Bells & Whistles Fraser — Restaurant in Vancouver

In today’s terminology, “Bells and Whistles” usually refers to something that has a number of additional attractive (not necessarily useful) features. Nobody really knows the true origin of the phrase, but some believe that it harks back to a time long ago when bells and whistles were used to draw attention to something (such as at fairgrounds). In any case, the Bells and Whistles that I’m referring to today is the newish gastropub offering from Gooseneck Hospitality (the same group that brought us Wildebeest, Lucky Taco, and Bufala).

I’m not much of a drinker but that’s not the real reason why I visited. No… I heard that there was a super breakfast sandwich here that’s available all day and, if you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you probably know how I feel about breakfast.

When I arrived to Bells and Whistles, I was surprised at how large, bright, and airy this place was. The bar area, located on the right when you first walk inside, is separated from a more casual dining area to the left. Both sides have large projection tvs on the wall and there’s plenty of natural light that comes in from the large windows. If you peer further past the dining area, you can see a separate section which houses a couple of carnival arcade games.

I ordered the All Day Breakfast ($15.50) which includes a maple sausage pork patty, american cheese, hash browns, a fried egg, and their own special sauce. I also upgraded from fries to onion rings ($2) and paired it with Dickie’s Ginger Beer ($4). The reason why I wanted to try this is because it reminded me of Triple O’s Breakfast Club and my own Super Terrific Happy Big Breakfast McMuffin creation.

This breakfast sandwich is not for the faint of heart… it’s fairly large and quite filling. The maple sausage patty is juicy and complements the crispiness of the hash browns. And that egg with the drippy yolk? Dang! I was actually surprised that their bun, while not overly thick, held up well to the juicy contents.

The onion rings were well formed and reminded me of old school onion rings (not like the processed onion-like rings you get at Burger King). The battered rings were pretty good and were served with a honey mustard dipping sauce. Personally, I prefer breaded onion rings but I’m not complaining here.

Service was friendly and this seemed like a fun and vibrant place with plenty of food options that you wouldn’t expect to find at a typical pub. As expected, it can get a bit loud in here from the din of patrons.

We returned a couple of weeks later to try some of their other menu items and arrived around the brunch-hour. Unfortunately, it was busy during this visit so we had to wait about 45 minutes for our meals (the waiter did tell us in advance about the delay but we decided to stay anyways since most brunch places would have been busy too).

The Chicken and Waffles ($16) is on their brunch menu and comes with crispy buttermilk fried chicken and oat waffles that are drizzled with chili yogurt and maple syrup. I’m not sure if it was because the food was good or because I was so hungry… but I wound up scarfing this down really quick.

The Chili ($10) is a fairly small bowl but chock full of chunky beef brisket, chuck, and short rib, roasted corn, black beans, and bacon. It’s topped off with cilantro crema and green onions and turned out to be a fairly tasty and thick version of chili (but lacked a spicy kick).

Overall, a fairly fun environment with some standout, artery-clogging options.

Update: it only took me five years to come back for a revisit. Classic burger and onion rings with a massive half size order of nachos. Nachos did the trick as I've been craving therm for a while. Also had the creamsicle float (which was more like a dessert sundae...

I have spent my adult life traveling the world, seeking not only the famed marvels but as well, the regular experiences of a local in the places they reside.

Vancouver, BC is truly a middling place. Its’ social scene is pithy. Entertainment? Infamously hobbled by the infamously De Genovian pantsshittery that affects policy in our wedge of the West Coast. Cost of living? Prolific - in it’s overreach.

So when you are a person, like me, who grew up here, did what one does to escape it but inevitably returns, you find a local that ticks the boxes and does its’ level-best to offer a hometown comfort.

Bells and Whistles delivers this in spades.

Classified as a sports bar, it pushes the envelope in whom it caters to. Sure, all the sports events are properly covered. Food? Nails it. From dialed in burgs, to doing a rare thing in catering to every popular potato delivery mechanism (fries, tots, curly fries and more are all on offer) - they punch above their weight class.

The beer program is approachable yet accommodating: crispy lagers, sours, hazies and the occasional Belgium (though would it kill you to have Dageraad’s Blonde on deck?). I love a Caesar, and theirs is humble yet scrappy: properly spiced, a steak spice rim, pepperoni and pepperoncini as a garnish: all in an unassuming glass. I recommend it.

A great patio situation is on offer here too. Sunny day? You have a real fine thing in a patio here to lean into.

The thing I really want to highlight here, though, are the people that make this place happen. They absolutely shine. Professional, pleasant and whip-smart, the whole lot of them. You don’t need to stop in every day to feel like you’re a regular: they remember faces and orders like you and I remember that the sky is blue and water is wet. Sit for any amount of time at the bar and you’ll make friends that, I tell you, are worth keeping.

This is also a highly inclusive place. That means that restrooms are identified as for everyone, the establishment is for everyone, and if you for some reason think that not all humans are to be treated with equal dignity and respect, then maybe go find some other, lesser place to pony up to. That’s the magic here: Bells and Whistles has bridged the gap between bro-centric sports culture and progressive, inclusive camaraderie. It’s a magnificent thing.

15/10 is my earnest, honest recommendation. I love this place, its people and what it...

We have been wanting to try this place for a while now and have heard good things. Pros: really cool place. Well decorated. Fun arcade ga in the back. Family friendly. Greasy drink selection.

Food is okay. 7/10. Not amazing. Not terrible. I had the lettuce wraps. They called it Korean fried chicken lettuce wraps. Do not expect Korean fried chicken. It was regular chicken nuggets with Korean sauces. Good spice level. Terrible choice of lettuce as they use what I think was butter lettuce. The leaves were small so you couldn’t really make a wrap. And they were so delicate they they lacked any crunch. They should have used iceberg or leaf lettuce if they must. The ratio or lettuce to filling wasn’t enough. I just ate the filling by itself once I ran out of lettuce. The whole dish didn’t taste bad but it left me longing for cactus club lettuce wraps.

Hubby had a burger and onion rings. Burger was decent. Not amazing. Not bad. Solid burger. Onion rings are ok. I prefer a and w or white spot onion rings.

The kids chicken nugget meal is what lost me. The portion was TINY. It was $10 and did not come with a drink or dessert. My 4 and 7 year old each inhaled their meal and was still hungry. But I give the restaurant points as they rectified the situation by giving us another kids meal for the two to share on the house. And 2 different managers stopped by the table to check in. But for comparison, Tap and barrel also has a Kids menu and their chicken strip and fries kids meal is also $10 but comes with 3 good size strips, choice of side and a drink and dessert.

Service was slow. We had to wave someone down to order. Kids meals came out first which was great but both kids finished their first meal and second free meal before the adult meals were served. Overall- okay experience but for the money, I would...