AnnaLena

We got off the late ferry from Victoria, and booked it on over to AnnaLena to grab a quick bite before they closed, yet this top rated eatery that opened was full at 10:30. Greeted by a happy staff, and delightful food, and a wonderful ambiance.

The service is really good, but maybe i have really high expectation after hearing all the good reviews from friends and social medias, i think the food is not bad but i wont say i am impressed. Price is reasonable. But I think I will give it another chance next time and hopefully They will surprise me.

Many of my friends have recommended AnnaLena and I have wanted to come here for a while, so for our anniversary, we decided to check it out. When we entered the restaurant, my first impression was that it was quite modern with a simplistic look. I really appreciated that the tables were set far enough apart that I knew I wouldn’t have to bump another table to get to my seat. I also really liked the toys around the restaurant.
Right from the start, the service was impeccable. The server was friendly and she explained the menu to us, ensuring we did not order too much food. We decided to get the oyster, chicken pâte, lamb, and pasta.
The oyster with shaved fois gras was amazing and the chicken pâte was equally delicious. The chicken pâte consisted of mustard seeds and tomatoes and the sweetness of the mustard seeds complimented the flavor of the pâte very well. It came with 4 pieces of grilled bread and we devoured each slice of bread without hesitation. Although the pasta was delicious, it was a little on the salty side and the sauce was a little heavier than I would have liked. It was still good, but I wouldn’t get it again. The last course was the lamb. The server explained that it has been sous vide for 36 hours, and being a fan of sous vide, I was excited to try it out. I did enjoy the lamb, but I think my husband enjoyed it more. Overall, I felt the food was really tasty and both the hubby and I know we will definitely be back. There are still a lot of other items on the menu we want to try and we can’t wait to come back and try them all.

It was so worth the wait. Been meaning to come here for a while. Went with my favorite eating buddy and every dish that came out was as good as the first. Starting with the oysters with shaved foie Gras. need I say more. It was divine. Then we had the tuna which literally felt like it melted in your mouth, paired with the nice crunch of the puffed rice. ugh my mouth is watering just thinking about it. We also had the scallops and the duck. and to top it off chocolate covered chicken skin. perfect evening. Amazing dishes. check out the photos. Already made reservations to go again with a friend who is visiting in a couple of weeks.

Came here at the recommendation of a friend who lived in Vancouver. We had the oysters, pasta, tuna, and panna cotta. We were told that the oysters do not leave the menu (seasonal menu) and I can see why. They were topped with a jalapeño mignonette (which I learned is a condiment for oysters made with shallots, pepper and vinegar) and shaved foie gras. The foie was cold and topped the oysters like a dust. These were so good. Each order is only two oysters, so you might want to get a couple of orders if you are used to larger appetizers. Pasta was a potato agnolotti with mushrooms and this was perfect. The pasta was slightly chewy. The potato, cream sauce, and mushrooms worked really well together. Tuna was served like a tartare and the rice puffs gave it a slight crunch. I like the contrast of flavors and textures in all the dishes. Panna cotta was good too, but I couldn’t really taste the banana flavor.

My girlfriend and I came here on Wednesday night to dine and it was busy, recommend making a reservation at least 1 week in advance or more!
We ordered the oysters, chicken pâté, mussels, chicken, and the duck.
The oysters were very small and juicy, the jalapeño and foie gras is one of the best toppings I’ve ever had, definitely try a pair!
The chicken pâté was great, a nice dish to start off your meal.
The mussels were served with pancetta and had ALOT of flavor, was a bit on the saltier side… The bread they serve
with this dish was amazing though… Amazing…
The chicken is definitely recommended, nice boneless fried chicken on a sesame style dressing. Try this one!
The duck was cooked very well and tasted great… If you like duck try it.
We also ordered the apple pie, panna cota, and chocolate chicken skin for dessert.
The apple pie ice cream was delicious, the panna cota was meh, and the chocolate covered chicken skin was interesting, definitely try it!
Overall, quite an amazing busy restaurant. Every dish was quality and great tasting. The dessert here is meh. Book a reso and give this place a try!

This is a fantastic addition to the Vancouver food scene! I came here with a couple of friends and we were so impressed by the food, ambiance, and service. But let’s focus here on the most important element — the food. Deliciousness! Let your taste buds delight!
We started with the fried chicken and it was perfect — tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and not too heavy at all! Then we had the mussels with torn bread. This was my favorite dish of the night! The bread was amazing. I can’t even describe it properly. The best bread I have ever eaten in my life! Seriously. Talk about elevating a common food. It’s like they removed the crust and crisped up the outside while leaving the inside fluffy and soft, then drizzled it in olive oil. Perfect for dipping in the mussel broth or even eating alone.
We also had the pasta, sablefish, and duck. All of them were good but the pasta definitely stood out. I was so full but I could have had another agnolotti bc it was so tasty!
Everything here is designed to be shared so it’s perfect if you come in a small group. Next time I come here, I want to try everything else on the menu — with a side of the bread, of course.

A friend recommended this restaurant so we decided to try it out with another couple. It did not disappoint. The service was stellar. Our server was very friendly and provided many very good recommendations. The dishes are tapas style and very small so we were advised to order 6 dishes for 4 people. We started off with the oyster-​$ 4 each. So fresh and a nice way to start off the meal. Didn’t really taste the foie gras but nonetheless tasty. Next came the cured tuna-​$ 15. It was so good and refreshing. The buttermilk chicken ($ 15) was very moist and juicy. My favourite dish was probably the mussels ($ 19). You only get like 6 mussels but it comes with a bits of bacon and house-​torn bread. I thought the house-​torn description by the server was funny. They drizzle this amazing butter on the dish when it is served. The best part of this meal was the butter and bread. We also had the scallops ($ 25). This dish was also good but not as memorable as the previous ones. The pasta ($ 22) is very good. Reminds me of potato ravioli or perogy. The biggest disappointment was the wagyu short rib ($ 35). There were so many rave reviews about this dish but it was very average. The meat was a bit overcooked and dry. Should have tried the sablefish instead. For dessert, we had the chocolate covered chicken skins ($ 2) and the apple dessert ($ 8). You get two chicken skins. It was interesting — sweet and savoury. The brownie in the apple dessert was so good and the cream cheese ice cream was delicious. The apple was ok but the rest of the dessert was better. Presentation of all the dishes were so beautiful. A hidden gem. I booked my reservation about 3 – 4 weeks in advance. You can also bring a bottle of wine for a $ 25 corkage fee. Can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes. Highly recommend this place! Might be one of the best restaurants around Vancouver!

This review is only for brunch and I would only give 3.5 stars if I could. I rounded up due to excellent service and reasonable prices.
We shared their Asiago fries, banana bread, fish (tuna belly) confit benedict and breakfast sandwich. The benedict was quite good but definitely not comparable to the fine dine restaurants such as L’abbittoir or Hawksworth. The eggs were poached to perfection and the dill Hollandaise sauce was delicious, but their English muffin was just mediocre. The Asiago fries were definitely very tasty while the breakfast sandwich was just good. We felt that the plate was simply too large for just two benedicts, and that they could have added a mini salad or fruits to make it more presentable.
The most disappointing part of the meal was their supposedly famous banana bread, which was quite dry, tasted a bit stale and was very salty. We did not really enjoy the strange maple butter that was smeared on the plate either. Even the banana bread that I hastily put together myself at home tasted much better, but perhaps I’ll come back someday to try their lemon cake.

Dining in Kits is maturing. Serious newcomers include La Quercia, Fable and Mission to name a few. Now AnnaLena.
AnnaLena feels like a young person’s restaurant. It’s loud, its crowded and everyone seems to be taking pictures of their food. All good.
The waitress immediately explains plates can be shared. Now when some one tells me plates can be shared my alarm bells start to ping. (Think how my wife — one of 12 siblings — reacts.) When the shared plates arrive without enough food for one … well not a happy customer. I’m convinced its a restaurant trick. You get ²⁄₃^rd of a serving and you end up doing math in your head and covertly sneaking glares at your partner as your fork edges slowly forward in anticipation of the next plate landing.
Not the case at AnnaLena.
First off the plates arrive sequently rather then being jammed willy nilly around your table. Each plate arrives with a detailed description of what you’re having without the grandiose nonsense some places rattle on about.
Secondly the plates are complete — no skimping — no uneven number of chicken thingies — no need to throw elbows and grab that last mussel.
First comes the (fantastic and tender) chicken. Nicely paced — removed and the shelled mussels arrive. They are fabulous. Their broth is fabulous. The dripping bread — toasted is also fab. Then comes pasta plate — another want to pick up and pick the plate winner. Finally the beef wagyu. Bravo. In spite of being full we vote for dessert. (Remember the 12 siblings? We always vote for dessert.) Apple Truffle Caramel somethings which is… okay.
The food is clever, very imaginative and new without being stupid plates are balanced not overdone with too many embellishments.
The wine list is solid and reasonably priced. (Brunello Di Montalcino — Altesino $ 115. Typically $ 140 elsewhere.)
Service is spot on. Well paced. Enthusiastic. Servers take time to explain and not in a perfunctory fashion.
Congrats AnnaLena — you’ve joined a short list of great restaurants in Kits — in Vancouver.

A friend said this was one of his favorite restaurants in Vancouver, so we went to check it out for brunch. For a «$$$» restaurant, the brunch was very affordable. $ 10 for benedicts, but you need to add on the sides.
We had the tuna benedict, pork benedict and the asiago fries. The benedicts were good, but thought the pork benedict could’ve used an additional ingredient. It was very bacon-​y and one-​note. The asiago fries were tasty. I’d love to see it done in a traditional hash brown format. I was missing having hash browns with my eggs benedict!
The service was friendly and the décor was very cute, industrial pendant lights mixed with painted toys and lego figurines. The bill for the two of us came up to about $ 30 before tax for two benedicts, one order of asiago fries and two coffees. We both left feeling very full. We’ll be back to try dinner soon!

Dine out Vancouver Spot #2
I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while and I’m glad I got a booking for dine out. I’m not one to revisit restaurants but this place definitely deserves it! Each dish was executed perfectly with an innovative take on traditional dishes like fried chicken and apple crumble. The interior is very hip and modern. Filled with gameboys, bearbricks (which I love), star wars figurines and Legos.
Service was great. We were not rushed to order nor were the plates picked up before we could finish our last bite. There wasn’t a long break between each course and our servers explained each element of the dishes to us thoroughly.
Since their dine out menu had only two option per course, my friend and I decided to try out their entire menu. The appetizer of the day was cured albacore tuna and we had an option of wagyu beef as a main for an additional $ 12. We didn’t opt for either options and stuck with the menu as is. Verdict below.
Appetizer:
–Fried Chicken, Chicken Liver Parfait, Dill Pickle, Sweet Mustard Seeds: When you thought how can a simple dish like fried chicken could wow you, Annalena has done it right! This fried chicken was not greasy at all (not like the typical fried chicken you have for junk/​fast food). The batter was light and crispy where the meat was still tender and juicy. The chicken liver parfait which was smeared at the bottom tasted awesome. The not too sour dill pickle slices helped cleanse your palate for your next piece of chicken to come.
–Celerac Jalapeño Soup, Grated Mimolette, Charred Broccoli, Garlic Croutons: Smooth and creamy celerac soup with jalapeño essence at the bottom. Our server told us that this dish was meant to be mixed and so we did. The grated cheese give the soup an extra punch and the croûton it’s crunchy texture. The broccoli was not to be missed afterall it is a vegetable soup. Delicious!
Entrée:
–Seared Sablefish, Radish, Daikon Noodle, Spinach, Smoked Miso Butter Sauce: Sable fish was nicely charred on the outside and was so buttery. I’d say it was a bit under seasoned so that it would pair well with the miso butter. Daikon noodles were thinly shredded and soaked in a sweet sesame oil sauce. Clams on the side was juicy and super delicious. In my opinion, the clams outshined the fish.
–Duck, Confit Thigh & Terrine, Orange Glaze, Roasted Cauliflower, Cauliflower Coffee Purée: Crispy duck skin, tender meat. Perfect piece of duck. The terrine was ok. It was different from what I normally had in Europe. These were the best roasted cauliflower I had. Seasoned well, it was not too soft nor hard in texture. Precisely done. Cauliflower coffee purée on the side was innovative however I find this element was just for creativity didn’t see the purpose of it for the dish.
Dessert
–Blonde Brownie, White Chocolate, Sesame Powder, Spiced Milk: My friend and I thought the brownie was a bit on the dry side but i guess that’s what the white chocolate mousse/​semifreddo was for and not mention there was also the spiced milk. This dish didn’t appeal to me as much. Mainly because my palate isn’t suited for mid-​eastern cuisine. The spice tickled my throat and I find myself going for the mouse/​semifreddo to soothe it. Overall, not a bad dish. Had a combination of textures; from the crunch of the puffed rice, brownie to the spice milk and cold mousse.
–Fried Apple, Cream Cheese Ice Cream, Matcha Pecans, Lemon Curd: Their innovative take on the apple crumble. Though from hindsight, I don’t remember tasting any lemon curd or matcha pecans (unless these were made into the crumble). This dish definitely had the taste of apple, caramel and cinnamon. It included two was of apple. Fried apple chips and pickled apple slices. Caramel was drizzled around with some crumble on the side. The ice cream went well with the sweetness of caramel and tartness of the apple.

This place! Love the food!
I had read about this place being one of the top 10 restaurants that recently opened in Canada and really wanted to try it! So we came, we saw and we conquered!
To be honest, I was a little disappointed by the atmosphere and interior design/​feel of the place. I was expecting something more stylish or modern but it seemed like an old mom and pop shop converted into a restaurant. That really didn’t deter us because we were there for the food!
We started with the duck fat fries and the fried chicken and let me tell you! It was amazing! I think they really hit it out of the park with the presentation and the taste profiles!!! I mean the fried chicken came with wasabi mayo and the chicken was tender and the fires were crispy and delicious! Simple but great!!!
For the main, I wanted to lamb neck but they ran out so I had the Waygu beef! and it was amazing! For fine dining, I wasn’t expecting a huge portion but the taste to be there! and they really hit it out of the park with the paring of the beef and the sauce!
I believe that you come to places like AnaLena for the food! And they do it right! am dying to try the brunch too because I heard it’s epic!

I’ve been here twice for brunch and once for dinner now. We were gifted a certificate and it’s worked out well. Brunch is fantastic, probably the best eggs Benny in town, and that says a lot for Vancouver! I’ve tried the trout and beef brisket, both were very delicious and it’s a coin toss as to which would be my go to. As for sides, we’ve tried the asiago cheese fries and the banana bread. What I’d love to see and what would make this 5 stars for brunch is a few more traditional sides. Some kind of hash brown offering would be welcomed. They have unlimited drip coffee, unlike some other trendy spots that only serve espresso styles. Well priced at $ 10 per Benny dish, you can’t go wrong.
As for dinner, a lot of effort and technique goes into every dish which is evident and appreciated. They suggest their food is ‘tapas style’ and while I agree that all diners should taste the dishes that come out, it would make more sense to me to divide the menu into entrees and mains as that is what it felt like as the dishes arrived. We tried the scallops, mussels, lamb and trout. All were very tasty. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the trout dish was and I’d order it again in a heart beat. As for the mussels, the bread is so addictive I just want more! Delicious!
I definitely recommend trying AnnaLena if you’re considering it and will be back for brunch!

Overall rating is really a 3.5
I am rating this 0.5 lower & not higher because I think this place is a bit overrated. There are a few things that stood out to me, but many of the dishes that people raved about did not live up to the hype.
oyster — great idea. love the apple and foie shavings, but didnt taste the jalapeño mignonette. was more watery tasting for me… i hate watery oysters. at other restaurants, i usually drain mine before eating. maybe an off day
pâté — very nice. best chicken liver toast i’ve ever had.
salmon — this was nice. it was crispy on one side of the salmon. will order again
kale — great veggie dish.
chicken — fancy chicken tender. i really liked this dish. it was juicy and flavorful
octopus — not a fan. octopus was tough, and potato was a weird addition. potato was slightly undercooked. again maybe an off day.
scallops — wasn’t a fan of the pasta or mushroom. the dish was edible.
lamb — didn’t like this at all. the lamb was gamey, and didnt find that the «chimmichurri» was authentic, or even close to being worth using the name chimmichurri… im a huge chimmichurri fan. this was not right.
beef — really nothing special. flavors didnt stick out to me the meat was soft though.
chocolate — dessert was just ok. nothing special.
Overall, half the meal was decent, but so many people hyped this place up for me. Because its a new restaurant, alot of people have been ranting and raving about it. But there are plenty more canadian cuisine restaurants in Vancouver that are neck and neck with this restaurant.
It is worth going to again… but not in my weekly rotation of restaurants.

Hands down one of the best restaurants I have tried this year. It also got voted number 6 for Canada’s best new restaurant (or so I’ve read).
Their food pairing is so unique. They make unimaginable combinations of ingredients work in their dish. The flavours all jive and complement each other with every bite.
Their portions are moderately large. I would recommend sharing plates at this place. It is definitely more fun to try different plates here than eating the same thing from 1 or 2 plates. If sharing, I suggest getting 2 salads and 2 main dishes for two people to start (or 3 non-​salad entrees), because you want to save room for dessert. I have taken a picture of our dessert dish below — need I say more?
We were lucky to get a table when we walked in (perhaps they save some room for walk in customers, because when we tried to make a reservation after that, we had to wait 1 month for a table for 4!).
This is definitely a must-​try restaurant if you haven’t tried it yet!

Wow! Came here for brunch, got the tuna confit benedict and it was absolutely delish. Perfectly soft poached egg, moist tasty tuna, and the best dill hollandaise sauce. Creamy enough but still not overly rich. Service was prompt, and fast. Also the décor inside was super cool and unique I found, not the generic ‘hipster brunch’ joint as always. Love this place, coming back for dinner soon!
(Protip I heard dinner reservations are super tough, get on those quick!)

Pretty sad to see Kitsilano Daily Kitchen is gone. This spot took over by Anna Lena now. The chef/​owner is from previous executive chef of the Oakwood Bistro. Ok… what should I expect? Casual and comfort food?
I’m not sure why they got high-​rated on the review, but, based on my experience I feel bad if I rated them less than 3-​star!
The menu was simple but good enough for sharing.
Heirloom tomato salad with cured bacon and arugula — We had to cut into a smaller piece or bite size heirloom tomatoes and bacon.
Gilled octopus and fingering potatoes — Octopus boiled and grilled, it was a bit chewy and mediocre
Wagyu short ribs — Was dry and over braised.
Pork belly — Well marinated but too fatty and salty!
The staffs were friendly, they gave us good recommendations when we ordered. However, it’s below our expectation and we didn’t’ bother to try the dessert.

I came here for a meet up of the food bloggers.
Minorly irritated that we were instructed to arrive by the event organizer 30 minutes before our actual reservation. Had I had known the proper time than I would’ve had a chance to dress nicer for the establishment. I turned my Iron Madien shirt inside out which was passable enough.
I was a bit hungry due to the late seating, therefore, I wasn’t in the best mood when I arrived but the awesome company did help.
They were really speedy with our meals. The portions were small and very $$. I
Inspite of having two small servings of fried chicken I was still hungry.
Speaking of fried chicken… it was one of the best fried chickens that I’ve had to date hence the need for two. Most fried chicken gets soft and soggy when cooled, however, this remained crispy throughout. I loved how there was dehydrated dill powder to go with the cream to finish the dish.
The kale salad was okay. Not the best kale salad as that honour still goes to Acorn. I appreciate the intention, however, didn’t see the point of having fried cauliflower in the dish as it did nothing to enhance.
The beef was too rare that I choked on it. No fault of anyone. I was not used to eating meat that rare before. I ended up choking. Thankfully someone at the table was alert enough to realize what was going on and applied some immediate attention since I looked like I was going blue.
I had the grapefruit dessert which tasted exactly like grapefruit… no sweetness. It was okay if you’re into extreme grapefruit taste.
Place is tiny so reservations are highly recommended. The place tries to come off as high class with a little mixture of geek dome here and there with Nintendo. They just need to focus being one or the other,
Our waiter was supper chill and friendly.

AnnaLena has been on my list to try since 1) my friends raved about it and 2) I happened to be back in town during the summer and was looking forward to visit old favourites & new restaurants.
AnnaLena is Canadian cuisine located in the heart of Kitsilano. Clean, sleek interior with a seating capacity of about 65 seats. The bar area (which I found rather small) was tucked at the back of the restaurant. AnnaLena took over the previous restaurant space of Kits Daily Kitchen.
So continuing on to the food… inventive dishes where some flavours/​textures worked well, but some dishes didn’t. Pricey for the size of the dishes since portions were rather small.
The seafood:
Mussels were tasty — cooked off the shell with garlic, white wine fennel broth. Interesting way to eat the mussels (less of a hassle without the shells) but the torn pieces of bread already soaked into the broth was a combo that didn’t work well for us. I guess we prefer to dip the bread ourselves?
The grilled octopus had a smokey flavour & were way too chewy. The fingerling potatoes was an odd combination as it had its own distinct flavour that did not work with the lobster mayo.
The meats:
The Tamari grilled pork belly was delicious! The flavours here melded together well with the oat porridge (better than your average oatmeal!) and beets cooked 3 ways. hmmm… Also the wagyu short rib, broccoli purée was really delicious! That was probably the best dish of the night. Highly recommend ordering that.
Drinks run about $ 12 – 15 per cocktail. We each had 3 drinks so that definitely racked up our bill fast.
The ambiance is good, servers were friendly. Food was good. Probably expected a little more due to the hype though.