As Edmonton’s Indian food scene varies and expands, Suvai Dosa’s still sets the standard, especially if you’re craving south Indian food — or simply have stuffed-up sinuses. The south-side establishment (a second, vegetarian-only location opened last fall) offers a variety of spicy delights — the strongest staple being the Rasam soup, which will open all your senses — along with dishes that will douse the heat for eager-but-overwhelmed westerners, like the Ghee Roast Dosa or Mysore Masala Dosa served with coconut and tomato chutney and sambar (if you want to keep the dosa crispy, ask for the potato filling on the side). This category gets more competitive each year, but Suvai Dosa’s is still the unofficial king (“betaj baadsha” in Hindi). — Cory Schachtel
Suvai Dosa’s
Ellerslie Industrial | 445 Parsons Rd SW #7, Edmonton | 780.463.7228
Daly Grove | 4271 23 Ave NW # 101, Edmonton | 587.599.4764
When trying a restaurant for the first time, it’s best to go with its specialty. In the case of Pakwan, that dish is its Amritsari Chole Kulche. It’s a large naan stuffed with a spiced potato mixture, slightly charred, and topped with a sizable knob of butter, melting into every crevice of the bread. It’s the perfect lunch and comes with a delicious white chickpea curry and pickle. — Phil Wilson
Pakwan Indian Cuisine
Kameyosek | 2809 Mill Woods Rd NW, Edmonton | 587.754.9388
Growing up in Mill Woods, I got to enjoy a foreign-to-me array of smells emanating from kitchens of kids from different cultures, including Indian. And those smell-based memories come roaring back whenever I walk into Swagat Indian Bar and Bistro.
My point is that Swagat has a homey atmosphere and serves Indian comfort food the way at least two of my childhood friends’ moms made it. I don’t remember their specific dishes, but I’m sure they used lamb, because the smell of Swagat’s Kadai Lamb activates my olfactory bulb most immediately, springing up single-scene, after-school memories buried deep in my amygdala (I also just like any dish with tomatoes in it). But if you weren’t lucky enough to grow up in Mill Woods, don’t worry: Swagat also has Butter Chicken Poutine, a dish that bridges two cultures’ shared love of fried potatoes over a river of tomato-creamy gravy. — Cory Schachtel
Swagat India Bar and Bistro
Spruce Avenue | 9737 118 Ave NW, Edmonton | 780.479.8838 | swagatindianbar.com
This article appears in the Mar/Apr 2024 issue of Edify
