The Acorn

Dined twice now spaced about a year apart. Both times in larger groups. Popularity of the place remains high judging from the filled room soon after doors opening. Tight quarters seating. Decent cocktail selection. Need to order off the cuff next time. Was hoping for a bit more turnover and creativity on the dinner menu on this latest visit but several choices remained the same. Probably due to the popularity of the items such as the leek with taro chips, kale salad, halloumi. Not lighthearted vegetarian cuisine by any means. Certainly walk away feeling full. Service was a bit iffy this latest visit, especially at check time. Might warrant another visit but it can wait.

Well, I’ve heard about this place for a while and finally thought I’d give it a try for my birthday. We managed to get seats at 5:30 but the place was already packed at 6pm. Everyone was attentive and service was excellent. We ordered a leek hummous with tarot chips which was delightful along with the kale salad. I would have preferred baby kale or possibly braised kale as this was stiff enough to cut your gums. My sister ordered the famous halloumi that everyone is ranting about and I had some sort of abstracted german cabbage dish. The halloumi dish had the appearance of a pile of peas with a fried
burger patty with a couple of tator totes on top. It was greasy and salty and I have no idea why people think this is so good. it was far from flavourful and really quite unhealthy. my sister had heartburn all night. My dish, although attractive in presentation seemed to lack any protein on the plate. The cauliflower was unseasoned and deep fried and the sprouts had no seasoning at all. I don’t know. but a chunk of cabbage, 2 pieces of deep fried cauliflower and deep fried onion with a few greens and smear of something does not constitute a main course for $ 20 to me. I guess if it isn’t broken then don’t fix but I’m not going back. I don’t want to feel sick after going out for a vegetarian meal that was far from stellar.

Ahh… one of these places where I’d rather give 3.5 stars, but rounded up to four because I want more vegetarian/​vegan places like this to open and stay open in our city.
To celebrate my new job, my finacée and I went out to celebrate. After all these years of eating plant-​based, I can’t believe I haven’t dined at The Acorn before. I was super stoked to eat here, and honestly it started out on the wrong foot, but the night got better as it went on.
Let’s be honest, this is the best vegetarian/​vegan fine dining you can get in Vancouver.
Great ambiance overall. I love the use of dark wood (repurposed?) and the hemp rope around the lighting fixtures to dissipate light. Gives the whole restaurant a casual, hip vibe.
It was Friday night, and they don’t take reservations. That’s cool, and expected as Main Street is bumping on the weekends. We asked if we could grab a drink at the bar before sitting down to a table (15 – 30 min. wait). Somehow the hostess got confused and thought we were dining at the bar and kept giving up tables to other couples as we sat and drank kombucha. It was «craft» kombucha… tasted fine and yet pricey at $ 6.50 per bottle.
Throughout the night, the service seemed overwhelmed and messed up that we wanted a table instead of sitting at the bar. We decided just to stay at the bar and order food because we got hungry by this point (waited for a table for 40 minutes). Also, after we finished our mains and ordered dessert, we got served someone else’s meal.
Lackluster service aside, the food was enjoyable. Appetizers were good. My kale caeser need to be massaged more, but tasted great. The «Maitake» was FANTASTIC, and I highly recommend it if it’s on the menu.
Mains were also good. I enjoyed the «Brassica» because the Bavarian mustard they make in-​house is BANGIN’. My financée’s «Jerusalem Artichoke» pasta was sad because it tasted like something we could make at home with the flavor of the sauce reminding me of canned chef boyardee. There was also one piece of artichoke in the pasta, and a whole of diced celery.
However, dessert was fantastic, both in taste and in huge portions. I had the «Pear» aka eggnog cheesecake… thought that was weird because it was never mentioned on the menu… I almost asked to take it back! But I guess «Winter spiced» and «egg nog» can be the same thing?! Anyway, it was SO GOOD and thick and creamy… just what cheesecake should be, but without any dairy! Winning. We also tried the «Chocolate» mousse was HUGE… to big for one to eat by themselves, and we wished there were more raspberries to
Overall 3 courses with two glasses of wine and a pre-​dinner kombucha came to $ 121 before tip. Not bad… but definitely not cheap.
Will I come back? Yes, and probably in the spring and summer to try their new menu.

I love this place! Everyone is always so nice and the owner, Shira, is the hardest working woman I know. The kale salad to start and the Herbs for the main is the perfect meal.

Excellent vegetarian/​vegan restaurant! Great options for vegans but great food even if you are a carnivore.
Very good service with friendly staff. Busy but not crowded. We had a variety of the appetizer, main dishes and the deserts. Everything was great and the options on the menu fit the various palates within our group. Maybe our regular vegan stop!

I am hoping that the experience I had was unusual with them, because if not, it’s a wonder anyone goes back to this place.
First off, the food IS delicious. But I need to get to that later. We (bf and I) got there around 8:44 pm and the very sweet hostess told us the wait would be around 30 mins. Not a problem, as we wanted to take a walk around, and could see they were very crowded. Well it wasn’t 30 mins. it was more like an hour. Okay, that was painful, but hey a foodie knows good food is worth the wait.
But then, we sat down, and it was then that we noticed the tables are sooooo close together, you might as well call it communal tables. Basically, the girl seating at the next table (inches away from me) was listening to every word I was saying to my BF. It made me very uncomfortable as I couldn’t really talk to my bf without a stranger looking my way. I have been to other places where tables are placed close together but in a perpendicular pattern, as management recognizes that there needs to be some privacy among their guests. Acorn should take note and respect that some people want to have enough space so that you at least dont have a fear of germs on your food, when the girl in the next table sneezes (seriously!).
Then, oh my, the server informed us that 3 of the items on the menu was already sold out, 2 of which we had planned to ordered. Okay, an hour, I’m sitting near a stranger who is practically on my lap, and now I can’t even order what I wanted on their very limited menu.
I’m never going to this place again. It’s too bad too. So much taste potential, but I go out to eat to enjoy my time, not want to get the hell out of a restaurant as fast as I could. We gulped down our food, and left in like 20 mins and left. Let’s just say I literally let out a sigh of relief when I walked outside, not a good sign of a restaurant.

As an avid carnivore, I wouldn’t normally choose a place that serves no meat, but The Acorn makes an exception.
They’ve opened my mind to what vegetarian/​vegan could be (delicious, yes!), and my knowledge on plant-​based foods/​flavours has been expanded. I definitely want to go back to try their «seasonal harvest specials» (my words, not theirs). Be prepared to dish out a pretty penny for this place, don’t worry, it’s usually worth it.
During dinner, the ambience is a bit too dark for me, but not really an issue if you’re trying to get romantic up in there.

I’ve been for both dinner and brunch. For dinner a must is their take on fish and chips but made with hallumi. The cocktails and komboucha are delicious. I’ve never had to wait for a seat, but both times I’ve gone early and sat at the bar.

Love the vibe in this place. Intimate with low lighting. The Lavendula cocktail was delish, no overbearing flavors in it. I had the halloumi plate. I love this style of cheese. It was well-​baked, with just enough crispiness on the outside. The cheese was atop a veggie patty and peas.

Beautiful delicate and very tasty vegetarian fine fair with great ambiance! Came here for our anniversary and was very happy with making that choice!

The 5 stars goes to the incredible chefs making exquisite vegan food. The flavors, the craftsmanship, the dish presentation, such a creative and top notch meal. Slow for the food to come compared to industry standards but I personally think it’s due to the time it takes to prepare each meal and it’s worth it.
The service was poor. Went last night with my family of 4 and the hostess was «fake-polite“which came across not accommodating. My mom wasn’t feeling well from being so hungry so I ordered a tea at the bar, it never came. Finally we sat down, the server did the basic minimum of taking our orders and dropping off food. She did not smile ever, or come by to ask how the food was. The restaurant space is tight so I was handing her empty plates to make her job easier, she never thanked me, or smiled. And whenever we needed something we had to get her attention. There was a guy who dropped off food once and he enthusiastically explained the entire makeup of the dish, he was our favorite.

I’ve been to The Acorn twice for brunch. Both meals were exceptional – a gustatory Nirvana! From their delicious coffee to their breads covered with fresh edible flower petals to the actual meal itself. A fantastic start to the day!
On both occasions, the waitstaff were exemplary, they went above and beyond making us feel rather special.

There’s always a wait but the food delivers on the hype for the most part and service is really nice. I had a delightful kale salad with local cheese which was my favorite for the evening. The pasta with herbs, arugula, and tomatoes was unfortunately poorly matched between sauce and pasta shape (angel hair) — it needed a heartier noodle so overall it was a bit of a mush, disappointingly. Dessert was a berry meringue where the meringue was made of toasted chickpea. Who knew it was possible! Bonus points for having a great non-​alcoholic drinks section (tamarind chili soda, interesting iced teas, fresh juices).

Very mediocre food. Bland and flavourless and not particularly healthy. My ancestors have been vegetarian for 1000+ years so I understand how delicious healthy vegetarian food can be. I got the beggars banquet which was just simple low quality vegetables served in a pretentious way with absolutely no seasoning that could be called such. The spicy sauces on the side were awful. My potatoes were dry. The kombucha tasted good but was kind of pointless as it had sugar in it. Fermented Darjeeling tea with blueberries and ginger is absolutely good enough without the sugar. But hey it’s from a «healthy» vegetarian place and it’s called kombucha so I’m definitely hip now. Haven’t been to a more pretentious place since Vij’s restaurant. Very disappointing.

Had a vegetarian guest from Taiwan so I did some research and brought him here.
They don’t take reservations unless you have a group of 8 people or over. They would ask for your name and number to text you when your table is ready, but there’s nothing to walk around nearby. Umm… Café Artigiano is just across the street!
Speaking of food, I was surprised to see so many options in a vegetarian restaurant and they still asked if we’re allergic to anything else. Food are great but I find it a littttttle bit pricey for 45/​person and we didn’t even drink. Yet, I would still love to go back and try some of there other dishes and BRUNCH on the weekends!

Very cool space. We came here for cocktails but I would rate this a restaurant first and foremost. The all female staff were friendly and attractive (seemed to be a thing here) and the décor of the place is top notch from the front entryway to the bathrooms.
Ok on to the cocktails: The cocktails were ok, rather than great. The out of the box juices (we saw them restock from grocery brand paper/​box container to glass container) rather than fresh squeezed struck us as a major weakness making the drinks overly sweet and not worth the elevated «craft» prices. The staff were helpful, and talkative, and offered suggestions to us as outside visitors but the use of sub par ingredients in an upscale setting was just off.

Not a vegetarian but every trip to VCR, I enjoy coming there. The dishes are so diversified and so succulent you forget it is vegetarian. Plus the waitresses are so knowledgeable on explaining the dishes
On the top, their cocktails are sophisticated and out of this world

Acorn is one of those restaurants that are truly wonderful. The kitchen staff clearly has imagination and that translates to wonderful meals. Friendly and helpful staff. Whimsical menu? Yes. Vegan and Vegetarian? Yes. Simple yet modern décor? Yes.
Definitely a recommend.
Notes: Parking is on the street, but beware, parking in Vancouver could potentially be a disastrous experience if you do not pay the parking meters (you will get towed).

Wow this place is fantastic!
The décor is simple but elegant. I love how it’s dim with candles most everywhere. The restaurant is small but has a cozy feel to it.
I was a little worried about the food but boy was that unfounded. Absolutely delicious. I had the Halloumi that mimicked fish and chips. So good and so filling!
I’m craving it as we speak! I definetly reccomend this especially if you love cheese and or pees.
We also ordered dessert, and I chose the Toffee cake. Again mouth wateringly delicious. I thought there wasn’t enough of the oatmeal icecream but that could just be me.
I am definitely coming back! Try this Main Street gem out!

Great place!
Came here with my girlfriend who has a lot of food allergies mainly gluten and dairy. She has wanted to try this place for a long time. Im not a vegetarian or gluten free but when its done right I enjoy it.
We came at 6:30pm on a Sunday night small place does not take reservation. But had an opening at the bar facing the window. The fall menu had started. Lots of options to my surprise. I went with the harvest special not gluten free or dairy free but had options to be if you wanted, came with mac n cheese truffles topped with fennel. Very tasty and filling. Food and drinks were well presented. I had the anana drink it was pretty tasty. Yes a little on the pricy side for vegetarian dinner, but good food and service makes it worth it.
We had the chocolate and lemon dessert to share, it was good I enjoyed the chocolate more.
Overall it was a great experience!