📍Kalinga Indian Cuisine – 251 Laurier Ave W Suite 100, Ottawa, ON K1P 5M8
🌍Country: India
🔥Must-try dish: Lasooni Palak Paneer
🪑Seating: Indoor seating only.
👍The High: The menu’s overwhelming number of biryani options.

👎The Low: Both the paneer and biryani are indulgent, so lighter eaters might find them a bit heavy.

Turns out the rumours are true, Ottawa’s packed with South Asian restaurants, especially Indian spots showcasing flavours from every corner of the country. You can dig into a hearty North Indian thali in the Glebe, savour a fragrant Kerala fish curry in the ByWard Market, and, if the name alone doesn’t hook you, there’s even a place called Second Wife Indian serving cozy, home-style meals.

As Canada’s diplomatic hub, Ottawa naturally offers a mosaic of cuisines to feed visiting dignitaries and curious locals alike. Skipping Indian food here would have been a crime, if only to see how it stacks up against Toronto or even India itself.

Kalinga, a downtown favourite with rave reviews, gave us the perfect excuse to head into the core. We debated between ordering thalis or a mix of shareable plates, but the decision was made the moment we spotted a full page devoted to biryani.

To start, we cooled off with the house fresh-lime soda, sweet, salty, and utterly refreshing, while plotting our biryani strategy.Both sweet and salty at the same time helped to cool us down and to make some of the bigger decisions. 

The Lasooni Palak Paneer is a menu favourite for good reason. This version was richer and more decadent than the usual cubes of cheese in a dark green spinach sauce. The texture was pure velvet, with the spinach taking a supporting role while garlic, spices, and a touch of coconut milk stole the spotlight. Balanced and fragrant, it was made for scooping up with warm garlic naan.

Then came the Chicken Tikka Masala, the classic of classics. Its bright red sauce contrasted beautifully with the paneer’s golden hue and packed a gentle heat that spice lovers will appreciate without fear. The chicken was fall-apart tender from a slow cook, and the generous sauce practically begged for extra naan.

And the biryani? Ottawa’s got game. The menu reads like a mini tour of India, with chicken, mutton, seafood, and vegetarian options, each reflecting different regions, spices, and cooking methods. After much debate, we went for the house speciality: Kalinga Boneless Shahi Chicken Biryani. Far from an everyday rice dish, it’s layered with a peanut–cashew–tamarind sauce and a fragrant mix of Indian spices. Unexpected, rich, and downright delicious, with moist chicken in every bite.

A terrific first taste of the capital’s Indian food scene, and a reminder that another trip, to sample more of the city’s Indian and international flavours, is definitely on the horizon. Thanks for the delicious welcome Ottawa!

Eat with you soon!