Haifa — Restaurant in Vancouver

If you're here....you might wanna read this.

Online: Atmosphere - busy, happening, fun. Service - welcoming, friendly, professional. Food - lower prices.

In Reality: Atmosphere - empty, stale, dead. Service - cold, tense, unprofessional. Food - higher in prices.

Here's what happened....

We walked in, and as we were waiting to be checked in to our reservation, we noticed how dead the place was. Not a single person at the bar and maybe 3 tables in that big space. On a Saturday night.

Finally, an angry looking fella walked toward us and just looked at me.... I told him my reservation time, and I noticed there was coat check, so since he didn't offer....I asked for my coat to be checked.... He just pointed to the rack of coats in the room and said, you can check it yourself.... He walked us through the nearly empty space, threw down our menus and left. I later found out through our waitress that this Bloke's name was Jonathan and he was apparently the General Manager. He was rude, unapproachable, dismissive and unprofessional. I just couldn't understand why he treated us like we kicked his dog. Just a genuine piece of advice....if you feel that you're too good or above checking coats....maybe not offer the service.....moving on....

The Menu in-house is different than the online menu in terms of items offered and the price. In-house you're paying more....what a surprise. Not cool..the dishonesty.

I don't like going to empty restaurants, and that's what it felt and looked like...with the exception of maybe a couple of tables. Empty bar, odd lighting, hostile reception, deceptive menu...so ....yeah ...not a good start. To be honest with you, I kinda started to lose my appetite already.

They have an open kitchen and at one point there was arguing in the back. It was just bizarre how almost everyone who worked there seemed and came across angry.

The only one there who managed to provide good friendly service was our server Sally, and one of the stars is just for her.

Now as for the food: Seasonal Hummus - Tasted great. Online price - $21 In-House price - $23 Lamb Rack. Online price - $80 In-House price - $85

Kofta - Overcooked/Dry.

Melts - Tasty but not a good value. Mostly just batter.

Loaded Eggplant - Tasty but also not a good value. Half an eggplant with some seasoning covered in sauce. A light drizzle would've kept the delicate taste of grilled eggplant. $28. You do the Math.

Drinks: Pistachio Sour - tasty. Haifa Caesar - tasted like a Virgin Caesar, and I don't drink Virgin drinks.

If you look at their website, their whole handle is about bringing the taste of Israeli and Palestinian cuisine not only culinarily but also culturally to this part of the world. They speak of the beauty, history and peoples of both backgrounds, and their effort to union, include and promote through the joy of eating, laughing and enjoying in a space they call Haifa.

Unfortunately, our experience was the exact opposite, and you've already read how and why.....

I have to say this...

The experience we had is an insult to both Israeli and Palestinian hospitality, culture and its amazingly warm and kind people. Sadly, Haifa the restaurant on Georgia St. resembles nothing that of the true colours and nature of the beautiful and vibrant city of Haifa by the...

Choosing to explore Bar Haifa on a stormy day without a reservation turned out to be an interesting experience, especially considering they didn’t appear to be busy. As we didn’t have a reservation we were given a time constraint until 7, which we wholeheartedly agreed to, which is an odd fact that becomes relevant later in the evening.

Despite the initial excitement about this new restaurant, the quirks in Bar Haifa's menu made ordering interesting. After our guessing about what was what, unfortunately, the server fell short in providing crucial information about vegetarian options, differentiating between entrees and appetizers, and explaining side dishes. It left us slightly taken aback, however who doesn’t love hummus? We shared a laugh when the server mistakenly suggested that the lamb tartare was among the vegetarian offerings. Once we navigated through the menu, we proceeded to order. However, the server missed informing us about the fish of the day and was unclear about its preparation when asked. As a group of five, with three vegetarians among us, we planned to share the majority of the food order, prompting us to request that the food be served as it was prepared, and not wait for apps vs mains. We felt this would also help with our time restrictions. Despite pre-ordering extra pita to accompany the outstanding hummus and Muhammara, it arrived late, and we had to ask for it. The appetizers were exceptional, with nothing falling below average. In fact, they were so good that we ordered another round of dips. Partially due to the portion sizing, however they were still amazing.

Moving on to the main courses, the Striploin skewer and eggplant were major disappointments. The striploin was served cold, the vegetables were even colder, and the eggplant was downright unappetizing. Some of our party suggested that it was inedible. When we informed the server about the inedibility of the eggplant, he offered a new dish, but with only one vegetarian main on the menu, our options were limited.

In a nearly empty restaurant, when we sought assistance with the cold skewers, the server informed us about special treatment, allowing us to stay past 7. It's worth noting that we had requested the food to come out as soon as it was prepared, yet we didn't receive our last plates until almost 7. The relevance in an empty restaurant with available tables was unclear, but that's what we were told. The server offered to reheat the skewers and veggies on the grill, but we opted for fresh skewers, resulting in a 25-minute wait.

After the wait where most of the party was finished eating, the skewers arrived with piping hot veggies but mediocre beef. Despite the initial hype, my excitement may have led my expectations astray. I might consider giving Bar Haifa another chance in a few months, hoping for improvements in their operations.

P.S. The shared bathroom left much to be desired, notably unclean with conditions worse than some subway or public bathrooms I've encountered.

PPS Kinda hard to find. No...

My partner and I came for dinner tonight; we were excited to try this new spot! Second night open so some minor kinks were still being ironed out but all things considered had a great experience with the servers. Ambiance was elevated casual eating, with mood candles at each table. The one thing I'd change is the volume of the music; we were near a speaker and it was fairly loud.

We shared several plates. The Seasonal Hummus was amongst the best I've ever had, with a lovely balsamic Brussel sprout topper and warm, soft pita bread. The Salad Shuk was a lovely arrangement of flavors with a great balance of acidity and punch. The roasted potatoes had wonderful taste and were laid on a bed of garlic sauce - this I found to be a little overpowering and could have been served on the side. We tried the Charred Cabbage and while this dish had great flavors, the way in which is was served made it a workout to cut into small bite-sized pieces. The scallops were a lovely balance of flavor and spice, but don't worry if you're sensitive to spice, you can simply remove the peppers before eating; I would certainly recommend this plate.

By this time, we were completely full, but will return to try out the Market Fish, some of the Mezzes...