WORST /BEST Restaurants and delivery/take out in Vancouver

[Smilf]

I am a huge foodie, quality of food is VERY important to me and being Italian and living in Italy for a number of years .. some days my eyes just roll back into my head eating supposed Italian food or seeing what is attempted at being passed off as Italian food. I'm also very culturally diversified wherein I know how authentic food from different cultures should taste and be prepared and it's not... it's a frustrating thing some days when you're famished and you end up with food that just absolutely sucks!

So let's help each other out here and learn what places to avoid OR where to go

Fresh Slice - worst passed off pizza known to man
Hometown Pizza - burnt meatballs, sauce tastes like chef boyardee, crutons in ceasar salad are just chunks of bread with garlic sprinkled on them, spaghetti bolognese - is baked spaghetti (never ate baked spaghetti in my life as a kid or in Italy).
Pizza Factory - tried to pass off bologna as prosciutto
Rosie's on Robson - ordered a steak sandwich and fries there one day - bruschetta was served on grilled flat bread that was sopping right through not crusty thick bread as it should be, steak had no seasoning on it, there was no garlic on the supposed garlic bread.

Gotham Steak House - pretty awesome steak etc.
Keg - is okay for certain foods, but not superbly awesome any more
Anton's - fresh pasta, great portions, affordable prices
Moxie's - I don't mind once in a while and the waitresses listen to your food order, getting a bit pricier and skimpy with the food now
Knight and Day - they're good late at night after the bar
Milestones - love their butternut squash ravioli

 

[mimi]

Yup! Try to find a restaurant that makes their own gnocchi, or serves a good risotto, or polenta. Most dishes in so called Italian restaurants are just typical Canadian style food. (how can one screw up bruschetta?)

The good Italian restaurants I once knew are long gone (La Pergola in Richmond was an awesome restaurant). I have been to commercial drive recently, and I notice very few Italian delis are there now.

L'Italia bakery on Hastings and Renfrew is a pretty good place for staples...not as good as they were in the past, but their pizza is wonderful! Not round pizza, square pizza. It never makes it home; I have it on the passenger seat and manage to eat it all....

A full dinner sit down restaurant? Nope! Athough, there is a little cafe inside of Leone, which is inside the Sinclair building on Hastings street downtown, and they make incredible Italian coffee. They also have meals; the people who work there are actually Italian and the people who come in for coffee are also Italian...might wanna try that, but, it is a small cafe...the soup was really good and the bread served with the soup was excellent.

 

[Smilf]

Yeah I've hunted all over for good Italian food and it's a rare commodity here. One of the things I miss most about my Nona was her cooking, I've tried so hard to find gnocchi and roasted chicken from the spit - which was like a huge staple for family meals, not to be found any where. If someone opened a traditional Italian restaurant here, they'd make a fortune. The last time I had decent pizza, was when I made it myself hehehe and yes it was square. Only time I ever had round pizza was when we went out to eat and although it was traditional ingredients and prep wise, it wasn't "normal". Every Italian pizza I've eaten - the real stuff has a floured crust on the bottom and you could taste the essence of the wine in the sauce.

Gordon Ramsay needs to come here, he'd have a hey day fixing all the restaurants and so called pizza joints.

 

[badbadboy]

Rangoli - Vij's Indian answer to the common diner, he didn't compromise on quality despite the reasonable pricing

Besides his food truck Rangoli is my go to place for good Indian food plus you can take out pre prepared meals from their fridges/freezers too. My path is usually to Vij's but if they are too full and have a wait list Rangoli is just as good in my book.

I will add

Havana on Commercial. Not exactly all Cuban food but great dinners and brunches etc. Very nice patio and awesome cocktails.

Honjin Sushi. Well they closed their Lonsdale location but still have their Yaletown location which is equally good.

Sushi Bella on Lonsdale is the new fav and they are more of a Japanese Fusion restaurant. Some of the dishes are definitely 'different' but going with the flow you will most likely enjoy this place. Bit more pricier than Honjin which was more of a traditional Japanese Sushi restaurant.

 

[Smilf]

Besides his food truck Rangoli is my go to place for good Indian food plus you can take out pre prepared meals from their fridges/freezers too. My path is usually to Vij's but if they are too full and have a wait list Rangoli is just as good in my book.

I will add

Havana on Commercial. Not exactly all Cuban food but great dinners and brunches etc. Very nice patio and awesome cocktails.

Honjin Sushi. Well they closed their Lonsdale location but still have their Yaletown location which is equally good.

Sushi Bella on Lonsdale is the new fav and they are more of a Japanese Fusion restaurant. Some of the dishes are definitely 'different' but going with the flow you will most likely enjoy this place. Bit more pricier than Honjin which was more of a traditional Japanese Sushi restaurant.

Recently tried Original Tandoori Cuisine/Grill their Indian food is awesome.

 

[VanessaofBC]

Thanks for that list!!

Everyone is gonna scream when I say what I think the best is ....

S W I S S
C H A L E T !!

That's right, I said it. They make the best ribs too!!

I order take out when I want some real Canadian comfort food!!!

 

[Smilf]

Thanks for that list!!

Everyone is gonna scream when I say what I think the best is ....

S W I S S
C H A L E T !!

That's right, I said it. They make the best ribs too!!

I order take out when I want some real Canadian comfort food!!!

Meh, White Spot is better hahaha!

 

[VanessaofBC]

It's the little girl in me. We never had White Spot in Ontario so it is my ultimate comfort food. The chalet sauce is an acquired taste. But their rotisserie chicken is so popular in Ontario that during the holidays they have their own 24 hour chicken rotisserie channel. I kid you not.

 

[yazoo]

For Italian, agree with Antons. For worst I think Spaghetti Factory tastes canned. For Japanese izakaya, love Zakushi on denman. Worst is Ebisu on Robson.

 

[Smilf]

The Reef on Main. Awesome.
Really good Italian is hard to come by. My god mother is from Tuscany, so I usually rely on her for a great Italian meal.
Sakana Bistro in Yaletown has exceptional sushi.
Campagnolo on Main is really good Italian.
The Ho Ann on Victoria for Pho. The best I have ever had.
Hy's for steak has always been great.

And my kitchen! Usually turns out pretty decent.

Yup I LOVE HY's too!

 

[hedgeman]

Don't know if they've been mentioned, but my fav restaurant is Cactus Club, always loved their food, and my other indulgence every once in awhile is Mahek in Surrey, hands down THE best butter chicken I've ever tasted, and CHEAP!

 

[PlayfulAlex]

Don't know if they've been mentioned, but my fav restaurant is Cactus Club, always loved their food, and my other indulgence every once in awhile is Mahek in Surrey, hands down THE best butter chicken I've ever tasted, and CHEAP!

I tried the Cactus Club on the Seawall for my first time, just the other evening. Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed our meal, our wine, the atmosphere on the beach (lots of young ladies, strutting their bikinis), and our server......everything was just top notch! We did have a short wait in line for a patio/beach seat but we weren't in a rush, so it was part of the adventure! :nod:

 

[Smilf]

Don't know if they've been mentioned, but my fav restaurant is Cactus Club, always loved their food, and my other indulgence every once in awhile is Mahek in Surrey, hands down THE best butter chicken I've ever tasted, and CHEAP!

Yeah Cactus Club is pretty good

Earls has went down hill, big time!

 

[hedgeman]

Their cajun chicken fajitas are delish, as well as the blackened cajun steak, wings, teriyaki or cajun chicken ceasar salads (as long as you order extra dressing) dry ribs are great too

I tried the Cactus Club on the Seawall for my first time, just the other evening. Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed our meal, our wine, the atmosphere on the beach (lots of young ladies, strutting their bikinis), and our server......everything was just top notch! We did have a short wait in line for a patio/beach seat but we weren't in a rush, so it was part of the adventure! :nod:

Yeah Cactus Club is pretty good

Earls has went down hill, big time!

 

[PlayfulAlex]

Their cajun chicken fajitas are delish, as well as the blackened cajun steak, wings, teriyaki or cajun chicken ceasar salads (as long as you order extra dressing) dry ribs are great too

It all sounds delish but I'm not a big eater. It'll take me a long time to sample all those choices! I'd better get started! :nod:

 

[PlayfulAlex]

One day we must go on a culinary adventure.

I just love this guy; every episode of his show makes me want to go on a culinary adventure! I imagine myself driving across the country, heading out for a run in the morning, eating at some awesome restaurant at lunch, and heading back out for a run in the evening! What a vacay!

 

[The Lizard King]

Hate chain restaurants, unfortunately have to eat out regularly due to travel and biz, and if I have to go to another Cactus Club, Earl's or Joey's again any time soon I'll be sick. I'm also picky, being a half decent cook and foody. Food has pretty much replaced sex for me and I'm quite fine with that.

Anyway, I've had pretty good seafood papardelle at The Flying Pig and a variety of sushi related dishes at Minami lately. The Fish Shack was disappointing but I had some good seafood at Oru in the Fairmont Pacific Rim and decent sushi at Ebisu. All recent, say, the past month.

Generally I like seafood and pasta and I'm always in search of good pizza. I love pizza and Trocadero and Numro Uno fit for me. I cook my own steak and veal chops, Cioffi's is the spot to pick it up, and prefer to do my own pasta using spelt pasta. Also cooking at home I can heap on the steamed veggies.

So if anybody wants to recommend pizza, especially gluten free, and breakfast joints I'm all ears. Man, I eat tons of food.

 

[Fakenham]

i like cactus club. i guess i'm more of an eater and less a foodie. i think they still keep high standards despite growing the chain. yes, the menu is standardized, but each recipe is developed by a real chef, then rigged so a chimpanzee can prepare it.

the bar staff at broadway and ash on friday was ridiculous. my married buddy couldn't understand why i was trying so hard to sour grape these creatures. self-preservation (they're all babies anyway).

earls seems less consistent. the one at broadway and fir is usually not bad.

had a poor experience at flying pig last time, has otherwise been excellent so i am staying away for a while.
minami i didn't think was a good value for me but i'd go again.

had a really great steak at italian kitchen not long ago. couldn't finish it what with the appie platter etc. enjoyed it almost as much cold the next day.

parlour in yaletown did a good pizza when i tried it but haven't been back.

el camino on main street was a lot of fun, good hand-held food, good drinks.

had excellent sushi at seto in richmond. near lansdowne, i think.

 

[Smilf]

I just love this guy; every episode of his show makes me want to go on a culinary adventure! I imagine myself driving across the country, heading out for a run in the morning, eating at some awesome restaurant at lunch, and heading back out for a run in the evening! What a vacay!

Yeah he's hilarious for sure

 

[1nitestan]

Don't know if they've been mentioned, but my fav restaurant is Cactus Club, always loved their food, and my other indulgence every once in awhile is Mahek in Surrey, hands down THE best butter chicken I've ever tasted, and CHEAP!

They don't actually cook the food at the English Bay location- the restaurant is too small. Cactus Club has a good formula going right now. Someone spent a bit of money developing the brand and it's paying off.

Mahek = consistently very good genuine Indian food.

Swiss Chalet = aka Salt Chalet. OMG the one and only time I went there and it was appalling. Dry overcooked chicken that was way too salty.