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Cobre features Nuevo Latino cuisine - blending the passion of Argentina, with the exuberance of Cuba, the sultriness of Brazil and the joy of Mexico. This is very sophisticated food presented in an elegant setting of warm copper tones, exposed brick, dark wood and installation art.
Cobre is actually in the heart of Gastown so I'm perplexed how it's categorized as "Chinatown" in the description. It was my first visit and went with a group of gals for a night out.
Food: all of the dishes were tapas style - nuevo latino they call it. The sablefish dish stood out to me and I really enjoyed the pork belly - oh so fatty! We ordered "family style" which meant they would bring out an assortment of 7 or 8 dishes and ensured that each guest got a sampling. Otherwise, each tapas dish contained 3 to 5 pieces, perfect for sharing for a small group. The food was good, and creatively thought out and prepared.
Service: our female server was very attentive the whole evening and made effort to add some personality with her interactions with us. She was the one that suggested the family style dining and offered to split bills - which some servers don't enjoy doing. Drinks were refilled and plates promptly cleared away.
Value: for tapas the pricing is on the high side. $15 was the cost of most of the shareable plates, with some smaller items at lower prices. I don't recall seeing any mains that were on the menu, so can't comment. Drink prices seem at par with other drinking establishments. With a drink or two and a normal appetite, a dinner bill can probably run $50/person.
Ambiance: Can't comment about the main dining room upstairs. We had a larger party so got the honours of dining in their private room downstairs decked with couches and pleathered ottomans. The dining table is a long wooden table with black cushioned benches as seating. After dinner, guests can lounge over drinks on two couches and several armchairs. The private room can probably host 20 people. We could even adjust the music, which was nice.
Overall, we had a good time. I would recommend coming here for a nice evening out with friends.
Went on a weekday to try the Dine out. Had the lamb soft tacos and it was very good. Ground lamb in a small corn tortilla, 4 of them. Tried the duck appy and didn't like it, a bit on the dry and gamey side. The wild boar belly was good but a bit thick on the sauce side. If they would add some sort of starch component, it may of cut the salty/sweet sauce a bit better. The dessert was caramel and pineapple. Just average. Basically the dine out menu comped the dessert thus overall value was just so so. Good service and place looks great. Will go back and try the other tapas.
Well... the food was fresh, artfully presented, plentiful, local. The service was better than the best that I have experienced. All the food was explained and various tapas were well recommenced for our wine choices. Our waiter (Andrew) ran out to "plug the meter" with his own change. And for one of us, this meant going around the block -- twice. It is the kind of place where you talk to your table neighbours about what food they are enjoying. All was delicious and the desserts more so. A culinary delight and a friendship-making ethos. And a reasonable price. Hard to beat and worth it to repeat.
Went here with a group of 9 for dinner.
First off, they had no AC and we sat at the table with the only fan, so the place was disgustingly hot.
The food though was really good. They have a lot of tapas-like items to share, so it's best to go with a group and try a bunch of different things. My two favourites were the bison, which was pretty melt-in-your-mouth, and the lamb, which was like little patties topped with popcorn (never seen that before!). Had the dulce de leche which was really good, as well as a chocolate and nut bar.
Service was really good, very attentive and gave great advice on what to get.
The price was a little high IMO - came to about $45 per person (just food, not incl drinks).
I went here a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. The ceviche was very good which you would expect in a latin tapas restaurant. I am not usually a desert eater but I ended up sharing a piece of chocolate cake with chilli spice that was unbelievable. Top it off with a shot of Petron and it was a memorable dinner.
The service was good. We were seated at the end of the restaurant near the windows upstairs which made service a bit distant but our server still did a good job. The ambiance was nice as well, very relaxing. Overall, I would definately return.
A friend has always told me to go and try Cobre because I would not be disappointed. He was right! From the moment I walked in, I knew this restaurant (as well as the rest of new Gastown) will be successful. Cobre is gorgeous.
When I asked for my table, I thought, "Wow, this place is really small". That was until I was guided to the second floor. I love the open kitchen concept, but you do get a better view of it from upstairs. You can see everything from meal preparation, to dishwashing, to empanada stuffing.
We shared 4 plates between the 4 of us:
-Eggplant chevre empanada: good crust, but filling was a little bland.
-Whitefish Taco: yummy, perfect crisp with nice contrasting pickled greens
-Shortribs: good, especially the yam chips, but a little too sweet
-Sablefish: Delicious and perfect flavor
The service was spectacular! We were so caught up in our conversation that the server had to come up multiple times to ask for our orders, but she never once looked frustrated and was very gracious about it. The tacos came with three, and since there were 4 of us, she asked the chef to add another one in so we each got one. Waters were refilled throughout the dinner. A+ service.
We split the bill between us 4 - I paid $31 including tip. A little expensive for the amount of food, but it was worth it.
This place is great for small groups as the noise can make it difficult to hear conversations of larger groups. The only thing I did not llike, however, was the placement of tables. Very awkward when you're rubbing shoulders with strangers sitting beside you.
As another reviewer mentioned, they had a separate sheet with Latino lingo in fine print. It's a lot to take in, so my advice would be to study the menu and lingo online before going.
Would definitely return to try their papusas and their Chilean Chupe.
Was hungry walking around Gastown with a friend, wanted to try something new and literally stumbled into this place not really knowing what to expect. The restaurant is beautifully designed, nice open kitchen and great ambiance - mirror on the wall plays a bit of a trick to make it look larger than it really is because most of the tables in the top section where we were sat are really close together leaving little personal room but that's ok you can make friends I guess.
Our server had a prompt but laidback attitude, somewhat humorless (kinda looked like he's been doing this job for a long time and was tired of it all). The overall service was good but standard for a restaurant of this calibre. The items on the menu all sounded very creative and exotic (I'm also however fairly unexperienced with what would be considered American-Latino cuisine) - had a hard time deciding but decided on the fish and steak tacos, then the pan-seared scallops and duck. Fish was very fresh but a wee bit heavy on the batter and could be more flavourful - the steak one however was AMAZING and I love the corn tortillas, reminds me of when I was in the outskirts of Mexico building houses a long time ago and I couldn't get over how good the steak tacos were down there. Scallops were nicely done, great presentation but what I loved most was the palm hearts and the sauce that came with it - the duck was also really beautifully done and was on a bed of risotto with crispy duck skin underneath it which was on the mushy side and packed a bit too much garlic but overall really tasty. Prices are slightly steeper for the portions but alas it is tapas. Only problem was wine was served in a rock glass which was unusual I thought, really who wants their wine in a rock glass!!
Met up with an old friend to try this cool place. Service was great - friendly and helpful.
The food is unique in terms of its flavor and texture, but it's not something I would pay to go again. Each plate was around $15. The cornbread and prawns were quite tasty. The maple short ribs were super sweet and there was so much sauce, the sweet potato chips were drenched. The pull duck taco would have been better with a little bit more sauce.
It is a good thing we didn't go further to spend another $10 on drinks - our total bill already came to $65 for 5 dishes between the 2 of us.
I normally don't mind forking over that amount but it has be a memorable place that I would go back to for the food.
A nice hangout in Gastown - the front of the restaurant is not very clear but I did like the ambiance inside.
Went there with my friend, it was a sunday night and pretty dead, I think there was maybe two other tables besides us, one for sure. The place was quite nice, we were sat upstairs. We just ordered a bunch up tapas, were pretty ordinary, plain, nothing special, I think the best was the ceviche. The server was pretty good, seemed to know what she was talking about. Besides that, just a pretty average place. probably won't be back, probably try other places instead.
Hubby and I went here on a Friday night. It was quite busy and we got the last table in the place. I really like the decor of this place. It's in a really old building and it's two levels. Very funky decor.
This place had three courses of tapas, with no dessert, which was fine. We were super stuffed by the time we were done our three courses and didn't have any room for dessert anyway.
For our first course, we had the Halibut Ceviche with a green salsa. It was very simple, but quite refreshing. I really enjoyed this dish. There was chunks of halibut served in a highball glass with the salsa on top of it and the glass was rimmed with salt. It was served with a few hand made tortilla chips. Our other appy was local tuna with a smoked bacon & tomatoey type sauce. It was quite good as well.
Our second course consisted of a couple of "taqueria" dishes. We had the Wild Mexican Sea Prawn with tomato & fresh horseradish, which was spicy but very good. The other one we had was the pulled duck with charred scallion & roasted garlic. This was just ok. The duck had ZERO taste to it....it needed some flavor.
Third course was the Peruvian tacu tacu, which had chunks of roasted garlic, roasted eggplant and goat's cheese on a potato type patty thing. It was quite good, but VERY rich. The other plate we had was the Qualicum beach diver scallops with grilled hearts of palm and a coconut bisque. Very lovely presentation, and very tasty.
We also did the wine pairings for each dish which worked out pretty well price wise. It was a bit cheaper for both of us to do the wine pairings than it was to order a bottle of wine. The only thing that my husband hated about this place was that their wine is served in highball glasses and not wine glasses.
I would definitely go back here again.
Hubby and I have been here several time and we've always loved it. The food is always hot and tasty and a good introduction to latin style foods for friends that have come with us. It's not the same style as we've had in Barcelona but it's certainly up there for us. Service has always always been pleasant for us. We had one slightly cranky moment with a staff member but they snapped out of it pretty quickly (got the impression they had just dealt with an extremely difficult table and hadn't quite shaken it off yet). The bar manager recommeded the white sangria for me to try out and it is sooo tasty! Yummo indeed! Hubby loves their mojitos too.
For what we paid for the meals, well worth it. Dining out tapas style in Europe was pretty on par for us for what we received. It's smaller tastes of different food items. Good ingredients are not going to be cheap. It's kinda to be expected.
A stunning room with the copper plated walls and the upper dining area is very nice for a quiet "date" night.
Would we go back. Absolutely and hopefully soon!
Had a really nice time here. We didn't have a reso but where sat right away at the bar. By 8pm the place was full.
We were told that the only menu they were offering was the Dine Out for $28. We weren't planning on DOV but we tried it anyways.
I had the poblano tacos, sablefish and the cafe de leche dessert. All very good, great depth of flavour, generous portions, came out hot. Absolutley delicious from beginning to end. My friend had the duck tacos, seafood trio and the cheescake which were just as good.
The service was great and the room is dimly lit and inviting. I would definalty be back to see other offerings from the regular menu. I was really pleased to see that they used ingredients typical to central and south american cooking, with their own twist but not taking away from the dish/ingredient. I will definalty be back.
im a big fan of spanish food so i wanted to give this place a try and i was not disappointed the slightest bit.
my date and i had no idea what to order because this isnt your typical taco joint so we asked our waitress for her opinion and she gave us a description of the type of food they offer, she was extremely friendly and willing to help us make our decision.. she also took the time to get our feedback after we had some time to sample each dish, her service was excellent in every way!
you are paying relatively alot for the quantity of food that you receive however you can have to keep in mind that its all tapas so with that being said, the value is reasonable... im personally not used to eating such small servings for dinner but the food is worth it.
the ambiance is nice... very laid back and relaxed atmosphere thats not too loud, exactly the type of restaurant to take someone just to talk and chill, we ended up staying here more than 2 hours.
i would recommend this place to any one who is looking to mix things up and not stick to the norm... variety is the spice of life!
I came to Cobre with two friends on a Tuesday night. Our reservation was at 6ish but the restaurant was pretty full by the time we left. Our server was informative but she could be impatient at times. The ambiance and service in general were good, but the food lacks that Latino punch. We ordered three dishes to start – the wild Mexican sea prawn ceviche, pan roasted duck breast, and chicken taquitos. But because the taste of Pacific Northwest cuisine outweighed the Latino flavor in all of the above dishes, we weren't interested in trying more.
I think Cobre is a good entry point for the ones who haven't tried Latino food before, but for people who had good Latino fusion food down in the US or South America, Cobre might be a disappointment.
Ok really , a group of 5 walks in on a rainy tuesday night in Gastown, you think they might be happy to see you.
We entered Cobre after doing a bit of a "dine around" in the gastown area. One of the barkeeps at Boneta recommended we go there next. got sat in the first floor near the kitchen.
Everything may have been fine, but the waitress seemed rather anoyed with us.. We had two guests that were completey unfamilair with this style of food and she seemed like it was such a chore to do a little explaining. Hey , if the place is quiet and you dont have time , callover a manager or even the chef to help out.
anyhow food was good, drinks fine just a bit cold.
Thats from someone who has been to mexico and south america many times. What great selections on the menu, we were invited by friends and they chose a nice place. I had some duck tacos and they were fantastic my girlfriend loved the fish though we can't remember what kind. This is a great place to go for a dinner.
This was out first experience at Cobre and really did not know what to expect . The restaurant is double tiered and we were seated on the top level and felt very comfortable . As someone who is Spanish challenged the menu conveniently came with another sheet that defined the Spanish words used on the menu . We share 4 plates which were all delicious along with a bottle of Chilean Viognier wine .We started with a ceviche dish which was a large sliced diver scallop with a jicama salad . The plate presentation was unique and eye catching and the taste was superb . Our second dish was a taqueria ( small soft taco wrap) of pork saddle which melted in our mouths .Dish #3 was a Tamale with Cuban lobster and a white hominy corn . Once again the presentation and flavours were excellent .Our last dish was a pan seared BC sable-fish with a side pairing of prosciutto wrapped around casaba ( sort of like honeydew or cantaloupe ) This dish was also a winner . in summary great new addition to gastown with a nice comfortable room with friendly service and fantastic food . We will be back
After hearing from friends that cobre was very good, finally made my way to it with a friend. Server was informed and was able to make suggestions. Water was constantly being refilled which was nice. Room is beautiful though some tables are a little too close together for my liking. White sangria was tasty though I'd probably order something else next time. Dishes kind of come whenever they are ready which is good because then you get to focus on eating one thing at a time and really tasting it. I'd actually give the food a 3.5
Chicken taquitos - crispy, guac was good, filling was ok... I'd order it just for the guac.
Sable fish - very good, probably my favorite flavors of all the dishes we tried. However two of us found bones and, it was just a tiny portion of fish, would have liked to see a little more fish on the plate.
Flank steak - sides were good, meat was ok, again would have liked to see just a little more meat for $15
Corn bread - skip it, it's weird, it has a strange taste that gets masked by the red pepper butter but they pour it on the dish so some pieces have nnone at all and some contain a mouthfull.
Dulce de leche - now I've never had anything like it before but it was soooo tasty. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be grainy, but it tasted really good nonetheless.
I'd go again for a romantic dinner.
First it was nice to have a restaurant actually open on a Monday night. It seems most restaurants in Van. are closed on Mondays. I agree with previous reviewers that the room is nice but could use some sprucing up. We had the quinoa salad which was light and delicious, not overly dressed. We also had the jerk rubbed scallops and the maple glazed wild boar, both of which were excellent. A good balance of spicing and flavours. My only complaint is that the boar was a bit on the fatty side, they could use a leaner cut without comrimising flavour. The desert was a brownie with hazelnuts and stewed bananas and was fantastic. The room was pretty quiet when we were there, but I would love to go back when things are a bit more happening. All in all, a positive experience.
A fusion between West Coast and Latin American cuisine: mainly Argentinean and Central America. They are a tapas style restaurant.
I am a Chinese-Latino descendent and I have high expectations whenever I eat at Latin American restaurants.
The ceviches appetizers were small compared to the other dishes in the menu. Cobre uses the freshest ingredients and tries to captivate the essence of Latin American cuisine, but it felt a bit short of expectations.
The service was okay, it was not very busy at all just a four to five tables at a Wednesday night. At times, it took like five minutes for the waitress to pour us some water.
We tried two of the ceviches:
Diver Caught Scallop, the acidity was a bit sour and a bit more of salt was needed.
Local Albacore Tuna, this plate surprised us very much acidity and a mayo like sauce was well balance, we enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Then we ordered three tapas:
Nicola Valley Bison Tiradito. Tiradito is actually a Japanese-Peruvian creation and differs from ceviche. Ceviche is cut in bite-size marinated with lime juice and comes with onions. And Tiradito is long and thinly sliced and has no onions.
The Nicola Valley Tiradito is actually a bison Carpaccio. They were thin raw pieces of meat with a mayo-like consistency sauce. The meat quite tasty and I enjoyed quite a bit too.
The Pan Seared BC Sable Fish was a bit too cooked and chewy too. The flavour was there, but execution was not.
The Maple Chipotle Glazed Short Ribs with Jam Fries, the jam fries were excellent and deep fried to perfection very crispy. The short ribs we found were a bit on the Asian influence. It was like eating Maui Short Ribs.
At the end we had the Churros Dessert. The churros were done very nicely.
Overall Cobre has a lot to learn still. Captivating the Latin American heart is not an easy feast. However, I will come again to get some more of the Albacore Tuna Ceviche and the Bison Tiradito.
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