Dunlevy Snack Bar

This place is a little gem run by some very accommodating and easy-​going folks. Come for the attentive service and delicious Asia-​inspired dishes, and stay for the great beer/​cocktail offerings and good-​times party scene post-​10pm (at least on weekends).
I don’t know what Paul V is on about. A pretentious «dive» hangout doesn’t make sense. And imagine the horror of a DJ who is really into his music. Maybe take «the wife» and check out the Keg for the thousandth time instead, bro.
But I digress. The charm of this place is in its size, its small number of yummy dishes, and its warm and welcoming staff. Oh, and its cocktails! Holla!

Heard the food was good, Friday night, sat down, no service for 20 minutes. Dj was clearly deaf, house beats way too loud, could not converse without yelling. Given no one seemed to care to take my order (I sat there for 20 minutes, no server approached us) I did not care to stay, so the wife and I bounced. If you like dive, hole in the wall, pretentious hipster hangouts where you won’t get served if there are more than 30 people in the house, this place is totally for you. I swear the dj was higher than a kite, he was so into his groove, but his beats totally sucked.

I love the food here. My absolute favourite is the pork belly steam bun and the bibimbap with gochujang sauce is really good too. Love the casual hipster atmosphere and good music too. Staff are really friendly. Best part is they open late which is perfect for that late night snack.

Pretty good. Wears its hipster badge proudly with PBR as the first beer on the list. The location is quite out of the way, unless you live in Strathcona/​Chinatown. It’s worth the trip though just to try their version of asian comfort foods and chill.

So finally, I got to try Dunlevy Snack Bar!
We went on a Friday night, right when they opened at 6:30.
I looked at their menu ahead of time online and was excited to try the Smashed Cucumber Salad, Steamed bun and the Bibimbap. But I discovered that they changed the menu and the price since. They should update their menu. I am posting their new menu here for your information.
For drinks, we had:
cocktail: 433 Sour –10
&
beer: 33 Acres of Life –5.50
433 sour was pretty good and refreshing. It tasted like a modified version of a Manhattan but weaker and fruitier. I would have preferred another shot of Bourbon in it but nevertheless we enjoyed it.
I really liked 33 Acres, it had medium body and hoppiness.
Since it is a «Snack Bar», we decided to just «Snack» and order a couple of dishes to share.
We tried the daily special:
Pulled Pork add-​on on Bibimbap –13
&
Korean Fried Chicken, Lime Mayo, House Kimchi steamed bun.
Maybe because I am Korean and I had high hopes for the fusion version of Bibimbap with pulled pork, I was quite disappointed with the dish.
The good:
— The gochoo jang (Korean spicy red pepper sauce) was really good, it tasted like there was an infusion of Shitake mushrooms or Dashi, it tasted really flavorful.
— The egg was poached, not pan fried as usual and this added a unique element to the dish.
The Bad:
— Maybe I am comparing it to the traditional Bibimbap from Korean restaurants but I thought the portion was too small.
— The variety of ingredients was a disappointment. I expected a few more kinds of vegetables.
— The pulled pork had this porky flavour that I didn’t really like. I would have preferred the Bibimbap without it.
Overall, it was ok but I wouldn’t order again.
The Korean Fried Chicken Steamed bun was good overall but not great enough to order again.
–
To summarize, I really enjoyed the vibe and the drinks. They are open late night (right now it’s till midnight but I was told that they will soon be extending the hours). Also, they sometimes have a guest DJ, so I would like to visit again when there is an event. This place would be a cool joint for a private event as well.
If you want to grab a snack and some drinks at a lighthearted, hipster, easygoing joint in the hood, this is the place. I’ll be back again but will be trying other menu items. :)

Talk about never knowing about a place till you walk by it, this was exactly that place. So me and my dear decided to hang around Chinatown, walk around, find some new things, and we walked by this place twice, once parked, and then going back, and I did not see this place the first time. Probably because it wasn’t opened till 5:30 PM is why I did not notice this place one bit, that and the shady area it is located in. On any given day you will see peddlers, crack addicts, interesting people coming in and out of the alleyway, and this is the surrounding area, I wonder how I missed this place. There is no new looking store front, just a very simple front, with the name shown as the initial D S, the only thing that tipped me off of this place was that they put out their sandwich board.
We just finished snacking at another place, so there was really no intention of eating, or looking for any food, but the curious people that we are made this a must hit, just looking at the place there was curiosity as to what they do, what they serve, is it any good, and why in this area? This place has a very simple look, forget about rustic, this place keeps it’s roots, with old wooden tables, worn, beaten fold-​up metal chairs, high ceilings with nothing covering the ceiling, open kitchen concept, and a menu that looks like it only has 10 items max (maybe more, but it was small), this place looks very promising! My dear kept on looking at the menu and one thing kept popping into our faces «Pork Belly Steam Bun», whoa… I thought we weren’t hungry, but the thoughts of meals we had in the past came back like Scrooge with the ghost of Christmas past, and that’s when the hand started reaching the wallet. There was a predicament, one bun, or two, we could go for 1 for $ 5, or 2 for $ 9, we ended up doing the latter, two buns, each different, the first was the «Pork Belly, Spicy Cilantro Salad, Lime Gochuchang» the second was «Korean Fried Chicken, Lime Mayo, House Kimchi». The conversation between my dear and the chef was funny too, as she kept on asking him, «how is your Korean fried chicken» and he just kept on coming back that, «it’s good». So money was given and we waited.
We sat near the window, observing everything of this place, it’s charming to be sitting in Chinatown and having such a hip place. It is a snack bar, so the plates are of smaller variety, and it’s a good place to have a few drinks. The place is spacious, yet cozy, and they have this funky, white, papered chandelier hanging above. I would use the word ‘hipster’ (alright, I can click that tab for ambience!) to describe this place. Our buns eventually came, served on a metal plate, back to back on eachother. These were pretty, from the bright white of the Pac-​Man shaped bun housing all that meaty goodness, where to begin, which one to eat first? We started on the Korean Fried Chicken, and it wasn’t what we expected, no honey glazed gooey sauce over the fried portions, but this was nicely done, crispy on the outside, juicy white meat on the inside, a little messy, where the bun wouldn’t keep all it’s contents in place, but a great bite to this whole package, mixing with the kimchi, this would definitely go good with a beer.
We saved the pork belly for last, and this was pretty nice, there was bite though, and it wasn’t just a chunk of belly fat melting in your mouth, but who else serves this in town. The glazed goodness of this belly meat definitely would go good with a beer. This place has what you can call ‘snacks’ it’s in their name after all, and it is very promising what I see here. A 3.5 for now, but I will come back, as I heard they serve a pretty good BiBimBap made in house, the staff is very friendly, and it seems like Chinatown is growing out from it’s shell, I hope to try more things on their menu next time, but do check this place out!

Pretty yum I had a bunch of stuff and wine and beer. Great place. This is why I love van.

The chef has a top knot. Need I say more? Not really, but I will… :-)
I used to come here often for brunch, but they’ve recently switched their service to dinner only. Tried it this week and it was delicious. Good beer on tap as well as other drink options, and great share plates. Perfect summer eating food and laid-​back atmosphere. Definitely try the smashed cucumber with puffed rice.

Great coffee, excellent food, and an amazingly relaxed atmosphere. This place is a gem.

I always drive by this place after work and wonder what this little shop is about. So finally one day, on my break I took a peek and found out it’s a snack bar! How cute!
Décor is simple and the atmosphere is quiet and chill. The first time I visited, I was confused because there was no menu. I had no idea what they serve. I was hungry and was hoping that they have food! Oh good they do! The owner (I think) told me the specials and I ordered a sandwich and a side of salad. I don’t remember much about the sandwich because it was so many months ago but I really enjoyed the salad. It was light, tasty and addictive.
The second time I went was recent. There were quite a few people inside drinking their coffee. Once again, no menu so I asked what he had. He told me the specials and then he said he could also make me grilled cheese sandwich. I wanted something healthy so I had the tomato & sprout sandwich w/​almond spread and a side of miso soup. The food took awhile so for people with only 30min break better be fast eaters! I really like this place because everybody seems so relaxed. It makes my break so much more enjoyable then going to my typical HK style cafes.
Another reason why I like this place is because it’s vegan/​vegatarian? I don’t like to eat a lot of meat and my stomach is quite sensitive with certain things. Every time after I eat here, I always feel good so I know they’re the real deal.
I totally recommend this place. Maybe one day I should try their brunch!

Love going here for our #breakfastclub sessions with my group of friends.
Everything I tasted put a smile on my face.
Vegetarian? … Yes, they have you covered to.
Make your way here. Solid recomendation.

Very friendly staff, nice spare space to stay and talk awhile. Haven’t tried much on the menu except tea, but will definitely return to check it out.

Hidden amidst the cross section of strathcona/​chinatown/​dtes this little joint surprise you with its delightfulness. They are one of the few that serves Origins Coffee in Vancouver. Though I suspect this will change in the next little while due to origins delightful roasts getting more and more popular with the good coffee folks.
This is a great little place to settle in with your computer to study or to lounge with a good book .
Try their weekend only out of this world unique breakfast, you won’t regret it.

Best cappuccino ever. Hit the brunch on Sunday. Thank me later.

every sunday they serve a different awesome brunch, i believe from 11 – 3.
the owner of this spot’s name is teo and he is great!
i had a quick snack. it was some italian dish of cornmeal and red peppers and spices and capers and it was so tasty!
support local business, check it out :)