Was there for the world cup. Forced to choose from their "game menu" (i.e. limited late night menu). After waiting nearly forever for our food to show up, we ordered the hummus, lamb kebab appetizers and chicken stirfry meal.

Hummus was probably the best I've had in Vancouver (that doesn't say a whole lot but I've tried many many places). Full of garlic and chunky and quite tasty. So is the accompaniment of pita which seems freshly made .

However, the lamb kebab was unexpected. Tasted like day old hot dogs cooked with some kind of beet potato salad. Barely any kebab with too much of the salad in comparison to the rest of the plate. Amount of food for the appetizer was enough for a meal but couldn't finish it. It came with a fried rice roll which was nice as well but only one.

The Chicken stirfry meal was awful. Found a piece of beef in the chicken dish and complained to the owner, we showed him the piece of meat we found. However, instead of being apologetic, he proceeded to lecture us that we should have complained earlier. We had tried to flag the waitress down earlier but was ignored pretty much the entire time until she finally came to collect the plates which was when we complained.

The owner offered another plate but as we were on our way out the door, we declined. He was unremorseful and irritated. There was no concession on the final bill.

And ladies, don't even think of going to the toilet... the door lock is nonexistent and in the small cramped space there's an extra door for the single stall but no working lock on that either.

Will never return here again. Sad because the hummus was good.

It's been about a month since I went to Nyala for dinner, but I clearly remember the food and how delicious everything was. I was with a group of people for our monthly Dine Out but I arrived a bit later than everyone else. A few people had ordered appetizers already and from the general chatter around the table, everyone was enjoying the food.

The server was very friendly and helpful in recommending something to my liking. I ended up choosing the prawn dish, which had about 9 prawns served with saffron rice, onions and peppers in a piri piri sauce in a clay pot. It was piping hot and smelled fantastic when the lid was removed. The dish was about $23 but it was more than enough to fill me up, and probably would have been enough for two less-hungry people. You also get a serving of tabouleh and lentil salad with African style bread (can't remember what it's called) to go with your meal.

I noticed that other dishes were extremely small compared to the dish I had, so I would probably check with a server to see how the portions are before ordering. I was quite hungry and would have been disappointed to have had one of the smaller dishes, which were all between $16-$23 for meat or seafood dishes and about $12-$14 for vegetarian.

I really enjoyed my experience at Nyala and will definitely go back.

I was taken here by a friend who wanted me to try something different. We went on a quiet night, there were only about a few other people in there so service was prompt. Our server explained the items in the menu quite thoroughly. The food did take longer than expected but was quite good. Everything was quite tasty and it was really neat and different to be eating everything with your hands.

The decor was different. Lots of giraffe statues everywhere. Would definately return again.

We dined here on a Friday night and there was only three other tables while we were there. The service was very good, the host made recommendations, made sure about the level of spice and was very friendly. The food was good, well presented and the portions were generous but not over-the top. I would go back and would recommend it to others.

We came here for dining out Vancouver. It was decent food but definitely hasn't stood out as a must return. We had the dining out menu and when we asked the waitress about one of the items she said she didn't know how it tasted as she's never had it.

The place was pack and I found my lamb shank to be quite good but not very meaty and a bit over salted.

Other than that it was a good enough meal.

Well, unlike some of the reviewers here I found the food at Nyala to be of generally good quality, and our server was friendly and helfpul. I chose the pakoras as an appetizer, the lamb tagine for dinner, and the cheesecake for dessert. I left feeling very full. The pakoras were served with beetroot on a papadum, along with greens, chutney and hot sauce. The pakoras were crisp and tasty. The lamb tagine had a nice sauce and the meat was well cooked and came easily off the bone. One problem I did find was that due to the low lighting, I couldn't see my food and that took a little of the enjoyment out of the main course because I like to see what I'm eating, especially with meat. And yes, the slice of cheesecake for dessert was small (the portion sizes have been small at several of the $15 menu restaurants I've attended for DOV) but the cheesecake was very rich and I think to a large piece would have given me a stomachache--and I'm not a small eater. Our server told us they make the cheesecake in-house and it is real baked cheesecake, very savoury. And I personally loved the mango sauce on it-- made from real mango puree and not just mango "flavor." Overall I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.

I went to Nyala for Dine Out Vancouver 2008 last weekend for $15 menu. The portions were so small we went home hungry. I told the owner’s son that it was too small, and he said that’s what you get for $15 and tat the regular menu is different (more food).
Why didn’t they have $25 menu (if $15 is too low for them) and normal amount food instead so we don’t have to go home and eat dinner again? Come to think of it, they did have almost the same $25 menu with goat, ostrich and prawn, instead of lamb, chicken and vegetarian. Appetizers and deserts were exactly the same. I never saw such a small piece of the cheese cake in the restaurant before.
It’s a small restaurant, and there were four serves, but the service was slow. The servers would go in the kitchen and stay there, so I was wondering if they were cooking the food?
That was a disappointing experience for me and I will never go there again. I thought that Dine Out Vancouver is an opportunity to promote your restaurant and attract more guests, not take their money and leave them hungry and unsatisfied.

We went here on the 1st night of dineout Vancouver 2008. My friend and I got there but the owner/manager refused to give us our table claiming we were late for the reservations! The restaurant at the time had only 2 tables seated and he was giving us the attitude big time!! He was rude to me and once we sat down to our table, no service for like 15 mins!! Then finally a waitress came and take our order...she was super nice!
The food was alright for a $15 menu. But the service was so so...since it got more busy as the night goes on...we had no water refills and waited forever for the check.
I think the place would be better without that guy there freaking out the customers and a going on a more quiet night would be better.

The food was alright but was not nearly as spicy as they advertised it to be. The "HEY THIS IS REALLY SPICY BE CAREFUL" foods turned out to have the mildest kick; for a frame of reference, I usually order "mild" at restaurants and get a pretty good kick.

The menu is deceptive and makes everything sound delicious, often omitting key ingredients, such strong-tasting celery (which I hate).

The server, though extremely friendly and helpful, switched up one of the orders and spoiled my dinner. (I wanted lamb but I got chicken instead! wahh!) No biggie. Waters were filled up always and the server was otherwise attentive as well.

The atmosphere of the evening was pretty awkward. It was a quiet night but they left the music pretty quiet as well, so we spoke in hushed tones to each other across the table. We had visited Nyala on 4th previously and the ambiance of that location was much better -- darker, more exotic, often with live music, and the staff more lively. This was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, my reaction is bleh but it might be worth another shot.

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Review by Fish on behalf of The Last Supper, recorded on 2007-07-29, uploaded 2007-09-08

This place really disappointed me. People used to rave about how yummy it was, but when I went, it was downright bland and unpleasant. The service was decent, however. We also sent a bunch of our students there for a dinner, and every single student complained about how gross the food was. I find it hard to believe that this is the best African this foody city has to offer!