Smoking Dog Bistro,The

See all 27 Reviews ›

Address:
1889 West 1st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 5B8

Neighborhood:
Kitsilano

Getting there ›
Cuisine:
French

Price: CAN$30 and under

More Details ›

Smoking Dog Bistro,The Details

Dining Style: Casual Dining
Website: http://www.thesmokingdogbistro.com
Phone: (604) 732-8811
Hours of Operation: Open Tuesday through Sunday.

Closed Mondays.

Lunch 11.30am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday,Brunch 11.30am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday,Dinner 5pm to 10pm Tuesday to sunday.
Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: French
Executive Chef: Chef Richard Vilus
Dress Code: Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Bar Dining, Beer, Full Bar, Late Night, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Private Party Facilities: The Smoking Dog Bistro would love to let you know that we are specialists in hosting all types of get-togethers. Whether business gatherings, office parties, or private family events, we are prepared to cater to all your needs, even offering you the possibility of customizing your menu. If you would like some more information, would like to make a reservation, or would like to meet with one of our event planners to discuss how we can make your holiday party or other event a smashing success, please contact us.
Private Party Contact: Darrell Hannibal (604) 732-8811

Getting there

Cross Street: First and Cypress
Parking: Street Parking
Parking Details: Metered street parking is available as well as a pay parking lot located via alley behind the restaurant.

A word from Smoking Dog Bistro,The

The Smoking Dog Bistro is a French inspired neighborhood bistro in the heart of Kitsilano.
Our warm and inviting dining room has a lively bar and our heated outdoor patio is one of the best Vancouver has to offer and is a must after a day at the beach.

We offer a wide variety of… French influenced dishes. The rustic, yet contemporary cuisine is sure to please everyone from couples, families, singles and business people – well, to everyone.

We are located only 5 minutes from both downtown and Kits Beach. Come join us for lunch, dinner or drinks at this friendly neighborhood bistro. Continued

Foodspotting photos

See all photos >

Awards voted by OpenTable diners

Diners' Choice WinnerNeighborhood Gem
Diners' Choice WinnerOutdoor Dining
Diners' Choice WinnerMost Booked 1000-Point Tables

Smoking Dog Bistro,The - Best Restaurants in Kitsilano

Diner Reviews

".... the menu was limited and not very exciting, but that's just me because I like big menus and seeing unusual items on there. Having said that, the meal was delicious, beautifully prepared and presented with high quality ingredients. Service was attentive to a fault. Cozy room, nicely but not overly fussily decorated and a perfect little neighborhood gem."
Dined on 7/6/2014
"We arrived on a Friday night @ 7PM for a Birthday dinner for 4 We were surprised to find we were one of two tables. When the other table left we were the only table in the restaurant for the night. Their champagne/sparkling wine list was small, even with that most items were not available? They did offer a compromise of a more expensive Champagne at a slightly lower price. Food was good, exactly what we ordered and presentation was good. at the end a little expensive. Our "waiter" was friendly but extremely inexperienced taking away for the evening. They did provide us with a Delicious Birthday dessert, in compensation. I would consider returning for lunch. The area is beautiful to walk to the beach."
Dined on 6/27/2014
"First time visit. The food was OK, though the risotto dish, while tasty, seemed suspiciously more like rice. Our young waiter could not serve wine - first some spills, then and a no-no: top up an unfinished glass from the second bottlle... But the atmosphere was pleasant and the setting good for conversation."
Dined on 6/20/2014
"Bought the groupon $65 with 4 course dinner for two - Wonderful deal!! We went on a thursday night, and surprisingly there were only two groups of customers in the whole restaurant, thus the place was pretty quiet. Perfect way to enjoy our romantic dinner. There were 2 selections each for the starter, salad, and dessert. Garlic prawn from the starter was awesome. A lot of entree selections, we had the risotto and beef striploin. Risotto looks not much at first, but it's actually very filling, and tasted great. The steak was AWESOME!! My boyfriend is usually very picky about food, but this time he loved the steak and the roasted veggies. Loved the peppermint creme brulee, too. I am really satisfied with this deal. Server was very sweet too!"
Dined on 5/8/2014
"Service was friendly and attentive. Starters, mains, and desserts were all delicious. Will be back for sure!"
Dined on 4/12/2014
"We were looking for a place half-way between us and our friends, and settled on the Kitsilano area. Had heard about but not tried the Smoking Dog, so thought it would be a good bet. Service was very good - friendly without being smothering. Each of our dishes was also very good - my wife thought the sablefish was the best she had every had, and she loves sablefish! Overall we had a very relaxed and enjoyable meal, and will definitely return."
Dined on 3/29/2014
"The menu & presentation was really dated...can I say 1980 something? I was expecting to be wowed with French food - instead I had the impression of a cheap meal usually reserved as part of a tour group. No effort went into the preparation of this menu - it's definitely not worth the money I spent. I was disappointed since I had been to the Smoking Dog years before and it was fantastic then. Seems they are going through a change in management so, for their sake, I hope there is improvement soon. The only area I was happy with was the service. The rest of the meal was dull, tasteless and a far cry from what I expected. All in all an unfortunate & regrettable experience."
Dined on 3/21/2014
"Very good neighborhood restaurant who's food is always consistently good"
Dined on 3/19/2014
"Two of us went on a special coupon that gave us 4 courses for a certain price. One had the soup and one the prawns - both excellent. Very tasty salad, with some surprising combinations which were delicious. I had the salmon - perfectly cooked; husband had beef ragout with linguini which he said was good. Two different desserts - both very tasty. Attentive service but not obtrusive."
Dined on 2/27/2014
"We had a very delicious 3 course meal with a Groupon voucher. We had exceptional service and very accurate recommendations from the wait staff. It wasn't very busy so it was quiet and intimate. I would recommend this restaurant."
Dined on 2/21/2014
"We had high hopes for the new chef and menu at the Smoking Dog, but were disappointed with the execution. This has always been a location that should succeed, but seems to fall short of its promise. The food was mediocre, the service slow and sometimes sullen, the room far too loud for the number of diners. It urgently needs a facelift, a bartender, some acoustic management, some enthusiasm in the kitchen and an experienced front of house staff. We had prawn cocktail (rolled in cocktail sauce), a meager and flavorless beet salad, little crab cakes that were quite good and the chicken supreme that somehow managed to be dry-textured though not overcooked and almost completely flavorless. The bread is very good."
Dined on 2/22/2014
"Great restaurant! It's not a big place, but the atmosphere was fantastic for a Valentine's day dinner. I order lamb shanks (from the special V-day menu) and it was very soft and tender."
Dined on 2/14/2014
"Was there for Valentine's, and as expected it was very busy. Our server was very nice, but seemed to have a lot of tables/customers to manage (which is somewhat expected) so the service was a little slower than maybe a normal night. That being said, once we ordered our food (three course / table d'hote) it came quite quickly, and the food was hot and very good. For the menu offered and quality of the food served, I thought it was a very good value for Valentine's day (or any other day for that matter)!"
Dined on 2/14/2014
"We celebrated Valentine's day the the smoking dog bistro... We enjoyed the entire experience and will return"
Dined on 2/14/2014
"Really enjoyed our evening and dinner. Out waitress was the key reason. Just excellent, attentive service with a terrific attitude on a very busy evening."
Dined on 2/14/2014
"Service was a bit slow-ish, but I think they were down a server. Delicious food, and a wine list with half bottle options, which was very nice!"
Dined on 2/9/2014
"We visited the restaurant on Feb 4, 2014 using a Groupon. The service we received was fantastic and the food was more than satisfying. The restaurant is fairly quiet, so it is a great spot for a date."
Dined on 2/4/2014
"The food was tasty but nothing to make you excited to come back. The service was slow with a long wait before we were asked if we wanted a drink. Ordered coffee with dessert but it never came. If you're a local and want an pub type evening watching the game on the TV it's probably a handy spot."
Dined on 2/1/2014
"My husband and I had a lovely time Sat night at Dine Out at the smoking dog bistro. It was lively and the food was great. Staff was great and overall it was a really positive experience"
Dined on 1/25/2014
"All 4 of us enjoyed our meals. 3 of us took part in the Dine out menu and had the beet salad which was tasty but very small portion (we all wanted more!). We thoroughly enjoyed our steak frittes (2) and fish mains. The 4th person had chicken and loved it too. Loved the chocolate mousse dessert and the gelato looked delicious and was given a thumbs up by those who had it. It was great to have the choice of Dine out or not, but we thought the value was definitely worth it. Nice relaxing restaurant and we certainly didn't feel rushed which can happen with Dine out menus"
Dined on 1/25/2014
"I ordered the beet salad and end up with 6 pieces of 1/2 inch cube of marinated beets and a marble size deep fried goat cheese (hardly called an appetizer) and my wife's soup is OK. The red snapper I ordered can be described with two words: Overdone and Tasteless, even the accompanying veggie has a funny taste (funny being bad)...My wife's chicken is OK but the pasta is underdone (not "al dente"). Desserts Ok because we ordered Gelato with fresh berries (one piece of raspberry and one piece blackberry just met the definition of berries???)"
Dined on 1/24/2014
"Perhaps the problem was my selection of food. Perhaps I should have stuck with beef and the whole dining experience would have been much better. Instead, I asked for the Red Snapper Pappiote, and the taste was rather bland. Sure there was citrus to make the taste bearable. On top of the subpar food, the waitress for my table never remembered to offer me fresh pepper. She was very polite, however. So perhaps she was new?"
Dined on 1/24/2014
"This was a nice surprise. Located just off Cornwall and Burrard, this place is likely to be busy in the summer with the beach crowd, but 'off-season' it's a nice, quiet local bistro with well-priced meals and excellent service. My only complaint was the roast beetroot starter. There was a tiny amount of beetroot - nicely presented - but surely beetroot is not an expensive ingredient. What was served was delicious, but I wanted more! We had an excellent bottle of BC red that's not available through BC Liquor stores, at a more than reasonable price My partner and I really enjoyed the evening: great value for money, and we could walk home - or take the 22 or 2 bus."
Dined on 1/21/2014
"I am always a little bit apprehensive about the Open Table experience. Does the Restaurant perhaps resent being almost forced into it and will I be treated like a Second Class Citizen. Absolutely not - we were warmly greeted, the Dinner was delicious, the service was first class, there was an excellent choice in the menu and the whole evening was a great success. If you have never been there,give it a try - you will not regret it"
Dined on 1/19/2014
"this is a great restaurnat service was great , server was knowlegable. at end of meal chef came out to talk to our table"
Dined on 1/18/2014
"A little bit off the beaten path of restaurants, the Smoking Dog was a delightful find. It had a fairly good wine list however wines could only be bought by the glass or bottle. No 1/2 liters here. Overall a really nice experience."
Dined on 1/18/2014
"I'll start with a caveat, this was a Dine Out Vancouver set meal so choice was limited. Starters of roaster beat salad with goat cheese was fine. Main course of steak in a pepper sauce was well executed but the snapper was overcooked and to say the flavour was delicate is an understatement. It's not that anything was bad, but with so many great restaurants in Vancouver, we wouldn't go back or recommend it."
Dined on 1/17/2014
"We really enjoyed our 3 course meal. The beet root salad was good but very skimpy It would have been nice if I was offered a refill on my coffee. The pate and mussels were delicious The salmon entree was very good."
Dined on 1/14/2014
"We used our groupn tonight and both had the velvety red pepper bisque, small but well composed beet root salad, and one salmon with mushroom wine sauce (delicious), and one ok steak with excellent pomme frites."
Dined on 1/15/2014
"Since the passing of Jean-Claude the Smoking Dog has been trying hard to find its niche. Just when you think they have it, it all changes again. Once again they are getting close BUT should go back to some of the old stand-bys IF they want to be a French style Bistro"
Dined on 12/20/2013
"I chose this restaurant because I read that the chef was one of the best in Vancouver, so when I heard that he had left for another restaurant shortly after our dining experience here, I was a bit disappointed for the people who live in the neighbourhood. Although a bit pricey, the food was superb. There were hardly any other diners in the restaurant when we were here, so I can understand why the chef might have wanted to move somewhere busier where his culinary creations would be enjoyed by more people more often."
Dined on 10/6/2013
"The French are about romance and foods that are rich with delicate sauces of white or red wine! This restaurant missed the whole french thing. The over head lighting cause a lack of french flavoured ambience. The background music needed improving as to set the mood. Our waitress was sweet but attended our table for our order several times where it became annoying. The french cuisine was definitely missing on a very pitiful menu, we ordered the New York steak, mine was very good but my friend's steak was mostly grizzle. We made mention that to the managment, they apologize but did nothing to compensate for that huge misguided decision by the Chef."
Dined on 11/30/2013
"Went here and it was empty. Not one other table sat."
Dined on 5/24/2013
"Although the waiter was very pleasant, the service was extremely slow. The food was mostly very good with the exception of the steelhead vegetables which were all white and not tasty. We found the prices quite high for a neighbourhood bistro."
Dined on 11/9/2013
"Had a reservation, no table ready. Waited for table, waited for service, waited for post entree service. Finally gave up and left without ever seeing a dessert menu or even being spoken to post entree. Food nice, but minuscule portions and no vegetables on my plate. When we left we went across the street to the Rocky Mountain Flatbread restaurant because we were both still hungry. The server there could have given lessons to the staff at Smoking Dog who really didn't seem to care about the low quality service they provided."
Dined on 11/16/2013
"Food was tasty but one lamb stuffed cannelloni and some diced root vegetable for $23 and 3small scallops and a ravioli for $25?! I don't think so!There are so many restaurants in Vancouver serving very good food at much better value."
Dined on 11/10/2013
"Every dish we had was top-notch, from the pate and fois gras appies, through the steelhead and ling cod mains, to the citrus meringue and chocolate pot de creme desserts. The wine list is quite modest. The service was earnest. Come here for the kitchen, it's worth it."
Dined on 11/9/2013
"This neighborhood restaurant is convenient to get to and the food is tasty, but the menu is limited and some of the items on the menu were unavailable, which limits the selection even more. The wine selection is also mediocre at best. I ordered a glass of Merlot and it was awful. My dinner partner didn't enjoy the Bordeau either. So all in all, not a great experience. Probably won't go there again."
Dined on 10/24/2013
"Have been there before and will go again and again! The service was super and the music in the restaurant was really nice!"
Dined on 10/18/2013
"We were on a time constraint (movie tickets for 8:00pm). We got there at 6:30pm, told the server and she was able to give us efficient and prompt service so we could still enjoy our meal."
Dined on 10/18/2013

More reviews ›

Reserve at Smoking Dog Bistro,The

Smoking Dog Bistro,The Details

Getting there