Toronto might be the best city in North America for South Asian food — and it’s not even close. The GTA holds hundreds of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Hakka, Thai, Malaysian, and Filipino kitchens, from white-tablecloth fine dining to late-night karahi counters. We pulled this list from our verified directory of over 100 GTA restaurants, so every pick below is a real, confirmed spot — not a rumour. Here’s where to eat, organised by what you’re craving.
Downtown: the classic North Indian heavy-hitters
Benares (Front Street, Toronto) is the kind of place you take visitors: an upscale restaurant opposite the Gooderham Building serving classic curries and tandoori dishes with cocktails in an elegant setting. It’s old-school North Indian comfort dressed up for a night out.
A few blocks over in the Entertainment District, Aanch takes the opposite tack. It’s a Michelin Guide-listed modern Indian restaurant reimagining regional classics with creative techniques — and it has a full bar. Think of it as the fine-dining end of the spectrum, while still unmistakably Indian.
For the everyday classics, Little India Restaurant on Queen West has been family-run since 1995, with a huge menu, a daily lunch buffet, and catering across the city. It’s the rare spot that’s been feeding the same neighbourhood for three decades without coasting.
Best biryani
Biryani loyalties run deep in this city, and two of our verified picks stand out. In Mississauga, Matka Biryani House is a family-run halal spot whose signature slow-cooked Matka Biryani anchors a menu of curries, BBQ, and malai tikka. Order the namesake — it’s the whole point.
In North York, Biryaniwalla keeps things simpler and purer: a biryani specialist focused on authentic Hyderabadi dum biryanis, from chicken and mutton to vegetarian kofta varieties. If you want the full dum-style experience without a three-hour drive, this is your stop.
Best South Indian & Gujarati
Scarborough is ground zero for South Indian food in the GTA, and Aaha Truly South is a perfect introduction. It’s pure-vegetarian and specialises in breakfast-style tiffins — crispy dosas, idlis, and vadas served all day, not just in the morning.
Brampton’s Annalakshmi, a branch of the well-known vegetarian South Indian chain, is the west-end answer: crispy dosas, idli-vada combos, and thalis with chutneys and sambar.
And for Gujarati snacking, Scarborough’s Mr. Khaman is pure vegetarian too, serving fresh khaman, locho, ghughara, and chaat — the kind of quick-takeout spot that becomes a weekly habit.
Best Pakistani BBQ & karahi
Brampton and Mississauga are Pakistan’s culinary capital in the GTA, and the karahi competition is fierce. Dawat-E-Khas BBQ in Brampton is an upscale-casual BBQ restaurant with open kitchens, known for whole chicken chargha and Chinioti kunna — great for reservation-friendly group dinners.
Karahi Point‘s North York branch (at Finch and Weston) is the place for purists: chicken karahi cooked in ghee and a smoky beef bihari kabab that regulars swear by. The chain’s Brampton express outpost keeps the same wok-cooked karahis and nihari going until midnight.
Over in Vaughan, Lahori Chargha Hutt is a Woodbridge halal spot specialising in Lahori whole-chicken chargha, BBQ trays, and weekend halwa puri breakfasts. The weekend morning ritual alone is worth the drive.
Best Hakka Chinese
Hakka — the Indo-Chinese cuisine born in Kolkata — is practically a GTA food group of its own. In Mississauga, Avani Asian Indian Bistro does it upscale: contemporary Indian dishes paired with Hakka favourites, served around a glass-enclosed live tandoor. It’s the date-night version of the cuisine.
For the hearty, no-frills version, Hakka Legend Asian Cuisine in Scarborough-Ellesmere dishes up chilli chicken, spicy Hakka noodles, and lollipop chicken in hearty portions. In Brampton, Spice Seven does both worlds under one roof — South Asian curries and momos alongside Hakka Chinese dishes, with a full bar.
Best Sri Lankan, Tibetan, Thai & Bangladeshi
Scarborough’s Hopper Hut specialises in what the name promises: crisp-edged hoppers, kottu roti, and string hopper mixes with traditional sambols.
In Parkdale — Toronto’s Little Tibet — Shangrila is the long-running Tibetan and Nepalese institution, serving homemade family recipes: momos, laphing, and thukpa, with cushioned floor seating that sets the tone.
Back in Scarborough, Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen is a Michelin-recognised southern Thai restaurant showcasing dishes like kao pad pla and mango coconut sticky rice — technically Southeast Asian, but a fixture on every local food lover’s rotation.
And on the Danforth’s Bangla Town strip, Khazana Queen serves Old Dhaka-style beef tehari, weekend-only mutton kacchi biryani, and fresh rui fish fry. It’s the one stop here where Bangladeshi home flavours take centre stage.
Where to go next
Seventeen picks barely scratches the surface — our directory has over a hundred verified South Asian restaurants across Scarborough, Brampton, Mississauga, North York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill, from Bangladeshi sweet shops to Filipino catering institutions. Browse the full restaurant listings on desipages.org to find every spot, with addresses, phones, and photos, and plan your next meal.
