The Bottom Line
West Restaurant is one of the most highly-acclaimed in the city and it deserves all the accolades it receives. Contemporary regional cuisine served in fresh, unique ways, West is a great place to grab cocktails and a bite with friends or to indulge your senses in a truly divine feast.
West Restaurant
2881 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
604-738-8938
Pros
- Award-winning contemporary, regional cuisine that deserves all its accolades
- Amazing wine selection and unbelievably good cocktails, including unique cocktail creations
- High-quality service
- Great location on South Granville
Cons
- Pull out your wallet--it can be expensive!
Description
- Open nightly 5:30pm - 11pm
Lunch Monday - Friday 11:30am - 2pm - Most entrées $35 - $40
- Valet parking available for $8
- Vegetarian options available
Guide Review - West Restaurant
Owned by the same Top Table Group that owns CinCin and Blue Water Cafe, West Restaurant is among the most acclaimed restaurants in Vancouver; it may even be the most acclaimed.
Praise heaped on West includes four consecutive Restaurant of the Year awards from Vancouver Magazine and a win for Best Overall restaurant in the Georgia Straight. So is West all its award-laden reputation claims?
The short answer: Yes. It's a delight to go to a restaurant and discover that not only does it meet (very high) expectations, it exceeds them.
West's contemporary, regional cuisine uses many of the typical Vancouver fine-dining ingredients (the ubiquitous Sablefish, to name one) but uses those ingredients in exciting, new ways. Complex and palette-pleasing, the dishes are multi-layered taste extravaganzas; paired with the right wine, it's hard to deny that they're worth their (sometimes hefty) price tag.
There are three different ways to dine at West: You can order from the a la carte menu (just as you would at any restaurant), where the entrees typically range between $30 - $35. There are also three Tasting Menus to choose from: the seafood-oriented Sea Tasting Menu, the meat-centred Land Tasting Menu, and a Vegetarian Tasting Menu. Tasting Menus are set menus of multiple courses for $58 - $78 per person (add about $55 per person for wine pairings), and if you can afford it, this is the way to go: One of the best meals of my life was a Tasting Menu at West, and the incredible quality is absolutely worth the cost.
The third dining option is the Elements menu: single component items, like Honey Mussels and Brussels Sprouts, that are made to be shared family-style. You can create your own multiple-item meal with items from Elements or add a few of the dishes to your traditional a la carte choices for greater variety.
Whatever you do, don't leave West without trying their original cocktails. West's bartender/mixologist David Wolowidnyk is a multiple-award winner for Bartender of the Year and his original creations are the hands-down best cocktails I've ever had, anywhere. David's cocktails have even earned international acclaim: his "Passage to India" cocktail was served at the Slumdog Millionaire Oscar party!
