Weird how a restaurant can have such amazing reviews and such horrible ones. Went there for a birthday party, there was about 14 of us. Food was very inconsistent, people at our table ordered the same thing but they all came a little different and even though we ordered at the same time people received there dishes at completely different times. (an hour inbetween people receiving their dishes). Food was just not good, even melting cheese seemed to be beyond them as our fondu was a big globule mess. We ordered a bunch of shots, the bartender assured us they weren't too expensive...however when we got the bill they were $10 a shot, that was ridiculous. The service declined throughout the night as we wondered if I waiter had left the building or something. Sorting out the bill become horrific! When it came to the bill, they were not able to take different debit and credit cards from different individuals. They wanted one person to pay for everything because of their lack of technical know how. Our bill was upwards of $2000, who in a single party is going to pay for all that? We argued with the guy for about an hour that we all wanted to pay separately. We had to go to another party so we ended up running out to a bank machine and slapping down some cash before anything got resolved. I realize it is customary to add gratuities when there is a large party but 20% for service that was so lacking, just nasty.
Save your money and go to a real restaurant.

I visited Cassis on the evening of Friday, January 8, 2010. I had organized the evening for a friend’s birthday after learning about Cassis through dinehere.ca and vancouvermartini.com, where Cassis is generally regarded as a ‘hidden gem’ with fantastic food and an excellent cocktail/martini menu. Our experience fell very far below expectations.

We were first seated at 9pm at a large table in the back with a damaged vinyl cover and an incredibly wobbly base. There were 9 of us and a few other tables in the restaurant with people at them. It took about 15 minutes for the waitress to come over to us, help us strategically place some cardboard to make the table functional, and bring us menus and water. When the gentleman that I assume was the manager came to the table he notified us that he did not have a drink menu, had only flavoured Stoli and one premium vodka - Wyborowa vodka, and only knew how to make a couple of cocktails. In an attempt to compensate us for this stunning turn of events, he offered to serve us Wyborowa and charge us for regular vodka, as well as bring a round of shots for the table and bread. Although Wyborowa is a good vodka, it is about the same price point as Stoli, so I don’t see how selling it to us for the same price was a particular genuine gesture. However, we did appreciate the shots, which were refreshing and delicious, as well as the bread.

The manager made our drinks, and slowly. When they did come, one at a time, they were incredibly uneven in size. Some people had good sized martinis, while others had very small martinis. One martini had a fruit fly in it and had to be sent back. We were trying to make the most of our night, and did not complain at the time (besides replacing the martini that the fly had selected). We did not have dinner, but we did order crab cakes. They were delicious, but amounted to 3 tater-tot sized crab cakes and some sauce for $16, which was exorbitant. Desserts were good, but also expensive.

I attempted to organize a fun evening with appetizers, desserts and drinks in a quality atmosphere. I was not successful, and as the organizer I found the experience disappointing, frustrating and embarrassing.

While this negative experience was a concern, it could have been an isolated event. However, I emailed the restaurant with a complaint containing much of the same content as above. is not the only issue of concern. 2 weeks later I have still not received a response, which to me suggests that poor quality service and unsatisfied customers are not of much concern to the owners/managers of Cassis. I would caution that this restaurant may be on the decline, and to think carefully before planning an event there.

Cheers.

We used to come to Cassis regularly a few years ago, and for no reason in particular, started trying other places, but I always remembered having fantastic meals at Cassis and for really reasonable prices.

Most recently, we had an event for about 50 people and we decided to go with Cassis for it's casual but seemingly refined ambience and service and what I remembered to be really delicious and reasonable food. While the ambience did meet standards, the restaurant fell short on the rest of the fronts and the evening was a bit of an embarrassment. The restaurant supposedly served premium alcohol, but when some of our guests asked for Grey Goose, they were told they didn't carry it; we're not sure what the house wine was (the word "undrinkable" came up during the evening); the food, while tasty, appeared to be quite scant and some platters were served on what looked like dinner plates, and even then, they came out sporadically. The highlight? The bartender (Fabio?) - what a great entertainer! All-in-all, a really disappointing evening, and sad in that many of the guests in attendance had never been to the restaurant but were all high level corporate executives with copious amounts of disposable incomes and are the types who will drive for a great place to eat, but, based on the feedback afterwards, won't be going back. So sad to have to write Cassis off my list of "go-to" places.

We went on a whim and decided to give Cassis a try during Dine Out Vancouver.

Here is what we had:

Salad - We tried two of their salads and both were disappointingly boring. It was no different than just eating wild greens out of a salad bag.

Wild Sole - A tiny piece of sole folded over itself along side a tablespoon of beet couscous, and my favourite part of the dish: half, yes I said HALF, an asparagus sliced lengthwise, and HALF a carrot. The fish was tasteless and I could barely taste the carrot and asparagus as they were sliced so thin my taste buds couldn't detect them. The couscous was nothing special and was the only item on my dish that made an attempt to satiate me.

This nonexistent entree was delicately placed in the center of an unnecessary and big white plate. Speaking of which, they looked quite worn out and if their customers are going to see more plate than food then the least they can do is invest in a new set of dishes.

Dessert - Mascarpone filled croissant and a chocolate berry tart. At this point we were scared that we would need a magnifying glass to see our dessert but to our surprise, they were good size portions and not that bad, however the croissant wasn’t entirely fresh. I still finished it but keep in mind I was starving and I was just excited to see food that was bigger than my fist.

The service was lame to say the least and the fact that I have to flag someone down when we were the only two people in the restaurant says it all right there.

Total cost of this experience (with glass of wine): $58 with tip
The endless laughter and future story telling value: PRICELESS!

With all this said, my friend and I will not go back to Cassis because at the end of the day, we can and have made better dishes at home and the whole experience of dining out is to enjoy a meal that is beyond our culinary capabilities.

Did the DOV thing tonight - originally booked the table for 2, but ended up that we had out of town guest who came along with us, and the restaurant tried to accomodate us on a 7pm sitting Saturday night, with a Canucks game.

They sat us at the bar, which was actually a blessing. The bartender was outstanding - he was great in explaining what he was doing - kept up a great conversation all night. Servers were great too - they were always attentive without intruding.

Salad wasn't anything special - guests had the Cream of Zucchini soup - mixed with cream cheese - outstanding. I had the Bouillaibaise - seafood was outstanding - you could taste the freshness. Wife had the braised beef, and guest had the ratatouille - again, outstanding.

Dessert - Creme Brulee, Hazelnut crepe with Creme Anglaise were both outstanding. Lemon tart wasn't as extraordinary.

However, what will bring us back is the service - warmly greeted, warmly served, did everything to accomodate us, and all night, the bartender kept a banter going. The jokes and the knowledge and just asking him how he made those signature drinks was great. All the wait-staff were great... again, a blessing to be sitting right at the bar.

Manager actually saw we were impressed, and let us know that he's working on a dessert / wine tasting menu, and that during nights that were not as busy, they'd be willing to entertain having desserts and alcohol and setting up wonderful desserts flambe-style. Invited us to come after dine-out, and that we'd be informed when that menu came out.

Food was solid -> excellent range... but the service was incredible! I can understand that it would be a hit-and-miss with previous reviews - but sitting at the bar instead of a table, I had great service tonight... wonderful! Definitely will be back later!

I've been to Cassis 4 times. First couple of times service was good, food was excellent, and had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner experience. The last 2 times I was provided with horrible service...our server was never anywhere to be found. The food was overcooked and lacking in general.

Since there are so many places to go in the lower mainland, I doubt I will return here again, but keep in mind my first two experiences were great here...if my rating was ONLY based on those first two times, I would have given a Food:4 Service:4 Value:4 and Ambiance:3. My rating here reflects the median of all my visits.

We were seated on time for our 7pm dine-out reservation; asked for our drink orders 3 times within 10 minutes of being seated; and was asked to order our food when we ordered our wine so that we wouldn't be 'rushed' through our entrees. It was a full house but there was no line up at the time.

We finished our bread and our plate of antipasto was taken away without asking if we were finished or not (we were not). Our salads promptly came - which we finished off - in case they were prematurely taken away. And then...here's the punchline...we waited more than half an hour for our entrees which didn't arrive. Our server was no where to be seen, so we asked another server who was apologetic and offered to look into our order. We waited another 10 minutes for someone to tell us that our food was on its way. Our server was not apologetic for the delay and had quite a nonchalant attitude through the whole situation. We ended up paying for our bottle of wine and left.

Considering that their dine-out menu only consisted of 3 options per course, I’d hate to see how long the wait is when they service a full menu.

Needless to say, I cannot provide a review of the food, but the service leaves too much to be desired.

Would I return to try their food? Probably not – which is a shame considering the reviews the restaurant gets in this aspect.

Had a business lunch there recently. There were two of us and we had crepes. These were not crepes. These were thick, crusty bread like things with MINIMAL filling. Mine was supposed to have brie and peach chutney. Tiny sliver of brie with a tiny bit of chopped peaches. For dessert, I had creme brulee. Not good. The brulee had palatable pieces of sugar undissolved.

Service was prompt but despondent. The room was nice although a tad dark.

Overall, the food is extremely overpriced for the quality and value for your money. I believe the crepes were in the $13 range which is outrageous for what was served.

Do yourself a favour - don't waste your money here.

Went to Cassis for the first time and left a fan. I was really hungry and feeling lazy so I ordered 6 items with the intention of taking some home. Not much made it out the door. I had the onion soup, beef bourgogne, coq au vin, potatoes gratin, cauliflower gratin, and a lemon tart for dessert. I found the service to be excellent and friendly. I found the prices to be more than reasonable and with a bottle of sparkling water, a whisky and a glass of wine the bill with tip was about $80. I am looking forward to my next visit.

I've been there a few times years before the rennovations. I've only tried their food twice before but was never fully sold. Usually just went their for drinks because it's a nice intimate place.

NOW after the rennovations it seems everything has completely changed for the better. Ambience is nice and romantic, they have a live band playing classical music during dinner. I went there on a Friday evening for my birthday because I booked a table for a party there later in the night but decided to go for dinner there before the party.

We ordered the Lobster Bisque, Braised Beef Rib x2, Coq au Vin, Scalloped Potatoes, Veggies and Salad. All this for 3 people. All of them were cooked very well and tasted great. The one that surprised me was the Braised Beef Rib. It was just out of this world and for only $14! Portion size was bigger than you would expect also.

Took a little while for them to greet us when we came in initially. But once greet the service was friendly, but because of the amount of people for dinner there it was a little hard to get the waitresses attention sometimes.

All in all, very nice and fun place. I would definately recommend this place for dinner. If you like to party also, at around the 10pm mark the place turns into more of a lounge with a DJ in the back. They clear the tables in the back to make a dance floor.