Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio

My then-​girlfriend and current fiancé went to Ancora the night I proposed. They sat us upstairs at a beautiful table with a view of the restaurant. We started with the seafood ceviche which was delectable, so good we drank the broth.
Our server Kane was outstanding, we were never left wanting for and our wine glasses stayed full. Also very friendly.
For our entrée we had the tuna and the halibut. The fusion on the menu between Chilean and Japanese cusine marries flavours together that are fantastic. Great dining experience, comprehensive wine list and worth the money.

Came here to experience dine out vancouver as it is a great opportunity to try high end restaurant. However, it was such a disappointment.
The servers and hosts are very nice and considerate, attentive. However, food was not as great as expected. There were 9 of us and all of us were let down. Food was salty overall and portion was way too small. Desert was better.
I guess this will give me an opportunity to go back and check out the regular menu to see if it’s any better.
It’s a shame that they couldn’t show case their food through dine out vancouver properly.

This was our sole upscale dining experience in Vancouver and it was incredible. The waterfront location is elegant and modern, with a great view and a Hamptons feel. All the fresh fish dishes are flavorful and sustainably sourced, as well as beautifully plated.
DRINKS: Ancora has a variety of well-​priced local wines but we knew nothing about Canadian varietals. Our server was great about giving us a mini lesson and making suggestions. We tried three glasses of different whites and I’m bummed that I didn’t get their names to buy our favorite when we returned home.
SASHIMI: We started with the o-​toro tuna belly sashimi and were so impressed that we added on an additional order of the salmon kuterra. Generously cut with palpable freshness, highly recommend.
FEATURED APPETIZER: This was a herb-​stuffed seared tuna with potato salad and dijon mustard, accented with caviar. Flavors were reminiscent of Russian cuisine and an solid introduction to the fusion-​style dishes on the menu.
NOVA SCOTIA LOBSTER RISOTTO: Outstanding! Packed with seafood, yellow foot mushrooms, and roasted cauliflower, and flavored with preserved lemon, this was among the best risottos I’ve ever had. The citrus and produce kept this dish from being too heavy or rich, and even sharing the half portion was still a good amount.
PACIFIC LINGCOD: Perfectly cooked and served atop a forbidden rice paella with squid, chorizo, and shrimp, thrilled to see my favorite fish on the menu and served with one of my favorite Peruvian dishes. It’s hard to go wrong with this entrée.
AJI PANCA GLAZED SABLEFISH: The sablefish was phenomenal– buttery and moist, just a great piece of fish. The yam, roasted fennel, and wakame chimmichurri were great accenting flavors. A must-​order.
DESSERT: We had the Ancora Chocolate Bar, with rum gel, salted caramel, and caramel ice cream, which was a fun mix of textures.
All in all, it was a great night of fantastic food and elegant ambiance. Our server, Marissa, was personable and professional, and her suggestions ensured our wonderful experience. Ancora successfully harmonizes Japanese and Peruvian cuisines and highlights West coast seafood. Already looking for another excuse to come back to town and have another meal here!

Was here for my friend’s bday dinner at the beginning of February and I absolutely loved it. It’s located where C restaurant used to be. The food was delicious. i ordered the Lobster risotto and it was full of flavor and plenty of lobster. I definitely didn’t have to look for any lobster. I also had the Ling cod and that was amazing. The fish was crispy on the outside but so flaky and moist inside. The sauce that came with it was delicious. Friend of mine got the soft shell crab roll so I tried a piece. It wasn’t anything extraordinary for the price in my opinion.
The portions were also decent, surprisngly, since alot of restaurants serve u barely a decent size meal and charge you 50 dollars lol. Service was pretty good. Our waiter even entertained our sick sense of humour. Overall a great experience. Will definitely come back again for a nice dinner out.

Ancora’s.what can I say about this place other than positive things?
This restaurant is the epitome of fusion fine dining.
The first time I came here was for dine out Vancouver. They only had open seats at 9 PM for 6 people which was unfortunate, but it also showed how busy and sought after this restaurant is.
The visit I will focus on will be my second visit, where I came with my wife, father in law and his significant other. We knew he wanted to try this place and had actually booked a dine out time but had to cancel last minute due to illness.
When we came here, it was the regular great service we had already experienced the time before. Hostess was nice, and our server was great. He was attentive to our needs and was very knowledgable about the dishes and about the restaurant/​chef in general.
To start off we all shared the seafood platter, which contained oysters, mussells, sashimi (tuna, salmon, hamachi), 2 types of ceviche, the DELICOUS crab stack and some large prawns.
This was SO good and SO worth the amount of money you have to spend on it. If you have even 3 – 4 people, you can easily share the 2 person platter. If you have 5 – 6 or even 7 you could probably share the 4 person platter.
For the main course I had the sablefish, and my wife had the braised shortrib. I have already tasted the shortrib and that was delicious so I wanted to try something else.
Having already had the sablefish from blue water café (which is AMAZING), I was hesitant to try this because my standards were already so high. My first bite into this sablefish, I was struck with shock and euphoria because I did not expect this dish to taste BETTER than Blue Water Café’s Famous Sablefish.
I would have to say. Ancora’s sablefish beats Blue Water’s sablefish by a significant margin, but this isn’t to discredit the complexity and deliciousness that Blue Water’s fish has. This was just better.
We didn’t end up having enough room for dessert but since it was my father in law’s birthday, they ended up giving us some small nice dessert which was VERY gracious of them to.
Would I come back again? Hell yes. I don’t often give five stars unless I feel they deserve it. Ancora’s definitely does.
Let’s not forget the beautiful area in which it is located! By the water!
*****Oh one more thing. there is actually free parking just up the street from Ancora’s. One side will be a meter parking while the opposite side is free! Just a good tip!*****
Service ⁵⁄₅ Ambiance ⁵⁄₅ Food ⁵⁄₅ Value ⁵⁄₅

«Ancora’s mission is to embrace the harmony of Peruvian and Japanese cultures while incorporating the bounty of the West Coast»
Once you wrap your head around description and venture forth all good things will flow. This was our first (and absolutely not our last) visit to Ancora.
The menu is fascinating. The 3 of us started with the Ancora Glacier — a plate heaped (delicately) with oysters, ceviche, crab, mussels, sashimi and other odds and sods. Its to die for. Beautiful presentation — beautiful taste.
Next up dinner — Scallops and Port Belly (yep), Sablefish and Lingcod. All excellent.
Desserts — bit of a let down here — stylishly pretty but somewhat lacking in substance. At least they are cheap.
Drink wise be sure to try to Pisco Sour that come in three (I think) varieties. Totally good. The wine list is excellent.
Service was end to end excellent. Each item was explained in detail without being stupid over the top.
Ancora brings real life, insanely good food and service to the old C location — which bluntly was a cold fish place.

Every time I come here, I am amazed with the service, the view, the food and the company. We’ve decided to come to Ancora for dine-​out. Amazing as usual and even of its no longer C-​Restaurant, it’s still amazing. Braised pork rib is melt of the bone oh so good… lobster bisque and the chocolate mousse dessert was amazing. My companion had the Crab salad, Lingcod and pancotta with mango sorbet. A wonderful meal with wonder memories of the past.

Came here for dine out last Friday. The location is right on the waterfront and the building is beautiful. The inside is an upscale casual. The restaurant is very large and has two floors. The entrance is right next to the kitchen and you can see the chefs working from outside. There is even a small sushi bar right next to the kitchen.
The restaurant is loft style and has a very high ceiling. This means noise travels and it is super loud. The tables on the main floor are also very close together.
The restaurant was slightly understaffed and quite busy on Friday night. They were pumping out dishes for dine out at great speeds to keep within the 1.5 hour dining window. This meant that the servers were often few and far between and there were some gaps of time where empty plates were left behind. One trip advisor reviewer called the services here pretentious and I have to agree. It’s definitely not the same type of service you would get at chambar, l’abbitoir or minami. I would classify this restaurant in a similar category of upscale casual.
The food itself was unique. The flavours were very different. I had the crab causa, pacific lincod paella and chocolate raspberry mousse. Overall I thought everything was okay and that I prefer to go either a Peruvian restaurant like Chicha or a good Japanese restaurant like Miku. Wasn’t feeling the mix. Also they charge for bread which was really weird!
The food, service and atmosphere were all not my style. I’m much more of a gastown person and will visit hotel restaurants for special occasions as the service there is a lot better.

I can’t remember the last time I felt so welcomed in a restaurant! Our server was incredibly attentive, checking in quite often and giving us updates when there were extended times between dishes. He stopped for a chat at the end and explained who the staff were and the changes the space had undergone upon preparation for Ancora. The crystal chandeliers are a beautiful addition and the overall ambiance is modern, clean and inviting. As we exited, we stopped for a chat with the chef who is easily accessible through the open concept kitchen at the front. He explained the Peruvian-​Japanese concept and how the subtle flavors are used in tandem. He also mentioned that a raw bar is on its way, and you know it’s going to be good when half the staff, including chef Ricardo, came from Blue Water Café!
As for the food, delicious! Can’t fault anything here. The braised short rib was tender, the lingcod was buttery on the inside with a lovely crisp top and the accompanying veg was quite flavorful. I’d love to know how to make broccoli that tasty at home. Plating was lovely of course and dessert finished up the meal nicely. Can’t wait to see what they create for summer, their patio space will be the place to be in a few months I’m sure!

Japanese/​Peruvian style food by the water. Very nice atmosphere, quiet and great for conversation. 3.5 stars.
The Dungeness crab causa is definitely worth a try. The easiest way to describe its texture is like a spoonful of potato salad with crab. The flavours are much more complex with its huancaina sauce and kalamata olive emulsion.
Their lobster bisque is divine. Very rich and creamy.
The lobster risotto was mediocre, hardly taste the lobster or other flavours as the lemon was overpowering.
Sable fish was good but nothing special.
The pacific ling cod was wonderful. Perfectly cooked and the seasoning was packed with flavour. The «forbidden rice» paella was a bit on the bland side by itself but worked well with the fish.
For dessert I recommend the spiced picarones with ice cream. The spiced picarones are like little mini donuts with a spiced sauce and almonds.

Very good service! The guy in charge of parking did a fabulous job! Not only did he voluntarily open the doors for us when we arrived, he was careful to switch on the heat and warm up the car when stopping it by the stairs. Well done!
The service at the restaurant was great as well. Ordered champagne, seafood platter, and the lobster risotto. The platter was fabulous! Really enjoyed the mixture of seafood there. The risotto was average, in my opinion. The service and experience were what stood out the most.
Overall, very good restaurant and experience.

I’ve been here twice now and both times were delicious. So happy that they opened in such a beautiful spot. Excellent service and excellent food. The Peruvian touches mixed in with the Japanese flavour set this place apart from other fancy fairs in the city. The interior is modern, open and clean, you can’t go wrong with the views of the water either. The Spider Roll is devine and all the fresh sashimi they offer daily is to die for. I HEART THE LOBSTER RISOTTO! Super generous portions of yummy lobster, every bite of risotto had lobster in it. I think they have Happy Hour too between 3pm to 5pm. Looking forward to my next date night with le hubs so that we have an excuse to go again, but honestly the food is great enough that we don’t need to have our arms twisted to go!

Sad to C Restaurant closed down but glad to see Ancora opened at same location.
Ancora’s executive chef came from Blue Water Café and it’s Peruvian and Japanese fusion cuisine.
The interior decoration is refined and contemporary. We came here to celebrate my hubby’s birthday dinner.
Bluefin tuna sushi — Fresh and high quality Bluefin tuna, it’s so delicious.
Crab sausa — It’s first time we had Peruvian chilli and potato cake with crab, the appertizer presented beautifully and taste good.
Squash and lobster bisque — It’s rich and creamy, thumbs up!
Sablefish — It’s well seasoned and at salty side.
Farm chicken — The chicken portion quite big but it cooked perfectly. Also, pretty salty.
Ancora chocolate bar — The chocolate bar was rich and smooth, caramel ice cream every smooth but a bit too sweet to me.
Overall, all the dishes flavours a bit salty (if you don’t drink) and texture of ingredients were decent. However, our sever was too busy and not much attention on our table.
I would expect such an upscale restaurant beside the quality of food also would deliver first class service.

Where the iconic C’s used to be… that would’ve made it a lot easier to connect.
Anyways, pretty much as expected. Fine dining but not in a classical way; more modern, clean interiors.
As pics show with the set menu, the lobster risotto outstanding but the sablefish just a tad salty. Yam was deleesh, layered nicely.
When I come to these fancier places, I expect to pay, so not expensive at all.
Dessert: incredible. Chocolate cake with some Crunchie-​like wafers, would order this again in a heart beat.
Service, at least on this nite, top notch.

3.5 Stars
3 Stars if you’re paying for it.
4 Stars if you’re not paying for it: p
Price point: 3 courses with mid-​range wine, expect to pay $ 150 per person. You could have a 2 course, very filling meal for 60 – 80 $ easy.
The complimentary bread starter isn’t that good but… meh.
Service: Good– a bit TOO complimentary and bordering on insincere, if you know what I mean. I don’t need you to thank me after I thank you for pouring me wine or serving me. I kind of hate that fine dining space where they talk like they are at a little league game and everything is an «excellent choice!, «perfect decision» after EVERYTHING I say. I like kind service, I don’t particularly appreciate the degree they treat you like you’re the Queen and they can’t wait for you to croak on the throne. The valet knew our name when we were walking in– a bit creepy.
Food: Some dishes better than others, but overall a nice experience and some creative touches with creative flavours.
We had the glacier to start– NOTE– the 2 person glacier would EASILY feed 4 people if everyone wanted just one taste of everything, and the 4person Glacier would serve 8 people, similarly. (The 2 person glacier comes with 4 of everything; the 4 person comes with 8 of everything). The Glacier starter was definitely delicious and I’m glad I had it. Price point is ok.
I had the sablefish and it was really nice, with creative flavours. Price point is just ok for the size. I was certainly full after the starter and the main, but you could get JUST as delicious food for a very full main course for 30 – 35 $ at another similar quality resto
Everyone seemed to be pleased with their dishes. Flavour was good on all of them and the price point was ok.
FAIL of the night: The gnocchi was terrible. It tasted like raw flour/​cardboard in the middle. I was SO disappointed because it looked so delicious with the pan fried outside.
Also, at no point in the night did someone check on us to ask how anything was. So there was no opportunity to tell them that the gnocchi was garbage.
This place might be more impressive during the summer– the space is beautiful. I would probably only come back for a special occasion and if someone else were paying. It’s good, but not THAT good to spend hard earned money.
Comparing Ancora to Blue Water Café, I think it was a little more creative but a lot more expensive than Blue Water Café (which I like better in terms of food value and service– Blue water has awesome sincere and kind service AND if you wanted, one main would completely fill you up sans starter or dessert).

This is the place to go for a romantic date or a big celebration gathering. An amazing sustainable seafood restaurant that blends Japanese and Peruvian cultures.
I came here for a friend’s birthday dinner and I was not disappointed. The tables were perfectly spaced apart where you don’t feel like your squished together. The interior design is amazing and there were so much pretty things to look at around the room. The view from the second floor is stunning. The waiters friendly and helpful.
We had the tasting menu and each dish was presented like an art work. The Causa (dungeness crab, yukon gold, kalamata olive emulsion) looked like a painting served on a black plate. It was almost too pretty to eat. Other favourites included the Hamachi Carpaccio (shizo in yuzu infuzed dressing), the Haida Gwaii Pan Seared Halibut (they did an amazing job with the halibut was well as the smoked baby squid), and the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (which was super tender came with tortilla de patatas, creamed kale, king oyster mushroom, chimichurri veal reduction). The Lemon Curd for dessert was the right ending to a perfect meal.

I rarely give five stars, but this is one of best place.
Perfect place for dating and gathering, jus like today… beautiful sunset, match with lounge music and you can also smell the light flora scent. I love this place. Food is amazing fresh seafood, lobster risotto (my fav). We had two different glass of cocktail. They both taste amazing, not so strong, not too sweet.
Will come back for more food and celebration.

We found this restaurant online and I am glad that we discovered this place before the rainy season to Vancouver. This place is located by the water, with a great view of Granville Island (A great place in the summer). When we arrived, I was overwhelm by the beautiful décor and it was like we entered a restaurant in NYC. On that evening, we ordered the Dungeness Crab Causa, Toro and Salmon Nigiri, Seasonal Blue Fin Tuna sushi and the Garam Masala Pacific Lingcod. Overall the Nigiri and sushi were great choices and I was impressed with the high fish quality that they served (5-​star Japanese restaurant quality). The Dungeness Crab Causa was good with a little disappointment in taste. The overall idea of the dish was great but I was a little disappointed with it’s taste. The crab meat taste was overwhelmed by the other ingredients and it was like what the point of using the expensive Dungeness Crab into the dish. The Lingcod dish was also a great dish for the night. The fish was cooked perfectly and the curry sauce was a great pair with the fish.
Overall we were satisfy with our experience at this place and I would recommended this place for a romantic dinner or special occasion.

The restaurant is a no contest 5-​star restaurant. The review itself is harder to write. It is hard to write because it is not about a single dish or a couple dishes. It is something grander that warrants praising.
I don’t have knowledge on Peruvian cuisine. From an untainted perspective, the food at Ancora is innovative. The two appetizers, two entrées and 1 dessert we ordered were full of complex flavours, unexpected mix of ingredients, yet the flavours, and the texture of the ingredients, were well balanced and in harmony through skilful cooking and sauces. For example, I never imagine the flavour of curry can mix well with vinegar, and balanced. I never expect the flavour of scallops would shine as bright as the flavour of pork belly. Vanilla ice cream infused with nutmeg is a new sensation to my taste buds. All these speak of creative and innovative entrée design, magnificent culinary skills, understanding of ingredients, crafty manipulation of ingredients, and lots of cooking steps.
Services we received were attentive, competent, courteous. And confident. Yes, the pride and confidence that the servers had in the restaurant shone through. There is no published dress code. I arrived in jeans, and I felt embarrassingly under-​dressed. The servers didn’t bat an eyelash at my casual attire, which to me also spoke volume of the quality of the servers.
Ambiance is modern, contemporary classy.
Ancora soft opened in August. Visit before words spread; you can get a table easier this way.

Go. Right. Now.
We are pretty spoiled as Vancouverites when it comes to food. It seems like every week, a new place opens up offering some twist on an old thing. And then you go, and it is inevitably well-​prepared but nothing really new.
Ancora has really raised the bar on innovation and admissibility when it comes to fine dining. We went as a group to try as many dishes as we can. Every dish, without exception, had a surprise for the palette, like a unique curlicue at the end of a beautifully delivered sentence. And yet, despite the chandeliers and the gorgeous plating, the food felt welcoming, like the type of cooking you remember loving as a child, made with love by that quietly talented mother in her rustic kitchen. In othet words, it is welcoming; it wants you to eat it with your eyes and your mouth and your stomach, not with just your brain and a sense of superiority because there’s a white table cloth underneath your dish.
Must order:
— lobster risotto (scoop into my mouth!)
— truffle gnocchi (you literally taste it with your nose)
— seared scallops (drink the sauce. Lick the bowl)
This place is going to explode. The prices are super reasonable for this caliber of cuisine. Pick this over Hawsworth. Trust me. The food will bond you and your guests.