My date and I went to Tomato last night as she lives in the Kits area. We had their 3 course dinner for $30, and it included an appy, Rack of Lamb, and a Chocolate Molten cake for dessert. Wow! Everything was fresh and really delicious. The service was very good as well, even though it was quite busy. We each had a glass of white and red wine from their wine list, and they were affordable and had really good quality. We were very impressed with everything--and will definetly be back!!

My wife and I were in Kits and thought we would check this place out. Wow! The food was outstanding as we ordered off of their daily 'fresh' sheet, and we were not disappointed. My wife ordered the Lamb Shank, and it was tender with tons of flavour. I ordered off their regular menu, and had the free-range chicken which was superb! The thing I like about this restaurant is the fact that they are using obviously very fresh ingredients in their dishes, and they are 'ocean-wise', as well. We both had the Pinot Noir by the glass, off of their wine list, and it was great for around $9 per glass. I can't remember the name of the wine, but it was a bargain. We each had a dessert, as recomended by their Chef, and even though I really don't eat desserts, the Hazelnut Silk Cake was pretty delicious. We are going to go back and try their brunch, which we have been told is one of the best in the area.

Thursday night - we arrive around 7:30pm. It is not that busy in Tomato.

The hostess, who wouldn't have cracked a smile if you tickled her, begrudgingly sits the 5 of us all crowded into a corner of the restaurant with the only other tables with customers. For the convenience of the wait staff no doubt. After all, it's not about customer comfort.

Speaking of which, with empty tables (one long, empty one...) she sits 5 of us at a table for 4. There is not even enough room to put our menus down on the table, so we ask the waiter, whose facial expression from beginning to end, with all customers, looks like he's going through a profound personal tragedy, and he acquiesces.

Questions about the menu are answered very bluntly, and food is thrown on the table. When offered black pepper, my friend will take it if the kitchen hasn't added it yet. So he asks, "Has the pasta been seasoned with pepper already?" The waiter responds with, "Whatever." and walks away, not giving him the pepper.

My friend and I exchanged shocked glances.

The food is excellent, by the way. But the pall over the restaurant by the waiter and hostess makes you feel upset to be spending your cash here.

The chairs are not comfortable. The tables don't have table clothes, though they charge bistro prices. The room is COLD, and there is no music. The ambience is notable for its absence, made more poignant by the rude and abrupt service.

"Is everything ok? Can I get you another drink? Would you like anything else?" These are questions that we would have appreciated. But no. Instead, once our table was cleared of food, the bill was presented, and suddenly, what do you know??? A smile! My gosh! We are thinking of tip-time now, are we???

We left a tip commensurate with the level of service, and a promise never, ever to waste our time and money here again.

Another typical Vancouver dining story. *sigh* This town is SO unprofessional...

A friend took me to have lunch here over the weekend. I drove past this place a million times, but never went in. I must be psychic :) The staff were indifferent, the food was awful, and I just wanted to flee. The worst thing was the ingredients looked like they would have made a decent meal in skilled hands. Go across the street to Gloucester and have some borscht.

We walked into the restaurant and were apparantly invisible while a server was doing her thing for a few minutes in the reception area. Maybe she was in a bad mood because of the dismal, gloomy weather. Similar story on the way out, had to deal with the same server to pay and turned into a 10 minute pain in the ass with no communication as to what was going on.

That being said, the food was good. As the name suggests, the ingredients were fresh and well prepared. Food service was good, lots of ice water contrary to another review (with lemon). The decor is red modern diner style and very cool. Despit our icy hello and goodbye, I will probably go back.

My wife and I enjoyed going to the Tomato Cafe when it was on Cambie but had not been to the new location until last night. Friends from out of town were visiting and we were looking for a restaurant that would accomodate three kids aged 7 months to 5 years. We searched the net and read some of the reviews of Tomato on this site and were surprised to see some rather negative reviews. Despite this we booked a reservation.

First thing we noticed when we arrived was how modern and open the restaurant was. It wasn't the cramped retro dinner on Cambie...although some of the feel was re-created with the stools along the bar. The staff was friendly and greeted us with smiles. Being a Sunday night the restaurant was fairly quiet. The restaurant was about 1/4 to 1/3 full.

I started my meal with a roasted tomato soup that had a wonderful smokey flavour. It came dressed with croutons and a drizzle of chive oil. For my main course I was wanting pizza but which one? There were about 4 to choose from. I hummed and hawed but could not decide between the French and the Sicilian. When it came time to order I told the waitress of my dilema and asked her if the cooks would mind making my pizza half Frech and half Sicilian? "It can't hurt to ask was her response and away she went. When my order arrived it came just as I had asked for. The crust was very nice and the toppings near perfect. My only "complaint" for lack of a better word was that there were too many olives on the Sicilian, otherwise it was a delicious pizza. My wife had the pan seared wild salmon with a basamti brown rice cake. It was perfectly cooked,not overdone at all and the rice cake resembled a polenta cake, nicely crusted. To drink my wife and I shared a half litre of Merlot.

My five year old daughter has a palate beyond her years and wasn't interested in the children's menu. Instead, she opted for the Sicilian pizza as well because she wanted the spicy chorizo sausage and kalamata olives. She was excited to take the leftovers for lunch at school! My two year old son had a "sophisticated" grilled cheese off of the kids menu. Thick sliced bread with I think a couple of types of cheese. One of which I think was Swiss. The sandwich came with Tomatoes signature potato salad and a nice pickle. I would have been totally happy with his meal! Tonight while cleaning up leftovers I found that a smattering of the sicilian olives goes very well with their potato salad!

I was full but my dinner couldn't be complete without dessert. I had the strawberry toffee cake and my wife ordered the chocolate molten cake, both which were simply divine.

Our friends were happy with our choice in restaurant. Even though it appreared to be an upscaled restaurant, it still had the feel of being family-oriented and kid-friendly. They were more than satisified with their food. Our waitress was totally cool and chatted with us about the old restraunt and the changes she had seen. She was impressed with how our children enjoyed their meals and how well behaved they were. As a reward, she gave my kids a complimentary baked good from their treat jars. It totally made the kids night.

We are confident to say we will be back.

I'm surprised by some of the other reviews I have been reading. Tomato Fresh Food Cafe is a great place for lunch or breakfast... although every time we have gone here for brunch has been fantastic.

I usually order a chocolate milkshake, the french toast, and a couple sides of the back bacon.

I always find the french toast to be outstanding... topped with delicious fresh fruit (always creative, usually a mix of berries and sometimes even cranberries!) and the back bacon is delicious. I love that they use fresh organic food and I think it's worth paying a couple extra dollars for this vs. Denny's or White Spot. The french toast also comes with a side of fresh fruit salad.

My boyfriend usually orders an omelet or scrambled eggs and says it's always good as well.

Service is not great (it's sometimes quite slow), but I find it's worth the wait, especially for brunch. This is our most regular breakfast place. Try the french toast!

Well I have driven past this place so many times that I decided to try it out. The interior is stylish and relaxed, hosting a number or original Will Refuse paintings. The service was very friendly and efficient, with good knowledge of the day’s specials. I had soup and a pork cutlet sangy off the special sheet that wasn’t too bad. The menu is very healthy and organic, so avoid this place if you are looking for a greasy burger and fries. All and all, it didn’t make a lasting impression on me, but I may give them a shot for breaky or dinner.

Pet peeve- Ice water should be ice water (including ice), not luke warm tap water in a tumbler.

We just got back from the airport and decided to grab a quick lunch. We went to Tomato and had the most amazing pizza, the crust was absolutely perfect and the toppings were just right - not too much cheese or sauce, but just right. This is the closest we've come to tasting authentic Italian pizza in Vancouver. The staff was very friendly and the service was great! Our new favourite pizza joint!

Vanja & Dario

I have to agree with some of the other reviews. Service is a nightmare here. We stood there for 10 min before anyone acknowleged us. Waited another 1/2 for the waitress to take our order. Received the food in a timely fashion, but I personally did not like it. I can make a sandwich a heck of a lot better than that.