Steamworks North Shore — Restaurant in North Vancouver

My friends and I arrived at the restaurant at 7:30 PM today, fully expecting a wait. When we first checked in, the hostess told us the wait could be about 20 minutes but then added, “It could be 5–10 minutes—we’re turning over a lot of tables.” That seemed reasonable to us, so we went ahead and paid for two hours of parking and waited in the front lobby.

As we waited, we noticed that the waitlist kept growing, yet the estimated wait time remained unchanged at “20 minutes.” Eventually, groups who arrived after us were quoted different, more uncertain wait times and the hostess dialog changed saying—“could be 20–30 minutes, could be longer, I don’t know.”

When we hit the 30-minute mark—10 minutes past our original estimate—I politely asked the hostess for an updated wait time. She responded, “I’m not sure; I don’t know the floor plan. She (referring to another hostess, possibly the lead) knows it.” I then asked if she could check with the lead hostess for a more accurate estimate. She seemed irritated but went to ask. When she returned, after checking with management as well, she told me that the lead hostess also didn’t know how much longer it would be. She then responded saying that when we were first added to the waitlist, we had been told the time could be longer, and that since we were a “larger group” (of 4) it was uncertain when a table would clear. (never thought a group of 4 would’ve been considered large, coming from an industry worker.)

At this point, I reminded her that we had initially been quoted a time with the possibility of just a five-minute wait. She brushed it off as a misunderstanding, explaining that a table had been leaving at the time. I then asked how many parties were ahead of us, and she said three. That’s when it became clear that the issue wasn’t just the wait itself—it was a lack of communication between the hostesses and management.

I asked once more for an estimated wait time, and she replied, “Well, my system says 23 minutes, so…” At that point, we had already been waiting for 30 minutes, adding another 23 minutes would make us wait longer than 50min —far beyond our original 5–20 minute estimate.

By the end, I was frustrated—not just with the delay, but with the lack of clear information and the irritation I was met with when asking reasonable questions. However, I also recognize that this was a newly opened restaurant, and it was clear the hostesses hadn’t been given the proper training on systems or support from management. It’s their job to understand the floor plan and quote accurate wait times, but it’s management’s responsibility to ensure they have the tools to do so effectively.

I would far rather if the hostess used vocabulary such as “a few tables are taking a bit longer than expected, therefore the wait has increased we appreciate your patience.” Rather than just saying that she doesn’t know what’s going on, doesn’t know the floor plan, or accurate quotes.

Throughout the 30 minutes I observed, the hostesses were clearly struggling, repeatedly turning to management for help. Yet, no one stepped in to assist them or check on waiting guests. Just as I was considering asking for a manager, the manager ushered out yelling back to the host he needed a smoke, whilst the hostess got smoked.

we ended up leaving shortly after, unable to enjoy the beers we were...

I was very excited to see an establishment of this kind announce an impending opening to serve the Upper Lonsdale area, and even more excited to pass by today and see that they have now in fact opened. However, I left somewhat confused and a little disappointed after a mid-afternoon visit this afternoon. After a lengthy wait to be acknowledged by staff that I was waiting to be seated, and an even MORE lengthy wait to be seated, the atmosphere seemed somewhat chaotic....not because they were busy (less than 30% full), but because the staff did not seem to know who was doing what. Four of the six staff on the floor passed me by at the entrance without acknowledging my presence that I was waiting to be seated. When I was finally acknowledged and seated, it was another lengthy wait to order and receive my beverage of choice and food. Food was served hot, which was a nice surprise. I asked one of the four different servers that serviced my table how long that they had been open, to which he replied approximately three weeks. He noted that they were still trying to working out the "kinks," as it was unsure how many staff would actually show up for their given shift. He also commented that the food is "usually good" and "hopefully the beer cold." The manager on the floor, who was wearing a t-shirt advertising CRAFT BEER MARKET in Kelowna, was running from one end of the restaurant to the other, trying to coordinate the staff on the floor. The most attentive service I received was when it started to become busy around 4pm and they needed my table! The restaurant has an indoor seating capacity of 140 persons, with a patio large enough to accommodate another 140 persons, which gives this establishment a lot of potential come summer. I'm sure it would be worth a second visit, but given the experience today, I won't be rushing back any time soon. My hope is that they find their flow before patio season. And note: they do not take AMEX, if that is your preferred payment...

A group of 5 of us went on a Wednesday around 5:30pm, it wasn’t too busy, we were seated quickly. We enjoyed everything about Steamworks - the food, atmosphere, and especially the exceptional service we received. We agreed we’ll happily return!

•Location 5/5: great new (ish) option for any North Shore folk! Ample free street parking nearby; plus, near a main bus route.

•Atmosphere 5/5: love the option to sit inside or out on the large patio, which is dog friendly! Good range of music, which wasn’t too loud so you can easily carry on conversations.

•Food 4.75/5: plenty of options that are sure to accommodate everyone (vegan, gluten free, etc.). Portions were generous, yet not unnecessarily big.

•Staff/Service 5/5: welcoming, very attentive, happy to accommodate, prompt.

•Price 5/5: reasonably priced, especially during Happy Hour!

•Cheeseburger 4.25/5: the charbroiled patty makes for exceptionally great flavor. All veggies were fresh and crisp, burger sauce was very tasty!

•Prawn & Chorizo Jambalaya 4.75/5: packed with a variety of spices, generous amount of perfectly cooked prawns. It has a bit of a kick, but nothing too extreme.

•Vegan Goddess Bowl 5/5: three out of five people in our group ordered these, it was their second time here (specifically for this dish), so it’s a clear winner!

•Beeramisu 3.75/5: I’m not a tiramisu fan, but friends ordered this and gave the rating. Big portion, sharable, a neat spin on tiramisu.

•Other: friends ordered Poutine, Poke Nachos, and Vegan Dumplings as starters, which they enjoyed and said they’d...