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Annapurna Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Indian Restaurants Vegan Vegetarian, Indian, Vegan [Edit]
1926 W 4th AveVancouver, BC B6J 1M5
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 736-5959
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Annapurna Restaurant
19 reviews in English
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Review from SaraJane K.
Vancouver, BC
11/29/2010 1 photo
Check it out, Annapurna's in a new location now. According tot he server, they're also under new management. I'd say that's a huge improvement. I work very close by and had never been here before because it was always closed! Not anymore!
I had the lunch buffet for $9.95 today. I'm a vegan and I was overjoyed to have more than half the buffet as options. Everything was so tasty, too. There were identifiable pieces of fresh herbs in just about everything, too. I really love that. The vegetables were all fresh, not reheated frozen stuff and the sauces were clearly homemade. While this isn't the best Indian food I've ever had, it was really good. The host/server was very polite and friendly, the place was clean and the food was fresh and delicious.
If you've gone here before with the old management, maybe give Annapurna another shot. I'm hoping people start going here again, it's definitely an improvement. I can't wait to go for dinner! -
Review from Scott W.
Vancouver, BC
10/11/2011
I am an indian fanatic.. love the food, the culture, etc. Our first time going to this restaurant.. right off the bat felt like it was a restaurant attempting to be modern with their decor, was not succeeding in anything but looking like a large dining room at ikea. Even by looking at the menu - it was not authentic by any means. We had a few typical dishes... asparages fritters, which were actually really good.. best thing all night for sure. Chick peas which were totally flavourless, and the butter chicken which was watery and still had large chunks of coriander, and if you have ever bitten into a piece of coriander, you know it is not the best thing. Naan bread was good.. and the beer was good, because it was Granville Island Lager. Atleast i got 1,000 Open table points! :) Would be taking a miss on this one for next time though.
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Review from Novaira M.
Vancouver, BC
3/20/2011
Avoid it if you can ! There's plenty of good food options around on 4th street closer to this place.
Their sorry excuse for a lunch buffet consisted of about 4 vegetarian dishes, which took forever to get refilled. It seemed like they only had one cook - who was in charge of making fresh dosas and also refilling and warming up the dishes - so it took ages to get any food.
The food itself was just ok. Very bland and flavorless.
Definitely will not be returning here. -
Review from Sara M.
12/22/2010
Pakoras? TASTY.
Pompadoms? Too greasy to eat. Insert extremely sad face.
Crazy pea filled bread? TASTY, but slightly greasy.
Corn Soup? TASTY, but not as filling as I had assumed.
Service was good, our waitress was friendly enough and helped us dispose of our gift exchange carcasses. The atmosphere is a little odd - I think it needs some work.
I will definitely be back to try some of the bigger dishes as they all sounded amazing. For you vegans out there... they don't have soy milk. I found this incredibly disappointing as I desperately wanted a chai.... buuuuut I'm over it. -
Review from Desiree M.
Halifax, NS
7/25/2010 ROTD 10/11/2010
For that ever important milestone - the 100th review! - I'm reviewing the place that I went to for my birthday recently. It may not be as impressive as the other yelpers who got to 500 recently, but it's feels so special!
Anywho...
When we walked into the new location, my first thought was "I bet this place used to be a sushi joint." There are Japanese restaurant style booths to the right, and a bar with the typical sushi prep area and what looks like Japanese tableware that the previous owners left behind. Oh Anapurna, how you've changed - but I still love you!
Our waiter was friendly, and the service timely. Every one of our two appetizers and five entrees was brought out at just the right moment, with fresh naan and nicely cooked rice. Of course, that can't have been difficult since we were the only ones there. A few other people came in, but they left after looking at the menu. Perhaps they were expecting something with meat?
As for the food itself, I can't remember all the names of the dishes, but they were all delicious. It converted my bf to the tasty side, he who is notoriously picky and usually says that curry reminds him of some very impolite things indeed.
The only reason I'm holding off on the fifth star is the decor. The bathrooms looked like they were painted and decorated by a twelve year old, and the rest looks like they were too lazy to change things from the previous tenants' design. Time for an update! -
Review from Raymond K.
Vancouver, BC
12/11/2010 3 Check-ins Here
I just feel that I am not getting the value for the money I paid. Another reviewer was correct. The portion is too small. Or, they could charge less.
For the lunch buffet, it is not too bad. However, I wish there are more selections. For dinner, I probably won't come again. -
Review from Katy H.
3/13/2010 1 photo
After a long week of meat-heavy meals - Annapurna saved the day!
Some friends and I popped in here after a long day on the town. Tired and hungry we plopped ourselves down and decided on some great dishes to order up. It wasn't the best Indian I've ever had but it was certainly tasty. The service was quick, the prices were reasonable and best of all - we felt full! In a matter of 30 minutes we sat down, ate, and left. I'm not in BC a lot but I'd consider re-visiting if I'm in the area and have a hankering for some yummy garlic naan. -
Review from Don B.
3/14/2010
In the spirit of Lakshmi, the goddess of many things (but most importantly generosity), I bestow 3 stars upon Annapurna, mostly for coming through with a decent meal at an ok price when we needed it.
This little hole in the wall offers vegetarian (and some vegan) Indian food in a very no-frills setting. A glance at the menu results in a bit of sticker shock for basic family style Indian - many dishes were in the $11-and-up range (whereas at a similar place in, say, SF, you'd be paying in the $8-$9 range at most). The dish options read like your average Indian place. Fortunately when I visited, we had quite a few folks at the table, so we were able to order and sample a decent number of things.
Most all of the food offered to us was good but not great. About what I'd find on average in Portland, a town decidedly lacking in good Indian food. For these prices, however, I'd be expecting either larger dishes, more frills (aka atmosphere), or better quality, and really, Annapurna did not deliver on any one of those three. The saag was okay, the aloo gobi was... for lack of a better term, just okay as well, and the naan was small and expensive. It was again, about average quality, but not really for the price.
The major reason to write this otherwise malaise-driven review is to warn you from ordering the papri chaat. This is a dish that's normally comprised of crispy crackers served with some tamarind chutney, mint chutney, and raita, all for dipping. Here, they took cardboard-like thick bread (seriously, it tasted incredibly stale and chewy - like maybe some of yesterday's naan?) and chopped it up and drowned it in a puddled mix of the two chutneys and yogurt. It was a soupy mess with hunks of "chewy." Imagine taking very stale, chewy saltines and drenching them in a thin sauce and serving that on a plate. It was inedible (again, I'm being generous here) and all but a few bites of the dish ended up on the plate headed back to the dishwasher. For a group of adventurous eaters, that's saying a lot.
Other than that monstrosity, the rest of the meal was simply... okay, with the bill being more expensive than it should be. This could definitely be an oasis for vegetarians in an otherwise meat-driven city (we were thankful to have a break from pork belly madness), but as a destination, I would look for something better.Listed in: Oh Canada...., Diggin' the 'Couve!
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Review from Meredith P.
7/24/2010
This place was pretty damn good. My husband and I came here twice while in BC for dinner. I trust that they were honestly serving vegan Indian food, which doesn't happen all the time. The depth of flavor and quality of the dishes was great--I recommend the lentil dahl, the lentil soup, the cucumber salad, and if you want to try something different, the pepper "shrimp", which is made from tofu.
They just moved locations but are still found on 4th! -
Review from Renoir P.
Vancouver, BC
9/12/2010
I'm a bit stumped as to how this place has gotten so many good reviews....
Went here for lunch today at their new location which is decorated in a confusing mix of asian-inspired furniture and wall-decor. I recall the other location being quite cozy and inviting...this was just a bit sad - the fact that we were the only people in the entire place didn't help either.
The food was over-priced with meager portions and tasted a bit like pre-packed indian fare at best. Don't think I will return for another taste, there are just way too many other decent indian places to go to. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2009
What do you do when you're hanging out with a vegan friend and you're hungry?
Search "vegetarian" on Yelp.
And what do you say when your vegan friend marvels at the menu because when she goes out there's usually only ONE vegetarian option that needs to be modified?
You say "Thanks for the helpful reviews about Annapurna!"
And what do you do when your vegan friend really wants the chai tea but they don't have soy?
You get her to pick another drink. Chai tea without the yummy creaminess, just isn't the same. :-)
Yummerific vegan options that we both shared left me feeling quite happy and satisfied. There wasn't anything left over of our allo gobhi (cauliflower and potatoes) or the baigan bharta (eggplant). We opted for the tofu paratha (whole wheat bread stuffed with tofu). Next time, I'd get one order of the paratha and some rice.
Our server was very sweet and friendly. And I quite liked the paper lanterns and wood finishes. -
Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
9/29/2008
With so many restaurants--new and established--vying for attention, Annapurna continues to lure people with spiced aromas and a friendly atmosphere.
The dishes here are entirely vegetarian with a few vegan dishes thrown in for good measure. Specialties include the onion and cilantro naan and their hot potato salad. The vegetable kofta and the sarson ka saag (rapini leaves cooked in butter and spices) are amongst my personal favourites.
Delicious, healthy, reasonably priced. What more could you ask for? -
Review from Teresa M.
3/30/2011
The lunch buffet had just enough options to keep us entertained. The complimentary chai was a great touch- add sugar). My favorite dishes were the tofu paneer and the veggie pakoras. The dessert was like a honey soaked donut; 1 will have you full. Also the naan was a little funny- like it was fried rather than baked. The lunch buffet seems to sit out a long time; the soup was cold. The restaurant was almost empty when we were in it. I think that this is good value- we got full and everything was pretty good except the spinach was not to my taste.
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Review from kirk s.
Vancouver, BC
9/27/2010
me and my wife had a supper good meal here I am not usaly big on fake meat dishes but my wife loved eating in a place that she can eat almost anything on the menue.
the servie was good fast and freindly -
Review from Mercedes G.
Vancouver, BC
10/1/2008
Amongst a plethora of Indian food venues in Kitsilano and area, Annapurna does near -to- its best to entice customers old and new. The food is typically Indian but all vegetarian, which is a bonus for the Indian-loving herbivores out there.
My dinner companion enjoyed Mutter Paneer, that being Indian home-made cheese with peas in spices, while I had the Allo Gobhi, the curried new potatoes with cauliflower. The food was tasty and reasonably priced but I think I have become spoiled by other Indian cuisines and maybe I need to come back down to Earth? Regardless, a good place for a decent, well priced veggie Indian meal. -
Review from Sarpreet G.
9/22/2008
Everything here has such a great made at home feel to it. The kofta is definitely my favourite. The fact that it is all vegetarian is a bonus for me.
If I'm ever in Kits, this is the only place for me if I'm craving Indian food. -
Review from Noelle S.
Surrey, BC
3/31/2010
The quality of food and service has declined at Annapurna. My first visit, several years ago was AMAZING all around - but sadly the last 2 times have been disappointing.
The service was slow, bordering on neglectful and the food has been simply ok. -
Review from Susanne J.
Hope, BC
11/7/2009
Pretty pleasing place all around. Food was tasty, service was swell but it did seem to be missing a certain je ne sais quois....perhaps it was just that it was so quiet in there despite numerous customers that I felt inclined to speak at a low hush like everyone else....seemed slightly awkward.
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Review from michael jackson Q.
8/10/2009
meh.
Only went here once (visiting from the US) but it clearly doesn't compare to now defunct Yogi's on Commercial Ave.
The food was fairly good and the service was slow considering that it was not crowded.
Luckily there is an awesome vegetarian Mexican food place "Banditas" that makes up for the loss of Yogi's even though its not Indian.
