What a funky little wine bar tucked away in downtown Vancouver! My husband and I finished dinner…read morenearby and wanted to have a glass of sparkling and something sweet so we did a quick yelp search and found Niche Wine Bar was a 3 minute walk away! I can't believe I had never stumbled upon this spot. We had a love time and it has a great wine menu. I can't wait to come back for another drink and other eats.

Still a fabulous place with wonderful wines & nibbles to nosh, and a great staff. Just a quick…read moreupdate because we finally got back to check out their new location since they moved last year to a bigger place. From the outside you might not expect such an enchanting wine bar to be located in this very corporate-looking building, but don't let that fool you. Come inside, have a seat in one of their cozy nooks, and sip some excellent wine. They have a few patio tables outside as well. Everything from my original review still applies.

We visited Willful Wine on a sunny Saturday night as we hoped to catch the piano music many folks…read morewere raving about. The service was good. The cheese board is very basic. We're talking "Fred Meyer cheese counter" quality. Nothing bad, but just not great. The assortment of "dried fruit" was a small cup of dried cranberries. Meh. The real issue I have regarding our visit was the automatic 20% gratuity. I really hate this required tipping movement within the restaurant industry. I do wish they would just raise the prices and leave the tipping to me and my server to hash out. Sometimes the service isn't worth 20% of my bill. Really. Normally, there is a notice in Open Table or on the venue's website to alert of a required tipping policy. I saw neither prior to our arrival. In fact, I didn't notice any warning on the menu either but it was dark in the lounge and I may have missed the small print. I typically avoid restaurants requiring a service fee or mandatory 20% tip. This time they got me but I doubt we'll be back.

Willful Wine at The Grant House ended up giving us one of the sweetest date nights we've had in a…read morelong time and we didn't even order wine. The Grant House is the oldest residence on Officers Row, originally built in the mid-1800s as part of the Fort Vancouver military community. You can feel that history the moment you walk in! The tall windows, the creaking wood floors, the way the rooms still hold that old-world dignity. The house was originally built with logs but then replaced. But from the looks of it some was preserved from the inside, which you can get a sneak peek when walking out of the bathroom and back into the dining space. For drinks, I had their cider, my fiancé chose a zero-proof drink, and both were delicious. My cider was bright, fruity and crisp, and his drink tasted thoughtfully layered, not sugary or flat. For dinner, we ordered the Garlic Caesar Salad, Butternut squash tagliatelle and the Seared pork chop, and they all felt like autumn served on a plate. The pasta was velvety and comforting, and the pork chop had that perfect balance of sear and tenderness, a dish that makes you pause mid-conversation just to appreciate it. But what truly made the night unforgettable was Pam. She was an absolute delight, warm, present, and a talented host beyond measure. She played soft, romantic jazz piano through the evening, and at one point, my fiancé and I ended up sharing a slow, quiet dance right there in the dining room. The Grant House setting adds to the charm historic, softly lit, and easy to settle into. Pam made us feel completely taken care of from start to finish. So excited to come back for the holiday dinner.

I went to dinner on a Monday night with one of my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday and it was a…read morefantastic meal! Very low-key with very few people in the restaurant. Our food was outstanding! We ordered a brie that had a fabulous fig sauce on top and then also we ordered a burger. That was absolutely incredible! One of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten in my life! My dessert was a disappointment. The chocolate lava cake was really dense and hard and not at all like I think of as a lava cake. My friends crème brûlée seemed fine. I definitely want to go back.

We went on a double date here on a Saturday evening and were sat in the bar area. They have a…read morebeautiful and grand chandelier in there. They enjoy their hanging lights cause in the single bathroom in the bar, they have 4 lamps and I was like wow. Service was great! Very informative and attentive. We never needed to look for her. We went with her suggestion to share everything and that made the experience more fun. I loved the truffle mac and cheese, fried Brie cubes, and the scallop yakitori. The scallops are cute little guys and very tasty. All the skewers were delicious. I think next time I would skip the beef cheek poutine. The beef cheek was the best part and the other ingredients were just so so. Dessert? We got the chocolate pot de creme and chocolate lava cake. If you're just getting one, I'd recommend the chocolate lava cake. There are a lot of fun elements on the plate, great for sharing!

Here for the first time. Lunch was amazing! Started with table bread, olive oil & balsamic. Very…read moregood, we were hungry! We ordered the mushroom ravioli and 2 build your own sandwiches. The mushroom ravioli was amazing. Unique blend of flavors. Will definitely order this again. The sandwiches were awesome. Love that you can order several different spreads & veggies on the sandwich. Everything blended so well. Sandwiches were huge! Lots of meats, cheese & toppings. I ordered a whole sandwich, but could only eat half. Not complaining, I enjoyed the other half later on at night. Will definitely return to try different things. The server was friendly and attentive. There is plenty of seating, and a great deli counter as well. It's a little loud, but overall a relaxed atmosphere.

Usually is a good place for food, however just opened their website to the pop up of "call to make…read morea reservation" on prompted we called, was told they do not take reservations and that it is a pretty opened restaurant for the night, go there 20 minutes later and was "fully booked" the whole night, asking for reservations. Maybe they need to update the website's policy for reservations

We had the best experience with Taylor at this location. So much so we became members! Phenomenal…read moreservice. Cute tasting room directly waterfront so thats amazing. During summer you can't go wrong. Good assortment of wines and good food.

Great time, view was nice, service was excellent, and well the wine is always amazing. Lived all…read morethe reds.

Our visit was almost four weeks ago, shame on me, I don't recall exactly what I had that day but…read morelet me say this. The food was good; the service also, and the ambiance was, or is friendly, well done, without any disappointments. The others in the group were also pleased with All of the experience groups. Absolutely No problems with a return visit.

You can see my previous reviews and they've been great. Unfortunately not this time, this time…read morebeing Sunday November 30th about 6pm. I have 2 friends that have been reluctant on this place from previous "not good" experiences, and they came with me and it made me sad!! Anyway, our server was so blah (Katelyn H), our water glasses had lipstick marks, I asked her for new ones, she seemed to have forgotten or something so I asked the bartender (which is so sweet!) then our server heard me and grabbed glasses and handed them to me. She didn't check if they were clean, and they weren't, friends were too thirsty to wait and wiped off the lip marks with their napkin. She didn't even bother to ask if the glasses were clean, and also never asked us if we needed anymore drinks (we ordered cocktails). When food arrived, I had to walk up to her to ask for small plates, as she just walked away after delivery. The calzones were burnt on the bottom, and the marinara was 100000% canned tomato paste and was cold. Work on that marinara. Ambiance was as it always is, super chill and welcoming. She was the only server but she could have led with that and made it a comfortable setting. (Towards the end I saw the bartender delivering plates and drinks).

Went to a Book club meeting at the downtown location this morning and had a delightful experience!…read moreReally can't wait to go again. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with fries, as did every other member of my group! It was exceptional. I think they have something magical that they put on top of that fried chicken just sort of sweet and delicious. We also ordered the little donuts and they were fried delicious nuggets of yumminess. I definitely want to go back.

DAIRY ALLERGY MISHANDLED -- WAITER LIED ABOUT CHECKING WITH THE KITCHEN…read more My girlfriend has a serious dairy allergy. Before she arrived, I spent time with our waiter going through the menu carefully -- no butter, no dairy, confirmed twice. He even went back to check with the kitchen and returned saying her meal was completely dairy free. It wasn't. Someone else at the table tasted the green beans and suspected butter. When I asked again, the waiter confirmed they'd been cooked in oil and butter -- after already telling us they were safe. By then the pork chop had been sitting on top of them and was contaminated. His response? "I can bring you another side." No offer to replace the meal. No offer to remove it from the check. Nothing. We had a show to catch at the Magenta Theater and no time to push it, so my girlfriend skipped dinner and grabbed something at Burgerville afterward -- she had a headache by the end of the show. The food and everything else about the evening was genuinely good. But between the false assurance, the contaminated meal, and the complete absence of any effort to make it right, I can't recommend this restaurant to anyone managing a food allergy -- and I'll be thinking hard before coming back myself.

Still one of my favorite Coffee Spots with so much more than coffee. Cocktails with coffee,…read morebreakfast Sammie and lunch Sammie's are fantastic here. The staff is always in a great mood. This is a one stop shop and they get busy so be patient . I always enjoy chatting up the staff. I had their jalapeño poppin bagel that's like a jalapeño popper(the good ones not the frozen crap). Omg! if you love or like jalapeños you gotta try this bomb.com You can't go wrong coming here. Until next time which is going to be real soon!!!!! Like tomorrow;).

Stopped by Brewed while walking around Vancouver and overall it's a cute little neighborhood coffee…read morespot if you're looking for something quick and simple. The shop itself is definitely on the smaller side with only a few places to sit inside, so it feels more like an in-and-out coffee stop versus somewhere you're going to spend hours working or hanging out. They do serve lunch items along with pastries and coffee, and when I walked in there were a few locals standing around watching TV which gave it a casual neighborhood vibe. I ordered a large cold brew and a pecan bar from the pastry case. The cold brew was actually really good -- strong, smooth, and definitely woke me up. The pecan bar, though, wasn't my favorite. It tasted a little aged/stale and unfortunately didn't really hit the mark for me (especially when you grow up spoiled by homemade pecan bars ). Service was okay but not particularly warm or welcoming. More of a "take your order and keep it moving" type of atmosphere. Nothing rude, just not overly friendly either. All in all, still a decent little coffee stop if you're nearby and need caffeine, but with so many coffee shops in the area, I'm excited to continue exploring and see what else Vancouver has to offer

Friendly staff and family friendly environment. The tempura…read moreoyster mushrooms were phenomenal. Crunchy and tasty and I don't even like mushrooms! Especially with the garlic aïoli. I got a double dipped chicken sandwich and it did not miss. I like calamari, but this one was not the best but if you like Buffalo sauce with a chewy texture, this would be your appetizer. Great selection of whiskey and a few beers. I would come back for the mushrooms!

We didn't love this place with its bright lighting and industrial, uncomfortable interior. The…read moreservice was friendly but very scattered and chaotic--the food arrived at a weird, uneven pace for our party of four. The burgers were good, but there's no side salad to replace the fries, so I wound up with a burger and an entree salad--it meant I had food to take home for lunch, but it was also expensive. I doubt we'll be back--there's just not enough reward in what we're looking for when we dine out.

Airfield is my favorite winery on the Vancouver Waterfront. They have many wine varietals to…read moretaste. I especially love their reds and sparkling wine. Their wine club membership is different than most other wineries. You just need to purchase two cases of wine over the course of the year. Can be whenever you want and whatever wines you like. Very flexible! The service is always great and I love waking around on the waterfront. If you stop by in the summer I recommend getting a frose' on the outdoor patio. Cheers!

It was a beautiful day and I was staying in the area. They have a lovely little patio to sit and…read moreenjoy the weather. Amanda was behind the bar, and was friendly and knowledgeable. She helped me pick a red and I took it outside. Shortly afterward, she came out and brought a bottle of water. I enjoyed my glass, and the people watching was excellent. They even offer a discount on bottles if you are airline crew.