butter chicken had a stale odor. The naan, though okay, couldn't redeem the overall disappointment.
Additionally, it's worth noting that almost all of glass cutleries on our table had broken corners.
The consensus among workers (cleaning the floor around us) was a bit gloomy, except for one lady who seemed cheerful & kind to my kids.
I have tried the chicken wrap that was awesome here.
I made a video on my youtube channel (Name : AamirLifeLens).
Must watch it.
Thanks for the service they provided me here.
Overall good service here.
Service is amazing & ambiance as well. Chicken corn soup,Fish pakora,Dahi bara & falooda ,you cannot go wrong.Naan,nihari,tikka,kebab & karahi are good.
They are fast so if you don't have a lot of time this is the place.
Looks like some kind of lavish restaurants with Dirty plates on the table, no presentation who ever the cheff is just throw the food on the plates & send out to serve you.
Also their chicken karahi not actually a chicken karahi, they will give you the some chicken curry using the name of chicken karahi. Chicken tikka was so dry looked unfresh. Fish & Only nans were fresh & good.
Overall thumbs down to this place.
Had a fantastic experience at Dera Restaurant! The food was absolutely fabulous. I had the Chicken Tikka, which was cooked to perfection-tender, juicy, & full of flavour. The Lamb Chops were equally impressive, & the Bhuna Gosht was rich & delicious. We finished off with Ras Malai, which was light, creamy, & satisfying. Finally, the Kashmiri Tea just made our day-aromatic, warm, & the perfect end to a great meal. Special shout-out to the manager, Ali Murtaza Shah a fab guy who made us feel very welcome. The atmosphere was average, but the food & service more than made up for it. Highly recommend for authentic, well-prepared desi cuisine!
May 3, 2025
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Never seen such delicious food at this competitive price. we had chicken thali. Incredible. Will recommend. Service was not the best. They lacked some knowledge.
We went for the Iftar dinner buffet, & it was an amazing experience. The menu had a great variety, with fresh, flavorful meat. The highlights were the juicy chicken kebabs & the rich, creamy sheer kurma. Their biryani, paired with the delicious chicken korma, was also a standout. For $25 plus tax, the quantity & quality made it absolutely worth it. A great spot for a satisfying Iftar meal!
I went to iftar buffet in ramadan 10 March 2025.
Main dishes were
Biryani Chicken qorma
Mutton qorma
Haleem
Chana Salan
Some orange color kebab
In iftar there was
Chana chart,
Fruit chart,
Dahi baray
Roll
Samousa
Pakora
In dessert there was Sher korma.
It was first time I went to Dera Restaurant with family. Everything was too much spicy 🌶🌶🌶. Almost going to have smoke coming out from ears 🤯🥺😵
Also In chicken 🐔🐓 & mutton 🐑🥩 there were mostly just bonnes. It was hard to find boti within qorma.
I don't know may be it is the taste & standard of Dera Restaurant
Had supper here recently & while the service & ambiance was pretty ok, we were quite disappointed in the food & its quality. We had chicken korma, beef biryani, khari pakora, nihari & naan. The meat was tough in all dishes & seemed unfresh. The pakoras in the khari were also very hard. Best item was naan but that's not saying much :(
Nov 9, 2024
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Tried this place last night & it was very average. Maybe because it was late, but the service was dismissive (& I will leave it at that). The food was also very average. I had the Manchurian chicken & it was hard. Also lot of sauce & very little chicken. As I took this to go, didn't see the quantity until I went back to my hotel. Also had the green peas paneer (forgot the name) & same, very few pieces of paneer with very hard peas.
I Oder pani puri ,veg & chicken samosa, dahi bara & tea which is good in taste .... Paratha's & palak paneer was amazing.... Halwa puri is just ok is taste ... overall good experience
My one Pakistani Friend recommend me this restaurant & I ordered chole bhature & chicken curry. Food was really delicious with proper quantity. I love chicken curry so much. I give 5/5
This is amoung one of the best Pakistani restaurants in Montreal. . Beef paya, chicken karahi, mutton karahi, sheek kabob, garlic or simple naan, chicken maali kabob, nihaari, chicken Tikka, Qaari-pakora, Kheer & Gulab jamun are the best one in there menu ,,,, especially Beef paya has no Match ! . No designated parking for the restaurant, but you can find parking on the road. . Dinning is huge, but sometimes cleaning is not up to mark. . Service is quick.
Let me tell you, if you're lazy to cook on a Thursday, check this place out. Everyday they have specials with reasonable price + on Thursdays it's a whole chicken karahi special with 6 naan & salad. So worth it.
