Howe Sound Inn & Brewing

We had an extremely, extremely disappointing New Year’s Eve experience, and unfortunately it fell far below expectations given the occasion and the price point.

The food, which was advertised as a “specialty of the night,” was just awful. The cod was completely unseasoned and served with an excessive amount of mashed potatoes, lacking both balance and flavor. The lamb shank was acceptable at best, but nowhere near worth its cost. Overall, the quality did not justify the pricing.

What made the experience significantly worse was the service. The servers repeatedly approached our table every few minutes asking if we wanted to add something or if we were finished, which felt unnecessarily rushed—especially on a special night like New Year’s Eve. At one point, when nearly 85% of the lamb shank was still untouched, we were asked, “Should I clean this up?” This was surprising and frustrating. No guest expects to discard a $35 dish without reason, and such assumptions reflect a lack of attentiveness and basic service etiquette.

For a restaurant welcoming first-time guests on a special occasion, this level of service and food quality is unacceptable. The overall experience reflected a concerning lack of understanding of hospitality, customer care, and value.

I hope this review helps others make an informed decision before choosing to dine here.

We dined in recently at the Brewing Company and enjoyed the Daily Soup (home made vegetable), Fish and Chips and the Classic Burger.

The ambiance in the restaurant was wonderful and we expect the views and the patio would be amazing in the Summer! So, looking forward to a Summer visit.

We also enjoyed the Sky Pilot Pale Ale!

Our Server was Alex and was very helpful, and professional.

All in all a wonderful experience and the location is a bit of a hidden gem!

We ordered the daily soup and it was really creamy and comforting, perfect for a winter evening.

We also tried the dinner special for $30, which included a lamb shank. The lamb was very good, tender, and full of flavor. I personally would have loved a bit more sauce, but overall it was smooth and delicious.

The service was excellent — our waiter was great and made the best recommendation for the drink. I had the black ale, and it was very tasty and clearly good quality.

Overall, a really pleasant experience with great food and service.

Great rustic cabin feel with airy open ceiling architecture. The food not so much. Go for a beer hang out leave.

Stayed at Howe Sound Inn from December 14–17 in a pet-friendly room.

I’ll start with the positives: the view was spectacular, and the restaurant downstairs serves good beer, which we enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the room and overall experience were very disappointing. The Keurig still had old water in it, which was unpleasant. The chair in our room had someone else’s hair clips, raising concerns about cleaning standards. The bathroom was extremely small—I’m 5’9”, 170 lbs, and even being careful I was constantly bumping into things. The toilet paper quality was abysmal.

Basic amenities were lacking. The hotel could not provide toothbrushes or toothpaste at check-in. When we asked again the next morning, the toothbrushes provided were extremely low quality, and we never received toothpaste at all.

The hotel advertises a sauna, but it was not working, and we were not notified in advance. Expedia listed it as available. Given that there are very few amenities to begin with, having the main one unavailable was frustrating. The breakfast was nothing to look forward to.

The AC system was terrible and could not regulate temperature properly—the room was constantly either too hot or too cold. The TV looked extremely outdated, adding to the overall lackluster feel. The room wasn’t particularly large, and the walls were very thin, making it easy to hear neighboring rooms.

To make matters worse, there was a power outage, and the hotel left guests without power for over two hours with no meaningful communication or solution. For a property that markets itself as a 3-star hotel, the lack of backup power or contingency planning was unacceptable.

That said, my partner and I still managed to enjoy our trip because we spent most of our time out exploring Squamish and only used the room when necessary. However, considering the room quality, maintenance issues, lack of amenities, and the handling of the power outage, this stay did not feel worthy of anything beyond 2-3 stars on Google. (I only went with 3 because of the view)

This review is specific to the Howe Sound Brew Pub.

This is the daughter of Ali Hansen speaking. I'd like to thank Iliass for giving me and my family an amazing experience, he has great people skills. The Howe Sound Brew Pub is very lucky to have him. We stopped here before the North Pole Express and were very pleased with the service we got. From MATEJA

The pub staff, food, and drinks are all excellent! An accommodating spot for celiacs as they have a separate fryer and Cliffside cider on tap. A favourite spot in town!

I've been visiting this place my entire adult life every time I'm in Squamish. Maybe it's the ambiance, but it feels right. I feel like I've done something cool when I go there...

The staff is great and the atmosphere is always welcoming, but the pricing for vegan options feels inconsistent with the rest of the experience. For example, a Margherita is 21, yet asking for vegan cheese or GF option adds 3, bringing it to 24, without accounting for the removal of the dairy cheese. Since it’s a direct substitution rather than an addition, the extra charge feels unfair and somewhat outdated. Many guests would really appreciate seeing that adjusted, as it would show that the brewery values all dietary choices equally and applies the same sense of fairness that defines the rest of the experience. I hope the management can deal with this a bit better in the future.

Wow, what an incredible experience! I was in the area for a business trip from Abbotsford and stopped by for lunch. I tried their lunch special with a veggie burger, drink, and fries; absolutely delicious! The food was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly made. The staff were wonderful, and the manager and chef are truly gems. Great food, great people, and an overall amazing spot!

Nice inside , beautiful patio views outside , clean , good beer flights selection and good food menu selection

The main dish (baby back ribs and fries) was entirely tepid. Used to be better. You could get better food at a fast food joint.

Great location and loved brewery / restaurant on-site. We had a glitch in our stay and management made it right so 5 stars for service.

The hotel location is great, however that's really where the positives end
The room is shabby and dated, maybe not all rooms are the same. We were in room 1 which was next to he bar. It was noisy until about 2300. They had a quiz on one of the nights, we could have joined in from the room
The shower made a high pitched noise whilst being used
The choice for breakfast was a few boxes of cereal, some reasonable bagels and some fruit
They took $100 holding deposit from us. 8 days later after 5 messages and a phone call they have still not returned the deposit. When i rang the hotel about the deposit the staff member wasn't interested. She told me they didn't take a deposit, then said they had but it would have been returned when i checked out and then hung up
I would not recommend this hotel at all

Always an incredible time
Here with the best food imaginable!

I of course had the famous amazing ale and cheddar soup mmmmmm I crave this as soon as we know we have booked whistler and over the years it’s a must and part of the trip!

My husband had the poke bowl and absolutely loved it. The service was incredible!

We sat outside the temp
Was lovely, really enjoyed the views and the birds! And of course our drinks! I had a glass of wine and my husband was so happy and really enjoyed being able to have a draft non alcoholic beer as he’s driving the car…. He loved it