Ambiance:
The restaurant was very interesting. The decor inside feel very relaxing. They have booths with pillows and curtains drawing down. The lighting was very dim, but with a candle at each table.

Service:
The waitresses there were very friendly and nice. They smiled a lot and were informative about the menu. Throughout the night their service was great from table to table.

Food:
The food was not that special. However, there were some plates were you can order and get refills of. I'm not sure if they mean the refill of the rice, roti, and vegetables, or the actual curry as well. Yet by the end of finishing a that plate we were full. They have other items, but we were only there for a quick dinner, so we weren't able to sample other foods.

Value:
It's a solid value. You get what you pay for.

If I have more time on my next visit, I'll definitely try their other dishes.

A small group of us gathered here for a Sunday evening get together. Not knowing what to expect we were thrilled with the outcome.

Its soothing decor takes you away from the traffic of Broadway with warm colours that leaves you with a sense of calm. Right down to the furniture details everything feels authentic, including our tree slab counter; it's concave nature made for some cautious maneuvers. Really, the sense of authenticity.

The menu is kept simple, really only 2 entree choices: the stuffed roti rolls or the Eastern plates that offer various small dish samplings. It was easy to forget that most of the dishes are vegetarian while I enjoyed my potato and cauliflower roti and the fantastic Dhal soup and especially the various nibbles off my gf's plate, which included Afghan rice, Saag Paneer and Chicken Masala. The portions here are not the hefty North American servings so it can be a bit of a shell shock, but this is where good flavours and textures overwhelm you and truly where less is more. The complimentary teacup of spiced chai also hit many notes on the tongue once we were seated.

Our server was friendly, cheerful and full of zest. A bit tardy on the ball once the dinner rush really got going but worked through the grind with poise.

Delicious.

Happened to stop by here on a Sunday afternoon after checking out the local farmer's market. What a lovely little restaurant! The service is friendly, ambience is a bit dark but cozy and warm. Food is delicious. I had the Eastern Plate - Dhal Soup, Salad, Roti, Afghan & Coconut Rice w/ Chicken Masala & Mango Butter Squash, and my hubby had the DHAALCHA - Roasted chunks of lamb in organic dhaal soup, topped w/ lime, red onion, & Afghan rice served w/ Roti. Both dishes filling and yummy! I was so full from the Eastern Plate that I didn't have room for the free refill! Next time! Love the flavours and food - will definitely be back for more! =)

The food is flavorful but too expensive for the portions. Taste the chai before you order a full cup as it's tasted different from time to time.. somedays are better than others, otherwise, it's the best chai around. The ambience is fantastic but too dark during the day. Service is good, friendly. The Tali plate is the best deal. For $17 or 18 bucks, you get refills of whatever you want but they don't always tell you that when you order... It's Afghan food, not indian per se... so if you're expecting butter chicken and naan bread, you'll be disappointed. Overall, it's the best chai in the city with a great evening ambience.

I highly recommend going for the Eastern Plate option for lunch. I had the Organic Lamb and Afghan Eggplant. The food is so delicious. The Ambiance makes you feel like you're part of a caravan traveling the rugged mountains of Afghanistan during the silk trade.

Let's just say I left the place happy. The service is excellent where the staff is friendly and helpful. I would definitely go back here for lunch!

We stumbled into this place not knowing what to expect. They gave us a sample of their hot chai which was out of this world. We ordered a shake that was also really delicious.

My bf couldn't agree on which wrap to split, so they made a wrap half-and-half for us. It was good but not outstanding - but I would like to try some other varieties to see if they are better.
The lentil soup that came with is was absolutely delicious. Splitting one wrap was enough for both of us and was something like $11.

The servers were friendly and nice. I would go back again.

The decor is very interesting and pretty, but if you don't like sitting in anything other than normal chairs, beware.

I also think this would be a great place for vegans/veggies.

Kind of a disappointing experience. This was my second visit to this restaurant. The first visit I was disappointed that the portions were so small and the meal was served lukewarm to cold. I loved the atmosphere. Just thought it was a bad night but a group of us went again last week and had the same experience. We made reservations (online) as we were coming to Vancouver from out of town. We saw on the website that there was a free drumming class on the night we had reserved. Sweet...Got to the restaurant and the server didn't have our reservation, and had no knowledge of the drumming session and the part of the restaurant (The Chai Room) that we had reserved to eat in was actually closed and being renovated. After we had our meal (again disappointing....very small portions and served up cold/lukewarm. Rice was too dry to chew and the Alu Gobi was inedible - burnt and looked like it had been scraped from the bottom of the pot.), we were standing outside and heard the drumming from the restaurant upstairs. I asked some patrons on the street and they knew about the drum class. Too bad the serving staff didn't. Regarding the small portions - too bad the serving staff didn't let us know about the "more food" option - apparently you can ask for more of your entree. I learned of this when I read about the restaurant on this page. Personally I think $17 for a meal that is little more than finger food or pickings is too expensive. Drinks were expensive as well considering their size. $7 for a relatively small mug of chai tea. With tip it was close to a $30 meal. Not worth it. Sorry....I doubt I'll be back.

Went here tonight with 3 other people and I am quite satisfied with the place. Since my pros happen to be more than my cons, i'll start with the cons.

Cons below

#1 - small tables - i'd say 90% of the tables seemed to be made for people under 5 feet (no offense) because they are really just that small. Combine that with a large party and people will start fighting for elbow space.

#2 - lukewarm food - the food are all pre-made so they came lukewarm not hot which is usually what foods "should" be at.

that's basically all the cons :) nothing too serious so now onto the pros!!

#1 - generous place - FREE REFILLS of entrees. This is going to be their number 1 selling point and customer grabber.

#2 - generous place - FREE UNLIMITED SAMPLES OF DRINKS. Another big sell off because you can practically get 4-5 samples in 1 swoop and that'd be enough for you free loaders :) of course I tried both samples and also ordered :P.

#3 - mostly organic ingredients - the use of organic produce in this restaurant is one of the reasons I will return for more.

#4 - pretty waitresses - hehehe

#5 - semi-authentic with a dash of contemporary flavors = creativity

#6 - the drumming upstairs got me anxious because I couldn't eat up there tonight :(...they're only open wed- sunday for upstairs entertainment and buffet.

#7 - fair price - for the amount of free refills and sample drinks i'd say the price is more than fair for this place, even if entrees start at $17 a pop it is actually only half that because you will definitely have room for more. Take your time :).

I'd definitely return tot his place because i love the drinks and their watiresses @O@

Firstly, I think the description above should be changed: East may be East, but it is NOT an under $10 restaurant! Expect between 20-30$ if you plan to get a meal and a drink, entres go between i think 11 and 17 dollars.

Unfortunately, they messed up our reservation, but our server was timely and polite.
We got awesome samples of their signature spicy chai and the amazing mango lassie.

The food was really good, smaller portions than we expected- what you really come for is reliably tasty cuisine and a truly different atmosphere. Stepping into the restaurant feels like you've just been teleported- its extremely bohemian, exotic, and sexy!

I'll definitely come back soon!

this place is quite expensive for what it is, but does taste good. And considering they don't actually have a kitchen, they do a pretty damn good job of serving up meals.

The curries are refillable, but they take so long to give you the refill, by the time they arrive, your brain has had time to catch up with your stomach so you're not hungry anymore. Ended up having my friend eat the rest.

The sample chai they give you is strong and good, but not sure I want to pay $5 for a cup of tea.

Overall, the taste is exceptional, but so is their high price.