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The Observatory At Grouse Mountain
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
6400 Nancy Greene WyNorth Vancouver, BC V7R 4K9
(604) 980-9311
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- 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:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for The Observatory At Grouse Mountain
Review Highlights
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"The beef tenderloin was extremely well liked as well." In 3 reviews -
"Scallops were the best I've ever had." In 7 reviews -
"We started off with some piping hot & fresh bread (from..." In 3 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Lorne M.
North Vancouver, BC
1/29/2012
Great view, great staff and great food.
pretty pricey and the portions are on the small side. I'm also a season ski pass holder but there's no discounts. It's a shame because I would bring more business dinners there way if I got a 15% discount with my season pass. -
Review from Sebastian T.
Vancouver, BC
1/27/2012
Went here for Dine Out Vancouver. $38 got us three courses. I had the Trout Terrine with house made rye bread, Lamb Loin and Prune & Armagnac Brulee.
First, the good. The view is amazing. We caught a beautiful, clear night and the views of the city are spectacular. Grab a window seat if you do come. The house-made sourdough bread that comes with the meal was warm, fresh and tasty.
Now the not so good. The food is pretentious, which would be okay if it delivered on flavour. Not so much, it was bland for the most part, more concerned with looking good than tasting good. Portions were tiny, which again would have been okay if the flavour was out of this world. The terrine had no flavour. The lamb was a little dry and didn't really taste like anything. The brulee didn't even have a crispy top and also didn't taste like much. To top it off our server was determined to use every fancy French name for the ingredients on our plate. I get it, this is a fancy place... but fancy names don't mean much if you don't deliver on taste!!
My date was a little more fortunate with a decent squash soup and a chocolate cake/mousse, both which were alright.
Would I come back again, no! They trade on their view, and it is indeed spectacular. But if it's the view you want, pack a nice picnic and come up and take in the view. Avoid this place, it's really not worth it... -
Review from Tamara L.
1/4/2012
Went here for a 3 course dinner on New Years Eve. It was a decent meal, and the service was good, but nothing was *remarkable* here. (Well, nothing other than the view which really is fabulous). I can't quite put my finger on why the experience here left me shrugging my shoulders, but for whatever reason is just wasn't GREAT for me. The portions were pretty small (Wendy's drive-thru on the way home?) and while the service was attentive enough it also wasn't GREAT- not 'fancy dining' good, anyway. Perhaps all of this is due to the fact that it was New Years Eve and a prix fix menu... But whatever the reason is was just A-OK.
I'd go back... Perhaps if I had some out of town guests and wanted them to have a more unique/touristy dining experience.. But if it were just myself and my date? I'd probably check out someplace else. -
Review from Eva Z.
9/14/2011
It does not surprise me that they refund your $40 gondola ride up the mountain. In fact if they didn't they would not function as a business. You still pay for parking, even if you're only here to dine.
We were so thrilled about our orders, until they arrived.
Salmon and Beef Steak sounded amazing, until our waiter insisted we have it cooked according to the chefs preference. WOW, why did the chef screw us! RAW SALMON, RAW!!! Not even pink inside, it was CLEAR, and incredibly fishy (since it wasn't cooked). How disappointing. I can honestly say this was unacceptable, and when I write this I find surprising getting quite upset that such a dish would leave the chefs kitchen.
If you think raw salmon is bad, wait till you're served BLUE RAW BEEF. I don't get it. We chewed and chewed and chewed, sometimes I spit out my beef into a napkin, then chewed another piece. Gross. It left a gamy, hemoglobin, iron like after taste in my mouth. On the way down the gondola I was actually nauseous, not from the ride, but from the aftertaste. Again, unacceptable. Just because they refunded the gondola rides up, didn't mean we got a free meal. Basically we still paid nearly $40 per ENTRE. And let me tell ya I've had better tacos than a fine dining $40 entre.
Whoever is working the kitchen needs a culinary course update.
IN ONE WORD, OUR MEALS WERE GROSS.
If you're coming here to dine, DO NOT under any circumstance go with the chefs suggested cooking method. Make it clear to your waiter what you want and HOW YOU want it cooked and if it's not to your standards SENT IT BACK. Come to think of it, I'm kicking myself in the arse for not sending it back.
I DO NOT recommend this place, especially in a culinary haven like Vancouver with so many fantastic places to dine for a fraction of the price where chefs take pride in what they serve. -
Review from Dan T.
7/9/2011
A nice, intimate setting with a view that's hard to beat. So how's the food?
It depends what you are looking for. The duck breast was pretty conventional, but executed quite perfectly and was served with spatzle that provided a nice textural contrast.
The venison was also flavourful with subtle, smoky notes and matched well with apple, although overall I thought the flavours was a bit more subdued than I would have liked.
I think I would stay away from the elk and the scallops, though. Despite the nice pairing with Saskatoon berries, the elk was tough and unremarkable. The scallops were executed properly, but nothing about them that would separate them from preparations you can get elsewhere. -
Review from Shizuko N.
10/5/2011
The food was great, everything was perfect and the wine our waiter suggested went great with our meals. Waiter was also very courteous and suggested some wonderful dishes for us.
However, what kind of restaurant which requires reservations is 30+ minutes late without an apology or someone to call ahead and let you know that they're running late? I was pretty hangry (hungry+angry) when 45 minutes later we were seated with no apology for our table being ready late from the hostess. I thought our meals or drinks (I drank alot at the bar to try and mitigate my hangriness) were not discounted or slightly comp'd. No apology from the waiter as I guess wait staff and hostesses do not communicate? Totally unacceptable for a restaurant that is that expensive. I have never had to wait that long without someone from the restaurant calling me before my reservation AND/OR some extra dishes. -
Review from Ryan L.
4/4/2011
Fantastic concept - a restaurant hidden a thousand feet into a snowy mountain. Aaaanddddd... that's all that I enjoyed.
Well, let me take a step back. It's a classy restaurant, but not the dark romantic type, the $50/person type. If anything, I came to this restaurant for the view and not the food but since it was snowing pretty heavily, I didn't get a view and my undying focus was strictly on the food. I doubt you'd need reservations as most people wouldn't travel up a mountain for dinner. The tram is actually free if you are eating at this restaurant so the expensive price is probably including the ride to and fro.
The appetizers were disappointing. The pork terrine was harder than I expected and the scallops were obviously overcooked. The entrees were better but not significant enough for me to forgive those $18 appetizers. The venison alone was good and tender but the sides were tasteless. The dessert was alright - lemon tart was fantastic, pear tart was... different, it tasted fine but the presentation was a bit frightening. I wouldn't come back here because its a lot of hassle to get to the restaurant. On a side note, the waiters are beyond kind. They almost made me feel like I was having a decent dinner. -
Review from Nandan F.
Ottawa, ON
10/21/2010
Had a reservation here which included a pass for the gondola. You can arrive a couple of hours before your reservation to enjoy the activities at the top before your meal.
They stagger their reservations quite a bit to facilitate the kitchen so don't be surprised if you couldnt get a reservation for a particular time and dont find the place packed.
They change their menu ever so often. We started off with some wine. They have an extensive and good wine list. The bread was fresh and warm. I ordered the Cod Ling with mussles, clams and potato broth. The fish was absolutely perfectly cooked and was delicious. Just the right amount of herbs and food was fantastic. The beef tenderloin was extremely well liked as well. I'd recommend trusting the chef's medium-rare style. Medium or well will prolly be overcooked. For desert, I ordered the Bittersweet Chocolate Pate with reduced merlot and choc mousse. It was delicious. The chef put his own spin on the Apple Fritter which was probably a bit too much.
The service is attentive and impeccable. The only thing was that you didn't have one dedicated server. It worked out well in the end because someone was always looking after you.
Overall, this place is fantastic for a special occasion or for a romantic evening. It can also be reserved for group functions and is aparently popular for weddings. The view coupled with the fantastic food is definately an experience. -
Review from Kristina L.
3/30/2011
Ummm... average food. Super expensive... for me... that's not reason enough to return. We went because it would give us a comp pass on the Gondola.... Normally $39.00/per person. Thought it was a good deal... the meals at the restaurant were starting $39.00... Pork Terrine- Not worth getting again. Seared scallops- overcooked, I had the Halibut which was actually pretty good. Lemon Tart with Goat milk- average but better than that Pear Tart (kinda nasty)...
I'd rather not try this place again... and we didn't even get to see a view because of the clouds and rain... and snow... LAME! -
Review from food-voice l.
Vancouver, BC
10/9/2010
October 6/2010, Wednesday, Sunny.
The Observatory:
It's a very nice day, we didn't plan to go anywhere before hand, since its my girl friend birthday, I decided to take her up to Grouse Mountain to have dinner at the Observatory
Crab $16.00
dungeness crab napoleon, cucumbers, fennel, lime crème fraiche, sweet cecily foam
Pacific Ling Cod $39.00
mussels, clams, german butter potatoes, arugula, truffled velouté
Peach Semifreddo $13.00
basil champagne coulis, hazelnut brittle
We both have the same items as the above, despite the fancy name on the menu, basely
Appetizer is : Crab meat with slice cucumber;
Main course: Ling Cod with 2 clams, 2 mussels,
Dessert: Slice peach with Ice Cream.
Taste of the food is rather flat and portion is very small, this so call fine dining place is more on presentation rather then taste. To me I like eat the food instead of looking at it. Apart from the view there is nothing special about this place. We are not a drinker; total bill for the food comes to $170. with tax and tips. We don't eat at place like that very often, may be once every 5 years. . As a regular eat out (3-4 times a week) person myself, I personally prefer eating at place like The Kegs, Bridge and Cactus Club. It's more comfortable and down to earth type of food. However, according to most of the reviews, they all like the place. I like the place myself to a certain degree but express my view for comparison purpose. This kind of place is for tourist and special occasion. -
Review from Aran S.
Victoria, BC
4/15/2011
1. There was nobody at the front desk when we came in to greet us, and we ended up wandering into the restaurant where a server had to lead us all the way back out to the front desk to take our coats.
2. The restaurant was cold.
3. The server was polite but nervous, hesitant, and did not know the menu - stumbling over everything
4. The table location was terrible, right near entrance to restaurant even though the place was almost empty. We had a view of construction outside.
5. There was a wedding party with loud club music right next door, and we had to TALK OVER the noise, as the door was open all night. 6. The food was marginal considering the price, with ludicrously tiny portion sizes, which were over-salted. -
Review from Melody M.
12/13/2010
I was a little sad because I had higher expectations for this restaurant. The set menu was $49 and this does not include the lift ticket up.
The restaurant itself had a fantastic view, the tables were spaced far apart from each other so you don't feel squished and the decor was set in cabin style. The waiters were extremely attentive and friendly. However, the menu had a lot to be desired for.
The set lunch menu allowed you to choose from a fonduta, fresh lentil soup, or rocket salad with iron steak. The appetizers looked great but I had higher taste expectations for the taste. The main menu was the goose, black cod, or pork chop. The food again was presented beautifully, and this time the goose and the black cod were yummmy. The dessert, however, was not up to par. The maple pumpkin, the cannoli and the roasted pear all tasted bland.
I'd probably try this place out once, and that's it. -
Review from mei s.
8/31/2011
ok, they had me at "free gondola ride", which equals free entree. sounds good to me. however, i accidentally made reservations for an evening where they were paired up with a winery with a prix fixe dinner of something like $150/pp. not bad, however, my two little ones would not appreciate it. i know i won't appreciate it as much with them there either. so, luckily the mgr had called and alerted us to this and rearranged the date for us.
we arrived early to grouse mountain because we wanted to check out the activities. i was told if you get tehre before 5, just pay for the tix and the restaurant would deduct the cost off the bill. however, the ticket counter just called the restaurant and confirmed our reservation. it was not like we could run off without eating there as they had my credit card info and i had reserved off of open http://table.com. so i appreciated not having to deal with the hassle.
when we arrived at the restaurant, the menu was opened to the prix fixe meal at $125/pp. i started sweating. i thought, surely, they must have ala carte? i counted our party, multiplied by 6 and started getting more nervous.
luckily, the server came and advised us if we were not interested in the prix fixe menu, we could select from the ala carte on the next page. thank god!! i saw other people go through the same experience. the menu is so thick, you do not realize there are more pages!!
so the dishes were $30-40 an entree. i asked if they had a children's menu and she said, it's really only for very little children. i looked at the table next to ours, and the kid there was maybe 1 year younger than my youngest. thanks, but we'll do the chicken fingers for my daughter too.
the meal was fine. i would not say it was the best meal ever. the ambience was very nice. it was not crowded and i guess it was to keep the kitchen from getting overwhelmed. seems funny to have so much seating and not customers.
in any case, we ordered the Pork Cheek Terrine with apricots, house dried raisin, verjus gastrique, the Local Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie
resort made pickles, shallot bread, stained cippolini onions, mustard;
Chilled Pea Soup; Dungeness crab, poached oysters, mint gelées, celery tuille, the Fraser Valley Duck Breast with Okanagan cherry & ricotta ravioli, celebration greens, Mission honey and the Kasu Marinated Hecate Strait Halibut with wild rice, radish, sea asparagus, spicy prawn consommé, the Pacific Sturgeon
polenta, resort made chorizo, pipérade, red wine jus.
for desert we had the Dark Chocolate Torte with raspberry curd, cocoa nib cookie, Champagne sabayon and the Dessert For Two, which for us was a mini cheesecake, puff pastry, and macaroon. it was nice. i would recommend it to anyone looking to save some money and have a nice experience. -
Review from Vincci L.
5/28/2010 4 photos
The best part of the dinner was probably the ride up the Skyride. It's included when you have a reservation at the restaurant. Arriving at around 8:30pm, it was nearing sunset and the view was absolutely gorgeous.
Even though we had a reservation, we still had to wait for our table. The restaurant is small, with an excellent view of Vancouver. White table-clothed tables, candlelight, it's a perfect romantic setting.
Their wine list is this super thick binder of all sorts of wine. I opted for a cocktail instead.
I started off with a Pinenut & Salt Spring Island Goat Cheese Beignet with cracked pepper aioli, parsley and frisée salad. These were soft and flavourful, and the goat cheese added that extra deliciousness.
Qualicum Bay Scallops- 3 medium sized seared scallops, on a bed of spinach purée, crab risotto, salmon roe. Scallops were ok; they weren't fully cooked. The crab risotto and salmon roe blended together well, and made the dish very tasty. The portion was very small though.
Dessert was the Apple Financier, with lavender panna cotta, and ice wine poached apples. The panna cotta was smooth and fragrant in lavender. Ice wine poached apple was light and crisp, with that hint of apple freshness. The apple financier was also great, soft, and a bit of crunch on the outside, and a bit of almond flavour.
Service was good throughout the night, the dinner ended pretty quickly though, as all portions were quite small.
The ride back down was also beautiful. Something about the night scene of Vancouver.....
This place is worth a visit for the experience more than the food. It's technically a good deal because it includes the skyride up the mountain, so for that special occasion or out of town visitors, try it out! -
Review from Rene W.
2/16/2011
I give it 3 stars because the idea of going back again doesn't excite me.
The biggest thing you go there for is the view. The decor is very simple, low key. Honestly I had very low expectation for the food so I was pleasantly surprised. No it wasn't fine dining, but it was fine.
Scallops were done excellently and I love scallops and have high standards when it comes to scallops so that alone made me really happy.
I remember that the bread was really good. The rest of the food was good but rather forgettable.... as in I've already forgotten what else I ate. -
Review from Amy C.
7/4/2011
So much potential. A great view, interesting menu, but not executed as well as the menu would suggest. A little low on flavor, ravioli had hunks of cherries in it...so many other posibilities for duck ravioloi and cherries, tough, odd consistency, but the sauce was great, just not enough of it. Id love to see this interesting menu slightly better executed.
Im giving 3 stars because the bread is out of this world! -
Review from Paul L.
1/25/2009
I'd give it a 3.75 when combining the food with the spectacular view overlooking Vancouver on a crystal clear night.
I attended a dinner at The Observatory with some friends since the restaurant was participating in the 2009 Vancouver Dine-Out. The food was slightly above average. In my opinion, the restaurant was just under 4-stars because I weight the food higher than the view. Let me emphasize the view was spectacular and the food was quite pleasing. Also, the staff were very helpful and friendly as expected at all restaurants of this nature.
My selections for the three course meal included the soup, scallops, and pannacotta. We started off with some piping hot & fresh bread (from Terra Bread) with some whipped butter, delicious. The soup was creamy and quite flavorful, but finished slightly on the salty-side for my palette. The scallops were a rich flavor explosion, topped with spicy octopus ragu and basil foam, accompanied by preserved olives. The vanilla pannacotta dessert was average but helped to tame the richness from the entree.
Overall, the restaurant did a good job. The view was stunning, the food was above average.
2009 Vancouver Dine-out Menu at The Observatory:
Appetizers
Roasted Sunchoke & Shallot Soup
smoked black cod, braised lentils
Calona Pinot Noir 2006 $10/gl
Or
Glorious Garnish Organic Greens
goat milk yogurt dressing, poached kumquats, pecans, Banyuls vinaigrette
Peller Estates Pinot Blanc 2007 $8/gl
Entrees
Pork Tenderloin
braised pork belly, pomme purée, roasted vegetables
Quails' Gate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $11/gl
or
Scallops
spicy octopus ragout, black olive tomato preserve, fingerling potatoes, basil foam
Sumac Ridge Chardonnay 2006 $10/gl
Desserts
Winter Dessert Trio
pear frangipane tart, chestnut honey ice cream, chocolate pot de créme
Quails' Gate Botrytis Affected Optima 2006 $12/gl (2oz.)
or
Vanilla Bean Pannacotta
toffee apples, shortbread
Gehringer Later Harvest Rieslling 2007 $9/gl (2oz.) -
Review from julie p.
9/27/2010
They allow access to the mountain 3 hours before your dinner reservation which was just enough time to
1. take the skyride up
2. enjoy a drink at the bistro with the view of the harbor
3. watch the lumberjack show
4. hike around the mountain
5. watch bears in the habitat
6. take the scenic chairlift
7. take pictures of the peak + eye of the wind
8. change clothes for dinner
Everything about dinner was terrific. Bread was yummy. Scallops were the best I've ever had. Ling cod was fresh and buttery. Beef tenderloin was moist and rich.
They also have a coat check so you dont have to bring your backpacks into the dining room. -
Review from Katie S.
12/8/2009
The food was delicious and the view was spectacular. It was very expensive, but worth every penny. If you are planning to spend some time up on Grouse Mountain, it's even a better deal because if you make reservations, and each person in your party orders an entree, your ride up the mountain is free. (The cost to go up the mountain is $37.50 as of this writing, and the entrees were $39 each). So we went up several hours before our dinner reservations and made a whole afternoon of it. I'd recommend this to get a better value for your money!
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Review from Kat D.
1/6/2011
We were here for a family birthday and it was exceptional. I have very rarely sat back in my chair at a Vancouver restaurant and soaked in the good feeling. Location, food, service. We had reserved a table at the window and the late afternoon view was fantastic followed by an orange and yellow sunset. They were out of the German "champagne" we wanted but a BC option was recommended. We had salad with goat cheese and berries, followed by beef tenderloin which came medium-rare at the suggestion of the chef. The entrees were brought out by a group of men so it was clear that the chef was concerned with the temperature of the food. I did smile a little to myself when each plate was described as it was put on the table. I discovered to my surprise that the small, round, juicy things next the beef were turnips! Now I know that turnips are not always soft, boiled and bitter. The lamb with Puy lentils was also excellent. The service was more of a team effort than I am used to and I was startled to have the crumbs from our pain epi carefully removed with a brushwith a cannister attached which I have never seen in Vancouver. I guess the chef decided the crumbs were worth it with such tasty bread. Dessert had been ordered days in advance because it was a birthday and the Obversatory brought in an exquisite chocolate creation by Thomas Haas. It was the kind of indescribable flavour and texture that stops conversation. It had been cut so that each of us was served one piece and there was no risk of being greedy. The food was very satisfying with portions which were just right. After a short walk we took the gondola down and craned our necks looking for the rumoured wolves in the woods below us.
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Review from Eleonora R.
1/2/2010
My husband and I wanted to view Grouse Mountain from the best location and get a free gondola ride so we decided to get a reservation at The Observatory. Unfortunately, it was a horrible day as far as visibility was concerned so we can only rate the food and the ambiance and not the view.
The food is indeed above average although the menu is limited (6-7 choices for entree).
I ordered the venison and my husband tried the lamb. Both were really good but the portions were small.
Also we tried their local dark beer and it was quite good.
Overall, this isn't a place I would go to on a regular basis but if you can guarantee that the visibility will be great and you're going up the mountain anyway, I would recommend dining here. -
Review from Kevin K.
2/2/2009
It's been a while since I've been here, so my review is based off of memory. The view was amazing. I went once when it was cloudy and overcast in the middle of the day and was mildly disappointed, but I returned a few years later with a nice clean evening watching the Vancouver city lights outside on the patio. The food from what I remember was decent, but nothing to make a big point about. It's been too long to remember the view. The service was quick and polite.
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Review from Roger A.
9/13/2009
food expensive. But the view is amazing
