Located in the heart of Montreal, Shandaar Cuisine offers authentic South Asian food, also known as desi food. From your favourite Karahi to the ever-loved biryani and the famous doodh patti to the refreshing mango lassi, Shandaar Cuisine's menu has the best desi food in town. Your go-to desi restaurant with a breezy and vibrant ambience, Shandaar Cuisine is the perfect destination for an unforgettable dining experience.
Shandaar Cuisine is described as a warm, inviting spot delivering authentic Pakistani and South Asian flavors with consistent excellence across karahi, biryani, butter chicken, naan and chai. Diners praise the welcoming ambience, attentive service, and meals that feel like home cooked; dishes are fresh, richly spiced, and generously portioned, with favorites including Karahi, chicken tikka, lamb biryani, fish pakora, and a strong chai and mango lassi. A recurring theme is hospitality and attention to detail, with staff going above and beyond to ensure a memorable visit, and the option to host events in a private space. While a few notes mention value for money and occasional longer wait times, overall the restaurant is seen as a standout in Montreal for true desi flavors, where the food, warmth, and atmosphere invite repeat visits.
Absolutely perfect restaurant!
Since we're in Montreal, Canada, we ordered Chicken Shandaar Karahi & it truly tasted like home-no extra oil, just authentic flavor. The chicken samosas are made in-house & were fresh & delicious. We also had naan, garlic naan, & Lahori channa-everything was cooked fresh & full of taste.
I've never had such a perfect desi meal in Montreal. The guy musa who served us really knows how to deal with customers-polite, professional, & very welcoming. The service was awesomeeeee.
A perfect place to sit, relax, & enjoy amazing food. Highly recommended! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jan 2, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
The food was exceptional, l & Masroor (one of the owners) was a great host.
The ambience is also very pleasant & comes closer to become a fine dine restaurant!!!
We had a great experience at Shandar Karahi. We ordered white karahi, lamb biryani, & chicken tikka, & everything was delicious. The white karahi was rich & creamy, the lamb biryani was flavorful & perfectly cooked, & the chicken tikka was juicy & well seasoned. Portions were good & the food was served hot & fresh. Overall, very tasty food & worth visiting. Highly recommend for anyone who loves Pakistani/Indian cuisine! 😊
Dec 27, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
This was truly a one of kind dining experience, from start to finish we were greeted with such warmth & hospitality by the owners son . The owner herself even came out throughout the meal to check in on us & make sure everything was to our liking.
The butter chicken, & lamb Karahi was top notch & left everyone in our party of four craving for more & we left with full bellies & smiling faces.
As well there was another amazing brother from Tanzania , that works there, super welcoming & insightful regarding the food itself & the overall dynamic of how south Asian cuisine has transformed throughout the GTA.
Service was quick , friendly & everyone was full of smiles. A meal at Shandaar felt like eating a genuine home cooked meal at your favourite relatives house. They treat you like a part of the family!
Amazing food & hospitality at Shandaar cuisine that's run by a beautiful family. It was lovely meeting Uzma & needless to say the food was so delicious. Never found any taste so close to Karachi! We ordered chicken Karahi, chicken tikka, beef kebab, biryani, mint margarita & lassi. We ended up overeating as niyat nahi bhar rahi thi. Must must visit if you're in Montreal! The warmth would feel like home!
We tried the boneless karahi, Lahori channay, & tea, & everything was outstanding. The boneless karahi was rich, perfectly spiced, & cooked just right - full of authentic flavour & not greasy at all. The Lahori channay were delicious, hearty, & tasted just like traditional home-style cooking.
To finish, we had their tea, which was strong, aromatic, & the perfect ending to a satisfying meal.
Great food, authentic taste, & a warm atmosphere. Definitely a place I'll be visiting again & highly recommend to anyone looking for real Pakistani flavours in Montréal
Dec 23, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
I absolutely loved the food. The chicken karahi was spiced to perfection, the garlic naan was fresh & crispy, & the chicken biryani was hearty & delicious. Everything paired perfectly with the cilantro chutney. Also, the food was cooked to order. However, the chicken karahi had a lot of small bone fragments hidden in the sauce, so we had to be very careful while eating. Some special care should be taken while cutting the chicken to avoid this.
The service was great (although only available in English). Someone came in & demanded a shish taouk with tzatziki, but the waiter was very patient & polite, & suggested a Pakistani dish close to that. Very professional.
I was looking for catering services for my daughters' 1st birthday celebration & Shandaar cuisine offered us an affordable yet great deal. We tried the food before placing a relatively big order & oh my, the food was amazing. Tasted like authentic Pakistani food. The chicken tikka, chicken kadai was very tasty. The spices were on point.
The owner is also very accommodating & warm. Uzma, offered us a wide variety for food tasting & accepted to tweak a few things based on our taste. We just wanted the beef kebabs to be spicier than usual.
The ambiance is nice & cosy, clean too. Great hospitality from the owner. Overall amazing food & service.
Ps. You can host events in there, they have a private room that accommodates about 50-60 people with a decent music system for weddings & birthdays. We got all in one place amazing food, service & ambiance too. Highly recommended :)
Nous avons fait affaire avec le service traiteur de Shandaar pour un événement de bureau & tout était parfait : la facilité & l'efficacité des communications, la flexibilité pour s'adapter à nos besoins, le service de livraison & d'installation des réchauds & des plats sur place. & la nourriture était excellente! Mes coups de coeur sont le poulet au beurre & les gulab jamun ! Merci à Uzma & toute l'équipe de Shandaar !
