We have been here quite a number of times over the last few weeks after stumbling upon this place this fall.

The flavours are subtle and complex, rather than bombastic and sharp, like the food at some Indian restaurants.

We've tried the following, and have been pleased:
Chicken 66 (I don't know where they get the name), channa masala, dosa, murtabak (especially chicken).

You order Taali or a la carte for dinners - taali includes a few extras on the platter.

Personally, I've never had better lamb curry, and though I can't eat prawns, the sauce from the prawn curry is so aromatic that I want to dive right in.

For me, I enjoy this place mostly because the food is prepared fresh. Not very much comes from cans, though I suspect the crab meat for the crab and coconut appetizer might (though I'm just guessing here).

We enjoy the service, and we love the coffee pouring show at the end of the meal, though $3.00 for a small coffee is a bit much.

The prices aren't low, but the quality is there, so hope they keep it up.

Had brunch here this w/e and the curry chicken (mild, the waitress warned us and advised us to choose mild versus hot) was very tender. Balsami rice and all the dressings you'd find in Indian food was included--paper thin fried bread, salad, and a variety of sauces with lots of flavour for the rice.

Interesting presentation--served in a large silver round pan.

Can do without the incense burning, though.

There aren't too many Indian restaurants, so I'd definitely recommend this one.

Will return again to Chutney to try their dinner menu.

Maurya on Broadway, west of Granville, brunch buffet I'd highly recommend, too.

Haven't gotten around to standing in line at Vij's.

I've been to Chutney Villa twice for dinner in the past two weeks. We all thought it was great food and would score higher but the decor is just standard so brings down the rating otherwise I consider the food and sevice four stars.

The currys and gravies are full of fresh spices and really infuses the sauces well. This they tell me is what Southern Indian food is all about. I find many Indian dishes can taste the same only the meat changes but with each dish we got, each one was distinctively different and really tasty. The first time we went there were four of us and we shared the dishes amongst us. Not much conversation as we were so into the meal.

I told a friend about it and she went with two others and her words for the food was impressive. They all really liked it. So it has thumbs up from seven of us so I encourage you to try it. You won't be disappointed. It looks like nothing from the outside but feel we've stumbled onto something good here.

Favourites? Chicken curry (KVC?), pappadum (wish they gave you more), lamb curry and the starter that was cauliflower. Says on menu back by popular demand. Nice spice and I don't even like cauliflower much. Soooo good.

I have been only one but would like to go again. My bf eats there practically once a week and is always super full and happy everytime.

Food: The brata bread was super good. I can't remember the exact dish I got, but garlic was a main ingredient. I really liked it and I remember it being very tasty.

Service: Solid, fast service. Nothing to complain about whatsoever.

Value: I can't remember thinking thta it was a super great deal, so I am going to have to go with decent.

Ambiance: They tried their best, they really did, but it's not great.

My wife and I were on Broadway and happened to notice this restaurant, whose sign prominently features the words "Vegan & Vegetarian". We're both vegan, so we were excited to stumble upon a vegan restaurant we weren't aware of.

Once inside, we were given menus only to find out that very little of the (very pricey) food was vegetarian, and almost(?) none of it vegan. There were lamb, chicken, egg, etc. in most dishes. When we asked the waitress which dishes were vegan, she didn't know what the word meant, despite it being right there on the restaurant's sign. Even as we tried to explain what it meant she didn't seem to understand. Finally we ordered one appetizer and one item from the "light meal" section of the menu--basically the only two things on the menu that sounded vegan.

Then we waited for our two items to come while a group of four people who had entered and ordered after us were served a table full of food while we were still waiting for our two small items. When our food finally did arrive, it was fine, but nothing special.

We left this pricey restaurant feeling like we had been manipulated--tricked into entering by the false promise of vegan food, and then guilted into ordering anyway despite the false advertising. Overall an unpleasant experience.

So if you want a cup of grease like how Rachel from Friends drinks grease to gain weight, by ALL means step foot into this restaurant.
Service is barely there, had to go up and ask for water. Wanted more chutney, but didn't rcv it.
There is absoluetely NO ambiance. I THINK they're trying to go for a romantic setting, but its not really working; and the romance is pretty much thrown out the window when I walk out of there smelling like Indian spices ALL over my body.
All in all, nothing great to drive down to this shady alley for.

Chutney Villa serves South Indian Cuisine, which is different from what most people think of Indian food around these parts. Instead of Butter Chicken, Naan and Tandoori platters, you get broth based chicken, lamb and fish curries, and Dosa (savory vegetarian crepe).

Everything is obscenely expensive, for dishes that you can whip up at home with a decent recipe from the Internet. All the Dosa are over 9 dollars and are listed under the category: Tiffin – which
means a snack, not a meal.

The lunch specials are $9.99 and come with a choice of chicken, lamb or fish entrée, rice (the grains were large enough to plug your ears to block out the terrible music) on the side, lentil soup and a Papadam. The actual entrées are all $15 or more a la carte, and $18 or more with a dessert and something else that I can’t remember.

There was no way we were going to blow $60 at this place, so we decided to go with the lunch specials. I had the fish curry, which was very sour with 2 pieces of overcooked fish, resembling the bottom part of my shoes. My wife and sister had the chicken, which was bland. My sister requested that her curry be extra spicy, but it was not. My mom had the Egg Dosa, which was decent. All the portions were on the small side.

Service was ho hum, the drinking water was lukewarm, the overhead speakers howled annoying Indian songs (mentioned earlier) and the door that leads to the washrooms had those bead curtains that messed up my hair (twice) – that was the last straw.

The only thing I found to be slightly amusing with this place was that there was an accountant at one of the tables, tapping away at her laptop, surrounded by a pile of receipts. It’s tax season after all, and for her sake, I hope they are not paying her with the food.

Bah! Rubbish!

We've been to Chutney Villa twice in the last year, and we'll be back again soon. You need to go in expecting great food, but a somehow different dining experience. The most recent time we went in, half of the small restaurant was a large table of probably around 30 people. Included in this group were about 15 kids who spent the time running around the restaurant and almost sitting on our feet.

The servers were apologetic, but it was somewhat offputting. All of that distraction faded into the distance when the food arrived. So delicious and the taste is not like any other indian food. We first found this place at EAT Vancouver and tried their stuffed Naan. Make sure this is part of your order when you go there.

The chutneys are delicious, and I always require more to be brought to me throughout the meal. The servers are happy and kind. South Indian food is very delicious and should be tried if you haven't gone there before.

Went there for lunch today. I had a lamb curry, rice, paratha, mango juice for a little more than 15 bucks (including taxes) which I thought was very reasonable.

Food: Spicy, but tasty, not scorching hot. Very rich and flavourful curry. Lamb was OK. The paratha was nice and chewy and reminded me of roti canai (malaysian). The sambars and chutneys were a nice combination of savoury and hot, with a definite tropical feel.

Service: Waitress was prompt, friendly and explained to me they didn't have Naan because that's from the North - they didn't have Mango Lhasi because that's from the North, etc... I betrayed my lack of experience with Southern Indian cuisine. I had a chance to chat with the owner as well, who was curious about my first experience with her cuisine.

Ambiance: Indian background music (a little loud though) and the decor is appropriate for that type of restaurant, sheer cloth on the ceiling, etc...

Overall, I was quite impressed and felt I paid a good price for the food, service and ambiance. I will definitely go back.

I have now been there a number of times and I must say that my favourite dish is the Mysoore Lamb Thaali with two pratas added on. I was actually introduced to that dish (after having ordered chicken curry previously) by the very friendly waitress (I am 99% sure her name's Chindi but I could be wrong...) whom I think is also the owner. Mysore Lamb is a little drier than the traditional curries, the blend of spices and tender pieces of lamb really completed the soft and flaky bread called prata. Personally, I did not find it too spicy but then again, everyone has their limits. I also enjoyed the other side dishes that came with the thaali, especially the rasaam and spinach and lentils (the vegetable of the day). Throughout the entire night, the waitress was very jovial and really made an effort to stop and chat at each table even though it was a VERY BUSY Saturday night. Not sure how she managed to do that but it was very nice of her to check in with her guests. For appetizers, I ordered a Masala Dosa which was a no-brainer. Crisp throughout and golden brown in colour, the dosa was second to none (hope my mother does not read this). Not only were the dishes super delicious, but the price of that Thaali ($16.95 I think) was very resonable considering the amount of food that was served that night, enough to last me through the next day's lunch and dinner. Anywhoo, all I can say is that I am too happy that I finally found a real, authentic South Indian cuisine, one that actually has good-tasting food. If there is one area of improvement that would enhance the Chutney Villa experience, I would say that perhaps turning on the air conditioner to cool the place would be nice. But then again, I guess the hot environment is just part of the ambiance to capture the authentic South Indian heat!