Old School Eatery — Restaurant in Revelstoke

TLDR: Amazing ambience, delicious food, good service.

We, party of three, came on New Year’s Eve. We had called around 30 minutes prior to our planned arrival time, at around 5:30pm. The hostess found us a table for three, but we would have to vacate by 7:30pm. That was fine by us, so we took it up.

Upon walking into an old school building, the restaurant is directly on the right. Inside, the environment closely resembled that of a school classroom; for example, the floor was tiled. I quite liked the classy incorporation of old-school elements into a modern, cozy restaurant.

The hostess and our waitress were superb. They were friendly, had big smiles on their faces, and looked like they wanted to be there. Unfortunately, they were also quite busy, so some of our attempts to attract their attention went unfounded, and when we did manage to request a pair of chopsticks for the Laksa we ordered, the waitress said sure, disappeared, and never returned with said chopsticks.

We ordered the Crispy Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer, and the Chicken Laksa, Linguine Verdura, and Bison Osso Buco as our entrees. Our waitress informed us that instead of bison for the latter dish, they only had elk. That was fine by us.

The brussel sprouts came fried to a crispy, melt-in-you-mouth texture, topped with a balsamic drizzle, pomegranate seeds, and some sort of pumpkin or sunflower seeds. It was delicious, though I think they could’ve gone a little lighter on the vinaigrette; the tartness was overpowering. The Linguine Verdura was fantastic. The marinara sauce was just the right combination of sweet, tangy, and salty. The noodles were delectable. The vegetables fit into the dish very well. The Laksa was delicious. The broth resembled a Thai green curry but watered down a little more. The vermicelli noodles were cooked well, and the shrimp were tender. The elk was good, but a little underwhelming. The meat wasn’t super tender and instead a little tough, something I shouldn’t be overcritical of since I almost never eat elk. The sauce and mashed potatoes were good, though.

We finished the night with a slice of their Nutella cheesecake. This was amazing; rich, creamy, and sweet. The Nutella was present but not overpowering the taste of a classic cheesecake. It was topped with a berry compote of some sort and a dollop of whipped cream.

Overall I would definitely recommend this fabulous spot and look forward to visiting again the next time we are...

I read a review that said that reservations were important, so I made one for 5:00 on Saturday night. Since it opens at 5, we went right in to a table reserved for us. Great spot. Our waitress was Charmaine M. She couldn't have been nicer. She answered all our questions and took our order. We promptly received our Pan-Seared Calamari which was out of this world. This is not deep-fried dipping calamari. You can't imagine how tasty this was. Perfectly seasoned and prepared with Chorizo, Kalamata Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Anchovy, etc. Best we ever had. For her entree, my wife had the Chicken Parmigiana, which she was extremely happy with. I had Thai Seafood Curry, which is something like a Thai Curry version of Zuppa de Pesce with Prawns, Snapper, Mussels, and Scallops. Out of this world. Charmaine checked in with us a few times to be sure everything was perfect, and it was. On our way out, we made a reservation for Sunday night. Sunday night we had a similar experience with the exceptional Charmaine as our waitress. Again, we had the Calamari as an appetizer. It's that good. My wife then had Pan-Seared Salmon and I had Fisherman's Stew. Again, perfection. I only wish we were in town longer to try more of their flavorful dishes. They have seating both inside and outside. We enjoyed the quaint indoor schoolhouse seating. ...

Comfort Food with a Mix of Awkwardness

Old School Eatery in Revelstoke prides itself on offering "Sophisticated Comfort Food." While the comfort food aspect is there, the sophistication seemed to be lacking during our recent visit. My son suggested giving this place another try, hoping for a better experience than our last visit two years ago. Unfortunately, the dining experience left much to be desired.

Upon arrival, we were seated on the patio by what appeared to be the manager or owner, and from that moment, the experience turned "awkward." Our server, Sarah H., was very friendly and tried her best, but it was evident she was a bit overwhelmed. This was compounded by the manager/owner frequently interfering—clearing our steak knives and extra plates before the main course arrived and checking on our drinks right after Sarah had done so.

The food was decent, earning a solid 4/5, but it didn't stand out as anything special. As we were trying to enjoy our meal, a swarm of wasps decided to join us on the patio, prompting us to cut our losses and ask for the bill.

Revelstoke has plenty of restaurants that offer equally good food with better service and at more reasonable prices. While Old School Eatery has potential and a friendly staff, they need to iron out some service issues to truly live up to...