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Anton's is a one of a kind restaurant in the Greater Vancouver area. Pasta portions are very large and reasonably priced. There is usually a line up outside the door so come early.
Hours: Monday to Thursday (11:30 am to 10:30 pm), Friday and Saturday (11:30 am to 11:00 pm), Sundays and Holidays (4:00 pm to 10:00 pm)
Last Saturday I was craving pasta .
I had not been to Anton's for few years now. I used to go there a lot but since I moved away from the area it was not easy to get there , anyhow , I decide to go and have a big dish of pasta. But to my surprise it was not as good as I remember it . Maybe since I have tried many good restaurant in town , my taste had changed or maybe we have such a wide variety of good food and restaurants in our town now .
It defiantly filled me up but I still am in search of better pasta bar.
Waited in the lineup for 30 minutes but we were fore warned. Once we got inside and seated I was really impressed by the efficiency of all the staff. Everyone was always doing something. Large dinner rolls were served and the mains came very soon after. The pasta are ridiculousy large. But then again they are very expensive. I would prefer smaller portions and a more reasonable price then $15-$16 for a plate of pasta but then again they are always busy and constantly have a line-up. Lots of free parking nearby. In my opinion it is too expensive for mediocre dinner fare.
I had heard of this place and how great it was, but I had never been before until just last Thursday night with a friend of mine.
Upon entering we saw a line up (not as big as people say it is, but yes, there were people waiting outside) Upon entering the restaurant I was pleased with the decor. It looked very nice, just like an Italian restarant should look....very clean too
When we were seated, we were served Italian bread (Free) and we even got a second mini basket of bread for free to.....
Anyhow, for entree, we both ordered fettucini....I ordered the fettucini alfredo (Added chicken for $3.50) and to drink I ordered a cranberry soda, and my friend ordered the fettucini with bombay sauce and a coke. It didn't take too long for our food to arrive, but WOW! that was a mighty huge amount of pasta we had.....It actually seriously filled the plate with a tiny amount of breathing room (unlike places like White Spot and Earls who give you this big bown with tiny portions)
The food was really good and we both enjoyed it. I have only been to one other restaurant where the fettucini tasted better than here, but for $15.95 AND for that size it was a pretty good deal....tasty too.
Service was as expected, just come, take our orders and bring our food and later on our bill.....no small talk or anything, but that's ok
I hope to return soon, as this was a marvellous place
I did enjoy going to Antons pasta bar for many years before I had my kids, but we stopped going there when the the waitress brought our drinks on a tray and came between my wife and 3 year old son instead of coming to the end of the table like common sense would dictate instead of squeezing between 2 people. The tray was dumped and scalding hot water burned my sons shoulder, arm and went all the way down his leg and filled his boot with the hot water. We did not even know about the ankle burn until after we got home from Burnaby hospital emergency. The ankle burn was the worst.
The waitress and owner of Antons pasta bar who was in the restaurant at the time of the incident did not even apologize to us. All he did was give me his business card when I requested it.
It was an unfortunate incident, but we do not go there anymore because of how they treated us at that moment in time. It was like he was expecting us to pursue them with legal actions for negligence.
I am a big pasta lover and Anton's was on my to go list ..that is until I ordered takeout one day with my BFF. As usual, dinner time is always busy and there would be lineups outside the door. So we decided to order takeout and had a drink by the bar. We were just sitting there, waiting, watching waitresses go about their duties. I believe it was almost closing time so they had to count their tip jar by the bar. Here we are, sitting and looking, not even a metre away, as she decides to grab the long spoon from the jug and proceeds to scoop out the tips from the tip jar. Mind you, there were quite a few BILLS in there and change. After she's done, she puts back into the jar full of spoons(which I presume we're clean as there were a bundle of them sitting by the counter) as if it were no biggie. Now, we ALL know just how dirty money is....but I guess she didn't. Last drink I'll ever order from there again! And last visit.
I've driven past Anton's many times over the years and have always wondered why people line up to eat here. I've always heard that they are known for their large portions more then the good food. Finally I went here to eat for the first time yesterday.
Came here for lunch with my wife (wouldn't go at dinner and wait in line) We waited inside the front door for about 5 minutes until we were seated, place was busy. Has a busy, rushed feel to it. Not like our usual quiet & romantic style italian dining we prefer. Our service was very friendly.
I ordered - Linguini alla vongole (linguini with clams in tomato sauce) for $12.50
It was a large portion and was plated nicely with clams around the outside edge of the plate.
The noodles were great and cooked perfect.
The sauce.. meh, was ok-good somewhere in there, nothing special.
I'd rate the dish a 3 or a 3.5 out of 5.
Would I return? hmm well I wouldn't go out of my way, I can name a few other Italian restaurants on hastings that I prefer but if I was with friends that wanted to eat here sure why not.
Three of us went for a late lunch one afternoon. Major disappointment. Alfredo sauce was strange tasting and had way too much nutmeg. Way too much! Made it really sweet. We mentioned it to the waitress and she didn't really care that we were not satisfied with our meal. None of us finished our food. Overpriced and really not good. Will not return. Too bad. Used to love the place.
We went with 3 kids 5 and under, they brought them crayons and coloring paper and the overall ambiance was condusive to a casual family meal with some real food.
The evening started spectacularly with a delicious Mista di Carciofi salad and Mussels Alla Marinara - both were simple but outstanding with great depth of flavour. We were really looking forward to the featured pastas!
Unfortunately, the pasta didn't really live up to the hype for us. We had the Linguine Alla Carbonara (which was very creamy for a carbonara, although as it was advertised in a cream sauce we couldn't complain it wasn't as advertised!) and Conchiglie Zio Carmelo (listed as sausage, chicken, pinenuts, spinach in a white wine sauce). Both pastas were of huge proportions (almost comically so) and although we specifically chose entrees not listed as "spicy" (many were) and both tasted overwhelmingly of pepper, so much so that the kids didn't eat any of it even though they were typical of foods that they have enjoyed in the past. Even with the carbonaras rich cream sauce the main flavour was pepper.
We felt the pasta was ok (although my husband didn't care for their weird rope like "linguine") but certainly didn't live up the expectations set by the starters. I don't know if we just picked two pepper-packed sauces by chance or if they are all like that. Maybe the red sauces would be better given the deliciousness of the sauce served with the mussels.
So with the hits and the misses we may or may not be back.
We do have lots of leftovers (parent friendly only!) for the next few days....
The food was good. The portions were incredible, but the wait sucked. I don't know if it is worth the wait to get big portions of pasta. I am not sure if I would go back or not as I don't like waiting. I would like someone to bring me the food though. Does that count?
I have never gone to Antons and had a bad experience , i do try and go early so i do not have to wait in line but the last time i went i had to wait 1 hour ....
once my friend and I finally got in we got bread , our drinks and our order taken right away ! food came out just as fast ... huge portions for what i thought was a really good price . Everytime i go there the pasta is always amazing !! and I try and get something different everytime .
It was my friends first time and she said she would most definitely be back and i know for a fact i will be too !
The first thing I noticed dining at Anton's after a break of several months is the reduction in portion size, roughly 25%. If you look up at wall in front of the kitchen there is a large plate with Italian colours saying "Anton's" if I am not mistaken. That is the size of the dish they used to serve it on, basically family size, for those of you who did not experience Anton's at the height of it's glory. Now it comes on a dish that only reaches the diameter the of inner red ring of the plate on the wall. A little disappointing.
The value quotient has considerably eroded over the years. $16.95 is not cheap and we are not talking about 'all world pasta' here. What puzzles me is how they continue to keep on winning awards... Anton's lost it's 'Stepho's of pasta' title with me years ago.
There's nothing wrong with Antons, but it has greatly benefited from constantly ranking high in media and sits like Dinehere, plus always having a line out the door. Always busy in the evening, with a quick go-go attitude towards customers that remains fairly polite, Antons is worth visiting just so you can see what the hype is all about.
The food's pretty good, the portions are huge and the price is very affordable. It's nothing special; just typical pasta that's well made and in large quantities. I DO like it here, but that being said Antons gets over with Vancouverites for being small, packed and constantly busy. Take this pasta and prices and make it a restaurant chain, or perhaps make the restaurant itself 2-3 times as large... I question whether the hype would still be there.
As far as foods go, try anything. I had penne with the sausage chopped in and it was great. I had about half of it and was full, and they happily packaged up the other half so I could take it home. The portions are REALLY huge. I hear you get a pen if you eat it all?
When I eat at Anton's, I learned along time ago, to avoid the line up's from the lunch/dinner crowd, go after 2pm or 8.30pm. The place isn't all that fancy, lots of tables, servers to move you along and your food arrives quickly.
My server was friendly, she kept inquiring if I needed anything, and made the effort. My linquini bolgenese with meatballs arrived, thinking as many times before, I can finish this...wrong. I have left overs for a couple of meals and was full before I knew it.
Antons when I arrived was after 3pm on Saturday, not very busy, no line up's and service was very quick. When I left, Antons still wasn't busy and I'm sure many people will wait in line as usual. I cannot figure out why people line up for some places, I would rather go, when its not busy or another day.
My pasta dish was good, I'll be back for a late time meal.
Back in its heyday the price was better and food tastier. Now it's not too bad - good sauce, good portions (always HUGE), and pretty warm and cozy restaurant. You always know who has gone to Anton's by the sheer volume of people with take out boxes on the 135 bus! =) I went for the first time after many many years at around 9pm on a Thursday night and phew, no lineup! Was seated right away and ordered my pasta dish - the wait was not long and food was piping hot. I had leftovers for lunch the next day so that was nice. I don't really have a memorable dish, but at least I went home very full. =)
Haven't been to anton's in years so decided to give it a try again since they always seem so busy.
Found my pasta decent but not great. The sauce was pretty tastey, but the pasta itself was overcooked, as was the meatballs I had with it. The portions were huge, I could only eat about 2/3rds of it and I was super stuffed.
Service was slow, which was to be expected I guess since the restaurant was full on the saturday night. It was very noisy in there the night I went and it was difficult to talk. Definitely left there as quickly as possible after my meal.
Probably would not be back.
We've eaten here many times. We've tried a good majority of the menu. We usually go on Saturday around 4 as you can get seated right away. Honestly I think if you want to stand in a line out in the rain for over an hour I think you are crazy. We did that once before we knew any better and never again.
Service is good. I think it has gotten better in recent years (and the waitresses cuter =)). Only recently found out you get at least one refill with a pop, wish I'd known that earlier as I love guzzling my pop.
Food: Only real complaint is the often hard butter served with the bread.
I read some reviews here that say the food isn't good, and some that say it is great. I would wager these people have not tried the right dishes. I have a knack for knowing what will be tasty to me, and as I ordered each trip I got more adventurous. My instincts found the tastiest dishes first, and nearing the end of the menu not so tasty. Nothing wrong with the quality, just bland, but honestly they looked bland on the menu. Some people might like those dishes though.
These are my favourite dishes, and I'd dare anyone to try a few of them and say the food is "bland" or mushy or whatever:
Meat Lasagna
Conchiglioni in creamy tomato
Agnoloti Don Vincenzo
Frutti de Mari
Caeser Salad
There's probably more but I can't remember without the menu in front of me.
I did finish my portion a few times, but only got a pen once =). It's great having leftovers for later, but I do notice it's not nearly as good after as it dries out.
Why is this place so popular?
I'm guessing it is because there is so much food that you always take some home. But the quality is very average.
I met an Italian guy at work recently. He knows the owner, but even he says that the food is not Italian.
I have no idea why anyone would line up to go here. I only went in when there was no line up so wasn't worried about wasting my time.
I used to always go to Anton's for a great pasta dinner. The portions were huge and the quality was never a let down. Now, I rarely go. The quality has gone down-hill. Before, there would be line-ups a few shops long, now whenever I drive by, it's just a short line-up. Maybe they changed chefs.
That's about all there is to the place. For under $15, you can stuff yourself with pasta with plenty to take home. The flavour isn't all that or all there necessarily. Length of lineups varies depending on time/day/luck. :) I haven't gone back since my teenage years simply because it's all hype, really. Decent food, large portions, decent price. I prefer better service, average portions, flavourful... and little to no lineups, except if I'm going to somewhere like Vij's. :)
I go here when the weather is nice because I hate standing in the rain. The staff are harried and the line is crazy long, but if you can wait it out, the food comes in huge portions and the sauces are pretty good. I got the pen once, but it was a struggle to eat the whole plate. As for the pasta, it could be better. It is cooked properly, but the quality is so so. Focus on the sauce. Maybe these guys could expand or move to a bigger location...
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