The Cannibal Cafe

9 Reviews on “The Cannibal Cafe”

• Erika Golem

  Have you ever wanted to enjoy a burger with a side of punk rock? If so; this is the place for you. Located on Commercial Drive, this restaurant is literally named after a song by the punk band SNFU. It was also featured on You Gotta Eat Here! in season 5.The vibe is a whole ton of fun and the edginess of the restaurant adds so much to the entire experience. The servers are all very friendly and covered in piercings and tattoos. My favourite thing are the hundreds of Vancouver gig posters wallpapering every inch of the walls. I found myself reading as many of them as I could see! I visited on a Saturday evening and our accommodating server seated us near the back of the restaurant (a perfect area to take in the scene of the whole place).I’d heard that their shakes were pretty good, so I started there. Their Boozy Shakes sounded especially fun! I picked the Black Forest Shake (Chocolate ice cream, milk, fudge, 2oz Cherry Bourbon, topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle – $11.95) because I was obviously there on serious business. This is a great item to order if you want to have dessert before dinner and you also want for there to be booze involved. This was a pretty good milkshake and it captured the elements of a black forest cake quite well. Creamy, sweet, with a hit of bourbon. (But I have to say, the best boozy shake out there is still The Legendary Shake at Save On Meats.)Cannibal takes a lot of pride in their beef – which is a desirable thing to see in a burger-centric joint. Their beef is certified organic from BC, so it doesn’t get more fresh and local than that. Of course I was going to order one of the Cannibal Specialty Burgers and it had to be the Big Blue (Blue cheese stuffed patty, a crispy onion ring, more blue cheese, horseradish chive mayo, L.T.O.P – $14.95). I also ordered Hand-Cut Fries ($2.95) on the side. As a lover of blue cheese, this burger seemed like a majorly obvious choice. This burg was solid. I liked the patty because it tasted very fresh and was very clearly homemade. I especially liked that there was still a hint of pink inside and that it hadn’t been cooked into oblivion. I did, however, find the patty to be a little bit dense and I couldn’t really find the blue cheese inside. Luckily, the blue cheese on top was much more prevalent and added the funk that I craved. The onion ring was perfectly battered and fried, it added a great crunch. I liked the bun because it was buttery and had a nice bite to it. The pickle was delicious. This burger was very messy!!!The fries were good! They were cooked to a perfect golden and the seasoning on them was delicious.Maybe not the best burger that I’ve had in my entire life, but definitely a very decent one made with good ingredients.The overall experience at Cannibal Caf was a good one. It’s a really cool restaurant with a fun atmosphere. The prices seemed a little bit high (especially with no sides being included with the burgers) and the food could’ve been a little bit more exciting. They serve a weekend bunch that I will certainly return to try. erikaeatseverything.com

  October 10, 2020, 8:37 am

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• Willow Yang

  This is a casual joint on the Drive that’s best known for serving up gourmet burgers. I went there for my birthday as they give you a complimentary American Classic Burger (if you have your ID with you) with the purchase of either a drink or a side. I decided to get a side of Onion Rings to go with my burger as well as an Oreo Milkshake. The burger was quite tasty; the onion rings and the milkshake were fantastic. While I got a good deal since the burger came free, I do find their regular prices to be a tad pricy: most of their burgers are currently going to $13-15 without any sides. In terms of service, the waitress I had was very friendly; however, I do feel that they appear to be somewhat understaffed: there was only one person in the kitchen when I went, and some of the tables did take a while to receive their food. All in all, I did quite like this place, and I think it’s definitely worth checking out for some classic American fast food.American Classic Burger (Free on birthday, normally $10.95):3.5/5This consisted of two 3oz patties, American Cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo and L.T.O.P. (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle). This was a simple, basic burger that was done quite well. I normally don’t like beef patties, which can often be dry, but here the beef was actually reasonably moist and juicy. The bun was toasted, and crispy around the edges while soft and fluffy in the interior. The cheese and condiments provided great flavour. Although the burger was not very large, it was quite tall and I actually couldn’t fit it into my mouth (insert dirty joke here): I had to remove some of the vegetables in order to eat the burger.Onion Rings (Side, $4.95):4.5/5I loved these. The batter on the onion rings looked thick, but was incredibly light and crispy, and stayed crispy even when they cooled. It was served with a side of Chipotle Mayo, which was creamy and had a nice bit of spice. I was a bit disappointed with the portion: there were only 6 onion rings present.Oreo Milkshake ($7.95):4/5I have to admit, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed the milkshake didn’t contain any crushed cookie bits. It was still very tasty however, with a great chocolate and vanilla flavour. It was quite thick, and you have to wait to allow it to melt a bit before being able to suck it through the straw.

  September 16, 2020, 7:17 am

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