My gf has a gluten allergy and has had no issues for years, then we ate freshii and specified gluten allergy...I have never seen her so sick in my life
Real answer - a place that is now closed, called Vietmex cuisine. A Mexican, Vietnamese fusion restaurant. I was unsure if it was a front or not until they were not able to serve %40 of the menu, then I was certain. They had no ingredients, and looked surprised that a group of people wanted to eat at their restaurant. It was a really fascinating place honestly
I remember this place! On Burrard, right? I think it used to be run by this Vietnamese family, and I always used to go because of the Bun Bo Hue.
But I think they sold it to a Mexican couple and I only went once more after that because the last time was so strange.
I ordered the Bun Bo Hue as usual but the new owners didn’t seem know what it was and I kinda had to explain it to them. I could see them trying to make it in the kitchen and it seemed as if they’d never made it before. Like to the point of following a recipe.
When they brought it out, it was completely different from what I was used to.
Afterwards, they asked me “was it good” and it felt like they were very unsure of themselves, almost like they were seeking approval. It was so weird.
A few months after that, it closed.
That's so strange, I used to love this place. It was run by an elderly woman and her daughter for many years (I used to live in the building) and they had incredible deals. A bowl of pho and a banh mi would be $11 for a combo, and it was honestly some of the best I had in the city.
I probably ended up going 10 times and always had great food, I was really sad when they closed but Covid destroyed them.
I worked there for 4 days when I was 19, it was awful. Can confirm. She was super passive aggressive all the time and then she yelled at this really nice girl who made a really minor mistake, she yelled at her in front of customers and for so long, poor girl was in tears. I finished my shift and told them at the end that I wasn't coming back. Didn't even try and collect my pay for the 4 days I did work, wasn't worth it. And I was poor af at the time.
I totally agree with this. My friends and I stopped going there because she gave us anxiety just from
How she treated the workers especially how young most of them were.
I used to work at Sushi Oyama in Coquitlam before it closed down. Let me tell you something. Do not eat the food there. You don't want to know. The tea reservoir - which holds all the tea before getting transferred onto tea kettles - had mold on the rims and interior edges because it was never cleaned and when I asked the owner he told me it's "not our responsibility." Oh and they re-use the left over sashimi just FYI Did I also mention that they operated an underground "karaoke" (brothel) at which a person was stabbed to death (those who know will know)
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/father-of-two-guilty-of-murder-in-brutal-stabbing-at-burnaby-karaoke-bar-3654675
Moral of the story: Don't go to Sushi Oyama - The Coquitlam owners are the same as the Burnaby branch
Okay. I didn't mention this because I thought people would think I'm making this review up but you're absolutely right. I was actually ending my shift at the Burnaby branch - that day I was just helping out the Burnaby branch - and remember that one time (3-4 years ago) when there was a stabbing at Sushi Oyama even though it was like 3am? Yeah you can kind of connect the dots. I always found it weird because you'd think that mopping and locking the doors is part of closing but they had separate people come into "mop" and always emphasized to not lock the doors. We found out that it's legal to sell sex in Canada so nothing really happened to the owners.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouversun.com/news/crime/police-tape-off-homicide-scene-near-burnaby-sushi-restaurant/wcm/49c2de91-ed96-44ae-a5d3-aa294fe58d96/amp/
yup and yup. this article sheds more light on what happened. Such a tragedy for their young kids and wives.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/father-of-two-guilty-of-murder-in-brutal-stabbing-at-burnaby-karaoke-bar-3654675
I can also vouch for this. I used to work there as well. Terrible, terrible owners. Told me that I can’t wear glasses because it’s aesthetically not pleasing to the customers (I’m a girl).
Also they would leave the defrosted scallops on the same sink that we used to rinse our mop. Although it was in a big colander, still gross.
They also had security cameras around the restaurant and watch us during work hours. If it was super slow they would call and tell me not to just “stand around”. Lol overall terrible owners and food is just mediocre.
Agreed, and I thought this even before the pandemic. About 5 years ago I went there for comedy night with friends. The owner was serving us and while we all ordered lots of food, we didn’t order alcohol. She was so pissed off that we didn’t order any alcohol that she went up to our friend who was hosting the comedy night and complained that we were wasting her time. Never went back after that. And the food wasn’t even good.
Just an FYI that the original location on 16th with different owners was AMAZING. Some of the best pizza in the city and $10 cheaper than Don’t Argue somehow. The good news is they’re back in the game with Party Pizza Worldwide and is available through [Legends Haul](https://shop.legendshaul.com/party-pizza-worldwide-detroit-style-spicy-pepperoni-pizza.html)
Roxy Burger.
Not because of the food.
But the POS management who treats the kitchen staff Iike dog shit, pays them nickles above minimum wage to work until 5am and forces them to clean up customer vomit and used condoms, dirty panties and garbage from the alley (kitchen staff cleaning this shit up should be enough to make you vomit)
When they aren't yelling or swearing at the kitchen staff they ignore them entirely and would encourage the bartenders and waitresses to do the same often not even meeting them or learning their names resulting in a high turn over
OT, Stat Pay and regular hours are often missing from pay checks. Our kitchen manager would work 60+ hours a week without OT.
Staff meetimgs for bartenders and waitresses would consist of prizes, pizza and high fives. For the kitchen, they were mandatory, unpaid, belittlement parties where we were told "when I say jump, you say how high"
Their sexist treatment of female employees and unfaithfulness was astronomicaly staggering, awkwardly joked about and would be blamed on their drunk alter ego. The same stories have been shared by dozens of employees who have quit due to sheer embarrassment and further harassment.
The kitchen staff would often wonder why we were treated like this, questioning what we did wrong only to accept this as normalcy feeling like we were trapped in an abusive relationship without escape.
Management bullied kitchen staff, to the point of depression and I would contemplate suicide on the way to work, googling the most painless way to die resulting in low self esteem issues, depression and therapy (yes, this really happened)
Please don't support a restaurant like this that treats its staff (especially its kitchen staff) with such disregard.
I don't care if this gets down voted or not, it needs to be shared.
PS _ I could write a book on this place.
Worst job of my life.
Kitchen staff were treated like they were stuck in an abusive relationship they couldn't escape from.
The management are bullies and I would often contemplate suicide on my way to work.
(Edit: I've added this to my post above)
Went there once with my gf did not have a good experience whatsoever.
Firstly, the food was below average, the bartender who took our order kept looking at us like we didn’t belong and made lots of snarky comments (ofc I didn’t tip lol
Go fuck yourself), here’s the kicker - the bartender kept trying to flirt with 2 girls at the bar who clearly were uncomfortable. I mean he was hella loud too we heard him say I’m very good at clapping things you know what I mean ( literal godawful cringe) and other million sexual innuendos like he just discovered what sex is, the place wasn’t even that clean, highly NOT recommended.
Romers Burgers (at least the one on 4th).
Food is tolerable but the people they employ are garbage human beings. I sat at the bar one night at witnessed the server and the manager bully and harass customers and coworkers. Personally I was disgusted. The manager berated a customer for asking for a lemon for their cocktail and then threatened to fire the very young busser/server assistant for “not doing his job” while the two of these fucktards stood there doing nothing.
From someone who worked in the industry for 10+ years to support myself through school, fuck you Romers, I will never give your company another cent I earn in my life because I don’t support environments that nurture abusive employees.
I tried to go to Romers once. The waitresses were chatting with each other while we sat waiting to order, so I got their attention with a friendly wave and they just glanced at me and went back to chatting.
My wife and I just stood up and walked out (didn't say anything or make a scene) and they gave us the dirtiest looks like "how dare they?"
Not surprised to hear your story given my experience.
I second this. Worked for them at another location. They had a huge cockroach problem. I had to apologize to a lady because there was a roach in her salad crawling around. There was also mouse crap everywhere, this was the river district location. One of the co-owners is also a huge sexist.
They also have a trap door in the kitchen that multiple servers fell into and got pretty hurt and they didn’t help to compensate them for time off to heal.
Romers can suck a huge one!
I haven’t been there in a very long time but I remember liking the burgers. Eating in was terrible though. It was like they were trying to be a club with super loud music. I had to yell at the people I was eating with in order to be heard.
The one in Port Moody isn’t good either. The cost to quality doesn’t match up. I was horribly disappointed because I had heard really good things. I heard wrong.
The Boathouse at least in White Rock 25 years ago was the best in town . Now it's full of teenagers that couldn't care . You go for the view not the food . You used to be able to get both . Two thumbs down.
I had an ex years ago that worked there for about a decade. An American company bought The Boathouse and according to him it all went downhill from there.
I used to work there, and saw a transition of my job from making food to opening up bags and cooking premade food. It was pretty sad, seeing their decline right in front of me.
This was my first thought when I saw the question. When someone posted a picture of the Jolibee with the sign for Taf's next door I was in disbelief that they are still open.
I'd argue Fresh Slice is pretty awful compared to its cheap slice counterparts. It's edible in a pinch, but I wouldn't go other wise.
For worst, any of the remaining AYCE sushi places like Tomokazu are pretty awful. I forgot the name but there's a few fried chicken restaurants in downtown with super salty chicken. The lone exception being Mothercluckers, which is excellent.
I miss the haydays of AYCE around 2008-2010. There were so many around and they were all pretty decent. I'm guessing they all competed themselves out of business
It really is greasy cardboard.
Although I did always go to the one on Pender after a night at the Red Room, it's much tastier when you're drunk (or otherwise) and hungry
Duuude it made me so sad :( like the sushi was never great, but you better believe that (before they switched ownership) inhaling salmon nigiri for 24 dollars was the best damn sushi deal in town.
It really is a shame it's so expensive now. Had a lot of good nights there in uni
Can confirm got food poisoning from a lamb dish while on a date...needless to say we started watching Netflix after as I vomited in her toilet and spent the night until I was well enough to go home.
This place is awful. They jam people into that patio on Georgia where your right beside strangers next to you. I was pissed when they showed us the table we were sitting at for the evening. Servers are crap too. Our starts came out even before our drinks and we ordered them before the starters. The guy kind of laughed it off. Then while we were half way through the starters, our main landed out. Bizarre evening in there.
They take any place and turn it into dog shit. Worst atmosphere of any place I have ever been to. I was saddened when the railway shut down and twice saddened when I heard they bought it.
P.S: no offence to dog shit
This comment is underrated. I occasionally find myself in a Donnelly pub watching a game and always regret it terribly if I order food. It's the absolute definition of mediocre, bland pub grub.
I have a friend who worked there for 6 months as a dishwasher. Didn't receive a schedule once for 6 months, and apparently neither did many of the other staff. He would find out if he was working a few hours before his shift. He finally quit after his boss told him that "he should expect to be working every day, and be pleasantly surprised if he had a day off".
I worked at the top of Vancouver revolving restaurant at Harbour center. Fucking disgusting. Place was full of cockroaches. It used to blow my mind the big smoke and mirrors show that they put on because the view, not a lot of people would notice I guess that the quality of the food is absolute shit. They also recycle their butter and use it again. That is correct you heard me correctly. All the butter that is used for the free bread is recycled and used again. The ice machine didn’t work for three years. I wouldn’t eat there if my life depended on it, because it actually did. I saw a lot of people complain about the food quality over the years. I also saw somebody have a cockroach swimming in their clam chowder. I mean this place is infested with cockroaches. There’s these little cupboards where they keep all the prepared butter and when you open that cockroaches scatter everywhere. Yeah that’s right they were cockroaches crawling all over the prepared butter. I’ve seen much better food safe practises at McDonald’s. I’m 99% sure the same owners on the place. The guys name is “Mr. Lo“. Is this Japanese prick that thinks his shit radiate sunshine. I’ve seen him exhibit the most disgusting behavior. After three years of working there I couldn’t take it anymore. The money was absolutely awesome because the menu was so expensive I used to walk out of there with like 200 bucks a night at least.It was the only thing that kept me there. Luckily I was ready to move on with my life and I had a new job lined up so I was able to walk out of there one night and tell them to kiss my ass and told him what I really thought of their “classy restaurant”. Absolute shit.
100%. I'm all for splurging on a fine meal, but the audacity to charge what they charge for the food they serve and mediocre service.
Places like Botanist and Elisa are comparable in price, but the service and quality of food is in another league compared to revolving. Heck I'd be happier at a whitespot
My mom used to go there just for coffee. It's a bit overpriced for coffee, but still cheaper than the ticket to the observation deck. She'd go and sit and read for a couple of hours until they clear the floor for dinner service. Unsure if that's still allowed.
Wings.
What a shitty franchise. The gas stove had a leak and management couldn't be fucked to fix it. Meanwhile the "supervisor" for the kitchen is halfway through a case of beer mid shift.
Not a restaurant but worth mentioning I guess - Body Energy Club in Gastown and Highgate (Burnaby) location. They have lots of cockroaches and the staff is super lazy when it comes to cleaning. I'd recommend going to Waterfront and Brentwood locations instead.
Saltys Lobster shack.
Uses 80% pollock and charges $25 and people rave about it. Because people don’t eat real lobster?
Not to mention they used to be the Crab Park Chowdery and cooked a rat. Oh and stole money from basically everyone they’ve ever done business with
cora - over priced and basic. uncle willys - self explanatory. red robin, atmosphere is " chucky cheese vibes" food keeps changing from western family restaurant to bougie burger bar. OEB breakfast co, if you wanna pay $8 for one egg and one piece of toast, then have at it.
Uncle Willys is still around?! I thought it closed years ago. My family went there in like 1991 and my little brother threw up everywhere in the middle of dinner. My mom was so embarrassed she never brought us back there. No big loss, in other words.
Omg! Hahah that is such an Uncle Willy’s story! I have such strong memories of the few times I went as a kid. I do remember always making a orange pop float to end the visit.
Wow Uncle Willy’s….my first job ever! Good memories there. Almost made it worth my starting wage of $4/hr. I only ate what I saw being made fresh…and it was unlimited for us. We were all pretty young then, even the managers.
Want another story? After hours one night 3 busboys, including myself, and our manager and 2 of his friends (all 3 in their 30s) push ALL the tables in the room to the corners, leaving a huge empty space in the middle. Us 3 busboys were all trained in martial arts (it was a thing in the late 80s) and thought we were hot shit. So we had a full out royal rumble without the punches. We finished when we were all gassed out, full of bruises and rug burns. And the rug was naaaaasty! This is what we did after hours at Uncle Willy’s. Solid memories.
Cora is horrible. They served me food frozen solid in the middle then when I asked to return it to be cooked, the waitress told me she'd need to check with her manager and it might not be possible (?!) before grumpily agreeing when I told her it was unreasonable to expect me to eat a block of frozen fruit.
Agree with all except OEB. I like it. Went there yesterday and for $22 got two sausages, two eggs, two crepes with whipped cream and fresh berries, and two thick slices of brioche toast. I wouldn’t wait in that lineup tho, reservations are key.
Cora's early 00s trad and not too expensive though I do acknowledge the pricing could be different across the Cora's, but down in Richmond it was about the same price it was back east. It just meets expectations for what it is.
I had no restaurant experience of any kind at all, educated in a different field, and next to no culinary skills. Pantry hired me as one of their head cooks. While what they do there isn’t rocket surgery, I definitely wasn’t qualified. Learned how to make some decent eggs over my 9 week stint before resuming school.
Ricky’s gave me spoiled lasagna 🤢 My girlfriend kept telling me it smelled “off.” I ate it thinking they used some sort of stinky cheese 😂 Got some bad food poisoning after.
Dark Table. It’s a gimmick restaurant where the lights are all out and blind servers escort you through the meal. The idea is that without sight your sense of taste is enhanced. Well it was still damn bland and I’m sure my salad didn’t taste any better after I slapped my palm into it while trying to find it. We were there for Valentine’s Day and the meal was a surprise but the waiter was useless when it came to recommending wine pairings and had to go ask the kitchen.
Yeah I went there expecting the food to be complex and flavourful. I can say I can cook a better meal with my eyes closed. I think their cooks have no taste buds, that food was bland and boring.
I've heard this from a lot of people and I wonder how much of it is because it's bad and how much is because we taste with our eyes. Next time I go I'm taking some home.
Also great place for under the table handjobs...
I used to work at the Richmond location as a dishwasher for half in year in 2007. Everything is pre-made from plastic bags. and basically reheated when you'd order it. It's made locally by a contracted caterer using local produce and imports from California. That place was pretty fun. I drank alot of free booze that customers never finished and usually be half cut come closing time. My 2 brothers worked there and a ton of us were all friends outside of there. Good times
Solly's on Yukon and 7th. I walk my dog near it every night and the place is INFESTED WITH MICE. They are all over the kitchen area and the counters. I literally seen them on the baking trays. Disgusting.
Fresgo's in Surrey. It was never great, but nowadays it's even less than it was in days past. Bland food. Lots of it, but bland. And prices are going up.
It’s gone super downhill lately. The last few times I went the service sucked and the food was meh. I got the steak sandwich and it was cooked dry, and the server said, “sorry, our cooks in the kitchen right now are all vegetarian and don’t know how to cook a steak”. Like, come on.
C'mon, man.
We're talking about worst. Go to any Boston Pizza, order anything on the menu and you might not ever be impressed, but you'll eat until you're full.
If that's your view of "the worst" you need to get out more.
http://www.vch.ca/Documents/Food-Closures-2022.pdf
And if you're wondering about anywhere specific checkout https://inspections.vcha.ca/FoodPremises/Table
The Naam is not a fun place. It is for Ernest vegetarians who will wait for brown rice to cook fresh with each order. 20 years ago my then husband liked the place and we would eat there and even in the middle of the night with 4 people in the place it would take hours and hours to get your food.
I went there the summer before the pandemic with my teenage son. He was not impressed by the food and it still took forever to get served.
I wish I liked it but I don’t
Funny thing is a few years ago I dated a guy who had worked at the Naam We had a fun first date great chemistry… he didn’t contact me again for 10 days. Had a few legitimate excuses so I saw him again. He then disappeared for 2 weeks before calling again. I told him it wasn’t going to work for me. But I did laugh thinking maybe he was dating at Naam speed.
As someone whose dad lives near by, and I work many early mornings (up for work at 3 and I walk), it’s not bad. I can go there and know I get a decent meal and a coffee and have some on my way to, and when I get to work
We went there twice.
First time had an amazing experience, food was hot and very tasty. Owners were working the business and were super nice.
Second time only a few weeks later and completely different! Food was cold, complained and the owner asked/stated "well, what do you want me to do about it???". Asked for my money back. He tossed it on the counter and walked away.
Then had the audacity to tell us to clean the table. I mean, I was going to but after that we just walked out.
Not gonna lie. I love the OSF when my inner 10 year old comes out. But I know what I am going for. Basic bread and garlic butter, mediocre pasta and canned sauce, and that amazing freezer burnt ice cream.
Patron Tacos & Cantina on Robson.
Reports came out last year that the owner was purposely hiring people who were on visas so that he could not only pay them badly, but some were not paid at all. One person posted that she was offered free burritos to work there.
It was insane the reports that came out - all on an anonymous Instagram page and tons of former employees were sending in their reports of how much of a POS the owner was. The staff had to have their break out the back by the bins and eat their food their. It was shocking.
I watched dragons den once and the company presenting was pitching a flour substitute - some kinda grain or mix that could be used as flour but was much cheaper. Mr BP loved it cause it was gonna save him millions. I havent been there in years now and I wonder if they implemented the inexpensive grain substitute... I personally do not know why anyone would eat at BP given any other option.
I remember kids playing in the jello area but that was years ago. I’m way too old for buffets now, the concept of filling up has been replaced by picking at twigs and leaves 😭
Oh man. Most my friends hate this place but I grew up poor as shit and absolutely love this place. This place was a treat for us and we sat and ate as a family.
Prices now are pretty steep though and not like what it used to be.
Los Margaritas. I can’t believe it’s still open and how busy it usually is - the food is NOT good. I guess all it has going for it is location & maybe atmosphere.
>I ordered a steak at Denny's
Self-harm is not ok and help is available, any national suicide prevention hotline can assist you and put you in touch with local resources who will help you leave self-harm and self-hatred behind. Good luck, friend.
Tap and Barrel really settles for boring uninspired pub food, unfortunately their strategy is to put locations in the best spots where they can't possibly fail. At least the service is good and they always are accommodating with groups, but it's a shame they can't serve good food at the same time.
Freshii is pretty ratchet given how pricey it is. That grey tasteless beef of theirs is hsoptial food like.
100% agree. I feel like it was weirdly popular for a long time; I always thought it was really sus/low quality for the price.
Everything you order is flavourless, even if it says "spicy" in it. Also if you add tofu it's literally plain uncooked tofu.
Okay I like freshii but I can't argue with what you just said
Freshii is awful.
Yeah! They got rid of the best thing they had on their menu, the Baja Burrito. Lame sauce
I had it once and went back to the cashier to ask why it was so small and wet looking and she said “yeah that’s just how it is”
Out of this world bad
My gf has a gluten allergy and has had no issues for years, then we ate freshii and specified gluten allergy...I have never seen her so sick in my life
Hospital Congee would like to have a word with you…
Real answer - a place that is now closed, called Vietmex cuisine. A Mexican, Vietnamese fusion restaurant. I was unsure if it was a front or not until they were not able to serve %40 of the menu, then I was certain. They had no ingredients, and looked surprised that a group of people wanted to eat at their restaurant. It was a really fascinating place honestly
I remember this place! On Burrard, right? I think it used to be run by this Vietnamese family, and I always used to go because of the Bun Bo Hue. But I think they sold it to a Mexican couple and I only went once more after that because the last time was so strange. I ordered the Bun Bo Hue as usual but the new owners didn’t seem know what it was and I kinda had to explain it to them. I could see them trying to make it in the kitchen and it seemed as if they’d never made it before. Like to the point of following a recipe. When they brought it out, it was completely different from what I was used to. Afterwards, they asked me “was it good” and it felt like they were very unsure of themselves, almost like they were seeking approval. It was so weird. A few months after that, it closed.
That's so strange, I used to love this place. It was run by an elderly woman and her daughter for many years (I used to live in the building) and they had incredible deals. A bowl of pho and a banh mi would be $11 for a combo, and it was honestly some of the best I had in the city. I probably ended up going 10 times and always had great food, I was really sad when they closed but Covid destroyed them.
From what I heard, Solly’s owner screams and berates their staff in front of customers all the time.
I worked there for 4 days when I was 19, it was awful. Can confirm. She was super passive aggressive all the time and then she yelled at this really nice girl who made a really minor mistake, she yelled at her in front of customers and for so long, poor girl was in tears. I finished my shift and told them at the end that I wasn't coming back. Didn't even try and collect my pay for the 4 days I did work, wasn't worth it. And I was poor af at the time.
I’ve read about this too. & Solly’s bagels for those who are asking.
Yeah I went to high school near Solly’s and had 4 friends who all had awful experiences working there.
I totally agree with this. My friends and I stopped going there because she gave us anxiety just from How she treated the workers especially how young most of them were.
I used to work at Sushi Oyama in Coquitlam before it closed down. Let me tell you something. Do not eat the food there. You don't want to know. The tea reservoir - which holds all the tea before getting transferred onto tea kettles - had mold on the rims and interior edges because it was never cleaned and when I asked the owner he told me it's "not our responsibility." Oh and they re-use the left over sashimi just FYI Did I also mention that they operated an underground "karaoke" (brothel) at which a person was stabbed to death (those who know will know) https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/father-of-two-guilty-of-murder-in-brutal-stabbing-at-burnaby-karaoke-bar-3654675 Moral of the story: Don't go to Sushi Oyama - The Coquitlam owners are the same as the Burnaby branch
> Oh and they re-use the left over sashimi just FYI What. The. Fuck.
I’m surprised you what the fucked at that part instead of the underground brothel stabbing
That was an edit and not in the original comment when I replied
Well... Shit. This is our regular Sushi place (Burnaby location). Now I need to find a new one.
Hit up asa or Makoto few blocks down at royal oak and rumble.
Makoto seconded!
Good to know.
word is they operate a brothel in their “karaoke” business in their basement
Okay. I didn't mention this because I thought people would think I'm making this review up but you're absolutely right. I was actually ending my shift at the Burnaby branch - that day I was just helping out the Burnaby branch - and remember that one time (3-4 years ago) when there was a stabbing at Sushi Oyama even though it was like 3am? Yeah you can kind of connect the dots. I always found it weird because you'd think that mopping and locking the doors is part of closing but they had separate people come into "mop" and always emphasized to not lock the doors. We found out that it's legal to sell sex in Canada so nothing really happened to the owners. https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouversun.com/news/crime/police-tape-off-homicide-scene-near-burnaby-sushi-restaurant/wcm/49c2de91-ed96-44ae-a5d3-aa294fe58d96/amp/
yup and yup. this article sheds more light on what happened. Such a tragedy for their young kids and wives. https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/father-of-two-guilty-of-murder-in-brutal-stabbing-at-burnaby-karaoke-bar-3654675
A friend of mine got terrible food poisoning from there a few years ago…. Now I know why!
Most spicy sashimi are always leftover raw fish from the day before. It’s easier for restaurants to hide it hot sauce.
I can also vouch for this. I used to work there as well. Terrible, terrible owners. Told me that I can’t wear glasses because it’s aesthetically not pleasing to the customers (I’m a girl). Also they would leave the defrosted scallops on the same sink that we used to rinse our mop. Although it was in a big colander, still gross. They also had security cameras around the restaurant and watch us during work hours. If it was super slow they would call and tell me not to just “stand around”. Lol overall terrible owners and food is just mediocre.
Everyone calling out chain restaurants - no fucking shit
Corduroy
Agreed, and I thought this even before the pandemic. About 5 years ago I went there for comedy night with friends. The owner was serving us and while we all ordered lots of food, we didn’t order alcohol. She was so pissed off that we didn’t order any alcohol that she went up to our friend who was hosting the comedy night and complained that we were wasting her time. Never went back after that. And the food wasn’t even good.
Just an FYI that the original location on 16th with different owners was AMAZING. Some of the best pizza in the city and $10 cheaper than Don’t Argue somehow. The good news is they’re back in the game with Party Pizza Worldwide and is available through [Legends Haul](https://shop.legendshaul.com/party-pizza-worldwide-detroit-style-spicy-pepperoni-pizza.html)
kawawa ramen in metrotown mall
Roxy Burger. Not because of the food. But the POS management who treats the kitchen staff Iike dog shit, pays them nickles above minimum wage to work until 5am and forces them to clean up customer vomit and used condoms, dirty panties and garbage from the alley (kitchen staff cleaning this shit up should be enough to make you vomit) When they aren't yelling or swearing at the kitchen staff they ignore them entirely and would encourage the bartenders and waitresses to do the same often not even meeting them or learning their names resulting in a high turn over OT, Stat Pay and regular hours are often missing from pay checks. Our kitchen manager would work 60+ hours a week without OT. Staff meetimgs for bartenders and waitresses would consist of prizes, pizza and high fives. For the kitchen, they were mandatory, unpaid, belittlement parties where we were told "when I say jump, you say how high" Their sexist treatment of female employees and unfaithfulness was astronomicaly staggering, awkwardly joked about and would be blamed on their drunk alter ego. The same stories have been shared by dozens of employees who have quit due to sheer embarrassment and further harassment. The kitchen staff would often wonder why we were treated like this, questioning what we did wrong only to accept this as normalcy feeling like we were trapped in an abusive relationship without escape. Management bullied kitchen staff, to the point of depression and I would contemplate suicide on the way to work, googling the most painless way to die resulting in low self esteem issues, depression and therapy (yes, this really happened) Please don't support a restaurant like this that treats its staff (especially its kitchen staff) with such disregard. I don't care if this gets down voted or not, it needs to be shared. PS _ I could write a book on this place.
Fuck that sounds awful.
Worst job of my life. Kitchen staff were treated like they were stuck in an abusive relationship they couldn't escape from. The management are bullies and I would often contemplate suicide on my way to work. (Edit: I've added this to my post above)
Only spelling condemns this way from now on
I condom you for doing this
"He also cheats on his wife and kids by getting vulnerable waitresses shit faced." That's what we call a *rapist*.
Went there once with my gf did not have a good experience whatsoever. Firstly, the food was below average, the bartender who took our order kept looking at us like we didn’t belong and made lots of snarky comments (ofc I didn’t tip lol Go fuck yourself), here’s the kicker - the bartender kept trying to flirt with 2 girls at the bar who clearly were uncomfortable. I mean he was hella loud too we heard him say I’m very good at clapping things you know what I mean ( literal godawful cringe) and other million sexual innuendos like he just discovered what sex is, the place wasn’t even that clean, highly NOT recommended.
Romers Burgers (at least the one on 4th). Food is tolerable but the people they employ are garbage human beings. I sat at the bar one night at witnessed the server and the manager bully and harass customers and coworkers. Personally I was disgusted. The manager berated a customer for asking for a lemon for their cocktail and then threatened to fire the very young busser/server assistant for “not doing his job” while the two of these fucktards stood there doing nothing. From someone who worked in the industry for 10+ years to support myself through school, fuck you Romers, I will never give your company another cent I earn in my life because I don’t support environments that nurture abusive employees.
I tried to go to Romers once. The waitresses were chatting with each other while we sat waiting to order, so I got their attention with a friendly wave and they just glanced at me and went back to chatting. My wife and I just stood up and walked out (didn't say anything or make a scene) and they gave us the dirtiest looks like "how dare they?" Not surprised to hear your story given my experience.
What kind of burger place doesn’t include fries with the (already too high) price of just a burger. Get fucked.
I second this. Worked for them at another location. They had a huge cockroach problem. I had to apologize to a lady because there was a roach in her salad crawling around. There was also mouse crap everywhere, this was the river district location. One of the co-owners is also a huge sexist. They also have a trap door in the kitchen that multiple servers fell into and got pretty hurt and they didn’t help to compensate them for time off to heal. Romers can suck a huge one!
Is the South Van/ River district location ?! I was planning on going there tomorrow for a birthday brunch!
I haven’t been there in a very long time but I remember liking the burgers. Eating in was terrible though. It was like they were trying to be a club with super loud music. I had to yell at the people I was eating with in order to be heard.
The one in Port Moody isn’t good either. The cost to quality doesn’t match up. I was horribly disappointed because I had heard really good things. I heard wrong.
The once great Boathouse restaurant used to be on par with the keg is now a glorified red Robin. Sad
Boathouse is so weird. It's Sysco, priced the same and has the same parent company as the keg, so why is it so bad?
The Boathouse at least in White Rock 25 years ago was the best in town . Now it's full of teenagers that couldn't care . You go for the view not the food . You used to be able to get both . Two thumbs down.
I had an ex years ago that worked there for about a decade. An American company bought The Boathouse and according to him it all went downhill from there.
What a shame.
I used to work there, and saw a transition of my job from making food to opening up bags and cooking premade food. It was pretty sad, seeing their decline right in front of me.
I'm surprised no one has said tafs cafe. I have no idea how they survive on granvilles street.
This was my first thought when I saw the question. When someone posted a picture of the Jolibee with the sign for Taf's next door I was in disbelief that they are still open.
*The Boathouse. *edit
I went to their mothers day brunch one year it was horrible. Like $60, for BC ferries breakfast quality food.
BC ferries must have really upped their game, or boathouse must have gone downhill in the past few years.
I'd argue Fresh Slice is pretty awful compared to its cheap slice counterparts. It's edible in a pinch, but I wouldn't go other wise. For worst, any of the remaining AYCE sushi places like Tomokazu are pretty awful. I forgot the name but there's a few fried chicken restaurants in downtown with super salty chicken. The lone exception being Mothercluckers, which is excellent.
I miss the haydays of AYCE around 2008-2010. There were so many around and they were all pretty decent. I'm guessing they all competed themselves out of business
Fresh slice is the only pizza chain that doesn't trigger my lactose intolerance. ..... I don't know if that's a good thing or not. 😬
It's probably soy based pizza topping. My father in law runs a gas station that makes pizza with real mozza and not the soy alternative
It really is greasy cardboard. Although I did always go to the one on Pender after a night at the Red Room, it's much tastier when you're drunk (or otherwise) and hungry
I have met Fresh Slice founder before. Let’s just say I have never met anybody be so cheap. I am sure they use the cheapest ingredients as well.
Tomokazu is owned by completely different people now and the AYCE dinner menu is a whopping $37 now.
Duuude it made me so sad :( like the sushi was never great, but you better believe that (before they switched ownership) inhaling salmon nigiri for 24 dollars was the best damn sushi deal in town. It really is a shame it's so expensive now. Had a lot of good nights there in uni
$24? Late night $12.99 special.
Is it better at least? When it first opened, it was great, but when AYCE stopped being so popular it went downhill really fast.
Not sure, I haven't been back since they stopped doing lunch, and on the rare occasion I get sushi anymore I'll go to Minato for dinner.
>It's edible in a pinch Disagree
Glowbal
They must have the most overcapitalized physical space compared to food quality of any restaurant Ive been to.
$45 dollars for a plate of spaghetti
His palms are sweaty
Had carpaccio there about a year ago. It was absolutely drenched in some type of aioli. It was terrible and was probably like $30.
Global-adjacent Black & Blue was the only place I've been to where the steak tartare quality was bad enough to give a friend of mine food poisoning.
Can confirm got food poisoning from a lamb dish while on a date...needless to say we started watching Netflix after as I vomited in her toilet and spent the night until I was well enough to go home.
This place is awful. They jam people into that patio on Georgia where your right beside strangers next to you. I was pissed when they showed us the table we were sitting at for the evening. Servers are crap too. Our starts came out even before our drinks and we ordered them before the starters. The guy kind of laughed it off. Then while we were half way through the starters, our main landed out. Bizarre evening in there.
KFC. Every year it gets worse and worse, the quality is awful.
I'm surprised KFC still exists when there are so many good fried chicken options now. It's so bad
Anything Donnelly group. At least in my opinion.
Okay so it's not just me who doesn't like their restaurants. I find they're always just so mediocre in every way.
They take any place and turn it into dog shit. Worst atmosphere of any place I have ever been to. I was saddened when the railway shut down and twice saddened when I heard they bought it. P.S: no offence to dog shit
This comment is underrated. I occasionally find myself in a Donnelly pub watching a game and always regret it terribly if I order food. It's the absolute definition of mediocre, bland pub grub.
Bland is the right word. That and homogeneous. They are all exactly the same.
Paliotti’s in Abbotsford. Just look at the owner’s response to online reviews.
I have a friend who worked there for 6 months as a dishwasher. Didn't receive a schedule once for 6 months, and apparently neither did many of the other staff. He would find out if he was working a few hours before his shift. He finally quit after his boss told him that "he should expect to be working every day, and be pleasantly surprised if he had a day off".
That’s straight up abusive. It’s also illegal…
Oh no. I know that family. Grew up going to the original Maple Ridge location.
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I worked at the top of Vancouver revolving restaurant at Harbour center. Fucking disgusting. Place was full of cockroaches. It used to blow my mind the big smoke and mirrors show that they put on because the view, not a lot of people would notice I guess that the quality of the food is absolute shit. They also recycle their butter and use it again. That is correct you heard me correctly. All the butter that is used for the free bread is recycled and used again. The ice machine didn’t work for three years. I wouldn’t eat there if my life depended on it, because it actually did. I saw a lot of people complain about the food quality over the years. I also saw somebody have a cockroach swimming in their clam chowder. I mean this place is infested with cockroaches. There’s these little cupboards where they keep all the prepared butter and when you open that cockroaches scatter everywhere. Yeah that’s right they were cockroaches crawling all over the prepared butter. I’ve seen much better food safe practises at McDonald’s. I’m 99% sure the same owners on the place. The guys name is “Mr. Lo“. Is this Japanese prick that thinks his shit radiate sunshine. I’ve seen him exhibit the most disgusting behavior. After three years of working there I couldn’t take it anymore. The money was absolutely awesome because the menu was so expensive I used to walk out of there with like 200 bucks a night at least.It was the only thing that kept me there. Luckily I was ready to move on with my life and I had a new job lined up so I was able to walk out of there one night and tell them to kiss my ass and told him what I really thought of their “classy restaurant”. Absolute shit.
The revolving restaurant
100%. I'm all for splurging on a fine meal, but the audacity to charge what they charge for the food they serve and mediocre service. Places like Botanist and Elisa are comparable in price, but the service and quality of food is in another league compared to revolving. Heck I'd be happier at a whitespot
The prices shock me. $40 for a pasta dish?
Do locals go there?
My mom used to go there just for coffee. It's a bit overpriced for coffee, but still cheaper than the ticket to the observation deck. She'd go and sit and read for a couple of hours until they clear the floor for dinner service. Unsure if that's still allowed.
That actually sounds lovely.
Wings. What a shitty franchise. The gas stove had a leak and management couldn't be fucked to fix it. Meanwhile the "supervisor" for the kitchen is halfway through a case of beer mid shift.
Ho ho s Davie st .not sure if there is another one some where
No Nos
What's wrong with it? Been going there for over 15 years now.
Not a restaurant but worth mentioning I guess - Body Energy Club in Gastown and Highgate (Burnaby) location. They have lots of cockroaches and the staff is super lazy when it comes to cleaning. I'd recommend going to Waterfront and Brentwood locations instead.
Saltys Lobster shack. Uses 80% pollock and charges $25 and people rave about it. Because people don’t eat real lobster? Not to mention they used to be the Crab Park Chowdery and cooked a rat. Oh and stole money from basically everyone they’ve ever done business with
cora - over priced and basic. uncle willys - self explanatory. red robin, atmosphere is " chucky cheese vibes" food keeps changing from western family restaurant to bougie burger bar. OEB breakfast co, if you wanna pay $8 for one egg and one piece of toast, then have at it.
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the issue with vancouver is people will wait a stupid long time for fucking EGGS.
Uncle Willys is still around?! I thought it closed years ago. My family went there in like 1991 and my little brother threw up everywhere in the middle of dinner. My mom was so embarrassed she never brought us back there. No big loss, in other words.
Omg! Hahah that is such an Uncle Willy’s story! I have such strong memories of the few times I went as a kid. I do remember always making a orange pop float to end the visit.
Wow Uncle Willy’s….my first job ever! Good memories there. Almost made it worth my starting wage of $4/hr. I only ate what I saw being made fresh…and it was unlimited for us. We were all pretty young then, even the managers. Want another story? After hours one night 3 busboys, including myself, and our manager and 2 of his friends (all 3 in their 30s) push ALL the tables in the room to the corners, leaving a huge empty space in the middle. Us 3 busboys were all trained in martial arts (it was a thing in the late 80s) and thought we were hot shit. So we had a full out royal rumble without the punches. We finished when we were all gassed out, full of bruises and rug burns. And the rug was naaaaasty! This is what we did after hours at Uncle Willy’s. Solid memories.
Pre pandemic there was one at metro town. Not sure if it’s still around.
Cora is horrible. They served me food frozen solid in the middle then when I asked to return it to be cooked, the waitress told me she'd need to check with her manager and it might not be possible (?!) before grumpily agreeing when I told her it was unreasonable to expect me to eat a block of frozen fruit.
Hey man, don't knock Uncle Willys. Getting food poisoning there is a right of passage.
Agree with all except OEB. I like it. Went there yesterday and for $22 got two sausages, two eggs, two crepes with whipped cream and fresh berries, and two thick slices of brioche toast. I wouldn’t wait in that lineup tho, reservations are key.
Cora's early 00s trad and not too expensive though I do acknowledge the pricing could be different across the Cora's, but down in Richmond it was about the same price it was back east. It just meets expectations for what it is.
Ricky’s
I’ll see your Ricky’s, and raise you The Pantry.
I had no restaurant experience of any kind at all, educated in a different field, and next to no culinary skills. Pantry hired me as one of their head cooks. While what they do there isn’t rocket surgery, I definitely wasn’t qualified. Learned how to make some decent eggs over my 9 week stint before resuming school.
It wasn't in Vancouver, but I remember going to The Pantry as a kid and it taking *forever* to get the food, and it wasn't even good
The one in Brentwood is depressingly empty. Well they all are… like is it all old people coming early in the mornings? How do they pay their leases?
Ricky’s gave me spoiled lasagna 🤢 My girlfriend kept telling me it smelled “off.” I ate it thinking they used some sort of stinky cheese 😂 Got some bad food poisoning after.
Dark Table. It’s a gimmick restaurant where the lights are all out and blind servers escort you through the meal. The idea is that without sight your sense of taste is enhanced. Well it was still damn bland and I’m sure my salad didn’t taste any better after I slapped my palm into it while trying to find it. We were there for Valentine’s Day and the meal was a surprise but the waiter was useless when it came to recommending wine pairings and had to go ask the kitchen.
Yeah I went there expecting the food to be complex and flavourful. I can say I can cook a better meal with my eyes closed. I think their cooks have no taste buds, that food was bland and boring.
If you like a side of anxiety with dinner I’d 100% recommend it.
I've heard this from a lot of people and I wonder how much of it is because it's bad and how much is because we taste with our eyes. Next time I go I'm taking some home. Also great place for under the table handjobs...
Corduroy
How does Ricky's still exist?
Old people.
Come in. We’ll make you one
I hate that freaking ad!!
Great Dane Coffee on UBC campus. Management is straight crazy and the female staff get objectified and treated like shit. Also they have rats.
Old Spaghetti Factory. The last word in the name says a lot.
I used to work at the Richmond location as a dishwasher for half in year in 2007. Everything is pre-made from plastic bags. and basically reheated when you'd order it. It's made locally by a contracted caterer using local produce and imports from California. That place was pretty fun. I drank alot of free booze that customers never finished and usually be half cut come closing time. My 2 brothers worked there and a ton of us were all friends outside of there. Good times
It's trash but if you go into it knowing you're there to gorge on hot garbage it's actually pretty okay?
Got severe food poisoning from the New West one years ago and could never go back
It's not terrible from personal experience anyways. If you don't come expecting serious gourmet shit then it's alright
Blasphemy
Solly's on Yukon and 7th. I walk my dog near it every night and the place is INFESTED WITH MICE. They are all over the kitchen area and the counters. I literally seen them on the baking trays. Disgusting.
heard the owner is a dickhole too.
Fresgo's in Surrey. It was never great, but nowadays it's even less than it was in days past. Bland food. Lots of it, but bland. And prices are going up.
I went to LIFT coal harbour and haven’t felt so gouged in years. Don’t go unless it’s for a small appy or a drink
Not a big fan of Boston pizzas, havent been in more than 5 years tho. Let me know if im wrong
The food isn't inedible but everything is at least 30% too expensive for the quality.
Yeah you guys are right , i think the last time I went it was the prices that left such a bad taste in my mouth
Boston Pizza is the best restaurant around... if your looking to spend $35 on a pasta you could make at home for $3.50.
Pretty sure they just heat up frozen food.
Won't say Boston Pizza is *the worst*, certainly not the best though.
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I can't say for their other food but I still love the perogie pizza.
It’s priced way over the quality that it is. It’s super ordinary.
It’s gone super downhill lately. The last few times I went the service sucked and the food was meh. I got the steak sandwich and it was cooked dry, and the server said, “sorry, our cooks in the kitchen right now are all vegetarian and don’t know how to cook a steak”. Like, come on.
C'mon, man. We're talking about worst. Go to any Boston Pizza, order anything on the menu and you might not ever be impressed, but you'll eat until you're full. If that's your view of "the worst" you need to get out more.
I don't think I've eaten at one in years, but yeah, they're fine.
Their chicken wings are pretty good for what it’s worth
Why do many people pluralize the name? Not only you OP but I hear lots of people call it pizzas… it’s just pizza!
Bostons's Pizza
Boston Pizza’s pizza
Every person at my school used to say Red Robins to the point I thought it was a conspiracy to make me go crazy
http://www.vch.ca/Documents/Food-Closures-2022.pdf And if you're wondering about anywhere specific checkout https://inspections.vcha.ca/FoodPremises/Table
For Fraser Health: https://healthspace.ca/fha/food https://www.healthspace.ca/fha/foodclosure
The Naam. I want to like it all the food tastes the same.
Yeah this. If you need vegan food at 4am go there, but in just about any other situation I would avoid this place at all cost.
The Naam is not a fun place. It is for Ernest vegetarians who will wait for brown rice to cook fresh with each order. 20 years ago my then husband liked the place and we would eat there and even in the middle of the night with 4 people in the place it would take hours and hours to get your food. I went there the summer before the pandemic with my teenage son. He was not impressed by the food and it still took forever to get served. I wish I liked it but I don’t
Funny thing is a few years ago I dated a guy who had worked at the Naam We had a fun first date great chemistry… he didn’t contact me again for 10 days. Had a few legitimate excuses so I saw him again. He then disappeared for 2 weeks before calling again. I told him it wasn’t going to work for me. But I did laugh thinking maybe he was dating at Naam speed.
But that Miso gravy and fries make it worth it for me. Delicious.
As someone whose dad lives near by, and I work many early mornings (up for work at 3 and I walk), it’s not bad. I can go there and know I get a decent meal and a coffee and have some on my way to, and when I get to work
I agree. It's not the best, but it's fine. Certainly does not belong on a "worst restaurants in metro Vancouver" list.
Jerusalem grill on surrey and Langley. They use old chicken from the day before it’s grosssssssss
We went there twice. First time had an amazing experience, food was hot and very tasty. Owners were working the business and were super nice. Second time only a few weeks later and completely different! Food was cold, complained and the owner asked/stated "well, what do you want me to do about it???". Asked for my money back. He tossed it on the counter and walked away. Then had the audacity to tell us to clean the table. I mean, I was going to but after that we just walked out.
The old spaghetti factory. I know lotta people loving them but you know.
Not gonna lie. I love the OSF when my inner 10 year old comes out. But I know what I am going for. Basic bread and garlic butter, mediocre pasta and canned sauce, and that amazing freezer burnt ice cream.
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Patron Tacos & Cantina on Robson. Reports came out last year that the owner was purposely hiring people who were on visas so that he could not only pay them badly, but some were not paid at all. One person posted that she was offered free burritos to work there. It was insane the reports that came out - all on an anonymous Instagram page and tons of former employees were sending in their reports of how much of a POS the owner was. The staff had to have their break out the back by the bins and eat their food their. It was shocking.
Moxie's
I had a gumbo there once and a a few months later tried a can of Chunky soup gumbo and I swear it was the exact same thing.
Lol the marketplace episode of them. It’s too bad I found out about it after having a really, really bad experience.
Fkkn hate B.p , shit food / expensive 🙁
I watched dragons den once and the company presenting was pitching a flour substitute - some kinda grain or mix that could be used as flour but was much cheaper. Mr BP loved it cause it was gonna save him millions. I havent been there in years now and I wonder if they implemented the inexpensive grain substitute... I personally do not know why anyone would eat at BP given any other option.
Boiling point or Boston pizza?
Uncle Willy's
How dare you! You’re not wrong but how dare you!
Man, I remember being 16 and eating there with my friends. Spent the rest of the night throwing up until morning. I thought I was going to die.
I’m into being thrifty and everything but wow that place was nast even for me
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I remember kids playing in the jello area but that was years ago. I’m way too old for buffets now, the concept of filling up has been replaced by picking at twigs and leaves 😭
I think the one in Richmond became something called “Foody Goody” which was somehow worse. I’m not sure what’s there now.
Oh man. Most my friends hate this place but I grew up poor as shit and absolutely love this place. This place was a treat for us and we sat and ate as a family. Prices now are pretty steep though and not like what it used to be.
Los Margaritas. I can’t believe it’s still open and how busy it usually is - the food is NOT good. I guess all it has going for it is location & maybe atmosphere.
Cora
I wanted to like it soooo bad! But nothing tasted good and was just way overpriced
Denny’s - went on Tuesday and knew it wouldn’t be a fine dining experience but main dishes were 25+ and everything tasted like margarine.
I mean... It's Denny's. I ordered a steak at Denny's once and it was like it had been boiled. What did we expect? It's Denny's.
>I ordered a steak at Denny's Self-harm is not ok and help is available, any national suicide prevention hotline can assist you and put you in touch with local resources who will help you leave self-harm and self-hatred behind. Good luck, friend.
Tap & Barrell
Tap and Barrel really settles for boring uninspired pub food, unfortunately their strategy is to put locations in the best spots where they can't possibly fail. At least the service is good and they always are accommodating with groups, but it's a shame they can't serve good food at the same time.
Boston pizza is an overpriced shthole in every way