Gautama

I’ve had the buffet in many of the Indian restaurants in Little India and this is definitely my favourite. LOVE the food here! My husband and I have eaten here many times on our own or brought friends and family and it’s always been a great experience. The food is always fresh, hot and well stocked — they check regularly and refill often. There are lots of options to choose from — whether you’re vegetarian or not, there are so many flavourful options. I love the fact that they rotate menu items so each time I’ve been here, there are the welcome staples but then there’s always something new that I haven’t tried before. I love their Paneer Makhani — it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. The sauce is sooo delicious! The service is always quick and friendly. There’s occasionally a wait for a table on the weekend but the turnover is quick and it’s worth the wait. This is also one of the few restaurants in Little India that has outdoor seating which is a nice option in the summer so you can eat and people watch at the same time. Just go! You won’t be disappointed.

Where do I start… This place is the best! Randomly walked in for takeout and the servers quickly handed us a menu and let us sit on the patio. They had suggestions which was really helpful. The restaurant itself is also one of the cleanest amongst the Gerrard India Bazaar. While we waited, the servers brought us ice water and then Pakoras!!! Say what!!! A complimentary appetizer while we waited for take out… Talk about impeccable service! They were absolutely delicious– the rest of the food too. So flavourful and the spice wasn’t over powering! God damn!!!

Great buffet, great price!
The staff is very friendly. The food is delicious but nothing different from what is offered at other buffets in the area. On the other hand, the décor is nice, more modern than the other places in Little India.

I like this place. The food good, which surprised me because it’s a buffet. I’m no expert on indian food, but I’ve tried enough indian places to know that I won’t be disappointed on my visits. They have outdoor seating, which is also nice.
My biggest problem is that my inner fatty takes over and I ALWAYS OVEReat!

This is my go-​to Indian Buffet on Gerrard Street. The food is really good and tasty ! However, the restaurant can be a bit cramped so not recommended for really big groups. It’s also a bit pricey compared to other Indian buffets but occasionally it’s worth the splurge.

Having newly moved in the neighbourhood, I was excited to try the Indian cuisine within walking distance. Went here last night to try the dinner buffet with one of my girlfriends. The food was very good, although I would’ve liked a few more options in the hot buffet but for $ 13 it was well worth it. I also tried the Mango Lassi which was a perfect pairing with the food. Interior was very nice and wait staff were attentive/​friendly. ⁴⁄₅ stars :)

My number 1 go-​to place for Indian food.

Amazing!
The food is great for the price and the servers are always available to take away your dirty plate or refill your water.

Went to Gautama a couple months ago with the gal pals for a catch up. It’s so hard to choose a place in Little India when there are so many delicious smells wafting at you from any number of places. But Gautama impressed us and i’ve been back several times with my SO.
Firstly, the price is right. We go for the dinner buffet and it’s $ 14 each if I remember correctly.
Also, the service is always wonderful. It’s a serve-​yourself buffet, which leaves the wait staff available to be very attentive for drink orders. My water glass is never less than half full and they take away your dirty plates as soon as you get up for your next course.
The food is delicious! With a vegetarian best friend, and an boyfriend who doesn’t eat pork, this is the perfect place to go and have everyone be happy! Most of the dishes are vegetables (chick peas, veggie samosas, saag paneer, veggie pakoras, potato and cauliflower etc.), and the meat ones are mostly chicken (butter, curry and tandoori), as well as the one curry goat option. I love the papadum but it’s kind of hidden. You’ll find it in a serving dish on top of the cold food options and fruit.
Don’t forget to have the honey ball or ice cream for dessert!
They also have a great side patio in the warmer months.

Really yummy buffet. Went here for dinner with the boyfriend. Restaurant was surprisingly nice: wood floors, nice mirrors, fancy wood panelled bar. We agreed it was overly nice for a buffet. food was delicious with the perfect amount of spice. Heineken and Coronas were only $ 5. We’d definitely come back. Great value.

The lunch buffet was really yummy. Great selection. Mishkal, our waiter, was extremely friendly and made our time there that much better. Thanks!

This makes NO sense! So, the SO and I went to Little India for buffet. We were planning on going to Recency, but saw a sandwich board outside of Gautama and thought we would give it a try. We have had takeout from here before and it was really good. Spicy, flavourful and so on. The same dishes on the buffet? Bland, soupy, flavourless and extremely SWEET. So bizarre. I can only assume that they are trying to cater to a «western palate.» And they must be doing something right, the place was rammed.
Really, not great. Everything tastes the same. No spice, heavy sugar. Get takeout or nothing.

My husband and I were lucky to have Indian friends who recommended meeting up here for dinner on a Friday night. We were able to enjoy the buffet where they served a variety of chicken dishes and goat curry. Their goat curry was absolutely wonderful with large pieces of goat with the bone in that was cooked long enough that the marrow was dripping out of the bone and the meat was a mixture of fatty and lean. The curries were all very tasty including chana masala and their saag paneer had a uniquely sweeter taste than most that we’ve had, but pleasant at the same time. Overall, we enjoyed a great dinner with great company. The wait service was great as well as our glasses were always more than half full and our dishes were cleared timely.

We popped into Gautama this afternoon to get out the rain and decided to stay and try the buffet. Butter chicken and Chana were ok but the curries were quite thin and bland. Also I found the service a little bit rude.
It was the Festival of South Asia today and we walked pass so many tasty lunch options on the street. I kind of wish we had of grabbed something else before it started pouring and we ran in here.
The bottle of Kingfisher I had hit the spot as it was about a million degrees in the restaurant.

We were enjoying the street vendors at the South Asian Festival today when suddenly the skies opened up and we were in a monsoon. Lahore was just too far in the insane rain, so we we sought refuge from the downpour in Gautama.
I am really really sorry we did.
First disappointment… a buffet. Never my choice of dining experiences, but we didn’t notice that until we’d already been seated. Oh well; could be worse. And it was.
Second disappointment… the buffet. Could it be any smaller? Where is this nice selection?
Third disappointment… the food from the buffet. As the rain water flooded the streets outside, the chicken dishes too were floating in an ocean of sauce. The rice had frozen veggies in it — the same kind my parents use in the food they make for their dogs. The dal, normally one of my favourites, was absolutely flavorless and the palak paneer, well let’s just say I saw absolutely no evidence of paneer. But I did find lots of gristle in my chicken. Obviously, I did not go back for seconds.
The fourth and final disappointment… the service. The server asked if we wanted another round of Kingfishers. We said no. He proceeded to bring two more when we were at the buffet. We called him over and we reminded him that we said no. He rolled his eyes, but took them away.
We waited for an eternity after asking for the bill. Our original server came over and said «Why are you still sitting here? Do you want the cheque?» Rude and duh… yes. When the bill came, naturally we were charged for the two Kingfishers we sent back. When we pointed out this error to him, he began arguing with us that we ordered them and it was our fault.
I will NEVER EVER come back here!

I have been dreaming of Siddhartha Vegetarian Indian Buffet for 3 years, since I moved away from Toronto, only to return to find it has changed hands and no longer exists?!!
Apparently Gautama is the new sister to Siddhartha. We stumbled upon it, as I recognised the logo on the sandwich board.
The décor is modern, but has less character than before. The buffet was not ready when we got there. It took a while for the server to approach us as well.
The buffet was tasty, although saucier than I remember. You were lucky to get a piece of meat or cheese. The lamb curry was quite gristly. The veggie dishes (potatoes in particular) were cold, and undercooked.
However, the chicken curry was divine. The tandoori chicken was also delish. The naan was hot and crispy and fresh.
I would try it again, if I was in the area. I wouldn’t make a special trip…

Horrible food. If you’re looking for authenticate Indian food, this is NOT the place for it. Curries were super sweet, the desert was not… Naan was stale… Overall a poor experience.
Will not repeat this place!

food — Everything was tasty. The meat was good quality and sauces created a beautiful mesh of flavors with the raita and chutney
service — very helpful and courteous
atmosphere — nice clean place. waiters are clean cut and well dressed, table cloths and silver wear, bathrooms are impeccable (this is quite a change from other places on this street). There is a terrace for summer months too.
price — very competitive week end lunch/​brunch buffet ($ 10.99) that includes appetizer items, mains and deserts

We had intentions of eating at Siddhartha’s but when we drove by, the restaurant was dark with a sign saying it was closed for renovations and to go to Gautama instead.
Arriving around 7-​ish on a Friday night, Gautama was pretty full. We were able to snag the last table for 5 right in the window.
Famished from a long work day, we hit up the buffet ($ 13.99) and loaded up. While I was spooning food onto my plate, I noticed that the different curries were quite runny and thin, including the butter chicken and daal.
The mattar and saag paneers contained very little cubes of cheese. Naan was available for a very short time in the buffet, and not delivered fresh to each table as we had experienced in the past at Siddhartha’s. Once the naan was quickly snatched up, it took a while to replenish. I was actually only able to get one quarter piece for my whole meal and was finished eating by the time new naan came out.
I found the buffet food to be lukewarm in temperature and totally agree with a previous reviewer that the butter chicken was very, very sweet tasting, and the watered down sauce wasn’t appetizing.
Finished off our meal with a bit of fresh fruit, freezer burnt ice cream and decent Gulab Jamun.
Service was friendly and efficient for a busy place.
I’ve definitely had better buffet food in Little India before. It was disappointing that the the food at Gautama was so watered down and sloppy.

Gautama. A short film.
Saturday night. Little India. 8pm.
Scene opens with a panning shot of the bustling street, Duvali lights sparkling, shoppers rushing past with large bags of groceries, clothing stores shine with beautiful sari’s in the window.
Camera stops at a huge line outside a restaurant. Siddhartha. Frustrated, hungry Torontoians queue up for tasty Indian buffet. They are told it will be about 35 minutes.
Camera pulls out an pans about a block to the west to another Indian restaurant, Gautama. Camera zooms in on the sign, when viewers notice the exact same logo next to the restaurant’s name as seen on Siddhartha.
Camera pulls back, then zooms in once again, this time into the large front window to reveal a half empty room.
Fade out.
guatama is the new little sister resto to Siddhartha. Same exact logo, same exact menu, no line-​ups or waits for take-​out. Way better service.
Yet no one knows this. People were literally lined up the door at Siddhartha, yet Guatama sat only 45% full
We called in an order, here is what we had:
Chicken Tikka Malsala ($ 10.99): super creamy and spicy boneless marinated chicken
Lamb Vindaloo ($ 10.99): super tender lamb stewed in a spicy red gravy
Saag Paneer ($ 9.99): creamy spinach with a bit of heat and cubed housemade cheese
We ordered a couple more dishes but I can’t seem to remember their names. One was a stewed chickpea dish, the other was a curry with sauaage-​shaped balls made with chickpeas and nuts.
We ordered everything medium spiced, it was spicy but not unbearable at all. Everything was super fresh and delicious.
Will definitely go back, my new favourite place in Little India!