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Good food and service, and a view to die for. Wheelchair accessible.
We learned of this restaurant through Dine Out Vancouver. All the menu offerings looked tempting, so we booked. Later we discovered some negative reviews on this website and had second thoughts.It was Sat. night and not much chance of getting anything else on short notice so we chanced it. we had our fingers crossed on that long drive from New West. and were very pleased to find we worried for nothing.
I had lobster, done to perfection, and my wife had a delicious (and also done to perfection) salmon wellington.
The service left nothing to be desired, we didn't have to wait long between courses, and plates were cleared away within minutes of our being done with them. The servers were friendly and efficient,and a window seat was a bonus,even though it was dark out.
All and all a pleasant expierience and well worth the drive.
I went here for the dine out vancouver menu. the seafood chowder was ok.. then i ordered the ribs and prawns for my entre and the ribs were sooo fatty that i only had a bite or two and the prawns had no flavour at all.. for dessert i had the creme brule and the top of it wasn't even crispy... so food was not good at all. and on top of that, the service was sooo slow.. we were the only table in there so they had no excuse.. i would not go back to this restaurant.
The menu on Dine out Vancouver sounded great. Drove 1 hour to get here. It was not a good experience, so disappointed. Waited 1.5 hours for appy. Crab cakes were good. Caesar salad so, so. Baked garlic and brie appy was a joke. Dry, withered up garlic. So bad that we complained and got another one. It came no better and only partially cooked this time. Dinner was another wait. The Salmon Neptune on the Dine out menu came raw in the middle. Another wait for two new meals. Cooked this time, but no big deal. The Rissoto was the worst I have ever had. Husband had the crab, it was so, so. Another of us had the Dine out menu of Ribs and prawn. Disappointed also. Waiter new how unhappy we were and tried his best, He came up with some excuse of how we were the last of 6 six tables to come in and therefore they couldn't handle it. Chef came and was apologetic. Dessert was the only saving grace. Biggest disappointment was the bill. After getting two terrible appys, waiting 2 hours plus for our meals, after getting raw salmon, disgusting rissoto, not one penny was taken off the bill. Some customer service! Needless to say, will not return!
I suggest all restaurants in Steveston get together with the Steveson "Town Council"? The new pay parking regulations are going to hurt the restaurant business badly. I was dining at Shady Island with two friends yesterday and because time had run out on the parking meter for one, we all left. We did not stay for coffee or dessert. We certainly would have stayed longer but one hour parking for $2.00 is insulting especially when we are supporting the Steveston economy. Some of us will not be back even thought it is no fault of Shady Island Restaurant.
So, our server was nice and all but kinda not all there. We asked for lemons three times and waited 10 minutes for her to process our bill (credit card). We asked this person not to put mushrooms on our meal, the meal had mushrooms on it. She offered to re-do the meal but after waiting a half an hour for it, we didn't want to wait any longer. The calamari is bland, bland bland! and the "world famous chower" is crap. The drinks were good though. Nothing beats slushy drinks on a fabulous patio on a super warm evening. We'll return for drinks for sure.
Canada Day, sunny weather and Steveston undoubtly equalled some outdoor patio action, so fish and chips made sense. Though this place had inside seating, we decided to risk the hoards of people and did the takeout window with the limited menu and crossed our fingers for a space on the boardwalk.
The wait wasn't too bad considering the lineups and soon enough, the halibut, cod, chips and a couple of drinks came and we were already eating. High turnover meant we all received our orders hot off the oil. Though the batter was on the brown side (change the oil!), it was crisp, fairly light and not too thick. The fish was cooked perfectly (my gf liked them far better than the one down the boardwalk) and the fries, while looking very lifeless, was hot, and had a surprisingly nice crisp to it. Though we only received a small portion of tartar sauce each, we were easily able to get extra sauce at the window.
Service was akin to a fastfood counter. Though ours was fine, I noticed a few missed orders while we were eating. Extra points though for the lone staff cleaning down the patio tables and chairs for those lazy enough not to clean after themselves.
You'd think the view would be great here, but it wasn't the least bit impressive. Up close and facing a dock of idle boats on one side, while having crowds of people walk over your heads on the other side, and in the meantime trying to protect your food from hungry crows and pigeons makes the dining experience hasty.
The fish and chips portion of their menu is good so that is reflected in the ratings. Though I wouldn't exactly hurry back, it's about as good as I've had, though how much better could it get..
Shady Island was my "go to place" for halibut fish and chips. I went last Saturday because I know they have Granville Island Brewery on tap and a decent patio. It's sunny, within walking distance and I was looking forward to it.
I noticed they were were pretty busy at the take out window, so that always a good sign. I mean, I haven't been for fish and chips all year so I don't know if they are still as good as before and the volume of traffic would make me think, probably a safe bet.
The service was rather typical: good/superior services. (I do go here once every couple of months because of the beer on tap and typically god service.) I had some decent brew and the sun was out. I ordered two piece Halibut and chips (@ $22, this is one of the pricier fish chips you'll find) and I thought I was good to go. When the plate arrived, i was mildly disappointed. Most because of the presentation. The huge plate made the server size seem inadequate. I mean, I know with fish and chips you essentially paying 80% for the fish so, typically, the fries are just the bed that the fish rides on. Not today. The chips looked as sparse as pieces of straw in an old barn. they were good enough, yet this plate wreaked or "cost cutting." The batter on the fish wasn't entirely crisp either (typically means it wasn't allowed to drain out of the fryer and plated too soon.)
So, kudos to the staff, yet, sorry Shady Island. I still have for you, yet I will be taking my fish and chips outings elsewhere.
I sometimes wonder at businesses that operate at touristic areas. They should do more to improve their businesses as it's not once in a while tourists that will make or break your business but locals who will continuously support it. Elsewhere outside of Steveston this restaurant would rate a solid two. However in the touristic void that sometimes happens to food, I'll be generous and rate it a 3. Having said that the shrimp sandwich I had was solid. The shrimp was steamed and had mayonnaise with a light sprinkling of dill on it. For their take-out kiosk the prices were alright. Canned pop was priced a bit high though. If I had to pick between this place and Pajo's I would rather go there for a grilled halibut burger. Honestly I'm conflicted. I want to support local businesses. But it's far too tempting to just stop off at the McDonald's or Subway located at Steveston. At least there I know that I'm at least getting a meal at somewhat of a value price. The search for a great fairly priced place to eat that is locally owned in Steveston continues. On an unrelated note be sure to stop off at the candy store in Steveston it's reasonably priced with lots of choices.
Took a trip to Steveston and couldn't resist having a bite on the patio before the summer weather disappears. This was our first visit to Shady Island.
The food was ok - we tried the salmon burger and the fish n chips. The burger was good but we found some bones in it. The batter on my fish was crispy but the fish was a bit tough inside. The fries were fairly good (fresh and crunchy but not greasy). Only problem was ketchup seemed to be scarce. Both dishes had fries with it, but only I was given a tiny cup of ketchup, which my bf shared with me. We asked the server 3 times for more ketchup and finally received it another miniscule cup which was barely enough.
Service took a hit because of the ketchup incident, but also because it took a while to get seated.
A friend and I had lunch here recently. We had the seafood chowder and wings. The seafood chowder tasted good but was lukewarm. We asked for the soup to be heated up. The soup came back hot enough in the centre but was still lukewarm at the edges--not reheated properly. It should have been heated through properly in the first place. The fact the soup was served in cold bowls probably helped it lose it's heat.
We then had chicken wings to share; Thai and honey garlic ones. The wings were sticky and cooked properly but lacked the flavour of garlic or Thai chili. The coffee we had was good though and served hot.
Overall, given the cost of the food, I felt disappointed with this restaurant and won't be back.
Sometimes when I visit, I get good service, and other times, it is pretty lame. The food and beverages are consistently good here and I really enjoy and recommend the Oyster burger. The prices are reasonable for a touristy area in Steveston. The ambiance is nice with the boardwalk and marina right outside of the windows. There is also a beer store right next door. Parking is good if you go early, but on the weekend, you will be out of luck. A great place to have a pint on a hot summer day.
I used to take a lot of clients to Shady Island for business lunches. Virtually every one of them commented on the great location of this place. Right on the docks it was great to wander around after lunch and grab a coffee or dessert at one of the dock's small kiosks. I can't say their food is bad, in fact some of the menu items are indeed very tasty and well presented. The problem is that their food is inconsistent with more and more of it being bad rather than good. The service has declined along with the quality of food. Perhaps it is a result of the economic times but this restaurant is simply no longer worthy of visiting. The food continues to worsen, the menu remains flat, service is crazy bad and management doesn't seem to care or get that this place is slowly sinking into oblivion. If it weren't for the location I don't believe this place would still be around. Too bad ~ it used to be a great lunch destination spot.
My sister and in-law have been on this fish n'chips phase for a while now. So naturally, it wasn't a surprise when we ended up in Steveston. Shady Island is right on the pier and we've always seen the patio packed on sunny days, so we decided to order from the take-out window and sit outside.
I've been here few times before, but I think they were called something else because what I used to always get (salmon chowder), isn't there anymore.
This time, we had a light (meaning small, not low fat) lunch. For the 3 of us and toddler, we all shared a small cod and a large cod n' chips.
We waited and waited after ordering. It was a cold day and there weren't many people inside the restaurant and only one other table waiting outside. When we finally got our order, we noticed they only gave us 2 small tartar sauces. Small, as in the size of ketchup cups at mcDonalds. I went up to the window and asked for more. She hesitantly squirted me 2 more small cups. I stood there for a minute expecting a little more and left after realizing I wasn't getting any more.
The fish and chips were good, not great. Being in Steveston, home of fresh seafood, I guess I was expecting bigger, fresher and cheaper since the fisherman boats were right there. Why else would we drive from near Coquitlam to Richmond for same quality food?
Anyway, it wasn't until we left that I saw Pajo's (remembering great reviews on here for it). Too bad.
Last nite 06/23/10 was one of those glorious west-coast evenings where you had 2 get out and enjoy. We picked Steveston since it was close to our Richmond home and offered a decent boardwalk, water back-drop and neat people-watching.
We had many dining options and had tried most of them and being a true casual-Friday, decided on take-out on the boardwalk. Many places were packed - including our fave "Pajos" and we didn't feel like waiting. And as we strolled by Shady Island - decided 2 give em a try. What a MISTAKE!.
You would think Fish & Chips are an EZ enuff meal to master but these guys missed-the-mark. We ordered one order of Cod & one Salmon and would share. We picked up the food and the fries were COLD - not luke-warm but COLD. WTF? Your restaurant was packed and you specialize in fish & chips! We immediately bring this to their attention and wait another 4 mins for fresh-fries and these are "acceptable" some hot mixed with some warm. By this time our fish had cooled-off and we found the batter heavy and too mushy. We spent $30 and felt ripped-off.
Next time we'll walk rite by this place and straight to Pajos - where they know fish & chips!
"Mom's World Famous Seafood Chowder" @ Shady Island Resturant on @Steveston Landing; 4.5/5 I almost cried when I was done. Then I take a bite into this Shrimp Salad Croissant Sandwich. 5/5 I've found a new fav! Have you ever eaten anything that made u cry afterwards, it was so good? Thats the way I felt about the Shrimp Salad Croissant I just had.
My husband and I decided to dine out at Shady Island recently. Everything started off great, our server was an upmost gentemen, we felt very welcomed. Drinks reached our table very promptly, our order was in the kitchen and now it was time to relax. That didn't last long, first of all, the sound coming through the speakers on the inside of the restaurant rivaled nails on a chalk board. It would cut in, then cut out, then cut back in with BLARING static noise. Finally our server turned the music off all together in the restaurant saving all of the customers a head ache. Ambiance was now dead, all we could hear was the bartender talking to staff, and kitchen workers laughing and talking to one another about their weekends. Food then came out, we had a fishermans pot, (which was AMAZING) and a Pan seared Cajun Halibut (also to die for, phenominal) Food was very nicely presented. Dinner carried on and it was turning out to be a great evening until we were finishing up our last couple glasses of wine, we were one of two tables left in the restaurant around closing time until everything went downhill. We were visited by furry little creatures running around our feet under the table, I screamed. Next thing we knew, little grey furry creatures were running rampant all over the restaurant floor. Everywhere we looked there were two more, I felt sick to my stomach. Obviously this restaurant has a major pest problem that needs to be sorted before we ever consider stepping foot in that establishment again.
Decided to come down to Steveston with the gang on a sunny Sunday afternoon (which is surprising for January). Ended up at Shady Island for a few nibblies and drinks.
Decided to sit out on the patio, which was packed with other people enjoying the weird January sun.
Ordered a bucket of beer. Great selection. Came out relatively quick.
Ordered some appies. Standard fare to be expected of a seafood place. Took a little bit longer to come out. The server was really apologetic and was on top of things. Couldn't be helped though as the patio and the restaurant were packed. Spent the waiting time watching people go by. Shady Island's patio is great for people watching since it's right on the boardwalk and everybody walks by. Great view as well of all the fishing boats and Vancouver Island off in the distance.
When the food did come out, it was nicely done and very tasty. All washed down with great tasting beer... Did I mention already that they have an eclectic selection of beers in bottle and on tap (they have a wonderful stout called "The Backhand of God")?
The only disappointing part was that (granted we were sitting out on the patio in the middle of January) when we asked for the heaters to be turned on, they didn't seem to be working too well. Maybe they need some servicing or they need to be upgraded/replaced.
Great brews. Great view. Great service. Solid food. Solid patio (for winter, more than likely awesome for the summer).
Just moved back to the lower mainland and remember this restaraunt very well from 10 years ago....so headed down to Steveston on a sunny day to soak up some sun.
The food and menu were alright but a bit dated. It was a busy Friday night so service was a little lacking, I think they need more staff, tough I guess in this employment market.
We shared the calamri -- alright nothing special. My wife had the Halibut and chips, a little burnt and the fries are not good. I had the Fisherman Pot for 35 bucks,not great.
Drinks ( beer pints really small 14 ounce??) need help.
Overall a little pricey, not good service and just OK. Nice spot though.
One word to sum up my experience at this restaurant is "inconsistent".
Ambience:
To start off, Shady Island has a great location. It's located right on the pier at Steveston, and the patio is on the boardwalk overlooking the fishing crafts. We were there on a beautiful sunny Sunday evening. It was 30deg, so we chose the patio. Great place to be. Alas, our dining experience would not be as satisfying.
Food:
Hit and miss. Shady Island was really inconsistent when it came to the food dept. The Oyster and chips were great. Large portion came with 6 to 7 pieces of Oysters on a large platter of fries (despite us asking for half fries and half salad). We received the salad as well, which made us think just how much more fries they would've given us if we didn't ask for half and half. Amongst our group of 12 people, some ordered the warm seafood salad, the seafood linguini, and the usual Cod and chips. Though not spectacular, they seemed satisfied.
The problem was the Pacific Calamari. Because of our large group, we were split into 3 tables. One of our tables received their order first and it looked good. But when I received my order 15 mins later (despite us ordering at the same time), it was half of what the other table received. I flagged our waitress down and asked her if we received a different portion, to which she replied there's only one portion available on the menu. She agreed that it looked very light, and told us to keep it while she get us another batch.
As I ate my first calamari, I noticed that they were very soggy and not crunchy at all. In fact, I wasn't sure if they were thoroughly cooked. My chef friend tried one, and immediately told me to send it back. So when the waitress came back with our new batch of calamari, that was exactly what I did. The new batch was an improvement, but it wasn't as great as I expected (given that this was supposed to be amongst their specialties).
Service:
Overall service was ok, not great. Three things to point out.
1)They had a lunch menu that featured lower prices. One of my friends wanted a Cajun halibut burger from the lunch menu. It was 7 at the time, and they stopped serving the lunch menu at 5pm. So she asked, since they served the cajun halibut as a dinner menu, would it be possible to have that placed in a bun so she can have it in burger form. It wasn't a matter of price, but they still wouldn't make the accomodation. Their reason: "our kitchen is very small and during dinner time we're unable to stock the lunch items." Keep in mind though, it's still cajun halibut, only that one is in a burger ($12.95) and the other is not ($25.95).
2) The wait between ordering our food and getting them was very long (approx. 45min). Restaurant wasn't even half-packed.
3) If I were to rate the service based on this next point, I would give it a much higher score. To our server's credit, she took care of the calamari fiasco. First by getting us a new batch to top up our partial portion, then by comping us the whole calamari due to it being soggy and undercooked. Despite her attentiveness, the unusually long wait time did not warrant a higher rating for service.
Value:
The oysters and chips was a good value. Other than that, there are better value to be had for a fresh plate of fish n' chips on the Steveston Pier.
I first went to Shady Island a couple years back with my best friend. She didn't much like her food, but I had a mac and cheese dish they were testing, and loved it. As such, I suggested to my boyfriend that we go there one time, and was completely shocked by the experience! I had a burger, and he had a hot shrimp melt. My patty was burnt; the lettuce leaf dwarfed everything else, making biting into the thing extremely awkward; and there was far too much sauce. As well, the fries that came with the burger tasted as if they had been reheated after a night or two. My boyfriend didn't say exactly what was wrong with his food, but he gave up after just a couple bites. The service wasn't bad, but our server didn't seem at all surprised that neither of us finished our meals or asked to pack it up. The only redeeming quality of this place is its fun martitime decor and the waterfront patio. I'd maybe go back to have a drink to soak in the view, but never for the food.
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