Winnipeg's Indian and South Asian food scene: curry, biryani, and beyond

Winnipeg's Indian and South Asian restaurants are spread across the city rather than clustered in one obvious strip, and several of them go back decades. The scene includes North Indian and Punjabi kitchens downtown and in the West End, family-run spots in Transcona and Fort Garry, and Sri Lankan cooking near The Forks, reflecting communities that have been part of the city for generations rather than a recent trend.

Downtown: East India Company Pub & Eatery

East India Company Pub & Eatery, at 349 York Avenue, traces its roots to India Gardens, one of Winnipeg's first Indian restaurants, which grew out of the Mehra family's Mehra's Delicatessen on McDermot Avenue in the 1970s. That history puts it among the longest-running Indian food names in the city, and it still operates as a full pub and restaurant downtown, serving curries alongside a regular bar menu.

West End: India Palace on Ellice Avenue

India Palace, at 770 Ellice Avenue, was opened in 1992 by Ashwani and Saroj, who had already been in the business for a decade by then, having opened Bombay Restaurant in 1982. The West End has long been one of the more affordable, immigrant-founded restaurant strips in the city, and India Palace is one of its steadiest fixtures, open daily for lunch through late evening.

Transcona and Fort Garry: Copper Chimney and Zaika

Copper Chimney operates three Winnipeg locations, on Madison Street near Polo Park, on Pembina Highway in Fort Garry, and on Regent Avenue West in Transcona, serving an East Indian and Hakka Chinese menu, a pairing that reflects Punjabi immigration through Hong Kong and other diaspora routes. It is known locally for its samosas. A few doors down that same Transcona strip, Zaika The Indian Cuisine, at 1650 Regent Avenue West, serves a more straightforward North Indian menu of curries, tandoor dishes, and breads.

Sri Lankan food near The Forks

South Asian food in Winnipeg extends beyond Indian cooking. Taste of Sri Lanka, with a stall in The Forks Market and a second location on Main Street, serves Sri Lankan home cooking, coconut-based curries, hoppers, and kottu roti, alongside the South Indian dishes that share some of the same spice pantry. It is a useful stop for anyone visiting The Forks who wants something outside the usual food-hall options.

What to order if the cuisine is new to you

Samosas, the fried or baked pastry filled with spiced potato and pea, are on nearly every menu here and are a safe, familiar starting point. Butter chicken and saag paneer are the two North Indian curries most likely to appear on a first visit, mild enough for a cautious eater and usually served with rice or naan. Biryani, a layered rice dish cooked with meat or vegetables and whole spices, is a full meal on its own. At a Sri Lankan spot, hoppers (a bowl-shaped rice-flour pancake, often served with an egg cooked into the centre) and kottu roti (chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg, and meat or paneer) are the dishes to look for. Spice levels vary a lot by kitchen, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.

Planning a visit

These restaurants sit in four different parts of the city, downtown, the West End, Fort Garry, and Transcona, so treat a visit as a dedicated trip rather than something to fold into a walk. Hours can shift at smaller, family-run spots in particular, so it is worth checking each restaurant's own listing or calling ahead before making a special trip out.