Nightingale

Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Cleanliness: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Price: $$$

Nightingale's menu was pretty short - only one page. Hubby and I were surprised to see the prices of the dishes to be more affordable than we expected them to be, given it was a Hawksworth restaurant, but throughout our lunch, we were able to figure out why they were priced the way they were. We didn't order much, because both of us can't eat as much as we did before these days.

We ordered:

(1) Russian kale salad, fennel, lemon, chili, ricotta salata ($16.00)
(2) N'duja, fior di latte, san marzano, charred rapini ($17.00)
(3) Charred lamb chops, red harissa, mint charmoula, wild rice dukkah ($22.00)

I had a real difficult time choosing between the lamb chops and the steak, but in the end, I decided to try the lamb chops because (a) hubby and I both really enjoy eating lamb, and (b) our server also recommended the dish to us as well. The portion size of the lamb chops was small - only 3 lamb chops, but we still decided to try them.

We were originally going to order another dish, but I was hesitant as I wanted to save room for dessert, so we decided to start with 3 and see.

I realized that no complimentary bread was given - just a note.
The salad was pretty large in terms of size, and its portions were great for the two of us to share. It was light and quite refreshing, a tad bit too refreshing for me because of the lemon, but hubby enjoyed it very much. We would reorder when we revisit.

The lamb chops were brought out next- and though I knew that the dish had only 3 lamb chops, I have to say I was a little disappointed in the portions. Given its price and the fancy ingredients the dish was made with, the $22.00 price tag isn't overly expensive. The server wasn't kidding when she recommended that we order a couple of sides/vegetables to enjoy with our lamb chops to make our lunch more fulfilling! Lesson learned (the hard way).
I contemplated whether I should order a side of vegetables while we were eating our lamb chops, but I decided to wait on the pizza first and see how our tummies were doing afterwards.

The pizza was delish! Though it was on the thin side - some may think that it's too thin - hubby and I enjoyed it very much as it reminded us of the authentic Italian pizzas we love. I think this style of pizza is Neapolitan originating from Napoli - someone correct me if I'm wrong! The pizza is a definite recommend and re-order! Anyway, the pizza was hot and literally fresh out of the oven when it arrived on our table and it really was love at first bite. Nightingale has its own brick oven on the second floor of the restaurant so you can always count on them for authentic pizzas any time. I must say, the pizza took quite a long time for it to arrive, actually most of our foods did, but it was worth the wait! The quality of the dishes and the delicious flavours really was incomparable.

We didn't have any trouble finishing the pizza, and though we had room for dessert, I decided to try another dessert place that was on my list instead of trying a sweet dish at Nightingale that day.

If you've always wanted to visit Vancouver's Hawksworth Restaurant but couldn't, or love David Hawksworth's cuisine, Nightingale is a definite must-visit for you! Whether you're a tourist visiting our beautiful city or a local who loves good food, Nightingale is a great restaurant for everyone. It's casual enough that you can go for a small bite to eat, but it's also upscale enough that you can have a great romantic dinner with your loved one. Go in between for brunch (though I think the menu is the same for lunch, dinner and brunch - see official menu here), you get a great casual yet sophisticated vibe.

Our service was spotty, but above average. It took some time to flag down our server at times but we were okay with waiting.

When you add all your dishes up, the price isn't as cheap as it looks on the menu. If you like your bang for your buck - that is, you like quantity over quality (more expensive = more food), Nightingale isn't going to meet that standard. Here, it is definitely quality over quantity, and the food portions are quite smaller than your average restaurant. Don't be surprised if you find yourself ordering another pizza to satisfy your stomach, unless you're ready to go all out and give your credit card a nice run.

Overall, our short experience at Nightingale was excellent and hubby and I would definitely revisit the restaurant when we have a chance! Not sure when we can, now that we're playing the waiting game with the arrival of our baby boy!

Nightingale has one of the best happy hour offering I've experienced in recent years across several major cities. Apart from the interesting cocktails, the food menu is much more vegetable forward than is typical. Of the ten food items on the HH menu only three had any meat in them.

I had the Paperplane, a bourbon based cocktail, that was delicious. My wife had the Portuguese white wine -- also delicious.

We then shared the marinated olives, the beet salad, and the margherita pizza. All were superb.

The bartender crew were delightful and did their best to provide cheerful, courteous service.

It was our friend's anniversary and they invited us.
Their cocktail selection was amazing.
The fried Chicken was so good, the Beet Salad was ok, and the Margherita Pizza was nice, The ushroom crostini burrata has different tastes could not say it was a good or bad weird combination, not my favorite. We all loved Braised meatballs,
The service was amazing. Great dinner experience, with a classy ambiance.

Met friends who live in DT Vancouver here while we were visiting from WA. Made reservations for 5pm for a table for 6. Got there our table wasn't ready so we waited about 10min. We were escorted upstairs to be seated. Venue is gorgeous and from the outside you can't tell it had an upstairs. We brought our wine and corkage fee is $65/bottle which worked out well for us. Menu is tapas style, small plates and of course you have pizza which is a good size.
Our server looked very annoyed with us and not sure why, we were slow due to our 94 year old grandma who needed additional time to decided. We felt rushed to order so finally got into ordering. They cater for allergies which is a HUGE plus for us. They mark the menu with what you can eat and I was impressed since my son has various allergies. Wish Seattle restaurants had this concept. We ordered a margarita pizza which was yummy. Crust was so good. We ordered pasta, salad, salon, which was spot on. Pork belly definitely was the star of the nite. It impressed everyone on the table. Dessert we had the S'mores which was SO fancy. It has chocolate moose in the middle and was such a yummy combo.
In addition the sommelier recommended two local wines which we happily drank two bottles off.
Our sever looked happier mid dinner so we all were happy.
Not sure if the Greek and Indian loudness combined annoyed her
This place I'm definitely coming back to especially knowing they take good care of allergies.

Some dishes we had were: cauliflower humus with bread slices, ahi tuna ceviche, fried chicken, baked Japanese sweet potato, and pizza with asparagus, english pea, sidestripe prawns, arugula, and lemon. They were all something I wouldn't be able to make at home, and were delicious. Service was attentive and very friendly. I wouldn't go to a place like this (casual but a little more upscale than what I'm used to) on my own, so I appreciate that my friend told me about Nightingale and encouraged us to go! The three of us shared all dishes and we were so full that we couldn't get to the dessert menu - the desserts here also looked really good though!

The happy hour was amazing! Drinks were tasty and beautiful. The food was spectacular and variety of flavors. The staff was incredible and attentive.

Cool vibe
Beautiful restaurant
Two story

Pros-
Location
Decor
Lovely waitstaff
Great for large groups
Some intimate corners
Drinks - good
Beet salad -tasty
Fried chicken - tasty
Desserts - good

Cons-
Accommodations
Went there for a birthday celebration
No acknowledgment w/dessert
Initial table very unappealing
Requested new table
Mushroom Crostini - over salted
Focaccia- oily and tough
Meatballs - stale

Overall under-whelmed

Nolan took care of my wife & i at the bar top on a sunday afternoon. honestly one of the better restaurant experiences we've had in a long time. cocktails, food all on point. service was 5 star. grateful to have had nolan take care of us. entire staff was excellent. we live roughly 100 miles away from this spot but we both said we may make the trip back to Vancouver **just** so we can go here again. hot honey pizza, yes. fried chicken, just order it, don't ask questions. brussel sprouts, like crack (nolan's words not mine, but correct) wish we lived closer, would be here way too much.

We finally came to try (after countless recommendations). I am a pizza lover so it is only natural to come to a joint that does pizza rights. We came for happy hour and it was busy!!! The place is located in a gorgeous heritage building, with 2 floors and if you are lucky to sit upstairs, you get to see the pizza ovens and all that action!

We started with the Kennebec fries, tomato, malt vinegar aioli. This dish is so unique and tastes just like ketchup chips! The malt dip is unique and such a great pairing. I personally wish the fries were a bit crispier as they were soft but over all, great dish!

We also got Cauliflower hummus, chermoula, pickled celery, fife sourdough. The bread is heavenly and the hummus was thick with texture (which I prefer). So much flavor and the oil bath it was in was so flavorful. I wasn't a huge fan of the pickled celery.

Than we go their Roasted brussels sprouts, green onion, thai chili vinaigrette. Don't skip this dish. The brussels are bright and perfectly cooked, the sauce is so flavorful and really needed more of it to bathe the brussels! Don't skip this one!

We also got the Charred savoy cabbage, miso, soy, honey. I love cabbage but this one was not for me. It was very rich and a bit too salty.

Lastly for food, we got the Roasted mushroom, fontina, confit garlic, arugula pesto. Huge chunks of soft and spreadable garlic, the mushrooms are so delicious, and the pesto is such a nice touch. I would have liked more of it because it was so good! That crust is teeth sinkable and so delicious! Great pizza!

On recommendation from the server, we got the Salted caramel pot de crème, vanilla breton, butterscotch! Shit this was good! I'm thinking of it right now. Not overly sweet and so many layers of textures.

Service is top notch! Decor is stunning. Food is great! I want to go back now!

Nightingale can be easily missed from the outside, but once you step inside, you'll be transformed to rustic meets modern design with a cozy feel. Walls have mounted avian figurines, the bar is adorned with bird cages, and ceilings have hanging wagon wheel style chandeliers.

I stopped by on a rainy weekday at 9 PM for a late dinner one hour before closing, and the restaurant was still full of patrons. There was no wait to sit at the bar.

I started off with the Bramble cocktail (CA$15), which was gin, blackberry, and lemon. It was a delicious balance of sweet and tart. For a side, I opted for the grilled broccolini with calabrian chili vinaigrette, parmesan, parsley (CA$16), which was tender but not overcooked, had a good amount of char for smokey flavors, and was mildly spicy from the chili. And for the main, I tried the spaghetti with manila clams, jalapeno, scallion, white wine (CA$24), which was really good but a bit on the oily side.

Overall great extensive food and drink menu, beautiful ambiance, fast and friendly service. They have late afternoon/early evening happy hour deals too!

Service is great and so is the atmosphere. Fantastic venue to share meals in a group as most of their meals are for sharing.

The steak was cooked to perfection and the potato that comes with it balances out the richness. For 24oz it was $150.

Other notable dishes were the fries. It has some sort of magic seasoning that I will definitely come back for.