Monarca — Restaurant in Vancouver

TLDR: Visit at your own risk and the manager does not care for the restaurant or the guests.

I had the worst experience at this restaurant. I attended a brunch party at this restaurant on Sunday, March 31st, 2024. Upon entry, I was asked by the front desk if I wanted to check in my coat. Once I did, they gave me a ticket that had the number 8 on it and I went my way. Nowhere was I told that the restaurant won't be responsible for keeping the jacket safe and nowhere was I told to sign any liability waiver.

At the end of the day, I came to retrieve my jacket and I saw people could just go into the closet and take whatever jacket. Turns out my jacket was taken as the hanger that had the number 8 on it was empty. Now keep in mind, this is a new jacket I recently bought just a week before the event and they expected me to let it go saying “they are not responsible for it".

I have tried to reach the restaurant several times and was told they will be going over the camera footage. One time, I was put on hold for 20 minutes and no one got back to me, I was again told I'd get a call back in 30 minutes and no one got back to me. It's been weeks and there has been no update on this. A theft occurred on their property and I have had to replace the jacket with my own money because they failed to compensate me for the jacket. Even the staff members have mentioned the manager does not care for the restaurant, yet they expect people to dine there.

When I finally was able to get a hold of the manager, David, the response was:
“We have been interviewing the staff that worked and viewing the surveillance-nothing has come up.  We have been hoping that someone would return the jacket but no one has called or reached out.  For your information, we have signs displayed in all our locations near the umbrella and coat checks that indicate “we are not responsible for lost or stolen articles”.  When we have multiple people come in the restaurant at once it’s impossible for us to verbally communicate to each person so that is why we always have signs posted as we can’t be held liable or verify any lost items. We hope that clarifies our situation and wish you all the best.”

They mention they have signs displayed in all the locations that indicate “they are not responsible for lost or stolen articles". However, when I entered the restaurant and when my coat was taken from me to process the coat check, no one, absolutely no one pointed out these signs to me; and I don’t believe this was even visible. Go to this restaurant at your own risk but know the service is horrible, and the manager could care less about...

High end Mexican food. Delicious - extremely delicious - with super staff and very nice layout. It is pricey, but the food is worth it!

The two of us were wandering around Gastown one Saturday evening in early April 2022 and saw this new place. A staff member brought us out a couple of menus to look at which piqued our interest and after we went inside we found out that Monarca had just opened 2 days earlier!

It was very busy (not surprising), they expected an hour's wait, but a little bit of shuffling actually cut that wait time down to less than 5 minutes, which put smiles on our faces.

Now, my mind was not thinking about high class Mexican before we focused on the menu, so I was mostly thinking about traditional dishes and didn't explore too far.

The appie we had was the Cabbage a las Brasas (Chargrilled Cabbage with Pistachios & Aioli), and we both loved it (I actually read it as Charred Cabbage, but we can laugh about that later). It also came with a nice tasting of homemade taco chips and salsas (mild, med, extra hot) that made us extra happy. I managed to take a picture of it before we started, but that's as far as I got with the pictures because the flavours were so majestic that I had to taste the main courses immediately when they arrived.

I will say that the main courses came pretty quickly. I guess that's because we ordered everything at the same time, but we were a little hungry...

The portions didn't look large at the start but they did fill us up. They were beautifully presented and smelled delicious so we jumped right in to them (forgetting about photos). It took both of us to finish one appie and two mains, but it was pretty much the right amount of food in the end. (I probably could have also finished a dessert, but I kind of ignore dessert menus).

Sauces are my favorite part of dinners and the sauces here were spectacular. The Au Jus Chiltepin Aioli with the cabbage made me want to lick the plate clean, the black bean sauce was delicious and the flavor combo with the Enchiladas are still making me drool when I think about them a week after our visit.

Monarca is a delicious experience and I'm glad we were in the right spot at the right time to enjoy it. We will be gravitating towards it when we are in Gastown...

⭐ 1-Star Review Title: Deeply Disappointed – Disrespectful Experience and Price Gouging at Monarca Gastown

I don’t usually leave reviews, especially negative ones, but our experience at Monarca in Gastown was troubling enough that it needs to be shared. As paying customers, we expected at the very least a basic level of respect and transparency — what we received instead felt discriminatory, dismissive, and borderline exploitative.

Upon entering, we greeted the bartender with a polite “hello.” She didn’t respond — instead, she rolled her eyes at us. It was uncomfortably clear that we were not being welcomed. For context, we are East Indian, and unfortunately, it felt like we were being judged or dismissed based on that alone.

We ordered a single Corona beer, and when she handed us the card reader, we were shocked to see a charge of $50. Naturally, we asked for clarification, assuming it was some kind of mistake or miscommunication. Without any apology or explanation, she simply said it was for one Corona. When we asked how a single beer could cost $50, she took the machine back and changed the charge to $15 — which is still unreasonably high for a bottle of beer, but at least it wasn’t five times the normal price.

What’s more disturbing is the complete lack of acknowledgment. No apology, no effort to explain, and certainly no attempt to make us feel like valued customers. It felt like we were being taken advantage of, possibly because she assumed we wouldn’t question the amount — and we can’t ignore the racial undertones in how coldly we were treated from the moment we approached the bar.

Gastown is known for its vibrant, multicultural vibe, but Monarca’s service left us feeling alienated and insulted. There is absolutely no justification for this kind of behavior, and it speaks volumes about the kind of training (or lack thereof) being provided to staff regarding professionalism, hospitality, and cultural sensitivity.

We won’t be returning, and I sincerely hope others—especially those from diverse backgrounds—approach this establishment with caution. Hospitality is not just about food and drink; it’s about respect. And sadly, Monarca failed on that...