It was a blazing hot Sunday in Steveston last weekend packed with people and we all had a hunger for fish and chips. All of the restaurants by the water seemed to be either full or running out of fish and chips, at least according to a stressed looking girl at one place we stopped by. Forget about Pajo's, the line-up there was estimated at about 35 minutes just to place an order.

We weren't to be denied our fish and chips and decided to head deeper into town. We spotted The Buck an Ear from afar and after reading over the menu decided this was the place we would try, plus they had a number of spots on their patio.

Our drink order was taken almost immediately and menus presented. My two dining partners didn't look over the menu long as they knew it was fish and chips they wanted. I , on the other hand decided to go for the halibut burger, priced very reasonably, I thought.

The wait wasn't long. What arrived as fish and chips was something Captain Highliner would stick up his nose at. Two fair sized pieces of fish that looked like they were previously frozen. One of my dining partners let me sample this disaster. Not your typical fish and chips and not in a good way. Moist, flaky, flavourful, those words do not describe this fish. More like dry, dry and tasteless and oh yeah, did I mention dry? Just pathetic. The chef should be embarrassed. Thank god for fresh lemon and a ton of vinegar.

My halibut burger consisted of two small bits of fish served on what seemed like a near stale bun. The chips tasted like they were frozen at one point and as well on the dry side. The gravy tasted like it's put together by adding water to a powder fresh from a box purchased at the grocery store.

One thing they do well here and really should stick to is beer. A great selection served cold in a real pint glass.

I read the reviews of Nick's Spaghetti House, but decided to go anyway. It's a neighbourhood institution. It's been around for over 50 years. If I go with low expectations, it will be better than expected. Right?

Wrong.

The decor hasn't changed in over 50 years. Cheesy Italian paintings, low stucco ceilings, red and white checked table cloths. They started us with day old white bread and prepackaged pats of butter. The red wine was drinkable at $12 a half-bottle. I'll give them that.

Our server was funny, perhaps because she knew she was serving crap, worse than home-made Italian food, and she knew we knew. We were all in on the joke. Ha ha.

We ordered a salad for 2-4 people. When we asked what kind of salad it was, our waitress said, "Tomato and lettuce." What kind of dressing? "Italian." Duh. I will give our server credit for being honest. Iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato, a few strands of shredded carrot, and some green onion. Oh yeah, with Italian dressing. We went through an entire vial of parmesan cheese trying to add flavour.

I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. You can't go wrong with that at a spaghetti restaurant, right? My two friends ordered spaghetti with veal cutlets, and ravioli with meatballs. The pasta was decent, if slightly overcooked. But then I like my pasta al dente. Maybe I'm biased. The meatballs were huge. Great if you like big balls... The sauce was okay but no better than Prego. The veal cutlets were pan-fried way past done.

I wouldn't have minded so much if our bill hadn't come to $80 for 3 people. ($90 with tip.) I was very disappointed, even though I had read reviews. Anywhere else on the Drive has better quality food.

Seriously, the reviews are true. It's not even worth it for the kitchy decor. Save yourself and your wallet the heartbreak. Make your own spaghetti and skip this restaurant.

I came here for dinner on a weeknight. My friend and I ordered the BBQ duck dish and a oxtail soup to share. The oxtail and small side dishes were ok, as what you'd expect. The duck dish however was a major disappointment. First of all, it was mostly fat, I could barely see the meat, plus it was served in a hot plate which was full of the fat drippings! Also, I found a plastic wrap inside of that plate. It was about 6 inches long. I told the waitress, she just looked very sorry and apologized.

If they were really sorry, couldn't they have offered a discount of some sort, or not charge for the dish? It I had eaten the plastic wrap I could have choked! Plus imagine what could have melted into the dish from the plastic, bleehhhh! Hazard to my health! Plus this place is quite pricey for what you get/don't get.

After reading all the good reviews, I had expected at least a decent meal. VERY DISAPPOINTED.

My boyfriend and I had a great experience. Seating is first come first served and we'd heard that lineups on the weekend can be huge so we tried our luck on a weekday and it wasn't too bad.
I was impressed by the choice of latte flavors, the Lavender Vanilla combination was delicious.
My boyfriend had the Tagine and I had the La Sante, both great choices.
The service was friendly and both food and drinks arrived in good time.
We'll be back for sure.

I've been coming to this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for years - I don't mean any disrespect by calling it a hole-in-the-wall - I love this place. It's small, not much for decor, but all they do is make great chicken shawarmas. As in my other reviews, decor doesn't really matter to me as long as the food is good, and it certainly is here.

The guys are usually friendly and service is good. Often times it's just one guy working, so if it's busy, you may need to wait a few minutes. No big deal.

I always get the chicken shawarma, it's about $7; not cheap, but not overly pricey either. It's fair, especially considering the amount of chicken they put in that thing. The flavour is great, and they make it how you want it. I always get humus on it. they don;t skimp, and you get a lot of food, very filling. Delicious!

I've been coming here for about 8 years now. One of these days I'll try the other menu items, but for now, I definitely recommend the chicken shawarma - it's very tasty and filling. Minimal decor, but good place, good food, decent value.

I had a wedding here in the Summer and it was my most memorable moment thanks to Beach House!

This place is a hidden gem and only works best for small weddings. I had around 50 guests attending the 2nd floor of the restaurant plus the outdoor balcony. Incredible view of the ocean!

We chose the buffet dinner and I've been to a lot of weddings. Beach House is different because every item was DELICIOUS! The first bite took me away and I was shocked how generous they were to provide me such quality food. We had salads, fish (fresh and tasty), beef (which tasted like filet mignon) and chicken (which was surprisingly moist!). I was SO happy because I LOVE food!

Service was great! There was always someone available to refill water and wine. I was able to get my concerns dealt with immediately. Everything went by so smoothly!

I would do it all over again!

Honestly, you can't complain much, the food is great and plenty, the service is really quick especially when you come early in the morning or after 7ish when the restaurant is near empty. A bit better than the typical Chinese restaurant you would go to anywhere. Reliable service, quick servers, good food.

THE GOOD:

Love this little gem in Pitt Meadows. The Chef knows his stuff and really goes the extra mile with details. Halibut to perfection everytime isn't easy but this Chef does it! I could go on and on listing the menu and how great its all done but anything you choose will be done as well as the finest high priced places in Yale Town.

The prices are not cheap but they are cheaper than most at this level of food. Really worth the trip but call ahead first to make reservations.
Its a nice small & dark but not to dark, decorated nice and warm. Never loud and it has a nice casual class about it.

The british waitress is exelent and just pray you get her at your table because your other option (the owner) will turn you off this great little place.

THE BAD:

The head waiter/owner is an ass. He has very poor people skills and almost looks down his nose at customers. If you just show up with out a resevation he can be snotty as hell about it. They have a fantastic british girl waiting tables and she gets it but the owner doesn't.
They need a good host/manager up front and keep the owner in the office counting cash or something because he will be the one that kills this place.

I don't think the owner knows he's a bad waiter or is trying to be a donkey but he just doesnt have any skills in the hospitality department. I hope he gets off the floor and hides out of the public eye before the Chef leaves because of the owner pissing off the customers.

So the cashier had difficulty with my order...one fires, one poutine to go. As the line built up as he tried to get the order correct, he asked me if it was ok if he took the others first. I said 'fine', and went to wait for my order and my change. About 10 minutes later, I get a nickel back instead of the $10.05 I should have. The cashier said, no I gave him a $10, I know I gave him a $20. I figure writing this up and posting it is worth ten dollars to me, so here it is. Obviously, I won't be back.

A friend and I went in for a couple of drinks and a snack. The server took our drink orders, then we waited. A while later she came by and said "those drinks will be right up". Shortly after that, the bartender brought the drinks - two bottles, no coaster, no glass, no ice. We finished the drinks, but the server had disappeared, so I went to the bar to order. The bartender was deep in a personal conversation with a different server. I waited. No recognition. I went back to the table, then the bartender scuttles over - "what can I get you?" I said just the bill. He went back to the bar. No bill. Finally I went to the bar, waited, got the bill, paid and left. I never saw our original server again, and I'm sorry, but I just don't have the time or patience to accommodate the personal lives of bar employees when I go out for a drink and a bite. I never got the opportunity to order a bite.