Kothur Indian Cuisine

Ambiance:
The décor of the restaurant is decent. Nothing shabby. I felt the whole space was slightly small. We were seated right in front of the bar/​checkout so it was slightly uncomfortable with people standing right beside us to pay and the bar protruding out and hovering over your head.
Food:
We ordered the Chilli Chicken, Chicken Biryani and Dosa. The chilli chicken and biryani were pretty good. Chilli chicken had a sweet+spicy flavor to it and was slightly crispy. The biryani was made in South Indian style, hence it was rich in flavor. The chicken was tender. The Dosa was not the best, we have had better dosas elsewhere.
Service:
Staff was friendly. Everything came on time and the wait-​staff took care of us.
Value:
The prices were reasonable relative to the quality of food.

The food was pretty good. My friend and I shared a chicken biryani because we were not that hungry, but the waitress seemed annoyed that we only got one thing. We got medium spicy but felt like the kick was non-​existent.
The atmosphere in this restaurant was soooo awkward. It was DEAD SILENT even though there were three other tables there when we walked in. There was no music and it was almost as if the walls were sound-​proof. The waitress was pretty awkward too, it seemed like she didn’t really know how to waitress because she tried to stack our plates on top of each other with utensils between them. She ended up dropping something.
Overall, it was okay. Would go back for food if desperate for Indian food and all other restaurants were closed, maybe…

I was there at 1pm on a Saturday and the door was locked. We saw there was a waiter at the bar and we waited outside for a few minutes but no one came to let us in!!!

Food was pathetic I won’t even give a zero star. Gobi Manchurian was bitter and oily. Sizzlers oh my God you call that one ??? Raw and uncooked very bad experience don’t even get in that direction

I think Kothur is the definition of «Meh». There were just too many annoyances that kept me from enjoying take-​out I just grabbed from Kothur on Yonge.
On the front of the menu it says «10% off dine-​in or pick-​up orders over $ 15». When ordering, I confirmed this with the girl on the phone but when I got there the same girl said I needed to print out the menu and bring it in. Annoying, but not a deal breaker unto itself.
The rice (not included with any dish) was expensive and very average — I’ve never seen indian rice without cardamom seeds until now. Again, not a show-​stopper but the «meh» factor is increasing…
Most Indian takeout I’ve had comes with little containers of tamarind sauce, mint chutney and pickled onions — or at least some napkins? Definitely no frills here.
And finally, the food itself. It was ready impressively fast, but what’s the rush? Both the Saag Paneer and Butter Chicken were watery and pretty bland. Not particularly awful, but with so much competition in the area they’ll have to step it up to be competitors for my return business. I’d take a pass and head down to Trimurti on Queen or one of the delicious buffets on East Gerrard.

I eat a lot of indian food. And I had never heard of Kothur. But my take out app listed it. So I thought I would give it a try. My delivery was amazing. I ordered the palak paneer, chicken vindaloo, beef kahrai and a chicken biryani. The food tasted so fresh. The spices were a great level of flavour and heat. The beef was soft and flavourful. The chicken was white meat and well cooked. The rice was nicely cooked. And the best part is that there wasn’t pools of oil on top like some places can give. The prices were great. I spent $ 60 and received 4 large dishes plus two ras malai desserts. I’ll be ordering from them again.

I ordered delivery from here.
I specifically asked for no cilantro. No cilantro. I even said «please», because I’m polite like that. Not only did every dish have cilantro in it, but it did not seem to be just cilantro that was cooked in; cilantro was added in top. Generously. Like, tonnes of it. On the soup, on the vegetarian dish, and on the chicken dish.
Very disappointing.
(I get that they can’t make certain dishes to order without cilantro. I do. If I ran a restaurant and someone mentioned a food intolerance, I’d either accommodate it, OR tell the customer that the intolerance couldn’t be accommodated and suggest alternative dishes.)

authentic

Bottom-​line: The food tastes great. I live a stone’s throw away from Kothur and have already made it my local for Indian food. I took my family here on a few occasions and they loved the food as well. I have lived in South India for over 25 year and I can vouch for the authenticity of the food that is made at Kothur.
They have great staff who are friendly and courteous. The service speed is acceptable.
If their name board was more visible they could capitalize their Yonge street location better.

First impressions while we wait for our food: 5pm and a completely empty restaurant. We had to walk all the way into the back, into the kitchen, to get someone’s attention and seat/​serve us. The server is uninterested, but brought out the water and pappadum with chutneys very quickly. On an amusing note, one of the songs playing was «1 2 3 4 get on the dance floor, booty shake booty shake booty shake» hahaha.
On the less bright side, they only have dosas on weekends, which is what I came for. Pout!
Appetizers came out after several minutes (sampler platter) and was quite good, if greasy.
Food (malai kofta and mutter paneer) was delicious and particularly enjoyed by my dinner date, although very mild and not flavorful enough for me. Also unsure if it was actually malai. My south Asian bias familiarity kicks in…
VERY unimpressed that the server brought out our bill before we were done eating, without asking if we wanted anything else (what if I wanted dessert?) In a completely empty restaurant. Such a rush to kick out paying patrons?

Got take out here on a Wed night from Just-​Eat — delivery came within 45min.
Two suggestions — BUTTER CHICKEN, and try all their naan
Definitely ordering from them again

We got delivery from our local Indian restaurant Kothur for the first time. Tucked in and camouflaged next to the Panasonic theatre, we had never really given it a shot before. It’s easy to miss when the eyes are drawn to the classic and blinding Mirvish light-​and-​poster display. I was excited and hopeful that we’d have another great restaurant in our neighbourhood. Our order:
1. Aloo Gobi (Spicy curried potatoes)
2. Veggie Kurma (Cauliflower in coconut gravy)
3. Veg Paneer (Giant cheese cubes in spinach sauce)
4. Garlic Naan
They were all delicious. The paneer cubes were perfectly shaped and would not have looked out of place in any cube-​based films:
Cube
Cube 2: Hypercube
Cube Zero
Hellraiser
Star Trek: First Contact
Anaconda
The Aloo Gobi was as good as any I’ve had at Amaya (and 2 dollars cheaper) and my first experience with Kurma was postive — it was the only dish there was ‘naan’ leftover.
Speaking of, my only complaint was that the two orders of naan could have yielded more. We definitely ran out of bread before we ran out of dishes. Thankfully we had supplemented our meal with some extra pita, and weren’t hung out to dry, having to drink the remaining sauce out of takeout containers like common vagrants… I would suggest getting one order of naan per person at a minimum. Otherwise, I had a great delivery experience with Kothur, and look forward to giving them a try in person.

The hubby has been raving about this place for months and I finally got a chance to try it with him for lunch.
Around 12pm it was unusually empty but we were seating and served quickly. The lunch special is $ 7.99 and comes with soup, a veggie fried thing, another lentil soupy dish I don’t know what it is, naan, rice, your choice of entrée and a dessert (today a small bowl of coconut milk and tapioca thing). Tons of food!
Entrees the list goes on from veggie options, chicken lamb and beef dishes. Had the butter chicken and it’s one of the best I’ve ever had!
It was a great meal which I could barely finish for an excellent price.

Yummy, Indian, and veg-​friendly.
Walking in, you are at once fearful and hopeful: fearful that, as the narrow space and mostly empty tables suggest, the food may be as questionable as the setting; and hopeful that, since it is clearly a hole-​in-​the-​wall, perhaps you have found a hidden gem.
I would say that Kothur is the latter — a hidden gem. Most entrees are priced around $ 10 – 11, give or take a couple dollars (veg dishes tend to be on the cheaper side). Both my friend and I loved the Vegetable Kurma, and I really enjoyed (her) Lamb Xacutti. The garlic naan was also everything I hoped it would be. However, as people have said, the appetizer platter is completely meh. If you want apps, go for the onion pakoras. My friend also liked the cutlets.
Overall, this is a pretty great hole in the wall, and it gets bonus points for having so many delicious vegetarian entrees. I will be back for yummy Indian food (with good vegetarian options, too!) when I’m in the area.

I must admit, I had my doubts about this place. My best friend, who is the Queen of Groupons, had one for Kothur so we decided to check it out. I wasn’t impressed that on a Thursday at 6:30 we were the only ones in the place, but I’m no one for crowds, so I kept an open mind.
My best friend is about as crazy with the spice as I am. We order all our food kill-​me hot and watch the Indian waiter walk away sniggering, thinking he’ll teach the blonde and the redhead what HOT really is. NO we’ll teach YOU that WE are not your garden variety white girls.
Onion Bhajia were wuite good. They were flatter and rounder than others that I’ve had, but definitely good. The Palak Paneer was delicious… less of a homogenized mixture of spinach than usual. It almost seemed that they had some other vegetable mixed in, but it was overall a great curry. Our favourite was the Chicken Chettinadu. They made it super spicy for us and I was blown away by the flavour! Hot hot hot, but smoky and garlicky. I enjoyed this as much as any Butter Chicken I’ve ever had– maybe more.
The waiter was super friendly and helpful (he better have been since we were the only table in there!) They also had this hilarious music playing… it was full of trumpets and drums with the odd neighing of a horse. Every time the horse neighed, we collapsed into laughter.
I would totally come back here again. If you like it hot, definitely try the Chicken Chettinadu but make sure to ask them to make it EXTRA SPICY for you! This dish is made better by the addition of more spice.

I generally don’t enjoy eating at downtown Indian food restaurants; somehow I find their blend of spices imbalanced and fake in an attempt to conform to a rather odd Indian food stereotype.
I went to Kothur for lunch with three other colleagues and it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The place is bit hard to find, tucked away between two large storefronts, one of them being a strip club, I think (Edit: It’s next to the Panasonic theatre). There are no windows in this restaurant and the décor is modest. It felt like this space was carved out of an area under a stairwell.
We ordered from the lunch menu which was surprisingly cheap and came with generous portions of food. Soup came first, a watered down lentil and vegetable daal, followed by the main course in stainless-​steel containers that reminded me of cafeterias and small eateries in India. Besides rice, a fried bhaji (falafel-​ish fried goodness) and generous amounts of naan (people like that awful thing so much!), the menu had over fifteen options for the main entrée. We picked different chicken dishes, mine being the ‘saag chicken’. There was a rice pudding dessert to finish off with. All this for $ 8!
The waiter was very friendly and polite, he even offered a complimentary bowl of daal for the table to share. How nice, and how Indian!
Overall I was quite impressed by this restaurant and certainly I’ll go back!

I work around this area and go to this place occasionally with an Indian coworker. The décor leaves something to be desired but most of their lunch specials are decent and good value. For 10 dollars including tax, they have a lunch special which includes soup, rice, naan, lentil, one pakora, side veggies and the main entrees (I usually get butter chicken).
It’s cheap food, large portion and a good lunch spot, but not really a date spot

I wouldn’t have known this place was any good until I bought a couple deal vouchers online, but I’m glad I took the chance. I pass by this restaurant all the time and never really noticed it, but now I’ve been there a few times and it’s safe to say that this is my favourite Indian restaurant.
The décor isn’t to be desired but it does have a homey kind of feel to it. One complaint is that it gets pretty cold in the winter time, but the spiciness of Indian food can help that :)
The service is great, everyone is so nice and very accommodating with the various levels of spiciness for each dish that you order. You get complimentary poppadoms with sauce at the beginning of the meal, and I even got complimentary rice pudding one time — I guess they were very excited with my reactions to their food: P
I’m not sure if the food is absolutely authentic, but it’s great. Ordering the mango lassi, vegetable pakoras, and garlic naan every time is a must. I try to order new entrees every time I go, and I am never disappointed. Everything I’ve ordered so far on the menu has been amazing. The portions are quite big even though its usually shared, but I always take left overs home to enjoy the next day. With an appetizer, extra garlic naan, mango lassis, and 2 shared entrees may sound pricey, but the bill came up to around $ 40!
Every time I eat the food here, I get so happy — it gets pretty ridiculous at times. I can’t stop telling my friends about this place and I would not want this restaurant to go unnoticed. Go check it out!

Ah hell no!
I went here for three reasons: firstly, having passed this restaurant many times, I had never noticed it and that intrigued me. Secondly, I read a few decent reviews for it. Most importantly, they have dosa on the menu which I haven’t had for a long time and I miss it so.
I kind of liked the campy interior hence the two stars. My partner said it reminded him of Scarborough basements of childhood friends’ houses. My friend said it reminded her of «that» restaurant you see in various Indian movies. I think they both have a point. I didn’t like the fact that there was only one other customer in the restaurant, but hey, we were there now, so we might as well sojourn on.
My hopes vanished when I ordered the masala dosa and was told they didn’t have dosa that night. Wha WHAT??? After unsuccessfully trying to recover from my disappointment, I completely abdicated responsibility and allowed the rest of the table to order. I knew I was in safe hands anyway.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the dishes except the naan which was decent. I only had one small sampling of each dish and even that I didn’t finish. Before we left the restaurant my face was burning. I am very allergic to MSG and a few other food additives, so that’s not too surprising. What was surprising was by the time we hit the streetcar, my partner’s face was on fire too. Believe me, it wasn’t the spice in the dishes because even though we ordered them medium hot, I didn’t find them remotely spicy. I’m not sure what stuff they’re putting in their curries, but both of us had a terrible case of gut rot. It was so bad that the leftovers ended up in the garbage can at the corner of Queen and Broadview.
I suppose it’s needless to say, but just in case, I will not be returning.

Kothur is an Indian restaurant with South Indian owners. With that in mind we were set on ordering ‘South Indian’ dishes if possible. There were surprisingly few that fit the description (though the menu has over 100 options).
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Assessment of the food:
Mixed appetizer tray — This was a good sampling of all the appetizers. Unfortunately we found everything had a pretty overwhelming deep fried taste to it.
Two different soups, both of which were a bit flavourless.
Chicken dish (#35 I think?) that in the description identified itself as ‘South Indian’. The flavour of the sauce was very unique compared to any of typical indian dishes served in restaurants.
Tandori Shrimp Sizzler. Large portion and came with a BIG basket of naan bread. Unfortunately it was quite overcooked and didn’t have a lot of flavour but I think this dish has a lot of potential. It certainly looks delicious with big succulent sizzling shrimp.
Dosa — this is a staple of South Indian cooking. It’s a big pancake filled with a potato based filling (big as in larger than a dinner plate!)
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In case you can’t already tell… we ordered WAY too much food and did a terrible job of ordering a good variety. Our meal was essentially carbs, carbs and more carbs. (Totally our fault).
No air conditioning in the restaurant, but lots of fans to help keep it cool.
Anyway, I honestly haven’t had a waiter as sweet, friendly and eager to please as ours was tonight. 5 stars for the smile our waiter’s face, but just a two for the somewhat bland food.