House of Dosas on Kingsway, Vancouver

House of Dosas on Kingsway and Knight in Vancouver is one of those hidden secrets that everyone knows about. I’ve driven past this restaurant many times, always making a mental note that I should “give them a try some day.” After years of this, I finally did give them a try and I’m glad I did.

Many people may assume that House of Dosas would serve the same kind of South Indian food as we find in places like Bombay Beat or Tandoori Kona. While it is true that you’ll find biryani and curry on the menu, it is perhaps more accurate to say that House of Dosas is a Sri Lankan restaurant specializing in the dosa. A dosa is similar in many ways to a French crepe, but you get a crispier texture and the filling is completely different.

As far as the restaurant itself, you’ll quickly notice the TVs mounted on the walls along with the various jerseys. As I understand it, House of Dosas becomes a popular hangout for major cricket matches, for example. Otherwise, the interior is mostly unremarkable, but it is reasonably well-lit and clean.

Vegetable Pakora ($4.99)

We started with the vegetable pakora as our appetizer. The seasoning was relatively mild but the exterior didn’t give me as much of a “crunch” as I usually expect from pakora. It was a little too doughy compared to, say, a place like India Gate. Even so, at five bucks, it’s a good value and a good way to start your meal.

Onion Rava Seafood Dosa ($11.99)

Instead of going with the conventional dosa, I opted for the onion rava dosa. This takes on a different shape and the dosa itself has bits of onion in it. The skin is super crispy and the filling was plentiful and flavorful. It was served with a scoop each of carrot coriander chutney and coconut chutney, plus a small metal bowl of vegetable sambar.

The onion rava seafood dosa is supposed to have fish and shrimp, but the filling is mashed up with all sorts of other goodness. This is a very filling meal and I found that I didn’t even need the chutneys to enhance the dosa. It was quite rich and complex on its own.

Lamb Vindaloo Dosa ($9.99)

Susanne went with the lamb vindaloo dosa. Yes, that is a very big dosa, extending well beyond the reaches of the plate. To be fair, the vindaloo filling doesn’t reach all the way to the ends, but you do get a lot of filling. Again, it was accompanied by the same chutneys and sambar as my onion rava dosa.

House of Dosas really doesn’t skimp on the filling, offering plenty of meat inside that crispy crepe. There are many other dosas on the menu too, including a huge variety of vegetarian options. You can get an egg dosa, an eggplant alu dosa, a chicken palak dosa, and even something called a “gun powder masala dosa.” I have no idea what that is, but it does sound interesting.

Daily Specials

The regular price for a dosa ranges from about $7 to about $13, but House of Dosas is particularly popular on Mondays. That’s because you can have any dosa for $5.99. They have other daily specials too, as shown above, but Monday has to be their busiest night.

Perhaps even more intriguing, at least for me, is that House of Dosas is open 24 hours. I’m always on the hunt for late night options that can take me away from McDonald’s drive-thru and Denny’s. That’s why I like places like The One Restaurant that are open late and it doesn’t get much later than 24 hours a day! If you’re in the mood for a hearty meal at a good price (and in the middle of the night), House of Dosas is certainly worth a visit.