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The Whip is an eclectic, loungy loft space with rotating exhibitions of local artists.
I’ve been here a couple of times and each time I’ve had a solid experience.
We usually visit this place for drinks and appetizers. And the main reason why I keep retuning is cause they have lots of vegetarian options. And being vegetarian I can defiantly appreciate that.
My staple food here is vegetarian poutine; I have to have it every time. Thick vegetarian gravy with squeaky cheese curds, I guess one word to describe it would be YUM!
I’ve also tried their nachos which aren’t bad. Calamari is what a friend of mine orders from here every time I suppose that must be good too.
I like the service here it’s prompt and courteous. I will defiantly be back.
Went here during the week for a dinner party and had a nice experience. Started with the salmon tartar which was very good. Then had some steak in tomato sauce, it tasted more like beef stew as it wasn't steak like as it was cut up into cubes. Ended with fruit crumble which was very good. Service was great as there was a large group. Overall value was pretty decent at approx. $30 for the whole dinner. Ambiance is just average as it's a tight space and it gets quite hot.
The whip is a great place to go for drinks; they have an amazing selection of beer, scotch, tequila and much more. There is always great original art on the walls, different every time I've been. The music is always near perfect, and on weekend evenings they have a dj. Their brunch is good, and the nachos are great. If you're looking for a place to bask in ambiance, check out The Whip.
I came here for brunch with my other half looking for a hopeful regular breakfast joint. Let's just say, we haven't found it yet.
I had the chorizo hash and he, the chicken tomato omelette. I really liked that the hash consisted of both regular and sweet potato. I didn't like all the sour cream mixed in - it made the dish very heavy tasting.
Service was fine and I can see how this is a "locals" joint. Very ho-hum attitude from the servers - very casual. There's no trying to impress anyone here, which can be a pro or a con. In our case, it was our first time there and we felt a little bit uncomfortable. Especially when our server started singing a song that was playing at the top of her lungs while serving tables.
A bonus - they do have an interesting drink menu and the menu prices are fairly good, but I really can't see the Whip as our usual breakfast hangout.
Checked out this place for brunch today. It was full when we arrived but short wait so no problem there. But I felt the food was less than mediocr. The omelet I had was decent but the potatoes that came with it was undercooked and the toast kinda pathetic. The service was rushed as when we were finished, before we can ask for a coffee refill or for the dessert menu, our server's line was 'oh you're done? can i bring the bill', this is the first time I have had a server said that. And there was no line up at the time. Granted its a casual joint but if I want bad service like this, I'd eat at home. I highly doubt I'd go back as there's so many better places for Sunday brunch and still I don't know the appeal of this place? Maybe its because there's nothing else close by. I went only because a friend organized this get together. Overall, not a good experience, not bad but definitely not good.
I just read the 4 review on this place and, while I agree with some of the comments regarding the change in focus and atmosphere, I don't think it's all that bad. I've been to the Whip twice in the last 3 months an each time the service was great and the food good. The first of thsoe two times was for dessert with friends at night and everyone had a good time. Great daily creme brulee and a good selection of nonalcoholic beverages. The second time was for lunch and we, ahd prawns appy and red curry with veggies and chicken, and dessert. All weel prepared and presented and within range price wise. Other pluses include Storm Brewing beer and changing art on the wall. Sure it's not the old Whip, which was an awesome place to hang in on a hot day, but it's not the den of mediocrity and bad service the other reviews might suggest. Off the too well beaten path of SOMO and not too chi chi, I'll be going back for more.
well if they dont want us to hate on it they should get their act together as the place known for bad service and the ever rotating kitchen [eople as I never seem to notice the same face twice.
We had brunch on the long weekend and spent $ 50 for the thrre of us we had to coffee and one tea each and of course a awfull omlette which was burnt we could of had a better breakfast at subway where they nuke their eggs and still teaste better than THE WHIP
I think the the whip needs a good whipping as the place is on life support!
We went on a Thurs, ~9:30pm
We were seated in the dining section closest to the bar area; the smell of washroom odour-control mints was SO strong that I wanted to leave right away. We got another table a bit later, and then I saw the menu. I really wanted to go somewhere else, but where do you go in a city that closes between 6 & 6:30pm?
Cocktails came - my partner's = "Apple", mine = "Pomegranate" - hey, they were not bad!
My partner's squid salad (just fried calamari, really) was very good, and I have to say, I found the burger to be excellent. The fries were perfect, and I like that it came with salad too. We also had the coconut chocolate lava cake, which *would have* been divine, but for the top being ever-so-slightly overdone. Overall, no big complaints on the food front for us.
The service was generally pretty friendly, if a bit dismissive; it certainly wasn't great. Long waits for service, and an unreasonably long wait for dessert.
The ambience works at some level (kind of cozy, kind of hip, intimate), and it doesn't work on another (deafening when packed, too intimate with other diners, could be oh so much more if they added a splash of elegance.)
I'll go back to try some other stuff, but the jury's still out for me.
I agree with some of the comments regarding service, however, mine is always prompt, but they do seem to be a little pretentious... Like they're too good to be there...
But the food is excellent, presentation and flavours work well. Value is good for $$ in my opinion...
The menu is simple and unique... and they have a nice selection of beers and single malts...
It is a cool atmosphere, with a nice patio and I've found the music to be at an appropriate level...
I will go back, I will bring friends, and I think some people are being to hard on this place... I think perhaps some people like the way things were, well, things change... Enjoy it...
Every time I go to The Whip I wonder why I don't visit more often! The food has always been fresh, tasty and prompt - maybe I've been lucky but I have never been here when any of my party have been disappointed with what they ordered. The drinks menu is varied and reasonably priced (for Vancouver at least!) and I love the fact that the art work is different every time I visit. The service is typical for East Van - you don't come here to be pampered!
Came here once for brunch and another time for dinner.
Service: there isn't much of an entrance "meet-and-greet" style, you basically go in and sit yourselves anywhere you prefer. I personally don't prefer this style since both times I visited, there were a few tables yet to be cleaned. So it was somewhat difficult to find a place to seat ourselves. Other than that, servers were very attentive. They came to our table a few times within a 5-10 minute range and bringing waters without asking.
Food: Solid organic menu. Tried the whip burger and chicken-shrimp fettuccini and both were very tasty. The salad that accompanied the burger was rather fresh and the greens were crispy not a single leaf wilted! Yummy! They have a long drinks list.
Ambiance: lounge/bar/pub style not a good idea if you prefer to have a quiet dinner and chat with friends. Music is loud, people are loud, my friends and I basically had to scream at each other in order to be heard. But it didn't really bother me or my friends!
Recommended! Worth coming back!
We had about 15 people in our party, and all the food was terrible except for one person who had the capicollo sandwich (which did look quite good). My beef tenderloin, which I ordered rare, came out medium-well (only a slight hint of red) and very dry, including the potatoes that came with the dish. The yam fries were pretty good, but they are extremely overpriced relative to other (more high-end) restaurants. Actually... everything on the menu was overpriced if you ask me. Maybe it was being in a large party that all the food was terrible, because my beef tenderloin was probably one of the first dishes made and got cold by the time it arrived... boyfriend's seafood linguine was also terrible. So dry, no sauce, and the seafood tasted unfresh (very fishy).
Service was pretty good though, and the waitress was extremely friendly. Thank goodness for that, because the food definitely isn't going to get anyone coming back. (However, she did clear a plate of my friend who had a piece of steak and potatoes left on it still! He had to ask for his plate back.)
The restaurant is suggested by my hubby as he is a beer drinker. Since both my friend and I are not. So we're really only into food. We'd ordered 3 appetizers, a burger plate and dessert to share. The best plate is the roast duck pizza on puff pastry and the truffle dessert. I can't really taste the roast duck at all but the pizza is full of flavour. The organic chicken wing is a bit of a disappointment. Judged by the taste of it, it seems that the wings got freezer burn. The Steak bites sounds interesting. However, we both think that the steak doesn't really go well with nori (do you like beef with a fishy taste?), and I can't taste any wasabi in the wasabi butter.
The server is friendly. We told her that we weren't planning to drink tonight and she offered us coffee, and refilled it regularly. Always carried a smile on her face, which is a positive thing. Later in the night, suddenly out of the blue a huge pole showed up above our heads. As I looked up, another server was trying to open the window above our table with that gigantic pole. Without a word, she held this huge pole above us, tried unlocking the window. She struggled a bit, without any success, and then walked away, again without a word. I'd appreciate a simple "excuse me" sort of heads up message.
If I come back again, I'd choose another table to seat.
Well I see a lot of people are bashing the whip here, its not that bad. I only go for Brunch mind you, the menu IS very limited, but they have a small south facing patio which is rare if not non existant on main, the server's are very nice to me and my GF. But this is MAIN, its more of a tattoo and spiked hair joint, then a sit down with granny place. That something most people forget about Main , its not Kerrisdale, you can roll into the Whip hungover with your cop glasses on, chill in the sun, have your $8 breakfast and just enjoy a bit of variation in your life. I don't love it, but it is in my BRUNCH rotation.
I used to go to the Whip fairly regularly for a while a few years ago for brunch until one weekend eating the mixed greens salad that came with my benny, I chomped down on something pokey, and pulled a pigeon feather out of my mouth. Sounds unbelievable, but yes, it happened to me at the Whip at 209 East 6th Ave in Vancouver. So, I never went back until recently I gave it another shot, but found that this trendy little place is still very overrated. It's one of those pretentious places with unimpressive service, where simple things like checking on how the food is, asking if we need anything else, refilling coffee are just too hard for the smily, but snippy waitress.. you know the type. I actually tried the salad again, and I'm pleased to say there were no pigeon feathers this time, it was just wilted and slightly brown like it had been sitting in dressing in the fridge over night. Salad should not be a lump on the corner of the plate. The food is just OK, but if you're looking for brunch, there are much better options nearby where the food outshines the attitude. The Whip is in such a great location with interesting decor, it's too bad they can't get the food or service to where it should be.
The beer is about it as far as good, unique, and needed-in-this-area attractiveness goes.
Other than that, the service is random (the servers wear a lot of cleavage and/or midriff-baring tops, which is really distracting, and they call everybody "hun", even if they've never met you before). The food is awful. We live nearby and every three months or so we get temporary amnesia and decide to try The Whip again. It's never a good idea.
For brunch - the coffee is terrible, burnt and bitter and black. If you don't want eggs, hope you like egg-soaked french toast. That's it for selection.
The food is greasy, lacks flavour, and comes either dry or drenched in sauce. The eda mame ends up with a pool of grease beneath the container. The veggie burger is flavourless, except for a sour note that leaves an aftertaste.There's no passion in the food; it's clear the cooks are all part-time students getting by. No one there is a chef. And if they think they are - well, read 90% of the reviews on this site.
I dont know what's happened to this restaurant but I was a local in the area for about a year and in that time I saw it rise from good to 'excellent' and fall dismally to horrible. They had revised their menu last summer to a really nice fusion a la carte selection...all of it prepared beautifully and served with character. Fun waitresses, great energy in the place.
I used to go there for brunch...hard to get a good benny in this city, and theirs was excellent.
After a number of weeks away from the place, I went for the worlds worst benny..cold, hard english muffin, hard poached eggs and lumpy, cold hollandaise ...couldn't have been worse. I sent it back to get "oh...sorry, we have a new breakfast chef...he'll figure it out I hope" how did he get the job in the first place?? I went back a couple of weeks later and the same...he didn't figure it out.
What used to be a truly great cheese plate has turned into chucks of slopped together cheeses, served with no accompaniments (they used to excel at pairing the cheeses with fruits, nuts...etc) and the staff seems to have no clue what they are or how to advise on them. Our last lunch attempt was a burnt lamb burger, burnt pork spring rolls (they are great if their properly cooked...good luck with that) and charred, dried out tenderloin skewers which we sent back and they still attempted to bill us for. The service was lack luster, bordering hostile when we sent things back. They only reason the doors are still open is that it's the only walk-to spot in the area.
I have given them three lunch/dinner opportunities with friends over the last few months and they are bottomed out in every category. I don't know what has happened but it's sad to see such a quick decline.
AI recommend you make your way further South on Main and find something else...the Whip is an overpriced, under skilled flash in the pan. Would love to see it get back to the hay day of last summer...
This was our first visit and we were pleasantly surprised. It's a very noisy spot, but once you can overcome the volume, it's settles into a nice atmosphere. Our server was a delight although she became a little invisible as the night wore on. It took several attempts to get our check. The furnishings are all over the place and I suppose that's part of the charm. Food - burgers and fries really good; lamb well done although a small dish, and the goat cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped prawns with the pumpkin risotto was the hit. Decent wine list, but up there price wise. A solid visit.
I came across the reviews for The Whip while researching another place and I couldn't believe my eyes! Are we talking about the same place??
I decided to try this place out after hearing about it from a friend of a friend of a friend....I have one child and we have a very hectic schedule and often eat out. (I really should write more reviews...note to self...) I thought...Ahhh a loungy trendy cool hang out for the 20 something crowd, if only my daughter would like it too. For me service is number one. We walked in, my daughter who is 10 and not shy at all asks for a table for two. From the first word the hostess said to my child, to the joking around and pleasant conversation with our server, all the way to the little chat at the door with the bartender; at this point, it didn't matter to me what the food was like. We ordered and it came exactly as requested. They even managed to please my picky eater daughter, "Please don't decorate my plate, especially with anything green!"
I managed to have a few minutes with the owner and found him to be very amenable and kind, he made me feel like he had all the time in the world for me. We are now regulars and my daughter loves to go to the Whip, I can't believe we have found a place that both of us can enjoy. No more 'family' restaurants for me, YAY!!!
As I was reading the reviews for the Whip, I couldn't help but feel that the Whip was getting a raw deal. I was then prompted to write a GOOD review for the Whip to let you all know, it's not that bad. I have been to the Whip a few times, and every time the food has been really good, the service has been great (fun, happy servers), and the atmosphere is one to be enjoyed. I did not go to the Whip when it was under the 'old' management, so I can't compare then to now. What I can tell you is that under the 'new' management, and coming from a food snob, the food was pretty good and the beer selection was full of local favs. Give the Whip a try.
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