Yak & Yeti Bistro

I wanted to check out Rain or Shine Ice Cream, but we didn’t want to travel all the way from Burnaby to Vancouver just for ice cream, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to use my old Groupon voucher for Yak & Yeti Bistro and enjoy some appies. Although the Groupon promotional value has expired, the value paid for the Groupon is always valid and usable.
We walked in and there were only two other groups dining. The interior was dark and dated looking. We sat down and I was scrolling through Unilocal reviews to figure out what dishes were popular. A lot of Unilocalers mentioned «Goat with Pickles» being a good choice, but I didn’t see it on the menu. I asked the owner if they had «Goat with Pickles» and he quickly responded that it was the goat curry. I read the description, which had no mention of pickles, so I asked if the pickles were in the curry. He admitted that there are no pickles, that he changed the recipe a while ago. Well, if I asked for «Goat with Pickles» and 50% of the ingredients that I mentioned were removed, I don’t think you can claim it’s the same dish. That made me a bit uneasy from the get go like he wasn’t being fully honest with me.
We picked out two appetizers and I mentioned right away that we were using my expired Groupon for the value paid. He said that the promo required us to purchase two full main dishes. We responded that the promo has expired, but the value paid does not expire and we were using it for the value paid. He argued with us, I refused to back down, and he said it would be «easier» for him if we ordered main dishes (I’m not sure why it would be easier), and he said that we can’t go and do this to small businesses. I don’t understand what I’m doing that’s so terrible. The restaurant was 85% empty. I essentially prepaid for part of my meal over a year in advance. An interest-​free loan technically.
He finally allowed us to order our two appetizers, but how can we enjoy our meal after that? After reading more Unilocal reviews, there is an underlying theme of complaints about the owner creating issues about how their Groupon can be used. If you don’t like the Groupon program, don’t partake in it. But I imagine if they stopped doing Groupon there would be even less people in their empty restaurant. Avoid Yak & Yeti, and especially avoid their Groupon. The restaurant is overpriced anyways. Oh, and my fork had dried on food stuck on it.

I experienced a disgustingly unethical and flavourless meal from Yak & Yeti.
Ordered for delivery: Jackfruit Curry ($ 14), Tiger Tops Noodles ($ 13) and Green Beans ($ 8).
The Jackfruit Curry was a «main» dish, yet was smaller than the side dish of Green Beans. $ 14 before tax for a kid-​sized meal and a bland one at that. It gave me a deep appreciation for the tasty and respectfully sized jackfruit dishes I’ve enjoyed at Vij’s and Rangoli.
The fancily named Tiger Tops Noodles were unseasoned spaghetti with a bit of crumbled unseasoned, unmarinated firm tofu, and green peas which had approximately 50 percent of them still uncooked. I had to refire this in my wok and make my own sauce to give it any flavour and finish cooking the peas they neglected.
The Green Beans are described as «wok fried with garlic» but it seemed to be neither wok fried or with garlic. I did not taste or see any garlic, just a darkly coloured sauce of overpowering acidity. And it was not so much «wok fried,» as «wok heated» because it was mostly undercooked! I had to throw it out, as I was too peeved to refire this dish, too.
I had given the restaurant plenty of notice and time to make it (ordered at 2ish for 5ish) so it’s not like they were in a rush, only rushing because of lack of care. The restaurant even called to ask if they could deliver it earlier than the time given. I agreed and it still came partly uncooked!
A minor detail but just adds to the overall bad taste left in my mouth: I prepaid online but their delivery guy told me to wait after handing me the food so he could check if it was paid for. He didn’t trust when I told him it was, so shouldn’t he have checked that at any time on the commute or on the way up?
A rip-​off and classless experience all around.

This place looked interesting, but the food was actually very disappointing. There was nothing ethnic about my lamb chops. The veggies were your everyday ordinary beans and broccoli with no special seasoning or flavour. The meat was tender, but had ¹⁄₃ of fat. The portion size was small and my friend and I were still hungry after our mains and an appy.
Overall, disappointing small portions with a high price, and nothing out of the ordinary. Would not go back again.

Flavourful. Interesting. Original. Good service. Chatpate Yak balls Curry coconut fish. Mmmm

We came here on a cold Vancouver night and had one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. The ambiance and service were warm and friendly.
We had the potato cake appetizer (delicious with flavours of cumin and coriander), yak dumplings (amazing and flavourful), and quite frankly the best wings we’ve had in the city in a long time (mustard and mango base with the perfect amount of heat). We will be obsessing about those wings for a while.
For our entrees we shared the Chou Chou noodles with chicken (perfectly seasoned and just the right amount of charred deliciousness) and the goat curry (better than Vijs, I know, hard to believe but true and we’ll probably be reminiscing about it for a while) which they served with a marrow bone that made for the perfect bite with roti and a bit of that delicious sauce.
Our meal for two, with alcohol and enough for leftovers, came to $ 90. We would have happily paid twice that and still written a great review.
These guys have a gem of a place. Come with some friends and share as much as you can.
Best wishes for continued success.

Had dinner with a friend here a few days ago. I had heard it was an interesting experience so I was looking forward to it.
I really wanted to try the Yak momos, but we opted for the calamari instead. I thought it was alright, but I would not order it again. The coating was coming off the squid and there were too many other things on the plate so the actual portion of calamari was disappointing for the price.
The lamb chop was good, served sizzling hot on a bed of potatoes and veggies. I also tried the Tibetan bun but found it to be quite bland and boring. Even with the sauce on the side, it was a bit of a let down, flavor-​wise. I like trying new foods, though — so it was worth a try.
Service was really good and very friendly. Extra points for having decent beers on the menu!

Portions are a little small we ordered the lamb chops you only get two thin slices of lamb and some vegetables for 18 bucks that’s pretty expensive
As for the other dish ordered fish masala it was a better value but still quite expensive small portions overall I wasn’t happy with the value here
The taste wasn’t terrible but also wasn’t very flavorful I see they have a groupon but upon asking them they do not allow you to use the groupon for its 25 dollar value alone for one person
The groupon is basically for two people so they make you order over the 25 dollars because no two main dishes are under 25 dollars you would end up spending over 40 dollars since its two people which sounds like just a money grab to get you in the door using a bait and switch routine
I would avoid

Make the mistake of trying to come for lunch last time we were in town and missed out on a delicious experience (one you can smell down the block and hope that’s what you’re headed to!). We enjoyed every last bite of the Tibetan bun, lamb, yak momo, and jackfruit curry. If we lived nearby we would be regulars!

Cozy little neighborhood bistro on west 4^th that I decided to try out. One of the few places where’s it’s cool to come in pairs or by yourself. Service is not the friendliest, but the food made up for it.
The veggie momo’s which is the vegetarian dumpling that they hand make from scratch was really good. Bonus, that it comes with a little soup on the side. It’s supposed to be a favourite street food so I wanted to try it out. The chicken sizzler was okay. It was chicken mix with natural spices served on a sizzling place with noodles and veggies. I really really liked the Tofu chilli with the special spices — – one of the best vegetarian tofu dishes I’ve had ! I also liked the chocolate mousse. The mousse is quite dense, but it’s was amazing with the whip cream on top. I suggest sharing the dessert, because it’s small, but very filling.

This is a great place to try some good Himalayan /​fusion food. I recommend goat curry, chicken sizzler and take the Himalayan roti– it’s a puffy bun. Decently priced for a nice weekend dinner. Ambience is great and give a cozy feel. Service is with a smile. Can’t ask more — don’t you think ?
* the chops should be better cooked. I had asked for well done. Rest all good.

Came in after a full day of Winter Wander @ Vanier Park fun and Entertainment Book showed us this establishment so decided to try it for the first time.
We were the only table when we came in at 5:30. One waiter at service. Hopefully they have more business in the night.
Started off with Masala tea and tibetan tea. Can be quite buttery.
Like the yak momo. Meat is quite gamey. The soup is spicy so beware.
Masala fish is closer to Cambodian SEA style rather than curry style but still taste good.
Lamb chop is marinated and sizzled well but sinewy.

We ordered the lamb dish and the noodle dish.
The lamb was really tasty but not the most tender.
The noodles were okay, typical Nepal food, but not the best.

Ate at this Himalayan eatery last night, and the meal was quite good. If you like ethnic food that’s a little different, try Yak & Yeti.
Had the Yak momos for an appetizer, and they were delicious. It’s one of their signature dishes, so no surprise. For mains, my wife ordered the Chana Takari (she loved it) while I went for the lamb chop. It was a little on the tough side, but the fantastic spices and seasonings made up for it.
The waiter was a friendly guy from Kathmandu, Nepal, and he told us how much of their food (including the yak meat) is locally sourced. I think it’s great when you go into an exotic ethnic restaurant and meet someone from that country — really adds to the experience.

We were super excited to go to Yak & Yeti. The reviews were great and I like Himalayan food.
We started our meal with a veggie momo, which was cooked really well and tasted great. The soup that came with the veggie momo dish was really tasty. We also ordered roti and a himalayan bun. Both of which were overpriced and did not measure up.
I ordered the chicken sizzler and my wife ordered lamb chops. The chicken sizzler tasted good but it was not even a full chicken breast for the price I paid. The lamb chop is the main reason I dropped 1 star. The meat was very chewy when lamb chops should melt in your mouth, more than 60% of the lamb was fat, and extremely undercooked.
The service was okay. There was only 1 guy running around on a busy night. He tried his best and I don’t blame him.

Such a pity this place turned out to be mediocre, I had much higher expectations.
Food: My fish masala curry was really good. My friend had the vegetarian noodles and she said they were good too.
Unfortunately the clincher was the terrible service. The waiter was utterly rude to both our table and the one next to ours. The $ 5 red wine was out, with no equivalent offered so the only option was to order the next more pricey one. The waiter told the couple next to ours they would «just have to wait because he was too busy to attend to them». Such a pity because the potential for this place to absolutely rock it is there. Good vibe, not bad food (not memorable either) and prime location. Unfortunately I won’t be back there.

One look at the menu and I knew I had to try the fruity stuff.
Mango Mustard Wings ($ 9) — worked out to just over $ 1/​wing. We got all drumsticks though. Tasted neither like mango nor mustard, but the sauce was pretty tasty on this.
Jackfruit Curry ($ 14) — This uses the UNRIPE green jackfruit, not the ripened, sweet yellow one you may have had before elsewhere, either from a can or at a bubble tea place or dried into chips. The jackfruit comes across as sort of bland, and in texture it could pass as a very moist chicken. Think of this as a fake-​chicken curry. Overall pretty tasty, but if you were hoping for some sort of funny sweet fruity curry, this ain’t it.
Price for portion is very good for West 4^th and entrees hovering around $ 13-​$ 16.

Great lamb chops, disappointing jackfruit curry. Bought the Groupon deal and my friend really liked her lamb chops which came on a bed of veggies. I’ve been to Nepal and the taste is somewhat consistent but def not the best I’ve ever had.
My jackfruit curry had a very basic tomato sauce and didn’t taste exotic at all. The jackfruit was bland and had a potato — like texture and it was served with potatoes even though there was supposed to be peppers in it (expected more veg from the menu description). Too starchy and lacked flavour.
As a vegetarian I found the entrees lacking in options (was told the chickpea dish didn’t include other veg except onions). Veggie momos were good though even though the wrappers broke easily.
A little on the pricey side and don’t know if I would go back.

They ran out of Yak momos. It was extremely disappointing as I had been counting on trying that. We got the vegetarian momos instead — they were good. They had a very thin, delicate outer layer which still held the stuffing in place. The chutneys were average at best and not very authentic.
The server asked us what level of heat we preferred and usually I go for medium (since nobody does spices with the same level of skill they do in Asia — the ones here end up burning your mouth and making you feel bloated instead of the fresh, exciting heat they’re meant to be) but this place looked white-​washed so we said hot. The food was not even remotely spicy. I wonder what medium or mild would be like.
The soup they served with the momos was also very good. But it was missing something — a hint of citrus and some fresh chillies would have made it authentic and delicious. As it was, it was definitely lacking.
The Chatpate was very bland. It was basically like muri (Indian street food) but probably more of a Nepali version (I’m sure it’s made differently there. I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been to Nepal) but this too was so not spicy that it couldn’t be authentic. The entire point of «Chatpate» is the spice. Anyhow this was alright, albeit still lacking.
There was only one server the entire night on a very busy day, so we ended up waiting an hour for the rest of the food. I don’t blame the service — they were certainly understaffed. The seats were uncomfortable though (we couldn’t get a bigger table due to how busy it was) and it was not a cosy wait.
After an hour we were served the Y&Y soup. It was average. I preferred the side soup they served with the momos. Again, lacking in authenticity.
And lastly, the chicken sizzler. This dish was absolutely terrible. Unauthentic, the flavours clashed, and it didn’t taste fresh. The potatoes on the side were raw. I couldn’t eat more than a bite. My bf politely tried to finish it but it was really awful.
I don’t see myself going back here. The ambience was crowded and seemed a little pretentious (but perhaps I only feel that way because the food itself was not authentic). It’s good food if you’ve never had real Nepali food. But I have and now it’s too late to compromise.

Himalayan food? This sounded amazing to me and I was more than willing to give it a try when my friends recommended it. I’d never had such a thing, but it sounded intriguing.
We’d had a hard few hours of cycling so we locked up the bikes outside (which was great, we could see the bikes from where we were sitting) and ordered some awesome drinks to cool down a bit. I wanted something somewhat recognizable to me so I ordered noodles (Tiger Tops) and my friends ordered the duck and goat pickle. We also had a starter of soy beans in an *amazing* ginger garlic sauce.
Service was great, food came out fast, and it was delicious! There was far too much for me to finish eating so we took the rest home for later.
I’d definitely love to try more food here, although it doesn’t have a wide variety of options available for vegetarians. I’d highly recommend the Tiger Tops Noodles though, they were kinda delicious.

So Google tells me a Yeti is a white-​haired bigfoot living somewhere in the Himalayas. Just in case you were wondering.
This place recently opened in my hood so checked it out for dinner. It was a cold night and their heater wasn’t fully working so was a bit cold.
We started by sharing the Yak Momos, kind of like dumplings. I didn’t like the soup thing or sauces it came with, but the momos were pretty tasty. However, kind of pricey for the small 8 pieces. This could be due to cost of Yak meat.
I had the goat pickle which had good variety of spices. However, overall the concept of Himalayan/​Nepalese I think is tough to distinguish from Indian. Visually and spice wise.
Service was a little off. The place wasn’t slammed but every table waited a bit over average for their food. Though the servers were friendly, they didn’t check on tables nearly as often as required.
More work needed here to be a gem. Give your food a huge Yeti personality and people will talk!