The food absolutely blew us away, when we came to this Indian restaurant not expecting anything except for a ordinary meal. Instead, we received the best food we have ever had. The paneer(cottage cheese) melting in our mouths. The naan was incredibly crisp, thin, soft and tasty, the perfect companion. Samosa chaat being the amazing starter, and the masala chai was the chefs kiss. My only regret is that our flight is the next day and we can't take the restaurant with us. Amazing food!! Exemplary service!! read more

Definitely on the pricey side but booths are comfy and their naan is excellent in particular their parmesan which apparently has onion in it unless they gave me the wrong one the papadam was also great as they fold it up into quarters making it taste even crispier then ever their lentil dahl was flavorful but the korma was very bland and veggies were not cooked enough vindaloo chicken was crazy dry and hard to eat they got my mild order wrong it was more like medium you could see the chili bits in it had to get it replaced frustrating they didn't take any dirty dishes away until we paid the bill even though it was not busy we were the only people there read more

Tasty Indian place taking up what used to be a Greek restaurant in the Kits area. Looks like their old location (Dunbar) is no more. Parking is available on the side streets. The interior is quite spacious. There's also a nice patio in front which is good for the summer days. Staff are friendly. Food pricing is surprisingly reasonable for the area. I had the lamb kadhai. Food could've been a bit spicier, but there was a nice bit of heat. Nice generous chunks of meat. Special mention goes to their garlic and basil naan. This is one of the best ones I've had in town. They didn't skimp out on the herbs and seasoning. Nice big portion too. Definitely a good option if one is in the area. read more

See all

One line review: This was fantastic. We walked over for lunch on the recommendation of a friend from our office. She knew whereof she spoke. We ordered from their lunch special menu -- $10 for dal, rice, naan, salad, and an entree. We selected lamb saag and lamb curry and asked for both spicy. That didn't so much happen, but food was tasty and the portions were generous. Value was excellent. Service was competent. We didn't bring a car, but there should be free parking in the neighborhood. Bottom line: In a single visit, this has become my go-to lunch spot in the area. We'll be back for sure. read more

Handi Grill - Chicken curry lunch special, extra spicy (though not to us) - Indian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food and service. Chicken vindaloo and mehti were outstanding! Server accommodating to food restrictions. Highly recommended.

Have never eaten in the restaurant, only take-out and delivery, both of which we've done several times. The Malai Kofta and Palak Paneer are good. Both about $18. The samosas are weird and tasted so unpleasant we didn't even finish them after a bite. They went straight into the compost. Onion bhajis (about $10) were also a big disappointment. Basically just mildly flavoured greasy onion rings. Times are tough now and restaurants have taken some big blows due to COVID and all those restrictions. So I hesitate to leave a bad review for any business. I decided I wanted Handi to know we were unsatisfied with these food items so I checked their Facebook page, which showed recent activity, and sent a DM. I wasn't asking for anything and tried to be polite, but when I'm paying so much money for food and it is so disappointing, I would think a restaurant would want honest feedback and I want an opportunity to give it. Never heard a word back from Handi, which really surprised me. Even if they don't like their food criticized, they might be grateful that someone takes the time to let them know. We won't be picking up or ordering from Handi again. Even though we like those two items mentioned, they are widely available from other Indian restaurants where we haven't had such disappointing experiences. read more

We've come here multiple times and have ordered the eggplant bharta, the butter chicken, the palak paneer. The reason why I'm knocking some stars off is because of the chicken in the butter chicken. It's usually very dry and the sauce to chicken ratio end up not being right because you end up having to cut open and smother the chicken in sauce. So maybe they can make the chicken cubes smaller or add more sauce, or I don't know but in that regard they could definitely improve. Additionally the sauce that came with the lamb curry had oil separation and was rather oily so maybe use less oil or mix the oil and the other components of the sauce better ? The flavours are good though ! And you can ask for everything at different levels of spiciness and they've always been pretty spot on in that regard. read more

Handi Grill - Eggplant bharta and butter chicken - Indian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

Had their lunch special today. The best Indian food. Rice was moist, salad was chilled and fresh, butter chicken was well marinated and Dal was like mamas home made Definitely returning read more

Got delivery - overall quite happy with the food. Onion kulcha: This was okay. The taste was good and the onions contrasted nicely with the bread texture, but it was just a little on the damp side when I opened it up. I suspect this is just a consequence of it being wrapped in foil for the 20 minutes it took to be delivered and this wouldn't be an issue if you dined in or just opened it up and ate it sooner. Palak paneer: This was really good! The sauce was very creamy compared to other palak paneer I've tried and the texture was spot on. The sauce to paneer ratio is on the high side but I think that's ideal for this dish. It was very filling. I got the "hot" spice level and it was just right for me - it's definitely hot and spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Would definitely recommend this! Mango lassi: I actually ordered the regular lassi, but I got the mango version? Not sure if they made a mistake or were just out of the regular since there was no note or anything explaining, and they didn't include a copy of the receipt/order. The mango was so good that I didn't really mind the mix-up - it had the right consistency for a lassi which for me is right between milk and milkshake, and the mango didn't totally overpower the tart yogurt. Kheer: It was my first time trying kheer, I liked the texture of the rice which was more fine than other rice puddings I've tried, and the focus seemed to be more on the cream than the rice itself. The subtle spiced taste was refreshing. I had leftovers for everything except the lassi. I think the pricing is right on; even the kheer which had a steep-looking price of $7.70 ended up being a huge serving. I would be interested in dining there in person sometime. read more

Handi Grill - Onion Kulcha, Palak Paneer, Mango Lassi - Indian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I gave it five out of five which is rare for me but there were six of us eating the food (take aways) and we all absolutely loved it. Thought it was the best traditional Indian food we had had in a long time. The eggplant bharta was really good - the standout for all of us. We ordered one medium and one hot. The restaurant actually listens to your spice preference as some reference ask you how hot but then all dishes seem to be the same even if you picked different levels. The chicken tikka masala and the vindaloo were also super good. We also liked the option of brown rice. None of us had any complaints, and in fact, it was less greasy then a lot of places. Definetly our new go to place. We would highy recommend if you want traditional Indian food. read more

It's in a convenient location. I thought food was very good. We ordered chicken tikka masala and malai kofta. The sauce of malai kofta was very creamy and good. Chicken tikka masala was not creamy but delicious. Nan was crispy and good for mopping up the sauce. Overall a good experience. The servers were very friendly. read more

Been meaning to try this Indian restaurant in the Dunbar neighbourhood and came here after a hike. We ordered the following: Garlic Naan - texture is not as fluffy and dough-y as we would like it but definitely lots of garlic Pea Pulao - The peas were still hard. It feels like it was microwaved and then added into the regular rice pulao. Too bad Butter Chicken - I really enjoy this dish. It was too spicy as we asked for mild and the sauce, well...we finished every last drop of it. Masala Prawns - a nice dish, nice thicker sauce. Went well with the rice read more

Came to Handi Grill on a whim and was NOT disappointed! We ordered the butter chicken and the coconut curry along with naan bread and rice. Both dishes were incredible. There are few things more comforting in this world than Indian food and this place is on point! We couldn't wait to start eating so unfortunately I didn't get a picture but please try it for yourself! read more

We have been coming here for 5 plus years. We visit from California and take our 90 yr old parents whom we order for. The staff are always very generous with their time and suggestions for our family. They can make dishes mild,medium or spicy but with all the flavors intact. It is a food oasis and enjoy our visits immensely. Thanks look forward to seeing you again read more

First time here and it won't be my last.....service was GREAT, food was amazing (and quick service), slightly more than other Indian restaurants we've been to, but well worth it. I had the Chicken Mughlai (with a $6.00 add on to make a full dinner with rice, naan and dal) my wife ordered Chana Masala. We also ordered Vegetable Pakoras as an appetizer. The only issue was that our main meal and appetizer combined was too much food, not a bad problem to have :). All the meals on the menu look delicious, so I will definitely be going back to try more of them. read more

Handi Grill - Indian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food and service. This restaurant is a hidden gem. We went as a large group and ordered a varied selection of dishes with naan and rice as sides. Every dish was tasty. read more

Second time trying this place, and items were still a hit or miss. Dal handi (4/5) This was very rich and flavourful, but I'll probably have to up the spice because it was a little too tomato and cream tasting for my liking. It was pretty good though. Eggplant bhartha (5/5) Got the less spicy version this time, and it was still as good. I really enjoyed this dish. Tandoori vegetables (0/5) This was terrible. I don't know what sauce they used, but I literally spat it out after eating it. This whole dish was inedible and I'm kinda mad about that. Overall, this place is not bad, but I think I'll stick to their curries. read more

Thoroughly disappointed in the food - the chicken tikka masala and paneer makhni both had the same curry base and worse still , the curries were too sweet! The lamb sheeshkabab was fairly tasteless. The handi at Dunbar used to have better food. read more

Best Indian food in the city! Consistently delicious every time. Beautiful 'east meets west' decor. Lots of variety on the menu. Not too spicy, if you order 'mild'. I highly recommend palak paneer, veggie korma, and mango chicken. Garlic naan bread is scrumptious. Social distancing is really well done. Booths for groups up to six are available. There are spaced out tables for smaller groups. Great pricing and good wine. Definitely check it out! read more

Great little restaurant. Service was excellent. The food was amazing. We've eaten a lot of Indian cuisine and this was easily top of the list. Lamb Curry read more

A few days ago, a group of us went out for dinner at Handi. We chose the restaurant based on its convenient location - being midway between UBC and all of our homes. My friend had been there before and vouched for it. When we reached, it was quite empty. We got a very friendly server, and ordered a whole bunch of dishes. I was sharing chicken tikka, chicken korma, kadhai chicken and some naan, rice and dal with my friends; each main dish was good enough to feed two. My favourite was the chicken korma, which came with a thick, creamy, cashew nut based gravy. Although we had asked for medium spicy for both the korma and the kadhai chicken, i found the latter to be quite spicy. Couldn't really enjoy it or taste much beyond the heat. However my friends who don't mind spicy as much, said they liked that more than the korma. Guess it depends on what kind of a preparation you prefer. My pet peeve with all Indian restaurants in Vancouver, is that they use boneless breast pieces for the curries and tikkas (spicy, grilled chicken). That's really not the best type of meat, especially for tikka, since it doesn't let the flavour permeate inside. Well made tikka can be almost butter soft, and for that (or to get anywhere even a little close to it) you should not be using fibrous pieces like from the breast area. But I won't hold that against Handi specifically. I'd say their chicken tikka was as good as any other you would get in Vancouver. At the end, i asked for a slice of mango cheesecake for our friend who was celebrating his birthday. It was not bad, but $7 seems a bit much for the teeny tiny piece they gave us. In general we had nice and friendly service but towards the end they kind of spoiled that by giving us a single bill (without asking us first), and then refused to split the amount. The guy we spoke to regarding this looked like the owner. He looked quite grumpy as he told us that it was OUR responsibility to have asked for separate checks before he printed it out, and apparently whatever is printed is unchangeable. Definitely did not enjoy that surprise at the end. read more

See all

Good value and great food. I found this place through Dinehere Top 10. It's definitely a hole in the wall. We've been to Vij's which I also love but to get the real authentic cusine, this is my go to place. For fusion and for family members who's not into The authentic Indian food that much, I take them to Vij's read more

Handi Grill - Looks good eh?! - Indian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The food is so amazing I can't stop myself from craving Handi everyday. The tandoori is delicious, and the naan is to die for. The curries are also mind-blowing. The servers are super friendly and polite. Price is a little up there but it's defiantly worth every penny. Best restaurant in the area. Will definitely keep coming back! read more

Ordered from here while I was on business via Doordash. Ordered lamb vindaloo and mix tandoori grill. The food was bland and didnt have any flavour. Not sure if this is their style to accommodate for generic taste or an off day with the cooks. Will not be ordering from them again. read more

We always enjoyed this place when it was on Dunbar, and decided to check out the new location. Fantastic! We'll be back!

Didn't even get to taste their food and now, due to such incredibly poor customer "service" - I never will and fairly glad of it. Ordered food from them through an ordering website. On this order it clearly stated my buzzer number and address. They were informed and told that they had to get food to the address by 6:06pm. What is supposed to happen: They show up at the condo building, ring the buzzer, I let them in and either they come up and give food... or I go to lobby and get food. What ACTUALLY happened: I wait and wait and wait... and get no food. I get a call from the online ordering website and apparently, the delivery guy decided to drive up to the building... knock on the FRONT DOOR of the lobby (yes. As in, he didn't even try the buzzer number that was provided) - called my CELL PHONE, left a message, waited 60 seconds, then left and returned to the restaurant, stating he "got no answer". Then the owner/manager of the restaurant informs us that if I want my food now, I have to go and pick it up myself (no refund on the delivery charge that was pre-charged with the food) OR... I have to pay a SECOND delivery charge (which is $7.00, btw). They were informed that the delivery was supposed to occur around 6:06pm - and they're obligated to "try" until that estimated delivery time. The call when they decided I wasn't answering was at 5:45pm... he'd already made it back to the restaurant by that time. Way to go. Not a fan. read more

AbSOLUTELY REPULSIVE. THE WORST INDIAN FOOD IVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I live a block away so I keep giving this place chances but not anymore. The staff also are very confused and frazzled they don't know how to run this place. I'm Indian myself I know good Indian food this wasn't edible. There was so much sugar in the dishes it was like a dessert Butter chicken tasted like Campbell's tomato soup with 4 cups of sugar added. Are the chefs even Indian at this place ? I had to throw out the food. Not to mention it was tiny portions and over priced. The restaurant is always empty and now I know why. Save your money go down a few blocks to Macdonald and broadway to tandoori fusion it's amazing there. I hope this place doesn't stay around long, waste of space in kitsilano when something much better could open up. read more

I love Indian food - LOVE Indian food. Like most foods I enjoy, I'm picky about the taste and quality and am so glad that I found a fantastic Indian food restaurant in my new neighbourhood. We recently visited Handi for date night on a Saturday night and were pleased to see that a number of other couples had the same idea. The kind host seated us at a quiet table for two by the window and then brought our menus and water. Handi had a special for two on that evening, which we decided to indulge in. For $49 plus tax, we were treated to vegetable samosas, curry-battered calamari, biryani-style basmati rice, butter chicken, coconut curried shrimp and palak paneer. On top of that we were brought locally-made mango ice cream for dessert. Needless to say we stuffed our bellies and got great value for the dollar. Everyone at Handi was so friendly, explained to us what we were eating and even recommended cocktails. I chose the Indian Nights cocktail and was very pleasantly pleased. Handi's a must for Indian food lovers in the Dunbar neighbourhood. We'll be back! read more

Bad sign when the "green minty" condiment is fluorescent GFP green and the red condiment is well..... very DSred... Naan was OK - not browned enough Veg pakora - meh Chick Tikka Masala - OK Lamb Tandoori - gristle... not browned enough, guess tandoor oven no work Palak paneer - prob the best of the bunch but that's not saying much All in all - nothing remarkable, but quite reasonably priced and friendly service. Would probably come back if in dire need of Indian food but don't want to drive too far. An alternative would be the Rangoli stuff at Stong's. read more

I've eaten at Handi cuisine and I've been a party to the takeout as well. The restaurant is often busy, with smiling and friendly wait staff eager to serve you. The waiting times seemed quite short and the food was tasty. But I find that there is more sauce than meat in most of the choices I've made and I find that the butter chicken is just so...bland. The naan is really good and the vindaloo is hot and spicy the way it should be. I'm more likely to try other Indian places before heading back to Handi. read more

This restaurant is a complete SCAM! When we ordered online, our final receipt had no delivery charge attached to it. But when the food arrived we were charged an additional $5 (out of nowhere) for delivery! Nowhere on their website does it say $5!! When we called to ask them about the random charge, we were told that "our regular customers know about this charge". Well then, please just sell to your relatives and friends! Don't make this into a disappointing unethical business where you rob people. Would rather order from Akbar's Own or Tandoori Fusion next time. We wanted to try a new place solely based on the fact that we were charged no delivery fee when we ordered! Those other places have better food too! Never ordering from here again and letting all our friends know that this is a fraudulent business. read more

Good food, but not as we know it. Being recently from the UK, but having travelled widely, including to India, I'd say that the best Indian food in the World is in the UK, specifically in London (Chutney Mary, The Cinnamon Club, Veeraswamy etc) . This restaurant therefore is a conundrum. The food is good, the decor is authentic (flock wallpaper the way I like it), the prices are reasonable and the service is pretty good - although they officially deliver, this isn't often available. Speaking as a Londoner however, I'd say this isn't an Indian restaurant. We're just coming to understand 'fusion' and 'real' as terms to describe Indian restaurants here. I'd say this restaurant is somewhere between the two - Indian style food but watered down, presumably for local tastes. My overall impression is that this is Indian food for children, to introduce them to the cuisine. The curries are all very bland. Some dishes, e.g. the biryani and the onion bhajis, are totally different to what you'll get in London. (As a sidenote - we went to 'Indian' restaurant in Tokyo once where they didn't serve curry! What was that all about??) So a good restaurant (I'll be going here again and again) but not a good Indian restaurant. read more

All these whiners don't know what they're talking about. Handi has good food and great service. The fish curry in cilantro sauce is fab. The sauce is SO good - yes there is a lot of sauce, so order rice and naan to soak it up! Omnomnom. The tandoori dishes are also satisfying. The garlic naan is soft and delicious. The appetizer platter is a nice way to start and sample a bit of everything. If you come at a quieter time it'll feel like you're being spoiled with the level of service. Even when it's busy they are always attentive. My husband and I hadn't been in for nearly a year and the server remembered us. I imagine the snobs giving bad reviews are all prima donnas who think they have impeccable taste and believe serving staff are a lower life form. Ignore them. read more

So I wanted to wait to talk about this one but couldn't. Tried it for the first time a few months ago on my way back from UBC and since I heard they had a special, I went in. Long story short....best Indian restaurant in Vancouver for me. I initially went for a simple butter chicken and didn't think about drinking anything. Before I knew it I was being greeted by the owner, (later I learned it was him) offered me a drink and gave me the menu right away. Impressed with the speed of the service, I went from "hungry" to "I wanna try everything at this place" so I ordered two dishes just to try a bit from them; chicken Pakora and chicken Tikka. - Ok...was a bit hungry too haha. Thought I would try appetizers when I came back with friends. The food was just incredible and it arrived exactly after 10 minutes of ordering. The place started to get busy but still, the service was great. Definitely would recommend the place and now I really wanna write a big review about them in my blog. Best indian restaurant in vancouver! Try the Chicken Pakora, Mehti and Tikka if you like chicken. If vegetarian, for me the coconut curry was great! (Another time I went there) read more

Relatively inexpensive Indian food with a great taste. I normally frequent another East Indian restaurant that will remain nameless, but lately I find myself coming back to Handi again and again. I'm a sucker for their lamb biryani and veg pakora. Service is always quick, reliable and earnest. read more

Premium pricing, but well below average quality. Costco better.

Great quality and good portion. Staff was friendly and service was quick. We chose how spicy we wanted our food to be, and we were given accordingly. Loved the Chicken Mughali and tandoori roti, because it tastes similar to how it is back in India (well, as an international student from India, I crave for it). If you can share a dish and get bread/roti/naan separately, it's actually pretty affordable. The two of us spent just about $20 on our food and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are a foodie and really hungry, the ~$13.5+$6 combo will get you the curry and bread as well as some rice and dal. Overall great place, will go again sometime! read more

Good food. Nice ambiance. Good customer service. I'd go there again. Paneer pakoda were the best

Great night place. Wounded up at this restaurant out of coincidence while I was visiting some friends. It was past dinner time and so we decided to just stop and eat here. The problem was that when we got inside, the place was kind of full and they didn't have a table for us. We were five and so we had to wait for one. My girlfriend loves Indian food so we had no other choice but to wait. God, the food was great. I don't what I had but it was really tasty. Maybe because I asked for extra spicy, but the curry for the prawns were amazing. The curry sauce tasted excellent. Go for it. Sorry if I get the name wrong, but it was something like jailfrazer of prawns. The lamb curry with coconut was something different but it worked. Gulped the extra spice down with a couple of drinks. read more

Surprisingly great food for a street so usually tasteless. I've never had a bad meal here. A semi-formal atmosphere with white table clothes makes a great date spot, but certainly doesn't require formality. Wait staff is attentive and the restaurant is never packed full, though I can't imagine why not. Restaurant sports a full service bar in the center, with reasonably well made drinks, though certainly not their finest point. Food is fantastic, though a bit on the pricey side (expect to pay $4 for rice), but is excellent. They are great with spice scaling so your medium is actually spicy, hooray! Lamb dishes are always a win and you of course can't go wrong with Handi's Naan. I specifically recommend the Lamb Methi. Takeout available. read more