White Spot Marine & Byrne — Restaurant in Burnaby

The following review is reflective of all White Spots and has been emailed to them directly.

I have been a long-time fan and patron of White Spot since I was a child (as many BC residents are). It has always been a place where I can go for excellent food in terms of quality and quantity, as well as being an environment which has been welcoming and warm. When relatives or friends from out-of-town visit, I always make sure that a stop at a White Spot is on the itinerary.

However, in the last few years I have noticed the quality of White Spot's menu has waned to the point where now it seems like White Spot is no longer a "go-to" brand. With my latest experience, I wouldn't recommend White Spot to anyone anymore.

It began when the Tuscan Chicken Pasta changed noodles from Bow Ties to Spiral Macaroni several years ago. This changed the texture of one of my favorite dishes as the noodles were harder. Now, this item is no longer on the menu. The signature "endless fries" has also been one of my favorites when ordering a burger, however the fries now are often bland and hard whereas they used to be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Then I noticed that prices started to increase. Most menu items are now closer to $20.00. Other restaurants offer better food for less price at the $12-$15 range, such as Ricky's. Also, how can it be that a Monty Mushroom burger combo at White Spot is $17.49, while the same combo can be ordered at your Triple O's for $11 and change?! In fact, ALL of the White Spot Burger Combos that have Triple O equivalents are sold for $6-7 more!!!! This is outrageous!

Today, one of our items ordered was the Lasagna with Salad for $17.99. It's image online and description made it enticing: "Layers of fresh pasta, our house-made bolognese sauce, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan & Romano baked in a personal-sized skillet. Chargrilled garlic panini." What we received was FAR from what was in the image. It was in a square container, barely filling a little more that half of it width-wise. It stood maybe 1 inch tall, and the goop of "cheese" made it look like a popped-zit.

We had also ordered a Monty Mushroom Burger Combo, added a "Western" plate. The burger was fine, but as mentioned the price was already more than the Triple O's equivalent. What was shameful was that even with the additional price for the Western Plate, we received 3 onion rings. 3 rings, not 4 as what usually comes with the Western Plate.

I'm saddened to see one of my favorite chains deteriorate like this. Its driving away clientele and fans. The quality is no longer there. The food isn't "welcoming" like it used to be. The organization seems to be looking to increase profits by cutting corners and its becoming obvious.

White Spot, please take this feedback and fix your brand because its breaking. Your standards need to elevate up to what...

Got it! Rating: 3.5/5

Hot Chocolate: 2/5 I was really excited for the hot chocolate, but it didn’t quite meet expectations. It lacked the richness and smoothness that a good hot chocolate should have, leaving me a little disappointed. I think it could definitely use some improvement in flavor and texture.

Chicken Cobb Salad: 4/5 The chicken cobb salad was really good. It had fresh, crisp ingredients, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. The combination of flavors was satisfying, and it was a well-balanced dish. Definitely a solid choice and deserving of a 4/5 rating.

Farro Salad with Extra Chicken: 4/5 The farro salad was a nice light option, and adding extra chicken gave it a nice boost. The flavors complemented each other well, and the extra protein made it a filling and enjoyable dish. Another 4/5 for this one!

Florentine Bowl Fish: 4/5 The Florentine bowl fish was flavorful and well-prepared. The fish was cooked to perfection, and the accompanying ingredients really made it shine. It was a satisfying dish overall, and I’d give it a 4/5.

Service: 4/5 The service was good, with attentive staff who were friendly and quick to address any needs. The overall experience was positive, so I’d rate it 4/5 for service.

Ambience: 4.5/5 The ambiance at WhiteSpot is always one of the highlights. It’s a cozy and inviting space with a relaxed atmosphere, making it a pleasant place to dine. I’d rate it 4.5/5 for ambiance, as it adds a lot to the dining experience.

Overall: 3.5/5 Overall, my experience was quite good, but the hot chocolate held the rating back. The food, service, and ambiance were great, but the hot chocolate needs some work. Still, I’ll definitely be back to try...

Went here with my Mother in law and daughter. Waitress we had was not on the ball. She was an older woman with an Auburn bob haircut.

I ordered a ginger chicken salad, that was gross. I bit into something extremely bitter and crunchy. When I asked her to take it back, i had only eaten the grilled chicken, some cucumber, and some of the mandarin oranges, and she commented i had already eaten most of it. She claimed it must have been the edamame (I know what edamame taste like!). The lady claimed they could have been what I crunched on, but since when were edamame crunchy? Not to mention the heaps of cilantro, and I love cilantro, but anyways. It doesn't matter how much I ate of it, I was unhappy. The manager removed it from our bill thankfully. I wasn't going to be a Karen and chew them out as I know it was busy, but this waitress was not on the ball today. I won't name her as I don't believe in calling someone out by name, especially on the internet.

We ordered a pirate pack for my daughter and they brought her only the main course and the side (mac and cheese and the steamed broccoli and carrots). I asked for apple juice for her, but it was never received. We did not want the ice cream, and didn't get it, understandably. We still paid full price for 2/4 items included in the pirate pack. Safe to say, we were totally ripped off, and I was never asked if I wanted a top off on my coffee. I left the restaurant still hungry. Thankfully MILs order wasn't screwed up and she at least got a drink refill.

Anyway, it was the worst experience at white spot I've ever had. Doubt I'll go back to this...