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The Pen Cafe (simply called "The Pen") is located in a part of the historic prison - the B.C. Penitentiary. Some of the atmosphere of the building with its turrets and walls that are several feet thick has been kept. Hidden in a quiet neighbourhood in New Westminster, overlooking the Fraser River.
Lost in the midst of a residential jungle is this little cafe mostly frequented by locals...
Food: I had a tomato, spinach and feta omelette which was quite good but also deceiving as it was described as coming with fresh fruit which turned out to be a small piece of melon. My bf enjoyed his BBQ chicken burger and everyone else liked their lunch entrees, with grandma really enjoying her grilled cheese.
Service: Fast and efficient - not too chatty which I enjoy but we also needed service when server could not be found.
Value: Good for what we got - not too expensive - but for the kind of food we got, I also felt we could have gotten more for what we paid.
Ambiance: Plain with a few pictures, some homemade signs and a few pairs of handcuffs. Not great and perhaps trying too hard but it's not overwhelming like some of those other sign-happy chain restaurants.
Overall, I will return as there is not much else in the area and the food wasn't bad. If you're looking for a good breakfast in a quiet place (mostly the elderly here), then this is the place to go. Bon appetite!!
Located in the main building of what's left of the old B.C. pen The Pen Cafe is a cute little breakfast / lunch spot. We've been to the restaurant a few times now, and have quite enjoyed it each time. The Quesidillas are huge and really good, yummy sandwiches and great breakfasts. Service has been really good everytime we've been, last time we visited the chef / owner personally delivered our entrees, as well as came back to ensure we were all enjoying our meals, a much appreciated added touch! Bars on the windows, the thick stone walls, the history of the pen and some of its' infamous inmates are all quite interesting, my Grandfather was a head guard at the prison in it's day, so we really appreciated all the history! Overall, a great place for a weekend breakfast, or a quick and satisfying lunch!
This is a nice restaurant for Sunday lunch or Brunch as they serve
Breakfast all day. The food is like a White Spot and the staff are friendly.
In the summer there is a patio you can sit out on. Prices are reasonable.
Mrs. C and I took some friends to try this place out. We were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is in a nice building that looks like a little castle on the outside, and more like an office building on the inside. The restaurant itself resembles a Pantry or similar place, as did the menu.
We were seated in the nearly empty restaurant by our server, who was friendly and efficient. We started with calamari and an order of nachos. They were good, but the nachos were particularly noteworthy. I ordered a club sandwich and my cellmate ordered a lasagna. Others in our group had omelettes and one had a seafood pasta. All were good, and the portions were generous. A couple of us also tried the pumpkin/squash soup. It was okay. All in all a good experience for jail, but a little out of the way.
After the satisfying meal, we hope to be behind bars again soon.
Recommended.
This is one of those restaurants that you go to if you like spending a lazy afternoon with good friends having a pretty straightforward lunch or breakfast. Regarding the previous review, I think it's laughable that one would expect the staff to accommodate all of these ridiculous complaints. It's a place for families and regulars and not for people who gripe about people moving tables and perfect hollandaise sauce. It's burgers and brekky, for crying out loud! Yeah, I asked for a thick milkshake and she honestly told me that it depended on what the freezer came up with that day -- so it was runny -- but she was so nice that I couldn't complain. It's honest, no-frills food in a charming setting, and I've had nothing but great experiences with the place!
Heard about the Pen and thought we'd try it for Sunday Brunch. Cool building -- the old gatehouse of the Penitentiary. Service was shorthanded (we were told) but those remaining tried hard to make up for it. And yet we had to get our own menus, and had to ask three times for our first cup of coffee.
Food was decent. Nothing fantastic, just solid brunch fare: eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, etc.
Problem was the kitchen. It was 40 minutes from placing our order to receiving it. Not acceptable. We seriously considered walking and finding somewhere else.
Won't visit again.
Went here for breakfast for the first time a few days ago. My husband and I have lived in New West for a couple of years, and we used to ride our bikes by the sign on East Columbia street announcing The Pen's existence, and always commented that we should try. Well, we finally bit the bullet, and we were quite pleased.
This place is inside the old Gatehouse for the B.C. Penitentiary. That's just cool. It has a pretty standard menu of American favorites, good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have friendly, quick, hardworking staff, and the breakfast was reasonably priced, tasty and fast (I recommend the belgian waffles; my husband has "had better bennies"). Good coffee too.
We'll be back now that we know it's such a great little place.
Went during the big snowfall of 01/29. New West got quite a bit of snow especially on top of the hills. Cafe at bottom of steep hill and cul-de-sac, basically a total sheet of ice and their lot wasn't cleared at all, just about 2 feet of snow. So, I like other patrons, got stuck down there. After trying and failing to get up the hill in the snow, parked and decided to relax and have lunch. Ambience was a little cold and dark and nothing great. Had the BBQ chicken and pineapple burger. It was one of the better burgers I've ever had and reasonably priced. Good fries too. Would recommend this place to anyone. Just wait the snow melts though or go with someone who has a pickup truck!
Delicious Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The Diner-style menu is skillfully executed. The service is friendly and fast. They offer homemade muffins, scones, soup, thick sliced bread, etc... Lots of options for everyone, including vegetarians (they even have soy milk for your coffee), plus its in an old Penitentiary!
From the outside this place looks like a castle, but inside more like a small White Spot/Ricky's. Strange place to find in the residential area. You need to seat yourself (there's a sign on the floor stating this but we overlooked it when we first came in and waited for someone to approach us)
Decor accents are a little cheesey but fun(and in no way overly tacky. There are handcuffs hanging from the kitchen opening, the waiters dress in black with prisoner numbers on the back and striped aprons. Three homemade soups to choose from and we both enjoyed our leek/potato/bacon choice. I ordered pork chops but was told they no longer had these but instead there was pork medallions with cherry/apricot chutney. They were a little on the dry side but with the chutney tasted good. Spaghetti squash served on the side was crunchy so a little undercooked for my liking but it and the carrots were seasoned well. Carrots were delicious. The right amount of potato was served as well; not a huge mound that you feel compelled to overindulge in. My partners steak was supposed to be medium, but looked more rare. Good value for what we paid as both entries were under $14. On the way out, I noticed that the opening hours sign mentioned 'visiting hours' so had a laugh about that.
We took a tour in the dark of the patio before we left. Patio looks like it would be a fabulous place for a spring/fall brunch or evening,with a water view on one side so we'll have to come back to enjoy it then.
I've lived in New West for 6 years and just discovered this place.
The atmosphere, you can not beat. They actually have a tonn of photos and relics from the original penitentary.
The menu is a decent size with some really good items. The burgers are AMAZING and the milkshakes just perfect. They always have a daily special which is often really interesting and always worth a try.
The staff is awesome. It's a fairly small place so you get a lot of attention without them leaning over your shoulder the whole time. The patio looks amazing (I've only been when it's been closed).
This is definitly one of my favourite, out of the way place in New West
Sunday brunch on a hot day. Lovely patio but not enough umbrellas so we decided to sit indoors in a cool but not cold air conditioned room. Service was prompt, and it always appeals that one can choose either breakfast or lunch items. Sometimes in a large group everyone has different needs, and all were very satisfied in our group. Good crab/potato soup, dressings for salads that didn't taste like they came from a bottle. Low key atmosphere and we could all hear each other. Not a hip trendy place, but noticed families with kids, lots of seniors and regular folks. Bill for five was very reasonable, and everyone in our group said they'd definitely want to come back again.
Located where the old BC Pen used to be. Food's OK for the most part, but the attempt to exploit the "prison" concept as a sort of tourist eatery is so tacky. Believe it or not, the servers all wear striped shirts. At least they got rid of the ball and chain washroom keys. And the booths were recently replaced and are somewhat more comfortable. Most of the dishes are fairly good, but I had one of the worst spinach salads ever--wilted greens beyond belief. Soup's pretty good, though. And service is friendly.
Moved in just down the street from this place 6 months ago, but only found out about it last week. Had breakfast with 2 buddies last Saturday. Excellent grindage, big portions (The Warden), big taste, tiny chef, cute waitress, good coffee. Nice place to gather and chat on a rainy morning. Can walk there in about five. Hard to believe this place used to be a jail. Unanimous decision, we'll be back!
I met my colleague here for an early lunch last week. He knows the place but it was my first visit, so I was (a) lost, and (b) late. Talk about a real neighbourhood place, there is nothing else around it but nice homes and condos! The restaurant is housed in a beautiful 100+ year old building which was the main entrance to the former BC penitentiary, but looks more like a castle in the British countryside. Other than some offices upstairs and a kindergarten in the other side, there is nothing else in the building. The restaurant takes up half of the lower part and has a huge patio outside. The interesting thing about this patio is that you are among the trees and birds, no exhaust fumes and noisy trucks here. I was surprised to find so many cars in the parking lot when I arrived, apparently there are some people who know this place.
The menu is quite large and breakfast is served all day. The food was really good. I had breakfast and my colleague did lunch. Food was well cooked and tasty, good portions, good service. Pretty much nothing on the menu that I have never heard of (except to say that a number of offerings have their own "house" names with jailhouse intimations) and that's what I was hungry for, so mission accomplished. I like that this place doesn't pretend to be anything else but what it is, a good family style breakfast/lunch/dinner place, and thats a plus sign. It is certainly a cut above the standard Denny's, ABC Country, Ricky's, White Spot, etc., type of family place. I have not tried any of the dinner items but they look like they would do the trick. If more restaurants would just stick to their agenda and not try to be something they're not, and can never be.
I found out afterwards that they have a website and have a map on there which shows how to get to the restaurant. I'm going to bring my Lady back here for a glass of wine and dinner on the patio before the monsoon season is back with us.
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