Sutra

THE OWNERS ARE CRIMINALS. They are horrible people and they deserve to be thrown in jail.
They owe their employees a paycheck and they refuse to do so. They are bad people, DO NOT TRUST THEM.

Liked eating here, too bad it just closed! We were there only three weeks ago, and today the place is boarded up with notices posted in windows. RIP Sutra.

Great healthy eats, and absolutely fabulous cocktails and martinis. The service is also phenomenal. Will be going back for sure!

This was another Unilocal find. We were getting ready to go and see a show at the Orpheum, and wanted to find somewhere close by. We went in pretty early, and the wait staff was still sitting around sharing a beer — a bit off-​putting but they all jumped to attention the minute we walked in the door. Got the table for two by the front window, and the manager said that we made his restaurant look beautiful. I think my other half enjoyed that comment.
As far as the food goes, here’s the thing — they don’t take any big risks. Or maybe we didn’t take any big risks. But the choices are standard, we had butter chicken and lamb korma. What they didn’t exhibit in creativity they more than made up for in freshness and spice — our plates were completely clean by the end. Both came with some really nice saffron rice, but we had to pay extra for the naan at $ 3 per piece, which is pretty steep considering the pieces were way too small. When I order naan, I want a giant piece of buttery, steaming hot bread straight from the stone oven. This was tasty enough, but far too modest for my liking.
The staff was excellent, the house music was slightly over-​trendy but fit the décor (reds and blacks), and I can see it being a pretty hopping little lounge later at night. Maybe we’ll have to go back to find out!

Went here based on the positive Unilocal reviews. Upon arrival, the swanky house music and cheap-​but-​trying-​to-​be-​modern décor in combination with the desolated patio setup was a little off putting. The downstairs restrooms were dank and dirty. The cocktails were weak and expensive. But in the end, the food was delicious. Well spiced, authentic tasting, and generous individual portions. I had the lamb vindaloo and it was really good. The rice was flavorful and fluffy. The naan was a little on the oily side but was still good to mop up the leftover sauce.
In summary, order take-​out from Sutra an you won’t be disappointed.

This restaurant is tucked into a relatively industrial feeling pocket on Richards Street, with empty lots/​parking lots on both sides. It is an older building, but they have updated the inside well. We arrived with dinner reservations and were offered inside or outside. Because it was a warm evening we chose out, the inside seemed quite dark but comfortable and nicely furnished.
Their patio could definitely use some improvement, it has zero ambiance and decorations albeit for a hanging planter or two. It is quite a large patio and could be a lovely and sought after space with some improvements. But, we were there for the food so we didn’t mind. I was a little envious when a large group came in and they placed white tablecloths on their outdoor table — it immediately made their table appear much nicer than ours.
We ordered a few dishes to share; butter chicken, lamb vindaloo and the vegetarian plate. The food was very well flavored and we all enjoyed our meals. The serving size for the butter chicken and vindaloo was good, but the vegetarian option was small and without an appetizer I think a vegetarian ordering this only, would leave hungry.
An adjacent table was upset that they don’t make mixed cocktails beyond their specialty drinks on the menu, so if this is an issue for you, be warned. They also have few wine selections. One of our party had two of their special mixed drinks and really enjoyed them.
The service was efficient, but seemed scattered as in we weren’t sure if one person was our waiter or all 3. It seemed necessary to use all 3 because sometimes 1 and/​or 2 would disappear for long periods of time. It wasn’t a problem because we were well taken care of, just not what I would classify as normal service.
So, in summary there are a few things that could be done better but a great overall experience, and the food is delicious. We will be back.

My boyfriend and I visited Sutra during our trip to Vancouver. As L.A. natives, we’ve had our share of Indian restaurants — the good, the bad and the in-​between. Sutra definitely goes to the top of our list. We had an amazing experience from the moment we stepped into the restaurant to the moment we left.
Although we were a party of two, we were seated in a large booth with cute decorative pillows (very clean and comfy!). The owner came by to light a small candle and proceeded to dim the lights — adding to the intimate and romantic ambiance.
We started with vegetable samosas, which were perfectly fried — crispy and flaky on the outside and soft and full of flavor on the inside. My boyfriend’s favorite dish is chicken masala so we definitely ordered that. It was delicious! We asked for a recommendation for a second dish. The owner recommended the lamb, and it was heavenly! Sweet, sour and spicy… everything we could ask for in a meal. We added one garlic naan to split and, again, it was full of flavor and covered in garlic (which I love!). Unfortunately, we were too full to try dessert but I’m sure if it’s anything like the appetizer and main courses, they are wonderful too.
Of course, I can’t forget about the spectacular service we received. The owner served us, and he was so friendly and courteous. He seems genuinely interested in his customers, and wants them to have a great experience at his restaurant (and in Vancouver).
I definitely recommend this restaurant. All of the food tasted as if the chief made them from the freshest ingredients. My compliments to the chef, the owner, his wife, and anyone else who helped make Sutra so amazingly delicious!
P. S. If you are visiting from Boulder, CO., he has a restaurant there as well so check it out — however, you will have to ask him for the name of it because I forgot to ask.

Dare I say it? Is it too soon? Are we talking apples and oranges? I’mjustgonnasayit:
Move over, Vij’s — there’s a new swanky Indian place in town to satisfy my tastebuds without the high prices and long waits.
I am ashamed to say this place was on my «to try» list for longer than it should have been due to an attempt to avoid places where self-​control would be impossible. I brought my best friend here when she was visiting INSTEAD of going to Vij’s. Yes, it was a risky move since I’d never tried it before, but was going solely off the Unilocal reviews. Thanks Unilocalers, you didn’t let me down!
We were greeted and seated immediately. The booths were comfortable and spacious. The décor is modern, elegant, and posh. It looks like the kind of place that can easily turn into a nightclub after dinner.
Cheryl D said it too — I appreciated that I didn’t smell like spices when I left here. I also appreciated how ridiculously full I was because as expected, my self-​control was nowhere to be found.
Mostly, I appreciated every bite of food placed in front of me, and the wonderful and charming service that came along with it. The owner calls every woman «sister» which is a nice cultural touch and a sweet gesture that shows you are meant to feel welcome as though a part of the family or a guest in his home. He was generous with pouring our wine, he ensured we had plenty of water, and checked on us throughout the dinner with genuine interest.
We each did a special plate which consisted of our choices — for me, I went with lamb korma, saag paneer, and butter chicken. I was asked if I wanted my food spicy, and loved that I had that option. Indeed, I did. My friend got saag paneer, dall, and butter chicken.
We both thought our food was fantastic. The rice portion was reasonable. We ordered some naan which was lovely. The dishes came with raita and a sweet chutney. The papadums brought to the table before the meal were nice. Lastly, we were treated to the chocolate filled samosas for dessert. I would not have ordered this, normally, so it was good to try. It was a good size — and I actually really liked this.
I highly recommend you try it, I will definitely come back.

The reviews don’t lie — it just doesn’t get much better than this place. Incredibly courteous, friendly service, right from the start. The server offered to let me taste 3 different wine selections before choosing!
He also catered meticulously to my vegan and gluten-​free request, and the substitutions did not seem out of place in the slightest.
Portion size was also very well set, I often leave an Indian restaurant feeling too full to even want to stand up. Perfect size between appetizer and entrée.
Well done!

Sexy, swanky, delicious.
Three words I would use to describe Sutra. I’m from Seattle and while there is some good Indian food in Seattle I think my region is lacking in the upscale Indian restaurant department.
Sutra bridges the gap between excellent Indian cuisine and a classier, swankier dining experience. Service was impeccable, portions were very generous, and the prices were extremely reasonable.
The server asked the table up front if there were any allergies or sensitivities in the group (dairy, gluten). We had a vegetarian in the group. The server assured us that there would be plenty for her to enjoy. The saag paneer and chickpea dish were perfect for her to have and the rest of us enjoyed the non-​vegetarian dishes as well.
I had the Indian 10-​speed cocktail. I had never tasted a drink quite like this one and it was good. Interesting for sure and strong. The cocktails were in the $ 9 – 11 range.
The owner set up a family style deal with us which gave us the opportunity to sample multiple dishes at a very generous price. We had pakoras to start, butter chicken, chicken vindaloo, a chickpea dish, saag paneer, naan, rice, and little chocolate and cream cheese dessert bites.
My favorite dishes were the saag paneer and the butter chicken. The owner and servers were very accommodating for our group of 12 people. They bent over backwards for us and made our evening very special.
A belly dancer performed alongside our table. She was very good and fun to watch. She taught a couple people in our group some moves.
All in all an unforgettable dining and entertainment experience. The owner was checking on us throughout the meal and his wife came out at the end to ask how we enjoyed everything. I would recommend Sutra to anyone! They’ve only been open 6 months but you would never know they were a new place. Wonderful!

Great food and great service. The frizzled cauliflower appetizer may be the best cauliflower I have ever had. Buttery Chicken was moist and well seasoned. The pappadam was extremely light. The menu is not as overwhelming as I have found in many Indian restaurants. What they do they do well! The owners chatted with us and were delightful. Our waiter was attentive and helpful. Loved it!

Came here way back when they had their Groupon deal going on. There’s such a stigma with these deals now because of the treatment you get when you use a coupon. Thankfully, Sutra wasn’t one of those places.
The service was a little slow. And we sat right next to the diving curtains that would sway (toward us) every time someone walked by. Kind of irritating every time the curtain hits you. And it was SUPER DARK. Remind me to bring a flashlight next time!
But the food was fantastic. Plus, the owner (I think?) came around to ask how our meal was, AND he gave out free Washington Apple shots to everyone there. Pretty sweet.
Everything was great, from the naan to the veggie samosas, to the rice, to my chicken marsala entrée (I asked for mild spice but there was definitely a lot of kick to it) and the rich chocolately desserts.

I was hoping for this place to be a bit better given the reviews, but it was not to be.
First impressions are that it is a nice room — however, the complete lack of attention to detail makes it so pointless.
Consider the lovely candles on the white table cloth only overshadowed by the super bright flood lights that shine on you from the ceiling. DIMMER ANYONE
Mango lassi served with a red and white straw. Really?
Plastic pitchers used for refilling my glass of water.
We showed up with a Groupon, but our waitress seemed clueless as to what the deal offered. After some confusion we were served the samosas — the very weak, somewhat overcooked.
We chose the Chicken Masala — it was decent but not great. The Braised Beef needed a lot more braising. Nothing worse than a hard piece of beef with no marbelling.
The chocolate samosa was OK.
This was such an underwhelming experience that doubt we would be heading back here.

This place was FANTASTIC.
The service was great, super helpful and the owner or manager came over to see how we felt about the tenderness of the braised beef. She said it had been cooking longer than they’d like and it was more tender than it should be, but we really liked it! I also appreciated her candor.
I wasn’t there with my child but i appreciate that it is large enough to fit a stroller comfortably.
I particularly liked that you could interchange whatever sauces the meat of your choosing. The korma paneer was REALLY good.
People keep mentioning the potion sizes being small, but our group finished about 90% of what was given and we were absolutely full, so I would suggest that they’re probably the appropriate size so that there’s no waste.
We tried the butter chicken and the lamb vindaloo, naan, and the above mentioned dishes, and didn’t have anything but good things to say about each. Yum.
So, as for cost, a party of 4, each drank 2 drinks, had an appetizer, naan, and 4 dishes. With a 15% tip we each paid $ 45, so not bad: D
I will definitely go again.

High Priced Heebie Jeebies!
Very disappointing. The overall impression was of Indian food gone artsy fartsy. More effort was spent on presentation of small portions from a limited menu than on quality tasty fare. Very overpriced for what you get. The hostess/​manager hovered and would not stop talking. My tuna was reminiscent of raw sushi and the coconut on it made me think of bones. The small portions were so filling we couldn’t finish them, leaving us wonder if there was msg in the food. Never will we return. Traditional Indian restaurants from now on!
The queasiness remains two days later…

I was expecting to be delighted, due to the reviews, but was very disappointed with the lack of attention and care to their customers.
The atmosphere is loungy and pretentious, with fake rose petals thrown about the table! Perhaps it was an attempt at Valentines décor. C’est fromage!
The chicken korma and lamb vindaloo were tasty, as were the saag appie and veggie pakoras, but the service was very unprofessional. The waitress told us that she could only accept 1 Groupon, but clearly on the fine print, it said that up to 2 per party of 4 was acceptable, and then she chose to take off $ 20 instead of $ 40 worth of food on the bill. Arrgh.
For more honest Indian fare I would try Rangoli’s, Vij’s, or Tandoori King (larger portion sizes and better prices) I will not be back!

Lovely ambiance, tasty food, good service; was a great place for dinner.

Finally, great Indian food comes to Yaletown!
Everything the other reviewers have said is true. The food is really special (my faves were the Blaster Colliflower, and the Chocolate Samosas), very fairly priced (about $ 15 a dish w/​rice), and the staff was excellent (super genuine and attentive; you leave really hoping this place does well for them).
The location probably doesn’t get a ton of foot traffic, but it is very close to a lot of residential. Hopefully word of mouth spreads and this place really takes off! They are doing everything right, and deserve any success they achieve!

We visited Sutra on a very cold Thursday evening around 9:10pm and there were 4 other people seated on a different table. As soon as we walked in, I was impressed by the décor and the tasteful music playing. The hostess was a very pleasant lady who brought us a plate of complimentary onion bhajia’s (onion pakora’s). These were delicious, we liked them so much that we ordered a vegetable pakora dish which were fried in gluten-​free chickpea batter (paneer, jalapenos and onions). This dish also came with a wonderfully light «curry» flavored aioli.
For the entrees, we ordered the tuna and the butter chicken. Both these came with a side of rice. We didn’t know about this so we also ordered the «corn» roti. For $ 3, you got 3 smallish corn roti’s fresh with some ghee on them. This is the traditional way to serve rotis. fresh off the tawa with some ghee to keep them soft.
The butter chicken was very flavorful and quite authentic. It wasn’t the run of the mill slathered in butter and cream like other indian restaurants serve. The tuna was also very well done with a coconut-​crust and sweetish curry with a tinge of mango.
The desert was a combination of chocolate samosa’s and rice pudding. Both of which were very light. By this point, we’d had a lot of food and the portion were quite large. The chai was bottomless and they kept refilling it! There is a $ 4 charge to it though!
I loved this place. The indian restaurants I’ve been to have really lacked on the service side of things. This place brought it all back. Indian hospitality counts amongst the best in the world and I’m glad to see it upheld here.
I would definitely bring everyone I know back here. I intend on going back again and again. Next time I’ll try the braised beef!

People often think Italian or French for a date night in Vancouver but that’s about to change with Sutra’s opening. It is exactly as advertised, «modern Indian dining». If you’re wondering what the hell that means, I’m telling you now, it means you eat one of the most flavourful, delicately balanced curries available in town without going out of the restaurant smelling like it. Much as I love Indian food, I’ve always had this problem with my clothes smelling like it after an hour or two at the restaurant. So you see, it’s not exactly conducive to the usual monkey business that happens after on a date night. Well my friends, this place has solved this problem. I am happy to report I smell exactly like the DKNY Pure I doused myself with before dinner, although I am way too full for much else.
So stop rolling your eyes at the thought of yet another attempt at «fusion» cuisine, which is always a guaranteed fail. Sutra impresses with great Indian food, which was quite critical tonight as I was brutally starving when we got there. Had it turned out badly, I would have killed someone and ended up in jail and not writing this review at all. The duck paratha to start is a must; our lambchops and pork masalas were creamy and mildly spicy and perfect. It’s a nice touch to be able to pick your meat and then the sauces after (masala, vindaloo, korma among others). Though we were too full for dessert, I made a mental note to come back for the chocolate cream cheese samosas, and the more traditional gulab jamun and kheer. Their cocktails look fabulous (again, second mental note to come back with girlfriends) and the mango lassi I had was like a trip back to the tropics. Full bar, ladies and gents.
No Bollywood music videos on small TVs here, which is a nice change. If you’re looking to impress a date or get out with the girls doing something different, this is the place.