Cascade Room, The

Added Jun 25, 2009 by TheAleph of Kitsilano (1 Reviews)

From fantastic to plain weak.
The only reason I'm writing this is I was the happiest man around when this place opened. Everything it had was exactly what Vancouver needed. Great space, best bartender in the city. The food was never very good. The head chef could never catch up to Nick the bartender but the food was acceptable and has been getting worse and worse. It's strange because the owners seemed to have such a good handle on the design and the drinks. Let's chalk it up to the British palate...

All that aside. The group of friends I drink with loved the place. Eat at Habit and drink at Cascade was a perfect formula. Sadly somewhere they lost the formula. Maybe when Nick the bartender switched out to supervising or maybe the staff have been there to long. You know how it is when there is an old guard that get into a rut where there is no enthusiasm for the work or weird interpersonal shit happens and the overall atmosphere is altered. Well that's where the place seems to be at. What started fresh and strong faded quite fast. From what I have seen I'm not alone in my opinion most nights Thurs to Sun it was next tom impossible to get a seat after 8:00 now you can walk in grab a chair and wait to be underwhelmed. I hope they turn it around because it was the best place in town for a pint after work.

If you want I can take apart the food and dissect how each bartender makes drinks or each item on the menu. But it's not necessary. It only takes a visit to see that now it's just your run of the mill average joint. So much potential

Added Mar 10, 2009 by KitsKid of Kitsilano (72 Reviews)

I've had my mussel quota for the next 6 months
Came here over the wknd with a large group to celebrate a friends bday. We sat at the back of the restarant close to the kitchen and bathrooms.
Overall we had a great time. Our server was super nice, organized and quick with bringing out drinks etc. I appreciated having all our bills seperated and her ability to remember practically everything everyone was drinking, she was great.
From what I saw everyone like their food. I ordered the seafood stew; it tasted very much like a chowder, which was delicious. It had a variety of seafood and was accompanied by a baguette for dipping into the broth. My husband and a friend each ordered the mussels that came with a fried flat bread. I really liked their mussels over my stew, their broth was somewhat spicy and tomato based; mine was light/thin and cream based. Anyhow the mussels were a HUGE variety so sometimes you'd get a big daddy of a shell, but there was a perfect size for one seafood lover or great to share.
To start we ordered the polenta fries, they were good, the curry mayo definatley added flavour to the somewhat bland polenta. I don't think I'd order them again, they were light but were super filling so much so that I only finished half my stew and I only had 2 and a half. fries. The portion was huge, myself and 3 guys all had a few but we didn't finish the dish. Lots of people were trying the house cocktails, we stuck to wine which was fairly priced.
After dinner we all mingled and were swapping seats catching up with all sorts of friends that were there, our server still knew who had what etc.
Also, they had the tv's playing to hockey game but with no sound, that was more than okay with the people that wanted to watch, once the game was over they threw on some music again.
I'd go back.

Added Jan 19, 2009 by PNewman of Commercial Drive, Vancouver (3 Reviews)

Well, we've always had a great experience!
I don't know about these other folks commenting here, but lots of people seem to be enjoying themselves when we drop by.

We have been to the Cascade Room several times, including New Year's Eve, and we have always had a good experience. The service has been attentive, even though it has been extremely busy on all the nights we have gone. The food has also been fantastic: duck, braised meats, polenta fries, smoked tuna, especially excellent at the price it is offered!

We don't go for the drinks but have always enjoyed the nice selection of wines by the glass.

A warm, inviting place as far as we're concerned. We will certainly be returning again and we don't live near the restaurant but have to bicycle there!

Added Nov 28, 2008 by JohnnyBoyMain of Surrey (1 Reviews)

Arrogant Bartender
Drinks were ok, but the very short female bartender took the money for the bill and assumed that the leftover was the tip. When we asked for the change she was arrogant and snorted contemptuously. Ruined an otherwise fair night. Wont be returning. Wont be recommending the place unless we hear she has moved on.

Added Sep 23, 2008 by Barcelonaguy of Yaletown (47 Reviews)

Sublime Booze
Outsanding cocktails here, just above average pub grub - ideally for absorbing alcohol, but on a sad note very pour service from the floor staff. Ignored and wrong drinks delivered on two visits now. Bartenders are great. Perfect after work hangout with trendy drinks a notch above anything else on Main.

Added Sep 15, 2008 by genki39 of burnaby (68 Reviews)

Not impressed!
I was here for a friends birthday. I arrived late because I was working. So when I got there and sat down the server notices me but doesn't ask if I want a drink or food or anything. Finally after walking back and forth a few more times she ask me if I want a drink. I ordered a drink but didn't order any food, I tried some of the food that my friends had ordered, it was nothing special. Won't be back, staff just looked like they didn't care.

Added Aug 7, 2008 by loricorleone of downtown (16 Reviews)

loud, hot, and overpriced
I've been here once, for a friends birthday. we were seated by the kitchen, and between the heat of having too many people crammed in too small a space, and the obnoxious kitchen smells and noise, the night wasn't exactly pleasant. Add to that the fact that there isn't a drink under 10$ (it's not like this place is in a nice area like yaletown or kits, this is MAIN street!) and needless to say, we didn't stick around long.

Added Apr 4, 2008 by christinC of vancouver (16 Reviews)

Best on Main
I can't say I've ever been impressed with any restaurant on Main Street - of the few I've been to. Did Cascade do it for me? Erm,,, almost. On a Friday night, when I went, the place has a good buzz in there - a sort of slightly more individual-looking Cactus Club ambience I thought. The drinks list I'd heard so much about didn't disappoint, although a few too many drinks had egg white or egg yolk in them, which put me off, so I settled on white wine, which was well-priced for a New Zealand Stoneleigh. Ordered cod cakes to start, which were adequate without being special, followed by the halibut. The portion of the main course was decent, especially for $17, and it was simply prepared and nicely cooked. Could have used salt. Friend ordered the pork chop that she enjoyed.My only real complaint is the noise in there. The acoustics are one thing, but add to that some awful, nightclub-volume music and well.... if you don't mind screaming at your dining partner as you eat, you'll have a great time. Didn't stick around for dessert (which sounded lovely and was well-priced)... my eardrums had had enough.

Added Mar 31, 2008 by jtshaeffer of mount pleasant (1 Reviews)

i used to love it
I was thrilled when this place opened up last year. It's down the street from where we live and it seemed the perfect downtown place without going downtown.
Though the food never really knocked our socks off, my friends and I always loved the gracious service delivered by one particular server. She was amazing, attentive, fun and highly organized. We went for the cocktails and for that particular brand of service we thought you could only find in high-end establishments.
So lately, we've been very disappointed. Obviously she's moved on, and we can see why. The food is bland, the drinks have lost their pizzazz and the servers just don't seem to care.
Too bad Cascade, you've become just another watering hole albeit it with a lovely designed atmosphere.

Added Jan 20, 2008 by Butterfingers of Vancouver (1 Reviews)

Replace the hostess and turn down the volume!!
This was my second time at the Cascade Room and I experienced the exact same issues.

The venue has the potential to be a great lounge/resto. However, that is completely lost when you are greeted by the hostess who is both strange and easily overwhelmed.

Any inquiries into the wait time was met with "It's hard to say" and when pressed further, "definitely under an hour?" which did not inspire confidence in her abilities. [We waited for 45 minutes FYI] Additionally, instead of keeping tabs on tables ready to leave, she chooses to spend her time sharing gossip about previous diners or lost in her own world, dancing on the spot.

The music itself is great but is too loud as we had to shout over it, and also ear piercing - my ears are still ringing.

Our server the first time was passable but this time was completely clueless. When you order a plate to share, most people realize this is an appetizer for the table. Instead, we received our appetizers and mains at the same time. Needless to say, the mains got cold and we all got full quite quickly. We had to ask for extra condiments, water - which was never offered to us in the first place, and dessert which we would have missed as the kitchen was closing but we were never told.

The food itself is pretty good and the beer/wine selection is decent tough $7 for a bottle of Fuller's is a bit expensive. I highly recommend the venison linquine. The beef and salmon burgers were tasty but possibly undercooked as they were pink and raw, respectively, in the middle.

All in all, I think the Cascade room could be a great neighbourhood hangout for good drinks and food but until they rectify the subpar service and loud music, I won't be returning anytime soon.

Added Dec 14, 2007 by junebug of Vancouver (6 Reviews)

Finally - a place on main to have fun
I love the Cascade Room although I usually go elsewhere to eat, it's the place that I think about when craving a drink. The service, for me, has been incredible everytime I go. the room itself is large and often packed, which this city lover um, loves.

Added Oct 23, 2007 by kwailan of Coquitlam (78 Reviews)

Solid all around
Decided to drop by Cascade Room one night. Three of us had the polenta fries, mussels, mushroom and margherita pizzas. The food were all pretty good except for the mussels - some of which did not taste very fresh and a couple were not even opened.

The drinks were just decent. I tried the classics - Rob Roy and Singapore Sling, both were disappointing. The sling was nothing like the one served at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. Usually, i would let it pass, but this place aspires to take "you back to the golden age of cocktails".

Service was just decent. Condiments we asked for never came. Not once, but twice.

Ambiance was good. Good place to relax after work.

Return? Very likely, but will have to keep my expectations for the drinks in check.