Kismet Restaurant - Waterloo

We have been customers of this wonderful family business since they were located on King Street over 30 years ago, Since then they have relocated to their third location this time on University Ave W. The surroundings have changed but the food is still amazing. Over the decades I have tried most of the menu selections. I like mild, my husband likes to suffer, so orders spicy items, and always the same meal. In fact , he never orders or looks at the menu, they know what he wants every time . I like to try different selections but do have favourites . The appetizers are all delicious, and hard to resist . The papadums are crispy and never oily. I highly recommend the butter chicken, tikka chicken, any korma. The biriyanis are flavourful and the meat dishes have lots of chicken and mouth watering lamb or shrimp . They use the best of ingredient, New Zealand lamb, tender and flavourful . The biriyanis are served with a vegetable curry sauce which enhances the wonderful basmati rice . The Naan are like clouds . freshly made piping hot and perfect for savouring the last bit of sauce. The Tarka Dal is fabulous, as is the brinjal ( eggplant curry ) Every meal is a delight to the palate . The people who have reviewed the Kismet and comment on the " guy behind the counter " have obviously never taken the time to actually speak to him .He has a wonderful sense of humour, he is extremely knowledgeable for diners new to the cuisine , and is always able to explain or offer menu suggestions. They will adjust the heat according to taste, which is also a plus , since not everyone likes a simple mild medium or break out the extinguisher curry sauce . Its a large menu with excellent variety . Its often noisy, lots of students, but its fun to hear laughter and see people enjoying themselves without a beer in sight . The service is attentive without being annoying and we have yet to have a meal that wasn't perfect in every way. Lunch time is busy with lines to order and pay, but they have a table number system which works well. We order from the menu so we are seated and don't lineup. They do a massive take out business .Best to go after 1 p.m for lunch .When my husband asks me " would you order that again " my reply is usually, " yes, tomorrow ". Its that good . Ok now I'm leaving to go to Kismet for lunch . Hope to see you there !

Very friendly staff and very helpful. Love their food!!!! The last time the naan was a bit tough. My partner loves very spicy food and they provided that. All the food was amazing. We didn't sit down but had take out. Will definitely go again.

When I asked a Bangladeshi friend about where to go to get Bangladeshi food in Kitchener-Waterloo, he mentioned Kismet Restaurant. It's a casual sit-down place frequented by students attending the nearby universities.The food was decent but did not strike us as distinctly different from East Indian food. The naan bread, however, was some of the best we've had!My only complaint was that there was too much rice and not enough of the good stuff to accompany it. Would prefer to have a little more of the main dish and about half the rice so that both could be enjoyed together without running out of the flavourful stuff before the rice was even half gone :)

I often go to Waterloo for business meetings. On my way out of town, I like to stop at this Bengali eatery for an order of Dahl Samba. This red lentil Dahl is hot and delicious. Kismet features a number of standard and a few not-so-standard dishes. They are good, but the Dahl Samba is outstanding if you like your Indian food hot. Just wish that the would cook it with a few leafy greens.

I've been going to Kismet regularly since it opened, and prior to that starting several ~16 years ago when the same family owned a local Indian restaurant before selling and opening Kismet. Their food is the best!!! I typically get their samba with chicken and rice, naan, and hot sauce on side yum all is always amazing! Their samosas are delicious also. I love spicy food and this always hits the spot! They will customize the spice level mild medium or hot to accommodate all tastes. My wife loves their chicken tikka with rice and salad, she likes less spicy food. Servings are generous, and prices are reasonable. I find the flavour and quality of ingredients including chicken is excellent, better than some other local restaurants I've tried. I always go back to Kismet. It's a small family business they work long hours, and I am loyal to them and love supporting them! I often get take out which is a great option too. I definitely recommend trying it!!!