Three Indian restaurants go dark on West Side of Vancouver

For years, West Side residents have had a breathtaking array of Indian food choices.

I've been fortunate to sample cuisine from South Asia at nearly a dozen different locations west of Oak Street.

Jolly's Indian Bistro and Indian Oven serve diners on West 4th Avenue.

Old favourites like Akbar's Own and Tandoori Fusion, and Raga Restaurant continue to thrive on West Broadway.

There's also Rangoli next to the old Vij's location, as well as Handi Restaurant in the heart of Dunbar.

But over the past couple of months, three West Side Indian establishments have gone dark.

Atithi Indian Cuisine, which served Bengali cuisine, closed a while ago on Burrard Street just north of West Broadway at 2445 Burrard Street. A new Chinese restaurant is taking its place as Atithi's owners plan to reopen a new establishment in Tsawwassen.

Masala Café at 3211 West Broadway, has also been closed for a while. The sign on the door says it's undergoing renovations.

And Maurya Indian Cuisine, which served North Indian food, has shut its doors at 1643 West Broadway. Its charcoal-fired clay oven produced some of the fluffiest naan in the city. 

Atithi and Maurya each offered outstanding lunch buffets, whereas Masala Cafe has been the only place on West Side with homemade South Indian cooking.

All three are missed.