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

I don't know what I'm doing anymore. It's 3:30 in the morning, and I'm staring at a big white space: it's mocking me, daring me to put a critical thought down and ruin its purity, like a bog to some fracker. What have I done recently that calls for stars? I got some Cheetos at the gas station, sat blankly at a local bar and drank various cocktails, bought some shorts. Is this all there is? Should I update my rating of the gas station from whence the Cheetos came? They're like ashes in my mouth. I drive aimlessly, waiting for a sign to jump out of the undifferentiated mass, screaming "I contain a consumer experience! Novel and requiring your description! Tell them how my clerk was impassive, tell them how I stock that shampoo you like, how I've always stocked it. What if they don't know I perform adequately, but not great, at dry-cleaning your suits? TELL THEM." But nothing jumps, like a different, post-fracked wetland. My Bentley moves through a fog. People on the sidewalk and windows seem to be wearing things I'll never wear, enjoy wine I'll never taste the notes of toast and old leather in. I eat every day and don't care who knows what, or how much I tipped, or why. Yelp! The bottle is empty. I went to Handi last night. 4 stars. If only I could feel a Yay! read more

Update to previous review: the sweater they spilled curry all over is ruined, and emails to the company remain unanswered. Beyond disappointed. read more

I live in the Dunbar area and have visited Handi twice. As a person of Indian descent, I can honestly say their food is above average for an Indian restaurant and not too greasy/ buttery/ creamy, which makes it more similar to home-cooked Punjabi food. We had the same waiter both times, an older gentleman with thinning hair whose ethnicity I cannot guess (?Indian ?Caucasian - you decide). At any rate, he was pleasant at the first visit and overall we left Handi thinking that for once, Dunbar street might have a decent Indian restaurant that is here to stay. We dropped in with a larger party the second time. This time, however, the service was APPALLING. Same waiter, but he was borderline rude (for ex - he screwed up our appetizer, and then in a rather hostile manner said that we had pointed to a different item and thus he disregarded what we SAID and went with what we pointed to, suggesting we mislead him!) We had to ask for water and he never once checked on us, yet we noticed he was more attentive to the other tables around us of... white people. Maybe a coincidence and not a pointed racial issue since others who have reviewed have mentioned Handi's poor service also. Because of this exceptionally rude waiter, I'd probably not visit this restaurant again. It's a shame because we're lacking casual restaurants with good food on Dunbar street, especially south of King Ed. read more

Bought a groupon, made a reservation as a first time visitor to this restaurant for three people telling them that I'd just bought the groupon and could I use it that night. "yes" she said. We ordered an appy, four ala carte mains and a bread plate as well as drinks. It was my treat that night and I had planned on having the $50 groupon taken off the bill. The food was tasty but nothing extraordinary and more liquid in the dishes than substance. There were three or four staff constantly circulating around the small space but no checks on water, drink refills or how the food was once it was delivered. I had to ask for extra beverages and for plates to be cleared. When I went up front to pay, I was told I could not use the groupon as it stated "dinner for two" and we were three. I had realized that and was why I asked upon making the reservation. Regardless of how many were sitting at my table, I was paying and there were no set menu options "for two" offered to us or stated on the terms of the groupon. So...I ended up spending much more than I had planned for mediocre food with bad service. A plus to groupon, when I called in they agreed that this was not ethical on the part of the restaurant, refunded my offer purchase and will be following up with the restaurant. This experience aside, the food was very standard and there are much more "wow" indian restaurants in Vancouver to choose from. Jolly's for casual, Vij's for more fine dining. read more

Came here for dinner with a promo coupon that gave us one appetizer for free. The food was pretty average and the portions were alright for me but some of my friends found a couple chicken dishes way too salty and dry. The main issue we had with this restaurant came when we noticed an error on the bill. The waiter charged us for the free appetizer so obviously we let him know and he fixed it -- except all he did was deduct the price of the dish from the grand total (after tax/tips). Now, while it is true that the difference would have been around $2 off had he taken off the appetizer before tax/tips, we just felt principled to mention that to the manager. Shockingly, the manager was overly aggressive and made some ridiculous argument that we still had to pay for the tax of the appetizer even though we had the coupon. He even dared to mock us for being cheap and we later saw him talking to the waiter and laughing at us. If that's not unprofessional, then I don't know what is. All I can tell is that they don't seem to care about customer satisfaction. read more

Great place! Service was perfect, the pakora, pea pilau, chai and chicken tikka masala, aloo gobi, all perfectly cooked and as close to the best home cooked Indian food as I have ever had in a reastaurant. I like my aloo gobi a bit saltier, but hey, that's just me. I Also found the breads and chai a bit pricier than expected but very good nonetheless. read more

Reasonable prices for good food. Service is good. Nice small restaurant. They deliver as well and that's what my boyfriend and I settle for most of the time rather than actually going to the restaurant. The most impressive part is that they are consistent. They don't have "bad days" in terms of the food and you always know you are going to get good quality comfort food when you order from them. read more

Decent Indian food for the area. Expensive for what you get but there isn't much else around the South Dunbar.

Wow. The food at Handi was a delightful surprise; we weren't expecting it to be so good. Over the years its moved the ratio of meat to sauce in the wrong direction in some dishes (lamb, butter chicken) but Handi still delivers for a tasty take out night. Dunbar is lucky to have Handi. Yum. read more

Pricy yes, but unlike other Indian restaurants, their curries are very light and you really can taste the freshness of the meats.

This has got to be the best Indian restaurant in Vancouver, this side of Main Street. We ordered takeout for hubby's Bday dinner tonight ~ The Butter chicken was the best I've ever had, followed by a truly amazing flavourful Chicken Korma. The Samosa's and Jasmine rice were everything you'd hope and expect from a well respected Indian restaurant. This was our 1st dinner experience here, with many more in our future. read more

Best Indian food in town and I've been reviewing restaurants for years as a reporter and foodie! Service is great too - staff is well trained and very professional. Prices are decent too considering you get lots of food and leftovers are even better. Always a great table. Drink menu is one of the better ones that I have seen at other Indian restaurants as well. Didn't take long for us to be regulars! read more

Had a birthday gathering there recently, and loved the place. Great food, awesome service, and enough choice for me as a vegan. Not the cheapest of Indian food places though, which means - have your birthday there with a group of friends, and let them treat you... read more

My favourite East Indian food in Vancouver! I love the aloo naan and Dal handi- so good! As well, the appetizer sampler is awesome. Whenever I'm in the Dunbar area, I try to come eat here! read more

This was our first time trying this place. It had such a nice atmosphere. The service was fantastic and the dinner was so delicious. We had the spinach chicken and the tandoori chicken. Both so good!! Best meal in a restaurant in a long time! Thanks. read more

Holy moly the most delish. Definitely worth the trek out to Dunbar for money Saag and all the naans

Handi is the best Indian place in all Vancouver great food and great prices I ask my mom every time we go out for dinner because their food is so good read more

My absolute favourite place for Indian food.. have been going here for years and it never disappoints!!

This is my favourite place to eat Indian food. Handi's has the best butter chicken and so many other authentic dishes that are amazing. The staff are so friendly and service is quick. I highly recommend trying it out! read more

Review by: Nathan V. This is a really good Indian food place. It's very small and has a really good atmosphere. Like most Indian places, there's tons of food. It's about $15 per plate. Recommendation: anything Rogangosh. read more

I'd not visit again because of the poor service at Handi. 3 of us visited Handi @ Dunbar tonight for dinner. We had a veggie platter before we took another order for entree. We find ourselves fairly full when we finished the platter so we decided to go for 2 entree plus additional side orders. The owner, who took our order, kind of forced us to order another entree. When we finished our dinner, which all three of us were extrememly full, we had 2 entree barely touched. I find it very inappropriate for the owner to force feed the customers to order more than their stomach could afford just to make more money for themselves. Food was not bad. Ambiance was good. However, the service was mediocre. We had to wave at the waiter and ask for WATER after we sat down for nearly 10 minutes. Normally the waiter would fill up the water glasses when they're empty, but at Handi on Dunbar, we had to catch and stop the waiter passing by to refill our glasses. During our meal, they didn't even came over to ask if the food were okay. The service is definitely below mediocre. Nevertheless, when I asked for the bill and presented the coupon I purchased online. The owner immediately took the original receipt back and reprint another one with 15% gratitude on top of everything. Not to mention the owner taxed us on the full price amount rather than the actual amount we were suppose to pay. I confront the owner that he shouldn't tax us on the full amount rather than the actual amount we suppose to pay. He gave me an "I don't care what the law say" attitude and insist me to pay the full amount plus the 15% force-feed gratitude that wasn't on the first bill he gave us. I was planning to pay 20% tip, but changed my mind, and I even think 15% is way too much for the dishonesty and the poor service I had at this restaurant. I highly recommand "Tandoori Kona Restaurant" (11700 Cambie Rd. Richmond ). The price were around $15 for each dish, not only the food were extraordinary delicious (I'm not exaggarating, they are extrememly good) and 200% better serivce, plus extrememly friendly staffs. read more

Great food, friendly service. Maybe hot is only quite warm tho.

My favourite Indian place in Vancouver. The chicken spinach and the daal are two of my personal favs, although most of the dishes are good! The Butter Chicken is so-so but you can go elsewhere for that. Friendly service and the food is usually prompt. read more

This is a great, not terribly expensive, Indian restaurant. I've had most of the items on the menu, and almost all are well worth it. For appies, the samosas and pakoras are terrific. For mains, I like any of the chicken or lamb items, either the curries or from the tandoor. I'm less enamoured with the seafood options, but that's possibly just my lack of affinity for seafood. The only complaint I have is a lack of good vegetarian options. The service in the restaurant has always been quite good. I have also ordered delivery, and found it to be quite reasonable. I've never had a problem with them screwing up the order. All in all, I think this is a bit of a hidden gem in terms of price and quality. read more

I love Indian food. When Handi moved into their Dunbar location, I think I must have been one of the first customers in the door. It was a questionable Italian place before that. My first mouthful of Chicken Curry, Lamb Methi and naan bread had me hooked. I later moved to Kits and have continued to eat at Handi (both sit down and take out) for more than 8 years. I can't wait to go again! read more

First time here, but I'll come again for sure. Fast service, tasty dishes, and very nice atmosphere! I had a vegetable korma and it was served for about 15 minutes hot and delicious. Portion sizes are not huge, but definitely it was enough for dinner and half lunch the next day. I looked for the recipe for the dish after my visit there. I am going back this week to try some other vegetarian dishes. read more

This place has best Indian food I have ever had in Vancouver! I heard of here after I saw jimmy fallon dropping by there when he was in Vancouver Last night I was craving some good indian food so we decided to give this place a shot! we orderd roghan josh chicken tika masala and palak panir 3 great dishes and asked for spicy and the 3 dishes where great good taste and decent portions minus the rice wich we had to ask for more of as it wasn't enough. If you haven't been you should! I know iam going back again even though is slightly out of my way read more

Living in this neighborhood is what ultimately made me try out Handi, but I am SO happy I did. It is by the best Indian food in Vancouver. I can honestly say I have tried at least 7 other Indian restaurants in the city (Salom Bombay, Mauray, Vijs, Jollys, India Gate, etc) and Handi beats them without a doubt. I typically order takeout and the portions are massive! I am never able to finish it all in one night. If you are a fan of butter chicken or lamb vindaloo, those tend to be what I would order the most. Their delivery service is free for orders over $33 and they are quite fast! The staff is friendly and know me pretty well know considering how often I order. If you have not eaten there before it is at least worth a try! read more

I have eaten here/done their take out more than thirty times and it is consistently delicious. I don't even live near Dunbar and I make the trek because it's worth it. Handi is a lovely gem of a restaurant to eat at, very warm and inviting with red and gold hues, heavy silver flatware, but note that the wait can be long if you don't have a reservation. This place gets busy. Handi makes my favorite butter chicken in the city ($13), and some pretty unrivaled naan. That combination would probably be my last meal on earth if I had a choice. Also of note, I am often eating there with vegetarian/dietarily restricted companions, and they are thrilled with the menu selection and flavors. FYI, the Dunbar location is FAR superior to the West Van location. read more

We ordered in from Handi this evening and what a disappointment. The butter chicken came with 5 small pieces of chicken and the prawns had about the same amount. I called to complain and was told that the chef sets the portions and that it is "impossible" that there could only be 5 pieces! Why would I take the time to call to complain? They weren't willing to do anything, or even apologize. Very disappointing customer service. One can only hope the portions are bigger if you eat in. read more

Nothing special. The food was average, but served in nice little plates with candles under them so they stay warm. The server was pushy. One of the only Indian places in the area, but I doubt I'll go back. read more

When you're absolutely starved, even mediocre food tastes good. That was my experience here: good, honest Indian standards (Eggplant Bharta, Butter Chicken, Chana Masala, naan, etc), served hot and prompt on a take-out deal. I will confess to a bias, though, and that is that my quality standards are high with respect Indian cuisine as a result of Vij's which produces innovative, sparklingly original Indian food every time (and at much higher prices). So when we chose Handi's for a neighbourhood (Dunbar-Southlands) Indian take-out, we had no illusions that we were going have our worlds rocked. Thus, we weren't disappointed. For the most part, everything was fine, though the white basmati rice was a slightly disconcerting brown colour. The naan was good, though a little under-cooked, and the mains were delicious. Handi's would not be that high on my list of Indian places to go to, but for fast take-out, it's pretty good and reasonably priced. Three stars! read more

Fraudulent business. Ordered food via website for delivery; they called 45 minutes later to say that both drivers were stuck in snow. I requested that they check the driver's location and let me know so I could intercept. They never called back, so I called them all night long hoping to somehow get the food. The line was "busy" for the next 2.5 hours, implying that they were ignoring all incoming calls. WARNING do not trust this place. read more

I used to live in Dunbar and found this gem of a restaurant...about 4 years ago. It has sadly gone downhill. I ordered food about 6 month ago and everything was great EXCEPT the prawn vindaloo dish. I always order this dish (even tho it's not specifically on the menu) and it's been really good. The prawns were soo overcooked, almost inedible..probably inedible but we were hungry so we complained amongst ourselves and ate anyway, kinda let it go due to us ordering 20 mins before close. Even tho leftovers and overcooked food is unacceptable and no excuse just because they were about to close. Ordered again tonight, but when they opened around 5:30ish. Got home and the prawns again were SO overdone and this time I could smell they were fishy. Also the prawns were so much smaller than they use to be They told me my $40 order would take 25 mins so we went in early for a glass of wine. The food was ready. I can't know for sure but could guess they were leftovers from last night and then reheated. I'm to say the least pissed off. The worst part is the rice was tasty and the sauces are always amazing....the chicken was super dry and the prawns fishy. What a waste of my money and what a disappointment. I was so looking forward to juicy prawns in the vindaloo sauce! read more

My family has only ever ordered takeouts or delivery from Handi. It has never disappointed. My kids love their butter chicken and naan. I like their chicken tikka masala. Best takeout in Dunbar! read more

This is reasonable food. It's major benefit, and in my case, it's major fault, is that it is Indian food for small white children. By that, I mean that there is very little flavour or spice to many of the dishes. I should mention that I'm from the Middle East, and habitually eat Indian food about 4 or 5 times a week. I do understand that the North American palate is more sensitive, and so they have to adjust the recipes accordingly. However, that is no excuse for the fact that I have, three times, ordered a vindaloo (extremely spicy Goan delicacy), and each time, I click the "extra hot" option, and every time I add an extra comment in the comments box, asking for "extraordinarily Indian hot", and yet what arrives is an odd, watery, almost flavourless fluid. To be honest, this worked out this evening because I was able to feed this meal to my three small kids (who cannot eat anything even vaguely spicy), so I don't need to cook for them, and I can just find some leftovers for myself. read more

Really bad service. Delivered the wrong meal then refused to refund - instead offering to make up next time. There won't be a next time.

They opened a new location in Burnaby on Hastings near Willingdon. Spent $40 incl tip. The food was god awefull. I love indian food. Dont be fooled as i was. Stick to the places already in the area. I feel poisened read more

A great restaurant in a neighbourhood that I'm not too familiar with yet. I was impressed here at the quality of the food and the value. Try the samosas! They're delicious! read more