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Dharma Kitchen
Categories: Restaurants Vegan Restaurants Vietnamese Vegan, Vietnamese [Edit]
3667 Broadway WVancouver, BC V6R 2B8
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 738-3899
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Dharma Kitchen
20 reviews in English
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Review from Phil D.
Winnipeg, MB
9/22/2011
When I visit I ALWAYS stop here for wonderful food that is about PEACE and love. Word is BOND.
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Review from Veronica D.
Vancouver, BC
11/3/2011
OH MY! No... Just no.
My friend and I stopped here for lunch one day. It was super dead. I wondered why at first... now I know.
The server was very friendly. Really friendly. Topping up your water every few minutes friendly. I didn't mind because I'm a guzzler with my water at restaurants, and they're short glasses... but maybe some people wouldn't like that.
We didn't want anything else to drink, but he brought us a little sample of chai to try. I don't really like tea, and I hate coffee. Hate... But this chai was good, and I actually thought well I can probably drink it's cuz there's no dairy in it either. It was really good. So I would say the chai is best thing about our experience here.
My friend ordered the tempeh burger with roasted potatoes, and I ordered the dharma dude bowl.
I had asked what was in the dressings, but could not get an answer if all the dressings had oil in it. I can't stand salads with nuts, avocado and oil all over it. It's really too much concentrated fat for a small bowl of lettuce.
But all he said was "Everything on the menu is healthy". I just kinda laughed inside. Healthy is relative. If you eat too much of anything that in itself can be unhealthy... so that's why I wanted to know if all their salads were just oily salads. Essential fatty acids are good, too many calories from fat is not good. You know what I mean?
So we waited for a while and then our food came out. The tempeh I got on my bowl, was the same as the burger patty. It looked and tasted like a burger patty. It was all right. Definitely the most flavourful thing in the dish. The rest was just plain steamed veg, with an oily mild gravy and some COLD slightly reheated potato rounds.
The potatoes on my friend's plate were the same too.
We felt cheated, like everything on the menu is the exact same stuff presented in different combinations... and this is not a good thing.
It all tasted like blah.
Now if you're vegetarian or vegan, don't you generally know some tasty recipes for veg bowls and stir fries? You'd think right.
Cuz this is probably the worst blah tasting vegan food I've had in Vancouver.
I create healthy low fat vegan recipes for my business. I KNOW how to do healthy and flavourful. But this kitchen doesn't get it. Even without garlic and onions, you can still make stuff flavourful, and not have it just be barely reheated and tossed together.
I have to say that I have no desire to come back because I'd rather pay $14 for something tasty at an Omni restaurant. It's a shame because the place looks nice and warm inside, but the food is what is driving customers away.
When you're dead all the time, it's the food or the price. In this case it's both. -
Review from Mike D.
Vancouver, BC
2/5/2012
Would you like to order some of our delicious chai? It's made with lemongrass and vegan soymilk... [stroke]
...
[stroke] -
Review from Nat P.
Vancouver, BC
2/18/2011
Have you ever tasted love? (and No, not THAT kind of love.)
I mean when the dish kisses your lips as it enters your mouth, food that swaddles your tongue in flavour, food that smiles at your heart on its way down to your stomach...
It's dark and it's hailing out. When it's not hailing its pouring rain that feels like hail. We enter into the warm and dimly lit Dharma Kitchen.
A small planted cedar greets us at the door, followed by a very chilled out server. There are three of us and we're immediately put at ease. "It just feels good in here."
The Chai tea is giving Dharma Kitchen an extra star. This is the best Chai tea i have ever had the privilege of putting in my body. They infuse love into every atom of what they make here.
The atmosphere is such a way I almost felt as if i needed to ask permission to take pictures. Definitely a "no flash photography" kind of feel. Sacred.
I got a 'Spirit Bowl' a flavourful and filling Tempeh, rice, and salad combination. Others got a burger platter (mmm roasted potatoes on the side) and another dish with tofu, zucchini, peppers and a miso gravy . The food seems to gently bring you to the present....mmm mindfulness in my belly. Taste the love.
It is later explained to us by the chilled out server the little welcoming cedar was decorated for christmas. It was different than most Christmas trees however ; the ornaments were *hung around it * dangled from the ceiling. The tape left above confirmed the tale. Why weigh his cute little branches down with holiday cheer? So mindful of the tree's little limbs! This idea gave me a great amount of childlike joy.
(then my adult mind wondered if they perhaps should also blind fold the little cedar, so he wouldn't have to watch in horror as little baby parsleys, beets and carrots were brutally stabbed and eaten around him, everyday)
Deep breath. Back to the present. Watch the thoughts. Taste the love.
I'm not Vegan or Vegetarian, but Dharma Kitchen will give you a good idea of what food made with love tastes like... what it feels like to be loved back by the food.
As we were finishing, someone was leaving with three chai teas in 'to-go' cups. They had come in the middle of a hail storm for Chai tea. They know what i'm talking about. -
Review from vanessa G.
Vancouver, BC
5/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
How come i never heard of this place before? It is not anywhere near where i live but this place should be talked about. A fully vegan restaurant with awesome flavored vegan tempeh burgers. Potatoes with miso gravy fitted my non vegan cravings for poutine. I felt good walking in here, and great walking out. Service was great as well.
Listed in: Best Veggie Eats!, Best of Kitsilano, Vegantastic
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Review from Evilyn T.
7/6/2010 3 photos
So much hate for such a gentle spirit, what's up with that Yelpers? You guys are turning this place into the Drama Kitchen. A group of us came here for dinner to satisfy our vegetarian delights, but felt like we were supposed to lay down on the table and get a massage while we waited. There was something very relaxing and calming about being in there, I don't know if it was the smell or the calm music or the fact that I was exhausted from work, in any case, I had to force the BF not to wrap his sweater on his head and take his clothes off. Maybe then we could have laid him on the table and done experiments on him and had him type some numbers into a computer on a scheduled basis to give him a complex that he could die if he didn't.... oh wait, that's the Dharma Initiative, not quite the same thing.
We were brought a big jug of water with a little lemon in it to add some zest. I ordered a cup of the miso soup, which was alright, it didn't taste very miso-y, it tasted more like cilantro, and could have used a touch of spice. I also had the basil and tofu rice dish, which I really liked, it was spicy, in a flavourful way and not a hot kind of way. The BF had a carrot, celery, and ginger juice, which was really good. I usually find vegetable juices to be a bit too bitter for me. He also ordered the Nucau bowl, which was kind of like a salad on top of a rice and steak (tempeh) dish. He said he gave it a 4/5, I personally do not like tempeh because it has such a meaty texture, and even though I am not a hardcore veggie, it weirds me out. I'll stick to the tofu dishes thanks.
The bill was pretty easy to figure out since most of the dishes are around $10, but there is no breakdown, so if you are paying separately you may want to ask for separate bills. We chilled at the table for a bit, since it was a family dinner and all, and one of our servers brought over some complimentary chai teas for us, which were pretty stellar. What a nice way to end the meal too! Everyone at the table was super satisfied with what they ordered and I am sure we will be back again soon. I was eyeballing the Green Goddess dish that one of our table members ordered so I think that will be my next choice. -
Review from Kimberley B.
Vancouver, BC
9/15/2010
Firstly, my review is based on takeout and not the actual restaurant. 2/5 of my family members are vegan and I'm vegetarian so it can be tricky to find good takeout places to please everyone. We decided to get together for dinner and my vegan brother suggested this place. We all circulated the menu via email and selected our orders.
When dear Mother took the orders out of the bag two of the orders were wrong. Not the end of the world but a nuisance certainly and not a good first impression for this little Yelper. I ordered the NuCao bowl, which managed to be both spicy and bland all at once; no small feat. As other reviewers have pointed out, the "Tempeh" steaks are simply sliced up Boca burgers and that is not the same. I managed about 3 bites of it and gave up.
As a "takeout" place, I won't be calling back. However I am curious to experience the ambience that other readers have commented on. Still. Bland AND spicy? What a conundrum. -
Review from Judy H.
Vancouver, BC
2/13/2009
You know, if you want to eat brown rice (woo hoo!) with tofu thrown on top (who thought of that amazing idea?) and drown the whole thing in some variation of sweet gravy-sauce, then this place is for you.
Reminds me of the kind of food that my housemates in college used to whip up in 2 minutes. Sure, it's clean, and the ingredients are fresh, I guess, but I expect a little more creativity and effort when I spend $$$ at a restaurant. And what exactly is Thai about this place? It's more like Asiatic oriental. Totally unappetizing.
They should just call it what it is -- it's vaguely Asian-esque food for white people who don't eat salty or spicy food. There's nothing wrong with it. I just don't get why people rave about this place. -
Review from jeanerinc y.
10/27/2011
The menu is on the smaller side, but the portions are a good size. For my personal taste, I wasn't really feeling the ambiance and music, but then again, what was I to expect with a name like dharma kitchen. It's definitely promotes serenity. The food didn't blow my mind, I'd describe it more as an occasional place to go if you're not craving anything in particular. I do give the chai tea 5 stars though! Wonderful tea, especially on a windy day.
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Review from Brett C.
Toronto, ON
10/9/2009 1 Check-in Here
As a meat lover, I went to Dharma Kitchen to please my girlfriend. I knew my selection of dishes would be limited as I don't find tofu tasty and there are many popular fruits and vegetables I do not like.
But I did manage to find a dish and it was A-OK. The curry sauce was nothing special, but it still tasted fine nonetheless. If my girlfriend decided she wanted vegetarian again I would be willing to go here. -
Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
9/11/2008
Despite being license-less, I ventured the trek here via BC Transit. All 6.5 km of 'em. I was lured here by a friend with the promise of feasting on some of the best vegetarian food around.
The food here is delicious! There is an obvious Thai influence but the flavours were generally pretty accessible, even for the more conservative set. Some of their combinations might seem unusual to those unaccustomed to the ways of the Thai but everything is wholly and entirely delicious. I've had their house salad a couple of times, topped with the spicy peanut sauce and it was lovely. The spice level was a bit more understated than I would have thought for a restaurant that boasts Thai influence, but it was still great! That said, the curries could have used a little more heat but the burgers (remember, fusion!) were lovely. I particularly like the miso gravy that topped most of the burgers on menu.
Considering the inaccessibility of some of the ingredients here in Vancouver, it would be difficult for them to replicate the flavours of Thailand exactly (in some ways it could be more accurately categorized as being broadly Asian as opposed to solely Thai) but it's very good in its own right.
Serene and relaxed--though a tad new age-y--Dharma Kitchen is a wonderful spot for everyone, vegetarian and carnivores alike! -
Review from Awesta M.
11/22/2010
I'll be honest, I went there not expecting to like this place. But it surprised me. So my friend and I split the Special dinner where we got sauteed tomatoes, avocado salad and red curry tofu with rice for the same price as one of their mains. We also got the tea because one of the earlier yelpers had mentioned it was delish.
The sauteed tomatoes were fantastic. I don't know what they put on it but it was the hit of the table. They give you about six of them and we were able to share with everyone.
Then they gave us the salad, which was pretty good. I have a serious weakness for avocado so that salad really couldn't go wrong.
The red curry tofu was the item that we had the screeching of the breaks on our ride down happy food lane. It was spicy but there was a lack of flavor to it. It wasn't so spicy that you can't taste anything, it was more like the kitchen decided that b/c it was spicy that was all the flavor it needed.
So all in all, I would go back with a veggie or vegan friend but would know to order something else. Everyone seemed to like their burgers.
Oh one last thing, the service. The service was bad. I think after a certain point they didn't really care that we were still there. I did see our server snuggling her boyfriend(?) and definitely not caring that we may have wanted our check at some point. So don't expect things to happen in a timely fashion necessarily on that end. -
Review from Joel H.
Vancouver, BC
6/20/2011
A worthwhile alternative if the Naam is too busy. I had to get over the name of the restaurant and the dishes (my dignity was mortally wounded when I had to speak the words "I'll have the Dharma Dude"), but the food is actually pretty good, the portions are generous, and the chai and the fruit smoothies are tasty. Rarely crowded. I am often left feeling that I'm somehow not getting the service I could be if I were the kind of person who regularly shopped at Banyan Books, if you know what I mean.
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Review from Nic M.
Vancouver, BC
2/25/2011
Dharma Kitchen is a fully vegan restaurant, healthy food, organic vegetables and home made tempeh. I enjoyed Frank's personal service too.
I went for lunch, it was excellent. Large plates and very satisfying.
We ordered the big protein meals, the tempeh burger for me with potatoes in miso gravy and organic salad with sprouts and avocado....delicious. If you are hungry this is for you and very reasonable at $13.95. My friend had the big protein salad....huge salad of fresh greens and vegetables and a tempeh patty on top. also great.
In case you are wondering we'd just been kettlebell training and wanted to get our protein.
The rest of the menu looked great too, curries and lots of interesting things at reasonable prices.
They also have a small selction of red and white ORGANIC wines at $28 a bottle.
Nice peaceful atmosphere. This place is a sleeper. Worth a visit.
Open 12 - 10 and thankfully there was no TV blaring at us, gosh I hate that! Having to be a captive audience for someone else's taste. -
Review from Mrs F.
10/4/2008
More like 3.5 but I'll round up.
The restaurant is very clean and comfortable. The selections were pretty good.
They're a bit heavy on the gravies and sauces (miso gravy and tahini). The chai was very delish.
When I went to use the restroom you can see into the kitchen and it's spotless. Clean floors and kitchen counters - you only see fresh vegies and ingredients, no grease.
I'm not vegan so I wouldn't come back time and again, but this was the perfect resto at which to dine out a few days after we did our cleanse. -
Review from Evelyn M.
7/30/2010
We went out of our way (Sky Train and bus) on our visit to Vancouver to find this wonderfully simple, delicious and calm place. The food was delicately seasoned with a variety of flavors that made each dish special. Our server guided us to a balanced meal that fully satisfied both my vegan and my partner's omnivore palates. It is definitely on our must return list.
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Review from Nadine N.
Vancouver, BC
9/20/2008 1 photo
When my wife and I were turned away from Montri's Thai Restaurant a few doors down, we had the good fortune of stumbling across Dharma Kitchen. We were seated right away at a table by the window. I had a hard time deciding what to eat, which is often my experience at vegetarian restaurants since it's the one time I can eat anything on the menu. Exciting! I finally chose the Buddha Bowl, while my wife had the Basil Tofu. I ended up eating half of her plate and taking my dish home. Service was efficient and friendly. I agree with Jill G., Dharma Kitchen has some of the best chai I've ever had!
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Review from Dayna S.
Vancouver, BC
6/24/2010
Most people at my table were not happy. Pretty slow and not that interesting. I'll try it again with a different crowd and see if I just made the wrong choice on the wrong day. It has potential.
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Review from Hemant S.
Vancouver, BC
10/13/2009
I had huge expectations and love the name. But I guess I'm not dharmic enough to enjoy the food. The service was not even mediocre. In a review by luisa she said therewas a Thai flavour to the food. I guess the Thai flavor she had came from the Thai craft souvenir shop right next to dharma kitchen. The food is so bland that I can make it in 3 minutes in a microwave provided with a bowl and water. I guess the chef's job eligibility is to be clean and tidy that's it. No creativity and definitely no spices. I guess there is a little pich of salt though but I won't gurantee that. Infact I ordered what the menu said Bengal spicy burger. Nothing Bengali about it and I've already talked about the spicy part. The other dishes that my friends got were equally bad - buddhas bowl and tofu bowl. Basically rice with steamed bokchoy with tofu and yes Salt! I don't know why but the place wasn't empty. But all I saw were white canadian customers. Maybe they are buddhists and survive on this kinda food. Coz the Chinese and Indian buddhists I've encountered so far have a different set of taste buds. Maybe having a Free Tibet bowl in the menu was a tactic to keep the Chinese customers away. LOL anyways please go there if all u like is fresh steamed vegetables. Those who don't try east is east a few blocks away which is awesome as we went there right after we left dharma kitchen. Yes now u know why I spent so much time typing on my iphone for a restaurant I rated 1* star out of 5. Because I had to spend more money at another place just so that I don't go home hungry
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Review from J G.
Vancouver, BC
8/28/2008
A good spot for the vegetarian/vegan crowd, Dharma Kitchen makes up tasty rice and noodle bowls with nice and some unexpected combinations of veggies. I wouldn't call this eatery original, exactly, but it is cosy, friendly and well-priced. Everyone I dined with was happy with their meal, so although this place isn't adventurous, it is satisfying and comfortable. What was really excellent here was the chai tea. This was quite possibly the best chai I've had anywhere, ever. I'd go back just for that. Especially on a rainy day.
