Dosa Twist
4939 Victoria Ave
Food: 7/10
Space: 5/10
Price: 9/10
Total: 21/30
Did we need another Indian restaurant in Niagara Falls opening in 2024? No, we did not. But we did need something to fill that long-vacant Chinese restaurant that most locals (myself included) assumed was a mafia front. And if it was going to be an Indian restaurant, at least turned out to be a different kind.
Enter Dosa Twist. The latest location in a local Southern Ontario chain, the fast food–style eatery offers an expansive array of dosas, street foods and platters. They offer Chennai-style, Mumbai-style and traditional dosas, as well as an array of chaats, idlys and uthappams, and an assortment of other small bites.
Nothing is particularly fancy, but the food is cheap—you can get a plain traditional dosa for $7.99—making this a welcome entry into a style of restaurant that’s rapidly going extinct: a bargain spot for a quick lunch under $10. (Although, realistically, you’ll be spending closer to $15.)
We ordered a dosa twist thali, madhurai mutton curry dosa, and a cheese dosa for the kids. Nothing disappointed. The cheese dosa was essentially a giant cheese crisp, and my toddler loved it. The mutton was hearty; the sambar was spicy and flavourful. The whole family enjoyed the meal, which came to under $50 after tax to feed our family of three.
The biggest issue is that the vibe sucks. We visited early on after they opened, and were served our food on plastic plates, with plastic cutlery and cafeteria trays. I can’t speak to whether they still serve food this cheaply and wastefully, but if they do—oof.
And don’t be fooled by the fairy lights strung up outside to draw in customers; the interior walls are bare and beige. In all, it’s a very cheap, off-putting vibe.
But you know what? If it helps keeps cost down, maybe none of that matters.
