Food was good but the location and ambience was great. Good way to check out the district.

Quickly greeted. Sat outside. Right across from the Gastown Steam Clock which goes off every 15 minutes. Service was a bit slow. Cocktails were good. Lemon Pepper Fries could use more lemon pepper, but were crispy and the house made garlic aioli was good. Would come back for Happy Hour. read more

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Happy hour here has always been a fun experience! I love sitting beside a window watching people outside and pretending I'm in Europe. Happy hour food is pretty basic but enjoyable. read more

Water Street Cafe - Happy Hour - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This place is going downhill. My first visit here was about four years ago, and while it wasn't anything special, it also wasn't bad enough to warrant a review--until now. I ordered the daily soup, which was a seafood bisque, and the chicken and waffle. The bisque tasted old, and the lobster or crab (I honestly couldn't tell which) was dry and crumbly. It seemed overcooked to the point that it had shriveled up and lost all texture. The chicken and waffle were pretty bad too--the chicken was burnt, and the waffle had no crispiness at all. I know it's made with mochi, but it's definitely possible to get a crispy exterior while keeping the chewy texture. It was basically a bubble waffle, and way too sweet, especially considering it's meant to be eaten with maple syrup. The other dishes our table shared were actually pretty good--we got the deep-fried mushroom ravioli and the lemon pepper fries. The sauce was tasty, and both were fried nicely. Service was okay; they topped up our water occasionally. It's supposed to be a "nicer" spot, but unfortunately, the entrées were a real letdown. read more

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Atmosphere was very cozy! Can see the famous clock looking out through the window. Food was great if in the mood for Italian! Great place!

This place was okay. Let me start by saying that I am gluten free and traveling while being gluten free is not the easiest. We went to a couple places that didn't have many GF options so we settled on Water Street Cafe because of some reviews that said they had GF pasta. We sat outside which was nice with live music and the Gastown Steam Clock right there. Weather was lovely too. Prices were a bit high and it took a good 30 minutes before we got food. I asked about GF pasta options and all they had was GF gnocchi. So I tried GF gnocchi bolognese. The GF gnocchi was dry and chewy. The bolognese sauce was decent but not as good as our favorite place back home. (Hard to beat it). I did have the burrata and basil pesto which was lovely. My husband has the spaghetti and bolognese and he liked his a bit better than mine. They had a special old fashioned but it was just okay. Overall I was not impressed. Just okay. I was tired from a full day of walking and I was quite hungry. Seems like a good place for tapas and drinks, maybe not a meal. read more

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Location cannot be any better. You can grab a seat outside and watch the steam clock going off every fifteen minutes. Other than that, this place is hundred percent TOURIST TRAP. There were so many servers walking around but it took 15 minutes for us to get noticed and on top of that our server was so indifferent. Since he understand we are there just for few beers, he sarcastically mentioned few times "just beers no food?!" We found it very rude. Ambiance is nothing to write home about. Stay away if you can. read more

Water Street Cafe - Cold beer, great in overcast day. 5/5 - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

welcoming beautiful server. forgot to bring out requested condiments a couple times though, not a major problem. u cannot bring or take out food from other shops into the restaurant. GREAT VIEW next to the steam clocked. the LEMON PEPPER FRIES oh my godness gimme 10 of these rn, they coat them in potato starch and well done fry i believe. crunch with every bite WOW! the butternut squash ravioli was average, the butter sauce and nuts didn't add much to it but appreciate that it was not oily or soggy as i've encountered elsewhere. seafood gnocchi was slightly overcooked. we also got a salad which was okay as well. but the fries.....THE BEST FOR ANY CRISPY LOVERS bc WOWWW :333 read more

Water Street Cafe - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Stopped in here yesterday for lunch as it was very busy and we figured somewhere that had been here this long and was that busy couldn't be too bad. And it was good! It's a lovely old building across from the steam clock. The service was attentive and the food was good! I had the Harvest Salad (really delicious), my son the Bolognese, and my husband had some kind of egg dish (not sure what it was actually - maybe a sort of Benedict?). Everyone was happy and it was great people watching out all the big windows. A nice place to stop by in Gastown. read more

It was quite cozy and made me feel welcome but there were issues. I was quite disappointed with the quality of the food for the price. It was bland and quite honestly tasteless. I ordered the Sunday 3 course special and it destroyed all my hopes for this. The best part was the appetizer, broccoli and artichoke soup. If you are looking for something cute? Come here. But if quality and value you are here for, go somewhere else. This is a tourist trap because of the steam clock tower beside it. read more

I can't say enough about how wonderful the service, the food and the location was. I use to live in the Northwest and love a good salmon. Now that I live in Texas that is extremely hard to come by. My last night in the area and I was craving a good salmon that was not smothered in a cream sauce. We stumbled onto Water Street Cafe and I ordered the pan seared salmon and it was to die for! Cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. Presentation was spot on. Our server was wonderful and attentive and the owner also came out to ask how our meal was. Pricing I feel was very reasonable for such a delicious meal. Will be back my next time in town! We also had a nice corner, window table and watch the steam clock go off every 15 minutes. People watch from this table we found was very entertaining as well. Thank you Water Street Cafe! read more

Great spot to sit by the Gastown clock, but the happy hour was disappointing--$15 got us a single tiny crab cake ball. Not worth the money, and the food, drinks, and service didn't impress. Only giving 3 stars for the location and the clock view. Tip: don't walk toward Chinatown from here--it's sketchy - zombieland.. read more

What a welcoming staff; for that alone, I would visit again. We did brunch on a Sunday with plenty of sunshine, so we had a table on the patio to soak in that vitamin D. It is nice to be able to hear and see the famous steam clock. Great brunch menu and extensive drink menu. My wife had pasta with veggies, and if we had not stayed in a hotel, she would have most certainly taken home the leftovers from her generously portioned dish. I had the in-house smoked salmon Bennie served on focaccia, green salad, and wonderful roasted breakfast potatoes. I smoked salmon Bennie was very flavorful and delicious. The house steamclock bloody caesar and rumble where both well crafted and made it easy to order a second drink. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

This restaurant is located in a very lively area of Vancouver and is a great place to enjoy a quality meal close to local attractions and transportation. The staff are kind and attentive and offered great suggestions when it came to ordering. I ordered the lobster and 8oz PEI Grass-Fed Striploin. I always order my steaks medium rare. This steak came out slightly over cooked, but was still fantastic and had a great glaze. The lobster tail was rich in flavour and cooked to perfection. The lemon pepper fries were seasoned well and had a great taste. After dinner we decided to order the tiramisu for dessert. It was extremely decadent and delicious. It was definitely too large a portion for one person and was easily shared between 3 of us. I would highly recommend ordering it though if you go. If I'm in the Gastown area this will definitely be a spot on my radar. read more

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Well... great atmosphere, high price for we all felt was average food. Service was very good, we're seated immediately. Great bread and parmesan which were both an extra charge. Once again, nice atmosphere, great service but not likely to return. However, would suggest it could be worth your time to try. read more

Water Street Cafe - Sea food Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Bucatini Cacio e pepe was ok needed more giancuale, as tasty but seemed a bit lacking, and the Breakfast Bolognese was too acidic, too tomatoee. Tomatoe overpowered the whole dish. Lastly their utensils were worn out and rusty. Even had a dirty spoon...In general the restaurant looks worn down from the inside. Would not recommend personally. Service was good though! The green tea was good! I don't think they made it though! read more

Water Street Cafe - Bucatini Cacio e pepe and Breakfast Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Service was perfect and beyond perfect I should say. Ambiance is dark & quiet, while there's music on the second floor. Food is not as good as I remembered, being here a few years back. *West Coast Crab Cakes: not bad, quite a taste of crab *Prosciutto e Melone: this dish was very, very good. The honeycomb made a big difference *Spaghetti Alle Vongole: this dish is good although it tasted 　 more buttery and lacking the white wine sauce. *Oven-Roasted Chicken a la Parmesan: oh my was this dish disappointing. The chicken Parmesan was surprisingly so bland. *Garlic Cheese Toast *Roasted Wild Mushrooms: *Braised Lamb Shank: tender and fall off the bone yummy. *Tiramisu: an Italian classic that had a good amount of liqueur *Warm Apple Upside Down Cake: love this and this is a must try! I will have the Prosciutto e Melone and the Warm Apple Upside Down Cake again anytime. Unfortunately the appetizers and the Extras were better than the mains. read more

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Located directly opposite to the steam clock in Gastown, Water St. Cafe serve all day food, drinks, and live music performance. Service was amazing, very friendly and attentive. Water was constantly refilled without asking. Jazz performance was okay but unfortunately not to our taste. Food was average tbh, I was expecting more given the popularity, though perhaps this is driven more so from location versus taste. Morning Carbonara ($26.75) 5/10 Traditional carbonara served with egg on the top. I'm typically a huge carbonara fan, but I found the flavour to be very heavy yet flat at the same time. Also, I thought they didn't use enough guanciale to add a depth of flavour. Bison Carpaccio ($19.45) 6/10 This was my first time trying out bison carpaccio. Quite an interesting taste, definitely leaner versus beef. Tasted a bit bland to me. Waiter did not clarify that bread was an extra $4 charge. read more

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This review is based on my First Table experience. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much we loved the food, service and atmosphere here! We were kindly greeted and placed close to the window which had an amazing view of Gastown and the steam clock. It felt like we were in the middle of a holiday card. Loved that they came by with an amuse bouche for our table which was celebrating two birthdays, which turned out to be one of our fav dishes. Very well balanced and aesthetic. We didn't hold back and ordered crab cakes, burrata, foccocia bread, bison carpaccio, 14oz ribeye with lobster, seafood gnocchi and ragu. All were delicious, it's hard to name a fav. If we had to choose, the amuse bouche, steak and gnocchi were def standout. We ended with the seasonal caramel creme brulee which was very nice and light. Perfect end to the night and they even added a candle. Would highly recommend Water St Cafe for an intimate dinner or a date! I believe there's even live music upstairs. Our bill for 3 ppl ended up being around $150 plus tip with First Table. read more

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A nice meal in a lovely setting upstairs (to see the jazz guitar that night). Lovely view. Excellent Service even though they were short handed. My Chicken Parmesean was tasty but I though that instead of the massive amount of spaghetti on the side, vegetable would have been welcomed. Would I go again? You betchya! read more

WOW. The food was 10/10, great wine list, friendly staff, super cute interior, and great location around other shops and restaurants! We got the full rack of ribs and it was so full of flavor and the accoutrements were so unexpected. I absolutely loved the baked orecchiette with truffle chicken and cream sauce, everything I could ask for read more

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I was not a huge fan of this place, even though it was highly recommended. I made reservations which I am thankful they have the option. The location is in the heart of Gastown and the building is beautiful with an upstairs (where the washrooms are) and downstairs. Plenty of seating and tons of people watching available! I ordered the Breakfast Gnocchi (Zucchini, asparagus, snap pea, broccolini, pistachio, basil pesto, fried egg). I removed the egg and added a side of grilled Halloumi (menu in house differs from online). There were no snap peas and it was overly oily (see pics). The dish was a miss for me. The oil was just too much. My friends got the crab benny (loved it) and the chicken sandwhich (it was a huge chunk of chicken on homemade focaccia with little sauce and the best fries but was advertised as lemon pepper fries but just tasted like salt). For me, this was not the best experience. Service was basic with little interaction (we were not fussy). Food was a miss for me. read more

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Gastown area has its charm and this corner cafe add more to the whole experience. After enjoying my stroll, I stopped at this cafe to enjoy lunch and again to enjoy dinner with live music Food is superb . Just try anything and it will be perfect in taste , quality and quantity. I am not a fan of gnoshi but they did good job in cooking it. Pesto salad was great. Best were the deserts Seated by window gives you view of the street but makes it awkward to eat as every passerby is watching you eat. But overall a good romantic meal can be enjoyed here read more

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We went to the Water Street Cafe for dinner on a Monday evening. It was lovely to sit down in a 1906 building that was once a hotel. Across the street from the Steam Clock, the building spoke of its history with lots of wood trim and enormous windows. The ambiance was quiet enough for conversation. The greeter and servers were cordial and present whenever needed. They listened well and followed our requests quickly and accurately. The food was first a work of art on the plate, then totally delicious. There was a good selection of wine. We will return. read more

4.5 stars Excellent, excellent food! Great idea to have a restaurant that serves both excellent seafood and great sushi and sashimi. Best fish, amazing tuna, great oysters, good salad, great valrhona chocolate cake, disappointed they didn't have whipped cream. Ambiance, nice, noisy Service efficient, knowledgeable, patronizing and fast, but short on explanations. Felt that they were ready for the next patrons Still looking forward to their opening in LA read more

Upscale cafe smack dab in the heart of Gastown. People watchers, rejoice, gaze upon tourists looking at the steam clock and wanderers about. The tall glass windows give you bright and light vibe inside. The service across the board is fantastic. Attentive, polite, not overbearing. The menu isn't gigantic but a nice variety, including Brunch options til 3. The food is good, it will deliver exactly what you hoped it would be, nothing more. My grilled chicken sandwich was a huge chuck of meat in a smaller focaccia bun. While my chicken did have a bone in it, it was tender and delicious. The fries that came with it were almost a thrown in afterthought. If someone asked me if they should go here I would confidently say yes. But I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. It's exactly what you want it to be, without standing out beyond that. There's something to be said for that. read more

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The main thing the Water Street Cafe was going for it is that it's across the street from the steam powered clock and in a tourist area. It was later in the afternoon and we were hungry, so this cafe looked like a good option. We were sat quickly but the server did take some time to get our drink order. I placed an order for my toddler with the drinks as she was a bit fussy. Thankfully the noodles for her came out quickly, but nothing else about our meal was fast. Refills took time and the food took much longer. I was also surprised when the salmon burger I ordered came out as a grilled salmon fillet on a bun (I was thinking this would be a pan fried salmon patty). The menu did not indicate what kind of "burger" I was ordering, so I recognize I should have asked. The salmon itself was more on the bland and dry side and just overall a bit underwhelming especially when taking into consideration the pricing. The fries were good, however, and my toddler demolished the butter noodles. With that being said, we would not return to this restaurant. read more

Water Street Cafe - Salmon Burger - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great Italian food. We're from the East Coast and it's not easy to find on the West Coast! Service was also excellent. We enjoyed our meal very much and will return if we visit Vancouver again. read more

Cute cafe/restaurant located in Gastown by the steam clock. They have seating available on two floors and they offer both indoor and patio seating. We ordered: Blackstone Benny $22.50 Crispy French Toast $21.25 Breakfast Sandwich $20 The French toast is made with vanilla-infused brioche, nutella-stuffed, maple syrup, and whipped cream. It was unique and delicious, but it was a bit too oily for my liking. With every cut, oil would drip out. The Blackstone benny and breakfast sandwich came with lemon potatoes. The potatoes were delicious and had the perfect texture. Overall, I would be coming ba n to try more dishes and I would recommend for you to visit them too read more

Water Street Cafe - a plate of food on a table - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We came here for a team lunch today and I have to say I was happy with my food. The stand out was the bison carpaccio, which wasn't on the menu, but the waitress heard us talking about it and offer to bring it out for lunch. It was excellent. We had two for the table and I honestly could have eaten more. Second favorite was the Dungeness crab Benedict with tons of crab meat with soft poach runny egg, buttery toast and extra crispy lemon potatoes. Third was the seafood gnocchi and it was mouth watering. We were so full but I couldn't stop eating it. Tons of seafood and cooked to perfection. The prawn still had the crunch and not rubbery at all. Clams and mussels were plenty. The gnocchi was soft but had a slight crust from being pan seared. The beet salad was terrific as well. Avocado could have been softer, but overall very enjoyable. read more

Water Street Cafe - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Vegetarian/vegan items. The menu has a little leaf they use to designate vegetarian items. But either their recipes have managed to turn dishes you would expect to be vegetarian (warm olives? Berry Salad?) into something else. My guess is they are confusing vegetarian and vegan; while nice they are trying this is something that should be fixed. After that little rant, they have a limited number of items that appear to be vegetarian sprinkled about the menu and a very small number of potentially vegan items. We came for desert and to listen to music. The Tiramisu and Chocolate mousse cake were both good/ok, considering how busy they were the service was very good, and the crowd was enjoying the music which made for a very pleasant end to the evening. read more

Delicious food and staff are amazing, but the hostess is not the nicest person in the world

A quintessential Gastown restaurant, Water St. Cafe is both rustic and classy with decent food and fairly good service. The live music is also a treat! The steak was a nice medium-rare, and the fries were battered and crispy, although a tad salty. My sister found that her pappardelle was overcooked, and the meatballs were a bit mushy. She did enjoy the tomato sauce though. The best dish from the evening was the beef short rib--incredibly tender and flavorful. The drinks were decent as well. Sangria tasted more like a cocktail, and the virgin mojito was refreshing. I found a small bug in my beer (it likely flew in), but the server was quick to replace it when I let her know. Our server was really friendly! I was surprised to see that none of the wait staff were wearing masks, as every other restaurant I've been to still mandates masks for their employees. It did take a long time to receive our bill (~20 min) after we asked for it, but I can understand that the restaurant was fairly busy. Although I'm not sure I would go back, I'm glad to have given this Water St. mainstay a try. read more

Water Street Cafe - Meatballs and pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Was excited to try this place out. To be honest, I was disappointed. I asked for a table for one and was told the wait would be about 20mins. (I said I was fine to wait as I didn't mind) The couple in front of me was told the same thing and was sat a few minutes later. The host the asked me again how many I would be and then said it would now be about a 45min to an hour wait.... I then said that's fine (as I know from working in a restaurant that once a table is cleared i'll be able to sit and that it actually wouldn't take that long) I was then told I could sit upstairs and listen to the live music, but that I had to pay a $10 cover fee. On a weekday a lunch that seemed a little strange to me. But felt pushed to do so, therefore I went upstairs. (the whole interaction felt unwelcoming and made me regretful with my choice of coming there) I then ordered the three course meal, and listened to the live band, which unfortunately took a break for majority of my time there. The warmed olives were okay, all had pits in them. The waffles and duck was actually well done and balanced the flavours good. Then I had the tiramisu for dessert which was also good. Nothing too special and the service lacked in my opinion. For the price you're paying there are SO many more cool spots to go to that are more worth it. read more

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Came here for lobster madness since my girlfriend LOVES lobster. Service was good, quick and friendly. The ambiance provided a nice dim dinner experience. The food looked amazing, BUT... the taste wasn't quite there. For the price we paid, we had high expectations. But everything was very mild in flavour. Perhaps their regular menu items pack more a punch? Lobster madness ended up making my wallet more mad than anything. read more

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We came here on Saturday night at 6pm during Vancouver dine-out festival without a reservation. We asked to be seated on the 2nd floor where they have live music and tapas style food. The guy at the front told who helped the maitre d us that they were fully booked due to the festival even on the 2nd floor. But he really wanted to help us so they spoke quietly and finally he said he could seat us toward the back of the room but we could still see the live jazz music. They had lots of specials for the festival and we ordered 3 appetizers for $20. We ordered duck spring rolls, lemon garlic fries and mushroom. Instead of the mushroom we got the Burrata and we didn't mind it but we brought it up to our waitress in case we had someone else's order. They apologized and asked us to just enjoy it and brought the mushroom dish free of charge. I also had the bourbon whisky sour with egg white and aperol and it was really delicious. It was a really enjoyable night and I would like to thank all the staff at Water Street Cafe to accommodate us during their busiest night of the month. We will definitely come back again when we are in Vancouver! read more

Water Street Cafe - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The service with Robertinho was amazing! I ordered a Mushroom Gnocchi. Warm, very creamy with touches of parmesan cheese and garlic. The number of champignons is overwhelming so, if you don't like mushrooms this is not for you. I loved this dish. 10/10. The focaccia was crispy and soft at the same time, toasted to perfection and served with Olive Oil. The ambience is also great. They're very simple but trendy, and the music is nice and on point. Cons: it's more expensive than other places, but that's all. read more

Water Street Cafe - Mushroom Gnocchi and Focaccia. - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Charged $$ for asking for extra Pam cheese; Great place for good food while people watching around the steam clock. It was the right restaurant at the right time. Would I recommend or return? Unfortunately no, simply out of principle. We asked for a little extra Parmesan cheese. When we got the bill, we were shocked that tablespoon of extra parm was $5. I've never been charged for parm before, not a good look. read more

Water Street Cafe - Gnocchi primavera and Mushroom Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

We came here for Sunday brunch! The eggs had a feta cheese layer in the middle which was really good. I used hot sauce to give it flavour. The potatoes were well seasoned. The staff did try to rush us in the end, even picking up my friends plate before she was done with her food. Yikes! The restaurant was very empty, not sure why we were being rushed. read more

Water Street Cafe - Eggs and potatoes - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I really wanted to try their traditional pasta, but i was too full unfortunately... Monday morning in Water St. Cafe was quiet busy, so I decided to come back around 3pm which was their happy hour (I didn't expect that). I ordered a scotch and appetizer (clam) and they both were super cheap. Staffs and server were very friendly and kind, food was awesome, and the view was great!! read more

Water Street Cafe - Italian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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