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Vancouver Alpen Club
Categories: Restaurants German Event Planning & Services Venues & Event Spaces Nightlife Dance Clubs German, Venues & Event Spaces, Dance Clubs [Edit]
4875 Victoria DrVancouver, BC V5N 4P3
Neighbourhood: Kensington-Cedar Cottage
(604) 874-3811
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Vancouver Alpen Club
12 reviews in English
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Review from Michael C.
Vancouver, BC
7/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The interior looks like I entered a German Inn and the service was friendly.
I have tried their German meatloaf with egg and potatoes which was really good. I thought it looked like ham at first but the taste was nothing like I had before and the potatoes was very good. I had a pint of German Pilsner and it was a very clean taste unlike the yucky local Pilsner it was very smooth.
I also have tried their schnitzel and thought it was ok, had better in the city. It was a little under season for me but when I added some salt the flavour came out more.
Today I will be going there for a beer tasting event posted on Yelp I can't wait. -
Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
A fun, yet cheesy time to be had by all, in spite of the price and the half-empty hall.
Met some real characters here. Loved the music and the dudes on the accordians reminded me of my late polish grandpa (but he was a bit better looking, even at 97, in truth).
Food was like a McD's McChicken but called "pork schnitzel." It really should have been included in the price, at $30 a pop, actually. And there was no keepsake--at least, we didn't receive anything--except maybe a hangover for the next day.
Everyone was friendly.
Can't remember the last time that I danced the hokey pokey, can you? What about forming the dance "train"?
One free drink and all for the bargain of $36.50. A bit steep, no, but you get to be on german tv if you're uber lucky. Not sure when I'll be subscribing to that channel, tho.
Even a self-professed german descent type of gal could have a good time while not-quite-wearing the right clothes, but right enough to be asked to dance the whole night long. The best thing about this place was that there were but two single women: my friend and me. So you can guess what happened next. And that deserved at least a star in a city where we outnumber the men 7:1.
Too bad it was only half full!
But I guess "that's what it's all about". (groan)Listed in: The Overrated Drinks/Dinner…
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Review from Isabelle G.
Vancouver, BC
11/13/2011
My decision to go the Alpine Club was based on a last minute hidden Groupon that was only valid for lunch time on one day. I normally don't like to be rushed to use a Groupon, however, considering that it was an open day to do anything, I gave it a shot.
I've never been to Germany, however, most people on Yelp say that it is the closet thing to anything authentically German that I will get in the city from the décor to the menu items. I will admit that I felt as though I was transported into Germany and my mind did some cultural day dreaming that didn't involve the music of Rammstein played in my head.
The fact that everyone was speaking German to each other added to the element of cultural escape. It was nice to hear another culture's language that I am not used to (living in the city). My ears interpreted the dialogue exchange as music.
The waitress was an old school elderly German lady whom reminded me of my German neighbor growing up, therefore, her accent provided an element of childhood memories that brought me back.
The only frustration was trying to communicate with her details of my gluten allergy and finding inquiring if certain items on the menu were wheat free. She did admit that most of the menu items weren't cooked in house and come from other suppliers, therefore, she could not give me a 100% answer weather or not something was gluten free. I think I played it safe with the soup and potatoes.
I don't mind food that isn't made in house, there are a lot of establishments that practice this, especially bars. I just want to make sure that what I ate was authentically German and since I am not German and have nothing to compare it to, I am hoping that my fellow yelpers are correct in this department.
Food wise there was nothing that jumped out at my taste buds, it was just average but nothing bad.
The service was friendly and food delivery was at a decent speed. Every time the lady came to the table, it was met with a pleasant greeting, therefore, there is little to complain in this department.
The price is reasonable standard pricing. Their strong point isn't the restaurant dinning but in their array of authentic German beers to drink. It seems more like a gentleman's club. -
Review from Shannon B.
Vancouver, BC
5/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Best (perhaps only) authentic german cuisine in Vancouver.
Love the schnitzel. -
Review from Kimli W.
10/26/2010 2 Check-ins Here
This place is fantastic. I never would have tried it if not for my friends insisting, and I'm so glad we went. It was a Friday night, so the place was full of dancing couples and general merriment - so much fun to watch (I don't dare attempt to polka; I was content on the sidelines).
As for the food - I opted for a pretzel and the haussalat while the others ordered complicated-sounding foods like schweinefilet, schweineschnitzel and rinderrroulade. I later regretted my unadventurous ordering, as the bites I stole from everyone's plate were kind of sublime - the Germans know how to make a mean gravy that made EVERYTHING taste amazing, even more so than it was unadorned. My friend also ordered the Sausage Sampler, something I had my eye on but opted against because a) even I have a sausage limit, and b) a traumatic childhood experience left me scarred and loathing European wieners.
Okay, that last bit was stolen directly from my blog post about the place - it's barely 7am, give me a break. The rest is here if you want the full scoop: http://blog.deliciousj...
In the end, the Alpen club is a hidden gem and I will definitely be back with friends! -
Review from Johannes H.
Vancouver, BC
12/17/2010
Finally a place that serves a whole bunch of delicious German beers and ubersized Schnitzel. The downside is that it is kind of out of town and it takes a long bus ride to get there from downtown.
The Alpen Club is as close as you can get to the real German food. It is as authentic as it can be and, since I am born and grew up in Germany, a nice place to return to in Vancouver.
It is just that the restaurant itself is in the basement of the building and the whole interior looks a little creepy. But, I guess, that's what people expect when they go to an old-fashioned German restaurant.
The waitresses seem all to be German and everybody has a funny and cute German accent.
Food to try:
- Pretzel as an appetizer
- a German beer of course (I recommend Hefeweizen)
- one of the Schnitzel's
- delicious Apfelstrudel as dessert
- try the Spaetzle if you're a vegetarian
Sidenote: At a Friday night a band started playing at around 8 p.m. and cute and dressed up elderly people danced to it.
It's a good and cozy vibe, but don't expect it a place to party. -
Review from Miranda L.
Vancouver, BC
8/1/2010
Friday night at the Alpen Club is the happiest place on earth.
We'd searched high and low for a great German restaurant in Vancouver, and we'd seen this place when driving by and finally had the chance to visit a few weeks ago.
To be honest - we weren't even sure they were active as it was always quiet when we drove by, but heading over on a Friday night we had difficulty finding parking and knew immediately that it would be packed. It was.
The German food was really solid, and we'd absolutely head back again just for the food. The prices were moderate, not cheap but not too expensive, either. The drink prices however were fabulous - bottle of wine, anyone?
What made the Alpen Club truly, truly special however was the dancing. Dozens of mostly grandparent-aged ladies and gents all done up in their finest frocks and dancing shoes kicking it up to a live band!
We sat close to the action and while I couldn't convince the Mr. to join me for a dance I'm sure he will next time (hint hint). The fun, however, was contagious. I felt like I was at home in Alberta with my grandparents and all of their friends, and it was a BLAST.
The Alpen Club is probably the most unlikely addition to my favourite places in town, but that dance floor is seriously one of the happiest places on earth. I can only hope that I still have a fraction of that energy and joy when I'm getting older in years! We'll absolutely be back! -
Review from Shannon M.
North Vancouver, BC
12/10/2010
Delicious German food plus extra full wine glasses plus a live band plus ballroom dancing? OK!
I'd heard from Miranda L. how amazingly awesome the restaurant at the Alpen Club was on a Friday night and finally got to experience it for myself a little while ago.
Okay, so first, the food. Really good. I'm not a German food specialist or anything but I do enjoy a good schnitzel and I very much enjoyed my meal. I went for the schnitzel involving blue cheese and roasted pears, which was excellent. I also very much enjoyed the tastes I had of my companions' various meals (especially those tastes involving gravy... mmm, the gravy is so stinking good, next time I'm ordering something that involves it for sure).
Next, the wine. So cheap! So good! So much of it! Two of us ordered a half-litre of some sort of sweet German white (not a Riesling, but similar) and I gotta say... definitely seemed like more than half a litre showed up in our carafe. And so cheap!
So, the live band. This varies from week to week, but we got to enjoy the stylings of Euro Band, a group of middle-aged dudes rocking the old standards like nobodies business. All hail Euro Band!
And finally, the dancing. Oh the dancing! Every Friday and Saturday night a bunch of young-at-heart couples head down in their finest garb and dance the night away. It's amazing! They're amazing! These guys really get down (waltz-styles) and I freaking love it. In order to dance, you have to belong to the club which organizes it (they just rent the space, I guess) or you can pay (I think) $10. But really? I adore just watching. And what's kind of really awesome is that the majority of the people dancing just come to dance - they've never even tried the food. It's their date night and dammit, they're going to enjoy it! (though I really do recommend that they try the food)Listed in: A Cold Pint
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Review from Xu C.
Port Moody, BC
6/10/2011
Actually I don't know what I had, but I know love the sausage!~
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Review from Robert P.
Vancouver, BC
10/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
I've seen the Alpen club many times but was never inside until a friend invited me to join him at their 'Real Oktoberfest'. He was going with some German friends and thought I might enjoy it.
First, and most of all, the cover charge for attending their oktoberfest is totally unjustified. After service charges it came to over $29 dollars. I expected a large beer stein upon entry to use on all the discounted beer I would be drinking. But alas, they served 6 and 8 dollar beers in plastic cups. Strike that, they didn't serve the beer at all, you had to buy tickets and then stand in line for 10 minutes to get it poured from a foamy pitcher at the bar. When I arrived at 8 there were 2 bars but by 9 one had closed. There was no german maidens serving in tight drindl, only a bunch of grumpy security guards roaming the venue and scowling. The entertainment was a member of the club, putting on a fake german accent andeventually getting annoyed with the drunken people. He was mildly entertaining but not worth the money. The band was pretty stock standard um pa pa and the same band that I imagine plays there weekly. They had some audience participation events but when the popular events (drinking races) were on, the MC called upon his friends from the club to participate.
Overall, pretty disappointing. I guess the money goes to keep the club running during the rest of year, which, I guess is ok... if you're a member.
Oh, the ticket said everyone would get a keepsake when they left. We were halfway out the door and I remembered so my buddy asked where it was because no one was eager to provide it. One member went to a box beside the cloakroom and dug us out a cheap beer glass left over from last years oktoberfest. Lame.
After, my friend said I could have held that in my basement for 15 bucks... beer included.
Anyone up for hosting Oktoberfest next year? -
Review from Karen R.
6/12/2010 3 photos
My boyfriend and I attended a German meetup movie event (June 11/10) in their upstairs banquet hall. Savouring a weissbier, cheese & crackers and a great atmosphere we're sure to return and sample more of this awesome establishment.
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Review from Jenny G.
Richmond, BC
2/28/2011
Can't recommend.
