Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

It use to be my favourite seafood restaurant and unfortunately, it still is. It's rare to find a good seafood restaurant that has been an icon here in Vancouver for so many years. If you love seafood, this is the place to go. Good food and great ambience. I had two of town guests who love seafood so I brought them here. They were impressed. We came on a weekend and there was a good selection for Sunday brunch. They offered a good selection of fresh seafood and wine. We had the yummy lobster benedict, seafood Caesar salad, grilled oysters and clam chowder. We were all impressed with the good quality and fresh seafood.

We didn't make reservations. Luckily we got a seat in the bar after waiting a short period. The dining area is both on the main floor and upstairs. The place was hopping busy. Service was prompt.

Tips: a) make reservations ahead of time for the dining area if you don't want to wait.
b) if you have a challenge with using the stairs, make sure you make a reservation for the main floor.
c) let them know if you have special dietary requirements.

There's metered parking on the street but there is a 2 hour maximum. There's a parkade off Alberni and Thurlow Street under in the Shangri La hotel. It even has a charging station for electric cars.

Food preparation was exceptional, as was the service and ambience.

The food was perfectly cooked, timing was excellent.

The Hostee Podium is outside where it's quiet compared to the riot inside. It's a Mosh Pit of activity once you walk through the entry door.

The patrons are impatient, the Staff is very patient and yet vibrating with frantic antics to keep the flow going. This buzzin' hive is slammed and jammed from the opening bell.

The din of convos, clanging of pots, pans and dishes and clinking glasses all eclipse the live NoLa stride piano that is reduced to a whiff of auditory smoke.

The Decor is classic Chop House Chic with multiple imposing Chandeliers, lots of brass, wood and glass. The vibe is somewhere between The Tadich Grill, Legal Seafood and after midnight on Bourbon Street.

First Date territory? Only if your date is hearing impaired. Just text each other.

The Bar Program: Auspicious. A few pages of Signature Cocktails. Craft Beers on draught and an interesting Wine List with some definite depth.

The Staff: More warm bodies than a beginners Pole Dancing Class. There is an army of crisply uniformed servers coming and going at warp speed. It's like watching a Pachinko Machine once you jam ball in play. Brooklyn was nearby to help, suggest and recommend. She also brought a well seasoned sense of humor to the table.

So, settle into your assigned space which will be in the middle of the melee no matter where you request to be seated.

Who's here? Sports in Shorts, Tee-Shirts, and the odd Beater on an odd eater with just enough buckos left over post alimony, child support, and rent money to afford dining here once a month.

Plus there is lot's of plunging decolletage and enough bare thigh to make you high. Hi. Sigh. But then we came for the chow, so now let's get to it. Here's an ample sample of what's on offer.

A basket of warm bread appears in rapid order. Nothing fancy. Probably an outsourced Baguette-y kind of loaf sliced on the bias with a little cup of house made Lobster Oil which had a distant hint of the sea until a runner dumped a wading pool of syrupy Balsamic Vinegar into the Cup turning it into a cloying sweet goo. Well, it's all subjective, but that is my take on it. Perhaps leave the Oil and Vinegar mixture up to the diner?

The Caesar Salad featured half a wheel of shaved Parmesan Cheese. The Romaine was fresh and chilled. The Dressing (a little more than was required) was within the boundaries of being decent.

The bottom line on the Salad was that it was acceptable so no one flipped bowl onto the floor.

On to the Calamari, eh? This was a pile of uber crisp deep fried strips. The batter created crags and shards making the Squid crunchy until it was hoovered and gone. Dip a strip into the Sun Dried Tomato Aioli and hey-oli that was good.

The Raw Oysters were as fresh as you'll find anywhere. Make sure to have some Sawmill Bay monsters as big as a boxing glove and certainly redolent of the sea.

These were firm and spectacularly delicious. I like my Oysters neat but you will get the full kit no matter how you like them. Cocktail Sauce with grated Horseradish, Mignonette, Lemon Wedges, and a snappy Hot Sauce if you prefer your Oysters doctored.

The Halibut Cheeks Special was intriguing and who doesn't like a pair of soft, tender, inviting cheeks?

I opted for the Cioppino because when it's good, it's really good. It can be Cio-fino in less capable hands. Here it was really good. My bowl had a soul.

The Cioppino was served in a Lodge Cast Iron Pot that kept the
Tomato-y Broth bubbling with heat for an hour. The pot was deeper than it looked and basically was a Japanese Soaking Tub chocked full of Mussels, Shrimp, Scallops and Cod all happy to be in the same soup. Add to that Slivered Poached Onions, Red Bell Pepper pieces and diced Yukon Potatoes. Every spoonful of this vibrant soup (nee Stew) was perfectly delightful.

If you are a dipper you can't ignore the long slice of toasted Baguette lightly brushed with signature Lobster Oil sans Balsamic blast.

All in all this place was lively without being dive-ly. I don't intend to be mean, but it was infact a scene, although the food was a cut above which is a true accolade in a City full of outstanding restaurants.

My recommendation: Pull up your shorts all you good time sports and head for Joe Fortes.

First time dining here after hearing so many good things. Called and reserved a last minute dinner on a Friday evening on the outdoor patio. Formal yet casual dining experience, with attentive and kind service, and a lovely outdoor space.

My mom and I shared the Caesar salad to begin with, and then both got fish for mains. I got the miso sablefish and she got the halibut. Both were excellent tasting and well portioned.

Overall, enjoyed the dining and experience and would return. Definitely would recommend a reservation on Fridays-Sundays for dinner, as it gets very busy.

Food was delicious and the service was splendid. Had the Duos Fish lunch special with crème brûlée dessert.

Our server Hugh was fabulous.

*HAPPY HOUR REVIEW*

On our trip to Vancouver, my husband had wanted to check this place out. I saw they have a daily happy hour from 3-5 AND you can make reservations for it. We were so there! I made a reservation for a Monday 3 PM and there were plenty of people there already, for such a strange hour. We ordered some happy hour food items including:

-Oysters - these looked really good and for $2.15 each, what a steal! You definitely won't find these for happy hour prices in NYC anymore. I couldn't eat them since I'm pregnant but my husband had a share for me and he said they were the best oysters he's had in a while
-Jumbo tiger prawn cocktail - this came with two shrimp and they weren't as 'jumbo' as I thought it would be, so for $14, it was pretty pricey for happy hour
Crab and corn fritters - not much crab but I liked the dipping sauce it came with
Mini lobster & shrimp roll - really small and not much filling. It was mostly bread

If I lived here, I would probably be coming here for the oyster happy hour all the time. I can't speak for the regular menu items, but you can skip the happy hour food items.

Opens at 11am for lunch- roof top patio dining- patio heaters for cooler days. Bar up top top for speedy beverages. Priced on the high end but worth the pretty penny. Attentive staff, knowledgeable about the menu and delicious specials. True Canadian hospitality at its finest. Located off the main drag. Believe there "might be" street parking- don't quote me. Public parking lots in vicinity.

Have family visiting from out of town so we had to come here! This place is consistently good.

I'd like to start off by giving a massive shoutout to Norm. Our food was delicious as usual, but the standout has to be the service. Thank you Norm for taking such good care of us today!

The highlight today: amazing oyster rockefellers. My SIL is rarely one to go for seconds and is usually very shy about it but not with these! She ate one and promptly helped herself to a second. You know it's good when she's not being shy LOL.

Went here on a Sunday it was pretty hot day and going into a fancy restaurant I would think they would have Ac wrong. The entire time we were hot inside. We were told the building is old ans AC does not work properly - What!
We got some fish and chip, steak and apps none of the food was special very greasy. Lobster oil is basically canola oil boiled with lobster shell. Would not be back again. Also food didn't sit well in our tummy.

Great spot for dinner. Love the ambience and location in downtown Vancouver !

We got the large format 32oz porterhouse, a tiger prawn cocktail and the Ling Cod off the fresh catch menu.

The steak was phenomenal as was the prawn cocktail. Unfortunately the cod was a bit overcooked on this busy night. That's the only reason it's not 5 stars. Service was impeccable. Johnny is a stellar waiter and everyone in the entire place was more than nice and accommodating!

Ordered the clam Chowder and halibut cheeks along with a maverick sauvignon blanc. Didn't have a reservation but they had plenty of room at the bar. Clam chowder was very good with lots of clam and some bacon and small potato chunks. The tanqueray and tonic wasn't very good, not sure if it was the flat tonic or a lack of gin. The Sauvignon blanc from maverick was much better.

Overall good service, great atmosphere, and a solid selection of fish and beef along with fantastic oyster selection and appetizers galore. My main dish came out and the wine is ordered specifically to come with it was no where to be seen. She did come by and ask if I was ready for it shortly thereafter though.

Prices are a bit high though. My wine was $20 for a single glass and a bottle is only $28. At 4 glasses per bottle, that's a markup of almost 300%!

With a decent mixed drink - and perhaps a little
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Reasonable wine prices, this could have been a 5!