Last time I came here and went away with a great memory of their sable fish (black cod) dish off of their fresh fish list. This time I wanted to try something different. I had the Mahi mahi as the waitress recommended it if I wanted something spicy.

I also forgot about the small portions, but this time I had a bowl of clam chowder for appetizer. First of all, the clam chowder was watery, and did not have a pleasing texture as I've had at some other restaurants, it was mediocre at best and wasn't worth the $7 price.

The main dish came with usual small sized fish, with a scoop of rice, and some veggies for sides. The fish it self was VERY dry, I'm not sure if it was due to the type of fish or due to our large party, (8 people) but the skin underneath was also burnt... unlike the sable fish where it was a nice crispy burn and very tasty/edible. The spicy sauce was great, good mixture of flavor and can still give a zing to the tongue.

I was there for a birthday, and the waitress brought a free desert with a candle. The service here has always been excellent.

I will still recommend this place for people to go, and probably try a different fish myself.

I went to this place a year ago for Dine Out Vancouver and most recently for an early dinner in the lounge. Both times were great! I love seafood and there is a great selection to choose from. The place feels nice and comfortable inside with a nice view of False Creek if you get a seat by the window.

Last time I went, I was there specifically to try the Mussel Mania from 4-7pm in the lounge. For $10, you get a pint of Granville Island beer of your choice, a good serving of mussels served one of three ways, fries, and bread. I think it's available only Monday to Friday, but I'm definitely going back! Normally, prices are moderate, but I feel it's good value for the quality you're getting.

Service was good. It wasn't particularly busy either time I was there so we were well looked after. I'd recommend this place as somewhere to take out of town guests or for just a nice, but casual meal out.

Came here for my friend's 19th birthday dinner. Good times.

For some odd reason.. about half the people ordered a pasta dish, 3 of them were the same. I heard no complaints or compliments. I heard the halibut is absolutely to die for and paired with a glass of white wine. The dragon boat dish (for two) had good squid and ribs, dumplings and spring rolls were mediocre. Two friends ordered the lettuce wrap.. did not look good. I ordered a tuscan flat bread, super delicious, and the margherita pizza. The pizza was super thin crust and loaded with really good cheese, but you could only taste the cheese mainly. Not bad at all though, was yummy anyways. Except both my pizza and flat bread was a little burnt on the edges.

Unfortunately, being a brand new adult, the birthday girl had to take the blowjob drink in between someone's legs.. and the waiter was a pretty good sport about it. He was very nice, very accommodating, and knew his wines. We ordered a couple of drinks, lay it on, tequila shots, blowjob, gin and tonic, light red wine, white wine, etc.

It is a bit more pricey than your regular dinner, but it's expected in these environments. Oddly they didn't give us a window seat looking over the water since we reserved the table a week beforehand.

Recommended. Just don't order the weird Chinese foods on the menu.. go to a Chinese restaurant for those.

Second visit: Great night, lots of food. Tried the dragonboat plate (for 2) again, same problems I think. Had the mussel mania with honey lager and.. some other beer. Something with the word ice in it.. recommended by server, excellent choice. The thai curry flavour is better than the tomato provencia. And the manila clams were delicious too. Will definitely come back for mussels.

My friends and i went to Sandbar Restaurants for dineout 2010 and it was a pleasant experience. We had the 3 course meal and my friend ordered the wok squid for appetizer. At first i was skeptical about the quality, however it wasn't too bad. I wouldn't say it's total authentic chinese type cuisine but it's still good. My main entree was the slow braised pork and garlic mash potatoes. It was good. The meat was very tender. I was so afraid the meat texture would be very tough, but thank goodness it's not. My favourite part was the dessert. My friend and i shared the chocolate truffle cake with a raspberry sauce and the cheese cake. Both tasted very good, i do prefer my chocolate truffle cake over the cheesecake, because i love chocolate. it was just so decadent with the rich taste of chocolate.

This place is wonderful for lunch.

A couple of people went for lunch and I had the seafood club sandwich. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!

The little waiter we had was really nice and really professional with everything. She came several times to check up on us and made sure we were okay.

The value was a little on the expensive side, but it was well worth it.

The ambiance was very nice and definately showed a seafood atmosphere.

Will definately go back!!!!

Took our mother here to celebrate her birthday, because of the good reviews on this site. Definitely was not disappointed! When you first enter the doors it was a little strange, there is a small sushi restaurant on the left and tanks of live seafood on the right. Once upstairs it was nice...a lot of wood beams and pillars made it seem warm on a cold wet evening. We were seated promptly, although we didn't get a window seat which was disappointing. The service was great throughout the evening, our server was just present enough without being overbearing. He was observant enough to see that we were celebrating a birthday and offered us a free dessert, without us having to ask.

For starters we ordered the pan fried oysters and wok squid. The oysters were absolutely amazing! There were only 4 per order, and I would've ordered more if I wasn't trying to save my appetite for my entree. The wok squid however was disappointing. It came breaded and deep fried, not stir fried as I expected. It was also very bland, and the onion salsa overpowering. However, it was cooked just right, tender and not chewy. This is the only reason I didn't give this place a 5 for the food. The warm bread was a nice touch.

We ordered the sable fish off the fresh sheet for entree, and also the arctic char. The sable fish was the best fish I have ever had! The first bite was melt in my mouth, juicy and tasty. I enjoyed the entire thing - my mouth is watering just thinking about it! The rice accompanying it was not to mother's taste, but we thought it wasn't bad. The arctic char in a lemon butter sauce was also tasty, tasted like salmon.

The portions were not too large, and we were pleasantly not stuffed, therefore felt we had room for dessert. We ordered creme brulee, white chocolate cheesecake and lemon tart. The cheesecake had a funny taste, like it was made with some strong tasting cheese, but it was light and not too heavy. The creme brulee was good, nice crust on top and accompanied by a biscotti. The lemon tart was also very nice. A nice way to finish off a great meal.

My only complaint would be that a large table is placed right next to smaller tables. Anyone trying to have an intimate, quiet meal might be annoyed by a large table of guests talking loudly across the table. Or maybe it was just because that night the large table was occupied by a table of loud women. I felt sorry for the couple seated next to them trying to have a quiet meal!

My friend treated me to lunch here yesterday. We sat on the covered patio so enjoyed the fresh air and stayed warm with the provided blankets and the big patio heaters. It was your typical wet, cool, dark November day, but the view and the rustic charm of the restaurant perked us up. The food was a bonus. Lovely warm, flavourful clam chowder then wok squid, served with excellent rice. It was the best fried squid I had ever had, tender and flavourful. Portions were large so we had no room for dessert. The service was attentive and friendly. I am looking forward to going here again soon.

We celebrated an anniversary here last week and as always, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Excellent, courteous servers with personality, amazing quality seafood, and a bustling busy atmosphere with a beautiful view make an evening at Sandbar always memorable, and our anniversary was perfect. We are certain to return very soon!

Went to the Sandbar pretty much on a whim a couple of weekends ago. We’d gone to Granville Island planning to catch a show, when the girlfriend suddenly decided that that she wanted to have dinner first instead. Sandbar was nearest, and despite the fact that it was a bustling Saturday night and we didn’t have reservations, we decided to give it a shot. It didn’t look good at first. We were told we’d have to waitlist, and were directed to another counter; but, as luck would have it, we managed to nab a table almost immediately. And not just any table, but a window-side table on the top deck, and the exact same table where we’d had our first date. Very cool, and lucky.

After taking our seats, and indulging in a little wine and bread, we decided to start with an order of veggie spring rolls. These arrived nicely deep fried – crisp but not greasy – and came with a plum and black sesame dip that was both slightly sweet and slightly tart. While adequate, both the girlfriend and I agreed that something with a bit of heat, such as a sweet chili sauce, would’ve made an even better accompaniment. Still, as an appetizer, it was alright. For her main, the girlfriend chose the salmon (coho, I think), which came atop a creamy risotto. I didn’t try any, and I’m a little vague on the exact details of the dish, but the girlfriend said it was fine. What she really loved, however, and I enjoyed as well, was my order – mahi-mahi with a burnt orange glaze. It was very good, with the sweet/spicy glaze giving the meaty fish a real kick. Definitely a dish to seek out again.

Service during dinner was polite, efficient and helpful. We’ve been to the Sandbar a few times, and have never experienced anything less. Ambiance-wise, it’s hard to beat dinner by candlelight on the rooftop patio. And as for value … well, in my opinion this is the Sandbar’s major weakness. The portion of rice that accompanied my main was so small I thought it must’ve been portioned out with a shot glass. And the only other things on my plate were a few sprigs of asparagus and a small wedge of tomato. While I realize that there’s a premium to be paid for food quality and location, it’s be nice if the Sandbar’s portions could at least approximate their inflated prices.

Still, value for dollar notwithstanding, the Sandbar’s not a bad place to go for well prepared seafood on Granville Island. Just be sure to ask for a table on the patio to in order to make the most of your visit.

I had been here before for Dine Out a couple years ago, and my experience was pretty mediocre that time. I'd say this time around was much better.
We were promptly seated by a friendly hostess at 5:30 on a Sunday night. They place was pretty empty when we got there but filled up by the time we left. Our waiter and waitress were very professional and service was quick.
Two of us ordered the Sunday night special Prime Rib dinner which comes with a caesar salad and chocolate mousse torte for $30. We were slightly surprised when the caesar salad arrived because the romaine lettuce leaves were all about 5 inches long. I prefer not to have to cut up my salad myself. We were also surprised when the prime rib came but that was because it was such a huge portion. It came with half a roasted tomato, asparagus and delicious mashed potatoes. The prime rib was tender and flavourful with a great demiglace sauce. The chocolate torte dessert was a nice finish to a big meal.
The other two in our group ordered the salmon burger (which looked alright), crab cakes, spring rolls (nothing special), and linguine vongole (small portion).
While I definitely wouldn't come here on a regular basis since it's a little pricey, it's a wonderful place to visit for special occasions or to bring out of town guests since the ambiance is nice and the location is conveniently located on Granville Island.