Every time I walk along 8th Street on the way to 17th Avenue, I always pass by Mirchi on 12th Avenue, a seemingly popular Pakistani cuisine restaurant on the Beltline. Tonight, I was able to finally try this eatery!
We came to Mirchi for dinner (on a Saturday), and was surprisingly full. It’s a small, and plain restaurant; there was only a few decorations, but the eatery is still plain. It was messy, but I really hoped that the food was better (to offset the bad first impression).
Unfortunately, my wish was not granted. I ordered the 2 veggie curry + rice combo, and my cousin ordered the 1 veggie curry + 1 meat curry + rice combo. Moreover, the meals came with a small garden salad as an appetizer.
Maybe it’s because I live in the NE (where there is an abundance of authentic Indian restaurants), but the food was mediocre at best. There are a lot of hole-in-the-wall eateries in the NE but what they lack in atmosphere, they make up for food. Mirchi has neither atmosphere nor food.
Truth be told, I don’t know what the hype was about on Zomato (3.8/5 rating). My experience at Mirchi was nothing special; however, it also was not terrible; it was just kind of…meh. The food was mediocre, the atmosphere was okay, and the service was so-so. Overall, you can probably find another Indian/Pakistani restaurant in the Beltline/Uptown.
Recommended? Maybe, if you’re craving Indian/Pakistani food.
COST: Moderate. The 2 curry + rice combos were $15 – $17 each each (so ~$33 altogether). It’s not expensive, but also not the cheapest. The meal is a good deal, and served with tons of rice & a salad with the combo!
TASTE: Okay. My 2 veggie curries (lentil curry and mixed veggie korma) were okay, and nothing extraordinary. The flavours are genetic, and definitely not the best veggie curries I’ve had. My cousin liked her butter chicken curry, but also agreed that she’s had better.
ACCESSIBILITY: Moderate. Mirchi is located along 12th Avenue in the Beltline. The restaurant is about ~10 minutes by foot from 8th Street station, so it’s not too far from public transit. Parking curbside is limited, but there’s a parking lot across the street.
ATMOSPHERE: Okay. The restaurant is small and cramped, with only 4 medium-sized tables. It was messy, and the tables weren’t cleaned prior to us sitting down. The open kitchen fumes seeps to the dining, which can be suffocating if the door isn’t open (as it was for dinner).
SERVICE: 7/10. The server was nice but service was so-so, probably because the cashier doubled as the server. If there was a plus side, it’s that our food came quickly (within about ~10 minutes of taking our order).
Mirchi
Address: 101, 825 12th Avenue, SW Calgary AB
Phone: (403) 245 – 3663
Hours:
- Monday: 11:30AM – 9:30PM
- Tuesday: 11:30AM – 9:30PM
- Wednesday: 11:30AM – 9:30PM
- Thursday: 11:30AM – 9:30PM
- Friday: 11:30AM – 10:30PM
- Saturday: 1PM – 10:30PM
- Sunday: 3PM – 10:30PM
Website: www.mirchirestaurant.ca
This is not a sponsored post.