We came to PiDGiN for desserts and cocktails. Loved it! The bartender was super cool and I highly recommend their peanut butter parfait with salted caramel and banana puree. After having two delightful "the port authority" cocktails (bourbon, chocolate liquer, and port), my night was done and I was a happy camper. Go to PiDGiN! read more

I came to PiDGiN with a friend to celebrate her birthday. It was her third time there and my first. We each got the prix fixe menu and their special cocktail of the day. While their dishes were interesting, I must say that I felt a bit of deja-vu with my experience at The Farmer's Apprentice--lots of hype for forgettable dishes. There were some delicious ones, like the duck with carrot cake spices, the halibut, and the mushrooms with snap peas. Other ones were so-so--as another reviewer mentioned, the cured sockeye salmon was quite salty, and the raw scallops were okay. I also wasn't a big fan of their pineapple tart, but that's because I don't like pineapples (of all the fruits, it had to be that one!). Ambience is laid-back with dim lighting. Bathrooms are cute. Service was good. I'm glad I tried it but I don't think PiDGiN will be on my list of must-return-to spots. read more

Overpriced and underwhelming. Really had high hopes for this place. Overall the food was salty and lacking. The pork belly over rice was decent but they kinda screwed it up with the sauce. Pork belly was also 90% fat , 10% meat Can't say I recommend this place read more

Wow wow wow. We had an 8-course tasting menu and it was so delicious. Our favourites were the trout (perfectly cooked and crisp delicious skin!) and we loved the mushrooms, egg and snap peas appetizer. The homemade pickles were a nice touch too. My watermelon tequila drink was awesome, not too tart but refreshing. Dinner was $110 plus tax and tip and was worth every penny. The service was excellent on a Monday night! Can't wait to go back. Also they didn't even blink an eye and were very accommodating to my nut allergy. read more

PiDGiN - All the yummy mushrooms, soy marinated egg and snap peas - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Second time there and very satisfied again, interesting food, amazing cocktails, loved the oyster shots, the foie gras and the lamb. Great place in Vancouver ! read more

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My brother took me here to try the foie gras rice bowl,it's so delicious ! And the oyster shot just amazing which mixed up with wasabi and other sauces! The sashimi was a little bit salty. Over all, it's a good place to hangout with buddies. read more

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Expensive and only okay food. A friend and I went and we ordered 2 mains and 1 appy. Barely full and the tastes are probably worth half of its price. The salmon is fantastic but the tan tan noodles are just okay and duck breast only decent. Good dining but won't go back unless they lower the price substantially. read more

PiDGiN - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

well, we went back to this place again since we loved so much when this place was newly open to the neighborhood. We were there on a Friday night and this place was packed with customers. Luckily we made our reservations the previous night and we were quickly seated to same table when we were here the first time. On that evening , we ordered the two oyster shots, raw scallops, kale, foie gras rice bowl and bavette steak (new on the menu). The oyster shot was tasty as usual which I believe that is the reason why it was famous for. The raw scallop dish was pretty good. I like the dry gomae and lightly seasoned vinaigrette which prepared our palette for the main entrees. The foie gras rice bowl was favorate dish for the night. The dish was well- prepared, a well balanced between the unago glaze and the heavy foie gras richness. Lastly, the bavette steak was good. The miso mustard is a great idea for the dish, however I believe the sauce can be made with a little more spicy. As for the meat, it was tender and cooked perfectly to medium rare. the bok choy compote is a great choice for entree side dish, but the clam meat with the steak was a little weird for me. Overall, the dishes were great, but as portion wise, it can be a little bigger (it's personal, I was more hunger than I expected). Service was pretty good, they tried their best on a busy Friday night. read more

PiDGiN - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I've been to Pidgin 2 other times since my birthday and still LOVE it! The service is great and food is amazing!

We came here for NYE dinner and were blown away! The service was impeccable and so was the food. We did a $69 fixed price menu with a wine and sake pairing and it was worth every cent. The quality of everything wa superb and they took such good care of us. I will absolutely be back! read more

Inventive, creative dishes with a Asian/French/Italian influence. First time in and the service was spectacular and attentive. The drinks are so creative and delish. Our two favorite dishes were a scallop, foies gras in an amazing Umami broth that we devoured. The Mushroom dish with roasted onion sauce, and ramen egg we're still dreaming about. I wouldn't do the price-fixe menu, order off the menu and add 1 large dish. We tried the salmon and duck and they were good, but not the best of the bunch. Great place, Go! read more

PiDGiN - Mushroom, roasted onion sauce, ramen egg and so many other things I couldn't keep up! - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Amazing, amazing food! If you are prepared for a bit of a splurge on dinner and really want to excite your taste buds I would give this place a try. I honestly had the erg to check this place out because of all the protesting that was going on around it last year. For anyone involved in that attempt at shutting it down, good job, it created great publicity. Very creative dishes, and considerably good portion sizes. Usually when you eat at place like this you expect to leave broke and hungry, but that is not the case here! I went for my birthday and they gave me a delicious desert, which of course was a very nice touch to an already great evening. read more

Great food and unreal service from the owner and GM. Very thorough explanations of the menu, their processes and where it is all sourced from. Menu is essentially a fresh sheet. What's local. What's tasty. Very well balanced cocktails as well. Fantastic Negroni. Will be back next trip in February. read more

Imagine going for a drive in a nice sports car, say an Alpha Romeo or maybe an Austin Martin. As you approach and enter, you appreciate the styling, the materials, the intent. Once seated you take a moment to familiarize yourself with the controls. You are politely offered assistance, but you get it. You are here to drive, and you've driven before. You ease into the road with a light Riesling and Hamachi - smooth and effortless. Warming up, the Peppers and then the Cauliflower with some Sake you sense the car is hitting its stride. The Sablefish would be the logical next turn, but you want to go exploring to see what the car will do. So you go off-menu with an overly rich combination of Salmon, Foie Gras and a lively red that is easily handled with grace and no sign of strain. Your wife is smiling, she likes this ride. So you push and order desert and one more drink. It works. The Panne Cotta is comforting with a birthday candle and a cracker pairing that makes you wonder 'who thought of that, it's great'. Your wife steals the cucumbers from your gin and tonic. read more

Good, but glacial speed service (although friendly). Clean and minimalist layout. The place seemed a bit too minimalist though - my seat was on a hard bench with no backrest, and the dinner went long. Not all that comfortable. On to the food - ordered a set menu to share between two people. The dishes were not large, but the food was cooked excellently. Some standouts: Runny egg and mushroom with pureed peas - delicious. Lobster with seared lime - also great. Scallops and gnocchi were cooked perfectly. The steak was decent, but a bit underdone in places and not a standout in terms of overall flavour. Presentation for the dishes was outstanding. There is no doubt in my mind that the quality of the food was top notch. Cocktails were delicious, and I would recommend you try one of their mixed drinks. The desert was a chocolate pyramid that was not too sweet, which is just the way I like it. I'll give Pidgin an A-OK rating. The service was so slow... felt like an eternity between plates, and our server completely forgot our desert until I reminded him (as he was bringing over the bill). The restaurant didn't seem too busy. That being said, despite the speed and forgetting that one dish, our server was courteous, helpful with recommendations, and friendly. Would I dine here again? Possibly. I don't think it was as high end as the hype and price might suggest. Be prepared as this restaurant is expensive. Despite the smaller portion sizes I didn't leave hungry though. 3/5. read more

Sought out this place after the amazing Yelp reviews and so happy I did. The food was truly incredible, with a pitch-perfect blend of Asian and European influences. Was particularly into the inventive Korean rice cakes with gochujang bolognese and hondashi. It was like a gnocchi dish from Italian got sent to Korea to study abroad for a year. A couple horseradish oyster shooters are worth throwing into the mix, as I think they cleared my sinuses until the 2020 election. Cocktails were also out of this world, and I highly recommend their cocktail flight. It's done with a bunch of housemade cocktails they have on tap, including negronis. Only wish I didn't have an *actual* flight the next day, or I would have had another round. As for the ambiance, the restaurant is very well-appointed and has a casual, hip, romantic vibe that doesn't feel like it's trying to hard. And the entire staff, from the line cooks to the host (who was maybe the manager/owner?), were great -- friendly, knowledgable, and efficient. Went here twice during my week-long trip, hope to be back soon. (NOTE: The street corner outside the restaurant on Hastings can get a little sketchy late at night, so just be mindful of that.) read more

My family and I had an incredible meal tonight at PiDGin. Starting with the cocktails, which were complex yet came together perfectly, the stage was set for a meal that presented a melange of ingredients we've had before but were presented in unexpected and delightful ways. My husband and I had the prix fixe with the wine and sake pairings, and the pairings took an already amazing culinary experience to another level - especially by bringing Alan into our lives, who was responsible for the pairings and the delicious cocktails. He taught us a lot about sake and introduced us to new takes on old wines, while also giving us a useful tutorial on Canada and the best hiking in and around Vancouver. Our kids went a la cart and were equally happy with their pork belly rice bowls, amazing venison tartare, and mushrooms. PiDGin takes vegetables to another level, such that even a rabid meat eater like our son savored the vegetable interludes. Highly recommend PiDGin for the delicious, innovative food and drink, as well as the personal attention provided to ensure you fully understand and appreciate each element. It's more than a meal, it's an experience, and Alan was a huge part of making our experience memorable. read more

PiDGiN - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Don't recommend coming here if everyone is just going to order their own thing. I'd recommend sharing. A LOT of thought and crafting goes into every single dish (we ordered) and there are too many flavours you'd be missing out on if you just ordered one dish. I was overwhelmed initially, not knowing how to pronounce half the items in the menu but the wait staff was happy to break it all down. Even they seemed to be proud of what they were serving. We ordered a lot that night, and I can't go into every dish without writing a novel but every plate was an art piece in presentation and flavour. But I will say this - get the duck croquettes. read more

Friendly bar and wait staff. One eye samurai was out of this world! Pork belly rice bowl was delicious. Bartender gave helpful hints to approach the meal. Wine and sake taps are a welcome change. The atmosphere was candlelit and dim but nice clean line and minimalist decor filled the space. Would gladly visit again. read more

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I am writing this review the third time I have came to Pidgin .. The food is so tasty and special .. The service is wonderful and friendly .. The menu is unique and memorable. The bone marrow , the pork belly rice .. Etc. try everything . Don't let the neighborhood stop you from going here.. Park on Córdoba and just keep walking till you walk in the door .. You will be amazed and thrilled .. Top 10 Vancouver restaurant.. Cheers read more

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Excellent and exotic food / cuisine!! Highly recommended if you are adventurous!!! The only thing I didn't like was the waiter didn't let us to order food for one person from the Valentines menu read more

I came here on a recommendation. Here is what I based my review on. 1) service - staff was friendly but the service was a bit slow. I will acknowledge that I did come on a Saturday night and they were busy. The server did try her best but unfortunately, we didn't get much attention 2) price was high. Quality of food was good but I left feeling unsatisfied 3) ambience was great. Very neat atmosphere 4) menu selection was good but as mentioned, a bit too pricey 5) we felt a bit rushed as our waitress wanted to be done for the night. it would have been nice had she moved us to a different server so that we could have enjoyed our food in peace. read more

Came here with a friend to celebrate their birthday and we made it in time to have happy hour drinks which were delicious. They were accommodating with the cake we brought in but there's a $5/person plating fee to keep in mind. We went with the chefs menu and it all come out very good! Definitely need to come back to see what menu changes are next season. read more

Worst restaurant experience ever. Not only it was overpriced but I will even say, not fresh. The staff was great, the only positive about Pidgin. We ordered dine - out Vancouver menu for two, were told to share what seemed like like a serving for one. Every thing smelled and looked sketchy, bits and pieces they picked out of the dumpster in the alley behind the building. Will never go again! read more

It's in a neighborhood you wouldn't ever think you stop by to have dinner. But that is all over shadowed how great food tasted. I bought Travelzoo voucher & had tasting menu. I enjoyed how chef mixed diff flavors & textures together. How chef dehydrated duck skin & made crumble w/ pistachio and sprinkled on side of duck confit. To making salty milk crumble w/ green tea parfait. Pricing is reasonable. I would recommend first timers to get tasting menu around $55. Service was great. Very attentive and willing to listen to suggestions. Of all vouchers I've bought this was far best one ever. Will rtn again for sure when there menu changes. Can't wait!!! read more

Portions are a good size. My meal was good. My friend was as happy. Be careful of the area. It's extremely bad part of Vancouver Staff was ok. Could be more friendly read more

Came here on a date with my boyfriend and we were pleasantly surprised! Foie Gras rice bowl was delish, and so was the pork belly! Our drinks were very creative aswell and the whole ambiance was very laidback. Loved the spicy wasabi foam on the top of my drink even though I forget what was in it, my boyfriend had a drink that was iced by a cup full of frozen grapes! I would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for fusion, and delicious food! read more

Expensive but amazing! We ordered a bunch of different food items and cocktails and everything we got was incredible and unique. The ambiance of the place was great as well- romantic but lively. I would highly recommend this place for a special night out! read more

PiDGiN - Lamb with lotus flower and kale - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Service is horrible. I lost my Gucci umbrella last Friday. Receptionist asked me put it in the area where she stands, I thought it is safe and she would keep it. After 2 hours eating - as an Asian myself, the food is just average not worth coming. When I left, the umbrella is gone. They do nothing to deal with it just let me wait the call. Monday I receive a call from a horrible woman with very bad attitude to announce me that no one show up, no umbrella, nothing they can do, in a way that disgusts you. The receptionist should guard guest's belongings. The way they treats customers show that this place is indecent. The people are evil and bad read more

Wow just wow.. enough said. I dare you to order anything on the menu and not say wow. Everything from the light items like the shooters to the entrees.. unleashes all your taste buds read more

My favourite restaurant in downtown Vancouver, hands down. The food fits my taste perfectly. I always order the mentaiko potatoes and the foie gras rice bowl, and sometimes the mushroom and pork belly bowl. Pretty much everything on the menu is delicious except for the roasted veggies in my opinion. The service has always been pleasant. Servers are friendly and eager to serve. read more

I really like this place, have been here about a dozen times and it's always been a great experience. Love the drinks as well as the food. I've also tried some feature menus e.g. chef collaborations, and they have already been very memorable. It's my go-to for fusion that is delicious without being overly gimmicky. read more

Absolutely fantastic. I would recommend this restaurant to pretty much anyone. The quality and service were great and it's clear that people enjoy working there. Jordan was our server and expertly handled a table of 9, including 3 people with different food restrictions. The Pimm's cocktails were very well made, the wine selection fabulous, and the food... oh the food!!! Extremely tasty, exquisitely prepared, beautiful presentation. The atmosphere very balanced and pleasing. The place holds it's own and so they have no need for a snobbish attitude - I was very pleasantly surprised. It's not often that I would say I'll be back to a restaurant at this price point, as I am normally curious to try new things, but I'm definitely planning to come back and bring friends or family from out of town. The only slight improvement would be if the bill could be split by person. Excellent experience. read more

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Omg this place was amazing! I love good food and this may have been one of the best dinners I have ever had. We had wonderful service, loved the vibe and enjoyed the drinks. We ordered: - pickles- very good, unqiue - oyster shots- I am still thinking about them days later, served chilled in a shot glass with horseradish. Yumm!!!! - gnochhi- the only thing on the menu we didn't love. I'd skip this. - pork belly bowl- very good - kale- absolutely delicious - tuna poke- Holy cow. The best thing I have probably ever eaten. Insanely fresh and well-seasoned. An absolute must!! read more

As I recalled, my dinner companion and I went to PIDGIN in the spring. We heard rave reviews about the restaurant and the controversy of gentrification in Gastown. Anyways, for those who don't know, they have a pre-fix menu, which is fine as we always love to spoil ourselves. Good was good, casual atmosphere however a bit too noisy for my companions liking. I really enjoyed the water melon infused cocktail. The wasabi oyster shot was interesting nonetheless. read more

PiDGiN - Watermelon infused cocktail. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My group and I had a very bad experience here. The manager was one of the most condescending and disrespectful people I have ever witnessed dining out. He completely lost his cool multiple times as my group asked him simple questions about our service. He was not listening to us our concerns whatsoever. He ended up crumbling up our receipt and throwing it. Our actual waiter was very kind and helpful, but the manager and his horrible attitude are why I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. My group of women and I are convinced he would never speak to a group of men the way he spoke to us. Here is what happened: we made a reservation for 8:45pm on Saturday. We showed up on time and were told that we would have to wait a few minutes, which we thought was fine considering it was a busy Saturday night. After waiting about 25 minutes, we were told our table still wasn't ready, so they moved us to some seats at the bar and even gave us some glasses of champagne. While that gesture was appreciated, we still were not seated until 9:45pm (an hour after our reservation). An hour wait is definitely too long for a reservation, but we remained patient. We ordered drinks and food almost right away because we were very hungry after waiting so long. We were told it was family style, so we ordered accordingly, but didn't know what to expect because it was our first time there. We ordered a couple of dishes and decided we would order more if need be. 10 minutes after we were seated and ordered, we were told the kitchen was closing for the night. This was an issue for a couple of reasons. First, we had waited an hour to be seated for our reservation. Second, we were under the impression we could evaluate if the amount food would be sufficient after we had the first couple of dishes. The manager came over and said we needed to put in our additional orders if we wanted more food. We said we had never been there before and that we didn't know if had ordered enough. Again, we were not told until minutes before that the kitchen would be closing. The manager absolutely lost his cool and starting arguing with us when we asked some questions about the menu, the kitchen's closure, and our wait time. He thought he went above and beyond by giving us champagne, but this was obviously not enough... we still needed to eat. He was arguing with us in an extremely disrespectful demeanor for 10 minutes. He told us that we completely wasted 10 minutes of his time by asking a couple of questions. He was NOT listening to us our concerns whatsoever. He claimed we were asking the kitchen staff to stay open later. We absolutely did not ask that. When I asked him what he would do in this situation, he told us all to never come back (as if we ever would after this, LOL). He then printed our receipt and left it on the table... only to come back, crumble it up, and throw it. It was one of the most unprofessional things I have experienced. I truly cannot believe someone like this could ever be in a customer facing position or running a restaurant. I feel very sorry for the employees who have to deal with his disrespectful and rude attitude. read more

Undeniably one of the best restaurants in western Canada, your experience starts walking to the unassuming building. Don't let the area deter you, once you've past the dark alleys the venue itself is warm and romantic. Service here is on point and regal without the pretentious feel of fine dining snobbery. The food here is spectacular I mean really DELICIOUS! Hands down the best meal I've had in awhile. The attention to detail and the playfulness of the 8-course tasting menu was fantastic. The prices are well...There's an anecdote about divorce: Do you know why divorce is so expensive? Because it's worth it. Same with a meal at Pidgin. So worth it. read more

We heard about this restaurant quite a while back but never quite got around to actually going til a few days ago. AND it was fantastic. Love the fusion of east/west. We will definitely come back! read more

PiDGiN - Mad-Delish!!! - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Oh yes, uber trendy and packed. We got with the ambiance and mood and enjoyed out pork belly with rice, shishito peppers and bone marrow, two of us eating lightly at our second restaurant of the evening. Washed down with rotating Dukes Martini served at -12, oh yes this was good, It's a state of mind methinks and we decided to go with the flow. Definitely worth a stop for creativity and a taste of something different. read more

This was my 4th visit over the last 5 years and the evolution of Pidgin is certainly in the right direction. We marveled at all of the fresh distinctive flavours in each dish and across all of the courses of the tasting menu. The citrusy white asparagus was an amazing experience in itself but the poached spring salmon with torched skin and venison tartare were also standouts. Enjoyed a nice Californian pinot noir that we brought for the $1 corkage (Sundays/Mondays). From the raw oyster shot appetizer right through to the beautifully presented Pavlova (the crunchy sweet meringue balanced by a tart berry coulis), there wasn't anything we would have changed. The pace of the meal was perfect for the occasion and service was friendly, informative and performed by professional wait staff who really care about the food. Lots of reasons to make Pidgin a more regular destination. Kudos to the entire team! read more