Arms Reach Bistro — Restaurant in District of North Vancouver

October 4, 2024 - my family and I are regular customers at Arms Reach and I can't write a review every time we go there, but sometimes I just have to give special thanks. I have reached my character limit and have had to delete old reviews to write this one.

Tonight Hubby and I decided we wanted to go Arms Reach at the last minute - Friday night - no reservations available until 8:15. But we were hungry and couldn't wait so we took a chance and went anyway. No tables but we were offered a seat at the bar - YES thank you! In all of the years we have been going there I have never sat at the bar.

We were served by Max H., who was the bartender, and I have to say that it was such an interesting experience. We have such respect for what it takes to do that job - working at lightning speed, remembering so many details while providing extraordinary service, AND delightful conversation all at the same time! Hubby and I both agreed we don't know how he was able to do that and we were so impressed!

Thank you Max - it was truly a pleasure - and of course the food and drink were outstanding as usual! So glad we took a chance and had the opportunity to sit at the bar.

July 11, 2023 - time for an update! Arms Reach is always a favourite place to go when we want a treat and never disappoints. I had a craving for the Penne Chicken and the fries with garlic aioli - they are the best!! Thank you to Jack and Rouen for your wonderful friendly service - you really helped to make it a special evening for us!

March 12, 2020 - After a stressful and exhausting week, I knew I could count on Arms Reach for a treat. We ordered the Fried Brussels and Delicata Squash with Prawns (the Green Goddess dressing was delectable), Roasted Free Range Chicken Supreme, Spicy Spaghetti, Pasta Bambini with Alfredo Sauce, Fries with garlic aioli, and Calamari. All were delicious!

The staff are all extraordinary at Arms Reach! I want to give special thanks to Mariah, who helped to make our evening very special. She is kind, compassionate, so helpful, fun and funny, and I always look forward to spending time with her. And thank you for that extra Alpina Limonata - you knew I really needed it that night ;).

Update January 26, 2020 - Another wonderful dinner and delightful experience at Arms Reach Bistro! After a rather stressful day my family and I decided to treat ourselves. Thankfully on a dark and rainy Sunday night it is not as busy in Deep Cove, and we live nearby and this was exactly what we needed. Bonus that the Dine Out Vancouver menu was offered so I had the delectable 3 course meal for $35.

I tend to be a creature of habit and usually order old favourites, but tonight I was inspired by Jen, our server extraordinaire, to try the Duck Confit. When she described it the look on her face told me this would be an experience to remember, and indeed it was. The flavour was succulent, the meat fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. And the Beet appetizer, while it didn't sound all that exciting, was also delectable. And how perfect to finish with the Creme Brulee! Of course I also had my favourite Seaside Lemonade, currently called the Alpine Limonata because of the mint-infused gin topped up in a tall glass with a side of soda.

Hubby enjoyed Racheal's Butter Chicken and my daughter had her favourite Penne Alfredo and fries (have I said that Arms Reach has the best fries - I looove the garlic aioli).

And I have to thank Jen, who really made the evening - extraordinary, very attentive service and great conversation - and for inspiring me to try the Duck Confit - thanks Jen! Beautiful setting, delicious food and extraordinary service! Arms Reach is a...

Unfortunately, it’s quite dated. The best part of my meal was the green salad which was bright and fresh and light. My steelhead came on a bed of tartare sauce with overly fried potatoes and a few hidden green beans for $34. Nothing fresh about this dish and not a hint of fresh herbs or citrus or anything to cut through the extremely heavy oils on the plate. The fish is supposed to be the star ingredient but even that was fried. It’s a very 80s/90s style of cuisine with the entire dish being built on a bed of an excessive amount of tartare sauce. No fresh vegetables, no summer ingredients just a mess of sauce, fried potato, starchy green beans and topped with fried fish which once you cook it this way could literally be anything since the whole dish is drowned in that sauce so you can’t really taste that it’s steelhead. I tried to eat around it but the potatoes sit on top of this sauce. Other people who ordered it also ate it the way I did trying to avoid all that sauce. I would have wanted a fish with some vegetables and fresh ingredients with some sort of bright fresh herbs and a hint of citrus instead of what I got. Billed as Pacific Northwest cuisine this is a bit of an embarrassment and not reflective of the gorgeous ingredients we get from all the farms and fisheries in the lower mainland. If you’re looking for a true west coast experience this will not be the place however if you’re nostalgic for 80s and 90s food, this may do it. Even the pastas are missing that freshness and vegetables. Better restaurants with modern menus all base it on a single star ingredient with seasonal vegetables which this place is badly missing from the menu. It’s summer so patty pan squash and fresh baby kale are all over. The carpaccio is another dish which was heavily sauced which again why bother with wagyu if you’re just covering it in so much sauce. No arugula or any other vegetable to give it a bit of freshness just a sauce and more sauce. You can use cheaper ingredients if this is how you’re treating them this way. Flavour of the sauce was good but just way too much. A handful or arugula with a good quality olive oil and lemon would have brought this all together but instead it came with three tiny pieces of crispy bread. Definitely a cheaper bread and not reflective of the quality that we have available from the artisanal bakeries. Extremely over priced for what this restaurant serves and definitely not priced to match the quality and...

A little late review but here it is nonetheless. My husband & I had dinner here June 2024. Obviously the view is incredible. Our service was amazing, it wasn't busy at the time we went so it was nice out on the patio. We had wagyu beef carpaccio, calamari frito, coconut mussels & spicy spaghetti. My husband loved his wagyu beef carpaccio said it was really good with capers, aioli with crostini, he really enjoyed that. The calamari was crispy and very flavourful and the tomato marinara was really good as a dipping sauce. The coconut mussels (which I hadn't eaten in about 15yrs +) was wonderful, enough mussel meat in each shell, obviously that is always depending on each mussel right no one can really know till its cooked & open. The coconut curry that it was cooked in tasted amazing. We shared the spicy spaghetti split for 2 of us. So Good. I thought they're would be just some sauce coating the pasta & the chorizo would just be a few bits here & there...No. There was a very healthy amount of chorizo, coating all the spaghetti. I can't even describe how good it was. It was a windy but sunny day there in Deep Cove, I was given a blanket to wrap around me & the outdoor heaters were turned on. I think this was the best dinner outing & food me & my husband had till date. Super nice & friendly lady serving us. This place isn't exactly average/ cheap so be warned but if you can splurge, afford or have a special day this is an excellent place. I can't wait to go here again....