Gateway to India Restaurant

Nanaimo, British Columbia

The samosas at Costco looked like a tasty treat. We?ve travelled to India and have ordered samosas from the sweet shops in Abbotsford many times. We love Indian food and often prepare our own at home. I toasted these samosas in the oven till golden brown but they had no flavour. Even the dipping sauces didn?t do much to enhance the flavour profile. Just a pastry stuffed with bland potatoes. Maybe this was a mistake? I called to report this to the restaurant and they didn?t seem to care. There are better samosas on the trains in India.

Food was not great but service was pathetic. We had 8 people(east Indians) there for lunch. We were so hyped to find an Indian restaurant in Nanaimo. The lady(seems like the owner) was the only one serving with a rude attitude. Felt like she was in no mood to serve & was openly argumentative. She also asked us to decide at once & was not impressed by us ordering more food.!!! While billing she did not offer a split. Moreover, she added 26% tip herself. All in all the restaurant did not make us feel welcome instead they were disappointed to serve us.

Haven't been to the restaurant but I buy their samosas from Costco at Langford often and absolutely love them. It's definitely a favorite at my household. Also really love the spicy chutney that comes with it. Highly recommended.

Super disappointed with the service. My friend and I reached the restaurant on Valentines day, when there was just a family dining in. We were told to wait for 10-15 mins before we were actually attended. The lady made us sit next to a dirty table, when we asked her if we can sit on any of the other empty tables, she was rigid about it so we let that go. Our order was placed after 20 mins of waiting and looking at other people. We got our order an hour and 15 mins later, and were still not served even a glass of water. Mind you- the table next to us was still dirty. So basically, if you have 3 hours to spare at a terrible service- this is the place for you.

Me and my friend went to eat here on valentines day. There was only one lady working there outside the kitchen. We asked to be seated at an empty table in the middle of the restaurant. The lady working there looked around and seated us near a dirty table. She only let couples sit in the area we requested. There were no other waitresses there on that day and the service was terrible. We reached the restaurant at 7:15, our order was taken at 7:30. She didn't bring us the food till 8:30. We weren't even offered a glass of water, not even when she brought the food out. She was very nice to all the couples around us. We are not happy with the service and will not be dinning in here again. I would not recommend dining here.

Was overall disappointed with quality and taste. Paid a lot for takeout, naan was okay but over or undercooked. Chicken in the butter chicken was very strange. It was shredded into tiny gristly pieces, and tasted weird. Sauce didn?t taste or look like butter chicken. Samosas were very doughy and reminded me of store bought, and didn?t have good chutney pairing on the side, very underwhelming. Honestly only tried it based off ratings and have had a much better experience at places that are rated lower.

The atmosphere is somehow good and most of the time its not crowded. On a Monday evening it was just the 7 of us and you might enjoy the exclusivity most of the time! Whole restaurant is served by 1 waiter and be ready for more than average food in general.

The best Indian cuisine on the island! Amazing flavour and great ambiance in this hidden gem. We loved the samosas, pakora, butter chicken (special recipe), and lamb vindaloo. Make sure to order the frozen mango cream desert with pistachios and almonds. The owner was so kind to us. We will definitely be back!