Madras Spice Restaurant, Vancouver

Me and my family were quite disappointed with our recent visit to Madras Spice. Unfortunately, every dish we were served lacked flavor—it all tasted quite bland, which was unexpected from a restaurant with such a name. When we shared our feedback, the server politely apologized and said she would inform the chef, but we never received any response, which felt dismissive. One surprising moment was when the server placed a new dish directly onto the plate my brother was still using, which felt quite inappropriate. We also sat for over 30 minutes while the table next to us remained cluttered with dirty plates and leftover food, raising concerns about cleanliness. The bread served to us appeared to be frozen, store-bought, and undercooked. Also, just adding coriander on top doesn’t make food flavorful—the taste needs to come from the dish itself. If the owner or chef happens to read this, we genuinely hope you take this feedback seriously and consider making improvements. We believe constructive feedback can help enhance future dining experiences.

One star less because they don’t serve the star dish in take out- yeah thats right..! Meals are not for take out, I took the karahi paneer never recommend that to anyone..!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Went in with great expectations but was disappointed 🫤
- Ghee dosa, onion uthappam and chutneys were v good.
- Medhu vada was sour may be not fresh batter
- Chicken biriyani had good flavour but I did not like that only boneless thigh pieces were used. Thigh pieces in biriyani?
- Thursday non veg combo took more than 30 mins to arrive. The rotti was tasty and basmati rice was perfectly cooked. I ordered nadan kozhi curry for the combo but the curry was no where close to being a nadan kozhi curry. I was expecting a kerala style chicken curry but I got a north indian yellow gravy curry with just thigh pieces 🫤
Overall I have had far better south indian from near by places

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Chicken Biryani

I ordered Chicken Biryani & Chicken 65. It was my first time and both the dishes were super tasty. It felt homemade and the owner Bala was an all rounder. He is friendly and made the dishes himself. He made it according to our taste buds. The biryani had great flavors and the chicken 65 spice level was perfect. It was impressive and I had good time eating some authentic south Indian tasting food. Thank you for the Kesari too...prefect level of sweetness. I would highly recommend this restaurant. I will be coming back to try some more dishes.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Biryani

Happy to get good south indian non veg taste in Vancouver . Good food, good taste. moderate price range. And the best thing is the authenticity of the dishes. The mutton biryani is a must try. All their dishes are very homely and fresh!!

Vegetarian options: We recently tried Veg Momos. The presentation and the taste was a hit. Freshly steamed Momos Tossed with excellent Sauce. The texture and the balanced taste of sweet, and tanginess was on the dot!

The Dosa chutney Sambar combo is another Speciality.
One of the best restaurants for South Indian cuisine in Vancouver

Recommended dishes: Mysore Masala Dosa, Chicken Biryani, Paratha

Highly disappointed by food and ambience… we ordered dosa…. It was not crispy at all.. sambhar was tasteless … ambience was too bad… never recommend for dosa

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 4

Friday goat biriyani Awesome taste
Authentic south indian cusine

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food! The idli were amazing, very light with delightful sambar and other sauces. Wonderful Madras lamb curry, which really tasted like lamb (for a change!). Potato masala with two gigantic pooris was very nice. My only quibble is that the pooris were too oily. I suggest letting them drain on a rack before serving! Authentic tastes! We will come back.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Make certain you know what you want. The girls up front will suggest something that is not what you really want.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Naan wasn't made in house. Not impressed with the curries.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

I was really looking forward to the Madurai Egg Kothu Paratha, but unfortunately, it was a huge letdown. The paratha was tough and dry, lacking the soft, flaky texture it should have. It seemed like it had been pre-made and simply heated up, which resulted in a rubbery, overcooked egg that tasted bland. The spices were barely noticeable, and there was no balance of heat or flavor to bring the dish to life. The overall experience felt more like a reheated meal than something freshly prepared. For the price, it was not worth it. I definitely won’t be ordering this again.

Food: 1

Definetly way better than hyderabad

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Loved the Sambar idly here, probably the best in Vancouver.
We also ordered the hot and sour soup but it was not at all spicy or Chinese style - it was a home style soup that was okay.
Service was really good even though we went there late!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Idly

Amazing food! The chef was really accommodating to our needs. Very knowledgeable and friendly owner. The Coorgi Goat Curry was simply outstanding and as authentic as I could have asked for. The Biryani was also extremely flavorful with every grain of rice coat in the lamb's fat. They also have deals on pretty much everyday of the week, ours was Tuesday Dosa for only 10.99.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best dosa in Vancouver! Daily specials are great value too.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5