The food tastes homey, the seats and the music reflect a simpler time (the 60s) and the service is warm.
Fion Tam
I order the pancake with blueberries. Great place, great service. Will recommend my friends to come here for delicious breakfast!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Google User (M. B.)
I don't understand why this place gets such great reviews. The food doesn't seem to be made with care; it's rushed and arguably to the point of being burnt, which we find off-putting. Restaurant meals should have at least a basic level of professionalism, but here, it feels more like someone's thrown together a hastily made sloppy homemade dish.NC accepts cash or debit only. Hours are very limited as their demographics are the warehouse workers and some locals from the area.Parking in the lot here can be quite intimidating and can leave one feeling unsafe.Not recommended. We shan't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Veronika S
A hyped place in the middle of nowhere. The interior is terrible - it's dirty, dusty and uncomfortable. Mediocre food. I definitely won’t return to this place and don’t recommend it to anyone.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Jeremy Lefebvre
For a local spot this is a gem. Love the service, love the people. They said we were family .Vegetarian options: They have a great veggie Benny
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Large Buttlermilk Pancakes, Potato Salad, Hollandaise
Philip Hsu
Good food and excellent service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Autumn_Kiko
This review is for the potsticker dumplings and the wonton and BBQ pork fried rice. Coming from Japan and really loving the vibe of the place, my partner seemed to have a found love for the food. She said the potsticker dumplings were some of the best she’s ever had in Vancouver and I would agree. She loved the wonton which I’ve always described as a style of wonton that was the de rigueur before the shrimp wontons came from Hong Kong in the eighties. The old school home made style Cantonese flavours are ever present here in their Chinese food. It’s one of my favourites which is getting harder and harder to find these days. Now if they decide to make that old style Wok hey flavoured minced beef and rice with fried egg. I’ll tell everyone all over again to get that! (But it’s not in the menu). Maybe they’ll add it to the menu? Anyways, I was happy that I introduced a new fan to the Northern Cafe and more happy that I got their special hot sauce! And yes, I do agree that when Yelp said they were number one. They still are!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kalvin
Very delicious food, all house made with no preservatives, very nice and genuine staff. Great price, great food selection and good amount.
Mmm burger. Eggs benny from scratch. Shredded hash browns. My fave diner.Been awhile, gotta admit I don’t like line ups but I wasn’t driving the bus. Food still fab. Worth the wait.
Aaron Sandhu
If your nearby around lunch or before it's worth it. Especially on a weekday. Good prices. Good food. Very clean. No nonsense
The Northern Cafe and Grill is iconic. Excellent food in the strangest setting - a cafe in a lumberyard! And yet it works. The family who operates it are wonderful people. Kind, caring, and professional. The food is definitely moving upscale. My kids and I love the Northern Cafe and Grill.Parking: Do NOT park in the lumberyard. Street parking only.
I made the drive to check out the single best place to eat in Canada, and this hole-in-the-wall diner does not disappoint. Underneath the deceiving, ad-hoc exterior apparence is the best brunch food I've ever tasted. Absolute blows big chains out of the water. The ham & egg bennies are remarkable, with large portions and a generous serving of their excellent Hollandaise sauce. The eggs are soft and runny. The hash brown in particular is the star of the show, super crispy and flavourful. The pot-stickers and wontons are must-orders. They have the same delicious, substantial meaty fillings (a family secret, apparently), which can be enjoyed in disparate brothy and fan-fried textures. The french toast is not sweet, but very buttery. Those with a sweet tooth should pour a generous serving of syrup over it. The coffee is pretty average, in line with standard drip-machine coffee. The no-frills interior atmosphere of the diner takes you back to the past, and the service is outstanding. Richard is very friendly to talk with. Did I mention this place is super busy? Regardless, this is an excellent place to spend an hour or two of your life, and I can easily see myself coming back again.Parking: There are free parking spots in front of the restaurant, but they are limited and could fill up fast.
The food tastes homey, the seats and the music reflect a simpler time (the 60s) and the service is warm.
I order the pancake with blueberries. Great place, great service. Will recommend my friends to come here for delicious breakfast!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don't understand why this place gets such great reviews. The food doesn't seem to be made with care; it's rushed and arguably to the point of being burnt, which we find off-putting. Restaurant meals should have at least a basic level of professionalism, but here, it feels more like someone's thrown together a hastily made sloppy homemade dish.NC accepts cash or debit only. Hours are very limited as their demographics are the warehouse workers and some locals from the area.Parking in the lot here can be quite intimidating and can leave one feeling unsafe.Not recommended. We shan't be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
A hyped place in the middle of nowhere. The interior is terrible - it's dirty, dusty and uncomfortable. Mediocre food. I definitely won’t return to this place and don’t recommend it to anyone.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
For a local spot this is a gem. Love the service, love the people. They said we were family .Vegetarian options: They have a great veggie Benny
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Large Buttlermilk Pancakes, Potato Salad, Hollandaise
Good food and excellent service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This review is for the potsticker dumplings and the wonton and BBQ pork fried rice. Coming from Japan and really loving the vibe of the place, my partner seemed to have a found love for the food. She said the potsticker dumplings were some of the best she’s ever had in Vancouver and I would agree. She loved the wonton which I’ve always described as a style of wonton that was the de rigueur before the shrimp wontons came from Hong Kong in the eighties. The old school home made style Cantonese flavours are ever present here in their Chinese food. It’s one of my favourites which is getting harder and harder to find these days. Now if they decide to make that old style Wok hey flavoured minced beef and rice with fried egg. I’ll tell everyone all over again to get that! (But it’s not in the menu). Maybe they’ll add it to the menu? Anyways, I was happy that I introduced a new fan to the Northern Cafe and more happy that I got their special hot sauce! And yes, I do agree that when Yelp said they were number one. They still are!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very delicious food, all house made with no preservatives, very nice and genuine staff. Great price, great food selection and good amount.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Northern Deluxe Burger, Burger, 5 Pieces Homemade Wonton Soup
Mmm burger. Eggs benny from scratch. Shredded hash browns. My fave diner.Been awhile, gotta admit I don’t like line ups but I wasn’t driving the bus. Food still fab. Worth the wait.
If your nearby around lunch or before it's worth it. Especially on a weekday. Good prices. Good food. Very clean. No nonsense
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Thank you! Very tasty!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burger, Salad
Don't judge a book by the cover. It's great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Northern Cafe and Grill is iconic. Excellent food in the strangest setting - a cafe in a lumberyard! And yet it works. The family who operates it are wonderful people. Kind, caring, and professional. The food is definitely moving upscale. My kids and I love the Northern Cafe and Grill.Parking: Do NOT park in the lumberyard. Street parking only.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Northern Deluxe Burger, Burger, 5 Pieces Homemade Wonton Soup
I made the drive to check out the single best place to eat in Canada, and this hole-in-the-wall diner does not disappoint. Underneath the deceiving, ad-hoc exterior apparence is the best brunch food I've ever tasted. Absolute blows big chains out of the water. The ham & egg bennies are remarkable, with large portions and a generous serving of their excellent Hollandaise sauce. The eggs are soft and runny. The hash brown in particular is the star of the show, super crispy and flavourful. The pot-stickers and wontons are must-orders. They have the same delicious, substantial meaty fillings (a family secret, apparently), which can be enjoyed in disparate brothy and fan-fried textures. The french toast is not sweet, but very buttery. Those with a sweet tooth should pour a generous serving of syrup over it. The coffee is pretty average, in line with standard drip-machine coffee. The no-frills interior atmosphere of the diner takes you back to the past, and the service is outstanding. Richard is very friendly to talk with. Did I mention this place is super busy? Regardless, this is an excellent place to spend an hour or two of your life, and I can easily see myself coming back again.Parking: There are free parking spots in front of the restaurant, but they are limited and could fill up fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shredded Hash Browns, Potato Salad, Hollandaise, 5 Pieces Homemade Wonton Soup
Best grease spoon around .western and Chinese. Family ran
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Eggs Your Way, Chow Mein and Sweet and Sour Pork Combo, Large Buttlermilk Pancakes, Wor Wonton Egg Noodle Soup