2741 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1P9
+1 604-559-1666
info@karmaindianbistro.ca
Open daily from 12:00 PM
Karma is at 2741 West 4th Avenue, on the corner of Macdonald — the middle of the West 4th shopping strip, about ten minutes' walk uphill from Kits Beach. It's a Michelin Bib Gourmand Indian kitchen with a heated patio that runs year round, open daily from noon, cooking North and South Indian food to order on four spice levels. This page is the practical stuff: where to park, which bus, how far the beach really is, and what to do either side of dinner.
Book a table Get directionsThe 2700 block of West 4th sits between Macdonald and Stephens, roughly halfway along the shopping stretch that runs from Burrard out to Balsam. It's the part of Kitsilano where the retail thins out and the restaurants take over — and it's four flat blocks from the water.
10 min walk
North on Macdonald, right along Cornwall. Downhill on the way there, which you'll notice on the way back.
15 min walk
The saltwater outdoor pool at the east end of the beach. Seasonal.
4 min walk
Two blocks north on Macdonald. The quiet one, with the creek.
25 min walk
West along 4th then down through the park. Better for a long walk than a quick one.
25 min walk · 8 min drive
Also the Museum of Vancouver and the Space Centre. Worth a taxi if you're on a curtain time.
10 min drive
East along 4th and under the bridge. The 84 and the 50 both help.
7 min walk
Two blocks south — the cinema, the shops, the 99 B-Line.
15 min drive
Over the Burrard Bridge. Longer at rush hour, quick after 7pm.
West 4th is one of the busiest bus corridors on the west side, which is a nuisance to drive and a gift if you don't want to.
The stops at West 4th and Macdonald are right outside — under a minute from the door, whichever direction you're coming from.
UBC – Downtown, along West 4th
UBC – Downtown express, weekday peaks
84
UBC – VCC-Clark, the 4th Avenue express
99
B-Line on Broadway, two blocks south
Coming from downtown, the 4 and the 44 both drop you at the corner without a transfer.
Fifteen minutes from downtown over the Burrard Bridge, then west along 4th. From the North Shore, take Lions Gate and Georgia through to Burrard.
[PARKING — CONFIRM. Is there metered street parking on W 4th and how late does it run? Free parking on the side streets after a certain hour? A lot nearby? This is the most asked question about any Kitsilano restaurant and the one thing this page cannot answer without you.]
The 10th Avenue bikeway runs parallel six blocks south, and the Arbutus Greenway crosses 4th to the east — both drop you within a few minutes of the door.
[Bike racks outside? Say so — cyclists plan around it.]
On foot, most of Kitsilano north of Broadway is inside a twenty-minute walk.
Kitsilano eats early and eats out often. It's a neighbourhood of people who came off the seawall, or the pool, or a shift at UBC, and want to sit down somewhere without a production being made of it. West 4th has fed that habit for fifty years — it's the strip people actually walk to rather than drive across town for.
The stretch either side of Macdonald is the residential end. Fewer chains, more places where the same person has been running the room for years, and a pace that stays reasonable even on a Friday. That's the corner Karma sits on, and it shapes how we cook: a menu wide enough that a table of six with three different diets can all order happily, at prices that let you come back on a Tuesday rather than saving it for an occasion.
That's the whole idea behind the Bib Gourmand, as it happens — the Michelin Guide's award for exceptional food at moderate prices.
Kits Beach faces west, so the sunset does the work. Walk back up Macdonald afterwards and eat at eight — the patio is the right place to land, and it's heated for when the temperature drops the moment the sun goes.
Vanier Park is about eight minutes by car. For an evening curtain, book a table around 5:30 and you'll eat properly without rushing. Tell us you're going and we'll keep an eye on the clock. [Confirm the kitchen is happy to do timed pre-theatre service.]
We open at noon and don't close between services, which makes this an easy stop at half past two when most kitchens have shut. The full menu runs all day.
Order pickup and it's a ten-minute walk to Kits Beach, or delivery through DoorDash across Kitsilano and Point Grey. Ask for your spice level in the order notes — it's cooked to order either way.
Held in the Michelin Guide Vancouver since 2023 — one of only two Indian restaurants in the city on the list.
Covered and heated, open year round. In a neighbourhood where most patios fold in October, that matters.
Nine vegan curries and nine vegetarian curries on the regular menu. See them here.
Everything cooked to order across four levels — mild, medium, hot and Indian hot. Ask for Indian hot and you'll get it.
About ten minutes on foot — north on Macdonald to Cornwall, then right. Fifteen if you're heading to the pool at the far end.
[CONFIRM — street parking on W 4th and the side streets, hours and rates, or the nearest lot.]
The 4, the 44 and the 84 all run along West 4th and stop at the corner. The 99 B-Line on Broadway is a seven-minute walk south.
Yes — pickup from us directly, or DoorDash delivery across the neighbourhood.
Yes. It's covered and heated, and it runs year round rather than folding at the end of summer.
Walk-ins are welcome. Weekend evenings and the patio fill up, so book a table if you're set on a time.
Open daily from noon. Mon–Thu until 10pm, Fri–Sun until 11pm. Heated patio, full bar, and everything cooked to order.
Book a table Get directions
