Simba’s Grill

Simba’s is probably my favourite restaurant in Vancouver. I’ve been coming here since about 2007 and have brought family, friends, dates, work colleagues and recently my best friends and their 2 kids here. Everyone has always loved it, and talked about how they can’t wait to come back. The owner is great; he recognizes me and always knows what I want (chicken surwa). With the kids there, he gave them a free fruit plate (it was high summer). Considering the price, the quality and taste of food is amazing, and the breads and condiments make the meal. Service is always fast and friendly, and payment is a breeze. I wish I could eat there every day.

We have been wanting to try Simba’s for so long! My bf suggested it. Finally we made and I wish we had earlier. This restaurant isn’t big on ambiance or romance but the food is damn good. The chicken wings are seasons so perfectly and the chicken biryani is so yummy and fresh. The food is so fresh we loved it. The service is great we were served on time and were very relaxed.
Can’t wait to go back.
FYI the condiments are a wonderful addition.

Great tasting food with great service and exeptional portion sizes. Bang for buck a must visit in Vanvouver.

Pigeon Peas and mango coconut chutney, soft fluffy rice and out of this world lamb dishes. Exotic flavors burst out with incredible textures and amazing pairings. I literally bring EVERYONE to this place whenever in Vancouver. If we go somewhere else to eat, I will order it TO GO and bring it home with me. Freaking delicious. The owners are always around– he is especially adorable and kind. Always offering naan and rice or checking in on how we are doing. A Denman St ESSENTIAL. Very vegetarian and meat folk friendly– just heavenly. African Fusion cuisine is an excellent reach out for people to try something a little new, and a little comfy at the same time. Truly a delight. Addicted!

Great food! Great service! My husband huge fan of the food ! We definitely coming back! If your husband or wife likes to eat take her or him here because they will walk out fully satisfied! Due to the portions and taste of this food!

I was surprised to see that Simba had branched out from ruling the Pride Lands, and even more surprised to realize he can hunt AND cook. Both the prawns in coconut curry and the deep fried game hen (I dont know what Zazu thinks about this dish…) were well prepared and bursting with flavor. The space and service were pleasant enough, although Simba’s human proxy tended to wander the floor just a little too often, to the point of awkward distraction. But I absolutely recommend this, especially when there was ready seating on a busy Saturday night when other eateries had waiting lists in the area.

My girlfriend and I have been meaning to eat her for ages and finally made it in last night. The staff were very friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed for us.
We started with muhogo (basically a way better version of fries) and they were really tasty. We shared the chicken surwa and chicken muchuzi with rice and naan bread and spoke very little until we were 100% full. The food was so rich and delicious, the meat was nice and tender, everything about the meal was awesome (especially the amount of leftovers we got to take home)
Great spot to check out, we will definitely be back to explore the menu more!

Run do not walk to Simbas. My running club has been doing it for years. If you have never tried Kenyan cuisine you are in for a treat. Place your self in the capable hands of the chef/​owner and your taste buds will thank you. Just try it!

I’ve never had East African food before, but man oh man, where has it been all my life?! Well, duh at SImba’s. I was introduced to this awesome place by a coworker, who is a regular to the restaurant himself. It’s a struggle to wait until 1PM on Fridays to go there (they don’t open until 1 on that day) but it’s totally worth it. The curries are creamy and super flavourful and delicious and I can seriously have multiple plates of their cassava fries with their spicy mango sauce.

Great place and great food. the owner is funny and made some good recommendations on what to get!

I cannot say enough good things about this place.
Our servers was very nice and attentive. The owner came over and chatted with us. Great ambience. And the food. Oh my god the food. So tasty and spicy! Everything was great but the halibut was unbelievable.
I can’t wait to go back!

Its as good as it gets in a restaurant of this category. Something quick, casual, neighbourhood cultural little joint. I love the service and the owner is ALWAYS super kind and is excels at making your visit special. Ive been to this place a few times and will continue to come back. The food is great!!!

The food was excellent. It was so evident from the interactions that he takes pride in his food. The paan ice cream was tantalizing to the taste buds.

More than a meal — an experience! Food was perfect. Great service and ambience! Looking forward to my next visit.

This restaurant is a hidden gem with large portions and tasty curries.
I am always down for an authentic, new cuisine. Coming to SImba’s was the first time I have had East African food. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I asked for their most popular dishes and ended up picking some delicious lamb machicha masala. I had some rice on the side. The whole meal was fulfilling and tasty. On rainy days in Vancouver, this food warms the soul.
I’ve been back twice since finding this restaurant and I am never disappointed. The staff is very friendly and the food is always top notch.
If you are craving some new ethnic cuisine, definitely go check this place out.

Simba’s Grill is a great place if you’re looking for unique flavours in tasty curries and grilled meats.
With each meal, they give you an interesting set of sauces: minced coconut, spicy mango, tamarind sauce, yogourt, another tangy spicy sauce.
I had the chicken coconut curry, the beef skewers and casava fries. The sauce of the chicken coconut curry was my favourite. The beef skewers were tender, juicy and the BBQ sauce was a little spicy and tangy which I enjoyed. The skewers came with a long grain yellow rice and a few vegetables. Mixing each bite with a little of the sauces provided was very nice. The variety of sauces kept things interesting as you can change things up with every bite. Go spicy for a few bites then go to sweet with the tamarind sauce, etc.
The casava fries are not bad. Think of them as a cross between yam fries and plantains. They’re more dense than potato fries but have a different taste and are smoother.
The portions aren’t huge but spending about 20 dollars for the meal for my share, I was quite full. I would say I eat more than the average person.
I went at an off time and there was only one other couple at the restaurant. We all really enjoyed our meals and were all verbal about our approval to the owner. The owner is a nice laid back guy. He LSO gave us a free sampling portion of his potato fried so we could compare the potato fries with the casava fries.
Not the cheapest but reasonably priced for a really good experience and great unique flavours in food that is well done.
Be sure to check out their open hours, as they are open at somewhat irregular hours. I was about to head over there a couple times for lunch only to realise that they were open starting in the late afternoon.

The food is great. It is a small-​ish place and there weren’t many people when we got there for lunch on a Saturday. The service was good. And it was a cuisine I had never eaten so tl;dr: it was a good meal.
The flavor is different from Indian food. There are some aspects that are similar but there were spices that made it quite unique. They took the time to explain what is good, what is different and what is unique which is a nice thing to do, especially for people who are not familiar with the cuisine.
We had the lamb kebabs and the prawn curry (I forget which specific one — but it was the special). Both were good and my wife really enjoyed the prawns. The additional chutneys (dips) they give with the food were great as well!
Overall, a very nice meal in Vancouver.

This place is simply amazing! The African owner is so polite and outgoing! The food is perfect, the chef special is just fantastic which contains, grilled kabab and shrimps and chicken breasts and some beef skewers. Along with some rice and veggies and spinach plate on the side with some freshly baked bread.
Deserves the full credit and the 5stars easily!

Had dinner last night — as fusion this seemed a bit more like Greek/​Pakistani/​Indian — but it was a nice portion, quickly seated and good service. Truly this is 4 stars, but I’m not crazy about lamb.
My guy and I shared the chef’s special — $ 39.99 for 2. I had chai tea with dinner and he water. The chef special came with 2 lamb kabobs, 2 seekh lamb kabobs, 4 chicken kabobs, and 2 fish kabobs; saag curry, 2 naan, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and condiments.
A bit lamby for me, fish was pretty good, chicken a bit dry, but good flavor. I was a little confused as I am used to Ethiopian cuisine and such, however, we had a good dinner with much to share. Spinach curry was very nice. All staff very attentive and continuously filling water.
I would return next time we are in town if in the area — as he really loved the lamb, again, just gamey for me.

Can i give this place 10 stars? I would if I could.
Simba’s grill is definitely deserving of 5 stars. It’s obvious that the owner/​chef really values building positive relationships with his customers as he is always seen greeting customers as they walk in, ensuring that they will be taken care of. He helps the servers out by taking orders and memorizing them (doesn’t even carry around a pen and paper), and makes helpful suggestions and recommendations to first timers. During our visit we saw that many of the people who came in seemed to be regulars, as they spoke in casual/​familiar language with the staff/​chef and would exchange handshakes and even hugs. I loved the friendly /​welcoming /​warm vibe! Even tables next to use were not shy to start up conversation with us, which was very refreshing!
On to the food: These guys DO NOT cheap out on flavour! Every bite is jam packed with savoury /​sweet /​spicy and you can even customize the types of flavours you want since they provide you with a variety of sauces and condiments to add to your dishes. They even explain to you what each one is, and which dish is best to be paired with which sauce. We tried the beef skewers on rice as well as the chicken coconut curry. I can’t even begin to explain how satisfied I was!
The chai tea they give you is served in a tall clear glass. I drink chai tea all the time and I was happy that the tea was not «over» spiced as some chai teas that I’ve tried in the past (eg: East is East). The Mango lasi was OUT OF THIS WORLD — not to sweet but still tasted like a dessert in a glass. It’s very rich and very filling so I suggest maybe sharing it with a friend!
At the end of our meal we were too full to order dessert, but the chef sent a complimentary slice of his famous mango cheesecake! I was so happy I almost cried! It was a perfect end to the night. The cheesecake was extremely rich and the mango purée sauce was delicious. I was so happy about my overall experience that I could not leave the restaurant without thanking the servers and the owner personally and felt the need to shake his hand and assure him that we would be back again.