Do a search below using the city or postal code search box if your city is not listed above.
Get dining news including restaurant closures and qualify for giveaways.
Rodney's is an oyster bar in Vancouver's trendy Yaletown.
After watching a sporting event, my wife and I were looking for a place to have late night snack. On the way to Yaletown, we got full on nailed by a wall of water from a car hitting a puddle. Because we were busy yakking, a huge amount of water ended up in both of our mouths. A couple of 20somethings across the street were trying to stifle their laughs. I would probably laugh too, as we were both drenched from head to toe, while wandering around an expensive part of the city. I imagine locals know the puddle. First world problem.
We showed up at Rodney’s looking gross and mucky…. almost like an umbrella on the floor of a bus. The hostess had trouble finding us a spot, but a server intervened and seated us. After hearing our first world suffering, he got us some drinks and menu’s.
The appies were great, especially the smoked salmon and indian candy, and the oysters were as advertised. The server comped some our bill because “he felt guilty about splashing someone with a puddle years ago”. That is kick but friendly service that will have us coming back. Anyone can shuck and serve oysters and drinks – the food speaks for itself. However, when the service is great, the food tastes better.
While looking at some of the other reviews, service seems to have been inconsistent. Maybe we caught this waiter on a good day, but I don’t think so.
We left soaking wet and uncomfortable, but at least we were satisfied with the service and food at Rodney’s.
Low tide is Rodney's version of Happy Hour, except for oysters. Fresh-shucked raw oysters, at only a buck-fifty a piece. That's not bad! Low tide runs from 3-6 daily, and also gives you some other options, such as steamed clams and mussels, for example. When I went, I had the steamed mussels and a good helping of raw oysters.
The service there isn't too bad, the servers are more than happy to explain each of the sauces that accompany the oysters to the table (make sure to load up the oysters with a couple if you've never tried before; it's delicious) and quickly brought fresh bread when we ran out, without charge. You'll need the bread if you buy steamed mussels, because dipping the bread into the juice it is steamed in is HEAVEN.
Valuewise, the Rodney's is probably ok. I've never been outside of Low Tide this one time, but during Low Tide it is totally worthwhile and I'd definitely be back. I skimmed the dinner menu though, and the price jump is pretty steep. I think I'd rather go to Joe Fortes for a seafood/oyster dinner, but Rodney's during the day can't be beat.
You may also enjoy the setup. It's a small, two-level building right in yaletown that has a rustic, warm atmosphere, and it's always busy. You feel like you're right on the warf inside... in a good way!
Came here during the week to try the low tide specials from 3-6pm. Called twice the week before to get a reservation and they indicated that they do not take reservations but much to my surprise when I arrived at 5pm, they said the large tables were reserved. They said they changed their policy a few days earlier but I understand from other people, this policy seems to flip flop. The low tide special has one type of oyster at $1.50, approx. 1/2 which makes a big difference if you order a few dozens. Some of the other speicals such as the mussels - over cooked and not very good, scallops - good, pan fried oysters - excellent, are approx. $5 off. Service is a lacking as per the previous reviews and the servers seem to be proud of this reputation. Value is there for the low tide period but wouldn't bother going otherwise. Ambiance is all right for a casual place. Would only return for low tide.
A lively Yaletown joint great for groups of friends on any weeknight. I loved the ambiance of this place. Very eclectic, yet homey and warm. The service is okay, kind of spotty. I think we only saw our server a few times and if we wanted something it took him forever to come back. We had a few oysters by the shell dishes which were really nice especially with their nice selections of sauce/spice add ons. We also tried their hot seafood items which included a cooked oyster dish and I think it was clam chowder. Those items were meh. But if you like Oyster and don't want to shuck them yourselves, then Rodney's is the place to be. Great Yaletown Gem. =)
Having a meeting at 8pm in Yaletown, we needed something quick. A friend suggested oysters - fast and easy.
We arrived around 7pm for our first time at Rodney's, and were seated immediately.
The menu did not have a raw oysters section, nor did they have a board stating the oysters on offering - at least not in the upper level where we were seated.
15 mins, finally someone comes by. "Drinks?" I said we were ready to order everything, and were admonished soundly. "Well, I'm taking care of drinks first." Yikes.
Drinks come, and the same server asks if we are ready to order. I guess he missed our readiness first time 'round.
But, excited about some fresh oysters, I cheerily say, "So what raw oysters do you have on tap?"
"On tap!?!?" he sneers.
Sheepishly, I reply "Oh, it was just an expression."
"Oh, is that an expression we have now?" he snidely replies.
Unsure if I was astonished more by his social or service incompetence, I asked right out: "What oysters do you have this evening?"
He emits an incredulous laugh, and his face turns red in anger. "Well!" he shouts. "We've got all kinds of oysters! We've got 12 kinds. Shall I tell you every one of them? Is that gonna mean anything to you?!"
My dining partner and I exchanged stunned glances. No oyster menu... no oyster chalkboard or list... and since this is an oyster house, I guess asking about the oysters is a pretty reasonable question. Since I don't work at Rodney's, I certainly don't know how it goes - so do you just say, "A dozen oysters" and let the server randomly select some for you? If that's true, why couldn't he just say that?
I still can't tell you what we were supposed to have done. He shouted a few sarcastic questions... "So do you like them meaty? Creamy? We have all kinds, you know. What do you want? West coast? East coast?" He was clearly incensed - though at my work, I'm delighted to have customers. I guess not everyone is.
My bad for not walking out right there. We quietly ordered 6 raw oysters and some steamed clams.
Later, another very good server (thus the 2-star rating) noted in shock that the table that had come in after us received their food first, and that our server had not given us any bread, though all other tables had some. The same, good server, when clearing the empty clam shells, was surprised that our hot clams had been served before our raw oysters, which took a good 20 mins to come. (6 of them, remember.)
We left angry, more for the demeaning attitude of the first server, and when the bill came and it was tip time, he was sweet as pie.
We tipped in accordance with our experience, and we will never go back. I guess with the Olympics coming, some restaurants aren't worried about providing a nice experience. My money will go elsewhere.
Unfortunately the popularity of this place has swelled the heads of every server, bartender and host at this restaurant to a point where they all feel that giving attitude to all the diners is actually enhancing the experience.
I'm all for a fun, lively atmosphere, but I certainly don't enjoy the declining service of this place. I have been there a number of times over the years, and this past week was the worst. Definitely go there if you enjoy oysters (they are great, and the selection of sauces etc is nice), but don't expect to actually be told how much anything costs in advance, nor what they have available. They'll make you feel like an idiot for asking. Just sit back, enjoy the food and then be ready for the heart attack when the bill actually comes. (They definitely push the $3.50/oyster selection!)
Also recommend to take cash - it took us over 30 mins to finally pay by credit card - with the machine having to be brought to your table and your server is hovering over you as you pay, encouraging you to tip well.
There are other great restaurants for oysters, with a much better overall experience, I'm sorry to say.
We lived above Rodneys for nearly two years. You couldn't be more in the heart of yaletown or evening action than in the couple block stretch surrounding Rodney's. The place is SO cute, it's super adorable ... The wood floors, fishermans wharf theme, the afterwork crowds at the bar ... Loud & full of people this place has energy, a vibe - it's fantastik!!
... Problem is getting a solid meal is impossible. :(
we tried, man did we try to eat there, enjoy the place, see value & appreciate the food. Rodneys to us seemed like a perfect place, especially since we lived in the penthouse upstairs and after a long day at work could just mosy on in instead of cooking.
Food wasn't special. Servers have sense of entitlement. Overpriced for value. Sorry Rodney's - we tried.
Overyhyped. Limited menu selection. Oyster variety is minimal to non-existent. Fresh enough for the items, but nothing extraordinary. Nice decor. That's about it. Overrated by far.
A group of 8 of us dined recently at Rodney's (a first time for all of us) for a surprise birthday party and had a wonderful time. The food was excellent and the service was incredibly attentive. We had a number of waiters help us and two went above and beyond.
Everything was very fresh and of high-quality. My sister and l particularly enjoyed the potato encrusted scallops, my husband the smoked salmon and my cousin the Haida Gwaii candy, and everything else was very good too. The ambiance is fun and nautical. Recommend to others and will definitely return.
I don't understand how others received the bad service they say they did and as for people complaining about price, the price is very reasonable considering the high-quality and freshness of the seafood and the fact that this restaurant is in downtown Vancouver.
We went to Rodney’s Oyster House this past weekend – this has got to be one of the most overrated places out there. Service was truly awful. Since when do you walk into a restaurant and have a waiter yell at you from across the room to go grab a menu yourself from a bucket as he’s too busy loafing behind the counter. Then you go to grab a menu only to find that there are none where he said there were and you spend a couple of minutes looking through various buckets and shelves for one and give up so you take one from a bucket they have outside only to get yelled at by the waiter in front of other diners to put it back. (Brutal!) At which point he eventually hands you one from behind the bar with the most pathetic attitude. It’s really a shame that the service was so bad as the food was decent. I will NOT go back there and will be passing this info onto others. Bad services seems to be a trend these days in Vancouver and I’m certainly not spending my hard earned cash in a place like this where wait staff can’t be bothered to actually provide service.
I work in Yaletown so it is convinient to get to Rodney's after work. I know to make a reservation if it is a group of us or I may drop in for a drink after work. First the wait staff is cute. I usually appreciate the blonde waitresses serving me.
The menu is mostly seafood.
The place gets busy but for good reason. The food is good and they have a complete wine menu.
The ambiance can be bus.,They get busy around 6 since they have an alcohol menu and after work revellers who don't want to go home. Good place for dinner too if I lived close.
Rodney's is substantially busy, and understandably so. Waitstaff service was exceptional - the waiters really know their menu and wine list, and have honest recommendations for every palate. The oysters (that I had a chance to try) were delicious, and I loved that there were a selection of sauces to try them with. The banana pepper chutney was my favourite! The clam chowder, however, was nothing special. It was lukewarm and had about three clams in the entire bowl.
Upon entering Rodneys, we were told that there would be a wait, and shoved into the back holding area that served a (very) limited menu. In my opinion, this is Rodney's way of gouging you. You're waiting, you're getting increasingly hungry, and subsequently you end having to order more booze and appetizers that you may not have ordered, had you gotten proper seating in the first place.
We were held ransom for over an hour. The hostess did not come by to check on us or to update us on our seating situation, while there were empty seats upstairs and in the main lounge area. When we questioned this, we were told to wait while they checked with management / waitstaff / ??? about the status of those tables. We weren't told anything by the hostess until we left fifteen minutes later when we were exiting the restaurant.
The restaurant looked like it had so much to offer, but it would take a lot for me to forget this first experience. There are loads of other places in Vancouver for raw oysters and delicious seafood - Joe Fortes, Monk McQueens, Fish House, or Provence. None of them have notably snotty, unexperienced hostesses waiting at the door.
Went there w/ some friends. In general, a good experience. Left feeling full, but spent more than I had wanted to.
Ambiance was decent. Decor makes you feel like you're eating by the dock. Chairs not so comfortable and it was bit too noisy--hard to hear my friends, had to talk very very loud.
I have no complaints whatsoever about the food. Well, maybe the price~i know it's seafood, but found it a little expensive. Go between 3-6 for much cheaper oysters. We had 3 diff types of oysters (very fresh), crabcakes (no fillers!), scallops (SO good), pan-fried oysters, house salad, Manhattan chowder, and steamed mussels (tasty sauce, great to dip your bread in). Drinks were avg in price and selection.
Service was, um, interesting. First guy who came to our table used expletives. I understand this is a casual atmosphere, but there are other words he could've used. Other than that, service was okay. They could've been faster w/ the bread.
Worth going to at least once, to try it out.
Rodney's was a great night out. We had an early dinner at 6pm, we were seated immediately & served shortly after. The service was the best I have ever had & I have travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Australia & North America. The food was excellent. It's not fine dining seafood yet but small tweaks to some dishes will see it on par with the best seafood I have ever eaten. The scallops are simply sublime, the oysters are also great. The best part was the smart, attentive and knowlegable servers.
I was in town from Halifax visiting my sons who treated me to dinner at Rodney's. I loved it! The food was great and the dining experience was fun as well as tasty. The ambience made me feel right at home. The servers and bar staff seemed to genuinely like their jobs and they were entertaining to watch. I ate at many great places while visiting BC this summer (2010) and Rodney's rates among those at the top without a doubt.
I was going to Yaletown and stubled upon this place. There was a menu on the outside for "Low Tide". I was quite impressed. When I read reviews on this, I thought it was an expensive, snooty place.
The "Low Tide" menu had the raw oysters on there for half price ($1.50/each). I think it was only Sunday to Thursday. It was so......good. Their pan friend oysters were also VERY tasty.
I thought the service wasn't bad at all. The waiters there were nice and funny. However, the only complaint I have for the waitress that brought me to the table was quite rude. I wasn't too sure what was wrong, but she seems quite cranky. I thought with the spirit of the other waiters, the two waitresses would atleast have some kink of spunk, but some peeved her off and she's taking it out on the rest of the customers, which is quite unfortunate.
After the dinner, I ordered a Chocolate Mousse. I thought it was quite expensive. It was $6.25 for a small portion.
I stop by after work all the time with co-workers, there oysters are awesome, and big and I can still finish them because they are so good. The staff is always very friendly. The ladies are quite accommodating to the eyes (blond). The prices are cheap, especially wine is priced with reasonable mark up! They have lots of other fare, people in my party ordered burgers, calamari and shrimp and everyone seemed to enjoy.
Overall, really happy with my experience with Rodneys and I will gladly come back. I came on a Sunday, which apparently has a random oyster on special for $1.50, which is a great price. So the oysters were good, and also came with some nice sauces.
As per the main, I had the pasta with scallops. Not a very complex dish, just some scallops in a spicy/cream sauce, but really tasty. My girlfriend has the potato encrusted halibut, which was definitely tasty but wasn't a very exciting dish.
Overall, tasty food and good service, but not a high end meal. Bill wasn't outlandish though so I would say try it.
Rodneys has always been a favourite or ours. Having recently just moving back to the city after working in New York was craving Oysters.
Settling back in Yaletown decided to hit Rodneys friday night. Excellent service with top notch Kushi's !
Reasonable for Yaletown and much more reasonable than eating oysters at Blue Water. Comfy joint but needs a revamp in the dining room. All in all, thumbs up !
Experienced a great dinner at Rodney's and particularly noticed how much fun and upbeat the wait staff were at this operation . The deep fried oysters are nicely presented and very filling and tasted great . we also shared the garlic prawns which were perfectly cooked and the sauce to die for especially to dip bread into . The room is a little loud and the white wine list is a very limited in the $30.00 range . Overall great food and a fun environment and will be back .
| 1. | Society Restaurant & Lounge (30 m) |  |
| 2. | Simply Thai (47 m) |  |
| 3. | Agro Cafe (48 m) |  |
| 4. | Cache Bistro & Lounge (54 m) | |
| 5. | Cento Notti (57 m) |  |
| 6. | Opus Bar (57 m) |  |
| 7. | Cactus Club Cafe (62 m) | |
| 8. | Cafe O (68 m) |  |
| 9. | Soho Cafe & Billiards (68 m) |  |
| 10. | Ganache Patisserie (73 m) | |
