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Categories: Restaurants, Hotels [Edit]
1154 Gilford StVancouver, BC V6G
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 681-9321
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
4 reviews for Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge
All Reviews
This is what breakfast is supposed to be. Clean white china. Clean tables and chairs. Clean floors. Clean silverware in a cloth napkin. Classy, friendly waitstaff. Tables large enough for the number of people seated there. Bay views. Oh yeah, and nearly perfect food.
I had an omelette with onions, peppers, and cheddar & jack cheeses. It was very good. Not greasy at all. I'd estimate it was made from two eggs, for it was not too big. The potatoes (included with the omelette) were perfect. This is the way fried potatoes are supposed to taste. They weren't crunchy or undercooked. They weren't mushy or overcooked. They weren't greasy. They were crispy on the outside and just right inside. They were lightly seasoned with something tasty. They were cut into small bite-sized cubes -- no oversized chunks to stuff into the mouth. My toast was already buttered, which I did not like, but the omelette and potatoes made up for it. I ordered water, but I tasted my dad's coffee, and it was not that good. And the price was quite moderate. Even if I weren't a guest at the hotel, I would definitely consider the Sylvia Hotel for breakfast.
After taking visitors on a brisk walk along the Seawall, the historic Sylvia Hotel serves as a beacon of civility from the wilds of Stanley Park. The Sylvia was built in 1912 as an apartment house, and when the lounge opened in 1954, it was Vancouver's first "cocktail bar."
Coziness Factor: With its austere wood-paneled interior, soft lounge chairs and benches, fireplace and sconce lighting, the bar feels all the more cozy as you gaze through the expansive windows at threatening weather over English bay.
Drinks/Food: If you don't want to over-imbibe, they have half pints of beer for $3.25. Cocktails like the Sylvia Caesar go for under $8 with wine by that glass topping out at $10. Pair one of those with the crab/shrimp/Swiss stuffed mushrooms, sit back and relish the geniality.
Bonus feature: Free parking in the hotel's underground lot.
Sylvia's is a pleasant little establishment on the seafront at English Bay. For location, I would give five stars. If you have the window view of the Bay, it is a beautiful distraction. On a sunny day, you can just stare onto the beach and the street if you enjoy people watching.
The lounge is not flash and you won't hear any obnoxious teen pop music blaring from the speakers. Rather, you get low-keyed decor and fairly comfortable seats. The clientele is a mix of locals and tourists and when busy, the lounge reminds me a bit of places with a colonial past - like Singapore minus the palm ceiling fan.
Drinks are reasonably priced - there is usually a beer special - and the cocktails are nice.
The food is reasonably priced but I have found it a bit of a letdown on numerous occasions. The menu was unimaginative and the quality a bit suspect.
A big recommendation from me for a sunset drink but eat something elsewhere first.
This boutique hotel is situated right alongside English Bay's seawall and the lounge overlooks the maple-lined streets and offers endless ocean views to watch sunsets. The charm of the lounge is the mix of people, young and old that gather on a nightly basis. Some of the wait staff has been there for more than 30 years. The cocktails are traditional and the wine menu offers enough for those with a discerning palette. In the summer, the patio seating is the only way to go. This is somewhere I would take my older aunt, cousins from out of town or meet a friend that I know really well and lives in the area. Not really cool enough for 20-30 somethings as a pre-party meeting place, but it's warm, friendly and a neighbourhood delight.
