Everything was perfect, the right portions, the mix of flavors and textures too, I would definitely return on my next visit to
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomegranate Granita, House Stracciatella, Fried Eggplant
Elisabetta
It was my first time at this place, and of course I was very curious and with great expectations, as it is Michelin-starred restaurant. The food is definitely worth the rating: each course has a surprising taste, recipes are inventive and I can tell there is research on how to pair the ingredients, in order to create unexpected flavours. I was a bit disappointed by the ambience; it is really tiny, only high chairs are available, and you basically dine elbow-to-elbow with stranger: there would be nothing bad with that, if the price rate was not the same, if not higher, than other similarly rated and much more comfortable restaurants. Watching the cooks preparing the meal was fun, but, once at home, all my clothes smelled of deep fried oil (to be 100% honest, smell was absolutely not an issue during the meal, I only noticed it when going home). For these reasons, I cannot give 5 starts: I am very happy I tried it, but I am not sure I would go again for these prices, given the large choice of high level restaurants in Vancouver.
Joanne
Amazing and attentive service. Our server Derek was very accommodating in creating custom drinks when I couldn't find a drink to try from the published menu. The food was very well executed; the squid was cooked to perfection and their sauces were flavourful with great consistency. I would have licked the bowls clean!
Markus Akert
Thank you to the team at Barbara‘s for the unforgettable meal. You truly elevate the restaurant culture in Vancouver. We loved the food and very much enjoyed the perfect timing with which every course was brought out - by lovely people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our meal at Barbara restaurant was the best meal I've ever had in Vancouver and one of the best meals I've had in my life. The experience was exceptional because the chef spoke to every table, the food prep was visible and explained in detail and the courses complemented each other perfectly. The Barbara is extraordinary. I can't wait to go back.
It's been a long time coming and Barbara did not disappoint. Sitting at the bar was an engaging experience to watch the intricacies behind the preparation and plating of each plate. I love the concept of the menu with veggie, seafood, and meat options to try across the 3 courses. The snacks between the courses were tasty bites of tantalizing flavours and textures. Pat and his team are good people. We can't wait to return and continue supporting this humble restaurant.
firsttime
The food is good considering they use very basic ingredients that we would use at home. Would not recommend as a top Michelin place to go especially since we are paying so much to eat out now, I would prefer more exotic foods at this price point to make this place outstanding. Very happy to have gone for the experience.
I don't usually write negative reviews, but given the cost and expectations that I have of a Michelin-starred restaurant, I felt it's important to. The restaurant is cozy and intimate-nice and laid back. When I came to ordering our drinks I said to the waiter “I'll take the x white wine since I'm having the fish”, to which my server responded “well you have a lot of courses to go before that”. Maybe it was his tone, but it just made me feel a bit uncomfortable for the rest of the meal in this tiny setting. I went with his suggestion of a Rose, which I felt completely overpowered every dish in my meal. It was the only drink I intended to have. Of all the restaurants in a big city, we chose that one for one of our 2 dinners while visiting Vancouver. I feel like we could have been shown a little more appreciation and collaboration like I've been shown at other a Michelin-star restaurants. The food was definitely good but nothing that I felt was “amazing”, but maybe the experience was just tainted from the beginning.
Andy L.
Everything was great. A nice small intimate room, and it lived up to its Michelin Star reputation. I can't say the same thing for all of the Vancouver Michelin restaurants. We need to support Barbara and other fine dining in Vancouver.
ItzyR
Great tasting menu experience. Also good cocktails and nice service. The restaurant is petite, casual ambiance. The only down side is that the food odor will remain in your clothes for a while.
TL;DR: An arrogant restaurant with mediocre food and horrible service, I wouldn’t go back even if they pay me.About service:People usually go for fine-dining not to enjoy food (come on, who would actually trust Michelin guide?), but to celebrate special dates and get unique experience. My girlfriend and I went there to celebrate her birthday, and we entered ‘birthday’ in the occasion section of our booking. However, there were no preparations for her, nobody even said happy birthday. But that’s not the worst, we brought our own birthday cake to enjoy after the dishes and the chef ridiculously informed us we couldn’t have it there! We had to brought the cake back home, which messed up our birthday plan. If you don’t prepare anything for customers, not even allowing birthday cakes in the restaurant, why not save us some hassle and just remove all occasion options?Moreover, we were asked to put away our SLR camera but were allowed to take pictures with phones. I don’t see any difference between SLR camera with flashlight off and a phone camera. This absurd and sudden restriction was not shown anywhere in our booking either.Overall, this restaurant’s arrogant restrictions made me wonder if I was actually the customer that paid for dining. Its dining rules reminded me of my grandmama. This is my second time giving 0 tips to a restaurant in North America, so that’s also a top2 achievement, congrats Barbara!About food (overall 5 of 10):This is a Michelin restaurant so I’ve lowered my expectation, I know I’ll likely be disappointed otherwise. And the food was just as mediocre as I expected.The first dishes on image 1 were STRACCIATELLA (8) and BEEF TARTARE (5). STRACCIATELLA was the best dish tonight for its brilliant combination of hazelnut with other ingredients. BEEF TARTARE is what it is, it wasn’t bad but nor good. There are restaurants with better BEEF TARTARE.The second dishes on image 2 were Crispy Octopus (5) and Chicken Liver Mousse (2). The octopus was cooked just to the right point but the hummas base broken the balance of the dish, ended up with a weird salty yet sour flavor. The chicken liver mousse was a complete disaster, it had a super oily taste when mixing with the bread and I could only eat half of it. There are plenty of Italian restaurants that can cook chicken liver far exceeding this.Image 3 and 4 were Arctic Char (4) and Duck (3). Arctic Char had the same hummus base as the octopus and I would rather just have the char only. The duck was cooked to medium and had some stinky blood smell that should get rid of. This is absolutely no match to other duck houses.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Thomas G.
My partner and I wanted to have our first Michelin Star experience and to celebrate the end of a good year for us. Barbara did not disappoint us. The restaurant is cozy, consisting of an L shaped bar around an open kitchen, and a couple of tables against a wall. If you end up not at the bar don't worry, you'll be able to see what's happening in the kitchen clearly still. The service was spectacular with the server and chef delivering us delicious courses and drinks at a steady pace. The food was excellent, you have your 3 courses which you choose an item each for. Alongside that you get a few smaller plates as well. The beef tartare was my highlight of the night. It was my first time having tartare and it did not disappoint. My only concern now is that any other tartare experience from other restaurants will leave me disappointed in the future! I'd also recommend the Crispy Octopus and the Duck as well.
Ahk Cee
4.5 Stars (visited in 2023)A really unique experience and thoroughly enjoyable.Dishes came out promptly. Food was mostly great - there were a couple of elements that didn't quite hit home for us but every dish was presented and explained well. If you sit at the bar, you can see the chefs finishing off the dishes before serving, which is cool.The restaurant is very small, make 15-20 seats. I loved this. They have cultivated a lovely atmosphere with the decor, lighting and old skool hip-hip in the background. It's a cozy, intimate environment, without the stuffy pretence you might get in other fine dining establishments.The service was personal, and they were happy to answer any questions. We tried some local wine, which haven't seen anywhere else before - and it was truly fantastic.I like Barbara and will definitely go again in 2024
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Aaron Chin
Michelin star restaurant located in Chinatown, the dining room is cozy and intimate. Sitting at the bar offers guests a visual of precision and attention to detail. With only a sous and a bartender, all three share the hosting duties. Food is incredible and beautifully presented. "Snacks" offered in between courses are a nice surprise and definitely add to the menu. Highly recommend a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ché R.
I have eaten at a number of fine dining establishments. All have been lovely affairs and I admire the dedication and work that goes into owning and working in these establishments. I honestly had not encountered poor customer service at one until today. After being unable to attend my original reservation on 12/12, the owner was reasonable and able to move my reservation to Friday 12/15. However, after letting them know today, 12/13, I would be unable to keep my reservation they still wanted to charge me a cancellation fee even though it was more than 48 hours away from the reservation time (which goes against what was stated by their policy). Very poor customer service - when a restaurant puts the bottom line before their desire to bring customers back and leave them with a positive experience whether they've dined or not, it says a lot (other open table reviews about Barbara seem to fall in line with this notion as well). There are better options in Vancouver with better fare and more pleasant owners.
Everything was perfect, the right portions, the mix of flavors and textures too, I would definitely return on my next visit to
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomegranate Granita, House Stracciatella, Fried Eggplant
It was my first time at this place, and of course I was very curious and with great expectations, as it is Michelin-starred restaurant. The food is definitely worth the rating: each course has a surprising taste, recipes are inventive and I can tell there is research on how to pair the ingredients, in order to create unexpected flavours. I was a bit disappointed by the ambience; it is really tiny, only high chairs are available, and you basically dine elbow-to-elbow with stranger: there would be nothing bad with that, if the price rate was not the same, if not higher, than other similarly rated and much more comfortable restaurants. Watching the cooks preparing the meal was fun, but, once at home, all my clothes smelled of deep fried oil (to be 100% honest, smell was absolutely not an issue during the meal, I only noticed it when going home). For these reasons, I cannot give 5 starts: I am very happy I tried it, but I am not sure I would go again for these prices, given the large choice of high level restaurants in Vancouver.
Amazing and attentive service. Our server Derek was very accommodating in creating custom drinks when I couldn't find a drink to try from the published menu. The food was very well executed; the squid was cooked to perfection and their sauces were flavourful with great consistency. I would have licked the bowls clean!
Thank you to the team at Barbara‘s for the unforgettable meal. You truly elevate the restaurant culture in Vancouver. We loved the food and very much enjoyed the perfect timing with which every course was brought out - by lovely people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our meal at Barbara restaurant was the best meal I've ever had in Vancouver and one of the best meals I've had in my life. The experience was exceptional because the chef spoke to every table, the food prep was visible and explained in detail and the courses complemented each other perfectly. The Barbara is extraordinary. I can't wait to go back.
It's been a long time coming and Barbara did not disappoint. Sitting at the bar was an engaging experience to watch the intricacies behind the preparation and plating of each plate. I love the concept of the menu with veggie, seafood, and meat options to try across the 3 courses. The snacks between the courses were tasty bites of tantalizing flavours and textures. Pat and his team are good people. We can't wait to return and continue supporting this humble restaurant.
The food is good considering they use very basic ingredients that we would use at home. Would not recommend as a top Michelin place to go especially since we are paying so much to eat out now, I would prefer more exotic foods at this price point to make this place outstanding. Very happy to have gone for the experience.
I don't usually write negative reviews, but given the cost and expectations that I have of a Michelin-starred restaurant, I felt it's important to. The restaurant is cozy and intimate-nice and laid back. When I came to ordering our drinks I said to the waiter “I'll take the x white wine since I'm having the fish”, to which my server responded “well you have a lot of courses to go before that”. Maybe it was his tone, but it just made me feel a bit uncomfortable for the rest of the meal in this tiny setting. I went with his suggestion of a Rose, which I felt completely overpowered every dish in my meal. It was the only drink I intended to have. Of all the restaurants in a big city, we chose that one for one of our 2 dinners while visiting Vancouver. I feel like we could have been shown a little more appreciation and collaboration like I've been shown at other a Michelin-star restaurants. The food was definitely good but nothing that I felt was “amazing”, but maybe the experience was just tainted from the beginning.
Everything was great. A nice small intimate room, and it lived up to its Michelin Star reputation. I can't say the same thing for all of the Vancouver Michelin restaurants. We need to support Barbara and other fine dining in Vancouver.
Great tasting menu experience. Also good cocktails and nice service. The restaurant is petite, casual ambiance. The only down side is that the food odor will remain in your clothes for a while.
Restaurantji Recommends
TL;DR: An arrogant restaurant with mediocre food and horrible service, I wouldn’t go back even if they pay me.About service:People usually go for fine-dining not to enjoy food (come on, who would actually trust Michelin guide?), but to celebrate special dates and get unique experience. My girlfriend and I went there to celebrate her birthday, and we entered ‘birthday’ in the occasion section of our booking. However, there were no preparations for her, nobody even said happy birthday. But that’s not the worst, we brought our own birthday cake to enjoy after the dishes and the chef ridiculously informed us we couldn’t have it there! We had to brought the cake back home, which messed up our birthday plan. If you don’t prepare anything for customers, not even allowing birthday cakes in the restaurant, why not save us some hassle and just remove all occasion options?Moreover, we were asked to put away our SLR camera but were allowed to take pictures with phones. I don’t see any difference between SLR camera with flashlight off and a phone camera. This absurd and sudden restriction was not shown anywhere in our booking either.Overall, this restaurant’s arrogant restrictions made me wonder if I was actually the customer that paid for dining. Its dining rules reminded me of my grandmama. This is my second time giving 0 tips to a restaurant in North America, so that’s also a top2 achievement, congrats Barbara!About food (overall 5 of 10):This is a Michelin restaurant so I’ve lowered my expectation, I know I’ll likely be disappointed otherwise. And the food was just as mediocre as I expected.The first dishes on image 1 were STRACCIATELLA (8) and BEEF TARTARE (5). STRACCIATELLA was the best dish tonight for its brilliant combination of hazelnut with other ingredients. BEEF TARTARE is what it is, it wasn’t bad but nor good. There are restaurants with better BEEF TARTARE.The second dishes on image 2 were Crispy Octopus (5) and Chicken Liver Mousse (2). The octopus was cooked just to the right point but the hummas base broken the balance of the dish, ended up with a weird salty yet sour flavor. The chicken liver mousse was a complete disaster, it had a super oily taste when mixing with the bread and I could only eat half of it. There are plenty of Italian restaurants that can cook chicken liver far exceeding this.Image 3 and 4 were Arctic Char (4) and Duck (3). Arctic Char had the same hummus base as the octopus and I would rather just have the char only. The duck was cooked to medium and had some stinky blood smell that should get rid of. This is absolutely no match to other duck houses.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
My partner and I wanted to have our first Michelin Star experience and to celebrate the end of a good year for us. Barbara did not disappoint us. The restaurant is cozy, consisting of an L shaped bar around an open kitchen, and a couple of tables against a wall. If you end up not at the bar don't worry, you'll be able to see what's happening in the kitchen clearly still. The service was spectacular with the server and chef delivering us delicious courses and drinks at a steady pace. The food was excellent, you have your 3 courses which you choose an item each for. Alongside that you get a few smaller plates as well. The beef tartare was my highlight of the night. It was my first time having tartare and it did not disappoint. My only concern now is that any other tartare experience from other restaurants will leave me disappointed in the future! I'd also recommend the Crispy Octopus and the Duck as well.
4.5 Stars (visited in 2023)A really unique experience and thoroughly enjoyable.Dishes came out promptly. Food was mostly great - there were a couple of elements that didn't quite hit home for us but every dish was presented and explained well. If you sit at the bar, you can see the chefs finishing off the dishes before serving, which is cool.The restaurant is very small, make 15-20 seats. I loved this. They have cultivated a lovely atmosphere with the decor, lighting and old skool hip-hip in the background. It's a cozy, intimate environment, without the stuffy pretence you might get in other fine dining establishments.The service was personal, and they were happy to answer any questions. We tried some local wine, which haven't seen anywhere else before - and it was truly fantastic.I like Barbara and will definitely go again in 2024
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Michelin star restaurant located in Chinatown, the dining room is cozy and intimate. Sitting at the bar offers guests a visual of precision and attention to detail. With only a sous and a bartender, all three share the hosting duties. Food is incredible and beautifully presented. "Snacks" offered in between courses are a nice surprise and definitely add to the menu. Highly recommend a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I have eaten at a number of fine dining establishments. All have been lovely affairs and I admire the dedication and work that goes into owning and working in these establishments. I honestly had not encountered poor customer service at one until today. After being unable to attend my original reservation on 12/12, the owner was reasonable and able to move my reservation to Friday 12/15. However, after letting them know today, 12/13, I would be unable to keep my reservation they still wanted to charge me a cancellation fee even though it was more than 48 hours away from the reservation time (which goes against what was stated by their policy). Very poor customer service - when a restaurant puts the bottom line before their desire to bring customers back and leave them with a positive experience whether they've dined or not, it says a lot (other open table reviews about Barbara seem to fall in line with this notion as well). There are better options in Vancouver with better fare and more pleasant owners.
Service: 1