A neighbour recently recommended Tasty Indian Bistro in Yaletown and tonight we finally tried it. I called ahead to make a reservation and confirm they had gluten and dairy free items, but they were fully booked and only taking walk-ins. They did confirm that they had a number of items that would work for my dietary restrictions. 

Neither of us had been before or knew the location. We got a table with no issue and were surprised at how high end the interior was. It was absolutely stunning and they did a great job. There were some TVs over the bar which I always feel detracts from the ambience, but other than that, we loved the space. 

For drinks I went with the lychee mojito and GL has a virgin mojito. At 2 ounces, my mojito was strong, but I loved it and the lychee added a unique twist. GL’s virgin mojito was pretty standard but tasted good as well.

After asking about the gluten and dairy free items, the server let us know the vegetable pakora was one of the only starter dishes that we could have. She said the vegetable pakora was made with chickpea flour, while the other pakoras were made with regular flour. 

The pakora was crispy and hot and with the chutneys on the side, we couldn’t get enough. I haven’t had pakora in years, so I might not be the best judge, but this was some of the best I’ve had.

For mains, we went with the aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato), bhindido piazza (okra and tomato), lamb vindaloo (spicy tomato sauce), and a side of rice. 

They brought out the three curries one by one but unfortunately left us waiting about 5 minutes before they brought the rice (after asking two times to make sure they hadn’t forgotten it). We waited until we had the rice to start our meal, as the curries really go best with rice. So that was a bit disappointing service wise, and our curries were a bit cold by the time we started them as a result.

We loved all three curries, and each was so different with so much flavour. None were too oily which can sometimes be an issue with Indian food. The portions weren’t huge, but I would say one curry per person would be sufficient as we ended up bringing some food home for lunch tomorrow. One side of rice wasn’t enough for us, but two was enough for leftovers. I particularly loved the aloo gobi, but it’s one of my favorite Indian dishes.

GL remarked that he’s never really had bad Indian food in Vancouver which I would have to agree with. Even the less expensive Indian food is always good. So while the food here was great, it might not have been any better than other Indian food you would get at similar or lower priced Indian restaurants. However the decor and ambience were much higher scale than most Indian restaurants and really set this place apart. They also had an extensive cocktail and wine menu which was a nice complement to the food menu, and again, not common for Indian restaurants. We also noticed most guests in the restaurant were East Indian themselves, which is usually an indication of how good the food is. 

We loved Tasty Indian Bistro in Yaletown and can’t wait to return to try more dishes. They also have a second location in Delta.

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read about our other culinary adventures sharing our gluten-free and dairy-free experiences such as Stanley Park Brewing Restaurant & Brewpub, Dairy Free Summer Sorbet from Bella Napoli, and The Green Moustache Organic Cafe in Whistler.