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If you are thinking beef, Hy’s is the place. In the heart of downtown for over 30 years, this restaurant boasts a polished, elegant atmosphere with comfortable and solid chairs that envelop you for the evening. However, some people say the interior is so dark that they feel like a mole when they come out. But it’s the place for power suite lunches, romantic evenings or the choice to impress your father-in-law. Although there are plenty of other options, charcoal-broiled steaks are Hy’s raison d’être so why plump for anything more.
If you want to visit the Land That Time Forgot, try Hy's Encore. I used to visit Hy's back in the 80's and early 90's. Must be some 15 years since I last visited. Little has changed & maybe that is one of the main attractions.
Hy's is the good old boys Howe street hangout. Steaks are big & so are the prices. You won't be having a steak under $40 unless you share & go dutch. Of course most of the steaks are large enough to do just that.
The garlic & cheese toast is still on the menu (I prefer the garlic). The ceasar salad should be called a seizure salad, as it is just laced with garlic.
The lobster bisque had a somewhat smokey taste to it. I had the filet with blue cheese as my main, medium rare. The steak was perfectly cooked (by the chef with the big hat in the grill pit) but the blue cheese just a tad overpowering. My fault, not his. The bourbon chocolate cake was delicious for dessert.
Gotham is I expect is the "new Hy's" in the city, but if you are looking for a glimpse of what was & is still a good special occasion choice, drop by Hy's.
My gf and I celebrated another year and I opted for steaks. We would've liked to continue on with Morton's but they are no more so the quest for the next best thing brought us here.
The restaurant was a little hard to find on the street, easily blending in with the surrounding buildings. Inside, very much what you'd expect a classic steakhouse to look like: dark, lots of woodworking and pictures of what seemed like 1800 American dignitaries.
We came in with no expectations, but the food spoke to us immensely. Our rib steak and porterhouse really hit the mark in flavour and prepardness, especially the rib. It is not quite as good as Morton's but only just slightly. Our gorgonzola mac and cheese, spinach and fried mushrooms were the perfect accompaniment and between the available choices of potato with your steak go with the double baked potato - my gf raved about it which made my o'brien's potatoes (fried potato cubes with far too many pieces of bell peppers) look foolish. The cheese toast starter, albeit fantastic in it's own right, really was how we make our cheese toast at home anyways.
The service is a cross between casual and formal, easily distinguishable from your typical restaurant but without the pretension.
Though we felt that Morton's offered a better steak as an overall meal it would be difficult to discern between the two. Hy's is a definite recommend for the steak aficionado.
I was originally introduced to Hy's by chance. I had bought a Whistler stay in the summer through Living Social and it came with a $50.00 credit to Hy's. I had heard of the excellent food, but again had never experienced it. My boyfriend and I have been 2 times now, once in Whistler and once in Vancouver. There are a couple differences between the two and then many similarities. One of the main differences is Whistler is a few dollars more for entrees and sides. The other difference is the ambiance and how they cook the steaks. The Vancouver location is the only place left in North America with a open coal grill. Our server proudly told us it was grandfathered to the building and if they were to move out of that building they would lose that. Guess they're not moving any time soon...
On to the serious stuff... the food. Both locations were EXCELLENT.
In Whistler we ordered --
Famous cheese toast
Filet and lobster with garlic mashed potatoes
Market fish - Cajun crusted halibut with garlic mashed potatoes
Asparagus
Sugar snap peas
Tom Collins
Rose wine (don't remember the name now)
Vanilla creme brulee
In Vancouver we ordered --
Famous cheese toast
Filet with double baked potato
Market fish - Cajun crusted halibut with double baked potato
Sugar snap peas
Vanilla creme brulee
Can't remember the drinks we ordered now
Whistlers service was excellent and the food was all amazing, not one thing wrong with it. The halibut was to die for, a last minute decision for my boyfriend who would normally have ordered steak. For the Vancouver location we wanted to compare the two locations so we ordered fairly similar things. The halibut was better in Whistler only because they had crusted it better and it was a better cut of the fish than in Vancouver, no big deal though. We got more bread in Vancouver, the garlic toast is amazing and addictive.. we both made the mistake of eating too much of it and being ridiculously full afterwards. One thing the Vancouver location has over Whistler is the double baked potato MADE TO ORDER. You get to make it as bacon and green onion as you want... and that's something Whistler needs to get on pronto! AMAZING!!! The sugar snap peas are a little gem and cut through the meat nicely as a break from all the richness. The dessert is also amazing, creme brulee being one of my favourite desserts. The service in Vancouver was also stellar, our waiter had awesome personality, our glasses were never empty and he even had a crumber... the little tool that scoops up the crumbs... sounds cheesy but I was impressed.
I will say one thing, my boyfriend and I are not rich people, we saved to come to this restaurant the second time, but I am willing to not eat out at all to eat there once every 2 months... it's that good and well worth the money. I like the atmosphere and the way the steaks have that smoke flavour. I also liked Whistlers steak as well, nice an crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. For those who have posted saying that you should save your money and go to the Keg... I laugh. I know they are all owned by the same people, but this place is light years better and albeit not that much more at the end of the day. You're paying for the service and the ambiance, as well as the quality of food. I can't wait to go back!!!
First off, the prices are really expensive!!! I rather have my steak somewhere else. For what the price is, I don't think it was worth it. The setting itself is not too inspiring either so I dont know how can they charge that much.
The service was standard fare, not much greet and talk from our waiter. You'd expect a little when going for a higher price point restaurant
I wouldn't return because of the price only though, the food itself was okay and cooked to my desired liking, so solid marks to the kitchen!!
I've been to Hy's four times, three times for free, one more on my own dime. If you're going on the company dime, or some other schmuck is paying, go ahead! When I had to pay myself, however, I couldn't help but think of all the places and food I would have preferred more. Just part of being in the company of others that you've constantly gotta prove yourself.
If you haven't been, then by all means try it out. If you want a similar atmosphere with much better food try out Keg. If you want truly great food, though well forget this snooty place with the rubbery steak.
I loved everything about this place. The staff are old. The coat-woman at the door must be 70 and knows everybody by name. No annoying 22 year old waitresses in tight pants saying "Hi! My Name is Jody! And I'll, like, be your server? like tonight?" Instead you get smooth, professional, knows-when-not-to-barge-in-on-your-conversation service from people who appear to be able to read your mind. No music, no TVs, yet a lively atmosphere. You want veggies, you ask for 'em-- this place serves MEAT.
The steak is excellent. I am told they have their own farm in Alberta. Good ribs, too, and they make a decent Caesar salad at your table. Massive wine list. Beer selection not as good as it could be-- come on, Hy's, how about some of Crannog's Back Hand of God stout? Or some Begbie IPA?
Overall, this is solid but $$ fare-- expect $150 for two including wine. Oh, and lest I forget, great martinis. All this place needs is a cigar room and Marilyn Monroe.
Server had to re-fire the steak then it came back charred. I ate 4-5 bites then left it. Had to eat mushrooms to not be hungry. The server was aware and still charged for the steak. Our bill was over $350 and he still charged for the $34 steak I didn't eat because it wasn't up to standard. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Appies- prawn cocktail and spinach salad. I've had better prawn cocktail elsewhere. They were a little chewy for my taste. The spinach salad was good though. Prepared tableside, the warm dressing was perfect with the baby spinach.
Mains- prime rib with stuffed potato (fully loaded!) and the neptune filet. The prime rib was the best freakin' prime rib I've ever had. So tender, flavourful and filling! The potato was good too! They top it with butter, sour cream, bacon bits and chives! Yum! The neptune filet was also nice. Tender, flavourful and grilled to perfection.
Dessert- cheesecake. Not a fan. Too cream-cheesy for my liking.
Our server was good. Recommeded a great bottle of merlot when our first selection was not available. He was attentive and seemed to truly enjoy his job.
Finally got around to trying Hy's. The (garlic/cheese) bread(s) however, come at a premium. It was not worth $8+ for the 2. The cheese bread tho flavourful was very greasy, but not so much that oil gushes out. The garlic toasts, too, are very buttery. We each only had a pc or two w/half the basket leftover. It was definitely not worth $8+.
1/4 of our steaks were actually made to order (medium-rare) while the rest of us had it a very solid medium. None of us felt like getting it swapped as the cut of the meat itself wasn't that great. We knew already we wouldn't be back so it didn't matter so much--food is food. I was hoping it's not just that one guy behind the glass showroom doing all the steaks otherwise, I can see how he might be trying to rush out too many at once resulting in inconsistent & overcooked steaks.
The baked french onion soup, however, was quite tasty. Nice depth in flavours & the cheese was good. The fresh oysters were well shucked & went down smoothly & sweetly.
I wouldn't recommend the bananas foster for dessert. It's not worth $2 let alone $12. Too sweet in every way. The marmalade-like syrupy dressing the bananas & plate is drowning in as well as the vanilla ice cream with orange peel or such mixed in. Our server made that table-side, but I think I'd have preferred my dessert(s) be prepared by a proper pastry chef if that can't be had, in the least, a good line cook?
Love the small comfortable dining room. Good for catching up with friends, etc, chatting over a glass of wine or what have you & kept separated well enough from the front bar section. Definitely love the architecture, but none of us sees ourselves returning as we'd choose the consistency & quality of our usual default steakhouse in a heartbeat over the disappointing experience here.
Our service was adequate, friendly, but nothing exceptional. 2 ppl in our party commented that even Keg & Cactus' steaks are better....
We have not been to Hy's Encore for a few years and thought it would be nice to celebrate our anniversary there.
The ambiance is as others have mentioned like an old fashioned steak house (which is what it is). The lighting is very dim, perhaps too dim as I had trouble reading the menu. The prices seem to have gone up considerably since we were last there. I don't think there was an entree under $30.00.
Service was very good and we were well taken care of.
I think I'm generous when I rate the food as decent. When I'm paying $38.00 for a mixed grill my expectation is that the food will be better than what my husband cooks (he is not a cook but his cooking of steaks and lamb chops is far superior to what I had last night). The bill for cheese bread, Caesar salad, mixed grill, Cajun steak, creme brulee and a bottle of wine was $200.00 with tip. It was so not worth it.
It is unlikely that I would go back since we can have a much better meal at home.
If you take the various componenets that make up Hy's on Hornby individually, they don't amount to much: a Solid, maybe. But put together, you get the steakhouse experience you crave. It's dark and quite frankly, a little dingy, but you accept it because it's steeped in tradition and stories and characters and pretty good steak.
You notice from the time you enter that the place is full of character types; it's loud, and people are garrish - conservatively dressed. The waiter "Manuel" was a hoot. Dry as a popcorn fart jokes and an unerring sense of timing. The food ranged from OK to superb. It's traditional fare, a little boring in its conception, but put together amounts to a decadent meat driven experience. I won't deny there's something very sexual about a restaurant dedicated to eating chunks of meat (sorry PETA).
Overall, I give Hy's On Hornby an Outstanding rating because I had such a good time, for a relaively decent price (bottle of champagne included). Try it for the fun of it.
Probably the longest standing steakhouse in Vancouver. Use to be/have Hy's at the Sand's/and the Mansion(Macaroni Grill). It is richly decorated and furnished somewhere between a museam and a haunted house. The chairs are big and comfy. Anne the hostess has retired. Used to be popular with the stock traders. And still frequented by some high profile business people. Hy's is like seeing an old friend.
Went there for dinner was graciously seated without reservations. Our server has been with Hy's for over 45 years. Think about it for a second. 45 Years serving at the restaurant. I believe Annie the hostess was there the longest. I was in a rush and let them know in advance. Got our orders in and food came almost immediately. I know the cheese toast is greasy and possibly overpriced. But I think it is worth it. It is sinfully delicious. And have not had better anywhere else.
The ceasar salads used to be done tableside. Now it is done in the dining room but not at your side. Still made fresh to order. And the dressing is good and fresh as well. Can make your request how you want it done. Not many places will let you tell them how you want your cesar salad and dressing. Also had the Shrimp cocktail. Jumbo prawns served with housemade cocktail sauce.
The PR on this occasion was fatty and not very good. I had the porterhouse. which came out a little too red for my liking but i did want a rush on my food. and the porterhouses take so much longer to broil(bone in). so perhaps that is why. we were in and out in 40 minutes. pretty fast for a steak house dinner eh!.
FYI, the owner also owns Gotham's and The Keg.
I dont know what it is or why it is but I just love steaks. Im a frequent steakhouse diner and Hy's is definately one of if not the best steakhouses in the world. Ruths Chris, Mortons ? Hys is probably better. Perfect ambience in the dark castle like lit room. Dark wood pillars in a 1900's like antique furniture. These guys know how to make a rare Prime Rib ! Amazing Wine List to Boot. Average check for 4 for food only around $350.00.
Hy's needs to work on their service, we were seated for a good 15 minutes, with no one approaching to bring water or bread. We had to wave him down and when he was finally ready he brought bread over, that took about an approx. 25 minutes. The restaurant was busy but they were definitely not under staffed! The bread was the only thing that I liked, fresh and hot, the wine selection was average, the fresh oysters to start was alright, nothing special. The steak finally came after a long wait, the steak tasted average, I thought it was overly salty! I had to wave down my waiter for water several times and still had to wait awhile before I got my water. This place is not worth the money, poor service for average food! The ambiance was extremely loud and the seating was tight, the tables were put very close to each other, to the point where you could join in with your neighbors' conversations!
We had our company holiday dinner at Hy's this year and the food was delicious! We started out with cheese and garlic toasts which were slightly greasy but decidedly light (one toast was cut into 3 pieces for sharing). I enjoyed my medium rare NY strip, but had to remind the waiter (who has been with the restaurant 30 years!) about my drink order.
It was far too hot and noisy in the restaurant. I could not hear or carry on conversation with people more than a seat away, and two orders at the table were not what was ordered.
The dessert menu served up some standards - creme brulee, chocolate cake, and cheesecake. I tried the "frozen yogurt with fresh berries" (at $8.95) and was a little disappointed when it came with a cooked berry sauce.
Aside from that, the table service was great - water and wine were topped up several times, and staff were pleasant and accomodating.
Is it worth it? If I were to pay for my meal, it would have been approximately $80. I do not think I'd make it back to Hy's as there are better (and more inspiring) meals to be elsewhere. But....for a company dinner or to impress, Hy's would be a good bet.
Some people don't like the dark ambience of this place - but I personally loved it.
As for service, my only complaint was the hostess. She wasn't friendly at all. However, our server was simply fantastic. Greeted us by name, made excellent food suggestions, etc. The food was also fantastic. Portion sizes are not the largest, however, the food is absolutely delicious.
If you come here, you MUST have the cheese bread. It is to die for.
Definitely would recommend this place.
This review is a little on the tardy side as I went to Hy's a year and a half ago for New Year's Eve dinner so my apologies but scanning the reviews have the memories of my visit flooding back. My dining partner and I decided to go here for New Year's Eve dinner thinking it would be a great place to ring in the New Year. The room is old and dark some might say gloomy. For starters we both ordered shrimp cocktail , as memory serves me they were nice plump shrimp. I had a steak, my dining partner the ahi tuna. I enjoyed my steak but I must say the ahi tuna was really a stand out. The food was good not mind blowing good , but good. My big grip about the evening was the service. I got the impression that our server was a lifer at the place , been there and done that. Basically eat your meal and be on your way. He had no personality whatsoever.
Did not kibitz, did not take any interest in us, did nothing but take our order and bring our food. I am sorry, if you are dining in a place like Hy's , which isn't cheap btw, you want to be a little entertained or
at least feel a little special and keep in mind this was New Year's Eve. This server made us feel like we were at Whitespot and there was a family of four waiting for our table.
Our meal plus a bottle of wine was around $250.00 and for me that is a little on the pricey side. The food was decent however the service has left a bad taste in my mouth so much so that I haven't been back since.
I don't know what happened to my previous review, but anyway, I went again recently. That will be my last trip to Hy's. I was once a regular, but after trying to eat a tough piece of prime rib, that's it. I've never had so-called prime rib that wasn't tender before, and this will be the last time. I only got through half of the 12 ounce portion. I really liked the cheese bread, though.
Been here a few times and I'm impressed by everything about Hy's.I find the staff very professional and the inside of the place is exactly what I think a "steak house" should look like.Very old world style.The steak with green peppercorn sauce is really good and so are the side dishes.Although,I wish you didn't have to pay extra for each side dish.The twice baked/stuffed potato and the asparagus are both done well.Making the caesar salad at your table is a nice touch.
Overall,although its not a cheap dining experience its well worth it for the quality and atmosphere.
I have dined at Hy’s Encore with my fiancé on two separate occasions. The first time was excellent. I love steak, and I’m a tough-critic when it comes to a good steak. I must say though 10/10 on the steaks at Hy’s. The ambiance was very old-boys club style, which is great if you are in the mood, and typical of a true steak-house restaurant. My issue comes with the service. The first time I went the service was solid, efficient, and professional. However, the second time I loathed it. We had a pompous, arrogant, rude, un-professional server, who cared more about himself than his guests. Red flag people. Perhaps this individual won’t last in the business, but it certainly left a bad taste in my mouth and I haven’t been back since.
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