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The Locus on Main Street is an eatery with a funky, grunge interior serving an eclectic menu.
Bland eggs with wild boar, server spilled water on the table and me. Instead of offering to perhaps comp us something, when I asked to have part of the meal packed up the salad was put in with the eggs and bread. UGH! Now i can just throw the soggy mess out. And it was $13.50!
Bread basket with 2 homemade breads and accompanying butters is a nice touch.
Otherwise friendly service, but not cheap. Noticed $9 for granola with yogurt and fruit...Please... this place NOT the Fairmont!!
This place is usually always a solid choice. The food is good quality and well prepared and they have enough veggie options to keep my happy. The service is friendly, although not always prompt. I appreciate the brunches in particular, as the prices are very fair. The coffee is excellent and the atmosphere is fun/funky without trying too hard.
My husband and I are fairly regular customers at the Locus. Despite living in Kits, we don't mind making the longer trip over to Main Street as we find the food to be consistently excellent and the value unbeatable. We particularly like the supplementary menu items offered on the dinner specials sheet, which include a couple of soups, an appetizer, and three different entrees - meat, fish, and vegetarian. I typically choose a fish entree while my husband loves the steak. My absolute favourite item on the menu is the black cod. It is cooked to perfection every time and the flavours of the dashi broth are incredible. Most often we share a bottle of wine along with an appetizer, two mains, and a dessert. Their warm apple cherry crumble with vanilla ice cream is delicious and tastes even better coupled with a strong americano. For all of that, our typical bill is an astounding $120. Considering that the quality of food, ingredients, portions, and sheer innovation in constructing dishes equals and in many cases exceeds a number of higher end or fine dining restaurants here in Vancouver, the value at Locus is truly outstanding. We will keep coming back.
I went there today for the first time. From the moment I entered I loved it. The ambiance was so warm and friendly, I felt like I had been going there for years. The people were very friendly, the decoration was different and interesting.
We ordered brunch and it was freakin awesome.
I'll be back soon!
This place has been around for as long as I can remember and it does really well. It's always packed during peak times.
I've only been here twice, but it seems as though the menu changes quite often. I ordered a grilled chicken burger the first time, which was not bad, and the second visit I was told they don't serve chicken... Anyways, I like the fact that they serve kangaroo meat (not sure about anymore). I mean where in Vancouver do they serve kangaroo meat??? Brought me back to my backpacking trip down-under in 2006. Not a huge fan of kangaroo meat, but having it once in a blue moon is a nice change. The food itself is solid - it's definitely a place worth checking out if you want to get away from the Earl's, Milestones, Cactus Clubs, etc.
The restaurant is really dark inside, and it's super loud, so it's not exactly the best date place.
Another unique to Main Street restaurant that I recommend.
I like the atmosphere, though the inside seems to seat fewer than the outside/street/patio-for-chainsmokers. The food was well prepared, delicious fish! The service was friendly. The art on the walls were beautiful and are by independant artists putting it up to sell. It's a nice place to sit and chat and dine. =)
Me and my husband come here often and there are a couple things that we always notice; the food is always amazing, however there is always a lack of staff. We usually come in for brunch on sat or Sunday and there are only two servers, which does not seem like a lot considering the size and amount of tables each of them have. Although we love this place, the atmosphere and the food, it always seems like they are always short staffed during brunch. My husband and I like to converse and joke with our waitresses, but they simply have no time b/c they have so many tables to look after. Although we love this place we feel like there is a lack of customer service, b/c they are always short staffed.We would really like to see more of our server . I feel bad because both my husband and i were in the food industry for years and can see their frustration and stress b/c both of us have been there too. Like we said we really enjoy this place, but we would like to see some changes on the service front.
Went there with a group of about 6 people. At first one person asked for separate bills or itemized sections per person with a subtotal. Watiress refused.
It took us about 3 hours to for 6 people to have dinner at this place as the service was painfully slow. We didn't even have appetizers. Waitress was not too knowledgable about the wines either. There was also some weird bus boy I guess who looked like a cross between a bellboy and a train conductor, in a plaid shirt. He looked totally out of place and unprofessional.
Ok so the entrees are all about 16-20 bucks up there. Many were pasta which I find hard to justify in that price range. After ordering food took close to an hour to come. Ordered wine to have with my entree but that came right away - I guess soI'd order another with the meal, which I had to. Ten bucks for 2 inches of wine in a 6" glass.
When the food came it was good, but not as good as expected I think. Most people were a tinge disappointed. No one raved. The people who had pasta and other dishes got normal size servings while one person got one scoop of rice with six small prawns on top for $17. I'd be pizzed.
Everyone had dessert. The preson who had the pecan pie liked his best. Lemon meringue pie was ok and the hazelnut mousse cake was not especially preferred. Everyone had coffee and they kept coming by waitress and odd bu dude asking if we wanted refills. Everyone had at least a couple. When the bill came we had no idea they were charging for refills! No one said that and I have never ever heard of that outside of a a place with a drivethrough.
We finally had to ask for the bill and waited. One person again asked for separate bills and was ignored. When the bill came it was a mish mash all on one bill. We complained and so the busy boy - get this - pulled up a chair, sat at our table for 10 minutes and asked each person what they had and wrote it down by hand. He then disappeared for over 15 minutes. One person had to go feed the parking meter twice while waiting. He then finally came back and handed out the bills. He then processed each credit card painfully slowly on an OLD tableside machine. This took another 15 minutes. So, 45 minutes of our three hours was trying to pay the bill. Stupid and unacceptable.
I would only go there again maybe for brunch with one other person - they cannot handle more than 2 at table it appears.
7 years ago, this funky Main Street eatery had some Ethiopian inspired dishes like cilantro pesto pasta, tasty, decadent, finger-lickin' grilled sandwiches for lunch, and interesting meats on the dinner menu. Now, it's a yuppy filled brunch place that is way too loud and way too crowded to be cool. I mean young families bring babies in their strollers (who's offspring fling spoons under our table!). The chicken clubs that my friend and I ordered contained under-seasoned chicken breasts. The salad dressing that came with the sandwich was bland. And this came at a whopping $12!!! Underwhelmed!
They really do have the best brunch in town. It's not completely cheap, but it's totally reasonable for the food! The brunch specials are really, really tasty, a little inventive and the combinations are really well matched, I had one of the best omlettes ever at this place. The martinis (in the morning) were fab, and the fresh americanos are hands down better than drip coffee. The servers are efficient, and friendly, though I'm sure they are really busy all morning long, so I can't blame them for any longer than average waits.
We don't come here enough for brunch, but it's really got some of the best tasting brunch food I've had in the city.
Went to The Locus for lunch the other day, had a nice club sandwich and lemonade.
Food was good all-around, as others have noted, the bread they give you is extremely good with a nice spread to put on it. Service was just a hair on the slow side - our table had a lot to talk about, so it wasn't bad, but waiting around 30 minutes for lunch seemed a bit too long considering it wasn't all that busy.
Ambience is good, if a bit cramped. During the day, seats in the back can be quite dark, so getting a table up front by the windows is much better.
I have been to The Locus several times in the past few years. What I love about it the most is the atmosphere. The Locus has a cool feel to it that makes it unique. There are vines going from the bar to the ceiling as well as some other funky fixtures. There are booths, tables, and a bar to choose from.
The beer selection isn't the best but it suffices and quenches the thirst. They don't seem to change it very often either. The menu is great and what I love to order the most are the burgers. The last time I went I had a juicy lamb burger and god potatoes (not greasy fries) and a salad. I was fulfilled and could barely finish my second pint.
The service is good and I've never had a problem with it. There is a high turnover in staff but perhaps that is just coincidence since I only go every couple of months.
I wouldn't recommend this place to relax on a Saturday night however. We learnt this one evening as our experience felt more club-like than lounge like. They had a DJ (well 2) and the music was WAY to loud. We had to shout at our table to communicate. I think the DJ idea is cool but they just need to lower the volume and keep the lounge atmosphere intact.
All in all this is a good place with great food.
Reserved a table for 7 the day before, but four people dropped out by the time I got to the restaurant. The servers were very good-natured about the whole thing, and seated us promptly at a smaller table.
I had the benny special, with a side of lamb sausage. The food was quite good, (the sausage was great, actually) and the coffee was delicious.
Oddly enough, the service started out really well, but slowly deteriorated into a bit of a mess. I had to ask for a refill of coffee from four different people; one told me to ask my server (fair enough), two took the order but never came back, and the man who so kindly seated us was the one who finally brought it within two or three minutes of me asking. Not sure if this was just when the servers were getting busy, but that is why the service was a 3 instead of a 4 in this review.
Overall, a happy experience. Will keep this one in mind for the future, as it seems like a safe bet for a good brunch.
My boss recommended this restaurant. She doesn't even cook, I guess that's why she doesn't know what she's talking about.
The Locus' service is absolutely poor. It was like we were invisible. Waited for 10 minutes for water.
Food is alright, a bit unusual, can't even say it's good.
Will I ever go back? NO!
I haven't been the The Locus in years and when I did I think it was always for drinks. My first time there for dinner was such a tasty surprise! Both my friend and I loved our meals (risotto and halibut sandwich), the portions were huge, the service was great, the place is beautiful, all in all a lovely evening out :)
I went for lunch at the bar on Saturday as I felt like having someone else cook after I had cut a piece off my index finger while engaged in food prep on Friday night (2.5 hours in emergency waiting for treatment--another story).
I had the elk burger with salad and pan fries. While the bartender took my order which included holding the mayo and the cheese, the owner came over to confirm it before he put the order in. The order was not that exotic. I started with a glass off Strongbow on tap. Always nice to have something other than the usual Growers and Okanagan varieties.
After I finished my cider, I asked for a glass of their BC merlot. They did not have any. Switched to chianti. The burger was good. The salad was fresh, albeit not terribly exciting.
I ended up talking to both the owner and the head chef. The owner indicated that the menu was shifting to take into account the more sophisticated tastes of the diners. The north wall of the restaurant would be repainted. (This means that the dark and murky ambiance might change.) The chef indicated that things like kangaroo would be added to the menu. There will continue to be four to six veggies per entree.
Overall, the Locus is okay, but I am not sure whether the kitchen staff is up to more sophisticated. Aurora Bistro down the street will likely continue to be Main Street's sophisticated restaurant for the forseeable future.
The table service can be hit and miss ( I have dined here about once a month since it opened).
As for ambiance, a repaint might be nice for the very very dark walls. The bar counter has been redone. The bar stools ned some help as it appears that most of them have burst a seam or two.
Chowman
I had lunch at The Locus the other day.
I had a soup and sandwich, espresso and a glass of wine.
The soup was the best part of the meal, and it wasn't anything to write home about: A cream of butternut squash. It was very smooth, but maybe could have been a little more flavourful. Either way, I enjoyed it.
My sandwich was a bison sirloin on a grilled panini with grilled apples and chedder cheese. The Bison was very very tough, and I couldn't even chew through some of the pieces. When I did get a good picece, it was nice.... but there wasn't that much of it on the sandwich anyway. The apples and cheddar was actually a nice combo, wasn't sure if it would work when I ordered it.
The service was friendly although a little slow... but I don't expect great service at a place like this and I was sitting outside away from most of the other people...either way, it was fine.
The ambiece was great as I was sitting outside in the sunshine watching Main street walk by.
I've been here a few times over the years, but the last time I ate I felt the bar had been raised. I had the lunch special that was creativley altered for my multiple food allergies and the fish was cooked perfectly. The staff was very gracious and seemingly excited to work with the challenge I tend to present everytime I eat out. I was AMAZED. We sat by the fireplace which was great on these cold days. I will come back much more often for sure.
I'd heard nothing but good things about Locus before I went here, and I was pretty disappointed.
Our service was okay at best, although our food came back wrong and we couldn't apparently get it customized to suit our tastes (as in, we asked for no tomato and ended up with it, twice). We had a large group and were put in tables literally across the restaurant from each other, despite making a reservation.
The food was NOT up to the hype at all. It was on the poor side of average, and we waited a fairly long time for it.
All in all, not impressed. I'm not going back.
lots of negative reviews, which suprises me.
i dig it.
food is good, i was fairly impressed though nothing over the top mind blowing. the service is fine, though i was sitting at the bar because there was no seeting, but then again there never is on a friday night on main st.
drinks were good, price is fine. the place is really cute as well. overall fine expereince both times i've dined here.
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