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Located at 1829 Robson St., in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Tapastree Restaurant offers an excellent array of International cuisine, served Tapas style amidst an unique and cozy atmosphere. With its team of friendly staff, led by Chef Mike Jeffs and Partner Nicole Welsh, Tapastree has definitely redefined casual dining in the West End area of Vancouver. Opened in July 1997, the restaurant and wine bar has established itself prominently among the local and tourist crowd. Food lovers of expertly prepared Tapas style cuisine with an International and West Coast influence can look forward to a good meal at an affordable price.
We had dinner at Tapastree last evening. It was not too busy at 6:00. Only 3 other tables were occupied.
Our server was very pleasant, wine was always topped up but she seemed to have problems with pouring the wine without dripping the wine on the table all the time.
We ordered 5 tapas plus dessert. We ordered meat balls, this was a special of the day. It was my least favorite of the dishes that we ordered but my husband enjoyed it. We also had grilled prawns with pesto sauce, they were delicious, buttermilk fried chicken with spicy aioli sauce, also very good, scalloped potatoes and grilled asparagus. The kitchen does not do a good job of getting dishes out within a reasonable time frame. The prawns and chicken came first and then we waited and waited for the rest of the tapas. I did not want to eat vegetables by without any meat accompanyment so we waited for the vegetables. It was a good 25 minutes from the time we received the prawns and chicken before the vegetables arrived.
What we had was for the most part very good but it would be more enjoyable if items were received within a 10 or 15 minute time frame.
Maybe because it was a Sunday night, they only had 2 waitresses working the floor plus one guy who seems to be managing it. Though there were just a few seatings, the servers seem to disappear for periods at the back or by the bar & they don't check on tables often. When one of the servers announced to a table that it was the last call for anything from the kitchen, she failed to notify the other diners. It only didn't concern me since I was already working on my dessert & had no intention of ordering more drinks or another mediocre still-too-refridgerated sweet. The refridgeration aside, the flourless chocolate cake was nicely dense & not too sweet if you don't try to finish it up. It did look like two thick slices of beef jerky overlapping each other when they brought the dish. First I thought it might be a stingy portion, but it turned out alright due to its richness. But the came-straight-out-of-the-fridge bit & the presentation made it not very appetizing.
The main dishes were surprisingly good albeit a tad pricey. The "sides" actually cost as much as the main tapas. I'd suggest no one pay $9 for a mini crocker pot of macaroni & cheese... they better be using really good cheese for that. That aside, the sable fish is exceptional. Loved it! Perfectly cooked, flakes off nicely, the dressing goes perfectly with it. The fried chicken pieces are juicy & the seasoning for the batter makes it flavourful along with the use of unchanged deep fryer oils. The sauce on the salmon is pretty good too, though the salmon itself was a tad overcooked, it was still tasty.
I will definitely be back for more of the great food, but the price of each "tapa" is pretty close to full entree prices. What makes it tolerable are the flavours that are present as well as the unlimited house bread you can stuff yourself with if u find the portions wanting--only the bread seems rebaked & a little hard & dry every other loaf when they over-rebake it.
Again Tapastree has exceeded my expectations. My boyfriend and I went there the other night and it was wonderful. The food is incredible, you can tell that there is quite a bit of love that goes into the creation. I love the dijon calamari and the green beans, but really anything you order is delicious. The service is always perfect, and the ambiance is lovely. I always look forward to a night at this restaurant. If you do get a chance and find yourself in the West End, this little restaurant worth a try, always money well spent.
Walked in -- there were lots of elderly patrons -- even saw a man that had to be bibbed. Not surprised to find fried liver on the menu. Atmosphere was tacky bordering on garish. The quiet music was nearly overshadowed with the sound of green day filtering out of the kitchen (boombox i assume?). Food was bland. Very very typical. Dishes came exactly as expected with little/no flair. Definitely not worth the charge. The service was very good -- however, everything else was marginal/poor.
Definitely a night to forget.
I have found the food to be hit and miss at the Tapas Tree. I've ordered the lamb and it was fantastic. I've also had the pan fried calamari and the squid tasted off. When mentioning this to our waitress, she insisted that no one else had complained that night, insinuating that we didn't know what we were talking about. Not the reaction you expect from a server, especially with the prices they are charging which are consistant with finer dining.
Chances are, I will end up getting dragged back (against my will) and if the experience lives up to the hype, I will reneg my somewhat scathing review of this restaurant, until then...Not Recommended!
I've been coming here for at least 6 years... nice if you want to celebrate in a quiet way..
Top picks:
Calamari (Dijon style)
Ahi tuna
pork chops
fries
beans and sliced almonds
scallops with mirin cream (but I didn't see it on the menu last time)
My favourite mint julep cocktail is no longer made... so wine it is.... the prices aren't bad either...
Personally, I love this place. The food is very nicely done in most cases. I have been here a number of times and have always walked away happy that I came. Very decent wine list, service has always been attentive without being hovery.
I would give 5 out of 5, but I find the prices are a bit on the high end for what you get. But it's not a barrier to going and enjoying yourself.
This place is awesome, best west coast tapas in Van. I have tried almost everything on the menu, and its all superb. The mussles and to die for, and the french fries are kick ass. Take your girl for nice night out, or friends that like to eat appys. Be carefull not to order too many items, as your bill will up quickly! This place is almost always full, so call first.
When you can recite a restaurant's menu like a rosary, and never tire of some of the signature items, then its fair to describe yourself as a "regular". Guilty as charged!
I am lucky to live a 5 minute stroll from Tapastree, and from the first visit 6 years ago, I have never been disappointed. Yes its a bit noisy, but that is the sound of happy diners laughing and enjoying each others' company. Don't come here to break off an engagement and be melancholy! The single annoyance of the old smoking section on the patio, and the blast of smoky air that occurred every time a server opened the sliding door is thankfully a thing of the past, and now Tapastree is perfect for me.
OK, "perfect" is so subjective, and you can see I have not given 5 stars across the board. I don't want Francis and his friendly crew to become too complacent. There are better restaurants in Vancouver, but none to which I enjoy returning quite as much as this one.
There are always tasty new wines on the menu, and I have discovered some of my now favourite cellared wines after trying one of their by-the-glass selections.
If I had one suggestion, that would be to expand the daily features a bit. The printed menu changes infrequently, but the nature of tapas style eating ought to lend itself to more experimentation. Try adding some new specials to the blackboard - many of these "specials" never seem to change! See if the new offerings are a hit and then add them to the menu.
I can't see myself becoming jaded or bored with Tapastree, but why not mix things up a bit more? I'm dangling that elusive 5th star.... go for it.
A good ol standby
What can you say about Tapastree that hasn't been said before. The young wanna bees come and go but these guys have staying power and the reason is quite obvious. Consistent food and service over the years and a great wine list makes this place one of our favorites for all occassions. Yeah it's not even expensive and have a low risk failure rate due to their tried and true nature makes me want to keep going back !
I ate here with a large crowd a couple of weeks ago. The food was very good but expensive for what you got. We all ordered a couple of tapas each (which the server suggested), plus dessert - I was still hungry at the end of the meal. So I would suggest perhaps ordering five tapas per couple of people.
The server was attentive and polite throughout.
I would possibly eat here again as a treat and I think as far as Tapas restaurants in Vancouver go this is probably one of the better ones.
I've been to this restaurant three times and have found the quality of food and service to be consistent and excellent. It is a cozy yet elegant restaurant with a great selection of wines. The food is very good and the waiters are knowledgable about the food & wine. I highly recommend this place.
Every restaurant needs at least one person that knows all the customers by name, food, or drink. This place STILL has Francis - the host with the most. It allows the rest of the waitstaff to feel comfortable and relaxed knowning he has them covered for the extra something something.
Had the most interesting lamb dish last night - a new flavor profile for Vancouver.....I'll say no more - go see yourself.
I have eaten here many times since my last post, but couldn't resist a redoux.
I have been a regular here for the past three years and Tapastree will never let you down. Francis and staff are amazing. Good hires Nicole! The food is consistently excellent. Best ahi tuna in the city. Value for money - right on the mark. The ambience is fantastic especially on a summer night. Patio doors open. Martinis flowing. What better way to spend a night.
Went again last night, Tapastree is always a place to go for guaranteed great food, casual neighborhood atmosphere, and great service! Love the lamb chops, a steal at $5 a piece!! Always great new featured items to try, definately a hidden gem in the city!! Will be back again and again!!
I always forget about this little gem whenever I am thinking of a night out. Never again, it was as great as I remembered. Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Relaxing atmosphere. The food is the real star. We were impressed with the quality of each dish.
Will be back again soon.
SImply the best in town, for the real foody, portions are good, flavours are interesting, options are enormous. The calamari is phenomenal, the lamb is awesome, a cozy room, with knowledgeable staff.
I've had enough people rave about this place that I guess my expectations were raised. There was nothing wrong, the calamari, was calamari, the cheesy pasta, was cheesy pasta. The chicken, was chicken.
Everything was standard flavours, nothing disappointing...but I wasn't blown away. This is definitely a good neighborhood restaurant. If you live in the area, sure why not pay it a weeknight visit. But dont, like me, go out of your way to visit here.
Dined here Monday evening and was generally quite satisfied. Service and ambience were outstanding, while the food was less impressive but still decent.
Value - 4 - For the two of us, we ordered a total of 4 tapas and 2 drinks, which came to about $80 after tips and was enough to fill the both of us. Relatively good value I must say.
Food - 3 - Hit and miss. The seasonal tomato salad was fresh and tasty, and the miso sablefish was simply to die for. However, the sauteed prawns were much too salty for anyone's palate, and the fried chicken did not come close to raising any eyebrows. Maybe we were unlucky, but 2 misses out of 4 choices won't score higher than a 3 in my opinion.
Service/Ambience - 4 - Excellent service throughout the entire experience. Our waitress did all the necessary things and did them well. The decor complimented the kinds of food being served and gave us a casual and relaxing atmosphere that was also romantic and cozy at times.
Recommended for casual dates or gatherings.
I've only been here once, the food very good. My complaint is that I saw three very thin hairs/fibres in some of the dishes..
The music and ambiance is quite nice.
The service is attentive. I walked in wearing jeans, runners and sweatshirt and my friend was also wearing something similar. Everyone in there was dressed quite nicely, but we were treated very well, and no "once-over" from the person seating us.
The best part is that there is free parking! I found the prices a little high. I don't think I would go back there again, but I would probably still recommend it.
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