2741 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1P9
+1 604-559-1666
info@karmaindianbistro.ca
Open daily from 12:00 PM
Karma opened on West 4th Avenue in 2022 and has cooked for Kitsilano ever since. The kitchen works across regions rather than sticking to one — Punjabi tandoor and butter chicken alongside South Indian Chicken Madras and Chettinad, Goan vindaloo and Mughlai kormas — and everything is cooked to order, so you set the spice level. In 2023 the Michelin Guide awarded us a Bib Gourmand, its recognition for exceptional food at moderate prices.
Book a table See the full menuKarma Indian Bistro is an Indian restaurant at 2741 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano, Vancouver. We have held a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide Vancouver since 2023 — the Guide's recognition for exceptional cooking at moderate prices — and we have been cooking on West 4th since August 2022.
The menu runs from Punjabi classics to coastal South Indian curries: 97 dishes across 11 sections, roughly half of them vegetarian, every curry cooked to order at the spice level you ask for. There is a clay oven, a full bar, and a covered patio that stays heated through the winter.
Karma was opened as a family-run restaurant built around a shared passion for traditional Indian food, warm hospitality, and bringing people together. The idea was to create a restaurant rooted in tradition while reflecting the way Vancouver likes to dine.
Kitsilano was chosen for its strong neighbourhood character and the opportunity to build something special on West 4th. The goal was to create a warm, welcoming space where food, hospitality, and community come together in a way that feels both authentically Indian and at home in Vancouver.
In 2023, the MICHELIN Guide arrived in Vancouver and awarded Karma a Bib Gourmand, which it has held since. The recognition helped bring more attention to the restaurant and introduced Karma to a wider audience while maintaining its focus on food, hospitality, and the local community.
Head Chef Vishal Kumar, nearly three decades of experience — hotels across India, seven years in Germany, several Indian restaurant launches in Vancouver. Leading the Karma kitchen since 2022.
Nearly 30 years in professional kitchens
Hotels across India, followed by seven years of culinary experience in Germany
Worked in hotels across India and helped launch several Indian restaurants in Vancouver
Traditional Indian cooking, drawing on the breadth of India's regional flavours and techniques
Chicken Madras — a signature dish recognised by the MICHELIN Guide for its depth of flavour and balanced use of spices
The Karma kitchen team, led by Chef Vishal Kumar since 2022.
Nothing here is complicated. It is mostly a matter of doing the slow parts properly and not cutting the steps that everybody cuts.
We source spices from India for authentic flavour, then prepare our blends and masalas in house to bring out their freshness, aroma, and character in every dish.
The kitchen uses a traditional clay tandoor to cook breads, tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, and seasonal vegetables, giving them the characteristic smoky flavour and lightly charred finish.
Nine vegan curries, nine vegetarian curries, tandoori vegetables and paneer tikka from the clay oven. Vegan and gluten-free dishes are marked throughout.
We prepare our curry bases in house, using carefully developed spice blends and quality ingredients to build depth of flavour. Each base is prepared fresh in the kitchen rather than relying on pre-made sauces.
Every curry is finished when you order it, at mild, medium, hot or Indian hot. Nothing sits in a bain-marie waiting. It also means the kitchen can adjust dairy, cream and heat for your table.
We use quality ingredients from trusted local suppliers wherever possible, while sourcing key spices directly from India to maintain the authentic flavours and character of our cooking.
80 seats inside and 12 on the patio. The patio is covered and heated and stays open through the winter, not just in summer — on West 4th it is usually the first thing to fill on a wet evening.
Inside, the room pairs natural oak and exposed brick with soft, warm lighting, creating a relaxed, intimate atmosphere that works just as well for a date as it does for a group dinner. The walls feature handmade pieces by Daniel J. Kirk, crafted from wood and repurposed materials. There is a full bar with seven house cocktails on the list, and we seat groups up to 80, with full buy-outs available.
Karma is one of two Indian restaurants in Vancouver holding a Bib Gourmand — the MICHELIN Guide's award for exceptional food at moderate prices. The Guide has singled out the chicken Madras and the jumbo prawns in spinach curry. The prawn dish is off the printed menu, but the kitchen will prepare it on request.
Awards & Press →Karma opened at 2741 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano in August 2022 and has been in the same room since.
It is independently owned and family-run, and is not part of a chain or restaurant group.
Both North and South Indian. Punjabi classics from the tandoor and the karahi alongside coastal South Indian curries, across 97 dishes and 11 menu sections.
Yes. Karma has held a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide Vancouver since 2023 — the Guide's recognition for exceptional food at moderate prices.
Yes. Every curry is finished when it is ordered, at one of four spice levels — mild, medium, hot or Indian hot — which also lets the kitchen adjust dairy and cream for guests who need it.
No. There is one Karma Indian Bistro, at 2741 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano, Vancouver.
The atmosphere is warm and lively while remaining comfortable for conversation. Evenings and weekends become more energetic as the room fills, but the space is designed so you can still relax and talk comfortably at the table.
