The American — Restaurant in Vancouver

I need to break down my 5 star rating as such:

Bar (including drinks) itself: -100 stars. I hate it. Beer options are just awful. Position of the bar versus entrance and walking through? Total nightmare on a busy day/night.

Bathrooms: nice enough, so I have no qualms there.

Pinball machine offering: I have played exactly 7 games of pinball at this bar over the last couple years. 4 of them were on machines that I discovered after inserting coins were broken in some meaningful way. 2 of them didn't register my having put a coin in. One of them was a Star Trek: TNG machine that worked correctly, registered my coin insert, but the props in the machine itself were painted entirely untrue to the characters and objects they represented from the Trek universe (shame on anyone who hosts such a travesty in their establishment. Do better.)

But here's the thing that redeems The American: the launch of Downlow Burgers in the space.

Downlow Burgers is the second installation in the Downlow food odyssey that we, as Vancouverites, have been gifted with. No longer do I need to cut out of work midday to get to the DL Chicken Shack on a Monday to crush a once a week burg. Helllll naw. This is a full time, getwithit option that I can now enjoy all week long. So much better than the last burger tenant (Monarch Burger) ever was. They had no business existing.

Let's not forget about Big Day BBQ popups during football Sundays. Those boys are whipping up the best Que in Canada on the regular, and you owe it to yourself to go get some.

Final verdict:

Bad bar options Outstanding food by way of Downlow Burgers Bathrooms are decent Monarch sucked so bad All stars for this review are credited entirely to food.

Will revisit this review periodically to reflect any improvements in beer options. Because I'm a fair and...

5 out of 5 for the actual physical space. The area this place is located doesnt have the greatest reputation so you expect that the inside wont be nice. Boy oh boy was I ever wrong! Beautiful seats and new wooden communal high tables. A brand new pool table and modern arcade games (oxymoron?) Great vibe too! They play awesome music but not too loud so you can comfortable talk and hear people in your group.

5 out of 5 for service. You order and pay for your food and drink at the bar. They pour you a drink and you grab a seat, any seat. They drop off the food at the table and they leave. They dont come back to see how you liked it. They dont offer you extra condiments. They dont come back and ask if you want another beer. You've got to do that work yourself. I gave this kind of service 5/5 because you are left alone, with no pressure to reorder, so you can hang out and chill with no stress of having to build up a tab to stay longer. Amazing concept!

3 out of 5 for the food and drinks. The serving sizes are TINY. I dont except huge portions (I physically cant even eat too much) but for what I paid I was a little underwhelmed. I ordered a loaded poutine and it was nothing short of delicious (no serious it was amazing) but it came in a tiny cardboard bowl/plate thing that was the size of my palm. I couldn't even share it. For $10!

The drinks also come in one size and they aren't cheap. The beer selection was alright but if you're looking for lots and plentiful beer this isnt the place.

Over all 4 out of 5. The ambience and space are great for the casual hang. The food is delicious but overpriced for what you get. The beer is, well beer, BUT you can get better...

I ordered my fried chicken burger with the Lee's Donuts. Man, I can only say that they did not disappoint!!! I already mentioned from my previous post that the donuts from the Lee's are the best in town. But the actual star here is the fried chicken! The outside was super crispy and the inside was so tender and juicy that the juice kept oozing out through the wrapper. The batter was fried perfectly but I didn't think it was too greasy or filling. They also chose chicken thigh over breast, which really tells you they really thought it through and picked the best ingredients (oh hello to the best donuts WITH chicken thigh). This exceeded way above my expectation. In fact, the thigh was fried so well that the attention was focused mostly on the chicken and the donut became unnoticeable. It's still great though but I think I would prefer eating them separately to fully enjoy everything to the fullest. They were also very generous with the pickles, but too bad I'm not a fan of pickles :( In summary, this restaurant has won many thumbs up from a very challenging and fussy customer who generally hates burgers. I'd come back for their burger without the donuts. I think I'd prefer a separate trip to the Lee's for dessert.

NOTE: Donut burger is only available on Mondays

Price: $13 without a side ($2 extra for a choice of: fried onion rings/ fries/ house salad/ cesar salad) Taste: 4.7 / 5 atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ seating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Price Performance...