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Simba's is an authentic East African barbeque restaurant located in Burnaby. They also have another location in Vancouver's West End.
My father and I ordered the cassava chips with dip and we didn't have second doubts about how great it was. The sauces they made were fantastic (if you enjoy spicy). The main entree was superb. The rice tasted great. The owner treated us with much respect and even talked to us about her culture. Overall, great place to dine and would recommend it to people who enjoy spicy foods.
We went here last Saturday for our monthly supper club. This was my first introduction to East African food and it was a pleasant experience.
This restaurant is located on Edmonds Street, a few blocks before Kingsway in a seedier part of East Burnaby. It is also very tiny, probably not more than 40 seats in total. The restaurant is cozy and had some nice decorations of what I assume is traditional East African artifacts.
We made reservations ahead of time and our group of 10 took up 1/3 of the restaurant. Throughout the night, the hostess was turning people away, as other larger groups had also made reservations after us.
Now to the food. My wife and I started out with the cassava chips. It was really good. Cut into thick french fries, it was deep fried and crip on the outside, but tender and chewy on the inside. I've never had cassava before and the taste is somewhat similar to a sweet potato, but the texture is firmer and chewier.
I had the lamb kebobs for $15.99 and my wife had the skewered sirlon for the same price. It took a while for the food to come out, seemed like there was only one cook working. Also, the food came out at different times, sometimes nearly 20 minutes from the first dish being served, to the last dish. My dish came with 3 large kebobs on a massiave bed of rice with some lettuce, tomato and cucumber garnish. The kebobs were great, nicely grilled and the right texture with nice flavour. The rice was very good too, kinda yellow in colour (saffron??), with traditional Indian spices in it. It was very fluffy basmati rice, although a bit on the oily side. My wife's skewered sirlion was marinated and grilled nicely. It was flavourful and tender, and had a bit of a kick to it too. We finished off with a piece of cheescake with mango sauce and crushed pistachios. It was pretty good.
Service was not that great. There was a main server, older woman (probably owner's wife?) and another younger female server/buser. The orders for food and drinks were taken fairly promptly, but there was about a 15 - 20 minute wait in between the plates being cleared and her coming back to take orders for dessert/chai, etc. It also took about the same amount of time to get our bill. 15% gratuity was already added to the bill, which I was fine with as we knew ahead of time that was going to be done, so I guess there's really no incentive to provide great service.
One appie, 2 mains, 1 glass of house red wine, 1 dessert and chai came to just under $52 (tax and tip included). This was after $13 entertainment book coupon was used. That's a great price for the food that we got that evening. Without the coupon $15.99 for the entree is a tad on the pricey side, for what you got though. I would probably go again, if I had another coupon or if I was in the mood for East African food.
I've never had South African food before and the website really enticed me into trying it. When I got there, the restaurant was pretty small, but it really had an authentic African feel to the place. The food was really good, I had the kebab lunch and the portions were large. The only reason I gave it a "solid" rating was because I felt it was a little pricey for lunch. Lunch prices were $10.95 for kebab, rice and salad. I guess I'm used to cheap eats!
We asked for some hot sauce and our server brought over a little blue vial and warned us that it was really really spicy. I took a little bit and it almost burnt my tongue off!! Really hot stuff, if you can dig the hot, go for the hot sauce!
I had a good experience dining at Simba's Grill Burnaby, but in 2010, I felt that the service was not as good because the owner knew I was using the entertainment coupons. I haven't been back since the bad experience. Why advertise on the entertainment book when coupons are not so welcomed?
I took a gang over to Simba's to exploit my Entertainment Book coupon. I almost left when I saw they had lots of ominous warnings in the menu about 15% charged when using coupons, no sharing entree unless you pay extra, and that sort of thing. But after seeing the food on the other tables, I decided to stay and try this place out.
I had a chicken curry that was like a cross between butter chicken and chicken vindaloo, and it was awesome. My wife had the kebabs and they were a huge portion of a kind of lamb sausage meat except no sausage casing. My friends had the mahi (a tender white fish) which was on special, and also the prawn green curry which was outstanding. There were lots of huge prawns and the sauce was very good. Unfortunately, the mishkaki is only available in beef not lamb now. I was really looking forward to it, so I was disappointed at the change in menu. I can say the rice and naan were good, but I don’t understand the frozen mixed veggies in the rice.
The African Tusker light beer was a little pricey at 7 bucks a bottle (sort of like the way Chinese places overcharge for Tsing Tao), but it was a good brew. The local brands are competitively priced. The lassi was a little weird, but I liked the cardamom seeds.
The restaurant is very small, and the server was a chun-loi, but the manager was very nice and friendly, and so we didn’t mind. If you want African food I don’t know if this is it, but this place serves something that is like Indian food, but slightly different. I think the owners are Indian but lived in Kenya for years, or something like that. Either way, the food is very good and not what you can find elsewhere. It could be cheaper, but I guess they are a niche market. I will go back for more!
My wife and I went here with an entertainment coupon on Thursday night and it was gladly accepted. We had their special which was salmon with a tomatoe cream base sauce and their version of butter chicken along with some rice and naan. The sauces was to die for. The service was excellent and on top of things. The owner came over and inquired about our dining experience which was nice. As per the other review about having children and not serving them and that they question the cleaniness of the restaurant, I disagree. First, this restaurant is not exactly children oriented type of restaurant. It is quite small and having kids who are playing can disrupt the other patrons. Secondly, I closely inspected the cleaniness as stated by the other writer .......the restaurant is spotless. Or at least it was the day I went. The floors was so clean that it shined. Lastly, while we were finishing off our dinner, there was a family with a small child that came in, they were promptly served and it would appear that the owner was very accomadating by having a high chair for the little one. Overall my experice at Simba's Grill was very good. I would recommend this restaurant without hesitation.
Food : Finger lickin good. Heavy on flavor and not spice. Good sized portions. Included condiments - sour cream, shaved coconut, tamarind chutney and hot sauce. Note : Butter chicken dish is made with coconut milk instead of milke, but just as good if not better
Service: Small location, probably 9-10 tables. Server attentive.
Value : I'm going to say it has a mediocre value. If you're fine with spending $40-60 for 2, you'll probably have a great meal.
Ambiance: Tastefully filled with African souveneirs. Dunno about the furry stuffed rhino head and displayed award certificates.
Overall: Cute Burnaby spot, a must for foodies.
Ordered the kuku choma, chicken kebabs, chicken surwa and chef's special which consisted of 3 kinds of fish fillets cooked in some creamy coconut sauce. All dishes were absolutely delicious and portions were huge.
Service was prompt and polite. The place is well kept and clean as well. Dinner time is packed with people, reservations recommended.
This restaurant is a must try and the prawns in some creamy green sauce looked absolutely scrumptious
Have been curious about African cuisine for a while now, so it was with a great deal of anticipation that I finally tried Simba’s Grill, a place I’ve heard good things about, a few weeks ago. It was definitely a unique dining experience. Unfortunately, the names of most of the dishes tried escape me; but I'll describe them as best I can.
We arrived for dinner around 7 pm, and were a little surprised to find the restaurant unoccupied. On the plus side, this allowed us to monopolize the wait staff, as well as the services of a very friendly and helpful woman, who turned out to be the owner. My friend, who’d been there once before, took charge and ordered chai teas and mogo to start. The chai was nice, but came unsweetened and quite a bit milder than to what I’m accustomed. This may just be a difference between Indian and African chai, if there is such a thing. As for the mogo – deep fried cassava root – it came with three condiments: tamarind, a spicy sauce that I believe was peri-peri, yogurt, and freshly grated coconut. The tamarind was alright, although I would’ve preferred it a little tangier, and the peri-peri and yogurt were nice, too. But our clear favourite was the coconut. The slight sweetness played well with the otherwise meaty fries.
For our mains, we chose to share chicken stewed in creamy curry, and prawns in … a chunky, red, possibly tomato (?) sauce. Both were very good, although my friend and I were split – she preferred the prawns, which were unlike anything I’d eaten before; and I preferred the chicken, which was reminiscent of a sweeter Indian curry. We accompanied these with naan bread and a large helping of African maize meal. The maize – which can be best described as the thickest polenta you’ll ever eat in your life – it was, well, heavy. It had barely any flavour, and didn’t add anything other than sheer bulk to the meal. I doubt I’d order it again. Fortunately, the naan was terrific.
To finish, my friend ordered a dessert of ricotta in cream. I was dubious about this at first, but it turned out I was wrong. The lightly sweetened cream contained chunks of pistachio. Absolutely delicious.
In terms of ambiance, Simba’s is the kind of quaint, neighborhood restaurant you’d expect to find in the area, blending hominess and ethnicity nicely. Value-wise, it’s not too hard on the pocketbook, either. By the time we finished dinner, the restaurant had become half-filled with diners. Judging by their interactions with the servers, many of them were regulars. It’s easy to see why, Simba’s is a good restaurant.
I tried Simba restaurant more than a year ago with a few friends and really liked it. This time, I went with two of my friends and one of them had been to Simba with me the first time. Two of us liked the food. My other friend was not impressed. He said, it is not really African...it is mostly East Indian food and also a bit pricey. Never the less, we really enjoyed the food. We ordered deep fried Cassava root, chicken kebab, muchuzi ku ku (chicken with tomato sauce and tons of spices), kidney beans curry, Lamu cheese cake and Raas Malai (baked Ricotta cheese soaked in cream). I enjoyed all the dishes and dessert.
Simba's Grill is a great restaurant for the seasoned foodie. On the menu are authentic Indian/African foods. The food is pretty spicy, so make sure you ask the waitress to water down the spice if you can't handle it. On some nights there is live entertainment. Make sure you call ahead and make reservations. The restaurant is small and sometimes is booked for private functions.
This is an excellent place to dine if you like African cuisine tweaked with Indian cuisine. The food is on the spicy side, so if you like heat, this is the place to dine. Of course, additional hot sauce is available to further enhance the effect. The 'Mishkaki' (barbequed lamb skewers) is excellent. To end the meal, the Raas Malai was a nice dessert... a little too sweet, but quite nice. Priced well... given the location and ambiance. You get what you pay for.
The restaurant itself is really small, but the staff are personable and friendly. The decor is mediocre... African themed, nothing special... but the food makes up for it. Definately worth a try.
Though this place is small, it is well worth the visit. The curries are heavenly, the kabobs are succulent and the service outstanding. I thoroughly enjoy my stay at Simba's.
The manager/cook is a decent bloke who chatted with customers. They even have a karoke 'bar' so you're entertained while you eat though I must say, they should get rid of this as the place is so small, the loud music seem to grate your nerves after awhile.
Not overtly fond of the fact that when you use your 2 for 1 coupon, you get quite a nasty look as if your coupon is not really appreciated in this place.
Other than that, I would highly recommend this restaurant for a taste like no other.
Chose Simba's for my birthday meal. Had the
Cornish Game hen and my wife had the bbq
chicken tenders. Both dishes were very well done
and the mango sauce accompanying it was a nice,
tangy addition to them.
The service was very friendly. She always seemed to
have a smile on her face.
Restaurant is somewhat cramped and it get pretty
loud in there when full. I'd go back...I'd especially
get for takeout.
Drove past this place for a few years, wasn't sure what to expect with the African/Indian cuisine. But, happy I stopped by - It was a great meal - walked away thinking - that was actually pretty awesome. Make sure you try the lamb, you could tell it was marinated in coconut milk for a long time (a couple of days) - and was very tender.
Finished off the meal with a great mint chocolate square. Staff was friendly chef would come out and greet people - nice touch.
I will be going back.
My partner and I live around the neighbourhood and went to try this one day. Even though it's a small family restaurant, it was a great experience!!
From the decoration to the service to the food, this place is MUST go. We didn't know much about african food so we asked the server to suggest what to order. The server was very patient and knowledgeable. So we took her suggestion and I believe we got a green curry fish and a lamb curry plate. The food was fantastic! It also came with 3 other side sauces.
After we finished, the owner went to talk to us. She was friendly and nice. We felt very personable and welcome in this restaurant.
We will definitely go back again!
Eaten at their Vancouver location and very similar:
You have to really appreciate this type of Afro-East Indian cuisine. I am actually East Indian, though born and raised in England so have a very varied palate. This place rocks for the variety and imagination with their food. Totally delicious grilled meats and delicasies. The ugali curries and to die for and would thoroughly recommend them to you. Servings are good, service is very home-like and would most certainly recommend it to you. If you are not into spicy food and like the plain type variety, this is not for you. If you are adventurous and want a totally unique dining experience, get this stuff down into your stomach; it will settle very nicely!
I used to hit this place up at least 1 every few weeks, but I soon became annoyed with the Manager. He is a rude man who thinks he owns you for the evening. If you don't eat everything on your plate, he yells at you. You do you think you are? They're are the owners/mangers who offer suggestion on what to order, but this guys try to tell you what to do, whether you want his advise of not. Oh and he's always using a harsh tone.. no he's straight up yelling at the poor young asian girls who work there.
The food is decent, not great, it's more indian than african.
Never got a chance to try the food. My Wife and children were asked to leave the restaurant when my children were playing with plastic cars on the glass table. I wonder I the forks and knives on the table could scratch the glass. As for the food we never got a chance to try because the Manager who was taking our order wouldn't substitute pop which my son does not drink for a glass of juice, the answer was NO! with no politeness. This is when the Manager told my children to play on the dirty floor and I in defense asked if the floor was clean, and that's when I was rudely asked in front of all customers to leave the restaurant with many other customers indiscussed with the Managers non professional manner.
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