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Cobre
Category: Restaurants Latin American Latin American [Edit]
52 Powell StVancouver, BC V6A 1E7
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Gastown
(604) 669-2396
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
53 reviews for Cobre
Review Highlights
"The boar belly was definitely one of my favorite."
(in 11 reviews)
"...are the quinoa salad, pulled duck tacos and boar belly."
(in 4 reviews)
"...three tapas dishes, bread, dessert (dulce de leche -- yum."
(in 7 reviews)
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53 reviews in English
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Review from TheHungryNomad E.
Vancouver, BC
12/9/2011
I love the concept of tapas because it gives you the most selection and a range of flavours for your food palette. Cobre offers just that. A long list of tapas ranging in recipes from Peru to Spain. They also bring the tapas according to the number of people at your table... so you won't be fighting for the last piece.
See my blogpost for photos: http://hungrynomadeats... -
Review from Dee B.
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
We ate a lot, so this is going to be a list style review:
- Margaritas on the rocks (best margarita I've ever had PS)
- Qualicum beach diver caught scallops buttter browned fresh hearts of palm, coconut bisque
- Cornbread azul famoso y sweet chili butter
- Pemberton meadows pulled beef croquette
- White corn free range chicken taquitos fresh house garlic guac, cholula
- Pulled duck and cracklin'y charred scallion, roasted garlic taco's x2
- Local albacore tuna y pipian rojo azteca warm Peruvian double smoked bacon causa
- Maple chipotle tamarind glazed wild boar belly chicharon y patacones
- Char grilled Pemberton Meadows flat iron steak Tijuana baby ceasar y chorizo buttermilk mashed papas
I know this is a mouthful, but I had to copy and paste from the menu because I really wouldn't know else how to describe what we ate.
Everything was absolutely fantastic. For 4 people who drink a lot and all of the above, the bill came to $275 tip in. Not bad, not bad for food of this quality.
Hands down, best Latin food Vancouver has to offer. -
Review from Lisa Marie M.
Vancouver, BC
10/19/2011
We came here one night when my mom was in town.
Not a place she would normally try, and I checked Yelp, and it said that it was open until 2am.
When we arrived, we were told that NO they are certainly NOT open til 2am so perhaps someone should change that on this page, to prevent disappointment for the late night crowd.
Although it was last call for the kitchen, they did seat us.
We were starving, and asked what was fast. The very friendly and helpful waiter suggested the
Sea salt y chipotle dusted fry bread. It was fresh hot and very tasty.
For drinks, my Mom had a beer, I had the rose sangria, and my boyfriend had a most delicious El Jimador margarita (salted & on the rocks). I had a sip and it was one of the best margaritas i have ever tasted!
We had limited time, so we ordered a selection of tapas.
Some of the highlites included-
-White corn free range chicken taquitos
fresh house garlic guac, cholula
-Qualicum beach diver caught scallops
butter browned fresh hearts of palm, coconut bisque
-Char grilled Pemberton Meadows flat iron steak
Tijuana baby ceasar chorizo buttermilk mashed papas ( my least favorite)
There was more but I can't remember - all I know us it was amazingly yummy food and I will return indeed! -
Review from Hootie J.
Vancouver, BC
12/23/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Another great place in Gastown, food is good, service has always been great. Worthwhile place to stop and the boar belly is to die for
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Review from Sarah O.
Updated - 5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Double Frown.
After being away for so long, recently I came back to Cobre, one of my favorite restaurants, and it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. I admit I'm a little bit devastated. The waiter kept getting our order wrong, the arepa was way too chewy, the rockfish was bland (although it was perfect texture) and the scallop dish was tiny! They even switched serving the wine into a water cup. AND. They took one of the best wines off their menu.
I'm so sad! Say it ain't so!Listed in: Dream Team 2009
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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1/5/2010
Came here for NYE dinner. For $100 a person, there was 5 memorable dishes that I'm still drooling… Read more »
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Review from Justin M.
Vancouver, BC
Great Choices on the Menu - I've never had Elk before and the tapas plate it came on had these soft and tender, gamey pieces of meat which were excellent. The service was attentive and knowlegeable, which was a plus with some of the items being an unknown for me.
The highlight without a doubt was the Chipotle Tamarind Maple Wild Boar Belly Tapas. OMG, a flavour explosion and it just melts in your mouth. I am going back for that dish alone!
We were recommended to have 4 dishes to start with, as we were quite hungry, but I would recommend for 2 people to start with 2-3 dishes and go from there.
They also did a decent bourbon sour in a chilled dining atmosphere. Will become a regular I am sure. -
Review from Nikki N.
Vancouver, BC
11/8/2011
Went here tonight for a birthday dinner. Food was great, the portions are small for the price but is a great place for a special occasion if you wanna spend a little more.
We had a charred tomatoe soup, shrimp ceviche (to die for), shrimp tacos, scallops and the boar belly. The boar belly was definitely one of my favorite! All the ingredients were fresh and full of flavor.
Server was great, food came quick and we never had to wait too long for each dish to come they served it in perfect order and even if there was a large birthday party present the ambiance of the restaurant was great.
Highly recommend this place. -
Review from Tori B.
10/7/2011
good caprihanas
bison rib eye w/blue cheese
caprese
yum -
Review from Thomas B.
6/9/2011
My wife and I were both thrilled with this place. They are firing on all cylinders. The salad with quinoa and Brazil nuts was so refreshing. The dishes are tapas style and the salad can definitely be shared by 2 or 3 people.
The scallop tapa with some amazing sauce we literally wiped clean. It wasn't hard to do with the blue corn bread with chili butter that my wife described as the best ever. The lamb tapa will be my most memorable dish it came with 3 slider like pieces of shredded pork on a potato bed with the perfectly cooked lamb pieces on top. simply perfect.
We also had a few drinks off their cocktail menu and although they were probably more unique than awesome, still definitely worth trying. -
Review from Anthony C.
12/10/2010 ROTD 3/31/2011
I was pleasantly surprised by Cobre. After stopping by for a quick solo drink once, I had the impression that this place was overbearing and overpriced, but when my old man offered to treat me I agreed to have another go.
The snob factor is palpable in an unsophisticated way, but the quality of service, food, and overall experience is actually very high. In my opinion no level of quality warrants unwelcoming snobbery (like a scowling hostess), but that's just me. I did like it though, so back to the good...
The setting is ideal (at least for me): in the heart of Gastown, just off Maple Tree Square, in a cozy but modern 3-level room with an open kitchen and adequate bar, the dimly lit space offers a great combination of excitement and romance, perfect for dates or other small, intimate occasions.
The food is delicious and ample. As I mentioned above, I was initially turned off by the prices (for tapas) but after trying a few I can safely say it's worth it. The portions are generous (once again, for tapas) and the slight twists on classic latin food make for an upscale feel much closer to that of a fine French restaurant than the typical Mexican place, even if there are tacos and empanadas on the menu.
Nice touches include cucumber water served as you sit down and a clientele that tends to be exceedingly easy on the eyes. On the particular evening in question, behind me was seated a lone gentleman accompanied by no less than seven(7) of the finest examples of feminine beauty I have yet to encounter on my many worldly adventures. Seven! No doubt this gentleman is an anomaly, an outlier as it were, but nonetheless the image is seared in my mind, ever associated with Cobre.
Even if it's not filled with Sirens and a highly favorable ratio, I'll surely return here to at least daydream over a fine cocktail, delectable nuevo latino cuisine, and sip of cucumber water now and again.Listed in: A Gastown Jaunt
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Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
3/24/2011
DATE NIGHT!!! This is a charming place, a perfect spot for a late nibbley date night...
Yes, I went on a DATE NIGHT here with my wife last week... I was charmed. The server boy was adorable.. I heart tapas. I love how they are rowed and piled. It was a semi-pricier experience than what I'm usually going for but it sure made for a lovely... DATE NIGHT....
Try the prawns. I swear they're delicious! -
Review from Rebecca J.
Vancouver, BC
5/19/2011
I love this place. Consistently good food and service makes it a safe bet, that's still a little bit special.
It's tapas style dining and I don't think I've ever had anything on the menu I didn't enjoy. The ceviche is always fab; the boar belly on the plantains melts in your mouth, and the eggplant empanadas are, well, divine.
Was there again a couple of nights ago and the service, as usual, was great. Friendly, knowledgeable and just the right amount of checking in.
It's not a cheap place to dine, but it's also not outrageous and I think you get good value for your money. We had an order of ceviche, three tapas dishes, bread, dessert (dulce de leche -- yum!), and essentially two bottles of wine (when will I learn that ordering by the glass is false economy when I've got a weak will when it comes to wine?). The bill was $200, including tax and tip. -
Review from Doug G.
I think I'm in love . . .
Cobre, you have been on my bookmark list for months. Even though I don't usually like tapas, there was something different about you. But today, finally, our first date. And from the moment we met, I knew I was in love.
You don't look like much from the outside, but you tempted me with your tastefully decorated, cozy interior. Then you surprised me with the delicious Black bean and ham hock soup (so creamy, so tasty) and Cornbread azul. Then, when I was licking my soup bowl clean, you presented me with flat iron steak on a bed of chorizo buttermilk mashed potatos. Yum. And when I thought you couldn't do anything to impress me more, you pushed me over the top with the Maple chipotle tamarind glazed wild boar belly chicharon - amazing!
Oh yes, I'm in love. And before I left, an incredible Pastel tres leches - what a way to end our first date.
Cobre, I'll be back.Listed in: Buried Treasures
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Review from claudia r.
Vancouver, BC
11/9/2010
I love this place.
It's great for a date, a catch up dinner with friends, or even with your mom. Mine loved it.
I highly recommended the chicken taquitos and the peruvian tacu tacu with roasted garlic, eggplant y chevre. Not something I would usually pick out of a menu but a co-worker suggested it and it was amazing!
It's a neat room and I have always found the service to be friendly and unpretentious. I'm surprised at the complaints at pricey- the tapas top out at $15, and you only need two or three for two people. We had a great bottle of wine at $42.
I'll definitely go back again. -
Review from Ray c.
10/27/2010
Well, so we actually did not make it to the table to tell you about the food.
We hear it is Good, really good. We made rezies for 7 of us. We are told only availabilities are at 6pm or 9:30pm. Cool. We will get there on the early side 6pm. We arrive. The place is empty: Shade and tude central, this distinctly disdainful young lady (with unattractive tattoo) told us they don't accept rezies for more than 6 people. Not sure who gave us a rezie for 7, the day before. She offered to sit us at table for 6 but we would have to LEAVE by 8:30pm.
Not impressed... especially since we were the only ones in the restaurant.
So we went across the street to Chill Winston, totally different vibe, friendly, great server, good mood.
Note to management: Customer want to eat here, let them. Educate Hostess on the concept of accommodating large parties when place is not busy. Smile. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 8/19/2010
* Consistent *
Went back for another dinner here to check out the consistency.
Had some of the same dishes as last time, and some new ones as well.
The highlight of the new dishes I tried was the scallop dish. These were very large scallops which were perfectly seared and still very rare inside. Just the way I like them. They were topped with some small fried onions for texture and plated with sauteed heart of palm (which was the perfect consistency), on top of a coconut "bisque." The coconut "bisque" was more of a coconut cream sauce. The name was off, but the taste was delicious as it pulled together the flavours of the scallops and the heart of palm beautifully.
I figured I would try the sablefish dish again, and once again the fry bread was not as hot as it should be. WTF? I guess that is how they mean to serve it? Not sure why. Otherwise it is a lovely dish where the perfectly cooked sablefish is served on top of a salsa verde with a crispy piece of serrano ham, on top of a chili dusted frybread. But they should seriously put the fry bread down fresh when they plate it!
One of our desserts was again the dulce de leche, and again it was a good housemade version served in a martini glass parfait style. But once again the churro tasted like an afterthought as it was room temperature instead of hot. Perhaps they have a fryer that only works for the first half hour each night?!?!?!?! Hm......
Overall a pleasant second meal and they are definitely consistent (on both the good and the minor less than good!).Listed in: Vancouver Latin and Caribbean…, Rewards Network Joy, Quack!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/2/2010
* Nouveau Latin with excellent service *
Have you ever had an incredibly good server that was truly… Read more »
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Review from Laura D.
11/22/2010
Amazing food & cocktails!
Delicious modern Latino cuisine. You MUST try the 'Lamb bondiga y mole, sardo parmesan browned garlic popcorn' devine!
Great interior with lovely ambience for a romantic dinner or small group dinner with friends or family. -
Review from Lee N.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 7/28/2011
The pisco sours are now the best in town. We sat at the bar and ordered the menu for the 3 of us, things that normally are in fours they piled into 3 servings, the best were the scallops and the wild boar. It is full again which is nice to see as it was a little empty last year a couple of Friday nights I stopped in.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/2/2009
I like Latin food and I love Cobre. It has flank steak done the way flank steak should be handled.… Read more »
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Review from C R.
Vancouver, BC
8/20/2011
I've been to Cobre 4 times and finally decided it is 5 stars. The atmosphere was dead on for a date night (twice), group of 6 women just for desserts (once) and with another couple (once). A very reliable place to bring visitors from out of town, it is not too trendy and not pretentious.
The cucumber water is a great touch and I recommend always starting with the Fry Bread, which is on point with the right about of spices. It is not filling and a wonderful side or start to the meal. I've tried nearly everything on the menu and each time ended with the pork belly. It is DELISH - melts in your mouth with the right amount flavor. The elk is a little gamey, even for me, who loves game meat. I can't think of anything I didn't like on the menu and the salad with the quinoa and brazil nuts was surprisingly tasty and filling.
The servers always tell you to start with 4-5 dishes but I agree with past entries and think it's good to start with 3 if you're with one other person, especially if you're ending the dinner with the pork belly, which is very rich.
The dulce de leche dessert is an A+ with 2 chewy churros (clearly made in-house) to dip with.
Check it out. -
Review from David K.
North Vancouver, BC
4/13/2010
When the server comes over and ask 'Is this your first time here? Let me tell you how it works!' I want to flee. In the case of Cobre, we probably should have.
Mediocre oily reheated-tasting small plates, pathetic selection of beer, etc.
The nearby table with two strippers got far better service than our 4-top, but I'd have done the same.... -
Review from Heather M.
Vancouver, BC
7/18/2011
Amidst a flurry of fabulous eateries in Vancouver's Gastown district, Cobre is definitely a stand-out. If you're looking for good atmosphere, knowledgeable servers and fresh and inventive dishes, you've come to the right place. I've been eating at Cobre on and off since it opened, and lately I find myself popping in once a week to take friends and family from out of town. I consistently have a good experience here and I love that they change up the menu every few months depending on what's in season. If you're visiting Vancouver, I'd recommend Cobre in my top 5 restaurants to try. If you live here and haven't been - do it!
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Review from Tvd T.
Vancouver, BC
10/14/2010
Great food (recommended: flatiron steak, mexican prawns, beef croquettes). Pricey. Crap service, but perhaps thats because they had the B team working, who knows. Nice atmosphere. Currently very trendy, but that service better improve to match the prices.
But go for the food. Very very good food. -
Review from Peter M.
Vancouver, BC
4/21/2010
Cobre was great.
It's a tapas place, spanish/latin style, around $12-15 each. The menu is quite small, but everything we tried was very tasty.. including the steak and rock fish tacos.
I wouldn't go here on an empty stomach unless you want to dole out a whole bunch of 'dinero'.. but it's a good place for a drink and a few tapas plates.
They have a few local beers for around $3.50 each, which I think is pretty good for Vancouver. The space is nice and laid back. I think it would be a great date spot. Service was good. -
Review from Gale L.
Vancouver, BC
5/16/2010 13 Check-ins Here
Good food and good people in a striking space a stones throw from home, I've been a regular at Cobre pretty much since they opened.
The menu is flavourful ... my favorites are the quinoa salad, pulled duck tacos and boar belly. The rock fish tacos are good too and so is the charred tomato tortilla soup and the flatiron steak.
The portions are ample for me and not badly priced. The chef and servers: friendly and accommodating.
If I didn't have pea soup in the fridge I'd go there right now!Listed in: Restaurants
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Review from I-Inspire W.
Vancouver, BC
10/28/2010
Definnitely in my top 5 for restaurants...
Everything is amazing... i'm definitely a repeat customer and take clients and friends there when i want to impress.... good music and great service. -
Review from Vincci L.
5/4/2010 4 photos
Cobre is one of those places that I've always wanted to try, but just never got around to it.
For my friend's belated birthday dinner, I decided to go here. I made a reservation for 7pm. We arrive on time, and were seated immediately; we even got our choice of table!
I like the 2 level layout of this place. We sat right by the railing, so we got to look down at the entrance. Windows overlook Gastown, and brick walls line the restaurant.
We start off with a pitcher of Caprihina.Birthday celebrations calls for pitchers! This arrived...but it was super super sour...so we asked politely for some sugar syrup, and the waiter offered to bring it back to the bar and get it reshaken. Second round was a lot better, sweeter, and I like my drinks sweet.
Onto the food. There was only the dine out menu available. My friend and I decided that we would order different dishes so we can try out more things.
1)Battered Baja rockfish, jicama slaw y chipotle ajo aioli
2)Pulled duck and cracklin' y charred scallion, roasted garlic
The first 2 were on tacos, and it actually came out to be 4 mini ones! The duck one was good; the roasted garlic went well with it. Rockfish was fresh, but this one was lacking a bit of flavour and a bit dry.
3)White corn free range chicken taquitos, with fresh house guacamole, cholula
These taquitos weren't too much better than the late night taquitos I get from 7-11. Really. Ok, the fresh guacamole was probably what made it good. There was nothing great about these, and they were hard to cut through too. Not the best as an entree.
4)Wild Mexican sea prawns,with Pipian verde, and butter browned corn arepas
Three large prawns and corn cakes. A little bit spicy, but this dish was flavourful, and good. I liked this one.
5) Dessert- Dulce de Leche with a tamrind butterscotch, whipped cream and a cinnamon esspresso churro
This was basically a heap of dulce de leche, with a mini sized churro, and by mini, I mean MINI. (Refer the pictures.) I would have preferred more churro and less dulce. Although I must admit, the dulce de leche was really good, and so was the churro.
Service was ok throughout the night. Since they booked everyone at the same time, they were basically bringing out food for our whole section. It almost felt like it was one of those banquet dinners where they bring all the food out altogether. I guess there wasn't a problem with that, but it just wasn't personalized service.
One more complaint-the food was never hot...sometimes even almost cold. I like my food to be fresh and hot. I will give this place another chance by coming here on a regular dinner night and trying out their regular menu and drinks (they have a rose sangria!) -
Review from Rose N.
Vancouver, BC
7/12/2010
Great theme and setting, but food not to exciting and pricey
Atmosphere: Fantastic setting with many seating options, 3 floors. They do need air conditioning because we sat at bar and it was almost unbearable with almost no air coming in. Kitchen was exposed, so that didn't mitigate the matter.
Food: I have never been to Latin country or have any Latino friends, so my review on food may not be as accurate or have much credibility. However, my friend ordered halibut on fried bread served with some Mexican-like sauce. It was nothing much to talk about. Wasn't as fresh and ingredients were a bit off for me.
If you are into a health kick, stay away because there is not much on the menu that isn't pure lard, fried, or pan-fried, or really rich.
I ordered boar belly and didn't realize it was just 5-6 pieces of pure lard. I am Vietnamese and this is found in many of our dishes, but we never just eat it like that, at least not that much in one sitting. For lard, one piece is almost too much. It was rather salty and too sugary on my taste, with no sides to offset or contrast with the strong ingredients. 6 tiny lard pieces for $15.
Service: Excellent, but I don't think anyone in there have been to Latin America either, so asking them would be like the blind leading the blind. I just ordered what was known to be popular.
Drinks: Catered to tourists in the area, ranging $8.50 and up for cocktails. Had their white Sangria, which I thought wasn't up to par with the Narrow and costs twice as much.
Overall, this place obviously caters to the tourists and pricey. The saying, 'what you pay is what you get' definitely does not apply to this restaurant. I would suggest hiring a new chef from Latin, but who have lived in N.America to really know how to put the ingredients and aroma together to make the 'Nouveau' a perfection. This has long ways to go. -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
12/18/2008
Trendy restaurant and tongue-lickingly good nouveau Latin cuisine.
White sangria and tapas dinner was perfect for me and my girlfriend.
The food is modern-without-pretentious presentation and small tapas menu makes it easy to pick good dishes.
Loves me some Beef Shortribs (signature dish), Albacore Tuna Ceviche, and lots of White Sangria.
With a basement room to accommodate large parties, Cobre caters to the crowd. Excellent wait staff.Listed in: For Two Please
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Review from Alex D.
Vancouver, BC
5/2/2010
Modern Latin cuisine served in a upscale casual setting.
The pulled duck tacos and the wild boar belly were definite standouts from the dine out menu we were partaking in. Servers coped well with a packed restaurant that was abuzz with the chatter of excited diners. -
Review from Adam G.
Edmonton, AB
6/9/2010
Two words: Boar Belly.
"Maple chipotle tamarind glazed wild boar belly," to be more exact.
Though I ordered this particular dish during Dine Out Vancouver, it appears to be on their regular dinner menu as well, which means I don't have to feel bad about telling you what you missed.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for sucklings, but this, the main feature of my three-course tasting menu that night, was quite simply one of the best things I've ever eaten - and why I could never be a full-time vegetarian.
While the pulled-duck-and-"cracklin" tacos that I had to start didn't make a particularly compelling argument for carnivorism, and the dessert mercifully spared sentient beings from what I could tell, those four little pieces of pork made me want to hunt my next meal myself. Or, baring that, come back to Cobre to discover more inventive "Nuevo Latino" fare.
Provided you're into eating animal, it's worth venturing down towards the sketchier end of Gastown to find this place: its pre- (OK, mid-) gentrification surroundings belie its warm and welcoming interior. You just have to get past the bathrooms at the entrance (literally). -
Review from David O.
4/10/2011
Ate here in on a snowy night in February. Outstanding restaurant, a treat, a shiny star of the saturated Vancouver B.C. restaurant scene.
Although billed as a Latin American tapas restaurant - if you're looking for traditional tapas, you will be let down. This is more of a fusion restaurant with a very strong Latin American and Spanish flair.
Risotto is a daring dish to prepare, there are a thousand different ways to screw it up. Venison is also daring to prepare, it is so easy to prepare it so it is like chewing on shoe leather, but risotto and venison in the same dish? It was perfection - my mouth is watering as I type this. The risotto cake was perfectly crisped on the outside with soft perfection inside. The venison was cooked to medium rare perfection and could be pulled apart with a fork. All of it was seasoned perfectly with a nice demi-glaze and fresh cilantro. Take a bite of all four combined and it was an orgasm in my mouth. Another dish with sea scallops also represented perfection.
The Caipirinha's are world class, made with a lot of fresh lime. The sangria was "OK."
For the level of service and quality of the food, this was a real treat at a very reasonable price. -
Review from Louise M.
7/7/2010
This place had excellent service and was a great surprise. Found it in a little magazine as 'recommended'. Everything we had was delicious. The service was excellent as well, friendly.
We really enjoyed the Sable fish (the best thing we had) on the fry-bread. The duck with the risotto was outstanding as well. The Dulce De Leche desert was delicious, will definitely come back here some day. -
Review from Arpy D.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2010
I'm going to preface this by saying Cobre is my favorite latin restaurant in Vancouver and that without a doubt every other time I've been there it's a 4 or 5 star experience.
Showed up here by accident during dine-out and have to say that the reduced menu was lacking. Highly recommend this place in general, but please do not take your dine-out experience as definitive of the real menu range, taste, and portion size. -
Review from Pete S.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2011
we ate here last night for dine out vancouver. at $28 i was expecting small portions, middle of the road quality and ok service. we got none of this. we left feeling stuffed, completely satisfied with a variety of textures and tastes from beautifully presented food, and we were extremely surprised at the quality of service. if you are looking for a dineout recommendation this year, i strongly recommend giving cobre a consideration.
also, try the maker's marg (a margarita made with burbon, blue agave syrup and a chili salt rim). unreal. -
Review from Perry B.
Vancouver, BC
3/28/2010
So a group of us went to Cobre to try it out as we were in the mood for some latin food. After making reservations we headed there and got seated upstairs. The restaurant itself looked nice and happening. We ordered a round of drinks that were quite delicious. Then it all went downhill from there, our server is probably thee rudest server we have ever and let me re-iterate "EVER" come across. So our appetizer's came out and we asked for hot sauce, she came by dropped off the hot sauce. Not thinking this hot sauce is any different than what is expected at any other restaurant, it turned out to be xxx hot sauce...our entire tables mouths were burning. It was by far the hottest thing I've ever tasted. I love my spices but this was just ridiculous. When she later came by to ask how our meal was and we said we should have paid more attention to the hot sauce bottle but when your having conversation and a drink, you really wouldn't care to read the label as your expecting a normal hot sauce like tobasco or franks. But in the future it may be polite to let your customer know that the hot sauce is extremely hot. Our lips were on fire. Instead of being apologetic and maybe saying sorry yes I should have told you this was much hotter than your average hot sauce or even thanks for tip. She became super defensive and took it personal...she's like well what were you expecting? I don't eat hot sauce so I wouldn't know. We said we just wanted the normal hot sauce that came with our appetizers. She responded with, "well you can't afford that!?" We were shocked! Can't afford hot sauce!? Did I just hear this correctly!? She's like yes, if you want extra of that particular hot sauce, you have to purchase the bottle. We only sell that particular brand of hot sauce by the bottle!! It is too expensive and we were losing money as people kept asking for it. Umm did she fail to realize these people are customers!!! We asked how much the bottle was and she's like I'm not sure I would have to ask chef or manager. I couldn't believe it, when did one require bottle service for hot sauce! Ridiculous! This so called EXPENSIVE HOT SAUCE, was none other than Chalula! Yes folks, you read this correctly...Chalula, which is basically a regular condiment that sits alongside salt and pepper at any Latin restaurant in North America!
Then when she went to take away the plate, we told her no we would like to keep it as we are unable to get any more of this "expensive" hot sauce.
Finally at the end she told us we were not allowed to come back and she is the manager. Funny, 30 minutes ago she had to ask the manager or chef whether we could purchase a bottle of hot sauce and now she was the manager!
Never going back and this is definitely the worst dining out experience we all had that we will share with others! Quite shameful as the rest of the staff seemed polite and there was a nice vibe. And the food without any of that xxx hot sauce was not bad. -
Review from Tom T.
Vancouver, BC
5/27/2011
We stopped by here the other night, at a quiet-ish time. Food was interesting, I enjoyed it, but service took a long time, one tapas at a time. I got the feeling that's their style, If you wanted it faster, food all together I don't think it would have been a challenge. Like most of the smaller interesting restaurants in Gastown, a little pricey. I might return, but nothing really stood out for us.
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Review from Reena M.
1/25/2009
It's almost a more posh way of presenting Latin American food and they really want you to know it (for their website even says "you won't find oversized sombreros, neon cacti, or Pepi Gonzalez. This is a kitsch-free zone."
When we went there, our server was really friendly (and cute!) and the food for the Dine Out Vancouver menu was pretty delicious. We were 6 of us. The ambience was nice. I loved the setting.. I could see myself falling in love with someone (the right someone) there. I didn't find the setting so posh that it was intimidating. It was trendy.
I had a mojito for drinks and it was really well balanced, not too sweet, and putting a sugar cane stick in there was a nice touch.
Unfortunately, they were ONLY serving the Dine Out menu and nothing on their regular menu. That was slightly disappointing because one member in our group was a vegetarian and she didn't really have any option for the mains in the dine out menu. I would have figured that since we're in Vancouver and there are so many people who are following a vegetarian diet these days that they would have some sort of a special substitute for that. Instead, they said they could modify the prawn dish to be vegetarian for her. The prawn dish was really nice. It was some sort of a potato patty on the bottom with a crunchy green slaw thing with jicama root or apple in it. And a prawn on top. There were three in one dish. It was well balanced. For the appetizer, we had 3 mini tacos. Mine was the pulled duck taco and it too was well balanced. I wouldn't have minded a bit more spicy heat in it, but the flavour was really nice. For dessert, we all had the goats milk cheesecake and it was nice and different, since i've never had a goats milk cheesecake before. I wasn't disappointed. One of us had the dulce de leche with caramelized pineapple and she said it was amazing!
So overall the food was great. Drinks were nice (though I can only speak for the mojito). The service was nice, but a little slow since they told us ahead of time that they had everything prepped for the dine out menu. I expected to be out of there in 1.5 hours since that's what they told us was our alotted time for dine out. But we were there for 2 hours or more. But in retrospect, I wouldn't say it was annoyingly slow. Oh and they have amazing blue corn bread with chipotle butter! -
Review from aiden b.
Vancouver, BC
5/17/2010
It's been a long time since I've reviewed a place but I'm glad to be back and I've gotta start with Cobre. It's awesome. The lamb bondiga is a succulent lamb meat ball that really well seasoned and tender on a corn tortilla with garlic flavored popcorn for some serious texture.
Don't look for fajitas and burritos here, although they do sell out a little and do a chicken taquito with guac. Pork belly is good but its been great and then a little less than great. The dessert are crazy. A chocolate brownie with a little heat and crunchy walnut stuff and roasted or sauteed banana's is only made better by a couple spoonfuls of Jen's goatmilk panna cotta with blackberries. Drinks are alright, the mojito is average. -
Review from Awesta M.
4/24/2010
I read all the previous reviews before going and went in expecting bad service but good food. I also went in expecting to be charged for hot sauce. What we got was solid service and really good food. I would definitely go back. I think they've been reading their reviews on yelp and other sites because there was none of the attitude that other people complained about. Writing reviews works...
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Review from Becky L.
1/6/2009
Ooohkay - this was the next-to-last spot on a night of NYE barhopping, but I liked it! I think... The server was poppy and nice, the space was cool and modern, and the drinks were fun, Latin infused yumminess. I think I need to go back with an empty stomach and a less saturated liver to truly enjoy it - the other reviews of the food menu are enticing - ceviche and I get along very well; but my first impression of this Gastown restaurant was a good one!
