Portuguese Club of Vancouver

Fantastic food, right price!
Try the cod, it is amazing! I moved… I miss it!

This place, Portuguese Club of Vancouver (PCOV), changed. Unilocal took down my first review for not having enough firsthand experience. Walking in the door, looking at the menu, finding out they did not take credit cards, and walking out is firsthand experience in my book. As of this juncture, I have eaten here. And they do accept credit cards … or I wouldn’t have eaten here.
See, it all comes down to how to deal with monetary issues for 1 to 2 days in Vancity. You’re not going to go to the bank in the U.S. or in Canada for less than $ 100 in Canadian currency. You shouldn’t use an ATM and pull out money either. Instead, you can go buy a Slurpee at 7-​Eleven, a donut at Tim Horton’s, and a «dog and drink» at Costco. Hand them a $ 20 each time, get your change, and, trust me, you’ll have some Canadian coin left over for the next time you’re in the Maple Leaf Country if you’re just feeding meters or buying sundries. Some people need to know these things!
The first time and the second time I attempted to eat here at PCOV, they were aloof like some other reviews mentioned. Old timers from across the pond lounged around on one side, watched TV, spoke Portuguese to each other, and sort of looked at unfamiliar faces like they did in Western movies when someone they didn’t know rode into town. The third time was a charm. The door indicated they accepted MC and VISA. The crowd watching soccer was mixed in its demographics, as were the patrons dining. The staff motioned «come on in» in a welcoming manner.
The experience was pretty damn authentically Portuguese in the atmosphere, in the service, and in the food. First, I hesitated when the olives were placed on the table, and wondered if they were included. I was assured they were. In Portugal, all the preliminaries that land on your table are typically NOT free and, when the tab arrives, you’ll get sticker shock. (Fool me once … that time being on my first trip to Portugal as an adult). Being hungry, those olives disappeared quickly. They were good olives!
The meal then consisted of their seafood soup of the day, Portuguese bread, a bitoque (small sirloin with egg) and potatoes, and a nice cold bottle of passion fruit Sumol. The seafood soup, only $ 1 more than the caldo verde, was the way to go and it included many types of fish. The bitoque, ordered medium well, was spot on — not too big, not too small, and tasty, right along with the sliced fried potatoes garnishing it. It was all the nicer washing it down with Sumol.
I suppose the tab could climb. If you stick to a basic non-​fish entrée, soup or salad, and a conventional drink, it should be doable. For Americans, there is also the exchange rate to consider. Also, when crossing the border and they ask you what you plan to do in Canada for such a short time, I doubt that «going for Portuguese or Greek grub» is something they hear very often. On Vancity’s Commercial Drive, it appears that PCOV is going to become a staple as was La Rocca for the longest time.
The bottom line: gosto muito do PCOV.

I lived in Portugal for 3 years and this is the closest thing here in Vancouver:
Slow service
Mediocre food (forget about getting your temp on the bitoque)
Mistakes in the order
Apathetic staff
FIFA on TV
Outdated ambiance
But I do admit I will return when I have saudades

Unbelievably great service to us ‘pasty white people’…who wanted to watch a European soccer game, and amazing food and wine… friendly, friendly people… and my family is picky about service and food!!! Can’t say enough great things!!!

I’ve been here twice and managed to eat.
When you go in, you’ll usually stand around waiting for a while. When someone appears, they may or may not acknowledge you right away. It’s like being passively vetted in a cool nightclub line in New York, except it’s a bald, fat old man in an completely empty restaurant standing at the other end with his ass turned toward you. If you dig that, then I highly recommend this establishment.
At this point it’s still not a sure thing you’ll get served. You might walk to the back and say ‘hi’ to the guy, and he might say ‘hi’ back. Then he’ll look at you like ‘so who are you and what do you want?’. You might say: ‘could we get some food?’. He’ll look at you appraisingly, and there will be a pause, and he’ll say… ‘maybe’.
If you manage to sit down, you’ll find fancy table dressings and a longish wait for food, but it’s good food. If you’re going, you’re probably eating seafood, and it’ll be a big plate.
While you wait, wondering if they’ll change their minds and ask you to leave, you can stare at the display of maritime accoutrements that are stuck high up on the wall, saturated with grey spackle.

I like this place. I go there all the time when I am craving a good steak and eggs. Also to watch some quality Portuguese soccer. There fries are excellent as well.
A lot of people might not like the old gentlemen that come in but I think that they add a more traditional flavor and they can be a lot of fun to listen to.
If you go, order the Bitoque.

The food is very good, the service is terrible. I’ve always assumed that the waitresses are related to the owners and don’t want to be there, maybe aren’t being paid to be there. Grumpy old Portuguese men sitting watching soccer and glaring at anyone who doesn’t look Portuguese that has the gall to try to eat here. However, the food is REALLY good, so if you can stomach the feeling that you’re not really welcome, and aren’t in a rush to get anywhere afterwards, it’s worth a visit.

Zero (00.00) vegetarian options. Inattentive service. Awful draught selection. Hold all of your baptism parties here.

This high end social club has had a long history in the neighborhood, from its roots as a dirty bar for teenagers, to its rise as a respectable restaurant and dancing venue.
The meals are good but expensive, probably to keep out the riff raff. Lots of extensive families, and people there seem to have known each other since childhood. I went once and my old high school drama teacher was DJing a bunch of trance Portuguese music and avoiding talking to us in front of his friends.
Be warned, it is rather exclusive, and has been known to refuse entry to those who are under-​dressed or incapable of a few sentences in Portuguese. If they give you a hard time, just say «Quero pouco vinho», and then nod to whatever they say afterwards.