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Il Giardino is an upscale Italian restaurant downtown on Hornby. They are closed on holidays.
This has been my favourite restaurant for years. Sadly they got rid of my favourite appetizer, the prawns wrapped in potato with balsamic glaze, however, the beef tenderloin with red wine reduction continues to be my favourite entree. This is one of the best steaks in the city; it melts in your mouth. The bread is amazing, the service is wonderful, and the owner is always wandering about making sure everyone is happy.
The best ambiance is in the back area, not the bar seating, and the terrace is beautiful in the summer. Hands-down my all-time favourite romantic and/or celebration spot. Dining here makes for an evening in itself.
I've heard mixed reviews of this place but I just had to try it out for myself. My wife & I ate there last night. We were seated in the garden (outdoor seating) at a table that was sitting on an weird angle. We asked if we could switch to one of the 2 tables beside us & it seemed like a bit of a chore for them, then the hostess who sat us said that they were both reserved.. ok no problem. During dinner an older couple sitting near by didn't like their seats, I guess the sun was in their eyes so they moved them to the table that we weren't allowed to sit at, hmmm weird!
ok ok on to the dinner now.. Appies, the wife ordered the seared ahi tuna & I ordered a softshell crab & avocado salad. Both were very good. For the entree's I had the lobster,mushroom agnolotti & my wife had the duck. She loved the duck! It looked a little dry to me but she was happy. My pasta was very good, fresh & delicate. For dessert we had the Pecorino cheese with pear & truffle honey. Yummy as well. Overall everything I consumed was great, even the bread was good! It's a little pricy but I would give this place another try in the future, the food was great & the restaurant is beautiful inside.
I've been looking forward to trying Il Giardino for so long, and decided to capitalize on the Dineout 2008 menu to do so.
I started with the endive salad with pancetta and seared duck (very good), followed with the horseradish crusted sablefish with a vegetable medley (absolutely fabulous) and finished with white chocolate ganache cake (very good).
Our servers were attentive and prompt, and given the extremely busy Dineout event, they performed ably.
The room is a charming rustic italian in rich yellows and natural woods.
Still one of our favorite restaurants. Yes the are a bit on the pricey side but you do get value for your money here unlike some other high end restaurants.
When I made our reservations I requested a table overlooking the courtyard as these tables have a tendency to be a bit quieter.
Service was very good. We started off sharing an order of penne with Italian sausage. For the main course I had steak with peppercorn sauce and my husband had the duck. All of the dishes were superb. When I made reservations I had requested white chocolate mousse cake for dessert. They no longer have it on the nenu but it used to be one of my favorite dishes. I asked the waiter if the kitchen had prepared the dessert. Unfortunately, they were unable to honour my request. They did made a special dessert with white chocolate mousse but it was not what I had ordered and we did not care for it. It was too sweet for us. They did apologize and took the dessert off the bill.
We try to go to Il Giardino once a year and it is always a very special evening.
I have yet to experience a better Italian restaurant in Vancouver. The food was excellent; each plate was carefully prepared and tasted exquisite. The waiter was very efficient, although he left before giving us our cheque. I would like to have a dinner party in their private dining area before it closes down for the next couple of years due to hotel construction next door.
I had high expectations as I hadn't been here in a couple years. It has a great ambience and charm to it, the service was quite friendly although a little unattentive.
The sad thing is the best thing they have is the bread. I ordered a number of dishes including Spaghetti Carbonara that had bacon as dry as cardboard and cream? There's no cream in Carbonara and the waitress got argumentative over it. It was under seasoned and sadly lacking in any flavour. The cooks also didn't take the time to wipe the mess off the rim of the plate. (I've seen cleaner plates at Denny's).
The Osso Bucco was also a great dissapointment. It was braised just long enough to be called braised but not as tender as you'd expect it. It was covered in a bland tomato sauce that was watery and underseasoned. The saffron rice was decent, and the small pieces of veg you get were, well boring.
This place is the biggest scam on the market. Charging 38-45 for entrees! I don't understand how people can give this place anything more than 2.5 stars for food quality, unless they measure it SOLELY on portion size and pinch their nose while their eating.
Another example of a big disinterest in quality food in the city. Another establishment gone downhill and pillaging customers and serving them soul-less food.
I did enjoy the bread and the fact they carry Moretti beer.
Hubby and I went here for Dine Out Vancouver. Like others recently, I would have to agree that I felt rushed and a bit ...."cheated"?
I had the prawns and pasta for appetizer, sablefish and creme brulee. Hubby had the tuscan soup, sablefish and white chocolate raspberry ganache cake.
It was all good, but we felt the service was superficial. Efforts to engage the serving staff were rebuffed, and we were "in and out" very quickly.
This was our only "dine out" experience this year, and we were disappointed.
I came into this place with such high expectations since it was ranked #1 on dinehere.ca and many of times, these expectations fall flat but this was one of the rare exceptions.
Food: young romaine leaves (aka caesar salad) was very good (croutons are amazing but more needed!) and crispy soft shell crab was different but also very good - my only qualms with this dish was it was a bit small for the price but tasted great so not too much of a complaint. For my main, I ordered the half chicken roasted tuscan style which came out perfect - it takes 20 min but it was honestly roasted to perfection. Most places, the roast chicken is too dry and sauce too bland but this chicken was still moist on the inside and the flavoring was just perfect with just enough sauce. My bf had their agnolotti filled with crab meat and he just savored every bite because it was so good - may not be a wise choice for the very hearty as this dish was quite small. Raspberry chocolate ganache cake was also very good - nice and velvety with a dark chocolate crust at the bottom and the raspberry/orange (?) coulis that came with it was the perfect complement. Totally kicked Morton's ganache cake's ass...
Service: No pretentions aura felt here! It was just the right amount of service - not overwhelming but we were taken care of as well. Our server was kind enough to suggest that she take away our menus and eat our appies first and then order our mains since we couldn't decide between all the great dishes on the menu. The only problem is that they should really keep an eye out on water refills - many people, ourselves included, were out for a long time before any of the servers noticed.
Ambiance: A very warm place that welcomed all. They have a great patio that I am tempted to try sometime. Very full restaurant on a Fri night so reservations needed.
Would def. return if my bf's wallet can take another hit!!
These days can only afford Il Giardino during Dine Out Vancouver as the prices are very steep here. I mean really $21 for a Spinach Salad appetizer!! The food really is amazing tho. We had the Hot Spinach Salad with Tiger Prawns (only because ot was part of the Dine Out menu), Seafood Pasta that was cooked to perfection and an Orange Cake that didn't really grab this sweet tooth.
It was a very busy mid week night, tables are quite close together and it amazes me how many people arrived out for dinner with baby strollers in such a small place! The noise level was so high it would keep any baby awake let alone allow the adults to have a conversation without yelling. The loud chatter does not make for a relaxed ambience. We left earlier than usual and found a quiet coffee bar to relax and enjoy some conversation.
We arrived at opening, do to our plans for the evening. Another couple joined us moments after. Initially welcomed nicely through the door, upon entering, there seemed a tension in the air as staff bustled about. Not a jovial team looking forward to the evening. They seemed disconnected and in heavy thought. I jokingly whispered with regard to a possible 'pissy' staff meeting. None the less we were very much looking forward to our meal, and savoring the beautifully adorned establishment. Unfortunately, our waitress was impassive with a dry tone. We murmured amongst ourselves that she must be having an off day, or conceivably, the staff meeting...hardy har. We discussed returning in the near future to enjoy the alluring patio. Appetizer, bottle of vino, and entree all topped the charts, yet, sadly our waitress's demeanor persevered into dessert. The discussion became uncomfortable as we were disconcerted by our experience and observations. Our collaborative resolve was 15%, all be it generous considering her pronounced vivacious attentiveness to the adjacent table.
It represented value in the food and surroundings only. On exiting I experienced a slight yet effective sweep of an arm going up the stairs. Then turning to find it was attached to the very person that served our table.( very unsure what to make of this) Walking out the doors we proclaimed our experience with shock and bewilderment.
Extremely unfortunate as we all would have loved to make it a regular visit. Instead only a question mark remains.
We were a party of four, and our meals were great. We have no complaints about the food, and dessert (cheesecake) was fabulous too. The ambiance is inspiring, a lofty room with a tremendous wine selection on display.
Unfortunately, we had horrifying service. Our waitress was rude and brusque. Maybe it's because we are under 40, or because we were the first people at the restaurant (we had to make the Eddie Izzard show, so we ate at 5:30 pm), but she really hated us. We figured it was just a bad night for her, but she was all smiles with the older and obviously well-heeled table beside ours.
My food was thrown down in front of me at terminal velocity. The cannelloni actually shifted up the side of the bowl, which crashed into my wine glass and nearly knocked it over (I caught it).
We still tipped 15%, because we felt the kitchen deserved it. Unfortunately, this was the wrong thing to do, as later when we were heading towards the door our crazy waitress physically pushed my (quite short) girlfriend in the back, apparently to get her out of the way. She stumbled forward on her heels and the waitress brushed past without a word of apology.
Afterwards, we stood on the sidewalk outside, stunned by what had happened. My recommendation: stay away. There are other great Italian places in Vancouver. Fantastic food isn't enough to overcome the distinct feeling that you are held in contempt by your waitress, for whatever reason.
Eddie Izzard was great though, and thus the evening was salvaged.
We dined here last night. It's our third time at Il Giardino, and the food is very good, definitely above average for Italian food. I dont find the experience as amazing as everyone else here makes it sound. The service felt about the same as a Milestones or Earls. I felt like I was in a casual dining restaurant not a fine dining one.
The food is very good for what it is, but very pricey. The food at La Cucina in North Vancouver is equal in quality and flavour to here, but no where near as expensive.
I think they run more on reputation that allows them to charge more for the food and service than its really worth.
Honestly, I probably will return, it is a good restaurant, but I dont find it to be fine dining, its just a casual dining trattoria, and people who havent been there before should know what to expect.
I am quite the critic when it comes to Italian food, so to me the food overall was at bar level- not above or below. .The one thing I did notice was the appies seemed as the though they were made hours before, lettuce was limp-crusty stuff was damp etc. Positives, nice drink selection although no drink list, good selection of wines. Service was fine, ambiance was very nice...perfect, we wanted a quite spot and they put us on their side patio- very nice. Our visit was mid-week so not to busy.
Ive been coming to this place for quite some time now, celebrated My new years eve 3 times in a row, and its been fantastic, food is amazing!!!
The food is just like an Italian Famiglia will cook ya at home, trust me and I'm Italian myself!! It's very disappointing reading all the bad reviews, it's too bad cuz this place is a gem....
As for Dineout,$35.00 will never be the same as, "No Dineout" at $90.00
You pay for what you get....
Quailty vs.Quantity
Service is Fantastic!!!!
They also have great espresso in a great thick rimmed cup, now thats what you call a good espresso!!!
I order pasta(gnocchi) with a gorgonzola sauce all the time, and its not even on the menu, and "guess what guys"They say "eh" No problem it can be done.... Now thats what you call Great Service....
You want real Italian food, come here!!!
All of Umberto Menghi"s restaurants are "The Best"
I went there for a special Christmas get together with my girlfriends (12 of us) admittedly some time ago during X-mas 2008. However I can't imagine much has changed since this place is doing so well.
Let's face it 12 girls who on average weigh 110lbs are not going to eat much or drink that much. I spend a lot of money on food, however as a whole we are unable to eat very much. It's the laws of nature Small size = Small stomach. This establishment is very much a place with service is dependent on your ability to consume. Our waiter was never negligent but often seemed patronizing.
But everybody has different thresholds for service.
Regarding the food, *sigh* first let me qualify by saying I have probably turned food back once in the past 5 years. Additionally, one of my gfs there works at a high-end restaurant herself and is very conscious of restaurant dining etiquette. Her and I both ordered the same dish, some sort of pasta with seafood, and both of us had to turn our food back while feeling almost guilty doing so. The shrimp and scallops in the seafood were previously frozen which would could have accepted (albeit not expected in such an establishment) but the problem was that it suffered from freezer burn. It was cardboardy and had the texture of pork that had been severely overcooked. Another girl also had to send her dish back. Keep in mind we're the sort that will only ever make negative comments to one another and NEVER to a restaurant to have a waiter send it back.
It's already awkward sending food back but a server's reaction can make or break your mindset after the fact. Our server was not amused. It was evident he didn't agree with our opinions. If it were just me and another person it may have been slightly uncomfortable the rest of the evening.
Regarding the value rating- it's a 3 as it's not overpriced for whats it's presenting itself to be but it's also not an inexpensive restaurant. So it gets a middle of the road rating.
The restaurant also seems to cater to chachi types. IE. those who strut around with skantily clad girls and drink and yell loudly during dinner and wear their button up shirts wide open with a gold chain dangling in front. The table next to us was that type and they were often yelling and attempting to join into our dinner conversation trying to one up their boys. If you're looking for a rambunctious night out this won't affect your much. But I did feel for the middle aged couple seated against the wall in our particular room of this restaurant
This restaurant just has a total poser feel to it. This is one of the very few restaurants in the city where I would actually decline to go back to if somebody suggested it or held an event there.
To start off the evening, the valet parking service was not pleasant at all, he was kinda rude for what he does. We were greeted at the door right as we walked in, although we had a reservation and a dinner table looked prepared we were asked to wait as they claimed our dinner table was not ready. After 15 minutes, we were seated at our table which was prepared the minute we walked in. Not sure why they made us wait for a table when they had a table for the 12 of us to begin with..We started off with drinks and appetizers. The dishes we got were all disappointing, the tastes of all the dishes we ordered were all off, either way too bland or too salty. With exception of the salmon carparccio, it was done quite nicely, thinly sliced and prepared with a nice light taste. I ordered a rack of veal chop, which was extremely salty! I normally enjoy eating very tasty dishes too but this was way too salty. My 2 girlfriends ordered the grilled salmon and that was fine, the taste was mild and the salmon was juicy and tender. Another ordered pasta and that too was extremely salty, to the point where we had to ask for another order made for her. The food here is average for the price if you ask me and there is no consistency on the taste. Spend your money somewhere else!
This is our "date night" restaurant because we have never (and don't expect to be) disappointed by the food, service, or ambiance. My husband and I came during Dine Out and lowered our expectations somewhat as we thought they might skimp on food quality or service, like some other restaurants do--but everything was still excellent! The servers and their helpers are rather busy at times so your water and bread may take a while, and the decor inside could do with a bit of freshening up, but nevertheless, we will be going to Il Giardino again and again!
Fantastic! One of the best meals I have had in Vancouver. Service is tight, and complimented the food. The room has a very cozy feel, and made me feel at home. Prices are high, but with fair value. I will return for sure, possibly until I have tried the entire menu. Incredible private dinning room for 16.
In many ways I agree with grnbastard's review of Il Giardino. The food here is very good, though a bit pricey. But very good Italian food is very easy to find in this city. What really matters is service.
I'm sure if I was some celebrity, or rich regular, we would have had better service. It looks like for anyone of us regular people, we should feel privileged just to be allowed in the doors of this place.
The waiter was rude, rushed us for our orders. When we wanted to order more drinks, we could not get attention-he was busy with another table of apparent high rollers-as he had mentioned to us. They were apparently some very rich regulars that demand extra special attention, so we have to pay for it.
I will never return here, as I don't really enjoy being made to feel like I'm a nobody-especially when I'm paying for it.
Came here for "dine out" Vancouver when it was super busy. Expecting poor service and a watered down menu, I was pleasantly surprised.
Food & service was first rate and depite the high volumes of people staff was curteous, prompt and timing of food was perfect.
Each dish I had was cooked to perfection with excellent presentation.
I want to go back again and was definetely impressed one of the better restaurant in Vancouver without overly snotty prices like "C"..where it's more show than substance.
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