Food galore across the border !!!

Surrey, B.C. (Canada)  

This area for us is especially known for its North Indian cuisine and sweets. Seattle, in our opinion purely lacks the Indian food we crave daily. No chaat or Indian restaurant in Seattle compares to what's available a few hours’ drive across the border, so we're thankful for that option and we try to make this trip for food ONLY few times a year.

Many people, including friends, have asked me about accommodation options in Surrey as well as the dining spots we've tried out. Therefore, I'm sharing a blog post with a comprehensive list of food joints that I’m aware of and keeping tabs on and hoping to tick off one new spot with each visit. We generally go on weekend trips, staying for 1-2 nights which allows us to eat out at 3-4 different places and, if time allows, grab takeout for sweets or something else from another spot. Each member of our family of four has one favorite spot to dine at, which isn't necessarily the same for all of us and may have been a previously visited restaurant 😊.

Morever, unless we have a plan to go out for at least two nights, we often find ourselves eating at our usual establishments. I'm posting below a list of places that I know and the ones we particularly enjoy visiting often. I would love to hear your recommendations and experiences, so please leave a comment.

Here are the restaurants we have experienced. The ones in green are our favorites or frequent choices. They are all located near Scott Road and Delta, Surrey area.

Tandoori Flames - This restaurant offers the largest buffet selection in North America we've experienced, and we highly suggest sampling the various food stations and 100+ items. While taste may differ with such a vast selection, we generally enjoy it! The expanded buffet available from Friday to Sunday features additional items and is priced slightly higher yet remains reasonable when comparing the cost and quality of Indian cuisine encountered in Seattle. I particularly savor beginning with their appetizer and dessert stations, only opting for the main course if I have room to spare 😊.

Note that beverages, without displayed prices on the menu, including any sealed water bottles placed on your table, aren't included in the buffet cost and incur extra charges. Some friends have highlighted the lack of clear communication from the restaurant regarding this matter. In our case, we did not face this issue as we usually inquire about these specifics explicitly before placing any orders.

Tasty Indian Bistro - The quality and flavor of the meals at this eatery is reminiscent of authentic Indian cuisine. Whether it's the soya chap, chole bhature, or their weekday lunch Thali, each dish consistently offers top-tier taste. We still haven't yet experienced the Vancouver branch.

Apna Chaat House - This is the best spot in Surrey for Pani Puri fans (with a dedicated live station beside the main restaurant for an authentic vibe). We found that ordering at the dining area offers the same great taste at a more affordable price, even though we only tried the live station once. All other chaat items are tasty and reasonably priced. I especially always order their chole bhature and chai.

Happy Singh - This is usually a delightful experience for us, particularly when we want to try out various items quickly, similar to the Haldiram's self-serve experience in India, enticing us with its wide range of options that even our kids love. We particularly enjoy discovering their varied dessert options, as well as the selection of rich beverages they have on the menu.

Satya Asha - We recently enjoyed a brunch at a restaurant that, despite its modest ambiance, offered a delightful variety of dishes. The South Indian options like idly, dosa, vada, and sambhar, along with North Indian parathas, were particularly delicious. The addition of chole, kulcha, chai, and cold coffee further enhanced our dining experience. Moreover, the robot that assisted in serving some of the dishes was a hit, especially with the kids.

Sri Periyava Dosa Bhavan - It's been some time since our last visit, and though the feedback from friends has been varied recently, I’m considering giving it another try soon. Reflecting on our previous experience, I can say with delight that all the South Indian dishes we ordered were really good, particularly when compared to the experience we had at Saravana Bhavan in Surrey.

Saravana Bhavan: It's been years since we last dined at this restaurant, and although the experience wasn't that remarkable, we did enjoy the unlimited lunch Thali with a live dosa station back then.

During our recent visit (Aug'24) to Saravana Bhavan, we thoroughly enjoyed their South Indian lunch buffet. It was a good decision to arrive early right at opening time, as the place quickly becomes crowded and the buffet area is rather small.

Paratha2Pasta - A robot is tasked with bringing meals to the table. Kids really liked this concept, but the food quality didn't impress us much - the kulcha and aloo paratha were just above average. Also, other dishes, including the pasta, weren't much of a hit with our children.

Chacha's Tandoor and Grill - My husband enjoyed the non-vegetarian dishes, but there were limited choices for vegetarians and the options I tried were just fine, nothing exceptional.

Ustaad G76 - We have visited the Newton and South Surrey locations of this establishment, which is famous for its kulchas. The kulchas indeed met our expectations and were delicious, and the chole bhature was also quite enjoyable.

Desi Rasoi, situated in the same complex as Paratha2Pasta, offers a variety of chaat items and drinks. We found everything we tried there to be tasty!!

Indian chaat in White Rock - We decided to try this place for chaat while staying at an Airbnb in White Rock. Interestingly, we ended up liking the main course dishes more than the chaat :)

House of Dosa - Visited for the first time and found it to be a well-priced South Indian eatery with cost-effective dosa options available during the weekday specials.

Indian Club - Seemed like a new restaurant we visited around a year ago. The food was decent although not outstanding, and the service was noticeably sluggish, possibly due to its recent opening.

Dragon Wok - We had dinner at this small joint in the Payal business complex, where they serve Indian style chinese food. We only ordered a few dishes, like hakka noodles, spring rolls and fried rice, because we had a sumptuous lunch at Tandoori flames. The noodles and the rice were good, but the spring rolls were oily and not very tasty. We might try a different branch next time.

Akash chaat - Also, at the the payal business complex, we sampled some items like pani puri and tikki from this place, but we did not find it very satisfying.

Tim Hortons - Our kids favorite for donuts and snacks, and renowned for its affordability (akin to McDonald's in the U.S.).

For Tea lovers - We recently had a chance to try the well-known 'Chaiwala of London' and their 'Karak' chaii was amazing !!

Manohar bakery had some delicious patties, cream rolls and snacks that we enjoyed (they have a few locations in Surrey). We also tried out some sweets like ladoo and jalebi from Dhaliwal sweets, which were good.

Madhur Sweets - We enjoyed Delhi-style delicious chole bhature at this location and sampled some of their sweets, which were quite good. However, please note that the ambiance is lacking and the space is quite small, so set your expectations accordingly.

After trying different desserts from various shops, we found that Maharaja LLC had excellent jalebis, and Prabhu Sweets offered tasty and affordable samosas (some more details below). However, we were disappointed that Prabhu Sweets did not have any pickle collection for sale during our recent visits, which we used to enjoy a lot.

Aggarwal Sweets - We found their quality acceptable, but not very impressive (we tried few years ago though)

Kesari Sweets - Good collection of sweets and well-kept store

The grocery store in Payal complex is a regular stop for us to get Indian snacks , candies and sweets :)

Recently discovered: D Spot Dessert Cafe, which was a hit with my kids. We visited it 2-3 times on our last trip. The desserts are delicious, generously portioned, and slightly pricey, but definitely worth it. I recommend visiting on an empty stomach to fully enjoy the experience.

Thai Affair (ice-cream truck), located in White Rock promenade, offers a delightful experience, now also boasts a newly opened store. They specialize in rolled Gelato, which is made right in front of you, providing both a visual treat and a delicious one. Although the prices might be slightly above average for gelato, the overall experience and distinct flavors justify giving it a try!.

Here's a list of eateries we're considering for our upcoming trips. Please feel free to add any additional comments or suggestions.

For meals - Madras house veg, Showshah, White Rock (heard it's great), Aggarwal Sweets

For desserts - Sachdeva sweets (heard samosas are good), Anmol, Bhaia and Jagga sweets (great reviews), Ice queen for Indian ice cream, Bikaner sweets

For bakeries - Brekas Bakery, Jam café

For Paan lovers - Paan Wala and Royal paan

Where to stay in Surrey (especially for a food trip)?

During our travels, we lodged at Best Western, Civic Hotel (next to public library), and Sheraton Vancouver Guildford in Surrey. We frequently choose Best Western for its satisfactory accommodations and amenities for brief visits and proximity to Scott Road (ideal spot to locate a variety of Indian eateries. Regardless, all these hotels are conveniently located and near electric car charging stations as well.

Another good option is Elements hotel in Burnaby - we've stayed there a couple of times and really liked it. It's a bit further from Surrey but it's right next to a nice, big mall, Metropolitan.

Besides our regular hotel stays, we've considered Airbnb properties in the White Rock area for the summer to be closer to the beach. We found a few Airbnb options near the dining area, including basement apartments, and opted for one. This choice was particularly convenient due to its proximity to Scott road. These accommodations typically include guest suites, either attached to the main house or in the basement, and tend to be more budget-friendly or similarly priced to hotels, depending on the season..

I’d love to know any other accommodation tips or suggestions you have to offer. Feel free to leave a comment 😊