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Oyster
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
475 Howe StVancouver, BC V6C 1B4
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 899-0323
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 4 pm - 10 pm
- 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:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
27 reviews for Oyster
Review Highlights
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"This place is popular for buck a shuck." In 3 reviews -
"...restaurant - there are daily happy hour specials on what..." In 5 reviews -
"The specialty cocktails are served in antique cut crystal..." In 5 reviews
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27 reviews in English
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Review from James W.
Division No. 6, AB
3/8/2012
I am sitting here at Oyster in Vancouver right now, what a quaint little place. A definite posh Vancouver hideaway. They specialize in oysters and have a great happy hour special for a buck a shuck from 4-7 pm everyday. That's a great deal. Here's a great place for an after work date that is intimate and romantic.
The one server/bartender is busy but helpful.
We ordered the motoyaki and Rockefeller cooked oysters and 10 of the buck a shucks.
Both cooked oysters were delicious, leaving us to crave more... Despite the simple pricing here, I can see myself spending hundreds turning into an oyster myself.
The raw oysters are tasty and worthy of the dollar. They came with an assortment of sauces, cocktail sauce, a Japanese ponzu sauce, a garlic vinaigrette type sauce, and the traditional Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. A yummy combo. I would come back anytime. Reservations recommended as this is a small place. Happy shucking! -
Review from Nancy W.
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Not much bigger than my room, not that I have a big room but this bar is ridiculously small. It located inside the Old Stock Exchange Building in downtown Vancouver on the corner of Howe and Pender. This small room serves namely oysters and drinks. Buck a Shuck runs from 4-7pm and reservations are highly recommended. A group of us got there for happy hour and found ourselves on each others' lap. First we sat at the bar and then moved onto the only long table that sits 8 people.
The space although intimate is quite cramped. The ceilings has a slight Da Vinci / Euro vibe to it and the little red booth seats are cute. The service was not so much. We were greeted by a snooty witness that didn't want anything to do with us. We weren't sure if she was angry at us for not making a reservation or the fact that we asked for water.
Oysters are delicious and fresh. I like how they offer a few species of aphrodisiacs, especially my favourite Kusshi oysters.
Caesar. Weak. No spice, no kick, and the salt rimmed glass was simply not very salted. I read that they use smoked salmon vodka (I couldn't taste it if they did). And sadly the pickled bean was really not that fresh.
Gin and Tonic. Hendrick's Gin, a classic is best served with a wedge of cucumber instead of lime. Cucumber brings out the natural flavours while lime complete butchers it.
This may not be the greatest place to charm your date. I just hope you encounter a difference waitress. But is a great place to meet if you want an excuse to snuggle closer. Just reminder to bring a few fresh mints! -
Review from Cheri B.
Vancouver, BC
4/6/2012
This place made the right decision to have a cheap oyster promo (4-5 pm $0.50 but one person can only order a dozen at a time, 5-7 pm buck a shuck). Because this is the only reason why this establishment is still running. My friend was there around 430 and thought she can order for me as I am on my way but they only let her order a dozen. Oh well...there goes my oyster nommers...
The only reason why anyone would ever go back here, voluntarily, is for the cheap itsy bitsy teeny weeny oysters. If you have the luxury to get off work before 4 pm and make it there by 4 on a Thursday afternoon, then this place is your oyster soulmate.
I was looking forward to their Oyster Rockefeller. And I kept looking forward to them for over an hour. This place is run by 2 staffs. Very commendable that is why I was generous with my stars and gave them a 2 star rating. But seriously, there's one server/bartender. The other girl was shucking the oysters at the bar area aaaand going back and forth to the kitchen as she's also the cook??
The whole experience was just ridiculous. I wanted to order another drink and Oyster Rockefeller but was too scared I'd be stuck there all night! They didn't even have big oysters. After seeing the tiny raw creatures, I asked if they use big oysters for the rockefellers. I was told yes...Errr... NO. Bigger shells, yes. More bite for your money? NO.
Seriously, if the owner of this place ever bother to read reviews, pleeeeeeaaase invest in at least another staff? Your place offer RAW food. RAW food needs the least amount of preparation so there is absolutely no excuse to offer such slow service.
I'd like to make it clear that this review is not to bash the staff. Our server was nice. A tad bit overwhelmed but he was polite. It's just too sad the the potential and the nice service is overshadowed by the reeeaaally long wait we had to endure for RAW food. -
Review from Annie W.
4/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I am very surprised by the good reviews on this place. Beyond the slight "hidden cramped space" cool factor, I am having a hard time mustering up anything positive to say about this place.
Really...there is nothing "upscale" about the space or the fare here. Walking in my first thoughts were,"So where is the rest of the restaurant?" Six of us were crammed into the tinest booth imaginable, while the larger booth beside us sat empty. We ordered some drinks, dozen of raw oysters, half dozen cooked oysters, and crab cakes...and then the waiting began.
10...
20...
30...
40...
50...
SERIOUSLY AN HOUR?!!
If there is a professional yelp oyster shucker/crab cake maker out there, please feel free to put me in my place - but does it really take an hour to shuck a dozen oysters and pan fry some crab cakes? I am also fairly positive that the oyster shucker shouldn't be coming out to the bar, have themselves a drink, shake hands with people, touch the dirty bar and then go back to shucking oysters with their dirty germ covered gloves.
By the time my crab cakes came out I was starving and hardly cared, but what sad little crab cakes they were...sigh.... After making me wait for an hour, and for $15 dollars, you actually have the gall to serve me two TEENNYYY TINNNYYY bite sized crab cakes?
Good lord and Helllllzzzz No. Ever. Again. -
Review from A J.
Vancouver, BC
5/19/2012
Two things that make me smile: booze and (cheap, fresh) oysters.
Can't beat buck-a-shuck. The oysters are served with lemon, horseradish, tabasco and some simple sauces- but none are necessary when the oysters are this tasty.
The place is tiny, there are only 2 staff, and the waits can be long. But if you have good company, and good wine, what's the hurry?
Definitely will be back. -
Review from Nicolb T.
2/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
50% off bottles of wine on Mondays.
$0.50 select oysters from 4 to 5 (sometimes).
$1.00 select oysters from 5 to 7 (daily).
$2.50 all other oysters.
Can you really ask for more? You should have seen my happy dance when I saw that the Effingham Bay oysters were the select.
Seriously, for 5 people, we spent maybe $20 each with a bottle of wine, and almost 4 dozen oysters. I don't think you can ask for more at this quality.
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Aside from that, on the table and IN MUH BELLY:
beef tartare - canadian heritage AAA angus beef tartare with capers, shallots, fresh quail egg, seasoned with a mustard dressing served with ciabatta toast
daily special dessert: chocolate chip cookies + icecream
---
One of the best places for steak tartare in Vancouver. Of course, this is because I like my raw beef spicy and served with capers.
Make sure you make a reservation, or arrive early. It's a tiny, tiny, TINY restaurant, and unfortunately, we went when they were short-staffed last minute (one person to shuck & serve & bartend & bus tables? I can sympathize..) but she was incredibly accommodating and pulled through with an amazing attitude. Props to her for hustling under bad circumstances! -
Review from Scott P.
Duh half price bottles of wine on a monday with half price oyster specials why wouldn't you stop into this intimate space. And it is just that intimate! We didn't dive into the full menu so I can't comment on it.
This is the type of place you stop by after work with some coworkers or meet a friend or two and just enjoy a bottle of wine and slide down some oysters and enjoy.
A nice Monday night out for me! -
Review from May C.
Vancouver, BC
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
If time is a luxury you can barely afford, stay away from ordering oysters!
The building itself is quite beautiful, and when you enter, the bar is just straight ahead. When you walk in, the mirrors and decor make the space appear bigger. But when you let everything sink in, it's actually quite small. There is a small bar area, and the lounge area seats about 20 people in total.
The service is quite slow if you're ordering oysters - at least when we went on a Saturday afternoon! When we arrived, there was one other table occupied. My girl friends and I each ordered a glass of wine, and 2 dozen oysters to start. There was only one server, and the server was also the one preparing drinks, and shucking oysters. Despite the 30 min wait, the oysters were well shucked (ie. oysters in one piece, no broken shell pieces floating in the juices).
The girl working was friendly and seemed to know what she was doing, but it wasn't enough to make up the fact that we had to wait so long for a couple of dozen shucked oysters. By the end of our stay, there was another girl who appeared and seemed to work the bar only.
I would love to give them another chance, but not anytime soon. I think there are better places to go in the city for buck a shuck! -
Review from George H.
10/20/2011
You can't go wrong with this tiny oyster gem.
Their appies are small but very tasty and they have buck a shuck oysters everyday from 4pm-7pm! Talk about a happy hour! Of course you are limited to only a few types of oysters but it's still worth it.
I usually order a bottle of white wine, a dozen buck a shuck and probably another 6 premium oysters for me plus a guest. The 18 oyster platter is well priced at $36 ($2/Oyster) and gives you a great variety.
One of the best things about this place is the decor. You're basically in the lobby of an older building in Vancouver but it has an intimate/exclusive feel to it. You're gonna want to call ahead and make a reservation to make sure you get a table cuz it's tiny but cozy.
The staff are very helpful and take their time to do a good job with shucking each oyster. If you're sitting at the bar you can watch each one and the attention to detail taken. -
Review from Ken T.
Vancouver, BC
12/19/2011
Great place if you want a drink and some oysters. Don't expect to be full from the place but the oysters are mighty tasty. Nice fancy decor in the place as well as wonderful service. Would not recommend for dinner but definitely for drinks and a snack!
Also, don't expect the cooked oysters to be any sort of decent size.... But the oyster platter is worth the money -
Review from Peter K.
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
As an raw oyster lover from the Chesapeake Bay, I was delighted to find a place that featured the exquisite oysters of the Pacific.
I made a meal out of the 18 oyster sampler, coupled with a wonderful British Columbia Pinot Grigio. Sitting at the bar, the shucker carried on a conversation about the variances of oysters, North and South, East and West, as he had worked both in the eastern US and in Louisiana.
As the smallest restaurant in Vancouver (24 seats), and open only for happy hour and dinner, this cozy nook makes for a wonderful hideaway to cast off the pressures of the day. Excellent wine list and well-prepared if limited menu seals the deal.
I'm bummed that I probably will never get back to Vancouver, but if I do, this will be my first stop. Best eating I had while in town for 10 days. -
Review from kath r.
1/28/2011 ROTD 4/17/2011
Love this place!
Teeny, tiny and tucked away in the old Stock Exchange Building, Oyster is certainly the hidden pearl of Howe and Granville. With swathes of black and polished granite amongst flashes of red, glass and mirrors I always feel so sassy when I'm here (and surely it's not the booze)! A cozy little set-up creates an intimate vibe as Oyster has only a couple of high-tops and booths, bar seating and...that's pretty much it!
I'm not sure where the DJ goes when he's there....perhaps there's a hidden panel revealing a secret room behind one of those mirrors???
The tight menu (both oyster and non-oyster) is extremely affordable with some tasty options (raw bar, steamer, pies, salads, Fish of the Day), much of it Ocean Wise approved. Each time we've ordered from the raw bar, although on our last visit we had dozens of raw oysters AND a steamer bowl of Dungeness crab claws, clams, mussels and shrimp,the jus we soaked up with loads of fresh bread. Raw oysters are served with a medley of sauces/vinaigrette, the standout is a sweetish chilli vinaigrette (we ask for extra, it's THAT good). I've noticed other people enjoying the fish specials and one time, the gentleman next to me had lobster tails stuffed with goodness that looked divine; we were drooling!
Cocktails are mixed with a strong and steady hand :) and BC is represented on both the wine and the beer list. Service is top notch, friendly and chatty but not intrusive; we've been a few times and are really starting to feel like regulars! Def a great regular haunt, I only wish they were open later and on Saturdays but I hear that's going to be changing soon...
Good to know: Tuesday's is Industry night (25% off) and 3-6pm is buck a shuck. -
Review from Curtis R.
Vancouver, BC
Corpse Reviver #2 cocktail was worth the trip. Didn't need CPR afterwards but was crawling a bit. Great prohibition style cocktail in a corked bottle sitting on crushed ice. Very innovative and tasty.
For food we had Oysters Rockefeller, Steamer Bowl and Garlic Bread. All three were good. The Steamer Bowl needed a bit more french bread with it.
The room was interesting. The bar and service were likely the highlights. Ceilings were a bit odd and a bit overbearing.
Overall the small room and cool cocktails make it a good place for a drink and a nibble before moving on to another place.Listed in: Best Tapas Vancouver
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Review from Tess M.
Vancouver, BC
I made reservations for 5 people on a Friday night about a month ago after winning a dozen oysters. I 'm glad I called in advance to let them know about my prize as otherwise they had be cleaned out. This place is popular for buck a shuck. My reservation was a little behind but that's to be expected as the place is so small, about 4 or 5 tables. While I waited at the bar, the staff were extremely attentive suggesting cocktails based on my tastes and chitchatting
We were seated and well taken care of. The staff were well informed answered all our questions and seemed to generally be quite focused on us.
The food was excellent. We tried a variety of dishes, from scallops, to fish, to a seafood tower and all helped ourselves to each others plates. Everyone was quite impressed. Even the prices seemed reasonable.
Lately I have been hearing that the staff has really taken a turn for the worse and that several people have had some bad customer service experiences. Even through the those complaint people were still in agreement that the food is excellent. I have been assured that the restaurant is rectifying their staffing issues and I would still go back as my experience was great. -
Review from Mike B.
3/17/2012
What a great hole in the wall place! Located in the center of a building (a bit harder to find), this place offers an assortment of raw oysters, small seafood dishes, and cocktails. The waitress is very knowledgable about the oysters they serve, and although they are normally $2.50-3.00 each, they are only a dollar a piece from 5-7pm, and only $0.50 from 4-5pm, a great deal! I must say, the place is kind of small and in need of a little bit more staff since the service is a little slow, but the atmosphere is great and the food is delicious (assuming you like oysters!)
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Review from Kris L.
2/1/2012
Ok, folks, here's the thing about writing reviews - there has to be a reasonable lens placed on a situation. If you have a party of six and are in a hurry, does it make sense to go to a small place that only has a single waitress/bartender/shucker? And when you write a nasty review about the horrid wait that you so generously endured in that scenario, who looks worse in that review? You or the restaurant? I was in town in Vancouver and passed by Oyster on my way to my hotel, and I thought it looked interesting. So I went on my trusty Yelp to read the sage reviews on this place. And despite everyone admitting this place had outstanding, fresh oysters, served up by highly knowledgeable staff at an incredible price, Oyster was getting the proverbial shucking knife between the eyes for its size and service speed. Well, I went and I unequivocally loved it. I enjoyed absolutely delicious local oysters (at a buck a piece), along with some of the finest clam chowder I've had anywhere, all paired with very affordable, quality New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Oh, and it was delivered promptly and with outstanding courtesy and knowledge by Leslie, the all-in-one server. We had a great time chatting while she served several other engaging patrons. Was it as fast as ordering a Big Mac? No. Get over it. Oyster was a wonderful experience, a great meal and more than a fair value. I'm looking forward to coming back....and taking my time in enjoying a great seafood dining experience.
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Review from Eryne O.
Vancouver, BC
2/11/2011
What a great little gem. Right in the heart of the financial district. a 25 seat wine and oyster bar playing amazing jazz. They have custom cocktails, and fresh oyster sheet, and let's talk about the ceiling! It's cathedral style ceiling and makes this little spot feel much bigger. The staff are knowledgeable, super friendly and make you feel at home. The specialty cocktails are served in antique cut crystal glasses and served out of cute little bottles with a cork. Nothing crazy but a super nice touch! I also heard they do take out. If I was wokring back downtown I would be all over 4pm Oyster happy Hour at the office
I will absolutely be going back! -
Review from Ryan S.
2/16/2012
The commenters here that have rated this place low are either cheapskates or elitists. Yeah, not sure why one batender gotta shuck all the oysters pour the drinks and bus the tables. But c'mon, she was busting ass. We got there just before 5pm and the fresh shucked oysters were $.50/ea! We had 4 dozen, a chowder and a tartare. Everthing fresh and very good. One place I'll definitely be back to.
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Review from Tori B.
Vancouver, BC
8/10/2011
Amazingly fresh seafood, ocean friendly, and oh so tasty aphrodisiastic oysters served by great servers in a sexy, exclusive hide away. 1/2 off wine on Monday's. $1 per oyster everyday until 7pm. I'm in love.
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Review from Vincci L.
4/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cool classic hidden space, but that's about it.
We didn't even get to the oysters and we had to leave.
The shucker couldn't describe what 3 of the 6 oysters that they were offering; he seemed a bit unsure of what he was doing. So we ordered some drinks to start. The girl also working there had to look at the menu to make our drinks, which worried me. They were also 'out of' pineapple juice which was in 2 of our 3 drinks.
The whole operation just seemed a bit amateur. Think I'll have to wait a bit for them to work their kinks out.
And please hire more knowledgable staff. -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
3/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dear. Manager -
I will be personally writing you an email after my experience at your restaurant tonight.
Thank you. -
Review from Cathy B.
Tillsonburg, ON
5/7/2011
I've stopped in a couple of times to check this place out. It is tiny, but very cool. It's dark with lots of black, a couple of tiny tables, a little bar. I kept thinking there must be another room through the arch! It's in the Old Stock Exchange Building and the lobby of the building is beautiful with a couple of photographs from when it was the Stock Exchange. In fact the lobby is bigger than the restaurant. I'd really like to try this restaurant - there are daily happy hour specials on what else, but oysters.
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Review from Shore M.
Vancouver, BC
4/16/2011
Surprised to read some of the other reviews here, as our experience, a couple of Fridays ago, was memorable, for all the right reasons. Cute wee space. Quiet and inviting. We had a couple dozen oysters and were ruing the fact that a day later, there's a Happy Hour deal from 1600 to 1800... Wine was reasonably priced and the friendly server, who said farewell to us by name no less, was top! As Schwartz would say, "I'll be back...."
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Review from Lee N.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 3/4/2011
Now that I have been throughout the afternoon and evening they are getting better, but still the service staff hired for hotness I have had twice who really doesn't know anything about oysters nor has learned anything about oysters, not even the names, over the last several evening visits well it will stay 4 stars..........
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/13/2011
Great small place, don't come with large crowd, it seats 20!!!! The selection of 5 oysters and a… Read more »
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Review from Kim L.
Vancouver, BC
3/31/2011
Tiny space, but used pretty well. If only their entrance was more hidden, I definitely would feel like I've been tranported back to a speakeasy during Prohibition. Came here to socialize and have a few cocktails (The Pearl--not too sweet, packed with enough punch) while others enjoyed the oysters and a good bottle of red. If you're coming with more than 2 people, be sure to make a reservation.
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Review from Rebecca G.
Vancouver, BC
11/9/2010 1 photo
Finally a place downtown that offers fresh Oysters! Great selection of menu. My fave are the Kushi oysters.
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Review from Belle H.
Vancouver, BC
8/23/2011
I really don't know what to say, I could have done a better job myself if I'd opened up my apartment as a restaurant for the evening. I reserved a table for 6 of us, the restaurant was tiny, but had a nice ambiance to it and by the time we got there it was full. (I would say there is probably only room for around 20 people max). It took the server about 15 minutes to get to our drinks order and then another 10 to take our food order. We ordered oysters, seafood chowder, salmon and a few steamer pots.
We were just chatting amongst ourselves for the next 30 minutes (no sign of food) around this time we all smelled weed coming from the kitchen. We found it kind of comical and joked about getting "special oysters". Anyway, about 45 minutes went by with everyone beginning to get very hungry. Still no sign of food. The server comes up to us at this point, apologizes and says the oysters will be along in around 10 minutes but the rest of the food will be a long time (come again???) We had already been waiting for 45 minutes!
I tried to catch the servers attention to order some more wine- she snapped and said she'd get to me in a minute. When she took the wine order I asked if we could have some bread and she said we would have to wait 20 minutes if we wanted any. I don't understand how picking up a baguette and putting it on a plate can take 20 minutes but whatever.
Our oysters finally came about an hour after ordering, yay! They came with a nice selection of sauces and I have to admit, they were good. The rest of the food came about 20 minutes after that, great, except we had no cutlery. We tried to get the servers attention but to no avail, the server ignored us and went into the kitchen so we flagged down the chef/busser/dishwasher (I don't know who he was), and actually asked him for cutlery. The server popped her head out of the kitchen as we were trying to get service from this guy (**awkward**) and then she went to fetch our cutlery.
My friend liked the look of my chowder and asked if he could order a bowl, for which the server responded "it will be at least 20 minutes" -we were getting quite used to that response.
So yay! We finally had our food, you would think it would be plain sailing from now on right? Wrong. As we were just getting started on our long awaited food, a group of around 6 people showed up at the door, having reserved our table. Luckily we were given time to finish our food and wine, but only just - We were handed the bill, which included a 17%service (service??) charge, and then pretty much told we had to get out to make room for the other people that had reserved our table.
I have to say it's a shame because this place has potential- I love the venue, it has a nice intimate, cozy feel to it. The oysters were good, my chowder was delicious, my friends enjoyed their steamer pots and the salmon. It's just the service was horrendous. It wasn't really the servers fault, she was run off her feet - although she could have dealt with the situation better. I use to be a server and would never have snapped at customers or waited 45 minutes to tell someone their food was going to be a while! You can't help being busy but you can help how you communicate with your patrons.
I put this down to very bad management, they were just too under staffed. Maybe this was a one-off but I don't think so, I overheard the server talking to people at the bar saying Monday nights are always like this because of the wine deal. We won't be going back.
