Latest Reviews
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We went to Royal Dinette for a friends birthday and decided to try their family style menu. We were served various dishes to try from their menu and t…
Merse
Royal Dinette
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One of the hippest new places in Vancouver can be found downtown and is called Royal Dinette. Its like they took an old diner and turned into somethin…
Erika Golem
Royal Dinette
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Great environment! The food is amazing, as well as the ambience from the moment you walk in! Such creative drinks, nothing you wouldnt love!…
Lex
Royal Dinette
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Royal Dinette is open for Casual Dining. Royal Dinette serves Pacific Northwest dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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takeaway availableindoor seatingno alcohol availableReviews
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7 Reviews on “Royal Dinette”
We went to Royal Dinette for a friends birthday and decided to try their family style menu. We were served various dishes to try from their menu and the meals were worth it! Good choice of cocktails!
One of the hippest new places in Vancouver can be found downtown and is called Royal Dinette. Its like they took an old diner and turned into something completely awesome (I think thats exactly what they did). Id been hearing about them a lot lately. They only just opened in 2016 and there have been plenty of amazing new restaurant alerts out there. This place first got onto my radar when I saw them in enRoute magazine as a Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2016 nominee plus in their Dining Guide 2016 and Dining Guide 2017. Then Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants said that they were #66 in 2016. And Vancouver Magazine awarded them Best New Restaurant 2016 and Best Pacific Northwest 2017. So thats a bunch of stuff and it certainly seemed worthwhile to pay them a visit!We did so on a Saturday evening. We had made a reservation but it didnt seem entirely necessary to have done so, as there always seemed to be a few tables available. The vibe is ultra-cool and so is the space. It really does look like a refurbished and hipsterized diner, now full of rustic wood, impossibly great alternative music, endless jars of preserves on shelves, and the most awesome counter seating. (Had I known, I wouldve tried to sit there!) Its very, very hip, and you can feel it the entire time that youre there, right down to the friendly and slightly pretentious servers. If youre looking for the ultimate hipster environment, this place is for you.We were seated at a table for two and I dove straight into the cocktail menu. I had heard that their cocktails are particularly excellent and hoped to find something truly unique to try. I did just that by choosing the Kumbaya (Cedar smoked Bulleit rye, amaro Montenegro, cherry cedar bitters, burnt cinnamon marshmallow – $13.00) from the In the Mix section. This drink was super fun and tasted like a campfire. (Hence the name Kumbaya, like what you sing around a campfire.) It was smoky and sweet. The marshmallow was such a creative touch and held up surprisingly well to the liquid.The food menu is pretty typical for what most new and hip places are doing these days; an emphasis on creative farm-to-table fare, locally sourced, artisanal and seasonal ingredients. Its not like its difficult to find these concepts these days. But its still gotta be delicious, thats the bottom line. They offer a Family Style dining experience, where they will serve dishes of their choice and create an ideal experience for you. Normally, this type of thing is my go-to. But after looking at the menu, we felt pretty secure in our own choices. We ordered a bunch of plates from the various sections with the intention to share each one.First to arrive was the Roasted Celeriac (Walnut carbonara, egg yolk, guanciale, winter truffles – $23.00) from the Small section. I did not even find this dish all that small! We really enjoyed this and it was a great beginning. Whats celeriac? Its the root of celery! Its large like a turnip and tender when cooked. I had expected the yolk to be runny or raw, but it was not. It was almost fully cooked through. The walnuts added great texture and crunch. The carbonara preparation worked really well with this and the sauce was very good. The truffles were an excellent touch but I found that they got a little bit lost, as did the cured meat. I could have used more of both!Next to arrive was the Duck Liver Mousse (Granny smith apple, squash jam – $10.00) from the Snacks section. I could have sworn that the fruit in this was pears. Nothing about them tasted like an apple and the texture was that of a pear. Regardless of that, liver in mousse form is delicious and velvety, even if it looks contrary to that. I liked the light and flaky toasts. The squash jam seemed awfully meaty, almost as if there were shreds of duck confit mixed in. This was a good snack.From the Pasta & Grain section, we easily selected the Squid Ink Bucatini (Quadra Island clams, confit squid, Calabrian chilies, citrus oil – $21.00). This is probably the dish that I was the most excited about overall. Bucatini is one of my favourite types of pasta (thick and spaghetti-like with a hole running through the center) and squid ink pastas are also a big favourite of mine. Youll easily be able to tell that youre eating squid ink pasta by the black, black colour! I love the saltiness that the ink adds and this fresh, housemade version was no exception – tender and delicious! My husband and I both exclaimed at the absolute perfect doneness of the strips of squid within the dish. They were just right, not rubbery at all. The clams were sweet and plump, the heat from the chilies just right. My favourite plate of the night!Next, we had tried to order the Dry Aged Half Duck Crown, but were unfortunately informed that they did not have it. Instead, we decided to try something that they had on special that evening, the St. Croix Lamb (Coffee-rubbed, green harissa, thumbelina carrot – $46.00). This dish was probably my biggest disappointment. I do not think that it was worth its price at all. And on top of this, it took an exceedingly long amount of time for the dish to arrive. Thankfully we werent in a hurry. The lamb torchon that we were served seemed like scraps. It was tough and fatty. It was apparently stuffed with olives, but I could not taste them. The harissa added a nice pop of flavour but didnt accomplish enough. The lamb croquettes were the best part. They tasted great and the savoury lamb inside had a wonderful texture. So thank goodness for those!Lastly, we had dessert; Warm Brown Bread (Butter tart ice cream, apple butter, balsamico – $12.00). This also took a really long time to arrive. It was as if the kitchen had become majorly backed up or something, but we could see straight into the open space and they did not seem to be overly slammed. This dessert was alright, but not as amazing as I had hoped. The bread literally was warm brown bread. I suppose that I shouldve taken the description more literally. I had expected that it would be more like a bread pudding. It wasnt very sweet, however the butter tart ice cream offset this by being very sweet and delicious.Royal Dinette had ups and downs. In general, I loved the atmosphere and the experience. Most of the food was quite innovative and impressive, but a few things missed the mark. I would like to return for their Family Style meal to see what type of multi-dish offering they create on their own accord. erikaeatseverything.com
Great environment! The food is amazing, as well as the ambience from the moment you walk in! Such creative drinks, nothing you wouldnt love!
This place definitely isn’t going to get high marks across the board as they’re walking a different line than most restaurants. That said I think the items are very creative and many work really well. Its basically an Asian Italian fusion restaurant. If you’re open-minded give it a go but if you want something more classic then sure roll down to Luigis.
Food: from delicious (roast cabbage) to almost gross (octopus; pork).Price: ridiculous. 20 dollars for about 100 grams of cabbage. You’re kidding, right?Service: not quite rude, but definitely unpleasant. Forgive us, please, for having a conversation with our friend and not ordering the moment you show up at the table. Sorry, but your clever tattoos and hipster glasses do not excuse the attitude.Ambience: nice and lively, but the restaurant has some sort of nasty cabbage smell.Wine: I’m guessing our glasses were poured at about 3 ounces, if that.Never again.
Royal Dinette pays well to it’s audience. Right in the middle of the dowtown lunch rush, it offers better quality and creativity than the usual Cactus Club and Joey’s options. If you’re looking for cutting edge, this place isn’t it, but it does have quality. If this place had a bit more character and creativity, it could be truly top notch.
Food was great. Fun to hit at the chefs table. Especially as a business traveller eating alone. Staff was also super friendly and made suggestions.