Beautiful place for a leisurely Sunday brunch. And when I say leisurely (in this case) I'm talking about a 40 minute wait for food. To be fair, the place was packed when we got there at 11 am. And our waiter, who was a great guy and really hustling around that day, apologized for the long wait. In the meantime, we admired the classic interior. When the food arrived, we were happy with our selections. My wild salmon burger was juicy and well seasoned, and the accompanying salad was immaculately fresh. My husband's crab benny sported perfectly poached eggs atop crisp crabcakes. Although the portion was on the smaller side, it satisfied. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Wild BC Salmon Burger - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Tasty historical restaurant a stone's throw from English Bay. Parking here is pretty awful. Best to walk there unless it's the evening. The hotel is a listed heritage building, and the diner ambience definitely reflects that too. Looks like something from the early 20th century, when people travelled by train and wore suits and dresses everywhere. The restaurant is elevated several steps from street level, which also means that the view from the dining room is definitely something special. Staff are very professional. No complaints. I had the prime rib hash. Basically poached eggs on a bed of aragula, hash browns, prime rib chunks, and hollandaise on top. Delicious. Definitely worth visiting if one wants to experience something from a bygone era. They definitely don't build places like these anymore. read more

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My friend who has lived in the West End forever suggested we meet at this long-established hotel and lounge, located on English Bay. The place has been around since 1954 and you'll understand why it's withstood the test of time by the way you feel as you walk through the lounge and restaurant areas. Warm colors and wood paneling throughout invites you in and makes you want to make this establishment a regular stop to relax and enjoy a good meal and/or a cool drink. It wasn't too busy when I arrived (beat my friend who lives a few blocks away) so Dave (acted as both bartender and server) was friendly and gave us some great suggestions for edibles and I opted to I try the hotel's signature cocktail. When my friend arrived we ordered the Cauliflower Steak, which was so amazingly delicious I could have eaten another one easily. The Middle Eastern flavors were simply delightful at every mouthful. My friend ordered fish & chips, which he enjoyed immensely, especially the crispiness of the fries & fish. If you want to spend a relaxing afternoon in a lovely setting by English Bay, The Sylvia lounge & restaurant is the place to go!! read more

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Food was excellent! Service was professional and our server was very funny too. Loved the atmosphere. We were having our first Father's Day since my husband died so we ordered the prime roast which was his favourite meal (so glad you serve that!) and put a glass of scotch, also a fave of his, across at the empty seat. The server understood why we're doing this and was very kind and respectful about it. I recommend the Sylvia restaurant to everyone. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Good place for a dinner or appetizers. Excellent location with outdoor seating to be right across from English Bay, lovely view of the water. Menu has a variety of options. My friend got several appetizers and creme brulee for her dinner which she raved about. The calamari was labeled as spicy but there was no spice at all, and I am really sensitive to heat. The garlic chili shrimp had no chili, but was really good. Happy waitress and servers eager to please. Reservations are available. Casual dining, family friendly and not pretentious at all. read more

We have loved this place for decades. Located in the charming Sylvia Hotel on English Bay, this restaurant has a cozy, welcoming ambiance. Food options are plentiful, as are cocktail and drink options. Dishes are made with care, and ingredients are fresh and always very tasty. From brunch to happy hour to lunch to dinner, this is a spot we never miss when in Vancouver. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Ahi salad - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I love coming here for breakfast with my boyfriend. We have the best time. Great views ! The food is simple but great quality! I love "The English bay" on the menu items. It's a mix of everything you need for a breakfast. The service is great as well! read more

We had Christmas dinner again this year, as we have done for the past four years. This year the food was satisfactory but the seating was not! Our party of four was directed to a 2'x3' table in the lower bar area meant for serving drinks, not a full Christmas dinner (we had to ask them to remove the water glasses in order to make room for the dinner plates). Considering this was not a last minute reservation (made in October) we expected better! read more

I had dinner at the Sylvia Hotel restaurant on Saturday evening. By far the best aspect of our dinner was our waiter James. He was friendly, entertaining, and took great care of our dining needs with humor and aplomb. He deserves all the stars! The atmosphere was quiet which gave me and my friend a good chance to converse. The food, however, was staid and uninteresting. My crabcakes contained too much green onion, which overpowered the delicate crab flavor. Our desserts (creme brulee and chocolate lava cake), while tasty, were quite traditional. Overall I would describe the menu as aimed at older customers without adventurous palates. I would not return here again. read more

Staff greeted and seated us quickly and were very friendly. The restaurant was very busy but wasn't loud. The decor is from another era and gives the restraint a really cozy warm feel. He ordered the Sylvia burger with bacon, she ordered the chicken pot pie. Food arrived quickly and was hot, fresh and delicious. Great serving size full of flavor. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Chicken pot pie - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I stayed at the Sylvia Hotel and during one particularly beautiful sunset, I enjoyed a Pimm's Cup and frites at the restaurant. There was some confusion about my needing to be served for about 15 minutes as other tables were filled and there didn't seem to be any communication between the hostess and waitress. Regardless, the fries were good, the drink extra refreshing, and the views were stunning! read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Pimm's Cup, Nibble, and the Sunset - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Enjoyed sylvias before but this time was a disaster. The server was rude (multiple people in my group noticed.) The appetizer came out wrong and the second remake of the gyoza was not better (industrial gozas floating around in a vinegar sauce with almost NO mango to speak of. and the fish and chips equally disappointing, the cole slaw was warm, the fries were cold, and the fish had no crunch like you want in a good fish and chips. server brought no malt....if you cant do fish and chips well , bye bye, bye- view was beautiful though that gives them 2 instead of 1 star read more

After moving to sunny table near a window, on the upper portion above where a couple of other guests sat by the windows below, as the other empty tables were in the shade and too cold to sit at, 2 forty year old male 'servers' suddenly swooped towards me like crows and said, " These are Reserv_ed for 6 pm ! " which was 2 hours away None of the other empty 20 + tables had 'reserved' notices on them, except for a few near the entrance and along the back. The adjacent bar's loud 80s rock ' music ' made the 'feeling' in this empty 'restaurant' even colder The tiny cup of ten fries smaller than McDonald's and the $19 salmon burger with another tiny cup of lettuce 'salad' wasn't worth $10 let alone $40 All customers should be made to feel welcome and satisfied, however the faux pretense of these ESL 'servers' makes it guaranteed that we shall spend our time + money elsewhere read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - the dining area - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Another long overdue review... Sylvia's Restaurant & Lounge is one of landmark in Vancouver that you will need to put on your list if you are visiting from out of town, even if you are local, this place will bring you back to the olden days of Vancouver! On a sunny day, you will be viewing the world famous scenery of English Bay, with blue sky and the sparkling ocean, you will be relaxing with your glass of Mimosa...let the enjoyment begins! Meals here has always been consistent, well executed by the Chefs and presented with a flare by the service staffs! ( Call out to Ray & Cindy their friendly and cheerful service over the years! ) Their Legendary Tempura Fish & Chip is one of the most loved items on the menu by my family, as well as their Cobb Salad, I am the more adventurous one and I would always order the new items on the menu each time I come! My latest discovery: Prawn Linguine, large succulent prawns with a tangy well seasoned tomato sauce with al dente linguine, it makes for a lovely dish for lunch as it is refreshing and light! Parking is available at the underground parkade! If its a sunny day, be sure to call ahead to reserve your table! read more

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I was shocked when we ate breakfast at this restaurant. After reading these yelp reviews and seeing the 3 stars, I was expecting something very different. I wholeheartedly give this place 5 stars and would give it more!!! Excellent views and ambiance!!! The food was decent price and very tasty!!! We actually came back another 2 times during our stay in Vancouver because it was so amazing!!! The staff was very friendly and helpful. I couldn't recommend this place more!!! read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Another view of the ocean from the front windows - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We decided to go to Sylvia's because we were staying at the Sylvia. What a great decision! We were seated in a cute little booth, near the bar, and there was live music that night. The ambience was wonderful, and it was dimly lit and romantic. The service was also quick efficient and our waiter was very helpful. I ordered the 1954 drink, which was really fruity, sweet, and sour! My husband ordered a red wine which he loved. For appetizer, my husband ordered the seafood chowder, which was very large and delicious. It also came with the most delicious garlic bread. For entrées, my husband got the shrimp, and I got the prime linguine. Both were absolutely delicious and we had plenty of food. We left extremely full! It was dark when we were dining, but we went down the next morning, just to see what the breakfast look like, and the view from the dining room was absolutely beautiful! Highly recommend this place! read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Prawn linguini and steak - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Seven of us had lunch today at noon, the food was average , the place was nice with a nice view, but the service was the slowest I have ever witnessed and the waiter was a difficult to understand, for the short time he spent with us, only half the empty plates were cleared, so I had to look at my dirty plate for almost 2 hours with no service, as in we ran out of water and no chance of ordering a beverage and we had to hunt him down to get the bill. read more

The food was amazing and the view to die for. I would go back again and will if we visit Vancouver again.

Nice drinks and views. I would definitely come back and recommend. The service and food were good

Legend, classic, heritage - that is Sylvia's. My rating is based on the lounge side. I used to dine in the restaurant with my Grandma when I was a kid, so it's nostalgic for me to go to Sylvia's. I took my partner here because of that reason. We went to the lounge for happy hour, walked in, seated ourselves. It was mostly an older crowd (wait, I'm now not far off from being that older crowd). What a chill, jazzy atmosphere! Our server smiled alot & was friendly, but he was the only one on the floor, so getting his attention was difficult. I was served a lovely red wine.. but with lipstick on my glass, I went up to the bar to get a new glass. It happens, however, after I finished my glass, I would have loved another one but it took so long for him to come check on us again (25 min.) the magic had passed. I just asked for the bill. All in all, our view was fantastic, I couldn't believe we scored a window seat. And the Stuffed mushrooms were so tasty! read more

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The food was excellent. The service was spectacular and the view was incredible. We came to eat 3 x.

Went there for Christmas dinner, what a mistake. The service was so slow, the turkey dinner came luke warm with very stingy cranberry sauce, potatoes and gravy. We asked for more gravy hoping it would heat up the dinner and were brought a tiny creamer of gravy with about two tablespoons of gravy. Our waitress was nowhere to be seen after she brought the meal, we nicknamed her "Houdini" she just disappeared after bringing the meal. No followup as to"how is the meal" or would you like another drink." WE had to flag other employees down for everything, including the BILL!!!! We were a party of two and spent two and a half hours, mostly trying to get help to serve us and waiting for the food. We weren't planning on spending that amount of time. The ambience was pretty disappointing also. No tablecloths, just hard wooden tables, not very festive. They've also installed cheap laminated floors in the dining room and the noise is unbearable. A real disappointment for $70.00 per person. Bad service and bad food. Never again at the Sylvia. read more

There should be no mistaking the reason for coming to Sylvia's. Though I had no complaints about their hamburger ($14 Canadian), my server's response to my order said all I needed to know: "We only do them well done. That's just the way we do it in Vancouver. They come pre-formed and...". I stopped listening. A well done burger would be fine but the "come pre-formed" part let me know I wasn't at Marlowe (SF). You also might not want to come for the Irish Coffee ($7 Canadian). The Buena Vista (SF) founders, the first to recreate this classic Irish drink outside Ireland, would be rolling in their graves to see this version. It's fine, but it's creative (sugared rim, nutmeg whipped cream, and wafer cookie) and quite unlike what you would get elsewhere. So why should you come to Sylvia's? It's the view, silly. The view, the view, the view. Sylvia's sits on some prime real estate directly across from English Bay Beach where the sun takes a long time to set. Settle in. One round of drinks followed by burgers followed by Irish Coffees (each ordered after the previous was consumed) still didn't see me through the entire sunset but it didn't matter one bit. The view up and down the beach, the view of the water, the mountain view... drink it up. Sylvia's is old school meaning it's not fancy but it's comfortable. I liked the casual, quiet vibe from the moment I entered. Of course, since they've been there forever (they're Vancouver's first cocktail bar) it was important for me to get the drink that had also been there forever: the 1954 ($7 Canadian) was a remarkably fresh vodka/chambord drink littered with delicious fruit. Get it. Sylvia's has live music on some nights and, when I visited, excellent service. Nobody is trying to turn tables; they seemed fine with me staying as long as I desired. Lucky for me, when I finally left, the sun was still setting over the bay. Drinks, a view, a beautiful sunset; a perfect close to a perfect week in Vancouver. Thank you Sylvia's. Thank you Vancouver. read more

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The Sylvia is lovely little heritage hotel down in English Bay. They've got a good size restaurant with old school charm. It's not fine dining, but its nice for a romantic night out. The dinner menu has a good variety of items to choose from including lots of seafood. However, no vegetarian entrees, so if you're like me you may have to opt for an appetizer and salad. As for their cocktails, they do a great job. My favourite is "The Flynn" named after the famous Errol of course. There's also a drink named "1954" as that was the year The Sylvia opened up Vancouver's first cocktail bar. Be sure to check out the patio in front, I didn't even notice it until after I left! I will definitely try and sit out there next time, the ocean view can't be beat. read more

Our family celebrated my husband's and my 50th wedding anniversary here. It was everything we had hoped for and then some...good food, a window seat in the lounge with the fabulous view of English Bay while the sun was setting, a very talented jazz pianist (Doc Fingers), a small dance floor and great service, especially as provided by our server, Amanda. Even customers were friendly! It felt more like we were invited to someone's home rather than a restaurant. We ordered appetizers and the Cobb Salad to share. My husband turned his nose up at the fish tacos when I suggested it until he tasted one and then decided to order another! All in all, a perfect evening! read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Cobb Salad and Appies - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Our friend recommended that we have breakfast at Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge since we weren't able to check into our Airbnb until the late morning. Sylvia's Restaurant is located at the historic Sylvia Hotel in the West End. We had a bunch of luggage and the staff at the front desk were nice enough to store it while we had breakfast. My husband had the foresight to make a reservation for our party of six which meant that we didn't have to wait to be seated. We were lucky enough to get a table right by the window that had an amazing view of the ocean. Our waitress took our family's orders and I decided to get a latte to start off the morning. My latte ended up being terrible so I sent it back, and unfortunately everything went downhill from there. My husband's eggs benedict was practically inedible, but thankfully our kids enjoyed their pancakes. If you're going to eat here, I'd stick to the bare bone basics. Our servers all seemed really stressed out with the morning rush. Unfortunately the experience wasn't worth what we paid for our meal, and this would not be my first choice for breakfast, but the view is wonderful. Perhaps cocktails instead? read more

Come on, people. Get it together. Here for brunch at 2pm. No soap in bathroom dispensers. No greeting at front desk when we arrived. Stressed out, rather angry looking waiter finally looked right into my eyes as he hurried by. I Said hi. He said ... nothing. Finally a smiling young bus person took us to our table. Good news is it was facing the ocean. Bad news is the vinyl booth and menus are falling apart. Waiter came around eventually, stone faced and took our order. Rushed away. No water poured. Our tea arrived about ten minutes, again stone-faced waiter. This guy is on the edge. Having a really bad day. We're getting worried for him. And our food. Will it ever arrive? Well when it finally did, things took a dark turn. I had ordered tomatoes instead of potatoes with my eggs and sausages, and what arrived was a whole tomato roughly chopped into four chucks, and perhaps tossed on a hot grill for a few seconds. And the cherry on top? A wiry black PUBIC HAIR (or perhaps beard hair?) stuck to one of the tomatoes. I privately showed it to the server and he told me he noticed that the tomato presentation "looked like a sloppy mess." (Then why did you bring it to me, instead of asking the cook to fix it!?) Anyway, the waiter said I didn't have to pay for my breakfast. Duh. When he came to give us the bill, instead of clearing the table, he just moved the dirty plates to the other side of the table. I just feel sorry for the guy. The management here has to be to blame. Breakfast/brunch here has always been hit and miss, but this is the last time for us! read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Note the pube on the right side of the tomato! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We heard this was a great place to have a drink and watch the sunset. First, to get a decent view of the Sunset, you have to sit at one of the four tables at the far south side of the outdoor patio. I'm not sure about the view of the sunset from indoors. Second, you sit behind large glass panels which may be nice on a windy day except it they were really dirty and not easy to see through. Third, we sat there for a solid 20 minutes + and no one took our drink order. We left and sat on a park bench across the street overlooking the water and saw a beautiful sunset. read more

We came in for brunch and it was delicious. Staff was super friendly and accommodating. The food itself was very tasty. Ordered mimosas, Eggs Benedicts, and Crab Cakes. However, it was slightly overpriced for quality received. Nevertheless, the view was beautiful and ended up having a great morning. read more

My review is for the lounge side. Didn't go in with any expectations as you just never know with hotel restaurants what you're going to get. Was quite impressed with their wine list. It is not a large wine list, but the selection is varied and of good quality. They also have their house wines on tap. My friend and I started with the delicious baked artichoke spinach dip which is gluten free (yay!). From there I settled on the mussels and frites which were amazing! The server was very attentive without being overbearing which I really appreciate. Obviously the view is exceptional, but come early if you want to have dinner in the lounge. They do not take reservations and it was very busy. They have live music on Sunday nights and offer a traditional Sunday evening dinner with roast, Yorkshire puddings and all of the trimmings. I will definitely make a return visit. read more

Great views lovely environment service is ok they have music sun wed thur night food is very good creme brûlée is very rich

Great spot for drinks and some appetizers. They have a great drinks/cocktail menu. I tried the Basil Martini and the Pimm's cup. And both are amazing! The bar tender was also nice with recommending me with their appetizers. I chose to order the Squid from his recommendations. And glad i did! Although, i took off one star because the main courses are a bit over priced. That's why i decided not to indulge and order. Since there's a lot more restaurants around the area. Anyways, stop by here for drinks and appetizers. You'll enjoy it! Specially with the view that comes with it. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Basil Martini - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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I really really want to adore this place. I mean, I am here at least 4 times a week to sit by the window, catch up with a good friend and/or read a good book. I also come pretty frequently for their Thursday Jazz nights . The service is friendly the view, oh... that view is just... perfect. There is, however, one major "little" problem: "The food is... well... not good" I tried almost everything and the only thing I actually enjoyed was the potatoes served with their bennies for brunch. Their brunch menu is much better than their regular menu... I'll give them that. So why the 4 stars you say? Well the view, the comfort of the couches and the tranquility of the place is worth that much. My two cents :) read more

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Bike tour guide recommended this place as "where the locals go". Very friendly staff, nice view. Wife had crab cakes I had a burger/salad and fries. Crab cakes were kind of soggy and just not very good. Burger was really meah for $15. Overall a pass. read more

On a beautiful day we were looking for a place to sit down and have coffee for about an hour while we discussed some work items on a shared laptop. My cousin brought her dad here for drinks when he was visiting so I thought I'd try it out for a coffee It was between the odd hours of lunch and dinner so it was relatively quiet and empty Only a few tables were occupied so I double checked with the waiter to find out what time he was on until and assured him that we didn't need much service and would be closing the bill before he leaves. The waiter was attentive yet impeccable with his timing as he did not disrupt us other than to bring us coffee and make sure there was nothing else that we needed. He didn't lurk around or try to make us feel guilty for not ordering more. Beautiful views overlooking the water at English Bay along with superb service. With the price of a coffee costing as much as one does at Starbucks (or even less) I would come back here again for sure -- next time I'd like to check out their brunch, come a bit earlier & join the bustle. read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Wasn't terrible, but I was pretty confused about what was being served. Ordered the waffles and crispy chicken, was support to be a chicken breast, but looked and tasted like and oversized chicken nugget. Wasn't bad, just really average. read more

Mediocre food and poor service is whet stands out here. More than the historical nature of Sylvia's in the local community, more than the great view of the beach and the sunset, poor service and mediocre food is what exemplifies Sylvia's. Water bottles left unfilled, and a lack of attention and care, a casual disregard for requests, and completely uninteresting preparations. There was no, I see that's empty sir may I get you another drink. When I asked if the sautéed mushrooms might have scallions or chives, the answer was no. When the next appetizer came out with scallions I asked why it wasn't offered. There was no apology, no how can I get that rate for you sir. When the state came out substantially over cooked, the response was well I didn't cook it. Not the expected I'm so sorry about that sir, I'll fix it right away. I spent years in food service and have rarely had such poor service and bad attitude. There are many lovely restaurants here in Vancouver. This is none of them. read more

Great food, great scene, great jazz music, lovely crowd. The ambiance is romantic and sassy read more

Sylvia's Restaurant and Lounge - Great Jazz music! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We stayed at the lovely Sylvia Hotel. After we enjoyed a picnic at the beach, we decided to check out the live music at the bar. We entered the bar from the hotel and chose a high top table for two. We were then told we needed to check in with someone for for seating. No one seemed to be available, so we returned to our original table. Service was none existent; therefore, we ordered directly from the bartender. Bottom line, service was poor, possibly due to understaffing, the music was great, and the bartender saved the day. read more

So, my friend who was visiting from out of town, really wanted to grab a drink here. He said it was nostalgic, a historic lounge worth visiting Well, he was right. We sat at the bar, I really liked the marble counter top..pretty unique Ordered a beer, followed by a couple of white russians A couple friends joined us, and the regular at the bar was kind enough to move down..twice Overall this is a west end gem..reminiscent of days gone by read more