Crispy Garlic Fried Calamari - $13.95 (5.5/7)
These were crispy and tender while cooked right to perfection! The mild hot peppers and spices gave this dish a great kick that separated it from the usual deep fried squid dish. However, we much prefer the classic Greek calamari.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread - $15.95 (4/5/7)
This appetizer was advertised by the waitress as her favourite dish, but turned out utterly disappointing. The bread itself was fairly dry while the salty fish and vegetables barely made up for the lack of flavour. Overall, this was probably our least favorite dish.

Blackened Prawn Wedge Salad - $16.95 (4.5/7)

We honestly could not justify the cost of this salad as we had tastier and cheaper wedge salads elsewhere but the presentation itself was fairly nice. The overall dish was very mediocre.

Roasted Beet - $11.95 (5/7)

Fresh, sweet, soft but crunchy beets made our meal healthy and delicious. However, this is not really a dish that can be screwed up but once again, Coast’s presentation was sublime.

Salmon & Avocado Roll - $11.95 (4.5/7)

Coast should strictly stick with western-style seafood dishes and stay away from Japanese sushi. Other than the fish quality itself, the roll was prepared quite poorly. The rice was fairly hard while the overall dish did not leave a good impression at all.

Hot Seafood Platter (wild salmon, ling cod, wild sea tiger prawns, sea scallops, a la grecque vegetables) - $35.95 per person (minimum 2 people per order) (5.25/7)

Salmon: Tender and cooked quite well. Made quite plainly, but we prefer it that way.

Ling Cod: Wasn’t anything special.

Prawns: Large and juicy. Probably the highlight of the dish.

Scallops: Again, large and juicy; not as good as Blue Water’s.

Vegetables: Mostly potatoes, peppers, and random greens. They were average.

Seafood Tower (jumbo prawns, shucked local oysters, dungeness crab, marinated mussels, salmon nigiri) - $28.95 (minimum 2 people per order) (5.5/7)
Prawns: These were absolutely massive; definitely comparable to Joe Fortes’!

Oysters: These were fairly good but incomparable to Rodney’s.

Crab: The crab did not taste very fresh and we found them quite small. The same item at Griffin’s appetizer buffet bar is far superior.

Mussels: These were marinated in honey, which made it a great cold dish!

Salmon Nigiri: Once again, Coast should stay refrain from creating sushi.

The presentation of this “tower” was striking and flamboyant. The dry ice display definitely added a luxurious feel to the dinner and made us feel like the dinner was worthwhile after all.

A few months back my husband and I were downtown and looking for a place to have dinner. It was pouring rain and Coast had an outdoor host stand in the heated patio right in front of the doors. I waited there while my husband parked the car and was completely ignored by the hostess who kept wandering around. All of a sudden a man came rushing up and literally took hold of my arm and began guiding me inside. I explained that I wanted to wait by the door for my husband and he insisted that I be seated right away. He pulled me over to the main host stand and told the hostess to seat me. She rolled her eyes and said that she was busy so he tried to flag another host down and was brushed off with an "I'm busy".
At this time my husband had come in and after finding out that there was actually a half hour to forty five minute wait we decided to go somewhere else. The man who had "brought" me inside earlier got really upset when we said this and he told us that the only other nearby place was the Italian Kitchen which he also owns and that it's just as busy. He insisted that there was nothing else in the area and that by the time we found another place we would have already gotten a table here. He got so agressive about it that even if we had decided to stay we wouldn't have enjoyed it because we would have felt bullied.
And as soon as we got ourside we discovered that he hadn't quite been honest with us. There was a great Japanese place next door (Kobe), we were seated right away and we had a really good time there . . .

We went on a Sunday here a couple of weeks ago and when you first see the restaurant from street level you see about a dozen tables outside with propane heaters to keep diners toasty. Walk past the outside tables and in the middle of the room is a large circular bar/cold appetizer/steamed hot shellfish station. To the right and the left and behind the bar/food station were more tables, there was also a mezzanine area to the back of the restaurant. Several single diners sat around the bar/food station which reminded me of Japanese restaurants where diners can eat and watch sushi chefs. Surprisingly there were at least three other tables that I could see that had small children eating, it seemed more of an adult like atmosphere for dining upon entering and not an establishment that you'd bring kids to.

Our server was very prompt in her service, offering water ( carbonated in what seemed like an inhouse operation cost $3 per person ) first, drinks, and food choices. She was very knowledgable about the food items, answering our questions with a calm friendly demeanour. There was a also a food runner who cheerily brought the courses in a timely fashion. Conversation was bright, friendly, and unobtrusive with the server(s).

First we were given a complimentary small cold fish tar-tar plate, surrounding the juicy very tiny fish was a dab of caviar and under neath was a light crispy shell. This was somewhat tastless even with caviar but the meat was sashimi-like in texture. We choose two appetizer: (1) the smoked salmon flatbread a real winner, red onions, nice light sauce, crispy light oven baked bread, much like a semi-sweet Italian oven baked pizza crust. (2) Steamed clams and mussels in a chardonay garlic sauce. The clams and mussels smelled somewhat "fishy" not overpowering, but for those that don't want any of that fish smell whatsoever in their food you might have sent this back. We split a main, the White Sturgeon with a side of crispy brussel sprouts. The flesh of this fish was very moist and juicy, accenting the plate were white beans in a light cream sauce. The brussel sprouts were deep fried, seasoned with light chili flakes and sprinkled on top with parmesan cheese, frankly not done with much subtley but more of a pub-like style.

With a glass of wine the bill for the two of us, before tipping, came to $101. To be sure we weren't disappointed with the dining experience regarding the service and the atmosphere, but frankly the food needs some bumping up to be inline with everything else.

Our first visit here, the food and service was solid. Great service and fresh food - busy location. Second visit, a decent experience, but we started to feel that the restaurant is becoming a successful based on reputation and the marketing of Costco gift cards.

On our last visit, we did not intend to go to Coast, but we were walking by and asked about the oyster special. One of the managers said that they would still honour it even though it ended minutes earlier, and gave us a coupon for the special. He spoke to the server who sort of sneered at it, and then server proceeded to make things awkward throughout the rest of the evening. We have had this waiter before, and were a little surprised by the cold reception. The managers and hosts continued to be friendly, but the server seemed disconnected to them and to us. My wife ordered a wine pairing meal, and each time, the plates came well before the wine. She had slowly finished one of her plates well before the wine arrived. The server also intentionally did not honour the food special the manager offered. We didn’t complain, because we did not want to make things even more awkward. Food is decent enough, but there is a lot of decent food out there. First world problems? Yes, we know, but we are paying big bucks and tipping generously.

We’re going to give the place a pass for a little while as we did not feel we got good value for our dining dollar.

The food was good but not great. For the prices it is very overpriced. I like everything but nothing was amazing that would draw me back. Three people we paid $200 for food so as you can tell its very expensive. The sushi was below average the cold lobster was like rubber. The service was good but I wont be coming back.

The first thing that struck us here was the level and quality of service. It's easily head and shoulders above the usual joints in the area. The only one I remember that was as good nearby is Cioppino's.
The glasses were also impeccably, flawlessly clean (you can tell when condensation forms). The only other place I recall seeing this is at Lumiere.
Our waiter was pretty good. Friendly and knowledgeable, very useful recommendations and suggestions.

Now the part that matters, the food! The menu is chock full of local ingredients, which is great to see. It's given much more prominence than any other restaurant I've seen. Also they use sustainable, wild fish stocks only if that matters to you.
The portions seem a tad small at first, but a starter and main will easily fill you more than enough such that dessert would be a tough call.

One of us had the sablefish, which he said was amazing. Also had the halibut cheeks (or cheek rather), which was nice, but I think over-priced a bit. Nothing mind-blowing, but decent enough. Seafood chowder was much better. My grilled salmon was very good, but tempered by the fact that ... how can you mess up fresh BC salmon? The Brazilian lobster burger (using a toasted brioche) was loaded with thick, huge slices of tasty lobster, the only downside was that the lobster was slightly overwhelmed by everything else. No complaints about the food at all.
As to value/price? You'll have to figure that out for yourself. With a starter & main, figure for $40-50 per person before drinks.

We think it is worth a try, it's certainly not an every day place. The servivce & ambience is just about enough to justify the price. Almost.

Food actually deserves 3.5 stars. The seafood platter (consisting of lobster, crab legs, spicy tuna sushi, mussels and clams) was very fresh, tasty, and best of all, served beautifully, including a very nice touch with the dry ice. My main of the trout and the creme brulee / chocolate cake dessert was solidly good, but not super innovative.

Service was fantastic, though we were a party of 30+ guests, the wait staff were attentive, and very good with quality checks, wine refills, etc.

No complaints on ambiance. Solid, beautiful and chic.

Will be back.

Went to coast with my usual dining compatriots, to celebrate a belated birthday.

I'd like to award 4.5 across the board, but since I can't I'll go with a mix of 4 & 5.

We ordered an appetizer sampler consisting of smoked salmon, prawn & sausage spring rolls, crab cakes, mushroom, goat cheese and potato gallete, braised short rib, tuna sashimi and a lobster poutine. All items in the sampler were very tasty, although, personally, i found the combination of french fries and lobster & cheese sauce a bit odd. The sampler was much bigger than I expected considering it's supposed to be an appetizer plate for 2, it was easily enough for 4 of us.

For mains, I ordered the feature special of halibut with peashoot salad and a risotto. My friends ordered the rack of lamb with seared scallops, the seared sable fish with asparagus and pancetteta beans, and the spiced tuna with crab roll. All of which were delicious and prepared to perfection.

Finished up with desserts consisting of a lemon creme brule, a molten coconut banana cake, pear & brie turnover, and a rhubarb & banana galette and a strawberry beignet. The desserts were hit and miss. The rhubarb & banana galette and the pear & brie turnover went over very well, but the lemon creme brule (served inside the hollowed out lemon was a bit too tart, and the molten cake, while tasty, didnt generate much enthusiasm among our group.

Loved the look of the room, deep red and soft brown with natural wood finishes and the subtle lighting.

I have been here a few times - and I cannot say that I left feeling satisfied. Not sure why - they get 'A' for effort, but, in the end, the food has disappointed (I love seafood done well - but I am not sure that Coast gets it quite right).

The fish and chips don't pass muster; the soup is hit and miss (it was lukewarmish the last time I was there); the fries disappoint. On the whole I don't think I shall return. Funny thing though how all of the Glowbal chain of restaurants have acquired the same feel (even though they all try to be distinct). Having said that I do like the Italian Kitchen - never been disappointed there.

I work close by to Coast and have been meaning to check out their new location for a while now. My co-worker and I went for lunch today to try out their Friday Fish n' Chips Special ($12 for any type - Halibut, Cod, Salmon or Prawns).

When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the host at the front, who guided us in to the hostess stand where they confirmed our reservation. We were seated near the kitchen at a very small table that was a little too close to the table next to us. I think for the sake of one extra table, it isn't really worth cramming people in like that. I really don't like being that close to other diners, as you can overhear each other's conversations. When on a business lunch, you do have to be somewhat careful as you never know who is sitting beside you.

In any case, our server came over and introduced herself and gave us menus. She gave us a few minutes and then came back to take our drink order. After she brought our drinks... she disappeared. She was gone for almost 10 minutes. We started to worry and thought about sending a search party, when I spotted her near the entrance to the kitchen. She seemed okay, so I cancelled the St. Bernard. She spotted me giving her the evil eye and came back to our table, I could see the dawn of realization on her face as she clued in to why I was flagging her down. She apologized for the wait, explaining that she thought she'd taken our order until she saw the menus still in my hand. (She was very sweet & apologetic, unlike the snotty servers over at their sister restaurant, the Italian Kitchen.)

We ordered our food and within about 5 minutes, another server brought a "teaser" that was really quite delicious - a prawn meatball in tomato sauce. Very nice. Our appetizer calamari was also very good - lightly breaded and a bit spicy - nicely cooked and presented. I didn't really care for the mayo dip, but the lemon juice really put a nice finish on the flavours. Shortly after that, our meals arrived (halibut for me, cod for my friend) and they looked very good - the portions were huge! I actually couldn't finish my fries. The halibut was light & flaky and the breading was crispy and not overly greasy. My friend kept commenting on how good it tasted, so we were both quite pleased with everything. I did note on the menu that it said served with creamy coleslaw. This was, to my surprise, not creamy, but a sort of vinaigrette type dressing which was really tasty. I normally don't eat coleslaw, but I finished all of it. I did leave the tartar sauce as I'm not a fan, but my friend said it was quite good.

Despite the delay in getting started with the service, our meal was very enjoyable and I will return.