Val Marie Bar and Cafe — Restaurant in Val Marie

This is the only restaurant and bar in the village (pop: 126). There is nothing fancy about this place, but the service - provided by the woman who owns and runs the place with her husband (?) - is welcoming and friendly. And they serve up some pretty decent food.

The menu is weighted towards Canadian-Cantonese dishes, with a few western favourites (e.g.: dry ribs; chicken wings; salads) thrown in for good measure. They also have a listing of specials posted on a whiteboard just inside the entrance.

We ate here two nights in a row. The first night we ordered two of the Chinese food themed combination plates for one. Highlights were the stir fry vegetables (fresh, crispy with a really good, light sauce), lemon chicken (nice and crispy) with very good fried rice. We also ordered a couple veggie spring rolls, which were crispy and delicious. The chicken balls and dry ribs were also passably good.

The ginger beef is a fun one-time and do-not-repeat order. It has a lovely batter but the sauce is cloyingly sweet. And yet, the ginger flavour actually comes through, which makes it a fun candied-ginger beef.

The second night we had two western-style specials: fried chicken with fries; and, home made chicken pot pie with salad (we also ordered a full platter of the stir fry veggies from the night before - they’re just that good!).

The fried chicken was crispy and juicy, and the fries were crispy and tasty. The chicken pot pie was delicious, but came out just warm’ish, which took away from the enjoyment a bit.

We ordered freshly made watermelon juice both nights; it was just the right level of sweet and really helped us hydrate after long days of hiking.

Two meals each night came out to approximately $70 (including tax and tip).

Important note: they only accept cash (no credit or even debit). If you don’t have cash on hand there is unaffiliated ATM in the front foyer, but be aware that it will charge a $3.00 fee for...

Cash only

This would be an "okay" local watering hole, if it wasn't cash only. There is an atm in the lobby but there is a 3 dollar transaction fee and it only let's you take out $20 at a time which is some serious balogne. The beers weren't as cold as I'd like particularly because it was 40 degrees hot outside. We went just after noon one day and the tiny window ac in the dining room wasn't able to keep up. It was definitely cooler than outside but not quite the reprieve we were seeking. The second day wed went wed asked for some water as well as a few beers but the water that came was pretty good it was luke warm and there was no ice.

The decor in the hotel was pretty nice. They have a fantastic looking pool table that unfortunately has a tear in the clothe. While everything here is okay it seems just a few service considerations and small details could take it from a 3 up to a 4 with very little effort. The dining area is definitely cleaner than most small town bars you'd see. The washrooms were dated but clean and well maintained. It's a step up from most but val marie is a touristy type town and it feels like there is a missed...

The room was priced inaccurately because they only accept cash, which meant that I had to pay $3 at their ATM. The room was extremely over-priced for what you get, a disgusting room with no television. I had my dog with me and they promptly (within 2 minutes) kicked me out, citing potential guest allergies. They refunded my room fee, but not the ATM fee. The bar was a s-hole, the restaurant appeared to be a s-hole but I wasn't allowed to stay long enough to find out. Sincerely, when you're running a dump hotel, you don't chase away the only patron you've seen in weeks (because I doubt anyone would choose to stay here)... I only booked the room because I needed gas and the CO-OP closes at 5PM on a weekday. Some people work hard for a living, past 5 PM. Pathetic. If I owned this place I'd get an insurance policy and set the whole thing ablaze....