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All India Sweets & Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
6507 Main StVancouver, BC V5X 3H1
Neighbourhoods: Sunset, Punjabi Market
(604) 327-0891
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
47 reviews for All India Sweets & Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"I'm told the butter chicken was awesome as well." In 11 reviews -
"However, the rice pudding and the custard was delicious." In 6 reviews -
"8.40 CDN will get you the all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet." In 7 reviews
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47 reviews in English
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Review from Sameer K.
2/28/2012
We aren't typically in the food for indian food, but the look of this place made us go in. Attractive dessert "buffet" that you can buy by the pound. All different colors and assortments and they did not disappoint our sweet cravings.
We also tried the goat curry here with garlic naan. One curry was about $12, but enough for the two of us. Not too spicy with good flavors.
They also have an indian vegetarian buffet for $9.95 and considering how much each curry tends to run, this is a great deal for dinner. If we were more hungry, we definitely would have gone for this.
While you eat/wait, you can watch the tvs with indian singing and dancing. Great pictures on the wall and other decorations.
Would eat here again, especially for the buffet. -
Review from Chanel B.
Richmond, BC
2/17/2012
It's not often I go out for Indian food, because I usually can't take the heat, but this place is really great!
We went to try the vegetarian buffet ($10) and added a meat dish to either of our meals for $5; great deal. I tried the butter chicken and my boyfriend had the lamb and we were given the choice of mild, medium or spicy for our meat dishes; we both opted for mild but I liked having the option.
Service was good; helpful in figuring out what to order, polite and happy -- it was really nice to see people really taking joy in what they do, gave a really great vibe to the place.
They've got a small but nice selection of vegetarian dishes, each in a different type of beautifully spiced sauce. Nothing was labelled but we were feeling adventurous and grabbed a little bit of everything to try. Nothing was very spicy, but everything was really tasty! My favourite was the mutter paneer (we looked everything up on the regular menu afterward), which had a "just-right" sweet sauce with cheese curd (which I had orignally mistaken for tofu) and peas. Both our meat dishes were absolutely to die for! My butter chicken was so sweet and flavourful, I cleaned the sauce in the bowl out with about 3 pieces of naan when the chicken was finished. And the lamb was the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb I have ever had the absolute pleasure of tasting. Other favourites of the evening included the malai kofta (grated vegetable balls), alu gobi (potatoes and cauliflower in a mild curry sauce), sweet biryani (yellow basmati rice seasoned with fennel -- YUM!) and gulab jamun (deep fried dry milk pastry balls dipped in honey syrup -- again, YUM!) which was all a part of the vegetarian buffet. And those are just the highlights, there were a few other deserts and I believe 4 or so more vegetarian dishes as well as a small salad bar.
And don't forget to give the sweets bar a try! It's $7/lb. but there are some really interesting and delicious things there! Biggest recommendations so far are for the jelebi (sweet, orange-coloured spirals), the orange, spongy pastry-looking balls and the curry-powder-*coloured* squares which tasted like a chai tea in a square; I have no idea what those last two are called (again, nothing at the sweets bar was labelled) but they are really delicious!
So if you're feeling adventurous and in the mood for Indian (or just something different) drop by this place. Tasty, interesting food which is sure to please both the vegetarians and carnivores out there, all for a great price in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. :) -
Review from Purdy J.
12/31/2011
Take out Samosas have increased significantly in price. Veggie samosas (mostly potato with some peas, not spcy) increased from $.50 to $.75 each and chicken (meat has an odd consistency) went from $.75 to $1.50. The samosas didn't get any bigger so not sure why the big jump in Price. Next time if you're craving samosa, try the Indian restaurant on the other side of the street. The prices are more reasonable at 2veggie samosas for $1.
The veggie buffet is a good deal but I was not a fan in general. With all the Indian places around, I feel that there are much better choices around. Perhaps I need to give it a second chance. -
Review from Marlena M.
Vancouver, BC
5/14/2012
Drove past one day with my windows down and was blown away at the delicious aromas coming out of this place. Was thinking about it all week wondering if it was as good as the smell. Finally got in on Saturday night and was not disappointed. Ordered off the menu, everything was really good, but medium spice was a little bit Gringo heat for me, could have taken a bit more heat. The vegetarian buffet looked like the real winner; $9.99, looked like great variety and the people chowing down on it looked very happy. Pitchers of beer were great value (was $12 or $15 or something? I can't remember but either was it struck me as a good deal). Would not order the Galab Jamun again as it was kinda boring, especially as the other stuff in the dessert buffet looked so enticing. The waiters were very on the ball and friendly. Really liked this place and will be back for future curry cravings.
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Review from Rhys H.
Vancouver, BC
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
New ownership! Very exciting to see the changes happening here, and the owner tells me there is much more planned to come too. If you came here a couple months ago and were disappointed, check it out soon!
I had the butter chicken with garlic naan and rice today. Very tasty!
I'll be back soon! -
Review from Brad F.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2011
AMAZING. I love indian food and I love it even more when it's unlimited.
The veg buffet is all I ever ordered with the exception of a few apps and deserts here and there... I still believe this is the best indian food I have ever had in my life...
Lots of seating, and since it's a buffet you walk in, put your things in a booth, grab a plate and start eating. I'm not sure it could get any easier.
If you're looking for a good veg indian buffet, you have nothing to lose, try this place. -
Review from Krista L.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
A lot of the menu items are gluten-free, and the servers are really knowledgeable about what is in the food. And delicious bottomless chai to go with!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/20/2012
I really like this restaurant. While the buffet is popular, I tend to order the Masala Dosa for… Read more »
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Review from Isabelle G.
Vancouver, BC
7/18/2011
've been here a few times, never paid for any of those times 'cause the food on the menu has always been low quality and horrible for Indian food. I've tasted better at fast food places at the mall. Himalaya down the street is much better for a few bucks more. I've been taken here one too many times in the past, pre-yelp in the past on cheap dates. I go 'cause I like their pakoras to go, however, it ends there.
I went with a date over the weekend only 'cause we had a Swarm Jam coupon, it was close to home, he had to meet someone a block down to pick up vinyls from CL and it was a good excuse to get some pakoras after (he's crazy over their pakoras).
Knowing what the menu items were like, I stuck with the vegetarian buffet and so did my date. It wasn't the best vegetarian buffet, Himalayas down the street is better. For $10 each "all you can eat" it was good for a cheap filler. Their service has always been lacking for me . At least with the buffet we could eat right away.
The quality of the food was okay, not stellar. I had the cauliflower curry and the cauliflower was still hard, not boiled enough to a soft boil which annoyed me. The only saving grace and the reason I love the buffet is the rice pudding which if I could, would eat 4 bowls.
Here is where it went downhill....my date and I went to the cash til with our Swarm Jam coupon which entitled us to $20 worth of food and services for $10. There were no restrictions other than 1 coupon per person per table. Two buffets came to $20 before tax and tip. At the til she tried to tell me that the coupon was not valid for the buffet which was BS 'cause there were no restrictions nor did it say anything of that nature on the terms and conditions of the coupon. She tried to scam an extra $10 out of us, however, I didn't budge. She read back the content of the coupon back to me as if I couldn't read, however, she had no fuckin' clue herself how to interpret the terms and conditions. I told her straight up that I wasn't going to pay for it.
I stuck to my guns and walked out the door after we paid for our pakoras. What was she going to do, call the cops? I would show the cop the Swarm Jam coupon.
As we walked to the til to pay I noticed that there were two other tables whom had coupons from Swarm Jam on their table and ate at the buffet. I am curious to know if they were forced to pay extra. If any other those people are yelpers..please post your experience.Listed in: Time of Month Chocolate
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Review from Evilyn T.
7/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was a cross between Denny's and Uncle Willy's with an Indian twist. I had been to the one on Davie street http://www.yelp.ca/biz... and I am sad to report the one on Davie is actually better, so let me explain why....
All India on Main Street has a veggie buffet for $9.95, whereas the All India on Davie has a buffet for $16, however it includes meat. Being a vegetarian, I can save myself the $6 but then I have to drive all the way to Main and 49th, which will probably cost me $6 in gas anyways. The food may have been luke-warm on Davie with little spice, but it was actually better than the curries I had on Main. I may have froze my ass off on Davie street since they keep the doors open all night, but at least the restaurant was clean, and there were no gigantic tears in the carpets like there was at the Main Street location, and cleanliness in a restaurant can be a good first impression on what the kitchen may look like behind the scenes.
Overall, I doubt I would be back, since it's pretty out of my way, and it wasn't so amazing that I'd feel the need to go out of my way to return.Listed in: Drinkin' that Hate-orade
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Review from Lisa T.
10/14/2011
I've been here a few times before. The first time I came, I tried their butter chicken and loved it! I noticed another reviewer saying that the management changed recently, so I can't vouch for their butter chicken now.
This time I went to try their vegetarian buffet. I had expected a bigger selection, but for $10 worth, I really can't complain. There were four curries, deep fried veggies, rice, naan, a salad bar, and four different types of dessert. It felt like the food was sitting at the self serve buffet tables a bit too long. However, the rice pudding and the custard was delicious.
The service was alright. The servers could have been more attentive from time to time to refill our water and chai tea, but they did make their rounds once in a while and were very courteous and welcoming.
I would probably go back but it would not be for their buffet the next time. -
Review from Tara K.
Vancouver, BC
9/30/2011
This place is now under new ownership (as of last month) and the food is great! However, I always order the same dish: Chole Bhatura and end up with ordering extra Bhaturas (I highly recommend this dish) and with Raita on the side it is perfect. Everything was freshly made. The service was fast and I got the food almost immediately- with hot, fresh BHATURAS... Yummm !!
The wait staff was extraordinarily polite and quick. They even remembered where I sat last time and also what I ordered! I met the new owner who plans to make changes to the place and I think this will change some of the negative reviews I read. He is so cool, friendly and open to suggestions from clients and took the time to talk to me.
By the way, the other All India on Davie is owned by a different owner.
I ate so much, I had to come home and nap! Can't wait for my next Bhatura fix! -
Review from Luisa D.
7/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd heard a lot about this place so it seemed like a Vancouver institution that I should check out. Not sure that I need to drive across town to go back but it was certainly ok.
It's not the cleanest place, carpeting could use replacing and someone should have picked up the paper napkins on the floor. The staff are definitely friendly though.
Three if our group went for the veggie buffet @ $9.95. We had lamb biriyani, butter chicken and naan. The food was alright and the chai tea with free refills hit the spot. I got a box of desserts to take away $7/lb. I love Indian sweets.
One of our group likened it to an Indian Denny's. Makes sense. -
Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Meh. This is one of those places that everyone talks about but I hadn't haulled my ass over to the whole time I've been in Vancouver. Which is my whole life.
Now, I love Indian food and I love buffets. I was under the impression that when you have a love for both and you go to somewhere that is an institution such as this that you will have your socks knocked off. Or at the very least rolled down to your toes.
The food was okay. Perhaps it was the time of day that we were there, or maybe it's always like that, but it felt like the food had been sitting for a little while, a little too long in fact. The curries were okay, the rice was a little old and there wasn't as much selection as I expected.
The price was certainly good for the food I got and the service was attentive. Although I did ask for more chai and didn't get any, so I guess it was fair to say the service was good while it was slow but when it got busy it wasn't great.
All in all, check this place out for yourself, but I wasn't sold. -
Review from Louise G.
6/19/2011 4 photos
Food here is very tasty. Nice to have so many vegetarian options - there is a large buffet that is entirely vegetarian.
We ordered from the menu, which probably was the more expensive option, but the dishes we picked were yummy and the portions were plentiful.
Service was somewhat lacking. Wait staff was pretty quick and helpful however we had to find out own utensils - which were grubby, and the lineup at the cash was ridiculous as they ring through the restaurant customers as well as the customers who have dropped in for take-out or for their self-serve samosas, pakoras, and sweets selection. We had plans to see the baseball after dinner and were in ok time until we got delayed at the cash.
The sweets looked delicious. This is a very popular spot.
Since eating there though, I've had a mild headache and have been very thirsty. This is the kind of reaction I get to MSG and some other 'flavour enhancers'. As much as I've been dreaming about the muttar paneer since, I probably won't return.Listed in: Food Porn, VEGETARIAN, Good for Groups
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Review from Drew L.
Vancouver, BC
4/7/2011
On my home from work I decide I would like to reward myself with some rice pudding, one of my fav desserts. While I was in line to inquire about the rice pudding, this older gentleman dropped his samosa by accident while putting them into the paper bag. The samosas are self serve and they made him pay for it. I was disappointed in their customer service as if it hadn't been self serve he wouldn't have had to pay, and most samosa places serve you. You dig?
After witnessing this minor slip up, I asked about rice pudding it is $4.95 for a take away container and you get it from the buffet. I decided to just do the buffet as I can have as much as I want.
I was seated promptly and went to get some food. I thought to myself, "eeek, I should have probably just ordered the rice pudding", as nothing looked fresh. The veggie salad bar looked awful and I chose no vegetables. This is surprising because I am vegetarian that loves veggies. The curries were lukewarm; however, the naan was tasty. How about the rice pudding? It totally did not satisfy my carving in the least. It was bland and gloopy! Boo.
Oh ya, after I had been seated for 15 min the highschooler server gave me the bill. She was trying to push me out when only 15% of the tables were occupied. I think I will stick to Fraser St and you might wanna check out the restaurants there. -
Review from Tanya J.
1/2/2011
The parathas are so excellent our Vancouver trips require a stop here every time. The aloo paratha is my favorite, followed by the gobi and paneer parathas. This last time I was here, I tried the chole bhature appetizer which was fantastic, and I feel I'm usually a tough critic when it comes to chole.
I've tried the buffet before and was not impressed but the breads (parathas) are the highlight of this place. Also, restaurant cleanliness is a bit lacking.
If you're looking for casual dining, cheap eats, quick service and tasty parathas check out All India Sweets! -
Review from Kristin H.
Vancouver, BC
10/27/2010
The buffet is terrible. I have been there twice, and should have known better than to go back after the first time, but I do have an unfortunate, inexplicable weakness for both cheap and plentiful food. It rarely bodes well, and All India Sweets is no exception.
The buffet rice is overcooked, mushy, and void of any flavour or familiar texture. The naan bread is tough and chewy as though it had been made hours prior and reheated. I judge the quality of an Indian restaurant in part by its palak paneer, because it's one of the few dishes almost guaranteed to be on every menu (I don't eat chicken). The cheese was flavourless, and spinach was an unappetizing pale green colour, also lacking in meaningful seasoning. The vegetable curry is more of the same, with a bland blend of vegetables and lackluster curry.
Given that this restaurant is located in the heart of Vancouver's Indian community, I was expecting better Indian food. I will note that the one Indian family in the restaurant ordered off the menu, and not from the buffet. Maybe the menu food is better than the buffet, but I am by no means inclined to ever find out. -
Review from Jessica D.
Vancouver, BC
This has been a staple of mine for over six years now. I always get the buffet, which has steadily risen in price since I started coming. Sure I've had better Indian food, but for the price and the convenience factor of buffet, it can't be beat. There are always 4-5 different types of vegetarian curries, a salad bar, naan bread, and 2-3 types of dessert, all for under $10.00. The chai is under $3 and has free refills, and the Indian treats that are for sale at the front are all quite interesting and tasty. I would recommend this restaurant to people who are not looking for ambiance, and just want a simple, good-tasting meal.
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Review from Jess C.
Burnaby, BC
3/9/2011
Been here twice and absolutely loved the food! I haven't ordered anything before because I decided to just have the buffet both times. They make very good rice, curry, and naan bread.
I'm a vegetarian and I love all their options. -
Review from Tabatha Anne Y.
Richmond, BC
9/26/2010
Tried India and Sweets for the first time on Thursday night. The place was busy, which I thought was a good sign.
We checked out the buffet, priced at $9.95 for all you can eat. This day in particular was all Vegetarian. I'm not sure if it's normally that way, or if sometimes they have meaty dishes. The buffet includes rice, naan and lentil crackers as well as salad and I think rice pudding.
I chose the buffet option, while my boyfriend had a hankering for butter chicken. We decided on veg pakoras to start. The pakoras were less than $6 I believe, and the portion was huge! Normally when we get pakoras as an appy, we each end up with 3 or 4, but we lost count of how many each of us got. Seriously, it was a full sized plate of them! After that, the butter chicken came, so I helped myself to the buffet. I'm not sure which curries I ended up with, as none of them we labled. I do know that I chose mostly green things! One of them had paneer in it, but it wasn't palak paneer... anyway, I chose 3 different curries, 2 types of rice and some naan. Delicious! I'm told the butter chicken was awesome as well.
We ended up having to take most of our pakoras home, and some of the butter chicken. It was a lot of food!
The regular menu is pretty expensive. The butter chicken with rice, naan and lentil cracker worked out to $21, where as mine was $10. If you're vegetarian or don't feel like having meat then it'll be cheap for you.
The service is pretty good, could be friendlier, but it was fast. Also, the booths and tables are set up really awkwardly and you have to squeeze in between a few of them on route to the bathroom. -
Review from Reena M.
Updated - 10/21/2009 4 Check-ins Here
Wow, the quality of this place went way down since I last came here. :(
Maybe the buffet is still okay... but that's not what we got. We ordered the basics, butter chicken, mutter paneer, garlic naan, rice pilaf. These were all okay tasting. The butter chicken could have used more salt. It definitely wasn't the best butter chicken I've had in Vancouver, but it was also not the worst.
We also ordered the Delhi Chat and tandoori wings to start. Delhi chat wasn't as nice as i remembered it. They seemed to throw a bunch of random things in there now, like a dahi vada. ? That's supposed to be a dish of its own. And the dried snack peas? hmm....
And the tandoori wings were not tandoori at all!! They were your average joe fried pub wings with hot sauce on the side. Wtf? I was extremely disappointed with this.
Also the chai wasn't too great. I prefer my own.. with my mom's home-crushed & blended spices.. but that's just being picky.
Considering this, I would give it 3 stars. What makes All India lose another star was the service. Our server was so bad at remembering what we had ordered! And she took her sweet time bringing the bill. It was like she was in lala land the whole time. Annoying...
So, I'm not sure I'll be so quick to recommend All India to people in the future anymore.Listed in: Reena M's Guide to Main St., A Coconut's Guide to Indian…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/29/2009
This one is my favorite Indian restaurant in Vancouver. I'm usually really hesitant to go else where… Read more »
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Review from Janice W.
4/17/2011
I can't imagine Indian Butter Chicken and Vindaloo better than I had there. I have always had trouble finding good Indian food in the greater Seattle area where I live and All India has the best butter chicken I have ever eaten. My thoughts now on Indian food--skip Seattle, drive the 2 1/2 hours north and get some really good Indian food. I would go there again and again.
Be sure to try their sweets. Very very good! -
Review from Iain R.
Vancouver, BC
1/19/2010
All India Rats.
Coming here for years and finally saw the rat.
It was large.
Wont be going back. -
Review from Kat S.
5/10/2010
This place is pretty disappointing. I remember it being better 2 or 3 years ago, but a trip back a couple months ago (I forgot to write my review) for a late night veg buffet left me sad, since I really wanted it to be good.
Yes, it's cheap, but that's about all the buffet has going for it. The food was not very flavourful, and the paneer dish was watery, which I hate. The naan didn't taste fresh, either. They brought more out, but I wasn't interested. I ate my food because I was hungry, but didn't even bother getting seconds since it just was pretty blah all around. I had the gulab jamun for dessert, which they remind you not to waste with a little sign, and it was okay, but I didn't try the rice pudding because it looked watery, as well.
The bathroom is gross. It wasn't even working properly when I went and it definitely wasn't clean. Do not use. -
Review from Kaeleigh E.
Calgary, AB
8/26/2010
I only ever got samosas here. I would go on my way to class and they were only 75 cents and probably the best samosa (or at least one of the best) I've ever had!!
Haven't tried anything else here though but it was always fast, friendly, and yummy! -
Review from Dani B.
4/2/2009
I've been to China towns, Little Italys, and even little Russia, but Vancouver is the first city where I've been that has a little India. It's about 5 or 6 square blocks of Indian goodness and the food at All India sweets tops all the restaurants in the area. You can eat cheaply by purchasing an array of their delightful sweet and salty pastries ranging from Indian doughnuts and sweets to samosas, papadums and an assortment of nuts and the like.
If you have the time and a bit more cash then try eating in off of their menu. The local Indians don't partake in the buffet (which is decent) probably because all the dishes they bring out are amazing. Very veggie friendly and there are some things for vegans too. -
Review from David F.
Vancouver, BC
11/4/2009
How and why this place gets considered to be good Indian food is a huge mystery to me. I love indian food and I lived in London for many years where Indian is like sushi in Vancouver. This place is absolutely terrible. Soupy, bland food which is to indian what a can of Chef Boyardee is to Italian dining.
There is a surprising lack of proper, decent Indian in Vancouver considering the population and perhaps places like this set the bar so low that there is little incentive to do better. -
Review from saul m.
4/23/2010
Disappointingly bland lunch buffet...smaller than usual salad selection...rice, naan, papadam, 8 or so other dishes...all very average to bland tasting.
The only things I really liked were an eggplant & potato offering, the papadam, & the carrot dessert(although a little too sweet).
The decor was dated...they still used tube TVs to show 1990s Indian videos.
They did have a large selection of baked sweets which we did not try. -
Review from John H.
6/18/2010
Bleh. After the decent naan and semi-pleasant service, it was all downhill.
The rice in the buffet was unaromatic and crunchy-dry. All the dishes were unremarkable, less-than-flavorful, and my GF and her kid weren't delighted with the menu items either. Only upside was the cheap drinks. But our waitress was such a virtuous young thing that she was unfamiliar with the concept of "gin and tonic' and brought me gin on the rocks.
The desserts, which mainly appeared to be blocks of variously pastel-colored suet, did not tempt us. -
Review from Jeffrey S.
4/17/2009
This is the best Indian food I've ever had in my life. India, London, Seattle, or Berkeley -this place is awesome. Located in the officially named "Punjabi Market" neighborhood of South Vancouver, it is reportedly the largest Indian restaurant in the mostly Sikh/Punjabi area of the city (not including Surrey which also boasts a large Sikh community). $8.40 CDN will get you the all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet. Probably the best vegetarian food I've ever had as well. The Indian desserts counter is humongous.
BTW, some of the most gorgeous Sikh women I've ever seen frequent the shops here. That banging sound is my wife hitting me over the head with a skillet. -
Review from Raymond O.
Vancouver, BC
9/17/2009
Five star experience! - with no red carpet, spotless forks expectations here. It's after all the cafeteria style, "pick up your plate - help yourself - pay up at the front when done" kind of deal. And what a deal this was, rings up to $10.95 for a rock star vegetarian buffet!
Though ain't the typical buffet gorgefest spread I'm used to (read: Vegas), it had a variety of veggie selections, naan, fragrant basmati rice, salad bar, all frequently refilled piping hot from the kitchen. Flavours and taste of all offerings didn't disappoint, simply a fantastic feast! It made me so happy it made me want to down a pint of beer (they're fully licensed) stand up on the table, and dance with Bollywood tunes playing on the tv screens!
Could it get any better? Oh yes! A perfect ending was in store. Gulab Jamun dipped in the sweet rice pudding, showstopper of the century! Whoa, hail all the sugar gods for this holy sweetness of a treat! As evidenced from this review, the sugar is still giving me a high. Had to stop at my fourth piece or I would've gone into a diabetic sugar overload coma. Coma or not, I will dream about gorging on gazillions of this Gulab Jamun... insanely good.
So a huge high five to all Yelpers! This place made me so high and happy! - a dangerous, good as it gets combination.Listed in: Jai Ho!
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Review from Mark H.
7/3/2010
I did it vegetarian style. And it felt good, or should I say tasted good.
Working near South Main, I've passed through Little India countless times, but have never eaten there. Tired of my regular go-to spots, I ventured for lunch.
We went for the all-vegetarian buffet for $9.95. If you are a meatavore, for $2 extra they'll cook up some meat options. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the veggie selection. Not the best Indian, but decent. As their name suggests, the desserts are really good. Their doughnut like balls in syrup were the best I've had. I'll have to try their wide selection of sweets next time I go.
In short, veggie style is not that bad! -
Review from Vincci L.
3/8/2010
Refillable chai!! Smooth creamy, the perfect blend of spices!! Ok, so I come here not only for the chai, but also for their food. They have a veggie buffet, but all I've ever ordered here is butter chicken. It's not a large portion for its price, and you have to order the naan and/ or rice seperately. There's mostly sauce and not too many pieces of chicken; the flavour and consistency of the butter chicken sauce is good though.
They have a large sweets selection near the front of the shop, and I mean a LARGE selection. Also, they have different samosas that you can purchsae for take out.
It's not great ambiance here, but their service is good, and the refillable chai makes this a 3 star review for me. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/20/2008
I've had two decent meals here with the endless refills of chai tea being the best part of both experiences.
We opted against the buffet, now priced at $10.95. It looked intensely unappetizing on my last visit and nothing of substance. Sure I'd love all-I-can-eat naan, but not by itself. Our biggest beef with the veggie buffet was the noticeable lack of vegetables.
As an appetizer, we ordered the Tandoori Chicken Special with Masala Fries. It's on the appetizer menu but it's truly the saddest plate of food I have ever seen. When it arrived it was clearly the kids' meal and there was no discernible garam masala spice on these frozen, pre-cut wonders. It would have been nice to get a heads up from our server.
For a main, I ordered a mediocre version of chilly chicken. It sorely lacked the pep of chilies that I love. We also had the goat saag, I believe, which was tasty. The naan was also reasonable but certainly not the best I've eaten.
We chased the whole just-okay meal with cups and cups of chai. And consequently, I finally got to sleep at about 3am. -
Review from Garret N.
8/8/2009
Fantastic lunch! We ordered three dishes which was about perfect. the portions aren't particularly large but they suffice quite nicely. The Curry Chicken seemed extremely similar to the Lamb Vindaloo but we enjoyed both equally. The Chicken Tikka Masala was amazing, lots of strong flavors.
The lack of rice coming with the dishes made me tick off a star. I don't know if this is a west coast thing (seems to be) but not bringing out rice with a 13 dollar dish seems ridiculous. You need something to soak up all the curry with! -
Review from S. Z.
7/25/2009
Wonderful! We ordered butter chicken and 2 naan bread (2 is more than enough, 1 would have sufficed for 2 people). The naan bread was fresh from the oven, soft on the inside and toasty on the outside. The butter chicken had a lot of curry, chunks of chicken were a bit dry.
Best part was the sweets and samosas on sale at the front of the shop. The veggie samosas came out fresh from the oven and I had to buy a few more. I also bought the cheese, lentil and potato samosas, one each, to try. O man! I loved the cheese filled one -- haven't had that before.
The ambiance of the restaurant is nothing special and looked kind of old. The A/C was not on initially and someone had to ask for it to be turned on. But I didn't mind---kinda imagined myself in india! ..haha.
I also bought (to go) some indian snacks in bulk. Great idea - they give the customers a chance to pick and choose the snacks and then weigh in to pay. Lots of indian locals.
Visit here for sure! -
Review from J. C.
7/25/2009
Nice place for Indian food. The food was good but price was high for the portions. The chicken we have was dry.
There were tons of desserts. All of which I didn't really know what was what. The service was poor. There were about 3 waiters but boy were they difficult to catch. Another thing was the other customers were not Indians. I didn't try the buffet but it looked really good.
This place makes me want to know more about Indian food. There were so many varieties. I would definitely go again but when I have more money. It's too pricey for me. -
Review from Ravenas M.
Vancouver, BC
3/28/2011
Amazing value! I'm generally very picky when it comes to food, and quite critical when it comes to my reviews. However, I have a bit of a soft spot for Himalaya. I discovered the Richmond location when I was working in that area, and would often go there for a quick, tasty and cheap lunch. I was so delighted to find a location closer to my actual residence and regular workplace, this one on Main. I've had better tasting Indian food at much classier places, in Vancouver and elsewhere, but nothing does it for me like Himalaya. Maybe it's because it's greasy, cheap, and you can go back for refills at the buffet while chatting with friends over the wide variety of food offered. There's always seating for a group, and they never seem in a rush to get you out. We've tried other buffets, and they really do have a good selection here. I see some complaints about cleanliness, however the current inspection report is better than some other very popular places in town, so you can't judge a book by it's cover. I am very picky when it comes to cleanliness, any amount of residue on glasses or food on utensils makes it hard for me to choke back my meal, but I've never had any problems here. Maybe I've been lucky the few dozen times I've been here.
If I didn't have potato and lentil allergies I would be here at least once a week. -
Review from David L.
12/8/2009
I saw a large rat running towards the buffet area. That's when I almost jumped out of my seat and spoke to the waitress that I wanted to leave and I told her to give me the bill right away. I stil get flashbacks of the nasty rat I spotted at this restaurant.
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Review from Nadine N.
Vancouver, BC
9/7/2008
All India Sweets and Restaurant has a wonderful all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet for $9.95 all day. The spread of salad, curries, rice, bread and dessert is definitely worth the money. Make sure you save room for the Gulab Jamun dessert which is out of this world. If you are in need of meat with your meal you can always order off of the regular menu. The Thaali for $16.95 includes butter chicken and looks like a great deal, as well.
Listed in: Drool Inducing Vancouver Eats
