Top 5 South Indian Restaurants in Brampton
Published April 6, 2018 at 7:35 pm
North Indian food gets a tremendous amount of attention in Brampton, but South Indian cuisine gives it a run for its money. Idly, dosa, sambhar, vada, biryani, puttu, appam, parotta, and more, with spice levels that are off the charts – I’m looking at you, Tamil, Malayali, and Mangolorean folks in Brampton!
It’s no secret that South Indian food is delicious, and Brampton has a ton of South Indian restaurants that will both satisfy you and blow your mind.
So without further ado, here are the top five South Indian restaurants in Brampton!
5) Le Kochi
On Dewside Drive, you’ll find the relatively new Le Kochi South Indian restaurant, and you’ll be glad you did. Le Kochi boasts a delicious South Indian dining experience, and they’re not wrong. It’s a super casual restaurant with traditional items on the menu like biryani, mutton stew and roast (a lot of mutton, which is common in some South Indian cultures), and a few dosas on the menu…but this place has a twist! There are several East Asian-inspired items also on the menu, like fried rice, noodles, and more. As for the food, I tried the chicken biryani and it was unique and flavourful, spicy with a hint of sweetness. The rice was perfectly cooked and the chicken perfectly spiced and melt-in-your-mouth good. The chicken 65 and the bamboo biryani are also top contenders on this menu. Over all, Le Kochi is a modern eatery with a solid selection on their menu for every palette. And their raita (basically yogurt with certain vegetables and spices – pictured below) is the bomb.
Madras Restaurant is located at Bovaird Drive East and Professor’s Lake Parkway, right near Brampton Civic Hospital. The dosas definitely stand out at this simple spot. Usually, I’ve found that dosas are vegetarian, but this place had meat dosas, and even a chocolate dosa! I had to try the meat dosa, so I chose the chicken masala dosa, spread with special chicken masala on the inside and served with a special gravy.The crepe was thin and crispy, the filling was flavorful, there was a good amount of chicken in there, and the sambhar complimented the whole meal nicely. This place is North and South Indian fusion, so you’ll find utthapam (a pancake-like dish with lots of flavourful toppings) alongside channa masala (spicy chick pea curry), and all of the options are equally scrumptious. Madras’s decor and choice of music is also interesting – there’s an Indian cinema theme happening with Bollywood tunes playing as a backdrop to your meal, which is always fun.
At Hurontario Street and Steeles Avenue, Anjappar Chettinad is a great South Indian spot with a buffet, a regular a-la-carte menu including dosas. They’ve even got all your dosa classics served up with amazing inhouse-made chutney, whole fish dishes, and a ton of mutton. This place has a fantastic buffet on the weekends that is rather busy in the AM / early lunch hour. The buffet ranges from a reasonable $10.99 for weekend mornings to $12.99 for a weekday lunch and $14.99 in the evening. And let me tell you, the variety and flavour of their buffet and the fact that they even have a South Indian buffet makes Anjappar Chettinad really stand out in Brampton. From their dosas to their vada (pictured below – a fried lentil doughnut) to their idly (fluffy rice cakes) to their outstanding biryani, to their traditional-feeling decor and beyond, this is a great spot if you’re looking for a flavourful and filling South Indian food, with extremely kind and helpful staff to boot.
2) Simply South
Simply South is a relatively new restaurant located at Countryside Drive and Airport Road, and they have quick, kind service and a gorgeous interior (seriously – date night material, themed in blue and bronze!). First of all, their presentation is on point as you can see from the photo of their beautiful dosa below. I had their Chettinad dosa, which is smeared in a special chilli powder, and filled with a traditional potato and onion paste. Their dosa was light, crispy, and golden brown, their filling was flavourful and the powder added a nice kick, and their chutneys were delicious. The best part? Their sambhar. A perfectly balanced mix of tamarind, curry leaves, and lentils, their sambhar was a good compliment to their dosa and chutneys – I almost drank the whole thing. Not only do they have a great dosa selection, Simply South has some choice South Indian favourites on the menu like gobi manchurian (cauliflower fritters) and even a samosa sampler, plus North Indian street food, six different kinds of vada, and…a lunch special South Indian thali (assortment of items)! It comes with masala dosa, idly, vada, and something sweet, served with sambhar and papadum (a crunchy chip-like item). Be warned – it’s all vegetarian here.
1) Annalakshmi
Fresh. Spicy. Vegetarian. Backyard dosa parties. These all very descriptive of this Brampton favourite, Annalakshmi at Main and Bovaird! Hidden in a plaza with Bluenotes and Suzy Shier outlets, I can’t blame you if you didn’t even know that this spot existed. But I would blame you if you didn’t go out of your way to try it! Annalakshmi is an absolute gem in Brampton that serves up fresh, spicy, authentic South Indian cuisine. Dosas are their specialty here – below is a spinach dosa with aloo masala (a spicy potato mixture), served with fresh chutney, and I devoured it, it was mouth-watering. But dosas aren’t the only things you’ll find on the menu. Annalakshmi is also great for their utthapam (you can even get seven mini ones and try all of the flavours), four kinds of idly, corn soup, four kinds of rice including classic lemon rice and tamarind rice, and tiffins (typically include Indian bread and some sort of curry). Meals at Annalakshmi are so comforting and delicious that they taste homemade, and yes, they do host backyard dosa parties where you can watch them make your dosas before you eat them.
