Hopyard — Restaurant in Charlottetown

When Hopyard first opened and proclaimed that they were bringing something new to Charlottetown, I went with a friend and ordered every single dish at once.

6yrs later, I've been several times and everything from the vibe to the food lacks creativity, lacks soul and lacks any kind of the vibe they proclaimed to procure.

The food is predictably over salted to appeal to alcoholics. The music and vibe is cliche. The lack of alcohol options is ridiculous for a pub/bar. (They only carry 1 kind of Vodka and it's terrible!) The patrons are predictably the unsophisticated locals who lack the skills to entertain at home yet wish to be seen in public. You can tell by their body language that they're more aware of their surroundings than the conversations at the table. The staff are accutely aware that they're selling a vibe and they understand the hypocrisy of selling something old while marketing it as new. Ask a staff member simple questions about a dish, a drink or how to queue up a record and you're met with unexcited and tired answers.

There seems to be more passion by the owners into figuring out what's marketable rather than for the restaurant itself. It seems as if the owners somehow packaged an awkward moment and use the atmosphere of that awkward moment to declare there's some kind of prestige for being there and that's a justification for $20 barely shareable fries.

My guess is they wanted to steal marketshare from Upstreet yet create a cozy/regulars vibe like the Triangle. Nearly every spot in town has a regulars scene because their layout allows it. Hipsteryard wants you to think of it like a 90's basement record store but in reality it's more like a food truck with a...

It doesn't look like much. But the second you stick your head in the door you are welcomed by a warm and chill staff. The back wall is covered in vinyl and there is a central table in the back where you can sift through a suprisingly well curated collection of vinyl the the staff will put on for you with a smile. The beer selection is quite good. The vibe while selecting beer is pretty slick with bartender ready to let you taste anything. The food: a menu that changes often, is small and exciting. True fusion that can cater to dietary restrictions such as vegan and GF. The food was special. I mean, it is out there in terms of concept, i.e. kimchi nachos. The dishes are full of bold flavours, layers of pickled things, homemade sauces and subtle textures. Let me say this, the food is very good. Suprisingly so. Elements of a beautiful mess may be present on your plate, but in your mouth it all makes sense, a lot of sense. It's very original through and through, from first contact to the service style and even interactions with the owner. The content found within the four walls punches way above it's weight and really puts into perspective how so many restaurants don't have their priorities straight. These guys really have their ducks in a row in an easy, vibey...

This restaurant at first seemed like a the warehouse knock-off from Ontario, however we soon learned that despite the cheap prices the dishes were rather small and you needed to order 2 to make a full meal. I had the club sandwich. This was served with buffalo fries, which my only complaint was that they were a bit soggy. The club sandwich however looked more like a rather depressing chicken burger. Being served between burger buns and only consisting of a piece of chicken, a single slice of tomato, and a single piece of lettuce. Other people at the table had the fancy fries which were soo sweet they could only finish a quarter. Each fry looked to have been rolled in maple glazing. In terms of service they were very slow, we had to wait almost 10min to get our drinks only to inform me that my drink was no longer available (the drink menu was on a chalkboard they hold up so it should have been up to date). At the end of an overall disappointing night, the waitress messed up the bill between me and another person at the table twice. Overall I was unimpressed, there are many other restaurants in Charlottetown that would blow this one out...