Came for a friends birthday celebration, turns out we weren't the only ones, and had a great time! The menu is straight forward and most of us opted for the Chai Feast - great deal and variety to choose from! I had tried almost everything on the menu but have to admit that the vegetarian options reigned supreme over the meat options. I left extremely full and satisfied. Really appreciate how the refills come quick and in smaller portions! This way you get to try everything! Service was great and I will definitely be back for Friday/Saturday live music! read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Went out for dinner with my friends and this was a very unique experience. The Broadway location is beautiful, it's very open and they had entertainment when we went on a Thursday night. I love how you can get unlimited servings with the platter and can try different options each time. The Service was prompt and our server was checking in with us routinely to get refills. read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The ambiance was 10/10!!! Food that we tried maybe 3.5/5, but the experience felt worth it. Live edge wood everywhere, live music alternating between piano and acoustic guitar soloists, warm lighting, welcoming staff. When there's a wait, you're greeted with small cups of chai, and gifted a cookie upon your exit. So many lovely details! But the vegetarian street food we got was mixed. Loved the small salad, mystic soup was ok, lentil soup was great, then the rolls were nice, the Boulani were fine but we didn't realize that each topping was in its own pocket, felt like eating a $30 spinach quesadilla. If we go back I'd stick to the roti rolls. Perhaps meat eaters would have a different experience! But I will say, lots of vegan options which we could appreciate. 2 roti rolls feels like plenty for 2 people but potentially has a plate share fee? Not certain. read more

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We have been going to East is East for birthday celebrations for many years. However, over the past year, we have noticed a serious decline in both food quality and service. While you are advised immediately when booking for a larger group that a 20% gratuity will be added, it took more than 30 minutes to receive our bill after we asked for it. They also charged for desserts that used to be complimentary for the birthday person. What was complimentary this time was a single candle in a glass with some cheap sweet stuff, even though the staff had been informed that TWO people were sharing a birthday. Very disappointing. In addition, there appears to be a great deal of staff turnover, as we almost never see the same service personnel twice. We will now start looking for a new restaurant. read more

A great culinary tour of Eastern dishes from a variety of countries served up in small dish all you can eat offerings including creamy mushrooms, eggplant, curries, naan, Biryani, paneer, chicken masala, lamb gormeh sabzi, baked Thai salmon, soups, and salads. The Silk route feast provides you with an ever changing flavorful food adventure. Menu is a bit thin for small appetites, as the feast is clearly the main attraction but a bit pricey for small appetites. Service is excellent with attentive, caring, happy staff that greet you with a warm chai as you come in the door and explain each dish as they are served. Live violin music on weekends requires a $4 charge. read more

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This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Lower Mainland. I usually dine at the Main Street location and this place is equally good. Nice ambiance with lots of rugs and tapestries and cushions with wooden benches. Almost like an Arabian night feel to it. The place can be quite dark with dim lighting and that makes reading the menu a bit challenging. My date and I were finding it quite hard to read and thank goodness for the diners next to us. They lent their readers to my partner and I resorted to taking pics of the menu to read on my phone. I usually get the chai feast (cheaper during lunch at $33 compared to $43 dinner at time of writing) but I notice it is too much food for me now. It is a good experience as you get to try everything on the menu. This time I had the boulani which was always my favorite food here. I had the eggplant and potato boulani with Dahl soup. It was perfect. My date had the rice bowl without the rice. He had the lamb on green salad. I tried a bit and it was really good too. The service was excellent with the server coming by very often to top up our water glass. The tasting menu was explained clearly to us and never once did we feel like we need to leave as soon as we finished with our food. Great place for dates and special occasions or anytime. The food is just fantastic! At night there will be musical performances. read more

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I'm confused by this restaurant. It came across as a Indian/Afghan fusion restaurant but I didn't get much Afghan. I ordered the Afghan Rice with Alo Gobi and Mango Chicken. My husband had the Salmon and Mango Squash and Eggplant Boulani. The flavour profile of what I would consider a true Kabuli pulao didn't come through and I feel that this dish would have suited better being presented in three separate dishes instead of having to two options poured on top of the rice. The Samon Boulani was quite 'fishy' smelling but the Mango Squash and Eggplant was really good. I don't know if I would reorder either of these dishes. I will say one thing though... their soy chai tea is the best chai tea I've ever had. Absolutely delicious. read more

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This is a super cute Afghan/Indian fusion restaurant. The ambiance is quite different and gorgeous decoration of it. We ordered the chai feast meal and tried a couple of items on the menu which was great. So delicious. I love that they have a few dairy free/vegan/gluten free items on their menu. The service was also good. The staff were pretty friendly; however, the service was a little slow. read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We had a big celebration here a few weeks back. Despite all the people, service was warm and efficient. I got a double east roll (their take on a wrap) for $29 with paneer and chicken mango as fillings to share with a friend. Appreciated them allowing us to mix the fillings. Portion size was massive and it came with soup and salad. They are known for an all you can eat menu for $44 so something to try if you are a big eater. Flavour wise, everything was good but not really authentic, for instance the soup tasted like Thailand curry soup. Really enjoyed the soy chai though. read more

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Inside out: it was easy to find street parking and the building is well decorated, The sign at the front did not say East is East. Inside the decoration is incredibly fun and I wish that I could decorate my whole home like this. It's comfy, it uses a lot of natural elements, and I love the lights behind the stone look. Service: I wish we would've been able to come earlier so that I could actually get the full experience, I had a lot of anxiety about my friend wanting to come in towards the end of the day as I'm not a person who will not go in an hour and a half before close. Our friend took us anyway and we didn't know -so my husband and I ordered some thing that was a single plate and did not do the experience I wanted to. I bet it would be incredible to try, but we just had too much anxiety to try it right before close. That didn't seem to slow my friend down and they were still accommodating to him, which is nicer than I would be. There were two musicians that did piano and I believe guitar the night we were there, the music was of surprisingly good quality and incredibly relaxing. This place was like a dream, I just wish I could have tried it at a better time. Food: I don't think there was a single thing I tried that I didn't like, and the food was amazing. I don't get a lot of food like this where I am from, but attended a temple for a while where we enjoyed feast together- this was just blissfully tasty. I don't know what they do to make it so freaking good other than just have a good quality ingredients and prepare it well -it just tasted magical. Overall I bet this would be so fun and tasty to do at any time of day that isn't close. They had so many options and tons of things for vegetarian's it was amazing. All the drink options looked delicious but we just got to try a tiny sample and I wanted to drink a gallon of it immediately. I cannot say enough good things and I highly recommend this place. read more

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Oooh, so delicious! And such a gorgeous setting, as well! IDK much about Afghan / fusion cuisine, but after two visits, I'm hooked! This is a very accessible menu, and the tastes are so rewarding, you'll be back, for sure! read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

First time at East is East :) They have an incredible tasting menu that allows you to have smaller portions (unlimited). When we went they also had live music, which helped elevate our dining experience. For the Chai Feast Tasting Menu ($39 per person)and you get to choose unlimited small dishes from their signature tasting menu (includes Salads, soup, and main dishes). Each feast also comes with boulani, hot chutney, a mix of afghan and basmati rice. We tried: Dahl soup, mystic soup, Persian salad, hummus, baba ganoush, afghan eggplant, Tibetan mantu, peas & cheese, spinach paneer, chana masala, chicken masala, mango chicken and lamb curry. 10/10 Would recommend read more

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We love their feast. We have been going there since the establishment was in their first small location. The quality is great and more importantly it is consistent. The servers are always very nice. The only negative is some nights the music is not good. read more

The ambience of the place was amazing! They have beautiful persian interior and ample space. The menu is kind of confusing between indian and persian. The bowl we ordered was really mix of all the curries which kind of was not pleasing. But if taken separately the taste was really good. The service was super slow. We waited for 30 min to get the check. Also I think the name of place is also silk n spice, which is weird. read more

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My favourite restaurant! Chai and Gandhi's Breakfast with Mystic soup is my go-to, which never fails. I love the gluten free option for roti! read more

We stumbled across this restaurant one afternoon during a recent trip to Vancouver. Oh my gosh, it is fabulous! The decor and ambience is lovely and the food is absolutely delicious! Simron was our waitress and the service she provided was fantastic! She informed us that entertainment is provided several nights a week, so next time we will come on a night when the music is playing. read more

Cozy, warm ambiance. Have live world and jazz music most nights. The food and chai teas are delicious. Good space for larger groups too.

Great food. Wonderful decor. Impeccable service. Reasonably priced. Two locations. It's a keeper.

Ok, if you're going on a date this is a lovely place to go. It's so beautiful inside and they have live music most nights. It's well-worth it just for the ambiance. The food is yummy. It's a veggie's dream! They have meat as well for the carnivores. The portions were huge so expect to take home half of your food They have a decent wine list as well. Though next time I'm going to try one of their chai cocktails for sure. The staff are polite and knowledgeable, and make the evening quite amicable. Not a place I'd go every day, but it's a treat once and while. read more

We love eating at East is East when we're in town. They welcome you with a warm cup of chia tea before being seated. The feast is our favorite way to try different dishes. read more

This is such a cool place! We ate outside but the interior of the place was so gorgeous and calming, and the live music that started shortly before we left was really nice. The soy chai sample was a nice way to start the meal. I decided to order a full almond chai for myself. I really liked both of these and thought it was interesting that they used green tea for the nondairy chai. I'm a big fan of green tea but it seems to be harder to make it work with masala chai, however this was very successful. I was super tempted to get the chai feast even though I knew I wasn't hungry enough to order seconds of anything just because the array of dishes to try looked so appealing, but was put off by the price, which I think is reasonable if you're going to do AYCE like it's meant to be done, but too much for just a normal meal for me. But maybe someday I'll come back and splurge. I instead went with a single "The Gypsy" roti roll which turned out to be really good too. The squash and eggplant filling was very flavourful and I thought the single roll was just filling enough, I would've been stuffed if I'd gotten the double. They give you a lot of the filling. I also thought the roti wrap was good - it was a bit firmer/crispier than the roti I'm used to, but definitely different from a tortilla, and if the thing was too soft it wouldn't work to hold filling, so I thought this was perfect. The roll comes with a side salad (the dressing was really good) and choice of Mystic Soup or Dahl. I got the dahl but kind of wish I'd gotten the mystic - the dahl was good for sure, but it is more soupy compared to typical Indian dahl which is more what I was expecting, and the spice and coconut milk in the mystic soup (which my friend got and I tried) is just more up my alley. They also brought a selection of sauces/chutneys for us to try with our rolls which were all really good! I had their vegan khir for dessert. I enjoyed this too! Very fragrant with spices and the texture was very pleasant. If anything, the service was a bit slow, but we were able to comfortably get in and out within the 1.5 hour block we had for our reservation even though we took a while just deciding what to order. Our waitress was understanding of this and we didn't feel rushed to make up our minds. read more

East Is East - The Gypsy Roll w/ Dahl - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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East is East is a gem of a restaurant. My favourite is the Kitsilano location. The ambience of the decoration and live music, the extraordinary serving staff, the top notch recipes and fresh ingredients as well as the best chai in town, make this a rewarding experience every time. I recommend it highly East is East. read more

I ordered the chai platter with a vegan array (chana masala, whipped spinach, mystic soup, and GF bread) to go! It came with their rice and salad as well. Holy hanna, it was under $30 and easily 3-4 meals! So much flavour in these dishes! The chana was so rich and delicious! The whipped spinach was melt in your mouth. The mystic soup was not my fave (I much prefer their lentil) but it was still delicious. So many options available for all dietary restrictions and the value is unbeatable! Check this place out! read more

Good food. Good atmosphere. Good value. One of our go to's when people come to visit us. Recommended. read more

So. Good. Sogood. The food here tastes like home. We got the all you can eat, Chai Feast option but was so full after the first round. Ended up sampling 4 of the dishes, the lamb, spinach paneer, eggplant, and mango butternut squash. Mango butternut squash was out of this world so friggen good! Highly recommend! I usually get plain rice at any establishment, but somehow, in ways that I do not understand, the raisins in the rice just enhanced the flavour of everything. Wisely, we ordered extra boulani from the start, and ended up getting a second round of boulani at the end. They kept the door open due to covid-19 reasons, and we went on a chilly day. I was in a miserable mood and a bit skeptical about how food might taste in the cold but the soy chai and the flavour of everything just warmed my heart up and then some Looking forward to coming back! read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

First time coming to their new location (which is really one block down the road from their old location). They took over the old Calhoun and renovated the whole restaurant to a very unique Persian/Afghan look/feel to it. I came here with my family and I got the usual. Their menu is basically the same as 10 years ago except prices are much more expensive. So I got the double wrap (lamb and the mango chicken). They have that nice spicy kick to it which made it tasty. But the prices for $18 plus tax and tip is like $20ish for a double wrap is pricy. Yes it does come with salad and soup (small). They also offer free sample of chai tea. But still for the price not sure if its worth it when I could have gone to Afgan Horseman and paid $38 for a platter with 4 times more meat, rice, potatoes and etc. Definitely a better deal there. Décor is unique and nice. Also they charges $2 per person if you choose to dine here after 7pm. The reason is that they offer music (music not free = sad face). Most people like myself are not into their music. I really wanted to dine and go. Also the music can not be heard through out the restaurant. Most people come for a nice conversational dinner so the music doesn't add value to the meal for some people. read more

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East Is East was a cool experience! I haven't experienced an AYCE (all u can eat) style of Silk Road cuisine before this. They take reservations at this location, and I love the tall ceilings, and interior decor of wooden tables, rugs. They even have a mini stage for musical performances that they host throughout the week! The ACYE is called the "Chai Feast Tasting Menu". Essentially, you get to choose from salads, soups, mains - and that all comes with boulani, basmati rice, and hot chutney. You can keep refilling on ANY of those or try to taste everything. If you're like me, and get full fast, this might not be the option for you haha. I essentially couldn't finish, but they do give you a takeout box if you request for one so I was able to take some home. This was the only downer for me, as I felt like this was a pretty expensive choice and I couldn't eat much for what I was paying for. Other than that, the flavor of everything had such a good punch to it! I recommend the persian salad, dhal soup, alu gobi, mango butternut squash, chana masala, and afghan eggplant! read more

East Is East - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

One-line review: A great evening out. We were looking for a special date, and my wife discovered Flamenco night at East is East. We tried to make a reservation, but apparently, you have to have 4 or more to do that, so we were put on the guest list -- not quite a reservation but ahead of those who just show up. We were seated front and center for the music and dance. Fabulous. We ordered: - A two roti roll combo, which came with dal and salad. Our selections were The Gypsy (eggplant and butternut squash -- sweet, creamy) and The Yogi (chickpea -- savory). They worked well together. - The Mediterranean platter. This had a little bit of everything -- quinoa salad, hummus, baba ghanoush, olives, roasted garlic, boulani, dates and feta cheese. Fun to try the variety, but probably would go for something different the next time. The servers were attentive, and they were moving fast. The music and dance (+$2 per person) were great and made the evening a superior experience. Parking was free on the street in the neighborhood or at a meter closer in. The bottom line: A beautiful venue, delicious food in generous portions, music and dance... what's not to like? We'll be back! read more

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Great Service and entertainment. Food was very good and just the right portion. Greater with a big smile read more

East Is East - Salmon Roll and Chai Fest - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The first thing that hit me when I walked in was how dark it was. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the dark, although it was really elegant. The food smelled pretty great, and the staff was friendly. The performer was really talented, although I didn't stay too long. I really dislike how gloomy it seemed in there, and more than half of the people in there were really odd. The wait time was really long, and the food was slightly overpriced. But I guess that's what most fancy restaurants are like. read more

Beautiful restaurant with great service, ambiance and food. Would recommend trying the Silk Route Feast for your first visit since you can try many dishes. I had the Afghan Eggplant and Ali Gobi. The Eastern Ecstasy is a must have for dessert read more

East Is East - Silk Route Feast - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Best chai I have had - unforgettable aroma and flavor. A truly mesmerizing ambience and food! I have been coming here for 13 years. Fusion food, with many vegetarian options, which are both luxury food and comfort food at the same time -- what a unique representation of food from the Silk Road, whether Afghanistan or India or beyond. read more

I had the pleasure of being taken to lunch at East is East. The atmosphere and decorations create a comfortable dining experience. I selected a Salmon Boulani. My host the spinach Boulani. They were both large portion and delicious. In addition, I appreciated the friendly service. read more

East Is East - Restaurant interior. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Wowee wow wow. This place has immaculate vibes. Heck, I'm going here next time just to drink tea and take in the environment. I am a sucker for live music and dim lighting! Anyway, back to the food. Their menu layout is relatively simple, but they offered so many variations that I damn near imploded when I had to decide. I ended up getting a double roll: lamb w/ eggplant, and the yogi chickpea one. The lamb one was BOMB. Big ol pieces of lamb with some yummy savoury tangy sauce. I was STUFFED and only got a few bites of the chickpea. It was okay but seemed weak compared to the lamb. Their mystic soup and salad was really refreshing as well, they helped cut on any heaviness from the roll. read more

Food was great, but extremely hard to eat when you have no utensils! My friend and I picked up a bunch of food to go, and when we took it out to eat, there was no cutlery or napkins. It might have been the messiest lunch ever. I didn't even bother trying to eat the salad. It would have been nice if the girls getting us our food would have informed us there were no utensils or napkins in the bags. read more

Our showstopper whenever we have guests visiting. Tasting menu is a must. Life changing.

The decor is stunning and sets the mood for your ethnic experience of eastern inspired dishes with creative and wonderful rich flavors. Seated in a cozy corner with a fuzzy booth and throw pillows, my favorite decorative detail was the ceiling mural of the zodiac. Our incredibly thick table was carved from a tree stump, and although beautiful, was too think to sit comfortably; our legs were squished! The metal serving trays, metal water glasses and cute little serving dishes all added further unique detail to the dining experience. A lot of thought went into the details of the restaurant. The complimentary chai tea sample was fantastic! I ordered a 5 ounce glass of French wine for $11. The server mentioned they also do 8 ounce glasses for $5 more, which seems quite expensive. The cocktail, beer and wine list is quite limited at this location. They weren't even able to do a rum and coke. Chai Feast is the way to go, but definitely come hungry. I left borderline in pain because of my serious food baby. The options are Vegetarian for $29/person or meat for $33/person. The Chai Feast trays come with regular roti, stuffed roti, rice, your chosen soup, salad and two mini entrees. After you demolish that all off you can keep ordering entrees until you BURST!!! What I loved... Spinach Paneer, Butternut Squash, and the Tabouli salad. What I found disappointing, the Salmon Curry, the Roti and the lack of chicken and other seafood dishes. Interestingly, there seems to be more vegetable dishes than meat dishes. The Chicken Masala was good, but not outstanding. The mushroom and eggplant in cashew sauce was a little disappointing. Bf loved the lamb curry and our favorite dish was the Spinach Paneer. The spinach paneer at East is extra creamy! The wild salmon, although the sauce was tasty, just tasted to "fishy". The Roti were kinda soggy and I was disappointed you couldn't order naan and other bread options. Service was very slow, we waited 20 minutes to get our food! They also charge you $2/person for the live music and honestly I felt half the time the band was on break and we got stuck listening to restaurant chatter instead of music. Try East is East for the "Chai Feast", it's a great deal if you want to try a bunch of dishes. If you are looking for more specialty Indian dishes like Butter Chicken, Prawn Masala, and different types of Naan bread, a traditional Indian restaurant would suit you better. read more

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I would have given it a 5 star for the food alone, but with the extra unexpected and unheard of charges, I took it down to just a 3 star experience. I like the atmosphere and the decor of the restaurant and the food was very tasty. We were there for our friend's Birthday Party but what really bothered me was that they charged us $21 for holding and serving the birthday cake that we brought ourselves for the Birthday Friend. They sang her a Happy birthday song that was out of tune that I didn't know I had to pay for. On top of that, there was a gentleman who did play a very good violin but we were also surprised that we had to pay $4 each per person which I doubt would all go to the violinist. I bought a cocktail drink that was served in a small glass, watered down with lots of ice for $15, not worth it. I'm also not a fan of automatically charging customers 18% gratuity. That should be up to the customer to decide and not the restaurant, and should be based on their individual experience. My advise if you were to visit this restaurant is to just buy the food, skip the drink and don't get them to serve you cake that you paid for already from the outside. read more

I was roaming kits when I finally decided to try this franchise that I had seen all over Vancouver. The interior is pretty impressive, with wooden style tables, Persian rugs hung, and a stage for musical performances. I didn't attend during once, but I think it would have been sweet to do so. They also offered a free sample of almond chai tea, which was a nice gift. The server was also extremely nice and served me super quick. I ordered the Dalcha Stew ($19) which came with came with a small green salad and 4 pieces of Boulani. The salad was pretty good, garnished with some sweet berry or veggie, and some sunflower seeds. The stew was also nice, as you could tell there were plenty of spices that added to the flavor. However, I have had other Indian stews around Vancouver, and this one didn't stand out too much. The highlight of the platter was the Boulani though. The two soft pieces of bread sandwiching some veggies and melted cheese. It was super good, and I'd want to order more of that the next time I come. The interior, service, and variety on the menu was awesome, but I feel like I ordered a below average meal on the menu. It just wasn't anything sepcial, and I feel like this place does have more to offer with other items on the menu. I'll probably come back to another franchise location or this spot again to give it another shot. However, still solid choice, and would easily recommend to a friend. read more

East Is East - Dalcha Stew ($19) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My husband and I had come to this area to visit another place but due to long wait time, we ditched that and came here. The first thing which I noticed about the restaurant was the interior. It was so beautiful and elegant. Servers are awesome here. They make you feel so comfortable. We were served a sample of tea and it tasted great. It was a perfect masala chai. We ordered one vegetarian and one non vegetarian chai feast. Food looked great and the quantity was perfect. I personally preferred the non vegetarian dishes over vegetarians ones. Chicken and lamb, both tasted good. Each dish was perfectly seasoned. It was a wholesome meal. If you love chai then do try their masala chai, it's awesome. I prepare similar chai at home, so I was happy with just the sample ;) read more

East Is East - Veggie combo - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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