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Rens Cafe & Bistro

4.1 (35 reviews)
Closed • 11:30 am - 9:15 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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Teresa C.

Checked out this Thai restaurant which offers slight twists to some classic dishes. We got the bean paste string beans, beef steak salad, pad thai, and chicken wings. Overall we found the flavours a bit underwhelming or not balanced for the price we paid for. Quite pricey. Think there are cheaper options for similar tastes.

Kathryn W.

Went here with a group of friends and was surprised to see how large the restaurant was. Definitely suitable for large groups. The decor is quite modern and pretty. Overall the food was good and I would go back again. It has good variety on the menu and some great appetizers to share. The staff were super friendly and helped us take a bunch of group photos.

Lychee-ito, with pomelo tuna sashimi salad and tom kaa gai soup behind
Karyn H.

A fabulous new discovery. Just driving by and needed food--we'll definitely return. I had the pomelo tuna sashimi salad and tom kaa gai (sp?) soup, with a virgin lychee-ito cocktail. All delicious, especially the salad: an unusual but very successful mix of sweet and salt with the freshness of the tuna.

Green Curry with Chicken
Andrea M.

Food was amazingly delicious! We enjoyed the Pad Thai with Prawns, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Yellow Curry. Portions are generous and each dish had the right amount of flavour, not too salty, not too bland. It was very spot on and will be adding this place to one of our top Thai places. We initially ordered the Yellow Curry because it did not have a spicy pepper beside it indicating it's spice level. However, it was quite spicy for us, but luckily we had drinks! The second time we went with family, we requested that it be way less spicy which they were able to do! There was still heat, but definitely more manageable for those who's spicy tolerance wasn't high. Ambiance is very warm and cozy. When you walk in, it feels like you've been taken to somewhere tropical. It was surprisingly pleasant and enjoyable. Staff were very friendly. Food did take some time on both occasions, but well worth the wait! Would definitely recommend trying this place out! :)

Mango sticky rice
Heize C.

I would have given them 5 stars, but the service was just okay--probably because they were quite busy. The mango sticky rice took about 20 minutes to come out, but it made up for the wait! It tasted really good, and I found it interesting that their sticky rice is a darker color compared to the usual white sticky rice--food coloring, maybe? I'm a huge fan of mango sticky rice, and this didn't disappoint. Their dishes are on the higher end price-wise compared to other Thai restaurants, but the quality is good.

Chicken wings
Gabriel Y.

This restaurant has an amazing atmosphere, since from outside to inside. Their menu is attempting, which makes you pick all the options. For this time, we ordered the spring rolls, chicken wings and Tom Kha chicken noodles soup with pasta. All these options were really good, but the soup was divine. Good service, including the robot.

Satay and chicken wings
Carmen P.

They were definitely short staffed that night with a few large groups celebrating birthdays. The mains came out before some appetizers which didn't really phase us but there's a long wait in between dishes. Rice came out towards the end so we ate the mains on its own for a bit. Satay wasn't too bad and the chicken wings were flavourful. The papaya salad unfortunately was a miss as it was quite bland and it didn't help that it was $20+. Short rib, tom yum, pad thai and green curry all turned out great. Great atmosphere and good for large groups as well. Unfortunately, their coffee robot was broken and their robot delivering dishes had a mind of its own which was entertaining to see it wandering around.

Looking towards Hastings Streer from the booths in the back
Amelia P.

After sampling some of their food at Hats Off Day in June, we finally got around to going inside and having a meal. Lovely, airy, tropical ambiance with many real palm plants (& some fake plants up high). It was a really hot day and we chose to avoid the sun filled outer covered glass courtyard and instead sat in a large air conditioned booth in the back. Temperature was perfect. The restaurant filled up and got very busy for lunch. There's a lot of competition for Thai food on the Heights and we are happy to finally have this new option which can accommodate larger groups! We had a Thai iced tea which was ordered with reduced sweetness and was just perfect. The mango mocktail was like a delicious dessert and the homemade ginger ale was very tasty. We all ordered different pad Thai dishes and gobbled them down completely even though they were generous portions. You can ask for your food to be made spicy, mild spicy, sweet, not too sweet, etc. so it's curious to me that others give poor reviews because the food was too bland! Be sure to try the mango or durian sticky rice. Service was really good. Even though it got more and more busy, we received a second carafe of water without asking! Prompt service and easy bill paying at our table. Parking is available in the city parking lot behind the restaurant or on the street. Large clean bathrooms. Wish I had come here sooner. We will be back with friends! Nothing to complain about! Try it.

Chicken Tofu Pad Thai
Amanda J.

New Thai place that took over a former greek restaurant. Conveniently located near the bus loop somewhat, street parking and they take reservations. Really cute interior with a nature wood greenery type of vibe. Heaters on the ceiling so it can get a bit toasty. Wasn't able to try the robot coffee though was hoping to. Originally stumbled here to have brunch but they didn't offer it anymore. So decided to try some of their other items. The drinks were cute and probably the best part. I'm not sure if it's because the restaurant was so new that maybe it was a one off experience but the food was just average. The curry was also a bit runny and not thicker like how i would have liked it. You have to order rice it doesn't actually come with it. Service was nothing to complain about. They speak english and food came at a reasonable speed. Washrooms were clean and they do take credit card/ cash / debit ..

Seafood medley
Celina L.

My first time here and I loooove the ambience! Sat in the covered patio which was a beautiful nice bright space and it was warm out but not super sunny so I didn't feel hot inside. Service was also good, the waiters were all super polite LOL we got the seafood medley (great sauce!), pomelo tuna salad (so refreshing herby and citrusy!) and the chicken pad Thai (good, flavourful and standard). Definitely will be coming back :)

Green Curry Sous Vide Chicken
Judy J.

Thai Place in Burnaby located in the Burnaby Heights area. Originally came thinking we could get brunch than found out brunch is only on weekdays. I asked when they think they will open up Brunch for weekends but the just kept saying it's only available on weekdays. The menu still says "weekdays only for now". Seems to be possible that would imply possibly on weekends in the future. I digress but figure I'm not the only one that thought the "for now" part was misleading. This place is quite large. Spacious and many tables for larger family style groups. The covered outside portion is probably not ideal on really cold or really hot days. If sitting under the heater, it's going to be overwhelming hot, on a hot summer day, I imagine it to feel like a sauna. Tried a few dishes/drinks with the party. Meat Lovers Platter - Fairly large portions of protein. The grilled squid was plentiful albeit a few pieces were quite cold and rubbery near the end of the meal. I liked the sauce options. Something for everyone. Thai Chicken Green Curry - A bit heavy on the sweet profile and more coconut milk like but still a light spice. Personally prefer more spice, less milk. Chicken Pad Thai - Large pieces of chicken with some tofu pieces. Noodles were cooked right, not too soggy, not overly firm. Again, I think this was too sweet. Was searching for that thai spice profile. Drinks were disappointing for me. I ordered the Rainy Butterfly expecting the drink to at least resemble the pictures. Bear in mind I asked the server if they could actually make the drink look like the picture. She confidently told me that could she I expected it to resemble the picture. It did not. Don't be fooled. What you get will not be blue (light or dark). Drink itself wasnt even that good. It tasted more like fizzy soda. Yes, I asked the server if this was the right drink. She again claimed it was. Thai Milk Tea- standard. Nothing too fault. All in all, happy to see the new spot but price/ flavor, there are other places I'm more fond of. Those looking for fusion may appreciate this place more. I may still venture one day for brunch if I catch it on a staycation day.

Cynthia S.

Came by for a girls night to have their meat lovers platter and tom yum soup. The tom yum soup was divine and full of seafood. But the meat lovers platter wasn't very impressive. The meat skewers were dry, squid wasn't very fresh and the chicken wings could have been crispier.

Front of restaurant~
Edward L.

Solid Thai place in Burnaby Heights. Parking is available on Hastings, as well as on the side streets. The place is split into 3 dining areas. The best seating is on the R side, towards the front. Nice enclosed patio with skylights. Staff here have Chinese accents. I inquired, and they mentioned the owner is Chinese, but the head chef is Thai. Good enough. Staff are friendly and professional. The menu selection isn't the largest here (maybe 10 items at most?), but it's the stuff that everyone orders. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. Pad kra pow - stir fried pork on rice. Great flavour. Chili gives it a nice kick. Pad thai - sweet and actually tastes like tamarind. I had the chicken option. It was good. Sukho thai noodle soup - slices of meat in curry broth, served with potato, cilantro, and some crispy noodles on top. Also comes with pickled vegetables, onions, and a slice of lime on the side. Tasty. I guess my only complaint is that the portion sizes are a bit small. Hopefully they increase it in the future. Other than that, I'd eat here again. Quality is good. Recommended.

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5 months ago

Really tasty -- I absolutely love the ribs! Tender, juicy, full of flavor, and perfectly cooked.

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6 months ago

This is amazing Thai restaurant!!! I love the food and service there! And the environment is also very comfortable.

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1 year ago

Tasty food and yummy milk tea! Cool and stylish atmosphere. The service was very nice.

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Rens Cafe & Bistro Reviews in Other Languages

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Bar Corso - Stuffed squid?

Bar Corso

4.3(31 reviews)
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The Blind Rabbit

The Blind Rabbit

2.9(12 reviews)
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with me being the g&t fanatic (and gin queen essentially), this bar was on my list ever since i…read moreknew it opened. a, being the ever supporting foodie frd, is on the gin wagon too so...this was the last stop on our oct adventure. covid measures were hand sanitizer and contact info reg. the tables were spaced out, with plexiglass dividers for booths. one of the parties that came in during our time there said that there might be more people coming, and the server was good on reminding them of the whole 6 people limitation. we were both still pretty full frm the lunch lady coma, so we ordered g&ts to start off right away. our server was very helpful with recommendations and answering any questions we had abt the list of gin (and there's a lot!) that they had. blind rabbit has their house tonic, which is not as sweet as ones that i've had before. there is also the soda option as well. after the first drink, we were feeling like some munchies so we got the blind rabbit board. the board was def quite a spread and we both loved the extra touch of grilling the focaccia - it added a nice toastiness to the bread. loved the grainy mustard - still love salt's guinness one more tho. the pate that came with the board was very good - it was not overly rich and the pepper that was in it was a nice jolt of spice. a had 2 more g&ts while i had 1 g&t and another french75 to end the night. there were so many more gins on the menu that i didn't try and i saw the handhelds (panins and sliders) that looked good as well - there will be another visit to this place for sure!

My friends and I go there on occasion, in the beginning it was good service and good food , it also…read morehad a nice ambiance and a little outdoor patio But the last few visits were horrible the food was so so , the service sucked the guy at the bar was very rude and unhelpful when parts of the menu were unreadable. Talk about a bad attitude, anyways being said I vowed never to go back there again . It's looking like a failing business, cause with a bad attitude will not go to far, when treating the clients like that. I also tell my clients about that place too. And I work in the area so I'm not giving anyone a positive feedback on this joint.

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I have a friend who loves to drink so when he was back in town, I bookmarked this place to bring…read morehim to as I saw many great reviews and pictures. In summary, the place was ok, but noticed after the fact that we were overcharged for the drinks. It's a small space - about 3 high tables, one lower one, each seating 4 to maybe at most 5 people, plus a bar. I reserved a table for the 2 of us at 3:30 pm on a Sunday (earliest reservation they had as they open at 3 pm) and we were seated at 3 pm. They checked our vaccine passports and then seated us. Not long after we were seated, the remaining tables were all taken just after opening for 30 minutes so I would recommend reserving if you prefer tables over bar seating. The waitress brought over a drinks menu and food menu. The menu showed cocktails at $13. We chose our drinks and ordered, then the waitress came by with a second menu that she said was for Sunday only. She apologized and said she normally doesn't work Sunday's so she didn't know this promotional menu was available. This menu had some cocktails on promotion that I would have not minded to try, but I had already received my cocktail. Oh well. I had the Violet and Claire, which looked great and tasted pretty good for the first half. However by the second half of the drink, it started to taste too sweet. It was not bad for a cocktail, overall. My friend said the Smoke Between the Sheets cocktail was alright as well. We got our bills quickly as we had a second place to visit afterwards. After paying, I snapped a picture of the bill at the time but did not notice until I got home that to my surprise, each cocktail was listed on the bill at $14.95. I recalled their physical menu saying $13, and verified this with their menu online. Unfortunately, I did not notice the discrepancy until I was home, otherwise I would have mentioned something. Note that our visit was at the end of November 2021, and at the time I'm writing this review (December 26, 2021), their online menu still has cocktail prices at $13. So, I am not sure if this was a one time mistake when we paid, or if they have just forgotten to update their menu? Either way, this was disappointing. Because of the entire experience I probably won't visit again, especially with all the other options Vancouver has for cocktails.

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Claudio's

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3.8(52 reviews)
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Nomo Nomo

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4.7(24 reviews)
3.8 km•The Drive, Grandview-Woodlands

The food was amazing, the service prompt, and I'd say the only slight downside is it's a bit…read morecramped. Oh, and it's a bit pricey--grateful we were visiting and had a favorable exchange rate. I'd describe it as more "nouveau Japanese" than a typical izakaya place (I was expecting ramen and fried food when my daughter said we were going to an izakaya), but it FAR EXCEEDED my expectations. We enjoyed the salmon, tuna, red crab, and hamachi and each was a creative delight, both in flavor combinations and presentation. They even were kind enough to adjust the serving sizes as some dishes had 2 pcs but we had 3 people, so they added a piece to accommodate (charging accordingly, of course).

Was recommended to try this izakaya bar from a friend and it was quite an experience!…read more The vibe inside felt like retro Japan, with various anime and Japanese inspired artwork. They also had a TV playing episodes of Naruto which was a throwback to my childhood, but in a very classy way.  The service overall was also fantastic. They were all very friendly, and were able to answer our questions related to the menu, providing recommendations based on what we liked for both drinks and food, but honestly, given the quality of everything we ordered, any item on their menu would hit the spot.  We ordered the Tonka, Kuri, Mango and Ume. Of the four we thought the Kuri and Ume were the most delicious, with the Kuri tasting the most unique. For food, we ordered the BGB King Salmon, Prawn Toast, Red Crab, Hamachi Tartare and the Ice Cream Sando. Each item was meticulously prepared. Our favourite was the Red Crab, as the blend of crab, tamago salad, truffle, on a toasted piece of milk bread, was fantastic, our favourite bite of the night. The hamachi tartare was my second favourite, as each delicious bite was complimented by the fried noodles on the side. We had a fantastic experience overall. Great service, food, and vibes inside. Seating did feel a bit cramped however nothing out of the ordinary for an izakaya. Would 100% return to try the other cocktails on their menu and eat another bite of the Red Crab. Side note, the audio in the washroom was a pleasant surprise!

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4.3(363 reviews)
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I came here because they were ranked 7th in North America's best bars in the World's 50 Best, and…read morethey were deserving of the title! They're located in Chinatown and I love that they lean into the Asian theme with the apothecary and medicinal themed drinks. The service is super friendly and the ambiance is intimate but lively. All the cocktails we had here were amazing! I don't like martinis but I decided to try one again here, since I figured that if I don't like this one, I won't like any martini. The Forager's Martini was actually super refreshing. It was ice cold in a carafe and I felt that it was more of a 50/50 martini. It was botanical forward and had a lot of complexity. I still prefer other cocktails but it definitely changed my mind on martinis. Another stand out to me was the Gimme S'more. It was a seasonal drink so they might not have it when you go, but it tasted just like a mix of s'mores and champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate). The drink had the pumpernickel toasty flavors of rye, and mixed with the cocoa, amaro, and cayenne gave it complexity and a hint of spice at the back of the palate. The graham cracker foam on top added the s'mores vibe since it tasted exactly like a graham cracker. Another non-seasonal drink I really liked was the Fantasy Island. It kinda reminded me of a cosmopolitan with its tart fruit forward flavors. The strawberry, rhubarb, and pomegranate worked together to make a perfect sweet and sour balance. The egg white added structure and a foam to the drink which I really enjoyed and contributed to the velvety mouthfeel.

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Fantasy Island

Rens Cafe & Bistro - thai - Updated October 2026

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