Loam Bistro — Restaurant in North Vancouver

Cute new location and would’ve loved the chance to try it out, but after waiting in the line outside for 15mins, we were told that they couldn’t seat us at 1 of the 2x empty 4-top tables, because we were just a party of 2 and they couldn’t split a 4-top; then further tried to justify it with “and what if a group of 4 arrived?” I asked them what they would do if a 6 group came and they said they’d split a 4 to accommodate a 6. Awesome - so you only care about large groups and more money. 😒

Eventually, they compromised and said they could seat us at a 4-top but if a party of 4 came, we’d have to move. I didn’t have a problem with this, and further asked where we would move to if there wasn’t another 2-top available, and she just looked at me - so I followed it up with “would we just stand with our food, waiting?!” and while she didn’t say yes specifically, she also didn’t say no specifically either.

I get that you’re a small location - that’s your choice though, not mine; you picked this location - however, turning away 2 customers who were ready to spend money in your new business, all because you’re waiting for an “if” (what if a larger party arrives?) not only hurt you today because we walked out and went elsewhere, it’s going to hurt your business pretty quickly moving forward, too.

Folks know you’re a small location - that’s why we, and others, were willing to wait outside in the rain and wind - and it’s not unreasonable to seat parties as they arrive. If a group of 6 arrives, chances are pretty good they know they may have a bit of a wait - just like a group of 4 would find it reasonable to wait if there was only a 2-top remaining because you did the right thing and split a 4-top to seat people who were waiting.

Response to the restaurant’s review reply: our concern wasn’t with having to wait outside in a line up - that just goes to show it’s a popular place, and somewhere we want to eat! - my problem was their unwillingness to seat a party of 2 at a 4-top “because what *if we get a group of 4 that comes in?” I want to also highlight: no one else was in the line behind us; it was 1pm when they close at 3pm, so we felt the majority of their “brunch rush” was probably over; and lastly, being unclear as to where we would be asked to go if a group of 4 arrived and there were no 2-tops available for us to move to. We weren’t asked to wait “5-10mins”; we were asked to wait “15mins or so” on top of having already waited 15mins; and this review didn’t take me 20mins...

Loam bistro is hands down the best place for breakfast/brunch in the whole city. We were visiting North Vancouver and so glad we found this little gem, we loved it so much we ended up eating there every morning. The ingredients are fresh and of highest quality, presentation of dishes is just beautiful, amazing combination of flavours and what stands out - everything is made in-house or sourced from a small, local providers that make everything from scratch. A must try dishes are avocado croast (perfectly flaky, buttery croissant with delicious avocado guacamole, creamy, soft, poached eggs and arugula with parmesan cheese), pistachio french toast (fluffy Japanese milk bread toast with yummy pistachio cream), mango granola bowl (perfect for light, yet filling summer breakfast and the granola is made in-house, perfectly crunchy and flavorful with a hint of toasted coconut), shakshouka (it was the best one I ever had - rich tomato and roasted pepper sauce with feta crumbs and herbs and delicious sourdough bread, just amazing, strawberry rhubarb toast with orange mascarpone and vanilla sauce and the acai bowl (just wonderful consistency and flavor). Lets not forget the barista style coffee - the flat white was so great I always ended up ordering a second one. We also loved iced strawberry matcha latte with home made strawberry puree and the high quality real matcha. I also tried a beautiful, blue earl grey matcha latte. Last but not least - the owners - Rahul and Honoka - made us feel at home since the very first visit and we loved chatting with them each day, it was also part of this amazing dining experience to see how much passion and love they put into their project, we will definitely miss those mornings with them. They are also great with kids and it was our son’s best breakfast spot. We tried several brunch places in Vancouver before (including some hyped ones) and usually ended up disappointed, with a heavy stomach filled with unhealthy, greasy food. Loam bistro is your best choice for a healthy, flavourful and delicious breakfast or lunch in Vancouver. We can’t wait to be back! Greetings from Switzerland, Agnes, Lucas &...

Food: We got hojicha latte and matcha latte. Both are delicious! They don't add additional syrup, so if you like your drinks sweet, you might need to ask them to add it. Personally, that's how I like my drinks, and it reminds me of the drinks I got in Japan. The hojicha is nutty and flavorful. I would go back to get that! I think other people ordered the trending strawberry matcha, and it sold out in less than 10 minutes!

Food-wise, I liked their Orzo Shrimp Puttanesca. I'm usually not a huge fan of whole olives—I pick them out from pizza—but the olives in this dish blend nicely. They add creaminess without a strong grassy taste. We wanted the English Cassoulet, but it was out, so we got Shakshuka with a side of farmer's sausage instead. The sausage was a bit salty but flavorful. The Shakshuka was standard. I think they could cut their bread a little thicker. It's a bit pricier than other places, but they do make good food.

Service: Very friendly and helpful. Food takes the average amount of time to reach the table. Drinks came first. Servers explained to other people that they change their menu every four months or so, so it's worth checking their Instagram to find out what's new. From their Instagram, I think they are also planning to open for dinner service!

Atmosphere: I love their interior design and the presentation of their food. It's so cute and modern. They have a lot of greenery. It's not very big, so you might not be able to handle a party larger than six. However, it's a nice cafe for small groups. I think there were roughly 25 seats in total. The tables are a bit small for the big...