clovenhoofNorth VancouverSince December 6, 20085 Reviews
(3.2)- Food
(4) - Service
(2.6) - Value
(3.6) - Ambiance (2.4)
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(3.2) (4) (2.6) (3.6) (2.4)You'd never know it to look at it, but this is the best pizza in Vancouver. I used to live in the neighborhood, and still on occasion drive there (from North Vancouver) because the pizza's so good. The seating consists of two large plastic patio tables with patio chairs, but who cares? The pizza's unbelievable, and the staff are friendly.
When you get it delivered it comes quick and hot. A real gem that deserves to be better known.
I've been eating pizza at Gigis on Broadway since the late 1980's. For many years it had, for me, the best pizza in Vancouver. In recent years, though, the quality of the food has slipped. Often the pizza comes out with a very soggy crust. I always ask that it be done on the well-done side, and when I do that there's no problem.
I remember when I found out how long it takes to cook a pizza (8 to 12 minutes), I was absolutely shocked. You never -- NEVER -- get it in less than 30 minutes, even if you're the only customer there. That's a constant source of frustration. Sometimes I phone the order in from my car, so that it's closer to being ready when I get there.
The serving staff though are consistently great, friendly, and helpful. But I think ownership/management needs an overhaul. The 80's are over. The neighborhood has changed, and the qualities necessary to thrive have changed too. They don't seem to get that.
You won't do much better than here for lunch -- less than $10 for soup + rice and entree. The lunch service is fast, though there is a sameness to the dishes offered on the lunch menu, and given the speed at which they're served, I don't think they prepare them the same way they do the dinner service. (There are a bunch of dishes with different names that, at lunch at least, are really the same.)
For dinner, again the food is top-notch. Very tasty, ingredients are consistently fresh and good quality. A large variety of flavours. Some dishes are a little heavy on the sauce, though.
There does tend to be some service problems. Though they are very friendly, and always try hard, they're often late getting the rice to the table, so you're well into the other dishes before it arrives. Also, they serve pop from cans, not a fountain, and they frequently run out and are slow to restock. There have been times when I've gone two or three times within a week, and each time they had only Ginger Ale and Root Beer. I can see running out in the course of an evening, but dude, you're two blocks from a Safeway, and fifty feet from a corner store. How can this be a problem that doesn't get solved in a matter of minutes?
First off, I need to qualify the 2 stars for food and service -- the review guide tags 2 stars as "decent". Neither the food nor service could be considered decent, but they don't quite deserve the lowest rating.
The reality is that sometimes the food and service are good, usually they are poor. For example, I go there alone, order pizza, and quite often when I get it, it's cold. How can that happen? When it's done, what are they waiting for? Just bring me the damn thing. On those occasions when it comes hot, you never know if it's Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde who's running the kitchen.
The service is another common problem. Because of the way the restaurant is partitioned, I think they "lose" customers very easily. There have been times when I've gone 15 or 20 minutes without seeing an employee. They're very slow to get you the bill when you're done.
The "poor" rating for value is a function not so much of the cost of the food but of the time you're going to spend trying to get out of there and, on occasion, the time you're going to spend going somewhere else to get a meal you can actually eat.
I know of no restaurant in the Lower Mainland that is more desperately in need of a visit from Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Lot of potential there, and it was once a great place to eat, but those days are long gone.
I've been eating at the Grand View regularly for 20+ years, at their old location on Broadway and now on Fraser Street. For me, it's the best chinese food in the city, and it's certainly the best in its price category. Service is fast and friendly, food is consistently good. Only complaint is that they're closed on Mondays.
