Fishworks — Restaurant in North Vancouver

Went to Fishworks for the first time last night. Maybe it was because it was night one of Dinev Out while the whole editions started poorly.

Upon walking in, the hostess had trouble seating a walk-in group of for at the bar. To be fair, the fact that bar staff did not help was disappointing. She cannot do it all. As a result of the delay, two others groups entered behind us and she lost the order and started feeling with the group that arrived last (luckily a patron corrected the order.)

We got seated well enough and the place was clean and a good aesthetic to the whole place. Our server highlighted the Dine Out menu, while the contents as a whole didn't excite us (other than the White chocolate cheesecake.)

We started with cocktails and they took a while to arrive. They didn't even arrive until we got our appetizer. I really wish we could have had them while deciding, but it was obvious they were trying to turn tables over. all in all, we ordered, a cocktail each, a mixed green salad, the Halibut poutine, and the paella, a bottle of wine with dinner, and dessert. The salad was fresh and a nice mix of veggies.

So given the rating and the description above, why three stars? Upon getting the salad, or server asks us, "is this your first Dine Out...?" When we clearly had an item not on the done it menu and he took our order. This was less surprising because he tried to memorize our order but still had to ask us what we ordered while he was entering the order in the POS terminal. Luckily it was close by...

Upon getting our mains, or server asked how everything was and I had to remind him of the bottle of wine.

The quality of the prime was good. The Halibut was good, not great. The paella was very average. Not at all spicy.

We got creme brule and tiramisu for dessert. The cream brule was delicious while not as firm as we would have liked. The tiramisu was great.

So again, maybe it's because it was Dine Out, the service just lacked and the food was alright.

I can say, I don't see going back any time soon.

Update- returned, NOT on a Dine-out night. BEST IDEA EVER! The intake was a little hectic, simply because the space is small. We had cocktails, the Ceviche, salmon tar tar, then Prawn Carbonara and Seafood Paella. Everything was incredibly delicious. Our server didn't rush us and we ate everything.

The prawns were seasoned and delicious and the paella was peppery but balanced with fresh seafood.

They even provided delicious, chocolate truffles at the end. These were near perfect.

Thank you for winning...

Visiting Vancouver and stumbled across fishworks - canoe oyster bar, located on lower Lonsdale (North Vancouver:Lonsdale & 1st Ave.) Wow .. skull-blasting - mind blowing cuisine. As an industry professional - I can be quite picky. I never complain - but I absolutely love to give credit - where credit is due. This seafood restaurant is a gem. It is comfortable- yet refined. The service is warm & impeccable. You are warmly greeted with smiles at the door. I showed up for their Happy Hour - from 4-6 pm .. and could bit believe the menu offerings. I selected their variation of the Dark & Stormy. It was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of citrus and spice. It was served in a proper stainless steel mug - and for $7 - it went down rather quickly. I highly recommend sitting on their extended patio. The patio is shaded from the sun, but open on all sides - to provide a comforting breeze. I ordered 6 oysters for $1.50 (HH pricing). The oysters were fresh and creamy with notes of cucumber & melon. They are served (properly) with freshly ground horseradish, house made hot sauce & mignonette. I ordered the Ahi seared Tuna with a side of frites. Once again, wow! I’ve managed bars, hotels and private members clubs in Toronto for over 20 years - and I’m not often ‘Wow’d’! Fishworks Canoe Oyster Bar provides 5 star hotel quality food - without the pretentious vibe. You walk in - you sit down & you instantly feel the warmth of home. The seared tuna with black sesame crust - was perfection. The best I’ve ever had. The black garlic is something that should be a bucket list food for everyone to try. They provide a complimentary bread basket, accompanied by house made hummus resting on olive oil & balsamic. The bread is fresh, spongy & slightly sweet. Divine. I can’t say anything more about my first dining experience with fishworks - besides that I will be a lifelong customer. I plan to bring my entire family here before I head back to Toronto. My server Chloe was professional and personable. She really goes the extra mile. You can tell that she really enjoys her job & she’s an...

We went with a high expectations because of the reviews. I actually invited my friends travelled to North Vancouver for a good evening at this place.

Unfortunately, we hit a very bumpy ride.

The patio is so right next to the road, tightly, that if you stretched at the wrong timing, a bus will hit your arms. When asked for a sample for the beer on tap, the waitress brought it with a glass that has a crack on top and goes whole the way to almost bottom. I hesitated a bit but finished it carefully because I and my friends were in a nice conversation so I didn't want to be disrupted. When I reminded the waitress this issue, she was like ‘oh I didn't see this when I brought it.’ I was filled with question marks in my head because it's not possible to miss it.

To start with, we ordered the oysters 🦪 that we were excited about. TBH, they did not taste too fresh to me, but my friend thinks that it’s not bad. However, we both agreed that the oysters are very small, like smaller than the spoon 🥄 for them. We also ordered the seafood tower, another thing that we are excited about. It looks great and tastes great as well. But all items are significantly smaller than other places.

Additionally, a dish with tuna came with a piece of dirty plastic wrap mixed in it. it's really gross. But when we told the waitress, she took it away immediately. She came back in a few mins and said ‘okay, we took it out of your bill.’ and left. We feel like she did not take food safety seriously and is very used to this issue.

We felt unsafe to eat more at this moment.

It was too late to go somwhere else, so we stayed but drank only water from this point. In the end of the day, we spent almost $200 for three people and I ended up heating my leftover when got home.

Very embarrassed from inviting my friend came all the way to North Van for a night like this.

In sum, for the taste and the drinks, it's quite good. But I am concerned about the food quality and safety...