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India Gate is Downtown's oldest Indian restaurant which specializes in North Indian cuisine.
The sour lassie smelled like sulphur and was missing all kinds of flavor (salt and cumin). The limp salad on an ice-cold plate was obviously pre-portioned and sitting in a fridge way too long. The main dish, vegetarian thali, was actually quite good. The place is old and greasy inside and they really need a make-over.
Located on Robson Street, you expect fairly high prices. Lunch special was ok and that's about it. The servers smiled once in a while and the food was predictable but acceptable. I think you have to hit North Delta/Surrey for good Indian food. Nothing beats Mirch Masala on 120th St but it is quite far from Downtown!
Food: nothing extraordinary. very typical. had chicken tandoori and this other chicken curry sauce dish w/ naan. had a veggi samosa.
Service: the one waiter whom may have been the mgr or the owner was very attentive and polite. i think he may have been afraid it was our first indian food experience, but he was also very attentive to everyone around us as well.
Ambiance: No strong theme inside. Nothing special or adversely negative.
Overall: Not sure if I would return. I think we would rather try some other Indian places. If you have an Entertainment book, remember to bring your coupon to save some $$$!
It was either Tropika or India Gate. We've never tried India Gate before so we gave it a try. I know it's been in business for 31 years so I had some high expectations from this place.
We went inside and we were greeted immediately. We got our menus and papadum to start. Delicious and addictive! When we opened the menu and omg butter chicken was a whopping $17! I'm thinking to myself, this butter chicken must be hella good or I'll be upset! Other restaurants I've been to only cost between $11-14. When I saw that price, my jaws dropped. Anyways, the food that the guy was eating next to us looked really good so I calmed down a little. We ordered the butter chicken with a side of naan bread. When the food came, I laughed a little inside. The butter chicken was small, unappealing, tasteless looking. This is not traditional is it? I've had better. They gave us a side of rice which was on a huge plate. The naan bread was small and burnt all over. I've never seen a naan bread burnt before! How am I supposed to eat it when it's black? Anyways, the meal didn't stuff us up ofcourse.
I don't recommend this place. I've went to Taste of India 4 times and it's awesome there.
I only went to this place because I wanted Indian Food Close by and had an entertainment book Coupon.
Even with a Coupon, I'd never come back here.
The only Bright spot to the evening was when I asked the Waiter "Is the Fish Fresh?" at which point he honestly told me "No". I then decided to order the Lamb, at which point he didn't tell me it was pre-cooked frozen lamb that reheated in the microwave.
My Girlfriend had the best meal, unfortunately, it was $15 for a small bowl of Potatoes and frozen peas tossed in curry powder, on a bed of rice. Not exactly screaming Value, as the ingredients probably cost less than $2 for her meal.
The restaurant was nearly dead, on a Sunday night before a holiday. I wanted to leave right when I got in, but didn't want to make a scene. However, next time I'm not going to hold back and leave right away when a place looks as crappy as this.
The food prices are quite insane for what you get. I can't believe they charge $17 for some pre-cooked frozen lamb chunks, reheated in the microwave in some sauce and rice. For that price I expect something fresh and made to order. There was also no atmosphere whatsoever, old tables, chairs carpets. That means the money is not going into the decor, but directly into the owners wallet.
This restaurant needs to shut down, or seriously wake up and turn things around. India Gate - First and LAST TIME, NEVER AGAIN!
The food at India gate is decent, however be careful by 2:00 PM the price will be increased by 50% under the pretext that it dinner time pricing!, we have eaten in alot of restaurants but we have never seen dinner served at 2:00 PM,
certainly the food quality, quantity and the restaurant ambiance does not justify the kind of prices we were charged.
Went there with my wife and three friends. Started with veggie pakoras and samosas. The "veggies" in the samosas were once-frozen peas, carrots and...corn? Odd, for *East* Indian food. We ordered palak paneer, gobi alu, bhurtha (eggplant), buttery chicken, and chicken tikka. The rice for the meal came spread out in a layer on each plate brought to us immediately before the main dishes. I sampled all of the dishes and was left unimpressed by any of them. The flavours were not well blended. The gobi alu, in particular, was actually harsh and reminded me of an attempt of mine to make this dish, which I labeled as "unsuccessful." It was the first time in a long while that I was in an Indian restaurant and not particularly interested in second helpings. On the whole the food was clearly among the less-good
The food came quickly and service throughout the meal was quietly attentive and not intrusive. The interior is nothing special, but not unpleasant. The mens' room, on the other hand, was a bit frightening. The cloth towel roller was broken and out of towels, and the tile on the floor and walls old, with large segments of tiles missing.
On the whole, there are many better Indian restaurants in the lower mainland.
This place is always crowded when I walk by during lunch. So, my expectations were a little high.
The 3 of us had the Meat and Vegetable Samosas and Sheekh Kabob to start, and Butter Chicken, a potato and spinach dish and Lamb Tikka for main.
After placing our order, we were served a salad and papadum. The salad was disappointing, just lettuce and red cabbage and a dressing. The edges of the lettuce were a little brownish. The papadum was almost soft.
Next came the samosas (very good) and Sheekh Kabob (decent). For the main, the butter chicken was quite tasty, potato and spinach dish was bland and lamb tikka a tad dry.
We ordered the garlic nann as well, but it was dry and we hardly touched it.
Service was friendly and efficient (our glass of water is never empty). Ambiance, as noted in the previous review, dated.
Return? Unlikely.
It's hard to find good Indian food downtown! My husband and I live a few blocks away from the India Gate and have been several times. The food is consistently good, and although a little on the pricy side it's good quality. The only thing I find lacking in consistency is the heat...we always order hot and sometimes it's too hot to enjoy and other times, like our last visit, it's almost mild. I find that the best experiences we have are when it's totally dead...more sauce on the food and it comes out hotter/warmer. It's a bit lacking in terms of ambiance, not exactly a first date kind of place, but we love it and will continue to go back!
We've been coming here for years and have never been dissapointed with the service or the food. A good selection of Indian beers, great Samosa's , spicy food and Ferni's if you ask in advance. There is a good selection of vegetarian dishes as well. The Chicken Tikka Masala with a medium level of spices is a real comfort food !
We usually go to this restaurant for lunch and only on Thursdays when they have chicken bhuna on special. Once went there for dinner and was very disappointing. Place was virtually empty. The restaurant is average, food is JUST ok.There is no consistency at all. Owner is a bit annoying and can be irritable. Location is good.
I mainly like eating here because of nostalgia...this is one of the first Indian restaurants I patronized, and it has been around for-ev-er. Having said this, the food really is decent and the location is super central. I ate here a few days ago and they have unjustifiably raised their prices, but the prices are reasonable in the $15 range.
I particularly like India Gate's spinach dishes: panek paneer and lamb spinach.
Do not eat here if you are looking for memorable Indain food, but do hit this place up if you are looking for good, flavourful standards downtown.
I have been a regular customer at the India Gate for 28 years. Although I have tried several other East Indian restaurants, some of which were certainly good, I can honestly say that none compares to the India Gate.
The quality and texture of the food is simply incredible, and the service solid, as the staff treat their customers like family and friends. The owner, in particular, is very hospitable and quite comical.
Although I've never experienced a poor dish at the India Gate, I highly recommend the chicken korma, lamb tikka, butter chicken, and palak paneer (spinach and cheese). The next time you're in the mood for curry, try the India Gate. I assure you will not be disappointned.
We have been coming here for thirty years, and the food is great. We always get the veg pokora starter, chiken tikka dinner, which is served with a salad and a naan. The lamb korma is also very good. The service is good with papadums being served right away. The owner who still works seven days is very humourous. The ambiance is alright, could use a little improvement. There are no rotting beans in the window??? Overall a great place to go to, for lunch or dinner.
Believe it or not this place is quite good. Went here with co-workers for lunch (a mixed batch- caucasion, indian, chinese, australian, people from TO, England, etc) and we all Loved it! The food was spicy where we asked for it and not so spicey were we did not want it. We had great service and almost two people waiting on us the whole time. Mind you this was during regular lunch hour and the place was quite packed. The service was really friendly. I gotta tell you I really wasn't expecting much from this place, but they far exceeded my expectations.
Not sure what the last reviewer received, but I've never had meal at this restaurant and I go at least twice a month. I've tried a lot of Indian restaurants in Vancouver and this is by far the best in terms of food. The prices might be a bit higher then some of the others, but its well worth it. If you like real indian food then you should give this restaurant a shot, you won't be disappointed! The mongo lassis and ferni(?) dessert.. mmmmm!
India Gate offers wonderful cuisine, at an affordable price. If you are looking for Indian food downtown, this is a good place to start. The food is delicious, with varying degrees of spicyness depending on your taste. Try the Butter Chicken! I have gone here three or four times and have enjoyed it every time. The decor is dated, but if you dont mind the 1970's wood paneling, you will be in for a treat. India Gate was also in the Entertainment Book in 2005-06, so check your book if you have one!
I went to India Gate for the first time two weeks ago. I ordered Shahi Paneer, which was advertised as chunks of cheese cooked in a rich gravy. What I got looked like blenderized tofu, no gravy, and no taste. I was completely disappointed. My companions ordered chicken, and told me that their food was bland and over-cooked.
The washroom was like going outside. The bathroom, painted canary yellow, has a door in the men's stall that only covers the small room from top to about 3 feet off the ground: just enough so that you can't see out, but just enough so that if someone walks into the washroom they have a complete view of you. The water was freezing.
The service was poor. The waiter looked like he wasn't even awake.
Food rating: 1. If there were a zero, I'd use it.
Service rating: 1. Again, so poor it's not worth discussing.
Value rating: 1. I was charged 15 dollars (before tax and tip) for a plate of over-cooked rice, frozen peas and blenderized something-or-other. Not worth it at any price, but certainly not for the price I paid.
Ambiance rating: 1, though could be a 2 if they were a little cleaner.
Basically, India Gate is a greasy spoon but the food isn't good enough to call it that. I won't be going back.
I cook indian food at home, and I can tell the difference between a meal prepared from fresh ingredients and one that largely comes from a jar. At this place, I tasted a lot of the jar in the main dishes. Plus, too much salt and butter for me in all 3 main dishes that my wife and I shared. The naan bread was even a little doughy in the center. (first time I've seen that!).
The servers were very presentable and hospitable, but somewhat uncommunicative.
In short, cheap food for unjustified prices. Personally, I could have done without the great service for the same quality food at a cheap takeout, for probably about 1/3 the cost.
Looking for a spicy and filling Indian lunch India Gate fills the need. Every time I come here the food is fabulous. Bhuna chicken is my favorite meal and not too expensive. The staff is friendly and there when you need them. If I had my choice I would add more authenic decoration. But again really, I came here for the food!
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| 3. | Cafe Crepe (16 m) |  |
| 4. | Burger King (35 m) | |
| 5. | Taf's Cafe and Gallery (42 m) | |
| 6. | Aladdins Shawerma Cafe (49 m) |  |
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| 8. | Red Burrito (70 m) | |
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| 10. | Khai Thai Cuisine (95 m) | |
