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The Atlantic Trap & Gill
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 12 pm - 1 am
Fri 12 pm - 2 am
Sat 11 am - 2 am
Sun 11 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for The Atlantic Trap & Gill
Review Highlights
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"The best nights are the live music nights." In 5 reviews -
"The perfect balance of chowder and seafood." In 6 reviews -
"...beers are the thing to order - Moosehead or Keith's IPA." In 4 reviews
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Jim P.
10/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I just like the people here.
Friendly, helpful, and seem happy to be there.
Cool, woodsy atmosphere, right across from the football stadium.
Very good, but pretty much standard wings. Reasonably priced beers.
Good place to come before a game at either the stadium or Rogers center. Convenient walk to most hotels. -
Review from Amanda F.
First of all- I should state that I'm an east coaster. Born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This automatically discounts my opinions and takes away the validity of my words in the eyes of Vancouverites.
"Well of couuuurse you like the the dirty old Trap! You're from the maaaritimes".
It's true- this divey little spot is almost like a piece of home for me, and I'm sure for some other atlantic canadians out here in Vancouver as well. After all, the place was designed with us in mind. The servers/bartenders in this place are probably sick of hearing "Yeahhh, I'm from Nova Scotia/PEI/New Brunswick/Newfoundland...I love this place!". Surely, they don't actually give a flying f**k anymore how far away from home you are! But friendly they remain to the over-enthusiastic clientele, so good on them.
East-coast style pub food, a casual, awesome atmosphere (like a real east coast pub), lots of live music (feating celtic favourites and fiddles!), alexander keiths seemingly always on special... oh, and a huge patio for enjoying a couple pints on a (rare) sunny day in vancouver!
What more could you want?
I love this place. -
Review from Nicole M.
Hastings-Sunrise, Vancouver, BC
9/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'll be honest, I really only went here for the drinks and the maritimey atmosphere. Service was mediocre, the band got better as the night went on (not sure if it was because I had more drinks, or the band had more drinks...). My friends got food, they all seemed to gobble it down but I don't think they're too picky. I didn't really check the menu, and assumed there wouldn't be too much on the menu that was gluten-free friendly.
I think the neatest part about this bar is the building itself. It appears to be in an old car garage or something. There are four bays that they open up to go out onto their "patio", which half of the parking lot that they fenced off and filled with tables. Pretty cool. Reminds me of a pub in Calgary that I really like.
I think I'd be back for another night o' drinking and celtic tunes. -
Review from Holli D.
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
LOVE THIS PLACE! There was a $5 cover charge to hear the Irish Folk band & it was WAY worth it! The place it clean & service is fast & friendly! There is no smoking & no dancing. The dancing part was hard as the band completely takes you over. The sitting is at picnic tables. You quickly meet your table mates & begin chatting it up. People were playing spoons. The entire experience was phenomenal! I had the fish & chips which was delicious! The fish literally melts in your mouth! This place is a must...too cute!
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Review from Adam K.
Vancouver, BC
7/11/2011
I'm writing this review for those who would like to just eat here and have a beer.
I went in on a game night and tried to get their wing special but it's no longer on the menu. The only other time I had come, they had a great wing special on game nights and it was a great time.
However, without this wing special, I feel no reason to return here, so thanks for taking that off the menu guys, one customer has been lost forever.
I ordered a burger and a beer. The burger was somewhere between average and terrible. The bun was as cheap as it gets. Yet the burger plate was over $10, I tried to go to their website just now to see the menu and find the actual price, but of course they don't have one up because that would be too useful to their customers.
If you'd like overpriced garbage food and service, then this is the place to go for a meal. If you're looking to get s***hammered with your drinking buddies and listen to irish music, then come on down. -
Review from Michelle H.
7/1/2009
Seafood. Glorious glorious seafood. Sometimes you get a hankering for it, you just want it. Even when you're on vacation.
Cue Yelp Canada. And the handy leaflet from your hostel. Combined we were led to Yaletown.
What? What's this? Did we head back to Portland and go to the Pearl District? Every town seems to succumb to this yuppy suck fest. I guess you need to cater to all types. This type isn't me. I forgot my popped collar you see. I don't dress to the nines to get my grub on. I wasn't on a date. I just wanted some fish. I know what happens when the likes of me heads to this kind of area. I've been there. Done that. Plus I was on the Canadian dollar. Not exactly my best friend.
Anyway, we went to the fall back plan. What was that place we saw? Atlantic something or other. Let's do it.
So we walked back. We passed it earlier and dipped in. Welcome to the pub scene. Pub scene with the hockey finals are on. Crucial times. Also times I'm not into. I don't do hockey. Granted I've never really sat and watched, so I guess I'm not really opposed. I just wanted fish remember?
So the menus. They were placed on the table and Keith's Pale Ale was ordered. Pub food. Fried this. Grilled that. Battered this. Fried that. Pub food. You get the idea. It wasn't exactly ideal.
Until we saw the surf and turf. After a great recommendation of the seafood chowder we were settled.
Beers were downed while subsequent cheers were hollered at the surrounding TVs. We sat near the open windows and were actually asked what the score was by the passersby. This is serious business!
Also serious business? That chowder. Hot damn that was good. I still think about it. The perfect balance of chowder and seafood. Meaty and vegetable-y. Creamy. Perfect. It was great.
Honestly that steak and shrimp was pretty awesome, especially for the price. I usually don't do grilled shrimp. It tends to come out rubbery and gross. Not here. Clearly they know their seafood. The steak was decent, even for the cut. It was still juicy and held its flavor. The chowder became great dipping sauce.
Friendly banter from the server made for a great dinner.
Thank you Yelp + hostel for steering me in the right direction. -
Review from Andrew C.
5/28/2009
I don't have any clever openings for this review that don't involve some innuendo regarding the word "trap", so I'm not even going to go there..
Mmmmm.... traps...
OK, back to review!
In search of seafood, after walking around the uppity-yuppiity-typical-gentrification-of-old-ware houses-as-seen-in-every-major-city-ever-over-the-p ast-ten-years area of Vancouver known as "Yaletown", my friend and I realized that we weren't even close to well dressed enough to tangle with the upper crust on that particular evening. Actually, maybe we were, but we were over it. Upper crust, or parent's-money-crust can be so off putting.
The Atlantic Trap and Grill was recommended on both the "Places to eat" leaflet our hostel handed out, and had popped up in a neighborhood search on Yelp with a decent rating. We opted for it, somewhat weary of the advertised live music. We were just looking for decent seafood.
Once inside and seated, we were both questioning our decision. A quick glance at the menu revealed a list of seemingly pub fare entrees. ...only, involving fish... Hmm....
I had a quick flashback to a work trip in Phoenix, AZ when I ordered seafood in a similar place and regretted it. Then, reasoning set in and I realized I was simply a moron for ordering seafood in the desert and that Vancouver would be different.
Thankfully, my assumption was right. Our meal was awesome. Both of us ordered the surf and turf which came with a steak and shrimp (obviously) but we were able to substitute in the seafood chowder which we were told was award winning. Apparently it was awarded 2nd place in some Canadian chowder contest. After all our food had arrived, it was easily concluded that they definitely deserve the high marks and recognition. That was some awesome seafood chowder. So awesome that I wondered how much better the 1st place winner could have been. Thinking back to it now, I wish I could just walk down there right this instant and order a big bowl of the stuff.
The rest of the meal was great as well, the steak and shrimp were both very flavorful, and they even had Keith's India Pale Ale!!!! (For the Canadians reading who get to drink that liquid gold all the time, pardon my excitement. I'm hooked on it and can't find it in the US. *Insert sad face, here*)
I didn't mind watching our cute-as-hell server walk back and forth by our table, either... She had very nice.... hindquarters.
Good food, Keith's India Pale Ale, and fantastic hindquarters, all at a reasonable price... well, the hindquarters were not for sale, but I can dream.
What more do you want!? Hindquarters, that's what. Or another bowl of that chowder.
*This review brought to you by post-meal euphoria I just received from yet another Trader Joe's addicting little Salmon Belle Mer thing found in the frozen section for something like $2.99 and subsequent memory of last restaurant seafood experience.Listed in: Canadia
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Review from Joe B.
9/3/2008
This was about a block from our hotel, so naturally we had to duck in on the way back from one of our nights of debauchery. They had live Irish music the night we were there, and it definitely seems like a loud, lively, local live music spot. How's that for alliteration? We just stopped in for beers, but were sorely tempted by the late-night bar food, fries, seafood, and burgers. Our server was friendly even though we were just there for a drink or two.
But I think if the Irish lass I was with saw the Guinness Stew - braised lamb, Guinness & veggies served with crusty french bread... it would have been all over for the "just drinks" plan . . . -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 7/2/2009 1 Check-in Here
A fond HELLO to a dear new friend:
I could sit for hours and drink your draft
Inside at a communal table or outside on your large patio
Being able to park (and possibly leave my car all night long)
Go for a pre-drink before a night of entertainment at BC Place, GM Place...or booming straight from your stage
Having drawn a Yelp-burst to commemorate your Grand Re-Opening
Made me yelping-happy
Your tables need some time to be lacquered with stickiness
But there's actually room to dance
You can see the band from everywhere
And when screams of "SOCIABLE" echo, it's great to turn to the table next door and clank glasses
Thanks for having proper garlic fingers
Friendly staff (that you brought from the original Trap)
And for giving me a reason to walk further from home to build up my thirst and sober up on my stumble back home from your many wonderful taps.Listed in: Canadiana Quirks, Comfort Carbs, Pubbing it up all around…, Patio Season Comes to…, When I Go Out, I Go Out Hard
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/20/2009
A fond farewell to a dear friend:
I could sit for hours and drink your draft
Before winding my way… Read more »
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Review from Gwen C.
7/6/2009
Once upon a time, in the fair land of Vancouver, there was this bar. It had a cleverly misspelled name. It had lots of good seafood, it had plenty of great beer, and it was an oasis of awesome within the world of suck that is Yaletown. (Seriously, i didn't come to Vancouver to hang out with American assholes from suburbia...)
And then it went away. Had i had a chance to say goodbye, i surely would have sobbed many tears into my Alexander Keith's and screamed SOCIABLE!! a little too much. It'd be like when it's perilously close to last call in St. John's.
And then, i'm walking down Robson and...there it is. What? Is this some strange illusion? No. No, it is not. And though they only have one kind of AK's on tap, the donair is just like you'd get on pizza corner, and though it's actually much closer in taste to Julia's in New Glasgow (which i swear they cribbed the sauce recipe from)... after a couple of beers, you'll never notice. -
Review from Renee C.
7/9/2009
Honey, I'm home!!!
Being from Alberta, where the Atlantic Trap & Gill is a staple in both Calgary and Edmonton, I was so very happy and relieved that Vancouver also had its very own. It was always my sure-thing for a good night. I even found love there once. And then it went away and I paid my farewells to it that night.....
And then it came back!
So opening day I heading down to see if it might hopefully (hopefully hopefully) live up the expectations grown from many many a great night in this bar in various cities. I have to say my hopes are high. Still great staff, good music, and possibly (again, hopefully hopefully) an area big enough for some dancing.
Other reasons for high hopes: a) an impressive sized patio perfect for a perfect pint, b) the RETURN of the proper garlic fingers, or c) an area around the bar big enough for mingling, chatting, and casual conversations often found in pubs on the east coast (and Ireland). Answer....that's right, all of the above baby!
I look forward to finding great laughs, good music, and rockin' good times here. And sweet donair sauce...I don't know who invented you once upon a time on the other side of the country, but sometimes....you rock my world. -
Review from Tomomi S.
12/15/2009
First of all, I lost my poutine virginity here at Altantic Trap and Grill. That being said, two words for this bar will be: Russell Cream Ale on tap and poutine.
When we were there sipping on our tasty cream ale, the Russell guy was rolling fresh new kegs in! Oh yeah, may we have another? I heart Russell Cream Ale and it's a shame we can't get them in CA :(
My first poutine experience was a good one. I like crunchy fries so when you pour the gravy all over fries, it kinda kills the feel of sinking your teeth into freshly fried fries. However, once I got over that, this mount of fries and cheese curds smothered with gravy dish was pretty darn tasty. But I should try more poutines so that I can compare in the future.
Good service, very homey and cozy place to hang out. -
Review from Catherine W.
New Westminster, BC
4/26/2010
OH I love this place and have loved this place for years!!!
I used to stop here on my way to Luv-A-Fair nightclub. You couldn't have two different atmosphere but damn the food and beer are great.
Sitting on a rock hard bench with pitchers of beer are the way to spend a friday night. The people are fun and lively. The music is eclectic east coast fiddle and the food is so good.
The only down side is trying not to fall down the stairs on the way to water closet lol. -
Review from Dani B.
4/23/2009
The best nights are the live music nights.
I used to go here quite a bit but ever since I entered the working world, I haven't hit this spot up lately. It's great though. It's not an authentic Atlantic bar, but it does do justice to the name. The bar food is traditional and the drinks flow like water.
The above is a tribute to the OLD Trap and Gill. Went to the new one and although it did the job, the atmosphere was totally lacking. Bring back the live music and maybe i'll change my mind, but the new location just didn't do it for me like the old one did. -
Review from Rich R.
Vancouver, BC
7/7/2010
I'm a long-time fan of the Trap, as well.
I've only eaten here a couple times, but who really goes to a pub for the food, anyway!
I do recall ordering some food that came out way over cooked. However, the waitress was very quick to take it back and bring a new dish.
Always good times here, but I must admit that I miss the old location on Davie St. It's just not the same sweatbox it used to be. -
Review from Louise G.
10/30/2009 1 photo
We'd been here before when they were in their old location, but decided to be brave and try the new spot.
Service and food was better in this place, but the noise levels were incredibly loud.
Fish (cod) and chips:
Fish was battered with some sort of seasoning, perhaps savoury?
Very dark, perhaps from darkened oil?
Cod was a bit too oily for my taste.
Poutine:
Gravy - poultry? Not great.
Curds - yes, but somehow didn't have that melty-ness or squeek-ness
Fries - from frozen?
Overall OK. But not worth the noise level.
Highlight of the visit: Tetley Tea's new self squeezing bag. Too much fun!!! -
Review from Jeremy B.
12/22/2008
Pub Atmosphere and Good Beer
This place is "a must" when I'm in town. The beer is great (this includes a selection of beer from Granville Island). Beers at the top of my list would be Granville Amber or the Winter Ale (which is seasonal). As one would expect, they do have Guinness... but Guinness outside of Ireland is bad news bears.
The burgers aren't AS awesome as they used to be but it is pub food. Though, I especially liked the brea cheese and garlic starter.
Atmosphere: This place has a wide range of mood. On St. Patrick's day I've heard/seen loud and live Irish music, a broken window, and a pale Irish butt hanging out of that window being slapped to the music. On a regular week day night it's a very chill place to chat with a friend.
Enjoy! -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
10/23/2008
I don't know how large the Newfoundlander/Maritimer community is in Vancouver, but if you want to meet our friends from the East, chances are you can meet them here. The bar is small enough out front for chancy interactions but features big shared tables in the rear. Even if I'm not expressly coming here, when I walk past and see everyone all having a good time inside, I wish I were.
Damn good East Coast beers are the thing to order - Moosehead or Keith's IPA. I haven't eaten a whole lot of things from the menu, but when they're on special, the bucket of mussels steamed in some liquid of the sea gods is oh so good. Love that knee-slapper of an illustration for this particular special - you'll know it when you see it. -
Review from Megan S.
12/3/2008 1 photo
Oh my gosh- a parking lot on Robson!
So when you have friends driving in from the 'burbs, this is a great place to go.
It's a typical little sports bar, but it has a nice patio for warm summer nights. Big screens make it easy to follow the game from anywhere in the room. The typical bar food is tasty and well priced- I've had the wings a few times- good level of spiciness.
Right by BC Place and GM Place- so hit it up on the way to the game, or instead of the game. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/13/2008 2 photos
It's no Split Crow in Halifax or the Old Triangle, but the Atlantic Trap and Gill will have to do for the East Coasters on the West Coast.
I must admit this spot did get me a little teary for my home shores. The beer is good, although I'd prefer some more authentically East Coast music than the kilt-flying jigs that were playing. I mean with a pretty decent music scene (give me Wintersleep, Matt Mays, or even Sloan) the more modern side of the East Coast was sorely lacking in the music selection on my last visit. I'll give this spot credit, though, for the Donair on the menu and the Pizza Corner reference.
But it's true that the East Coasters fly in small circles and may collide here. On the huge wall map that is autographed by East Coast wanders, I found the name of a guy I went to high school with back in Nova Scotia.
This spot is worth a visit just for the serendipity. -
Review from Sheila W.
BC
11/20/2008
If you like a super-casual, friendly, inexpensive place to drink beer, you've found your place. There's only one word you need to be familiar with: "Sociables!" It's the East-Coast chant that can be shouted for almost any reason (or better, no reason at all) to illicit table-wide cheers-ing and drinks for all.
Thursdays and Saturdays you can hear traditional East-coast music (like an Irish trad jam) and the place gets pretty packed. The crowd is pretty mixed, from the professional after-work types to ripped jeans and leather. Most people fall somewhere in the middle.
There is food on offer. I had some pub munchies and was not too impressed, the calamari was pretty nasty. There are far better places to eat right nearby on Davie Street. But it's a fun place and I'll definitely be back for drinks. -
Review from Darien C.
BC
12/12/2008
Walking down the street, searching for a bar, we pulled a sharp right into the first one we found.
Not a bad spot, not bad at all.
Loud rock hit my ears moments before chilled gin hit my lips. Perhaps clichéd, but everyone gets to be sometimes.
The prices were inexpensive and the staff very friendly. The bartender kept us fed and we never once ordered food. Easily swayed by free anything, I will be back. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2008
I don't know much about how indicative this is of east coast places so I save my judgment there. What I do know though is the Atlantic Trap and Grill is a great place to grab a bite to eat and have some drinks in a pub setting.
In fact, if anything, I'd say forget that it's a pub. The real goodness of this place lies in its food. Solid fish and chips as well as other great and sometimes ingenious pub fare are all over the menu and everything I've sampled has been just great. I'd definitely suggest heading here on an empty stomach.
They also feature plenty of interesting local and imported beers for reasonable prices. I had a strange BC wheat brew I'd never heard of here and was pleased as it was not only good but also the special.
The staff is courteous and great as they are really waiters first, bar operators second. This is a great place to start a night or have a meal. -
Review from gene x.
8/23/2009
Well I would give this place four stars just for service as our super perky and friendly server was a joy, although almost too nice. I began to wonder if she was on uppers b/c of how outgoing she was but ultimately we were there for eats and it was close by the Hampton Inn we were crashing at so i'll get back to the food...
Our meals were pretty iffy but even when our server came by to ask how we were doing we just had to say fine since she was so chipper, but the food was a bit funky. Not quite what we expected and the batter on the inside of the fish and chips wasn't fully cooked (gnarly) and my order was mixed up.
Oh well, perhaps this was just the one time but we will probably never know... -
Review from Kelsey D.
Vancouver, BC
3/19/2011
The best place about this pub is the long tables...
Great for big groups with its casual atmosphere.
Unfortunately the service is tragic The night was very busy so slow service was expected, however the sour attitude from multiple workers there wasn't really needed.
Do NOT start a bar tab here as they claim you ordered more drinks than you did. Twice as many in fact...
Definitely won't return which is unfortunate because with the exception of the people that work there, we had a fairly decent time. -
Review from Rob G.
Vancouver, BC
2/3/2011
Wing Wednesday - 40 cent wings...Deep-fried pepperoni...YES!
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Review from beki L.
Vancouver, BC
10/18/2009
Deep fried battery goodness anyone?!?!
Was here for a frenz bday a few nights ago...it also being a hockey game night, it was pretty packed!
Really liked the rustic old feeling and look of the place. Tv's everywhere to view the game (or fight..or whatever)... extremely casual, loud and fun.
Was reading gene x.'s review and I will also have to echo that review in that OUR waiter was extremely chipper and friendly. Looked like he was having the best night of his life! He was really attentive sometimes and then he'd disappear for a while and wouldnt come by even if you tried flagging him down for 10 minutes. but he was so friendly you had to let it go.
i started with a pint of bud light and a pound of salt n pepper wings to wash the beer down (hey, HOCKEY was on tv!!) my friends started with a big platter of deepfried seafood sleepin on a bed of fries, it was an oily heaven! unfortunately, my wings seemed overly deepfried it was almost burnt and lacking any salt n pepper taste..and i always thought you CANT mess up this dish..i mean, its just salt and pepper right?? Thankfully, i was able to steal bits from my friends huge platter....the deep fried fish and clams and scallops were very very good.
for the main course, i went for the seafood roll and shared the steamed clams, accompanied with 2 double ceasars. (the ceasars are NOT good at all!! so disappointed!! my first one i got no lime or celery! then when i got the 2nd one, i realized that they dont serve it with any veggies, i did get my lime tho. =( another strike...thank god the waiter was so friendly!)
my seafood roll was delicious though... bits of seafood in this tangy mayo sauce stuffed in 2 biscuit rolls. i opted for the salad since i already had my fill of fries and surprisingly it was very good too! =) the steamed clams were HUGE! they aroma floating from the dish was tantalizing! couldnt wait to eat one...but once i did, it seemed a little rubbery and overdone. =( i had maybe 2 more and just soaked the toast in the soup and had that--mmm, yummy.
Awesome place for casual pub food, drinks and lounging with a few friends to watch a game/fight or to chat. Only had a few problems with the food but easily can be overlooked... everything else made up for it.Listed in: Keepin' it WestCoast~~
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Review from Rachel K.
3/23/2009
Visited Vancouver for a couple of days and stopped off here for dinner and some beers on a Thursday night. This was a great place. Dive-y and the food was quite good. The portions were more than ample. They have Granville Brewery beers on tap which is why we went. The bartender seemed to know every other person who walked in and greeted them with a big hug and took care of us well at a front table, even though he had a bar to tend. Intermittent live music playing while we were there, but we could hear each other in the front room.
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Review from Kelley R.
Vancouver, BC
8/11/2009
Ended up here after a long day out an about. It was a Saturday night and the UFC fights were on, but we decided to stay anyway. The beer was cold and served promptly which put us all in a good mood. The place was packed, so we weren't surprised when our food took quite awhile. The shared plate of Nachos was huge, but nothing to write home about. Many in our group took advantage of the 1/2 Lobster and 7oz Steak special for $15 offered that night. While it seemed like a great deal on paper, it left my stomach a little worse for wear the next day. Perhaps cheap seafood was not the way to go. If I find myself here again, I think I'll try the fish and chips - it looked wonderful or something with the tuna. One companion ordered that and it got rave reviews!
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Review from Barney B.
10/27/2009
this will be forever the place where I first ate and enjoyed poutine.
yes, with all my countless trips to Montreal (some of which I remember and will talk about), I have never enjoyed them - but here, I did.
unlike anywhere else I experienced in Vancouver -
Review from D J.
10/31/2010
Good wings and chicken pot pie
