EXP Restaurant + Bar

This place is totally very cool. What do I mean by that? Well its like a video gamer fantasy. You do get to play video games here but due to the liquor license, you must not be drunk to play video games. I guess for safety precautions. I am not sure how that works. Well, they have a big screen playing video games clips.
The food is good. I always enjoy eating here. Its not expensive and best of all this place opens late. This place is like a hole in the wall. You can walk past it without knowing you past it.
Food can take some time for it to be prepared. But its definitely a great place to have a friend gathering party.
Will return if I am in the area.

Great place. The people here are always awesome. Have had two work gatherings here and they’ve both been phenomenal. Can’t recommend this place enough. I’m a little nerdy.

My boyfriend is a huge video game nerd, so when I heard about this place I knew I had to take him. We went on a double date with my best friend and her boyfriend, who is also into gaming.
Unfortunately, my man and I were both really disappointed. We thought that it was going to be a bar where you could actually play with video game consoles. Instead, there are TVs on the walls of professional people playing video games.
The food and drink menus were funky and fit the video game theme. I ordered the Triforce burger, not knowing that it came with chicken, beef, AND bacon. I took the chicken out which made it tastier and not overwhelmingly filling. I ordered the Fairy Fountain to drink, and another drink which I can’t remember the name of. Both were very delicious.
I feel like this place has a good concept but needs to be further developed to make it more interesting and interactive for the customers.

Meh.
That’s exactly the word I’d use to describe EXP
The décor is great, I love all the crazy video game crap on the walls and the giant projection of LoL and other screens with games on them was fun. The menu is cute though admittedly it can get a little annoying to have to read all the ingredients to realize that chrono chicken is just chicken wings. maybe stick the video game theme names to the drink menu?
I ordered the parmesan and garlic fries and it was… ok. Barely any parmesan on it at all, just the tiniest little sprinkle at the top. Couldn’t taste the garlic much and they were overcooked and just dry and bland for 7 bucks.
The drinks… they are completely watered down. I’m a terrible lightweight when it comes to drinking (2 bacardi breezers can get me buzzed) and can’t stand the taste of alcohol, even the littlest aftertaste of it tends to make me pull a face.
Well I had 5 drinks here, 3 of those were shots. My two actual drinks had no alcohol taste whatsoever they just tasted like SUGAR. The shots were the same, just a hint of alcohol but mostly just sugar sugar sugar and this is coming from a girl who typically only drinks sugary coolers.
After the 5 drinks I wasn’t even slightly buzzed.
There’s no video games to play except for smash at the front waiting area where there arn’t any chairs or anything and you tend to just feel like you’re in the way of other customers by stopping to play it.
The staff were nice though and service was prompt. I would probably only come back here if there was a gaming event I wanted to attend.

I like this place, I don’t quite fit in but the staff have always been nice to me and I’ve consistently had good food here. I must admit that I’m only a casual gamer, and they’re fine with that.
For some context, I mostly seem to ever drop in for a quick meal when I’m downtown after work because of an obligation later in the evening. So, having come directly from work, I’m usually the only guy in a suit eating by himself and watching the videos as they play on the projected screen.
I also made an effort to attend a Mario Cart competition there with some friends, we had a great time.
Conclusion: have had great experiences so far, and I’ll definitely be going back.

This was one of those times when your expectations and the reality just didn’t jive. That’s not to say the reality was bad, au contrare, but we were a bit disappointed.
BF took me for my birthday. I had heard before it opened that they were having some trouble with liquor licensing and couldn’t have video games to play as well as serving liquor. It had something to do with a Casino license and the definition of «electronic gaming» (aka gambling and slot machines).
So I emailed and asked about it. The reply I got from the Floor Manager said «The only area that you can play games at the moment is in the front area of the restaurant, as it is delicensed.» I took this to mean that we could sit in the front area, play games and not drink, OR sit in the back section and not play games but drink.
No, I was wrong. The «delicensed» area is simply the waiting area in front of the waiter lectern. There are no chairs, and the front door is propped open for air flow (for the bartenders), so it’s cold. In this «delicensed» area, there is one Wii U with SuperSmashBros and 4 controllers. Disappointed.
We decided to have dinner first, then maybe play some games on our way out. The food and drink were great actually. We started with a calamari appetizer and it was crispy and not greasy.
I got a cherry blaster cocktail and it was tart and cherry and tasty. It even came with a Cherry Blaster gummy garnish. BF had the UVA Cocktail. Our second round I think BF ordered the Thunder cocktail and it unfortunately didn’t actually glow… so I used the flashlight on my phone to light the drink from below (see photo). My second cocktail was (I think) the Fairy Fountain. All the drinks were delicious.
Our meals were pretty tasty. I had the veggie quinoa sliders (Harvest Moon Veggie Sliders), and was really happy with the avocado and sauciness. I hate dry burgers. I think if they had been a regular sized burger, the structural integrity of the patty would have failed. In this respect, the sliders were perfect. BF got «The Triforce», a burger with bacon and chicken, and he said that it was too meaty. He removed the chicken breast halfway through eating and said it was much tastier.
All in all, an enjoyable evening, even if we were disappointed by the gaming situation. The atmosphere is fun – there are lots of TVs with game play-​through vidos running. There is also a huge screen for when they have gaming events. I guess they occasionally get a special event license to have video games and liquor served at the same time. I’d consider coming back for one of those nights.

Really interesting concept for a game bar, I love all the décor, menu options and drinks that all relate to video games. The food wasn’t anything extraordinary other than being basic bar food. I would come back again just to get my nerd on, and try more of those special mixes.

It’s such a shame to give this place a poor review as they’re one of the few gaming themed places in downtown; but I can’t recommend the place. If you’re looking for a gaming themed pub, I’d suggest checking out the storm crow.
The bigger joke is probably that I kept coming back here (though never again); but as a summary of my experiences:
— One time it took an hour and a half for our food to show up, and the place was deserted. It was actually amusing watching what few other customers leaving with us in a huff before they started offering to comp our meals.
— Another time they straight up forgot someone’s food… Then got the order wrong again by which time we had to head out.
— We were a table of 12 for a birthday, and they told us it’d be an hour wait. After an hour and a half, we watched several smaller tables get filled before us and they split us into two groups (and if we didn’t accept it, they’d give the tables to others); promising to group us together later if a table adjacent opened up. When one did, they refused to group us as the smaller of the two groups was a person less than what the table could seat.
— They could only make one more grilled cheese… Which is odd as it’s basically bread, and cheese and our subsequent orders were allowed by (which all features bread and cheese). Unless their food is frozen ahead of time and they were just plain out of prefrozen sandwiches; we didn’t get how they couldn’t just make another grilled cheese or even offer an alternative.
In short, interesting theme, okayish food, and polite but abysmally bad service which easily ruins the experience as a whole. Can’t recommend anyone come here, even if you are a gaming enthusiast.

Mac and cheese burger with tofu? Umm, yes please!
Garlic fries and nummy onion rings (like the type from Dairy Queen), double yes please.
I’ve never once been disappointed with their food.
The onion rings were a bit too salty one time around, but out of all the countless times I’ve been there, yeah, they can have an off day.
The drinks are awesome as well. Having an alcoholic beverage that tastes like cherry blasters, or having a shot with pop rocks on the rim, is pretty fantastic to me. Yeah, I’m 32, so what…
And there may not necessarily be a whooooole lot of gamer related stuff plastered on their walls (I think they have the perfect amount), but their menu, food and drinks, are all game references. And for f sakes, they grill the tri-​force logo onto your burger patty.
Staff have always been great.

Went here last night and was very disappointed. As far as video games, they had a few decals on the wall of Mario brothers and other games and 2 coin operated machines. They played videos of pro’s playing video games (Resident Evil) on the tv’s but no consoles for the guest to play on.
Food was terrible. We ordered chicken tenders which were clearly microwaved chicken bits with a terrible blue cheese dressing. We accidentally ordered a pitcher of the wrong beer and our server tried to see what she could do about it but the owner was unwilling to accommodate. So we gave it away to the table next to us. Besides a few decals on the wall and a statue by the front door, I cannot think of a reason to call this a video game themed bar. We were disappointed and will not be returning.

I have had pretty awful service here in the past. I recently attempted to go to an event held by them and was severely disappointed in the mismanagement of the event. The restaurant was full when I arrived and, when a table did come up, my party was passed up for a group of the owners friends that came in after us. Unprofessional and the last straw. Will not be going back.

Video game theme. Friendly staff, and its great to watch tournaments here like the League of Legends world championship. Food is good, drink names are fun (who doesn’t need Health and Mana?!). Hope the new licence comes in soon!

Drinks are always great.
However, my quest was for some nourishment with hunger points at zero.
HERO MODE!
So it was that I ordered Nachos with a Pikmin reference I had to look up because I’ve never played that game (Barred for life from EXP?)
Only now do I notice that there is a strange absence of any nacho imagery from this review site. Suspicious?
My nachos arrived under a mountain of tasty toppings I could not wait to shove into my gut hole.
But when I tried to grab a chip from under that mountain of toppings…
FWOOMP (cue cut scene)
My toppings flopped in a heap on the table. Looks like my luck bonus had run out,
And we fade to turn based combat sequence
Me Vs. Nachos.
Now I should mention that… I’m not especially known for my grace and table manners. I’m more known for being boisterously drunk before breakfast, and also that flashing incident at the senior’s bowling tournament which we don’t really need to talk about,
But even a half-​orc like me has never had such a hard time eating Nachos.
These were maligned nachos of chaotic evil.
It was like being well trained with a mace and someone suddenly handing me a ranged weapon. Why were the nachos on my face? Why won’t these toppings stay in the bowl? Why not on the chip at least? Where did the guacamole go? Is it under me? HOW IS THE CHEESE BEHIND ME NOW? HOW DO I CONTROL THE CAMERA?!
As I scooped Nacho toppings out of my lap and gracelessly stuffed them into my face with both hands in the desperate manner of a crazed skooma addict trying to salvage a spilled bottle off the ground, I was overcome with a hangry rage.
«WHY ARE MY NACHOS IN A NARROW SQUARE BOWL?»
Why indeed, EXP Restaurant and Bar?
Clearly this was the Nacho’s fault
For existing in a bowl
And not on a proper platter.
Bowls provide a negative handicap to the spread of nacho toppings on broad tortilla chips. Cheese should be staggered across a maximum chip range, and bowl terrain exists as a less than optimum setting for proper displacement of jalapenos and salsa, with a concentration of layered surfaces interrupting the scattering process.
I had cleaner luck on the last level of Psychonauts, so I’d say the controls may have been dubious but clearly the difficulty scale was most effected by that tiny platform the Nachos are served on.
BOWLS
A crime against all nacho lovers.
My friends ordered the pork nachos, and they seemed to have no trouble, but I still refuse to accept responsibility for the disaster that was my person by the time I left. My jeans are enchanted with the power of salsa, and I’m pretty sure my sweater has permanent grease damage. Also I don’t think my friends will ever eat in public with me again, so I’m down to about 4 for Charisma.
Dear EXP Restaurant and Bar,
Your menu items are +1 to clever as heck and all your drink are belong to us…
But I embarrassed myself eating your nachos, is about the size of things.
So if you read this, please can you try serving the veggie Nachos on a wider platter? Let me know how that goes in development and I will definitely beta test for you.

After giving this place another chance, I must say I am sadly still unimpressed with it. The food is definitely on the higher end in terms of pricing. They nickel and dime you on any upgrades to your combo.
With that said, the garlic fries here are awesome, though Romer’s still holds a special place in my heart.
Looks like they haven’t quite resolved the liquor board issues, as there is only 1 working gaming system, at the bar counter near the front entrance.

Here is a perfect example of someplace unique. EXP has filled a niche gap in the market of food and video games. I love this place! The food is pub fare. Great burgers and appies. The staff is friendly and it’s really well managed.
But where EXP leaves everyone else in it’s dust is for private functions. Due to Vancouvers old school liquor and food laws, you have to rent it out to be able to actually play video games. I threw a fundraiser here and it was amazing! Customizable menu, drink deals and (at least for my function) 8 screens playing different consoles. We raised more then we hoped for because not only did the people we invited have a great time, but EXP has a great crowd of regulars who are always in a good mood. Of course they are! This place rocks!

Are you kidding me? I’ve grown up and lived in Vancouver my entire life. This place is the bomb.
It’s my favourite bar in the city. All the food is unbelievable, and the atmosphere is only matched by all the coolest servers.
You have to get the Tri-​Force Burger. Hands down.
Not only is this place legit as balls, but they are huge advocates for legalizing alcohol consumption while playing video games in licensed establishments.
GET ON THEIR LEVEL.

EXP is a great little place with a solid video game theme, but what’s key is that it doesn’t rely on that theme as it’s only merit. Vancouver and their out-​dated liquor laws make it hard enough to make it, let alone if you want to have video games and booze in the same place, but they’re pulling it off with grace.
The owner and the staff are all super excellent, friendly, helpful and passionate about the place and that kind of thing goes a long way for a positive dining/​drinking out experience.
For a bar they have a pretty extensive and unique food menu, and some really tasty and clever mix-​drinks.
I see reviews and have heard people say that they think the execution isn’t strong enough, and that since it’s a ‘theme bar’ there should be more focus on video games, but this isn’t Chuck E. Cheese. It’s a lounge, and they keep a nice running theme without being cheesy.
And before you assume I am writing this from the point of view of a non-​gamer, think again. I am basically a big fat neck beard covered in Mountain Dew, in a small woman’s body.

I came here for a friend’s birthday since he is a self — proclaimed geek/​nerd. The video game theme is pretty cool if you’re into that kind of thing. The crowd is really young and they get a lot of the VFS students from across the street.
I had the crispy chicken burger and few whisky cocktails. The patties seem like it came from the frozen goods aisle at superstore. One of my friends had the burger and there was no lettuce or tomato? The combos reminded me of fast food chain quality. Nothing wrong with that but the prices should reflect it. The drinks are solid and they have a lot of video game themed drinks. I noticed a lot of blue coloured cocktails with pop rocks on the rim. Yes, sugar is the theme!
The servers are friendly and accommodating.
Ps they don’t take reservations.

From a non-gamer’s perspective… This place is OK.
My friend and I indulged our male counterparts by agreeing to have our double date night here. We were there on a Thursday. To our dismay *sarcasm* League of Legends night was on Fridays.
A group of adults were having some sort of independent film wrap party. Their film was showing on some of the screens, and all I got from it were clowns, mimes and other face-​painted characters. They seemed to be having a great time.
The food was good, but a normal-​good. We ordered the N7 Squad Combo appetizer plate to share. It came with popcorn and everything! It was nice to munch a little over some beers as we had a chat. Although, it was mostly too loud to have a quiet conversation. The noise in the background were remixes of game tracks, which made the restaurant feel like a food arcade.
After a few beers, we decided to get some burgers. They were all good, but again, a normal-​good. The appeal to this place, however, is not the food.
I can see gamers having a really good time in this bar. I cannot guarantee this, but I do not think they’d mind if you brought in your laptop on Fridays to have a little private League of Legends party…

After the food, the service, and the amazing atmosphere I had tonight, I just had to review it again and give it a MUCH better score! Thank you Brian for coming up to our table and welcoming us to your restaurant. It really topped off the night perfectly.
I remember when I first came here, I was so angry by the service, and the lack of experience the place had for the «restaurant» scene in Vancouver. Tonight, I had an amazing time with a group of friends.
The atmosphere was a lot better now. The walls are filled with gaming themed decorations (Finally) and the service is A LOT better. The food is just as great, but it has gotten a lot better.
We ordered the White Cheese Truffle Popcorn. It was extremely delicious. The smell really flies over the restaurant. Amazing. I ordered the Trinity burger, and this time it was delicious, juicy, the sauces were dripping everywhere. Loved that experience.
Will be coming back with friends again and have a great time~!! :D