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Zawa
Category: Restaurants Burgers Burgers [Edit]
920 Commercial DrVancouver, BC V5L
Neighbourhoods: Grandview-Woodlands, The Drive
(604) 255-0470
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Zawa
21 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah A.
4/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
Service here is friendly, but not always quick. The beer is cheap and there is always a table free, which is nice. The food is hit or miss - pretty standard pub fare but the chicken burger isn't bad. Pretty good for groups who are looking to hang out for a while and drink beer. It's a nice neighbourhood establishment. Nothing fancy here but easy to feel at home.
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Review from geoff a.
3/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is the place you end up at when you indecisively walk down the drive and realize there's no where else to go but back.
The food and service unremarkable, but it does have a decent patio on the sunny side of the street and cheap pitchers. There are super large booths that are good for groups.
I recently noticed they have Elysian's Dragonstooth Oatmeal Stout on tap, which is a very good beer. Otherwise they have basic boring beers.
It's too bad, the space has potential. One day I'm sure it'll turn around.Listed in: Craft Beer on Tap in Vancouver
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Review from George P.
Burnaby, BC
2/29/2012
First time there , they were very friendly and the food was good .
I had the salmon dinner.. Good value and clean and the tasty draft beer and watching hockey was a plus. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
2/21/2011 3 Check-ins Here
It was a sunny weekend afternoon and my no-good, degenerate friends wanted to get drunk and sing "Just A Friend" while sitting on a stoop. Since beer never lasts in my fridge for more than a day or two and I don't have a stoop, we went to the Drive.
Unfortunately, seemed like everyone had the same idea and most of the patios on the Drive were full. Zawa has always been my backup plan -- it's never full and you can always find a seat as it's very close to Venables and away from the other bars. It is pretty quiet - almost eerily so. So - if you and your friends like boorish cussing, boisterous laughter, offensive banter and degenerate gambling, you will get a few looks. Just saying is all...
Also, they had a $3.99 special on all draft beer when everyone else had $5 specials -- BONUS! They had a selection of brews from Russell's and Granville Island Brewing -- but I did notice some of that Pale Ale and Cream Ale were extremely flat. Also, the waiter didn't bat an eye when my buddy decided we needed some $6 Jagerbombs in our systems at 3 in the afternoon -- yup, it was that kind of weekend. They have strong heaters on the patio as well.
Maybe it's the drinks, the fact that I've never eaten here, the heaters fooling me into thinking it's summer or the fact I freerolled my drinks thanks to catching fire on prop bets -- but I'm giving it 4-stars unlike the other reviews. Cheap booze, patio and strong heaters -- what more do you want? What? You want to fight about it?Listed in: A Compendium of Fine…, East Van Life
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Review from L K.
Burnaby, BC
8/4/2011
This place sucks. We go here more often than I'd like, not for the food, but for the cheap pints of beer after work.
Awful awful food. Very slow service, you often feel ignored. And it's very hard to find the light in the woman's bathroom. I had to use my phone light to find it.
Great for cheap booze and if you have some time to waste. Other than that, try the billion other amazing places on the drive. -
Review from Carly B.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2011
Man, I am cackling reading the other people reviews. Especially the suckers that bought a groupon for this place.
I've come to Zawa's on and off for the last 3 or so years and nothing has really changed. Sometimes the food seems like it is getting better, and then it takes a hard left into crapville again.
There are some pros:
- being at the north end of the drive it is always overlooked by the crazy hockey masses, so if you wanna watch the game and not get to the bar 3 hours before the puck drops, this place is for you.
- the patio is FANTASTIC in the summer
- they don't seem to be able to screw up vegetarian and vegan food. Seriously, the vegan burger, veggie quesadillas and the chilly tofu are the best things I've had on the menu. Way better than anything with meat in it.
I think if you come prepared for slow service, lackluster beer selection (but cheap!), and sometimes questionable food, it can be an ok time. -
Review from Marc J.
Vancouver, BC
8/28/2011
The only thing I can say about this place is that breakfast is good. We usually only go for breakfast. The "Perfect Breakfast" (on the menu) is acceptable and tasty. We once brought the whole family and friends there, about 20 of us and the main dishes were so remedial we almost lost it and went crazy. The background music is a mix of sweet natured esoteric, and euro trash fun. quite a mash up this place and worth a stop on a binge nite or if your pragmatic.
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Review from Michael C.
Vancouver, BC
3/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not much for the food, just go for the patio.
Food:
I came in there for breakfast and we were definitely not impressed. Ordered the Lumberjack's Breakfast and a fruit salad. The egg came as over easy when we ordered over med, bacon super crispy (and I mean super crispy and dry), the ham was just thin sliced deli Black Forest ham (cold), hash was the best part about the meal. The fruit salad looked like it was prep cut a few days ago and the strawberries are dried out.
What I found interesting was the vegetarian nuggets lol. They are vegetarian/vegan friendly here.
Also, on the menu it says $0.99 for refill on coffee and pop, but you get 1 free with orders over $8? Really for coffee?
Service:
The service was slow, but the gentleman that served us was very friendly and nice. Poor guy was the only person that was doing all the work during a busy morning. I give him an A+ and +1 star just for him. The other co-workers just took their time as our server busted his ass.
The Restaurant:
They have a great looking patio here. I'll love to come back here on a warm summer's day and sit out there on the drive ordering drinks with a few good friend. -
Review from Dan J.
Vancouver, BC
11/27/2010 1 photo
Food -with jokes. Went here on a Thursday evening with a friend after attending a seminar. We were hungry and looking for a place to sit and debrief. We ordered our food and started to chat about the seminar when we were interrupted by a guy who hopped on stage and asked enthusiastically "So we having a good time tonight?" It was comedy night. Oh yeah -we're off to a good start.
Ever seen that bald guy with the Hawaiian shirt on PBS that teaches people how to "learn piano in a flash" while telling corny jokes? This guy looks just like him and they share the same sense of humour. Which is what makes them both half as funny.
Four, five, six how many comedians are there in this city? Jeez they were coming in waves. The only ones laughing were the other comedians. Two of whom told us they had just dropped acid.
The menu was obviously the work of an epicurean visionary. Inspired dishes included hot wings, pasta, pizza and even burgers! The waitress was friendly and efficient. I ordered the "Mexi-burger" which includes ice cold guacamole for an extra dollar. Bland and unimaginative to match the decor and entertainment. The water came promptly, was refreshing and the glass was clean. -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
6/17/2010
What's with the reviews people? Everytime I've come here I've had great food and an awesome time. This weekend I had tasty appys and a pitcher of sangria while sitting in the sun on a half full patio.
Unlike the places further up the drive that are squishy with patrons, I was able to sit back and relax.
The service is not 100% awesome but it was honestly a great experience and I'll keep going back.
The menu is quite extensive and they have a lot of different brunch options. I vote YUM! -
Review from Sara M.
10/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
Enjoyed lovely sunny Saturday afternoon beers on the patio! The beers were cheap, but they only have Russell on tap.... I feel that they should branch out.
The vegan burger here is super tasty. It really is just like a huge falafel on a bun, so I guess you need to like falafel to be a fan. The other peeps in my party enjoyed the chicken fingers and a burger - both were pretty pumped about them.
The staff is nice, the service can sometimes be slow but it's a nice neighbourhood bar. -
Review from Simon R.
BC
11/17/2008 1 photo
While it has its regulars, Zawa still tends to be overlooked by the local residents, who may have become tiresome of the typical upscale looking, bar food serving restaurant.
Renovations and a name change have made the place seem more modern, but don't expect any magic on the menu. Rarely busy, Zawa might be a good place to go if you are looking to have a quiet conversation over food and a beer, which is nice if say you are breaking up with your girlfriend.
Under the old name of Zesty's, it was host to a comedian who offended somebody so badly on stage that they filed a complaint with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. -
Review from Kelley R.
Vancouver, BC
7/3/2009
In search of bacon and a place to host a breakfast meeting on Commerical Drive for 8-10 people, my company settled on Zawa as the only option that could offer both. After months of all vegetarian breakfasts at Cafe Deux Soliel, I think we were all ready for a change. I have learned that change is not always good.
While the menu is promising - offering not only bacon and sausage, but chorizo for breakfast meat options, we all ended up a little disappointed. Our bill seem outrageous for what we ordered for eight. Only 4 of the eight had actual breakfast with the other four opting for coffee or juice and some toast. At close to a $100 with tip, we were a little shocked - charging for coffee refills? not cool. The food was mediocre and nothing to write home about. The descriptions definitely sound better than the actual dish.
The service was good, but we were the only table in the place, so I would have expected nothing less. The atmosphere is a little strange, but we did appreciate the large booths that could seat all of us comfortably.
All in all, I think we will be headed back to our vegetarian fare next month. So much for embracing change. -
Review from Andrea B.
8/19/2010
At least a cockroach didn't crawl out of my food, and that is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.
My group and I stumbled in on a Sunday afternoon ready to devour some good eats but instead were served a 30 minute wait and a forgotten order. Yes, my order and I was compensated with a thimble size orange juice to satiate my hunger while the rest of the gang ate their food by the mouthful.
Finally, I got my order and I could only finish 1/4 of it. Not because it was such a large portion, but because my stomach did not like what I was putting into it. I ordered an EGGS BENEDICT w/SMOKED SALMON. Sounds delicious right?! Wrong. The whole quadro of mcmuffin, egg, sauce, and salmon melted together into an unsatisfying bite. On the upside, the hash browns were pretty tasty.
The layout of the restaurant is a tad odd too. One half plays music while the other half doesn't. And the service was nothing to brag about. It has a family-owned feel minus the friendly/attentive servers. Our server was nice...the twice he showed his face at our table: once to take our orders and the other to give me my late order. I can tell he doesn't handle conflict very well.
There are tons of awesome restaurants in Vancouver that I know I will never go back to Zawas...but that's just me, someone who likes her food delicious and service worth raving about. -
Review from Tim L.
Vancouver, BC
4/7/2009
I don't know what it is about these middling, rarely busy, almost forgettable food joints that I seem to be drawn to. Oh wait, I know why: the line-ups. Yeah, that's it. Usually by the time I've made the decision to go eat somewhere I'm already starved and the thought of waiting 20 minutes for a table seems like unnecessary torture.
And Zawa is one of those places. That is one that is rarely busy. The food is decent if a little greasy but nothing worth turning your nose up to. On a side note, I always think it's funny that they have a "Perfect Breakfast" and a "Classic Breakfast" which is like 50 cents difference in price and the only food-difference being like a couple extra slices of bacon. It's like "okay, that's kind of needlessly confusing".
As for atmosphere, it's okay. They have that faux sienna Mexican wall-paint thing going which reminds me of a Mom's house in Langley so definitely -1 point there. Nothing else on the wall other than a tiny photo of Commercial Drive in the 1920s tucked into the corner. So yeah. Nothing special that's for sure. They have a nice patio that's great on sunny days and you can usually find a table even in the middle of summer on a Sunday.
Nothing mind-blowing but good if you want an okay, if forgettable, bite to eat with a beer or a relatively cheap breakfast. -
Review from Gabriel C.
Vancouver, BC
1/22/2011
This place personifies the term middling. Food? Ok, nothing special at all. Too much salt. Lack of imagination. Service? Friendly enough but the servers seem just on the shy side of unhappy (in that "the owners are making it a unpleasant experience for us to go to work" kind of way). Atmosphere? Sort of tacky decor, nice patio though.
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Review from Sarah p.
Vancouver, BC
4/29/2011
So... another 3 course coupon dinner. Really, at this stage, i should just stick with "C" restaurant. Good service but huge, empty room on a rainy, cold night. These guys seem to be lacking heat. The mango margs on special were a good idea, but it was just too cold in the room to enjoy it. Maybe it would be better in the summer. I ordered the side salad with blue cheese dressing. Hubby ordered lentil soup... holly smokes, takes me right back to the restaurants i spent my early years in (this is long ago). A cup of soup that is seriouly only a 1/2 cup, and a salad made, maybe yesterday, and kept in cold water in the walk in cooler... still tastes the same after all these years. We next had the salmon dinner...over cooked. Lamb shoulder... also over cooked. Tzaiki was good. Desserts were just OK.
not really worth a second look -
Review from Alvin S.
Vancouver, BC
6/15/2009
Ok, let me first preface everything I'm about to write with a small disclaimer. I visited Zawa at 6pm tonight, right at the end of Car Free Day on Commercial Drive and they were slammed, all day long. That said, it was still not enough of an excuse for the food and drink. Sure, the service was slow, and seating was chaotic, but that's not why I've given Zawa two stars. In fact, our server and the help of one of the managers saved me from giving out my first one star review!
Looks: Zawa has a great patio, something severely lacking in Vancouver. As a plus, today was car free day and they had an extended patio into the street like many other bars and restos along the drive today did. Points for that. But inside, not so good. It looked like a hall. No decorations on the walls, the furniture looked like it came from a bowling alley, the bar looked awful, and the only dominating feature was a giant plasma screen showing the Lakers game.
Drinks: My friends and I ordered the mojito pitcher right off the bat. It was hot and when we saw it on the menu, we thought we had scored. About 7 minutes later, out came a pitcher of something bright green with limp whole pieces of mint floating around at the top. Right away we knew it was a mix of some sort. Severe points off, but we valiantly continued expecting it to at least taste like a mojito. Wrong. It tasted like fake limeade. No mint flavour at all, and a citric acid after taste. The rum was obviously poor quality, all in all, just bad. I have never, NEVER, sent anything back, even if I didn't like it. I figure, I order something, and as long as it's what was promised, I won't send it back. I might tip less, (or write up a poor review!), but as long as it's just a poorly done version of what I ordered, I'll shut up. This time though, I couldn't do it. The problem wasn't that it was a bad mojito, IT WASN'T A MOJITO AT ALL! We sent it back and ordered the regular Sangria instead. It too was poor, but we kept it since it was actually Sangria.
Eats: We ordered the bruschetta, honey garlic wings, and artichoke dip. All were disappointing. The bruschetta was of the warm variety, not my favourite, but not a problem itself. What made it bad was that it tasted as if the chef had mixed Old El Paso with olive oil and dried oregano and nuked it for a minute. It had pieces of feta on top and was served with a roasted head of garlic and slices of toasted whole wheat baguette. Awful. The wings were fattier than I would have liked, and the sauce was generic, not awful, but not great. The artichoke dip though was runny, more sour cream and mayo than cheese, and the tortilla chips that they came with were shattered for the most part. I'm sorry, but even if you're slammed, you cannot let a plate of smashed up chips leave the pass. It's just poor form.
Coin: The whole meal came to about $50 plus tip. Horrible value, one of my most regrettable meal decisions. I should have listened to the friend I was with who said she had heard bad reviews. I decided to go anyways because of their patio, and the nearby dance party on the street. Big mistake. Do yourself a favour and stay away.
Verdict: Even if other places are busy and you're feeling impatient, don't pick Zawa. There's a reason there's never a line up. Take the extra 10 minutes to think about how much better the food is going to be if you wait. Trust me, it'll be worth it. -
Review from Dean P.
Abbotsford, BC
1/25/2010
After finding some bookmarked destinations closed on a Sunday a couple friends and I ended up at Zawa. On the plus side its an alright space with decent service. Unfortunately, the food is on the low side of average and priced a little higher than it should be for the type of greasy spoon cuisine it serves.
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Review from Alex R.
Vancouver, BC
12/14/2009
Food isn't that great, and the place is always empty. Located at the butt end of Commercial Drive.
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Review from Rick H.
Vancouver, BC
10/15/2010
Brunch on the weekend is adequate, nothing special, nothing creative. Much better choices nearby!
