Vancouver, BC

Just had the pasta with shrimp and clams.  The sauce was very good, and the noodles excellent.  The clams were fine and the shrimp wasn't very fresh.  Overall enjoyable but nothing special.

Richmond, BC

Went here with a couple of friends for an after-movie dinner. The restaurant was empty  except for a couple a few tables away, so we thought we could get our food quickly. Boy,were we wrong. After waiting for 45 minutes after we ordered, only 2 people in our party had been served.. and we only had 10 people. It took basically an hour and a half to finally get our food which wasn't that satisfying (we got that gross feeling - when you're super hungry then you don't eat, after a while you stop being hungry and just feel kind of sick). Granted, it may have been because of the late hour (9-10 pm) but still a horrible experience.

Burnaby, BC

Two of my co-workers and I brought our boss here today and before we arrived, we told our boss that if he could finish his meal that he would get a pen. He patted his stomach like it was going to be child's play for him and seemed ready for the challenge...

We arrived just before 5pm and a lineup was already forming. We had to wait for a late arrival before they would seat us, but otherwise the wait wasn't all that long.

This is clearly a pasta joint and meant for people with large appetites. The portions are ridiculously ENORMOUS and none of us food veterans could find a way to reach the bottoms of our plates. I don't know for sure, however I believe it's about 3lbs of pasta per plate at roughly $15-$17 with far too many options than should be allowed.
The options are endless and I have yet to run into a sauce that I wouldn't recommend.

Many others have commented on the fact that you'll see many people with take-out containers leaving... We did the same and a quick weigh-in proved that I eat too much considering my small stature. My boss did manage to consume more of his pasta than us, but was thrown by the fact that he was not able to polish it all off.

No pen for Mr Bossman, but five well-deserved stars for Anton's!

Langley, BC

Good quality and good tasting food.  Have had better Italian but unfortunately Langley does not have many choices for Italian.

Oh, well.  This one does the job well.

Vancouver, BC

One of the top Italian restaurants I've been too.. and I'm Italian! My wonderful boyfriend took me here on the most wonderful date and I fully pigged out far beyond ladylike. It's a nice place. Everything about it is perfect.. I don't even know where to start. we got the family style dinner.. they just bring out dish after dish after dish and when you think your it's over.. more food comes out. The chefs pick what your eating and I'd recommend you to let them as long as you have an appetite on you. I had the most delicate handmade pasta that I've only ever had a my nonna's house before.

Langley, BC

Badda Boom Badda Bing Badda BLAH!!

Worst.  Chain.  Ever.  I can't think of worse place to eat dinner.    I should have read the reviews below.  FORGIVE ME, YELP!!

A rundown: my soup was cold, there was a hair on my plate, my food came from the frozen section at Costco (I can't prove it, but I suspect), the sauce was jarred, the service was slow, the chairs were too high, it was waaay to noisy, my server was too peppy, the candies were lemon and my Bellini was creamy.  Wait, what?

I know i should know better than go to chains.  But I live in Langley.  Chains are all we have.  It's a sad necessity of life out here.

So in summation: SCREW FLANDERS.

Vancouver, BC

Jazz bar with a lively atmosphere - was pretty happening on a Saturday night.  I usually avoid places with live music as I find that it makes for difficult conversation when the band is on, but the acoustics here are pretty good - so you can just enjoy the tunes or have a talk without shouting.

Someone comes around to collect donations for the band.  While an unwelcome intrusion when trying to enjoy your meal, just be polite and firm if you don't want to contribute.  I mean, this is Vancouver after all, I figured everyone are experts at blowing off beggars.  I would suggest maybe a donation box near the bandstand.

There's no cover and the drinks are reasonably priced - jugs of beer were $16 tops and had a good selection including R&B Brewery.  I wasn't too impressed with the food, we order the steak bites &chips for $11 and found the steak a bit chewy.

It was pretty busy on a Saturday night, so I can forgive the less-than-attentive service and lineup for the washroom.  There is one 'stall' room each for the guys and gals, but it disintegrated into a 'first-come, first-serve' unisex ordeal - which is always unfair to the fellas.  Guys are inherently gifted with 'express checkout' privileges.  Sorry ladies, it's just the way we're wired.

The worst situation of all is if you're the guy next in line and the women's washroom frees up - sometimes, the next female in line will ignore the line simply lay claim.  But it's irrelevant since the guy would probably surrender the spot to the next female anyways - any guy that wanders into a women's washroom is at risk of being labelled a sexual deviant.  Such injustice - men's washroom rights now!

...(returning back from my tangent)... Anyways, I would give Libra Room 3.5 stars for the free cover, reasonable prices and passable food, but I'll round up to 4 stars for the unique and fun atmosphere.

Vancouver, BC

Met a friend there yesterday. He had purchased a coffee from this cafe. I arrived later, sat down beside him to wait for another friend to join us for lunch and not but a few minutes I get this curly haired guy on me saying I had to buy something in order to sit there. I told him I am waiting for another to join us before getting anything, but he just got more nuts. If cafe calabria is this hard up for business they have to push this hard to the few customers, was only 4 other people in the cafe at the time, well maybe that is why they only had 4 customers. Me and my friend got up from his precious table waited for our friend, then headed up the street to buy our lunch from falconetti's east side grill, which has a really nice lounge upstairs by the way, much nicer than the poor excuse of calabria. Such a desperate place, I guess they haven't figured out there are other places to get coffee and well if you want a great sandwich go next door to La Grotta Del Formaggio. Don't support a place that treats people so poorly. I laugh at the supporters that claim this is somehow Italian, well La Grotta is very Italian, they are always pleasant and they don't have people in your face pushing sandwiches, like the curly haired table jockey tries to push their poor excuse for coffee.

Burnaby, BC

Very good restaurant with excellent food and service.  WE are never disappointed with our order and with their excellent family affordable prices, it is a gem in the Edmonds, Burnaby neighbourhood.  A definite must try.  

Apparently, Santali Souvlaki House next door is also owned by the same owner.  Will definitely give that a try next time.

Burnaby, BC

My entertainment book, and the fact that my stomach was feeling for abit of Italian and this is nice and close as I did not want to travel too far. Nestled right on the border of Vancouver/Burnaby, this little restaurant was busy on the night we went.

A pretty big menu for this small little place. They serve homemade pasta and sauces. Very rich cream sauces from when I went. A good sized portion that I could not finish. Not too big, and not too small. The area inside is really small though, and they definately put enough tables in the joint. The lighting is pretty dim too, as it has that rustic feel in this place.

It is middle of the road in terms of quality and price, but be prepared to drop a little more money for the appetizers, desserts and drinks.

Brackendale, BC

Have you ever driven past Brackendale and thought, "why would I ever choose to stop in Brackendale?"? Well, so had I, until last summer when a friend suggested it. I did not know fine dining existed in Squamish, let alone Brackendale so I was surprised when we pulled up to such a lovely exterior.

The interior was lovely too, and we were greeted immediately by the friendly hostess and led to a prime table on the stylish patio. From start to finish we were both impressed. Of special note is the weekend menu featuring the '100 mile diet'. Their appetizer list is extensive and delicious; I couldn't decide on an entree so I ordered several appetizers and was glad I did. When it started to cool off the server noticed without my saying anything and brought me a blanket. Bonus points!

Totally worth stopping at either on your way up or on your way down the Sea to Sky highway.

Vancouver, BC

Amazing
Food is great (and extremely generous by the way)
The service is above par. They have never once screwed up an order (and I've been there a lot).
and the atmosphere is as authentic as it gets.
The fact that it's family owned and operated gives it that extra little something to make you feel at home.

Seriously, all the negative reviews should NOT be taken seriously. I have no clue what's wrong with their taste buds but they should get them checked out!

Also an added bonus: Vegetarians are welcome! It is rare to have vegetarian food in downtown Vancouver that's actually good! And there's a selection of vegetarian foods on the menu as well!

Oh ya, you'll never find a better garlic bread. ever.

Vancouver, BC

This place is great. First-class, simple, traditional italian cooking. We went with a group of six and all of us were impressed with the food and service. The menu is small, but supplemented by an equal number of specials on the chalk board, capturing the best of what's fresh and local. The wine list is as reasonably priced as the food menu. We shared a few desserts and they all went quickly. We'll be back

Vancouver, BC

A delightful experience. The food was exquisite. We had the halibut special and were treated to a fresh 6 oz. lightly pan seared fillet . The halibut was just the way I like it, translucent in the middle. It was wrapped in a lovely thin piece of prosciutto and served with a medley of summer vegetables. Dreamy. The pasta was perfectly al dente and we chased it by splitting their incredible lemon millefoglie for dessert. This restaurant is just getting started. We'll definitely be back!

Burnaby, BC

This is not a romantic night on the town. If you eat at Anton's then nix all plans of any romance afterwards. You'll have ate so much, that feeling sexy afterwards will be out of the question. Hard to feel sexy when you're carrying a little pasta baby.

So once again. Three star food, but a four star experience. The extra star comes from the serving portions. They are huge. But I like that. I like getting value for a buck. At the end of your meal, they don't even ask if you want it done up in a doggy bag. It's a given. When they bring you your cheque, they bring you the leftovers in a styrofoam container. In essence, one reasonable price for two meals.

The wait staff are all friendly. The decor is fine, if a little outdated. This is a busy and loud place. It is always full. There is always a 20 minute wait outside.

The sauces are a little thick. Tasty but a little too thick. The pasta is generally cooked fine ... they serve it so fast and often, that you rarely get it overcooked. On the other hand, you'll rarely get it al dente. They don't have the time for that attention to detail.

Anton's is a good experience if you want something entirely casual, don't have plans for romance and have no notions of a quiet evening out. As well, if you want a pre-made lunch for work the next day, you'll have it. Few people can finish off an entire plate, few people can finish more than half a plate.

Burnaby, BC

You don't want restaurant, and you want cheap, well, this is not the cheapest solution, but with the Entertainment Book coupon, it is the cheap solution.

When I'm splitting two plates for about $9 for foodcourt pasta, I am not complaining. The stuff here is actually ok, probably better than some pizza joints I've been to, or ordered.

They allow you to pick the type of pasta, sauce, and other additions, and depending on what you get, let's say the fresh pasta mix, they cook it on a small pan right in front of your eyes.

Nothing really to be wowed about, except for the fact that it is one of the more full lunches you will have if your order their combo specials.

Langley, BC

Do you like large portions of standardized pasta at cheap prices set in a carefully crafted tuscan-y like atmosphere?  Then Olive Garden is the restaurant for you!

The food is decent, large portions with never ending soups or salad and all the garlic bread you can cram in your gullet.   Nice soups.  Good dressing on the salad.  Nothing especially risk take-y or exotic.  But if you're a big fan of nice, or if you don't like your food especially herbed and spiced, then you will enjoy it.  

The staff was super friendly.  Only the Tall Man ordered the salad and when she brought a re-fill she let all of us have some.  I guess they charge you extra for sharing a single salad.  The free wine sample was great and she didn't bug us continuously about wanting to order a glass.  With the bill came  7 mint chocolates instead of just 3, which was our party size.  Who doesn't like free chocolates?  I guess jerks don't.  So if you're a jerk, maybe don't eat here.

The atmosphere was noisy.  It was hard to hear the person sitting across from you.  Which isn't that big a deal since the food arrives fairly quickly and you kinda get caught up shoveling it in, and not talking politics or uh, monster trucks and the latest farming techniques. Not a good first date place unless you're not interested in what the other person has to say.  Or kissing.  There's lots of garlic.

So to recap: good for people who like standardized food, in a standardized atmosphere and enjoy friendly, slightly patronizing staff.  Good for leftovers for lunch the next day.  Cheap.

Vancouver, BC

If I could give no stars, I would. But perhaps it deserves one star for the tiny little patio out back. Service was laughably horrible - the server did not know what beers they had on tap, went to check, came back and said "Granville Island or pale ale" ... umm? Beer prices (not on the menu): $6 each for a glass, not even a pint. Server did not know any menu item names, I had to point with my finger and spell "caprese" while he painfully wrote each of the two things we ordered onto his notepad. Caprese salad had inexplicable lettuce and capers in it. Pizza was pretty flavourless. We had to ask for cutlery, then for water. Server could not be found for water refills, nor for the bill. We will certainly not be returning.

Burnaby, BC

They say you can have something cheap, fast, or good - and to choose two. Well, Antons has all three.

There's a reason there's always a line! Pro tip: even with a line, parties of two usually get in quite quickly as they're easier to seat. Alternatively, head down after the dinner rush (8 or 9pm) and you should be able to get right in.

The menu is intimidating and it's true some dishes are more memorable than others. My favourite is the Penne Antonio - if you're stuck and that sounds good, stop there.

The biggest thing about Anton's is that the portions are MASSIVE. As in, family style pasta for a family of four just by adding salad and bread massive. Without adding anything extra (why fill up on bread or the green stuff?) one dish is plenty for two very hungry people.

Except, ordering one to share misses the point.

The point of Anton's is to stuff yourself there, then take the rest home and eat for the next two or three days. I can also confirm that it freezes reasonably well if you can't do it two days in a row, or if you're heading out of town. Making multiple meals out of it makes this place one of the cheapest places to eat in town!

Their homemade Tiramisu is also incredible, and it's available to go if you can't fit another bite at the end of your meal.

And finally - they do offer takeout which is a great way to feed a crowd, but you actually get substantially less food than if you eat in store as the takeout containers simply are not large enough (my leftovers after stuffing myself still entirely fill a large container). It's still worth it cost wise, but don't expect the same quantity!

Vancouver, BC

A group of ladies had gathered at Ciprianos for a reunion - there was about 12 of us.  We had a fabulous time - the embiance was terrific - the staff were fun and courteous and the food was terrific!!   Other parties were celebrating birthdays and some having a quiet dinner.  I looked around and thought what a great place - it offers whatever suits your fancy.  I will definitely go back!

Burnaby, BC

I've been here a few times.

I'm really not into lineups so I try to go on the slower nights (if those even exist?) like Tuesdays. Usually I'm being dragged there by an eager first-timer.

I've tried a few of the dishes in the Vegetarian section of the menu and it has been pretty hit or miss with me. I think I finally figured out my favourite though so I'll stick with that. I get the Penne Ai Quattro Formaggi, which I like to ask for with the spinach noodles. I definitely recommend it. Fattening but oh so delicious! I went with my mother a few weeks ago and she had the Linguine Di Mare Bianco which she thought was amazing! She said the shrimp was perfectly cooked.

And it will feed you your next 4 meals. Don't eat until you're sick. Eat until you're satisfied and can still walk comfortably because you aren't going to finish it anyways and the more you have later, the better. Unless you order a shitty one like I have a few times.

Or you can try to finish it. But the prize is just a pen now. I heard it used to be a t-shirt. I'm not sure why they changed it.

Oh, BONUS: If you like bellinis or long island iced teas, they make killer ones of both and each are on special one night of the week.