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.
From Restaurant Website: 'The William Tell Restaurant, an award winning fine dining restaurant for 40 years. A menu that moves with the times and served in the grand manner, with a passion for detail. For lovers of food and wine. Zagat says: “A first-class Swiss-influenced continental establishment distinguishes itself with an excellent menu, elegant ambience and impeccable staff”. '
Mrs. C and I were celebrating another happy (and divorce-free) anniversary and decided to try the WT. The restaurant is located in a hotel but has an entrance off the street. We were ushered in by a very tall hostess and given our choice of tables. After selecting a romantic spot (actually most of the tables could be one) we were given a handful of menus, and left to choose. I noticed that the ambiance was rather luxurious and a quick trip to the w/c in the adjacent lobby showed that it was clean and well appointed. I wasn’t sure why the dining room had pictures of battles and curtain rods shaped like arrows, but Mrs. C pointed out that it was the WT after all. Made sense, since WT was a famous Swiss warrior and helped spark a revolution that eventually lead to defeat of the Habsburgs and the formation of the Swiss federation. After considering this briefly, I delved into the dinner menu. Lots of choices, most of them hearty fare.
I went for a tasty stuffed Portobello appetizer, and my beloved anniversary co-celebrant and I had lobster bisque and the daily special pumpkin cream soup. For mains we had lamb shank and roast duck, with cocktails and some nice house rosé to go with our meals. All the food was fabulous, and the pumpkin soup and lamb were particularly good. Plus the portion sizes were very generous.
Service was awesome, and I couldn’t believe how attentive the staff was. At the end of the meal they served the triple crème brûlée with anniversary congratulations written in chocolate on the serving plate. Wow! I was really impressed, especially since I hadn't told them about our celebration. Maybe they overheard us talking.
The only downside was that all this pampering and good food was not free. As usual, you get what you pay for, and considering how great the meal was, it was worth the money. I will be back as soon as I can afford it.
Recommended!
Sunday Brunch at William Tell last weekend was delightful. Some would call the ambiance dated. But I call it comfortably classy. The spread of food was delicious, but if you really think about it, how much could one possibly eat first thing on a Sunday? So although $25/person for brunch may seem expensive for some, consider this: it's not something you do often, so I think it is worthy experience. Also, it's the same price (more or less) as afternoon tea and you do get so much more.
Some very memorable items included a nice roasted vegetable platter, poached salmon, pear and cheese tart, good chicken emince, and a very nice sole dish. The dessert section carried a very nice flan and a delicious tiramisu.
Unfortunately I did not have room for anything from their made-to-order crepe and omelette station, which I will be sure to sample next time.
They also had eggs benedict. Good flavor, but a very chewy english muffin. But there really isn't a good way to preserve the crispiness when it is offered in a chaffing dish. I would suggest flaking some salmon or smoked trout on top of the benedict.
Service was good and attentive. We never felt rushed at all even with the friendly hot entree last call reminder.
The restaurant had two sections: a bistro/cafe section where the dessert was housed, and the more cozy loungey section inside where the hot food was which is where we sat. I really liked the cozy section - seats were comfortable and lighting was perfect.
I would definitely recommend the Sunday brunch. A tip: if you're going on a Sunday, do the brunch. The Swiss Farmer's buffet in the evening is about $15 more expensive and they offer a very similar menu.
Food: it was a set menu of 6 courses for $80/person on Vday. a little steep...but sooo good!! tuna tartar + deep fried prawn. braised oxtail crepe was delicious. lobster bisque very good quality...my b/f said one of the best he's ever had. champagne sorbet to clear the palette was a great followup. chateaubriand was cooked perfectly. i loved the way they served it...came out on a trolley and was presented first then cut up and served. choco fondue for dessert. there was an excellent selection of fruits...so good!!
Service: excellent service. never experience so much attention to detail. they were very busy that nite but still managed to impress me. waiters were very knowledgeable about their wine selection.
Ambiance: nice intimate setting. decor consists of "william tell" memorabilia. lite piano music in the background
Overall: great dining experience. price was a little steep but in the end it was worth it. i had no complaints about the entire nite. definitely worthwhile to return...when my wallet can take the hit!
Checked out the William Tell on a Friday night as our last Dine Out Vancouver restaurant for 2009. A great place hidden away in the Georgian Court hotel.
Food - I had the Escargot, Scallops and Meringue . The escargot was excellent, the Scallops incredible and the Meringue was classically elegant and tasty. My girlfriend had the Fraser Valley Duck for the main, which was excellent.
Service - Our server was great. Very attentive and courteous. Its all in the details. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was that the dishes were noticeably slow.
Value & Ambiance - Quite pricey for what you get. Even with the Dine Out menu, the value for money wasn't quite there. The Ambiance was incredible. Easily the best part of the experience. Incredible decor and really a classically elegant place.
I have thought of this place 3-4 times for Xmas Dinner and every time I tried booking a table, it's full for the season. So...after x amount of yrs, I finally booked a table 1-2 months ahead. Somehow in my mind, I "thought" they have the best Xmas Dinner Special in town. That night, my bf and I dressed up really nicely and expected the night to be spectacular.
But when we actually sat down and tried the food, I was disappointed! The service was ok, nothing wow. I just think that if we were older (like the other customers) and look more "rich" than the service will be better. I don't remember what we ordered but it wasn't the best. The place is very nice and quiet though. I can't describe my experience there, it was just...not what I expected after wanting to come here so badly.
The William Tell takes its place as one of Vancouver's finest restaurants with outstanding food and excellent service in an Old World atmosphere. The price is fair considering the quality of the food. The portions are average but the buffet is all-you-can-eat if you manage to catch it open as I understand the hours are somewhat limited.
At the insistence of a family member, we went back for the third year in a row for a family celebration. I didn't enjoy the first two visits and didn't expect much the third time....and I was right.
For appy, I ordered a Pacific trio (at $15.50), described as "Cold poached wild Tiger prawn with a pickled cucumber salad. Spicy wild BC salmon tartare with gaufreutte potato crisps and Baja scallop seviche". The ONE prawn sliced in half was tasty, the salmon tartare (probably the size of an egg) was fine but you would have to develop a taste for tartare, but the scallop was definitely a disappointment. Two (maybe 3??) VERY thinly slices of no more than 2mm each (note: not pieces). Taste wise passable but price wise, it was a bit rich.
Main entree of rack of lamb was fine although the last of four pieces was a bit burnt at the edge. Dessert was cherries cooked in liqueur with ice cream which was probably best part of the meal.
What was more disappointing was the service. First, we requested the private room in the back which we enjoyed the past two years. But this time the hostess who took the reservation said we have to spend a minimum of $1000 to use the room. So we ended up in the main dining room. We noted that the private room was not occupied at all throughout our dinner that night. And the main dining room had five tables at any given time. So why the fuss?
Then there was the irritating waiter. First, when we asked to take a group photo for us, he counted 123 in Japanese....when we're Chinese. Not that we have anything against Japanese but why bother?
When he came to gather up the utensils to prepare for another set of knives and forks, for some reason he took by bread plate (but no one else's). I was puzzled, not just because I was just about to enjoy the bread, but why he just took mine. So I asked him whether there was a special reason for taking my plate away. With no apology, he said he'll bring it back, at which time he explained that it was to make more room for my entree. A: When the entree arrived, I didn't think I needed more space as the entree plate was not huge. B: Don't make up BS stories. Just apologize, and bring the bloody plate back.
But I've learned my lesson. Next time I'll insist on a better place. Period.
I ate at this establishment about a year ago with my then fiance (now hubby). The waiter was helpful and attentive and the food amazing. I had a salad to start and then a main course of halibut with a sauce of black lentils. I had never tasted anything quite so delicious! I recall a chocolate mousse dessert. The presentation, in addition to the taste of the food was outstanding.
My husband and I decided to try this restaurant after hearing and reading good reviews. We made reservations for DOV and on the afternoon of our reservation, I received a call from the hostess who I thought was confirming our reservation. Truth be told, she called to ask if we could come later than the time we had originally booked. Apparently, she wanted to swap another group in earlier because they had tickets to the opera. After getting over the initial surprise of such a strange request from a "fine dining" restaurant (um, what are reservations for then???), I said we would consider the request if there was some sort of incentive. The hostess replied that there wasn't and since we had plans later in the evening, I declined to change our reservation. Oddly, the restaurant was not full when we arrived, which makes me wonder about the time change request again.
On to the food, the apple fennel salad was uninspiring. The greens were fresh, but the salad screamed boring. For the entree, I had the beef short rib, which was rich and flavorful; a solid dish, but nothing to rave about. My husband had the sablefish, which was cooked to perfection, but the flavor was just ok. The dessert was the best part - who can dislike a chocolate fondue? (albeit the smallest fondue I've ever had - think four very small pieces of fruit then halved plus a small profiterole). It was tasty while it lasted and the chocolated sauce was divine.
Overall, a solid meal, nothing fancy. Had it not been for the hostess, I would have enjoyed the experience more.
I've been here twice: Once for an office Xmas party (room was rather small for us), and once for a normal dinner. The location is away from the busier parts of Downtown, yet is easy to get to. (close to SkyTrain)
Food: The most disappointing part of the trips here was the food. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't anything special. For a restaurant that charges so much and puts up such airs, it certainly doesn't win points for having standard dishes. On the other hand, all of the mixed drinks I had (and I had many *burp*) were very well mixed and quite strong.
Service: 5-stars. For the X-mas dinner, we were waited on hand and foot, with hot towels and coffee for recovering from all the drinks. At least this place can justify the prices with the service they provided (at least when I've been there).
Value: Again, the prices are exhorbitant and the food is not that special. You'll likely spend lots on booze, too :/
Ambiance: Classy, without being too stuffy and pretentious. The decor was different than the usual 'modern' West Coast style we get at other places. The wait staff obviously knew what they were doing and were quick to help. Certainly 'European' as advertised.
Overall: I enjoyed the service and the drinks, but can't think it justified to spend so much on the food. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without a lot of disposible income.
Gone are the days when the William Tell was on Richards Street and fondues were the rage.
It was also the era of Monty's Spare Ribs, the Roof, Love's Cafe, the Peter Pan (of the polar bear swim) and many more establishments that have fallen by the wayside (most probably won't recognize these names today.
I must admit that while the William Tell still remains a fine place to dine, it pales when compared to it's offerings of days gone by.
For almost $30 each brunch buffet, it is not worth it. Food is tasty and excellet but there is only less that 10 topic there. Long line up on the buffet bar. Can you beleive we need to wait more than 20 mins to get the food. Don't misunderstand, spend 20 mins is not because there is a lot of food there. It's because there is only very little food. Also, the chef never refill the food. Buffet starts at 11:30, i start line up at 11:45. However, most of the food are gone at 12:00pm. Most of trays are empty.....
Service is just average. I cannot feel any extremely satisfy feeling there.
Well, for spending $30 for brunch buffet. William Tell Restaurant is not a good choice.
Booked this restaurant through Open Seating online, we couldn’t get in until 8pm when we arrived at the restaurant it was almost empty. Call restaurant for reservations because that systems must be flawed. Service was the best I have had in this city, maybe because the restaurant only had a few tables booked, but it was still a pleasure. Food and wine were also very good. Nice little restaurant. Valet parking outside. Quite peaceful and an overall good experience.
Situated inside the Georgian Court Hotel on Beatty Street, The William Tell Restaurant offered my other half and I a fantastic dinner experience. The food was delicious especially the French Onion Soup and the Quebec Veal. The service was professional and timely. If you like cool presentations, try the cafe diablo.
Would I return to dine here again? Or recommend others? Fairly hard to say...the ambiance by far was the most enjoyable aspect of the evening. The cozy but eccentric decor (various crossbows hanging on the walls) was warm and relaxing, especially accompanied by the wonderful service. Don't let my crossbow comment lead you to envision some medieval theme; far from it, the tone of the room is traditional and formal, but not overly so or "stuffy."
As for the food, I will be less complimentary. In particluar, I was disappointed by the lobster bisque. The consistency was similar to that of sauces found in Chinese cuisine (cornstarch-y) and made me feel like I was drinking gravy (or sauce). I had halibut cheeks and prawns as my entree: overcooked and needed salt desperately (though my vegetables were unpleasantly salty). Dessert was excellent. I most enjoyed their meringue/whipped cream/ice cream concoction. Very decadent yet wholesomely satisfying in an old-school way.
In short, ambiance and service: great; food: not great, just OK.
When I was a kid the William Tell was regarded as one of Vancouver's finest restauarnts, if not the best. I recently had my first visit there for the Sunday Swiss farmer's buffet. Not a huge selection of items but very high quality food. Somewhat subdued ambiance. Professional and friendly service. Highly recommended.
Solid 3*, I was expecting more. They are trying hard for the 4*. Something oldfashion about the place and the service was good but flat and boring. The Sommelier got thumbs up. Not sure we will be returning. So many places to try.
I can't WAIT to go back to this place! ALL cheese lovers should come here regularly to indulge in the cheese fondue. I'm a big cheese fondue fan and this is by far the best fondue I've had outside of Europe. We had a plate of the air-dried carpaccio-style beef on the side (bundnerfleisch - similar to the Swiss 'grison'). Of course they offer a variety of dishes but personally I am blinded by cheese. The service was impeccable and the charming and attentive staff were familiar with the traditional Swiss fondue rituals such as serving it with tiny pickles and onions, right down to scraping off and serving the crispy 'cheese chip' baked to the bottom of the pot at the end. They have the perfect wine for this dish - a St. Hubertus Chasselas white (BC). It was delightfully similar to the traditional Fendant served in Switzerland. What a find! This exceptionally enjoyable meal coupled with the sumptuous, relaxing low-lit atmosphere had me thinking I'd been hit by a bus and had actually gone to heaven.
My dinner at William Tell on a Saturday evening was awesome. Food was great, the menu was unique. I had the Quebec Veal and it was very delicious. Dessert is not to be missed, i had the signature dessert Meringue Glacee au Chocolatthe, and it was a big dessert, tasted very good as well. Ambiance is outstanding, very detail-oriented, i like the silverware and the nice white linen tablecloth, the interior design is very elegant and comfortable. Service was great.
Overall a great restaurant!
I went to William Tell with a friend of mine for Dine Out Vancouver 2007, and just like the last restaurant I went to (A Kettle of Fish), I was not getting the value for the money I paid.
Firstly, the bread we got was not fresh. And when I asked the waiter, on my second bread order, if I could get some fresh, warm bread, he gave me the following excuse (paraphrase): "Our restaurant only makes bread at the beginning of the night. And if we leave the bread in the oven too long, it will harden. Therefore, we take the bread out of the oven early in the night and leave it as is."
This is how I interpreted the waiter statement: "It's a pain in the butt to make fresh bread whenever the customer orders it. Even though we are a fine dining restaurant and you pay top dollars for your food, you have not paid enough to get fresh bread." (Note: Even A Kettle of Fish offered fresh bread.)
For our appetizer we had lobster bisque, and my friend said it was tasty. As for the entree, I had sablefish, which was moist and well flavoured. However, it still was not steaming hot (if freshly cooked) - the fish was only luke warm.
As for the ambiance, I found some of the tables were placed too close together. For example, when I moved my chair back to go to the washroom, I actually hit the chair of the table that was behind me. Also, there was a round table that had chairs less than 0.5m away from me. I felt the place was crowded, definitely not a good idea if you wanted an intimate atmosphere.
Overall, I do not recommend William Tell because I can get the same food in a similar atmosphere elsewhere for a lower price.
| 1. | Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar (0 m) | |
| 2. | Beatty Street Bar & Grill (20 m) |  |
| 3. | Java Express (39 m) | |
| 4. | Zachary’s on Robson (61 m) |  |
| 5. | McDonald's (75 m) | |
| 6. | Cafe Orca (84 m) |  |
| 7. | Back Forty (104 m) | |
| 8. | MBar Lounge (107 m) | |
| 9. | Moxie's Classic Grill (107 m) | |
| 10. | Shark Club Bar & Grill (107 m) |  |
