Vij’s Rangoli

We visited Vij’s Rangoli on 16 January 2016 when visiting Vancouver, having been recommended by a lot of our friends and reading the Unilocal reviews and ratings but I was sorely disappointed. Infact, I dont think it should be categorized as an Indian restaurant. Their service is fine and there was no waiting when we went there in the afternoon. We started with their Savoury Chat, followed by their Tamarind and marinated grilled natural chick and Curried Spinach and Paneer but we left almost everything on our plates. We were sorry to have wasted our time.

Delicious flavours and manageable prices makes this one of Vancouver’s very best places for dining out in the city.
The menu isn’t huge but there’s something there for everyone. The outdoor patio is heated so you can enjoy your food outside in a moderate climate.

Love this place!
We tried the Cauliflower, Spinach, Onion and Potato Pakoras as appetizer. The pakoras were good (not too oily) and the daal was very flavorful.
For the main course we had Curried Spinach and Paneer and Kale, Jackfruit, Cauliflower and Potato Curry. The serving size was good and the food was amazing.
The unlimited masala chai was an added bonus with just the right mix of spices and sugar.
Totally recommend! :)

Heard awesome things about Vij’s and was not disappointed.
First off, I really loved the staff there, our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and was a thrill to chat with.
Mango Lassi — absolutely delicious, thick, tangy, and appropriately sweet
Chicken Liver Samosas — the breaking was a little on the thicker side, but the chicken liver and potato filling was nicely spiced and delicious
Chaat Appetizer — the hubby really loved this, it was very refreshing and well balanced
Lamb in Coconut Curry — this was my favorite, the lamb was tender and packed with amazing curry flavor, even though I was already really full, I wiped the bowl clean
Portobello Mushroom and Red Pepper Curry — this is their signature dish and it is quite good, if I didn’t love the lamb so much this would be my go to dish.
Rice Pudding — the perfect ending to a wonderfully spiced dinner
Absolute perfection! Would definitely come back here again.

Didn’t actually eat here, we are out of towners and came to vij’s next door, but didn’t know that they moved locations. The manager at this place was super nice and I felt like he was a fantastic ambassador for the restaurant, the city, and damn why not the entire country!
He helped us call a cab, he made us feel really welcome and even offered us some warm pita with spices.
Thanks for the great experience, felt like a review was the least I could do.

Originally we wanted to go to Vij’s which is next door but it seems like they recently moved to Cambie Street. So we decided to eat at Vij’s Rangoli instead.
This restaurant had seats lined along the kitchen which is situated in the middle and the patio is encased in a glass cube like structure which was pretty cool. There’s also fridges filled with vij’s sauces, rice puddings etc.
For appies we had the beef, lamb, lentils kebab with date-​tamarind chutney ($ 10.50). They were a bit on the spicy side and it’s not the kebab I’m used to. It’s more of minced meat in a shape of a sausage. There was a sweetness from the chutney but it didn’t really help subdue the spiciness from the kebab. I’d give it a 3 out of 5. My friend who’s not into spicy did not enjoy this dish.
Along with our appies, we had 4 lamb Popsices ($ 5 each). This came with a sweet yoghurt sauce and a green colored sauce which I assume is made from green peas? I favored the yoghurt dressing and I loved the lamb Popsicle. It was tender and the spices was perfect. This is a MUST order.
For the curries we got the beef short ribs in Kalonji Seed Curry ($ 17.25) and the Lamb in Coconut and Mustard Seed Curry ($ 17.50). The short ribs curry was a sweet curry, not much spice to it. It came with rice, naan and some pickled vegetables. My friend enjoyed that. I also like that there were fattiness from the short ribs. It made the meat a bit more soft and succulent. The lamb curry had a bit of spicy aftertaste. I liked this sauce more but the lamb was a bit dry. Perhaps because it was lean cut and it wasn’t stewed long enough. This dish came with naan and a beet salad. I’m not generally a beet hater but I did not like this beet dish. I couldn’t taste the sweetness from the beets and it was too earthy for my liking. Both dishes scored a 3 out of 5 for me.
We got Chai ($ 3) as our drinks. We both liked it. Our server made the regular refills and after each meal we got our plates and cutlery replaced. Service was good but it would be better if the staff smiled more. Everyone looked a bit too serious.

There’s a few new restaurants in Sydney, Australia, where I live, that are modernizing South Asian cuisine, and I love that trend. So, I don’t have anything negative to say here: samosas with chicken liver paté (YUM), beautiful pakhoras with spicy dahl to momentarily soak them in, the spicy lamb popsicles. For mains, we had the pulled pork, used to make a little taco along with the flatbread, and the curious vegetarian kofteh in a creamy sauce: I love the texture and the sauce: I’ll have to try to look up a recipe online! All of this with a nice buzzy atmosphere; it’s possibly busier here now that Vij’s has moved to its new location, no? Anyways. Yup, loved it.

I came here on the weekend with a friend as we were craving Indian food and didn’t want to wait for a table at Vij’s. I found the food to be mediocre at best. I ordered the tamarind marinated grilled chicken, and my friend ordered the chickpeas in fenugreek curry from the vegetarian section. The grilled chicken was dry and had no real flavour. Parts of it were burnt. There wasn’t really even much of a hint of tamarind, which has quite a strong and pungent flavour. The side salad was once again nothing special and lacking in any sort of tasty dressing. My friend’s chickpea curry was good but definitely nothing special that stands out from any other cheaper Indian restaurant. The mango lassi and mango coconut lassi that we had to drink were quite good however.
Overall, for the price that they charge, I do not think that this place is worth it at all. You can get much cheaper Indian food that probably tastes better and has more flavour elsewhere. The atmosphere here isn’t really anything special either as it is small and cramped. I nearly bumped over the table next to me trying to squeeze into the booth, and could overhear the conversations of those next to me. I wouldn’t be able to recommend this place when there are so many other options for Indian restaurants that have better pricing and food. Likely won’t be back.

I can’t recommend this place enough… A MUST GO — because you will never look at Indian food the same way. They have a «classier» joint next door by a different name, same chef/​owner, but I liked the down-​to-​earth vibe of this side of the restaurant, and it’s cheaper. Get the portobello mushroom and red pepper curry plate — I usually *HATE mushrooms, but I’ve never had anything so delicious. If you’re hungry, try a few plates — although each entrée is meant to serve as a dinner set. If you’re going with someone, have them pick something different so you can try more combinations — each item in the plate is matched perfectly… the spices, texture, immaculately assembled. They also have frozen meals they pre-​make that you can pick up… which if I weren’t driving a few hours back through the border, I’d probably consider. Incredibly cheap price for how amazing the food is.

We were planning to go to Vij’s but after being told that the wait would be at least an hour, we decided to try Vij’s Rangoli. We were not disappointed.
Even though it doesn’t have the wow factor of Vij, the food was still very delicious. We ordered the Pulled Pork and Lamb Cumin Curry. Both are very tasty and the meat very juicy and tender but a little bit too salty and for me at least, with less heat than I would have loved to have.
The service is friendly and efficient. Vij is going back and forth between his two restaurants, greeting everyone and smiling, making the ambience very welcoming.

After a few bad experiences with Indian food, my friend had to work hard to convince me to give it one more try. After she took me here, I had a whole new perspective. In short, everything was delicious. We ordered the short ribs, and portobello mushrooms and both dishes were amazing. The service was excellent! We sat out on the patio on a cool evening and the waiter immediately brought us a blanket for our legs. His recommendations were amazing and he even bought us a dessert to share that we really enjoyed. He also talked us into a white wine blend that the owner created and it was perfect paired with our meal. This place was a game changer for me. I can’t wait to go have Indian food again!

Really enjoyed our lunch. We tried the cumin curry lamb and the tamarind grilled chicken.
The restaurant is small but efficient. Service was friendly and the food was amazing! We saw 4 Indian ladies in the kitchen… So we knew it was gonna be good!
Smaller potions but full of flavour!!!
I’d go back again and eat the tamarind chicken. It’s finger licking good!!!

Great patio for a summer lunch, but mediocre Indian food. Their mango lassi was nice and refreshing, but nothing you can’t make easily at home.
The spinach and paneer dish was very watery and kind of salty, and wasn’t special. The potato chapati that it came with was very salty, and the yogurt dip was very liquidy.
The beef ribs were tender and delicious, but on the salty side and was a bit watery, as well. The chickpea curry dish was flavorful.
If you’re looking for a dish that is above medium spicy level, then this is not the place for you.
Don’t get me wrong, the food here is not bad. It’s just that for $ 15 – 20 for a main dish, nothing stood out.

The food at Rangoli is always amazing. It’s hard to stray from my favourite dish (portobello mushroom and red pepper curry) but every item I’ve tried (which is basically the entire menu now) I am not disappointed.
The drinks are good, the service is fast and friendly, and the restaurant is always buzzing. I will keep going back here, it is such a Vancouver staple!

Well worth a visit if you’re near B. C delicious food, many gluten-​free options, including BEER!!!
Food to go too, because it’s so good you could eat it twice in a day

Really solid Indian food here (down to the aunties in the kitchen making it for you!)
We got the beef short rib curry and the mixed rice with jackfruit. The beef curry is amongst the best I’ve had and the rice was just OK (I thought it would be but we could resist ordering it because it had jackfruit).
Staff were really friendly and efficient (when you walk in with two kids and they offer to immediately bring out Naan to keep the kids happy — they have already won the hearts of many a parent. NB– no changing tables in the bathrooms but a sliver of counter space that a skilled mom or dad can use with a good changing mat)
I’ve heard fantastic things about their sister restaurant but if you don’t want to endure the massive wait times, you absolutely won’t be disappointed with your meal here.

The food at Rangoli’s seems hit or miss. The first time I ate here, I was pleasantly surprised by the Kale, Jackfruit and Cauliflower Curry and the Spinach Paneer. The chai caramels were a real treat.
On my second visit, I was disappointed by the Naan pizza which was surprisingly plain. The Split Pea, Lentil and Spinach Bharta with mogo fries was somewhat deceptive. I expected the dish to be primarily composed of vegetables, with a side of yucca fries. Instead, it resembled Indian-​spiced poutine, which was far too deep-​fried for my preference. The chickpea and onion cakes were relatively dry and plain. The only redeeming part of the meal was the mango lassi.
Instead of returning to Rangoli’s, I would try Vij’s restaurant (right next door) on my next visit.

I came here with two gentlemen for a quick bite before attending a Unilocal party at Bau Xi Gallery. Needing a place to sit and nibble, we chose Rangoli.
We were quickly seated in the heated patio section of the restaurant where we shared a plate of deep-​fried cassava (mogo) fries with Bengali curry and beef & lamb lentil kebabs.
The cassava fries were absolutely delicious! I’ve had cassava before and I like the dense starchy texture and the mild flavor. The flavor reminds me of a hybrid of taro and mealy potato. The Bengali curry was intense and spicy. One of the gentlemen was sweating bullets and I myself was downing water. I asked for a side of Raita to tame the heat. Even with the yogurt sauce the spiciness was challenging my digestive capability.
The beef & lamb lentil kebabs which their shapes resembled sausages had excellent flavor but the seasoning was on the salty side. The appetizer was not spicy. There was no doubt the kebabs would pair seamlessly with a nice glass of chilled beer. Even though lentils were added in the kebabs, the texture was still pretty meaty.
Service was attentive and respectful. We were checked on a couple of time to ensure finishes plates were removed and that we had enough water. Most of the time we were left alone to catch up.
The washrooms were clean, spacious but hidden. The washrooms were perpendicular to the fridge where you can pick up pre-​made curries, samosas, naan bread, basmati rice etc.
Rangoli offers delicious food minus the crazy line up next door.

I rarely have indian food (irony. Yes, I’m indian), but when I do, I’m super picky. And love love love vij’s abd rangoli. Some of the finest indian fare in this continent .
My nose and eyes explode with the spices sometimes. But every bite and every snort is worth it !! The food was awesome & so was service. Also love their packaged foods. Vancouver’s best food spots for sure.

Where was Vij’s when I lived in Vancouver? I guess the closest is in Seattle! The line was over an hour wait for Vij’s for a group of 8, which was ridiculous. We went right next door, and were immediately seated. Fantastic.
Pakoras, mango lassi’s & the lamb cumin curry were all excellent for our dinner. I had sampled a little bit of everything through our friend’s dishes, and nothing compared to the lamb cumin curry. Slight cumin taste, with a creamy curry sauce. The lamb was tender and all the flavors meddled perfectly together.
If you’re from out of town, or in town, definitely worth a visit! Bring some change for the parking meters, as the parking meters did not take credit/​debit cards!