Modern Indian fine-casual dining · Vancouver, BC
Where spice meets season.
Modern Indian dining in Vancouver — Canadian seasonal ingredients, coal-fired flavour, an intimate candlelit room.
The story
A room built around fire and season
Ember & Saffron began as one chef’s love letter to two places — the spice markets of India and the farmland of British Columbia. Forty-eight seats, one open coal kitchen, and a menu that changes with the season.
The chef
Anjali Rao
Founder & Head Chef. Trained at the Oberoi Centre, New Delhi.
The signature
Saffron Butter Chicken Risotto
Our most-ordered plate, on the menu since the night we opened.
The menu
A taste of the table
A few dishes from the current menu — coal-fired, seasonal, and changing often.
To Begin
Saffron & Sweetcorn Kachori
$16Crisp pastry parcels, charred BC corn, saffron yoghurt and a tamarind drizzle.
Coal-Smoked Heirloom Beet Chaat
$15Roasted Fraser Valley beets, puffed rice, mint chutney and pomegranate.
From the Kitchen
Saffron Butter Chicken Risotto
$34Our signature — free-run chicken, tomato-saffron butter sauce folded through Arborio rice, fenugreek cream.
Coal-Roasted Lamb Chops
$42New Zealand lamb, charred over coal, kashmiri chilli glaze, burnt onion and mint.
To Finish
Cardamom Crème Brûlée
$14Green cardamom custard, caramel crackle and a pistachio shortbread.
Saffron & Rose Kulfi
$12Slow-churned milk ice, saffron, rose and toasted almond.
The experience
Candlelight, coal smoke, and no rush
The room is small on purpose. Forty-eight seats, low light, and an open kitchen where the coal oven glows through service.
It is the kind of place you linger — for an anniversary, a first date worth impressing, or a Tuesday that deserves better. Come hungry, stay late.
Guest reviews
What our guests say
“The saffron butter chicken risotto is unlike anything else in the city. Warm, dim, intimate — we booked for an anniversary and it completely delivered. Already planning the next visit.”
Meera Sandhu
March 2026 · Google review
“Coal-roasted lamb chops were extraordinary, and the room feels genuinely special — candlelit without being precious. Service knew the menu inside out. A real Vancouver gem.”
James Whitfield
February 2026 · Google review
“Modern Indian done with real soul. You can taste the seasonal produce in every dish, and the cardamom crème brûlée is worth the trip alone. Book ahead — it fills up fast.”
Priya Anand
January 2026 · Google review
Visit us
Hours & location
Opening hours
- MondayClosed
- Tuesday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Wednesday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Thursday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Friday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
- Sunday5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
1280 Hamilton Street, Vancouver BC V6B 2S8
Reservations recommended — walk-ins welcome at the bar.
Reserve your table
Tuesday to Sunday, from 5pm. Tell us the date and your party size — we respond within 2 hours.
We respond within 2 hours.