It has been probably 3 years since I came to Jambo Grill. Came on Thursday night and the restaurant was pretty empty so no problem is getting a seat. Their restaurant is also really big! It's a good space for a large group. I love their ambience, it's very tastefully done and really encapsulates the theme of the restaurant. For drinks, I got their jungle juice which was really good! It had pineapple juice, passion fruit, and others. Perfect for the summer. For food, I got their Cassava Mogo (LOVE! so much better than fries and twice as crispy and flavourful). Honestly, filled myself up with these before the mains even came out. I also got their mishkaki choma which was good. Will definitely be back! read more

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---Jul 2025--- This time I tried the deep fried fish. Either it wasn't fried enough or the sauce sat on the fish for too long. It wasn't crispy. Only the far edge pieces were crispy. Fries were nice and crispy. Good portion for the cost. The boneless ribs were just short rib pieces. The amount is very little. Flavor is nothing special. Casava fries were disappointing. Not crispy at all. read more

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Jambo has been around for years and been popular throughout. They serve both Indian and East African dishes. Think curries, biryani, grilled meats, spiced rice. Good value as the portion sizes are large. Fish biryani had a generous amount of fish on top of tasty saffron basmati rice. They take reservations and can accommodate large groups (my last visit was ~12 people at a long table). Staff were all super friendly and attentive. They have free underground parking. Kingsway is metered, and some free street parking available on the side roads. read more

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Absolutely loved the food here!!! Order anything and it'll be amazing! We for the bbq meat platter, barazi, rice, salad, and so much more!! The restaurant is quiet and peaceful with people eating and enjoying their food. The owner comes around to say hello and ask how the food is. Will definitely be back here!! Delicious food!! read more

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Had the chicken Mika with masala fries and corn. So good. Almost ordered one to take out as well. read more

Jambo Grill - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Indian African place on Kingsway near Joyce. Quite the interesting combination. Parking is available along Kingsway, as well as the side streets. The inside is definitely more African themed than Indian. Staff were friendly and helpful but overworked. They can probably use 1 more guy in here. My group was pretty neglected overall until things slowed down towards the end of the evening. As of the time of writing, there is a Tuesday pasta special. Pick a sauce, choose 2 vegetables, pick a pasta, pick a protein. Not bad for $15. Friends and I had the butter chicken penne with chicken. Pretty good stuff overall. Grilled tilapia. Surprisingly large fillets. Served with 2 sides which were pretty tasty. The sides can be picked from 4 items. Mughlai chicken sizzler - grilled chicken chunks. Definitely sizzling hot. Served with 2 sides and a green dipping sauce. Ribs by the pound - tried the jungle pili pili one. Tasty but definitely not worth the price. I'd skip this one. The dishes we ordered had 4 sides. Pilau Rice - flavourful and tasty Masala cut fries - not bad, but honestly nothing special. Pili pili corn - tasty. Masala potato - once again, nothing too special. Wouldn't mind coming back at some point. read more

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A friend suggested and finally our party of 5 was able to try this interesting Indian and African fusion restaurant. Rumor has it the owner is Indian and raised in Africa, he wanted to bring the two cuisines together and share with the world. The place has a Safari theme with a little hint of Indian. The two male staff were friendly and did the best they could but definitely they were understaffed. Our group decided to order shared dishes which I definitely recommend as their menu is vast. We ordered the following: 1) Ribs by the pound "Jungle Pili Pili" ribs bone in - tasty and a bit tangy with white dipping sauce, but portions were small exacerbated by the fact majority of the pieces were more bone than meat. 2) Tilapia Fish comes with choice of 2 sides Pili Pili Corn & Pilau Rice - fish was grilled nicely with good portions. 3) Mughlai Chicken Sizzler comes with choice of 2 sides Masala Potato & Masala Fries - served on a hot plate *caution hot* and with a green dipping sauce. 4) Fusion Pasta "Every Tuesday" with 1 choice of sauce Butter Chicken Sauce, 2 vegetables mushroom and olives, 1 pasta Penne, 1 protein Chicken - surprisingly good combination of ingredients and pretty big portions. When it was time for the bill, we were pleasantly surprised for Yelpers who check in get a free cup of Chai Tea! Plenty of metered parking along Kingsway and free parking on side streets. read more

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I ordered from Jambo Grill last night and was pleasantly surprised. Tilapia Fish - fried whole tilapia. I felt it needed a bit more seasoning or spice, but otherwise it was tasty. The skin wasn't as crispy, but that's likely due to transport of the fish in takeout container so that's not on the restaurant. A squeeze of lemon helped brighten up the tilapia too. Chicken Tikka - marinated and cooked well. It was still juicy. Beef Kheema - my favorite of the night. Flavorful beef and sauce, which paired well with the naan and rice. I may have overeaten. I'll try some African dishes next time. read more

Jambo Grill - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Jambo Grill used to be one of my go to's for the food. Growing up in Kenya, the East African/Indian fusion food was has always been comfort and a taste of home away from home. Finally got to go back again this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the food, the company, and the aroma of the place. If you truly want to taste East African food, this is the place to go to! read more

Jambo Grill - Mogo - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is amazing! It's truly a hole in the wall. My absolute favorite was the beef bbq ribs! They're kinda like the beef ribs from Korean bbq but they have their own African twist to it and are bursting with flavor. We ordered a mixed grill platter as well and everything that came on it was bursting with flavor. The place on the inside feels very welcoming and the server was very patient with us while we went through the menu and took our time to order. Overall a great experience! read more

Jambo Grill - Malai chicken kebab and French fries - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Jambo Grill is a warm, lively place. The owner is friendly and delightful with great stories to tell. The service is excellent and the food is delicious with a menu consisting of a great variety of Indian and African food. All the ribs are juicy and delicious, however there is a variety of vegetable dishes as well. read more

the food is overall good. the chicken lollipop tasted just like lemon pepper wings, and the naan didn't have any real garlic, just garlic powder which you can taste. the paneer was also a bit bland, not the sauce but the actual paneer didn't have the cheesy taste to it. the cassava mogo and bhel puri were both good though. my favourite was the beef keema chapati, the yogurt went so well with it. read more

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Great place with fantastic menu! Came all the way from Seattle to try it out - we don't have anything like this place in Washington!

We went there in the afternoon My mother in law from Zanzibar and few of our friends asked her to go there. Food was so good and service was amazing Specially Zanzibar mix was hot for my family read more

Today Nov 13, 2019 at lunch time, we visited again and Ali gave us 7 a great service. As usually food was exquisite. This is a really hidden gem on Kingsway neStreets!!! Great ambience and service. We were a party of 10 and the service was impecable from the beginning to the end thanks to Karan and his great skills of profesional customer service. The place is so cozy and extremely well decorated and with plenty space between tables. Food is a blast of delicacies between Africa and India. We all enjoy each of our selections: chicken pakoras, Jambo salad, grill combo, curry lamb, casaba with tamarind sauce, chicken curry, garlic naan and many others. Very affordable and great delicious portions. We do love to go back and they are well located walking distance from Joyce sky train station. Again thanks to Karan for his great customer service, and last but not least , how delicious and affordable is the Chardonnay house wine. Congratulations to this place!!! read more

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Famous for its Indo-African cuisine, Jambo grill has been around the area for several decades now. We were seated around 230 in the afternoon without difficulty and ordered around 245. We did order the Chowma platter off the grill so perhaps that's why it took a long time but they didn't even give me the masala chai with free yelp check in until I asked for it again. My plate was also chipped on the side and slightly dirty so had to ask for a replacement. I had come here several years ago and really enjoyed the food and personalized service however was quite disappointed this time around. Would opt for trying Kilimanjaro or take out from Safari Snack Shop instead. read more

Selected this restaurant as I was there many years ago and thought the food was excellent. So disappointed. A telltale was that there were only two tables when we arrived after 6 pm on a Friday. Should have listened to my instinct. Anyhow, we ordered two dishes: a veggie and meat combo and a boneless rib. The former was cold and the Naan glistened with old. The ribs were heavily sedated with marinate it was hard to taste the meat. Portion sizes were small. An added order was shrimp Masada. This is oily and far too sweet. A dumbed down version of good Indian food. Not worth the time and money. read more

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Been about 4 times and it's a very enjoyable place. Well kept, clean, spacious, great service every time. Nice selection on the menu too, there is lots to try. Cassava mogo fries are nicely done, hot, enough salt, moist enough, Crispy Naan is nice and fresh Jungle ribs are well seasoned but were slightly on the drier side this time. I have had them very moist though. Nice to try with the corn & potato sides Goat curry is amazing, super tender meat and flavourful sauce. Great with rice. Not too salty Chicken biryani was nice and tender, rice was well flavoured and good for the extra goat curry Lamb popsicles were AMAZING, one of the best things I've eaten in 2022. This is a MUST. This is the dish that will make lamb haters enjoy lamb. No hint of a gamey scent, super super moist and juicy! read more

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Quite possibly the best food I have had in a very long time and the service was impeccable. This place has been really improved specially in pandemic time they are taking all safety measurement for customer. The restaurant manager Laliit was our server and he make sured to provide us knowledge of Fathers day menu as per his suggestion we had Mughalai chicken tikka and Puri tali was so delicious! He also suggest us gonja and ice cream sandwich was amazing unique dessert. He treat my kids and parents like a family. It was my wife's birthday so they played a birthday song to made her birthday special. The African ambiance of this restaurant gives taste of indian food too.... Laliit mention us that this restaurant open before 15 years in June and reopen after lockdown on same day in June. We wish this place goes many more years to serve us more delicious food.. read more

One-line review: We went here on the recommendation of friends (they loved it) and came away... unstirred. A meeting of African and Indian cuisine sounded intriguing, so we made our way out to Jambo Grill. We ordered: Choma grill - a mixed grill with chicken, pork, and beef and a side of corn. Plenty of meat (so that's a plus) but not a lot of nuance in the flavouring. Chili powder, chili powder, and more chili powder. I even like chili powder but holy cow... Garlic naan - which had no garlic -- garlic salt?!! Chai masala - a tasty tea beverage. On the whole, the experience was okay -- just not impressive in any way other than the sheer volume of meat. The service was friendly. We found free parking in the neighborhood, just around the corner. Bottom line: Enjoyable as a one-off, but I doubt we'll be back. Too many better options. read more

It's funny how Yelp hides 42 bad reviews of this place. This place has been on the decline for many years. They have awards from 2010 and nothing since. I'll give it max 2 years before it closes down. read more

Was very wary of this place coming in as many of the prior reviews mentioned sketchy behaviour from Jambo Grill. I came here with a party of ~18 work colleagues for lunch around 12pm on a Thursday. We were seated at separate tables and had ordered off their website to make it easier for the restaurant people. A couple of us ordered the Kuku Choma which was listed twice on the website, once as $14.95 and again under "Lunch Specials" for $12.95 (available Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm). I won't get into the portion for this dish; it was quite small but wasn't awful in terms of taste. Upon seeing the bill, a bunch of us noticed the prices were different (ie: $14.95 instead of $12.95). When I asked the owner, he said "the website is 3-4 years old, you're looking at old price". First of all, what's the point of advertising prices and menu items you do not offer? Second of all, why is your alleged "old menu" showing the same regular prices that you are charging? Doesn't take much of a nose to smell the stink a mile away. Be wary of Jambo Grill, especially if you take issue with dishonest business practices. read more

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Somehow they always screw up my take out order. I ordered medium spicy and end up with mild. Prawn masala tasted bitter. I was also charged $0.75 for a $0.25 take out bag. Not given an option. I had my bag but was told it was too late. read more

Great food, lovely service. Beef samosas, ribs and cassava fries were so good. Definitely coming back

I'm extremely impressed with this place! The food: There are daily specials! Today was tuesday so we ordered the Jungle Ribs that came with masala potatoes and salad. The salad was basically just lettuce and 2 slices of tomatoes with light dressing, wasn't a huge fan of it, but the ribs and potatoes were SO FULL OF FLAVOUR! The yoghurt dip that came with... was absolutely amazing. It complemented the spiciness so well, and I love it so much to the point where I think that everything edible on earth should be slathered with it. We also ordered chai tea, which comes with 2 free refills! Nice! We also ordered a side of pili pili fries, which tasted amazing when you dip it with the tamarind sauce. So impressed by all the flavours of the food! Everything was $21 including tax, which is pretty reasonable since I split it with my sister. There's an all you can eat option on thursdays after 5, I think I'm definitely coming back to try it! The desserts on the menu also look amazing, I am looking for excuses to come back to this place for sure read more

Jambo Grill - Tuesday Special: the Jungle ribs. served with salad and masala potatoes and yogurt dip. Add a side of pili pili fries for 3.95 - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I have been wanting to try out this place for a long time, and I was honestly pretty disappointed. Not only were they out of many items that I wanted to try, but the taste of the food was kind of a letdown. We did get mostly vegan items, but the meat dishes that we got weren't any better. There were one or two items that were pretty good, but overall I don't see myself visiting this restaurant again. However, with all that being said, I wouldn't oppose coming here once, since the ambience is really unique and if you pick the right dishes you'll likely leave very satisfied. Vegetable Pakoras (5/5) These were fried really well and the batter was super light and crispy. The pakoras weren't overly oily, and the texture inside was soft and creamy like mashed potatoes. This was the best item that we got, so if you come here you should definitely get this. Mandazi Bharazi (4/5) The mandazi was definitely unique, and though I can't say that I enjoyed it, it was worth a try. Mandazi is a deep fried bread, and I found them extremely dense and doughy. I expected something light and fluffy like a beignet. The mandazis were slightly sweet, and there seemed to be some sort of sugary, watery liquid infused inside. I wouldn't get them again, but they come with the pigeon pea soup thing that was actually quite enjoyable. They were super generous with the portion of pigeon peas, and the soup was loaded with them. The coconut curry sauce it was cooked in was thick, creamy and flavourful. I would recommend getting this just for the bharazi. Tandoori Chicken (2.5/5) My family said the flavour of the chicken was decent, but it was a bit too dry. The two sides that we got were the pili pili corn and masala potatoes. The corn needed to be cooked for longer, as it was still a bit hard, but the sauce was decent. It reminded me of a milder version of hot sauce. The masala potatoes didn't really taste like much, and were quite mild in flavour. I couldn't really taste the masala. Mini Appy Combo (1.5/5) They ran out of the veggie samosas, so we had to get the chicken one instead. My mom and brother said it was alright. Everyone disliked the cassava fries, since they said it was too hard and was like biting into a loaf of stale bread. While I didn't enjoy the texture, I did think the flavour was quite nice. The taste of cassava is quite mild and subtle, with a slight sweetness to balance out the savoury. The beef kebabs were more like deep fried beef meatballs that looked like falafel, and my brother and my dad didn't like them since they apparently didn't taste like beef. Bharta (1/5) This was probably the worst bharta I've ever had (mostly because all the ones I've tried before were really good) but I'm disappointed that they could screw up my favourite curry. It didn't taste like eggplant and it was basically just some mashed thing covered in some sour and tangy sauce. I think calling it bharta was rather misleading. Channa Bateta (0.5/5) This was my least favourite dish that we ordered. The chickpea and potato soup was inedible since the soup was so sour, and the indian style falafel that it was served was was also sour and so so dry it was like biting into sawdust. The samosa chips were the only decent thing here, but they're practically impossible to screw up. Overall, there were a lot more misses than hits, and I can only recommend the veggie pakoras and coconut curry. I'm not sure about their other meat dishes, but their tandoori chicken is just average. read more

This was a super authentic African-Indian spot in Vancouver. The restaurant is situated on a busy street, and when I arrived in the evening the place was packed. Luckily I had reservations and in a few short minutes I was seated at my table. The ambience of the restaurant is really cool - it is decorated with traditional African decor with a hint of British influence. I was surprised at how popular this place was - there was a wall of celebrities who have visited including Justin Trudeau. They have a very extensive menu, and honestly everything looked pretty dern good. Decided on a few apps including nylon bhajia, and mogo - which are both fried dishes. For the mains I ordered ribs, and kuku paka (coconut chicken curry). Everything tasted amazing. Oh and remember to order some paan ice cream for dessert! I feel the concept of this restaurant is so unique. Definitely a cool spot to check out while in Vancouver! read more

I am writing this review based on my recent UberEats takeout order. I ordered the Daal Makhani on which there was a Buy 1 Get 1 order. Having recently moved to Canada, I have been eating a lot off UberEats and taking advantage of any good offers around. Daal Makhani was tasty and tasted how a Daal Makhani should. Order came on time and packaging was very good - good containers. For $15.95, the quantity could have been a little better in my opinion, but I am new to Canada, so may be wrong about it. For a medium sized eater, one plate would be good to eat for a maximum of 2 times only. Either way, I would consider re-ordering it again and explore more of their menu items. read more

Fast service and great food. I was here last week with my family on x-mas and thank god it was open. We ordered the following Appy Combo, Kuku Poussin ,Grill Platter andMasala Chai. We enjoyed all the food and couldn't really pick favourite. My parents were quite impressed with Mogo Fries and said how delicious it was. Masala Chai was the perfect drink to finish our food. Staff were helpful and friendly. I'd love to go back for the lunch specials. read more

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The ambience is nice and that's the only good thing about this place. The dal tasted like turmeric water and the lentils were not even cooked and when complained they mentioned that we never get such complaints and this is the first time - you really need a reality check. Horrendous service coupled with despicable attitude towards customers. It's time to close down this restaurant and give the space for someone more deserving! read more

Best tasting food! Menu is quite extensive & it was really hard to pick because they all look so good. The restaurant can get quite busy & service can get a bit slow. If you don't mind waiting, food won't disappoint. read more

My wife and I and two daughters stumbled across this tonight. We are big fans of Indian cuisine and have had different African cuisines on occasion. We were pleasantly surprised. The service was attentive, and the food was fantastic. Overall we were really happy with our experience there read more

For the food-- five stars. For the staff-- five stars. For the wait-- two stars. I love this place and I always come back. Every time I do they recognize me. The servers are kind young people every time in brightly coloured shirts and they all have this fun relaxed attitude (like they're never having a bad day!) which creates a great atmosphere. And 90% of the time the owner comes out to visit your table. The downside of this relaxed atmosphere is it always takes foreVER. To get the menu? Forever. Your drinks? Forever. To actually order? Forever. Chai (!!) refill? Forever? Food takes forever too. Even if you wave to the server it'll still take a few minutes. So don't come here if you have a place to be. But trust me: it's WORTH IT. The food is so good. Just plain so good. And great variety of food and drinks. Please try this place !!!!!!! read more

This kind of food is unique and unattainable in Vancouver. Beautiful blend of Indian and African flavours. Loved the pili pili masala mogo (cassava fries), bhartha (Eggplant curry) with biryani rice, maji and chai. The pili pili sauce is an owner specialty, and a must-try. The bhartha is delicious, and has a strong tomato / Eggplant flavour which we loved - different the kind you would typically get in Indian restaurants. Definitely get the bottomless chai, good to sip on while eating almost anything here. We would skip the maji (cucumber mint water) next time, and try more dishes. The decor is very vibrant and colourful, the owners have definitely made an effort to create a nice and family friendly ambiance. Although they played the instrumental version of the titanic theme song in a loop which was odd ha, but otherwise a great spot! read more

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I have never eaten such a bad food. My sister has been coming to this restaurant for last 20 years. But don't know chef has changed or something, food was awful. Plz stay away from this restaurant read more

Stay away ! I got a burger from there . Frozen patty , asked for well done and nope fail ! Tasted weird and for 15 dollar burger it was total crap ! I ordered it thru uber eats so I got samosa , burger and 3 pop all for a whopping 40 bucks ! The only reason I ordered from there is they advertise buy one get one free , which a load of crap . There is nothing on the menu that qualifies for this deal . I got ripped off , and so disappointed and will never order from there ever ! So take your chances and go there but I DO NOT recommend there crap ! It says i'm from the states but even that's wrong lol ! Also cheap with the fries , oh the burger doesn't come with cheese that's extra ! Like the one guy reviewed said they should shut down and let someone else serve customers better ! read more

Jambo Grill - African Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Jambo used to have a Buffet dinner for $10 after 8:30pm. They no longer offer this Buffet which is a shame as it was such good value and gave one the opportunity to sample many different East African specialties. I guess I should consider myself blessed for even reaching Nirvana once with Jambi Grill's Buffet. We were a large group(9 people) and through the Yelp app we were all given delicious complimentary Chai. Had at least 4 cups of Chai, throughout our meal as the very effefficient and personable servers were kind enough to offer us numerous refills. Everyone ordered different things sudh as Lamb Byrani, Tandori Chicken and Tilipia. I opted for a trio of Vegetarian Appetizers. Deep fryed Lentil fritters called Dhal Bhajia, Pili Pili Mogo which is Cassava Fries in a Spicy Sauce and Chana Batetta which is Chickpeas and Potatoes in a Sweet Sauce with Pita Chips, wheat puffs and peanuts. The Chana Batetta also included 2 of the Lentil Fritters as well. So in retrospect, I could have ordered just the Pili Pili Mogo and the Chana Batetta and that in itself woykd gave made a full meal. I also ordered one Roti and one Paratha (stuffed Roti). I broke up both the Mogo and the Lentil fritters and added Tamarind and Coconut Lime chutneys on top of those two items and wrapped them all in the Roti and Paratha. Also ordered one Jamaican Ginger Beer. I shared my Lentil Fritter appetizers Pili Pili Mogo and Chana Batetta with others and sampled anither guest's plain Mogo. My bill came to just over $38 including the 15 % Gratuity which is always automatically added to Large Group bills. read more

Mmmmmm.... endless cups of chai. :D Seriously, I go here with my best friend at least once a month, and the servers know us as the two girls who come to giggle as they gossip and drink LOTS of chai (free refills, woot! but I suggest not drinking more than 4 cups because you'll be up all night -_- Trust me; I learned this the hard way) The food here is not your typical Indian food as this is more like Indian food with an African influence. I love the chicken biryani, the cassava fries (which you can get spicy, yay!), the garlic naan, and these other deep-fried sliced potato thingies which I can't remember the name of. Their curries are awesome, as well! Mmmm... now I want to go back and eat their yummy food again @_@ My best friend also buys their chai spice mix and makes her own chai at home. It's really good! read more

A value-added 3.5 stars, it's definitely one of the nicer, non-Chinese restos in the Joyce area lol. Nice change for sure. Been here for decades, and can vouch for their $10 lunch specials, tandoori chicken comes with 2 pieces with potatoes and salad, forget about super-sizing that McDonald's. Not your typical Indian restaurant, a bit nicer. In terms of decor, you can certainly be confident of bring a client, also discrete enough as tables not too close. Bench seating along the wall on the left. Yet date worthy as well. Neat that when you walk in the foyer, the owner has pics on the wall with famous people, even the Prime Minister has been here. Amex good ;) read more

Not bad, very tasty. Although for an Indian-African fusion restaurant, it does lean heavily to the Indian side. Interior is very stylish and clean, staff was friendly and informative. read more