Diana Downtown

When a table in downtown Guelph can't agree on what it wants to eat, Diana Downtown is the answer that keeps everyone at the same table. The everyday lunch buffet runs from half past eleven until half past two and lets a midday crowd graze across the kitchen's range without committing to a single plate; the rest of the menu does the same work in à la carte form, wide enough that the curry table, the brunch table, and the burger-at-eleven table all find their plate on the same list. Diana describes itself as authentic Indian and fusion, and the breadth is the point — this is a kitchen built to feed a group, not to stage one dish.

The Indian side carries the strongest anchors. Crispy Pakoras — chickpea-flour and vegetable fritters with tamarind chutney — open the order on the snack lane, and Channa Chaat brings the street-food textures of samosa, curried chickpea, and potato to the same first round. From there the menu opens into vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, where Aloo Gobi gives vegan diners a full potato-and-cauliflower curry rather than a side, and Butter Chicken Vindaloo runs the house butter chicken through a fiery vindaloo sauce. The butter chicken also leaves the plate: the Butter Chicken Naan Wrap folds it with scallions and cilantro into naan, turning a familiar curry into something a diner can carry out the door.