Best restaurants in the West End?

[waylman]

I'm aware of Parkside, Cafe De Paris and Bin, but I'm looking for other suggestions. It looks like I'll be moving to the West End soon from the shore and I need to know the goods! Also, I'm in the area tonite and need a good suggestion. If this thread has been done before please point me in the right direction. Thanks!

[vandan]

i really like the banana leaf

[Mooshmouse]

Let's see... where to begin.

Most of these suggestions are on the more casual side. Hapa Izakaya and Guu with Garlic on Robson at Bidwell for izakaya options, as well as Gyoza King. Lolita's on Davie Street, perhaps, for casual drinks. CinCin or Café Il Nido further up Robson, though that might be straying a bit from the West End proper.

Clove on Denman for Indian fusion. Central Bistro, also on Denman, owned by fellow eGulleter Harry Sturhahn.

There's Jang Mo Jib on Robson for Korean food, one block east of Robson on the north side of the street. Zakkushi Charcoal Grill on Denman Street for Japanese robata. Kintaro on Denman for excellent ramen. Falafel King for takeout shawarma. Vera's on Denman if you're looking for a great burger. Won More Szechuan for their spicy long beans with chilis.

Wherever you end up for dinner, happy eating tonight!

[ElizR]

I'd second the recommendations made above and add a few:

India Bistro on Davie at Thurlow - good, fresh Indian food and welcoming atmosphere - this has been a very unfortunate location and several eating places have opened and closed here over the past few years, but there always seem to be people in whenever ! walk past.

Olympia Seafood on Thurlow at Robson - reliably decent fish and chips but closes around 7.30

Cafe Luxy on Davie at Jervis - huge portions if you are looking for a carb overload

The Hermitage and Caffe de Medici on Robson at Thurlow - fine dining and always good

Le Gavroche on Alberni at Cardero - excellent French food in a heritage house - great place for a romantic dinner.

Happy eating

[gingerfreak]

Clove has been a longtime favourite (relatively speaking - I haven't been here that long), and Central is becoming another go-to option. Great drink list there!

Guu at Robson and Bidwell always seems to get good reviews and so does Raincity Grill. I've enjoyed BravoBistro at the base of Denman a few times (but always seem to forget about it). One place I'm intrigued by but haven't been is Black Tuna - anyone been and would you recommend it?

Definitely lots of options around here - welcome to the 'hood!

Edited December 14, 2005 by gingerfreak (log)

[Mooshmouse]

The Hermitage and Caffe de Medici on Robson at Thurlow - fine dining and always good

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Good catch on Caffé de Medici. It's been years since I've been, but we were always pleased with our meals there.

One place I'm intrigued by but haven't been is Black Tuna - anyone been and would you recommend it?

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Though some like it, I certainly can't say the same for me. To each his or her own. I made a couple of posts about my May visit to Black Tuna in the "Endangered Coastal Fishery" thread.

[D90]

One place I'm intrigued by but haven't been is Black Tuna - anyone been and would you recommend it?

Here is a little review from my dinner their back in April.

Saturday night I ate way to much at Black Tuna on Deman and Davis. This place had a good review in the province and mentioned in a couple other articles so it was worth a try, my conclusion is it’s a decent restaurant, with a lot of competition featuring the same style menus.

They started us off with a small complimentary piece of fish then we ordered. First dish was the Scallop Gyoza’s: I believe it had Chinese parsley inside but we couldn’t really taste it or the scallops. Pretty bland dish I would not order it again.

Next was The Black Tuna Prawn Tempura with Spicy Sauce: The batter was very clean and crisp as if the oil was changed after every batch and the dish was not drenched in sauce allowing you actually taste the prawns.

This was followed by The Black Tuna Special Yakisoba: A large portion of sizzling Yakisoba noodles mixed with vegetables, shrimp, scallops, salmon, squid, toped with chicken breast all with a simple sauce. I would imagine that everything mixed in one dish wouldn’t work but the mix of flavours and textures was actually very nice, my fav dish of the evening and filling.

The last plate to come out was the three rolls we ordered 1. The Hot Spicy Night roll (left) 2. Dragon Roll (Middle) 3. Philly Roll (Right): They were all good with nice presentation but tasted very similar to a California roll with a little something extra, what did stand out was the heat of the spicy night roll and the cream cheese in the Philly roll which I did enjoy after I figured out not to dip it in soya sauce.

Over all I would give this place a 3.75 out of 5. Service was quick and polite, the restaurant was small but nice and quite, I was expecting a view, which there wasn’t any even though we were seating right next to the window. Pricewise wasnt bad, expect to pay between 50 -100 for two ppl.

Edited December 14, 2005 by D90 (log)

[fud]

i really like the banana leaf

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Me too! One of my favorite malaysian digs

[Vancouver]

For very casual sushi rolls check out Kadoya on Davie. It is a Chinese run sushi bar, but the fish is quite fresh, and they make some of those North American style creative rolls quite well. Their sashimi appetizer is a steal as well for $4.95 which normally comes with 4-5 very generous slices of salmon, and 3-4 very generous slices of tuna.

There is also a very good Korean place on Denman about 1 block south of Robson whose name slips my mind right now.

I'd also recommend Norboo on Robson. I believe there was an extensive review of it (pictures and all) in the Korean food thread a while back.

I would also recommend a Thai place called Foo Faa. But I heard a rumour they had closed. Don't know if this is true, but if it is that is a sad loss.

Cheers!

[gingerfreak]

Mooshmouse and D90, thanks for the input on Black Tuna. Mixed reviews means I'll leave it to my own whim whether I check it out or not (sustainability issues aside, poor service like that is major peeve).

And Foo Faa has indeed closed (I mentioned it in Openings and Closings). In its place is Chungdam Izakaya - not open yet but I'll be intrigued to try it once it is.

[makanmakan]

good calls on all above restaurants. i won't repeat above recommendations as they're all good and regularly visited by us.

another fave place in the 'hood for me is samurai sushi, on davie just off thurlow. good quality inexpensive sushi and other goodies. usually packed with lineups and open late.

a note on cafe luxy. i do like it for a good carb fix but the last time we did a take out from there, my other half bit into a huge chunk of glass in the midst of his pasta. we did tell them about it the following day as we walked by, but we have been too nervous to cash in on the comp meal promised to us. i'm sure it's a one time deal, but...glass...eek!

black tuna....we were there this past weekend and had a really good meal with exceptional service. i was, although, horrified to find that they had bluefin and sea bass on their menu.

poncho's on denman. not too bad mexican food, with live music at times. they have a fun spectacle called the poncho's coffee!

good greasy down home weekend diner brunch. theresa's on both davie and denman, the grove inn and the templeton on granville (not quite west end, but it's close enough!). cuz sometimes, we need to have a $5(or so) breakie on hungover weekends!

i haven't been for years, but i've had a couple of good meals at yoshi's on denman and georgia as well. anyone been recently?

if you're craving for ramen, run to kintaro, on denman just north of robson. hot steaming bowl of ramen in a heavenly broth.

another good neighorhood goody is tapastree on robson, just west of denman. simple good food, nice ambiance and good service. patio in the summer.

if we're craving pho, there's a good cheapie on denman, next to cupcakes. their subs aren't too bad either. i think it's called pho's #1.

for a quickie and healthy lunch, visit the dish on davie btwn thurlow and burrard. they do a turkey special everyday. turkey meatloaf with baked fries and mushroom gravy. turkey and tofu on brown rice. turkey dinner with mash, stuffing and gravy. good fresh juices and some of the best chocolate chip cookies known to man.

for a cultural night out, try liliget feast house. aboriginal food in the most interestingly designed basement space.

we've only dined at zagros once (on davie and thurlow) but the persian food we had there was quite good. another one to return to to try more dishes.

there. i've racked my brain and there's our neighborhood haunts. welcome to the hood!

[easy]

One more to mention - Akira sushi on Denman has been one of my favorite sushi spots for years. The staff are quite friendly as well.

[D90]

i haven't been for years, but i've had a couple of good meals at yoshi's on denman and georgia as well.  anyone been recently?

if you're craving for ramen, run to kintaro, on denman just north of robson.  hot

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I posted some pictures and review of Yoshi's in a previous post I believe; I wil ltry to find it. But Yoshi's is great, pricey but fresh and not just because I call the manager Uncle Philip. (He isnt really my uncle, Iam white)

[ElizR]

There are so many places in the West End that, despite having written a list yesterday, there were some I forgot that have subsequently been mentioned.

Yes, the Dish is great place for a healthy and cheap lunch, and the soups have always been delicious.

I've also only visited Zagros once but would go again; the food is relatively cheap but fresh.

[cnspriggs]

i really like the banana leaf

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Me too! One of my favorite malaysian digs

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Ok I need some help on this one. I've been the banana leaf on multiple occassions now and I always leave lukewarm about the quality. The food is good but to me it hasn't lived up to the hype. Perhaps I'm ordering the wrong thing....what is that you love? I'm always willing to try again.

Cheers.

[waylman]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I checked out Banana Leaf...it was quite good...nothing spectacular mind you. It really is just good, affordable food. The best dishes were the springrolls, boneless chicken curry with rice and the green beans w/chilis. It was all very tasty. I'd order any of these 3 again.

[kontemporary]

Hmm.. I'm a bit confused on what is referred to by "West End" because I've always taken it to include everything: Yaletown, Coal Harbour, Business District, Downtown.. If not, is it just the area around Denman/Davie people are referring to? Because there are some Robson suggestions..

Anyhow, if that's the case.. there's CinCin, Cucina Mediterannea, and the plethora of restaurants in Yaletown.

I find Clove on Denman to be pretty good, as well as Bravo Bistro at the marina near Stanley Park. There's also Parkside, Raincity Grill, and the Sequoia Grill in Stanley Park.

Umm for the casual stuff I enjoy the Denman St Free House, Maria's Taverna, Delilah's, Banana Leaf, and Samurai Sushi (great value) too.

[McTee]

Hmm.. I'm a bit confused on what is referred to by "West End" because I've always taken it to include everything: Yaletown, Coal Harbour, Business District, Downtown.. If not, is it just the area around Denman/Davie people are referring to? Because there are some Robson suggestions..

Anyhow, if that's the case.. there's CinCin, Cucina Mediterannea, and the plethora of restaurants in Yaletown.

I find Clove on Denman to be pretty good, as well as Bravo Bistro at the marina near Stanley Park. There's also Parkside, Raincity Grill, and the Sequoia Grill in Stanley Park.

Umm for the casual stuff I enjoy the Denman St Free House, Maria's Taverna, Delilah's,  Banana Leaf, and Samurai Sushi (great value) too.

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West End is officially classified as the area west of Burrard and bordered by Stanley Park, Beach Avenue, and I believe it is W. Georgia but might be Robson St. on the north.

[Vancouver]

That sounds just about right. Here is the city's official parking zone map for the West End: West End Parking Permit Zone

Cheers!

[vandan]

cn i really like the sambal green beans and also the rendang beef

[makanmakan]

i can't believe i forgot a west end institution.

delilah's!!

they had a change of chef sometime this year and we had a great meal there accompanied by the wonderful (as always) entertainment in the form of symone! their martinis are legendary as well. good times are always to be had there.

[ElizR]

i can't believe i forgot a west end institution. 

delilah's!! 

they had a change of chef sometime this year and we had a great meal there accompanied by the wonderful (as always) entertainment in the form of symone!  their martinis are legendary as well.  good times are always to be had there.

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Of course, Delilahs!

Good times are definitely to be had there.

[makanmakan]

after posting about delilah's we decided that it was time we went back for a visit!

we waltzed in just after 7 without a reso and was told that we could have a table but had to be out by 8:30 as they had a reso for then. we decided on sitting at the bar and it was a fabulous decision. we were highly entertained by monty(the bartender) and had a great night of drinks and food.

we had martinis (of course). lemon drop and a milano to start. we orderd dinner and decided that we would have a 4 course and a 2 course. roasted garlic and onion soup with basil to start. it was pretty good with smokey flavours and nice texture. my only gripe is that it could have been a tad bit hotter in temp. then the vanilla smoked trout and salmon tartare with pickled beets and the mussels with chipotle cream was next. i loved both of them. the mussels were plump and perfectly cooked. the chipotle was well enjoyed with the bread that sopped it all up. the tartare was lovely and delicate. it was served with half a hard boiled quail egg and a dollop of tamago and a few slices of toast. very nice. we enjoyed that course with a champs d'alize for me and a george's boca raton for him. next up was our mains of roast chicken with wild mushroom demi glace for him and the tenderloin with veal stock and fresh horseradish for me. both excellent and the tenderloin was perfectly grilled with a slight moo left in it. a glass of tinhorn creek pinot for him and a coonawara cab for me. next up was desert. oh the sweet stuff. dark chocolate terrine sitting on a little bit of creme anglais with a glass of quady elysium.

we left with satisfied bellies and taste buds and well entertained by the bartender and staff that came by to pick up drinks.

[bigdaddy]

i can't believe i forgot a west end institution.

delilah's!!

they had a change of chef sometime this year and we had a great meal there

Jonathan Thauberger is the chef at Delilah's (has been for a number of years now...but ownership changed this year!). Jonathan is a very talented guy and one of the most pleasant/even-tempered chefs you could ever hope to meet or work with.

[annanstee]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Tapastree- Great food right around the corner from Cafe de Paris. Mmmm... Tuna.