Hudson's Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Vancouver

After having made a reservation more than three weeks in advance for Christmas, Hudson's was entirely ill-prepared to seat us. First they sent us upstairs via elevator where we were quite literally ignored by the wait staff. I (also literally) had to step in front of one of them to get them to make eye contact and let them know we had a reservation and that we'd like to be seated.

We waited about 20 minutes (on our feet and we certainly weren't offered anywhere to sit) We were then told our seat was downstairs. So back down the stairs we went.

It was Christmas day, but the waitress we had while we were here was extremely short with us, and additionally paid very very little attention to our requests. I can tell she wasn't paying attention, because she didn't remember any of them. My wife asked for a water with lemon and before the sentence finished we were snapped at with 'The wait staff will bring you your waters' - my wife was in the middle of asking for some lemon to go with it. We had to explain to our waitress that while I'm sure they had great people working there, they weren't going to be psychic and know to bring lemon with the water.

We couldn't even start eating when our food was brought to us, because we didn't have silverware. We were also given the wrong food. After asking twice, we had to get up and walk to a serving station to get some attention.

It was, worst of all, gross. Our waitress was so disinterested in us that she asked us how everything was and then left while we were (literally, again) mid-sentence.

Of the approximate 15 times we asked for water / coffee refills, we got refills about twice. Over the course of two hours. "Hey, can we get more water and coffee?" "Oh sure, I was just going to do that now." 20 minutes pass "Hey, can we get some more water and coffee?" "Oh sure! I was just going to do that now!" "Excuse me, ma'am, we're going to need more water and coffee." "Oh right! I was just going to do that!"

It got old. Quick.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Nope. Just a bunch of money. Would have...

I wanted to give this place a good review being our first time there... but here's why I can't. There were maybe ten tables in all with a 3 floor. The place was clean, well put, and up-scale like. Initially we thought we would get a good meal and friendly service, but it just wasn't the case. Our server (an older waitress) was quick to the table, took our drink order, but we weren't ready order meals just yet. She brought the drinks back, and I told her we'd need a couple more mins. That couple mins turned into 10 mins. By that time our drinks were already gone. She took our order, but never refilled our drinks. After taking our order, she goes up to the POS and starts chatting with another patreon, then on her phone for a couple mins, and then finally completes putting our order in 10 mins later. One of the other servers saw our drinks empty (Chloe) and refilled them. Another one of the servers brought our food 20 mins after that. She was friendly too, brought napkins and even asked if we needed anything else. Only after the food was brought out did our server come back to check if everything was ok. The presentation of the food was ok as we ordered burgers, but the quality of the food was lacking. The burgers were dry, and I didn't realize that I didn't get bacon on my burger til halfway through. It took a while before I could get the attention of our server again to let her know. She apologized and said she'd bring over fresh bacon and take the burger off (which was nice). She brought the "fresh" bacon back and it was as tough as jerky...

All in all, not the a great experience in the slightest. The server ended up comping more then half the entire ticket, but that was probably only so she could save her tip. I would have rated this experience a one star, but gave it two because of the other servers which were much friendlier and actually wanting to help. It sucks because really wanted to like this place and come back again, but probably will not...

Update 11/24: (2 star) Food is good but prices have skyrocketed. Hostess doesn't even look up from her stand to acknowledge you when you have a question.

2021 during covid: This was our second time dining this month with Beverly as our server. She is bright and bubbly, and is hilarious to boot. The food is served on the patio piping hot and our meals stayed at temperature until we were finished eating. They have propane heaters and draft dampers to keep the space as warm as possible. If you are easily cold, bring a blanket! When you enter the establishment, the host stand where we check in is tucked into the left corner. It was a tad hard to find, but the receptionist pointed to it and we were seated immediately despite being 5 minutes late for our Open Table reservation. We ordered the bacon omelette and the corned beef hash last time, and they blew us away with the unique flavors and beautiful plating. This morning, I ordered the Cali omelette and my boyfriend had the Fiocchi pasta. This pasta dish was insanely tasty! It was a unique hand-made pasta with caramelized pears, hazelnut, and savory cheese. This fiocchi is for the adventurous diner with a refined palate who isn't afraid to try shaking things up. Our breakfasts have always arrived on time and our drinks were delicious. The atmosphere is light to moderately noisy with a fun hustle and bustle on Sundays. During the weekdays, it slows down a bit and diners can really enjoy the peace and watch the birds, koi fish, and environment. This isn't a brunch I would rush through, service is not as prompt as a diner, but it is not slow or lagging either. I recommend this place for different cuisine than one may be used to, who isn't in a big rush. 5/5, we will be back!...