Ananda Bhavan Dosa & Tandori

I understand from talking to other patrons that this establishment has only been in business about a year and a half and is operated an Indian female who immigrated from India. We were introduced to Ananda Bhavan by a Groupon offering dinner for $13, the catch was that the second meal was $25 for an average price of $19.....still not such a bad deal as the food was very delicious.

I recently took a chance on this little place and am so glad I did. We were looking for a substantial late lunch on a weekday and decided to try this place as I love South Indian food. Note: Don't be fooled by the plastic bucket filled with garbage that was placed directly outside the front door on our visit, making it look like the place might be under construction. Step around the garbage bucket and go on in for a great casual south Indian meal. The food is home-cooked, and served in generous portions. To start, we shared the Sambar Vadai, two pieces of lentil flour donut served with sambar. These were fresh and warm, though a perhaps a bit flavourless to my untrained palate. The Chicken Masala dosa was definitely the star attraction, featuring a crispy thin crepe filled with a savoury blend of curry potato and chicken, with three chutneys/accompaniments. I ate half and had enough for a second meal. My companion did the same with his Chicken Biryani, which was also flavourful and served in a very generous portion. I found this dish a little too salty but my companion disagreed. For dessert we shared the Kesari, a cloyingly sweet rice pudding served in a tiny but just-right portion, as they were out of the Gulab Jamun we first requested. The service was a little slow but perhaps that was simply because we came in at 2pm and perhaps we caught them at a down time. Next time, we will probably try them for dinner so I will keep you posted. In short, I hope that Vancouver supports this great little restaurant. We will be definitely visiting Ananda Bhavan again soon, and you should too!

HUGE portions and super cheap! My favourite is their house roll. I come here all the time!

Similar to Samurai on Fraser and Banzai, here house rolls and portions for a very low price.

The lady on the phone was busy so she was really abrupt and short with meIt was a little offputting to the point I considered hanging up.