East is East — Restaurant in Vancouver

Well. There's a story to my low score and hopefully it saves people from making this horrible dining choice.

This was our cousins get together after a long time and we narrowed down this place. It was a goodbye party for one of my cousins so I called ahead of time to ask about making a reservation for 10 people. The girl on the phone told me that on the weekend they have a feast happening only and everyone on the table will have to order this and its $50 per person. So I asked what this is and she said its like a buffet and everything is included. So I was like wow ok we are down for buffets and made the reservation. I made this reservation for the mainstreet location calling to their other location.

When we got there we were waiting for about 8 mins and they gave us some tea which was nice BUT when seating us is when she told us that since its live entertainment it will be $5 extra per person and for large parties its an additional 20% added to the bill gratuity.

Our party did not know this before and the girl did not tell me over the phone but alas not a big deal.

The big deal came when I saw that drinks and desserts were NOT included in the feast and it was not a buffet but they take your order for every round. The orders take about 10 to 15mins to arrive... the first round took 30 mins to arrive and nobody came to get our order for a while...so nobody in our group ate to their fill.

You have about 2 hours to finish your meal and then we were asked to leave because another reservation had arrived.

The billing ended up taking about 25mins to get sorted and I was very disappointed and so was our group.

The flavors were not incredible as far as Indian or fusion food goes, the hummus was basically the best thing out of everything everyone ordered.

The atmosphere was loud and the live music was good but I've seen better entertainment at Turkish restaurants.

The wooden seats are not comfortable at all so if you have any back or hips issues youre in for trouble.

It was just ok, not bad but not good.

We won't be coming back because too much annoying stuff happened to make us not want to come back and the lack of delicious food was kind of the deal breaker at the end. It wasnt awful food just not delicious for the price we paid.

Its a good date night spot, good for GF or vegan eaters, but don't go in a group and don't go for the feast. Its a waste.

I gave it a 2 because I think if you go as a couple or don't know what Indian or Afghani food is supposed to taste like, you will have a good time. Otherwise in a group with foodie palettes, you're not gonna have a good time.

PS: The persian dish almost has no meat and the wild salmon tastes like farmed atlantic salmon so please don't...

I was really not wanting to come here all these years as the cuisine style was not what I wanted. But joining a group lunch here changed my view of this place.

Food was great. Taste of the chai that they offered samples of was really strong , which is "my cup of tea", and the roti meal was really tasty. The $15 single roti meal is a little pricey for the size of roti (but then I'm a big eater), the double is better value as that is just for additional $3. The additional roti does not have to be the same as the first so I tried the 2 lamb rotis on the menu and both were really tasty.

The bowls that the others had looked really appetizing too!

Service was good, coming just enough times to be of service but not too many times to be overbearing.

Seating is mostly half booths but there are tables with just chairs. Take note that these tables may be lower than the half booths. I saw chairs of 3 different heights and the short ones may be too short for taller people.

Parking is mixed free/metered street parking and free residential side street parking.

Overall a good experience and may come again.

2022-March update: repeat visit for a farewell lunch. This time had the Chai Feast tasting menu which is all-you-can-eat for $20 (promo price for lunch which also is less the cold mezze). $20 for all you can eat lunch is very reasonable these days. I AYCE deals at other restaurants being more than $27 pre-pandemic, so this is a bargain. Plus I found menu photos from2019 already being $35 (dinner version) so I was dreading this may be more now.

I suppose where they make up for the the deal is that most of their dishes are liquids, sauces and starches. Actual proteins are in small amounts.

Everything else about service and parking still hold true.

Really happy about this promo and dining experience. Will recommend...

My wife & I had a lovely mid afternoon/late Lunch/early Dinner on a Saturday. The food, staff and ambience were great! I had an Afghan Rice Bowl with two toppings, Mango Chicken and Lamb Curry, they in turn were topped by an ample Persian salad and that was topped with some red cabbage sauerkraut: it was really delicious! My wife chose Basmati rice prepared with a hint of cumin (just a trace!) plus two toppings comprising Mango Chicken and Mushroom with Eggplant Curry, topped with a Persian Salad and ultimately the Red Cabbage Sauerkraut! The spicing was just right. All of the wonderful flavors melded perfectly creating a satisfying oomami by the mixing together of Inherent and infused deliciousness! The large chunks of meat had to be cut into smaller pieces - that’s a surprising rarity! The primary topic of our conversation turned out to be suggestions of the names of all of our friends whom we felt might be delighted by an invitation to join us for future visits. There is also a stage where live music from the East can be enjoyed in the evenings and there is a nice outdoor patio for those who love to people watch the always entertaining and eclectic collection of humanity found circulating on Main Street just south of 33rd (Midlothian) Ave. Our meals were priced under $22.00 each and we agreed that on our next visit we would shell out for their $35.00 per person special : “eat until you are full feast” choosing from their entire menu several appies, naan, up to 5 main courses (vegan & meat dishes) plus deserts! To accompany the meal they offer licensed drinks and a variety of chai teas. As I write this review I also realize that I have been subconsciously making plans to go back for a...