South Sumas Bistro — Restaurant in Chilliwack

We used to frequent this spot when it was under a different name and management, and it was only nostalgia that made us resist trying out the ‘new’ restaurant until last weekend. We were missing out, because this deserves a place on your favourite go-to breakfast and lunch spots in Chilliwack.

Our first impression was the service – the friendly gal who welcomed us saw the bike helmets, and without us mentioning the bikes said she’d go right outside to open the gate so we could bring them into the patio area. While the inside seating is spacious and charming, it was a perfect day, and the patio was clean and welcoming with plenty of shade and a nice breeze.

A number of items on the menu looked good, but we consider ourselves burger aficionados, and the description looked enticing. We’re used to taking one bite, looking at each other and saying, “It’s ok, but it’s no _ burger,” in reference to our favourite grill in Kits. This time, we just stared wide-eyed and both felt the same – we’ve had different burgers, but never better.

And that’s the trick – everyone does a benny, a BLT, and yes, a burger. With thousands of ingredients available to use, just be original! And South Sumas Bistro does just that with their burger. The textures, flavours, and distinctive flavours had us making yummy noises the whole meal, and the wedge fries were a great compliment.

We had a look at some of the other meals folk were ordering, and everyone looked to have the same degree of quality ingredients, care, and attention on their plates – we’d have ordered and likely enjoyed anything else we saw. Which is to say we’ll be back regularly!

Thanks to the whole SSB team for making us feel welcome, and for creating such a memorable lunch experience....

We stopped in here recently for breakfast. The decor looks identical to Little Beetle Bistro, the business that was here before. Even more concerning is that the menu and food look to be directly ripped off of Little Beetle, which feels greasy to me.

With that said, the food was quite good. My wife had a stack of pancakes and a side of bacon. She enjoyed the pancakes, although the bacon came out ice cold.

I had a crispy chicken sandwich. It was delicious, as were the fries and aioli served as a dip.

The service was excellent, although it was not busy. We only saw two other tables seated while we were there. Our server was very pleasant and attentive. We also received a 15% discount when we got our bill which ended up being their breakfast happy hour - a pretty clever idea which we haven't seen elsewhere.

Overall, it was a good experience, though the striking similarities to the previous business here, make me a bit uneasy. I would probably go back, but I hope that the owners make an effort to differentiate themselves from the previous business... Especially since that business has moved and still exists...

I recently visited South Sumas Bistro with a group of 9 friends and ordered the South Sumas Platter. I had asked the waitress specifically for my egg to be hard boiled, but as you can see in the attached photo, it looked far from what you'd expect from a hard-boiled egg. To her credit, she did offer to replace it, but since everyone else's meals had already arrived, I didn’t want to wait another 10 minutes just for the egg. We also ordered coffee, some of which were supposed to come with flavored syrups. Unfortunately, the coffee tasted quite plain, and we had to ask them to add more syrup to get the flavor right. On the positive side, the overall food quality was acceptable and decent for the area. I wasn’t expecting anything exceptional, and in that regard, it met expectations. If the bistro is aiming to improve and attract more customers, especially larger groups, I think investing in more experienced and professional staff would...