Kayan Mediterranean Cuisine

Never had great service here. Sometimes it’s been quite bad. The food is pretty tasty, but for the price, one should be treated better.

I only come here for hookah and the DJ. I don’t think I managed to stay long enough for the belly dancers. Located in the same office building as my lawyers, it was a little sketch to begin with. But the place started filling up and I was definitely in the mood. I think I paid $ 10 – 15 for the hookah but that was for at least 2 of us. Plus the mint tea is no joke here, a handful of fresh mint and a quaint tea jar nearby.
Good service and great times :)

I have to say that I’ve traveled in the Middle East a fair bit and was excited to find an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant near my house. But the food just didn’t live up to expectations, the portions were on the small side given that entrees were $ 18 – 20, and the service was just a bit inattentive. I’d have probably had a few more drinks and written a nicer review! This review applies to supper service. I understand there’s a weekday lunch buffet and given the proximity to the hospital, that might be a lively and tasty time to come.

We visited this place on a Sunday night. Located on the second floor right above A&W, the décor was simple, nice and inviting.
Our waitress was very friendly, she seemed eastern European from her accent. Although she was not familiar with the restaurant’s menu details, she did great getting the info from what appeared to be the owners/​management who were doing paperwork at the other end of the dining room by the bar.
The menu is filled with typical Lebanese fare that we were looking forward to tasting. The mezza platter had old/​musty hummus, egg plant dip and the pepper dip was unacceptable. The rice accompanying the meat dishes also was old and had the «left over the counter after being in the refrigerator too long and just reheate» taste. The tabouli salad, and you always can tell a great Lebanese restaurant by it’s tabouli, was made ages before our visit, so the parsley was wilted and the lack of tomatoes made it a mushy mess.
So all and all, a dissapointing restaurant since we had higher expectations. Save your money as there are far better joints for fresher, better tasting Lebanese fare. If on the same street, I prefer mona’s bistro and lounge for authentic, freshly prepared Lebanese tapas or Nuba, for downtown quicksetvice Lebanese that tastes like it should be.

I would like to give this place 3.5 stars but I can’t, so I will give it three.
Let me start with the food: It was really, really good. We had the Fatayer Joubna, and the something Chicken Tawook (#30) and tried some hommos. Everything tasted very really nice. The chicken was very nice, tender, definitely not over cooked and it was spiced just right. The rice that it came with was nice too. As well as the salad. The salad had a very interesting dressing with it, but I think maybe they heat it up a little and then pour in the salad or else had it tossed for a while before serving or something because the salad was a little wilty. Also the hommos had a little nutty flavor, but it’s probably from the tahini.
We went on a Saturday night (tonight) and they had live entertainment of belly dancers and musicians. We were a party of 17 or so. My sister made the reservations a week before and they failed to tell her then that there was a minimum of $ 25 per person charge at the time. And when she called to confirm the day before they told her. Now, not everyone was planning to stay for a full meal to warrant paying $ 25, but it was too late to change locations when this was planned for 1 month.
Okay, that aside… be warned that they charge the price of 2 drinks for a double shot drink. One of the parties in our group ordered 2 double rum and cokes each (=4) and they weren’t even in tall glasses or anything. The price of one R&C is $ 6.99 and for two it was $ 13.98. It was quite a rip off. Even night clubs don’t charge that much last I checked!
Basically, to sum it up, the food was great, the entertainment was okay (but those of middle eastern descent that were present really loved it), and the service was disappointing (also the server was a little slow to fill our water glasses and ask if we wanted more drinks and take our orders, but nonetheless, she was nice).

Went for the lunch buffet after reading good reviews. I was curious to see what it looked like after Tojo’s. It didn’t look much different, just more red! I’m no expert on Lebanese cuisine, so I can’t offer any thoughts to authenticity or anything like that.
The buffet was pretty good, $ 11.99 included lemonade & ice tea. I thought the hummus type dips were real good. They had a green salad and a tabouleh which had no bulgar, so it was more like a salsa. They had beef lasagna & sheperds pie, which was strange to me, but funny enough, the two items I liked most! There was steamed chicken, veggies, lots of rices, and a weird dish they called «kebabs» but just seemed like beef stew potatoes without the meat! There was a dessert station too. Really, a decent meal for the price! I can’t complain.
It was interesting, and not bad at all, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to return… only because it wasn’t my type of food!

My cousin and I stumbled upon Kayan on our way to get Sushi for dinner on our recent trip to Vancouver. We were in the mood for something different and Kayan did not disappoint. The restaurant is located on the second floor of plaza next to the Holiday Inn Vancouver City Center. Upon entering, it is like you are transported into another world. The walls are painted a vibrant red with various pieces of Middle Eastern artwork hanging on the walls. We were seated by the patio and had a perfect view of Downtown Vancouver on a clear summer night.
Our food was definitely fabulous! For starters we had the Fatayer Joubna which was bake puff pastry stuffed with feta cheese, black sesame seeds, parsley and olive oil. The dough was crispy and not oily. The feta cheese was creamy and smooth. The sesame seeds and parsley added texture to the meal. For dinner, I ordered the Beef Kebabs and my cousin ordered the Shrimp Kebabs. The dinner portions were very generous with rice, salad and vegetables. Now whenever I ordered Kebabs, they usually are overcooked but not these. The meat was full of flavor and were so tender that I hardly had to chew my food. Melted in my mouth like butta. The vegetables were not overcooked and had a bite to it. Rice was tender and had a hint of spice to it. The meal also comes with tahini sauce and pita bread. The food was fresh and homemade.
My cousin and I had a great time at this restaurant. The service was quick and friendly. Our beverages were always filled and the server was helpful but not overbearing. This was one of the best meals we had in Vancouver.