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Federico's Supper Club
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
1728 Commercial DrVancouver, BC V5N 4A3
Neighbourhoods: Grandview-Woodlands, The Drive
(604) 251-3473
- Hours:
Wed-Thu 5:30 pm - 11:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Federico's Supper Club
13 reviews in English
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Review from David B.
Burnaby, BC
4/23/2012
Came for Dine Out Vancouver.
Despite the cost ($120 after tax and tip), it was a great night and we really enjoyed the food an entertainment. -
Review from Felicity D.
Vancouver, BC
5/23/2012
having heard from a neighbour that federico's was a lot of fun, i suggested this place for my man's birthday dinner with his family. what a mistake!
first, it was so loud that we couldn't have any sort of conversation. the volume of the music seemed to really bother my son... absolutely not kid friendly. the food was bland, not inedible, but no better than what i could throw together at home with no real thought.
when the bill arrived, my mother-in-law snapped it up and paid for everything. i was so embarrassed to have cost her so much for such a poor experience.
would not recommend, would not return. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
2/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Do you yearn for a night of unadulterated cheesiness? Dripping in velvet, and complete with stand up comedians and a "muzacal" version of live music -- sequins, white tuxedo jacket included? If so, and if you're armed with lots of dollar bills, head to Federico's Supper Club where the food comes small, the price tags come high, and the performance is straight out of a 1980s wedding. For me, I'm just not this kind of girl.
There for a large birthday, and suspicious from the Yelp reviews, I had fretted and even thought about eating somewhere else first. But I ponied up and while the food and entertainment were definitely not worth $50 to me, at least the food was decent. Because we were part of a large group we had to choose between the 3 or 4 course meal choices. I opted for the 3 course meal which came with lots of options. I started with a seafood salad, moved on to a roasted cod and finished with dessert. I'm currently striving for a wheat and dairy free diet, and they did a really good job of accommodating. Lucky for me, my bold bf asked for vegetables on my main course, turns out, wheat free and dairy free also means greens free. My cod was looking pretty sad with a piece of white fish a top a small portion of white potatoes.
There are somewhat affordable bottles of wine on the menu and I was pleasantly surprised by the selection. $39 for a Mission Hill Pinot Gris isn't too bad when you're drinking out. But do watch out, when you're forking over your fistfulls of bills at the end of the evening - we left shortly after the entertainment finished which was around 11-- they do add an automatic gratuity.
Let's see... how to describe the performances of this cheese-retro night? After getting started with some somewhat wimpy comedy acts, Federico serenaded his friend's 50th birthday with an Italian song. Then, by the time we hit the dance floor we were grooving to an interesting take on the The Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Going to Be a Good Night" and before I knew what was happening we were witnessing a true classic, the Phantom of the Opera. And, no, Federico did not skimp on the mask. No sirree. I suppose that these events, coupled with an overpriced three course meal *not including drinks* sealed Federico's fate in my mind's eye -- I was at a tacky wedding. Dang, I wish I had rocked out some feathered bangs for the evening.
*Edited on 2/19 to reflect a couple of errors I originally made about the wine list on the website (it's complete - keep scrolling!) and when the live entertainment ends versus when the venue closes. Also removed reference to the wedding-like dance out of respect for the particular party in question. Thank you to Federicos for your thoughtful comment. It's because of this that I'm changing my review to 4 stars - any business that takes the time to send something this thoughtful, is a business I can't help but be a fan of.Listed in: Commercial Drive's Worth the…
Comment from Brunella G. of Federico's Supper Club 2/18/2012
I appreciate the opportunity as a manager to provide this… More » -
Review from Rachel G.
Coquitlam, BC
1/9/2012
I can think of several better places to drop $65 (before alcohol) a head. The notable exception was the extremely talented guitar soloist who was playing during dinner. Very humble guy, but huge talent and played excellent music selections that everyone was enjoying. As for the post-dinner entertainment, I mean Federico is a decent singer/performer, but he just didn't seem to be having much fun anymore. It just seemed like he was "working" and not really entertaining so much. No joke, I don't even remember him cracking a smile. Maybe just having a bad day, I don't know. Plus the dance floor is so small you keep getting hit by flailing arms and legs. I guess if you drink a lot you might not care.
As for food...everything tasted decent enough and the tiramisu was very tasty, but the portions were all over the place. Some people got what looked like an ice-cube sized portion of dessert while others got one 3 times the size. Same with the meat portions. Overall,the food portions for the group menu are adequate for a woman, but a 200 pound man would not be full. Our server was lacking, but I guess he didn't really have to try very hard because of the automatic 17% tip tacked on. I don't think the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink once. I actually would have ordered more wine if he had asked. And forget about asking how the food is. I was never asked how I was finding anything. God forbid you have a complaint- good luck finding an ear to listen or someone to rectify it.
I felt a little like just another group being herded through the place. The service staff seemed to tolerate you, and offer you the standard formulaic cheesy experience, then take your money and send you on your way. Don't even think about coming here if you are not in a group- you need to be with a fun group of people for this to be even remotely enjoyable.
If you want a nice night out with entertainment, check out O'Doul's downtown for top notch food and jazz. -
Review from Cathy S.
10/3/2011
Is this place so cheesy that it is good? No, just plain cheesy.
This place is a cross between Chucky Cheese's birthday party room and the banquet hall of a moderately priced hotel. Don't let the linen tablecloths and formally dressed waitstaff fool you. What fine dining establishment plays the "Theme From Shaft" as dinner music?
Who is the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? Shaft, ya, damn right.
Our party of twelve arrived at 7:30 to a full restaurant filled with about 4 or 5 other very large parties. First observation was that the place was so loud that ordinary conversation would be impossible. The staff was pretty quick to ply the alcohol but didn't take our food order until 8:30. On Fridays and Saturdays the Supper Club is the only option for $45 for 3 courses and $55 for 4 courses.
To summarize our entire food experience. The appetizers were pedestrian and mediocre. The pasta and primi courses were again quite pedestrian and it was hit or miss as to how well they had been prepared. My own vegetables were very undercooked and the meat was overcooked. We didn't receive our entrees until around 10 pm when the band started and by this time we were all so starved we would have eaten anything. All of the desserts were pretty run of the mill but not too bad.
For live entertainment we were subjected to the musical stylings of a "wedding band" type trio whose zenith must have been somewhere in the late '70's or early 80's because that is the only music that they played. Kudos to the lone dancer who hit the dance floor in the first set with his Elaine Benes moves.
Bottom line. Federico's Supper Club is faux fine dining. The food is overpriced and subpar for what is was purported to be. Service is adequate but below what it should be for about $100/person. The 17% mandatory gratuity doesn't encourage superior performance. The entertainment, what can I say, if the '70's songs "You make me Feel Like Dancing" and the like makes you feel like dancing then go for it. I kind of felt like I was stuck at a bad wedding with my fun friends.
.Listed in: 30-Day Yelp Challenge, Better Than BP Medication
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Review from Larry L.
12/10/2011
We used to come here alot for the dinner and dancing. Always a group of us and always a great time.
Frederico is a singer and owner restraunteur. The food is decent, but it's the live entertainment and the renditions of That's Amore make the food taste that much better.
A little wine doesn't hurt either.
Guaranteed thta if you find your way there. You will leave singing like you were in the Rat Pack. -
Review from Janice C.
Vancouver, BC
1/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
Interesting .... Interesting. Two women and a man and all questions go to the man ! We laughed about it - but the women were always served first - olde world but kind of nice! Food was good - no complaints ... Expensive but really loved, repeat loved the video screens with pictures of the rat pack and other hipsters of the 40's, 50's, and 60's.
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Review from Herman E.
11/21/2011
Not too sure how to rate this place. For it's entertainment value or for the food. Hmmmm.....
The food is OK, nothing spectacular, but a bit on the pricey side for what it is.
Maybe 2.5 for the food and 4 for the entertainment, but to be entertained you should come in a group.
This is place is set up as a "supper club" with live entertainment, the entertainment being Federico himself, a one man show singing, and doing the music. Google "The Cave Vancouver" and you get the idea, but no star performers.
I notice that other Yelpers mention that there are other performers, but I haven't seen them.
They used to have the older Asians doing the ballroom dance thing here, but I haven't seen them of recent. Maybe they moved to a different night?
It's good if you go as a group for dancing. Federico, does take requests and I would recommend requesting ,"Dancing Queen" and "YMCA". Federico will also do rat pack standards and stereotypical lounge music as well - Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt.....
Maybe next time I will request some Pitbull, or Lady Gaga! If I'm really brave, Selena Gomez! -
Review from Rachel P.
Vancouver, BC
4/28/2011
Upon reading the other reviews for Federico's it appears I had a very unique experience there last night. Bustling dance floor? Large groups celebrating birthdays and anniversaries? Not so much....
I arrived at 7:30pm and the restaurant was empty. No problem, it was early. My girlfriends arrived and our table of 10 took our seat and waited for things to heat up. Unfortunately, we were the only table. THE ENTIRE NIGHT. This was a strange experience, considering Federico's is a pretty large venue!
So, on the brighter side, this meant we had the undivided attention of our server. He was prompt, polite and became less formal as the night went on and we had the chance for a few laughs. I felt a little bad for him and the Maitre 'd as the restaurant was so dead. We drank a few extra bottles of wine to help them out. Yep, call me a Good Samaritan!
The down side of such a quiet Wednesday night was the lack of entertainment, namely Federico himself. There were two musicians who played a little earlier in the night, instrumental only, and that was it. We were a bit disappointed. Our lovely server did let one of my girlfriends get on the mic and sing us a couple of songs later into the night, after those extra bottles of wine.
The food was a bit hit and miss. I ordered a salad to start that sounded great on the menu - pear, gorgonzola, bacon, walnut and iceberg lettuce. In reality it was two huge chunks of iceberg, one little strip of bacon, half a pear that looked like it was out of a can and a few walnuts. The gorgonzola came in the form of a dressing that tasted like ranch. I guess the cheese was in there, but there was too much dressing for the salad and I would have preferred some pieces of the actual cheese instead. So, the nice ingredients were a bit skimpy, but I guess if I had one table for the entire evening I'd be watching my food costs too!
Most of the pasta dishes were around $18, or you could share pasta with other people and pay $10 per head and receive half orders of the pasta. The portions aren't huge, but they are fair for the price. If you're hungry, stick with the full order. This is a great option though if you're interested in trying multiple items on the menu.
We tried the duck confit and organic mushroom risotto, nice but a little under seasoned. The braised beef spaghetti rustici was delicious, super flavorful and the beef just fell apart in your mouth. The spaghetti alla bottarga was absolutely beautiful. It came with Sardinian mullet roe, dried chilli's and parsley and left me wanting more.
So, in conclusion I think I need to visit Federicos when it is the busy, bustling, Sinatra-singing, pasta-slinging supper club it should be. -
Review from Allison F.
4/18/2011
We came here for a 30th birthday party on Saturday and weren't fully sure what kind of evening we were going to encounter. I read the reviews and checked out the website, and still was a little confused. I think we might have still been confused when we left, but here's how our night went.
We arrived at 7pm to find the restaurant packed with large parties of people who were there to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, along with a small smattering of people who had just come to enjoy the evening. Definitely dress up. We came semi-formal and were under dressed. Ladies, we're looking at dresses or fancy skirts, though the men seemed to have everything from khakis to suits. There were a few children racing around but this seems like a more adult friendly environment.
You have your choice of a 3 course ($45) or 4 course ($55) meal. 3 courses were more than enough to fill us up, though if you're super hungry, there are tons of selections to go for the 4. Expect the dining portion of your meal to take ~ 3 1/2 hours as each course is spread out with about 45 minutes in between.
Our appetizers were brought out quite quickly after ordering, which was perfect as we were getting quite hungry. I had the spinach ravioli and my plate came out with two of them. The pasta tasted more like wonton wrappers, as it was quite thin and there was limited filling. For the entree, I ordered the steak and it came out, cut in to three pieces. There is a small portion of potatoes and an even smaller portion of vegetables. I counted 5 beans and 5 spinach leaves. Portion control, indeed. By this time, I had filled myself up on bread, and so I wasn't concerned. And finally for dessert, I had the tiramisu. A large square of it was provided, with a drizzle of caramel and chocolate sauce. I found lots of random chunks in the cream filling, which I assume was the marscapone cheese that didn't fully get mixed in. It was okay overall.
The entertainment for the evening was best described as 'wedding music'. We were serenaded by a guitarist during dinner, and then the main show starts around 11pm. The dance floor was packed when the main show started, as a wide mix of fast and slow popular songs were sung.
Overall, the price for the meals is quite high considering the food you receive, and the wait time in between meals is extremely long without an explanation of why. The waitstaff are very friendly though and definitely make the dining experience fine dining. The entertainment is very good and I would recommend pretending you're going to a wedding reception to get the full feel of things. -
Review from Inga K.
8/31/2009 1 photo
That's Amore!!!
we celebrated my best friend's 40th at Frederico's on Saturday night. It was the evening we wanted, and couldn't have asked for more.
The food was exquisite, the service made you feel fussed over, which I so love. I have a thing for experienced older European waiters, I think they just do a better job no matter what.
The music with dinner was lovely... a live singer as opening act for the main show. For some reason however, when he sang "Fever" there was a young woman who performed a choreographed dance for us. It was weird, low talent and a little tacky. I think she was probably the singer's niece or something that he got told he had to invite to have her dance school gyrations profiled in the club so she could get "discovered". We just kind of snickered... but we are not nice people.
When Frederico himself hit the stage at 10:30 we were in love. Powerful and melodic voice doing Sinatra, Elvis and others. the dance floor never emptied for even a minute the rest of the night.
Final note on the meal: The zabaglione was missing the booze, but other than that the food was totally worth the money.
Expect to eat and drink yourself to a $100 a person by the time it is over. (Ok we drank a lot).
The age mix was young to old, but I would suggest that if you like "Viva Las Vegas" and "That's Amore" this is your night out baby. -
Review from Simon R.
BC
11/24/2008 1 photo
Federico's is the posh and expensive fine dining establishment for the ritzier residents of East Vancouver. Think servers with cuff links and busboys with bowties.
From the moment you walk through the elegant front doors, there should be no pretensions about the cost of an evening here. But it manages to be everything it should be, with excellent multi-course dinners and a long list of cocktails, martinis, and of course wines that are older than your dad.
The restaurant also frequently offers entertainment, most notably a wedding style cover band with the owner Federico as lead singer. He even wears the mask during the theme song to Phantom of the Opera.
A great place to dine if you have a sugar daddy, or if you can justify it as a work expense. Oh and don't forget that it's no shirt, no shoes, no tie, no expensive baubles, no service. -
Review from James J.
Vancouver, BC
11/17/2011
Love Federico's - We are off to Blues Night with Wes Mackey. We have attended every one of these evenings and have thoroughly enjoyed every experience. The food is superb. For this who seek the very best Italian Food try the Gnocci - to die for. The appetizers I sampled have been simply exquisite. Remembering that you come for dinner and stay for the evening, prices are not out of line. Severs have obviously been trained in the Italian Way and it is wonderfully attentive without being obtrusive
