Mr Brownstone Bar & Grill

For badly prepared gluten garbage straight off the Sysco truck, look no further! Flat beer, runny eggs, and brown avocados make for an unforgettable experience. If you hate quality and love sub-​par crap, you’ll adore Mr. Brownstone.

While strolling down Main St with a friend and contemplating where to grab a drink on a busy Friday night, we came across Mr. Brownstone. It’s one of the few places in the area neither of us had ever been to, and the straight to the point sign won us over: «MR. BROWNSTONE EAT DRINK», it was a refreshing change of pace from «Timber & Spool Public Refinement Eatery and Provisions», which every single place in the world seems to be named now.
We got a nice table right away by the window, perfect for people watching, and had a pretty attentive server who checked up on us lots and refilled our waters plenty.
The drink prices were actually pretty good (5.75 Ceasars on a Friday night? Don’t mind if I do!), they had a good cocktail and beer selection.
And the food was pretty damned excellent. I got a bucket of truffle fries and they were so good I had to order a second one. Don’t judge me, I am what I am, okay?! My friend got a pretty kickass salad (Rocket salad, I believe) with candied pecans, spiced pear, balsamic dressing, etc. etc.
While there was nothing to make this place entirely impressive, I’d say this place was a solid four. Inoffensive, good service, good prices, good food, spacious, not too loud. I’d definitely go back. If not just for those truffle fries.. .

I’m confused. Most of the reviews for this place seemed pretty awesome, but what was missing during brunch?
The service was awful to begin with and got progressively better throughout the meal. I will say the only reason they get 2 stars is because of the service. The food would get 0 stars if that were an option.
The hash browns were murdered. They were cut up like Dexter’s victims and then sadly murdered again in the deep fryer. They were the worst hash browns I’ve had in as long as I can remember. When you stab a hash brown, you hear a crunch. When you bite into it… it’s empty and there’s nothing inside. Whomever is deep frying needs to step away from the machine.
The best part of the meal was the coffee. How sad is that?
My friend said that the dinner menu is pretty great and to try that sometime (the reviews seem to mirror that sentiment). To be honest, I’m hesitant to even give it another go…

Great vibe. Great service. Great food. The lobster mac and cheese was ridiculously good. There was also some sort of cool live painting class going on in the room. Apparently it is weekly. I’ll be going back.

Hanging out at Browns getting drunk with my buddy. Oh yeah the have good food too. Guineas is $ 8 but served cold so definitely a North American establishment. I do remember getting massively wasted on their Shooter deal so check those out too.

This is definitely «my» local bar with friendly staff and great food.
They often have special events running, such as paint nights, trivia night (Tuesday) and open night mic (Monday) and it can get packed for game nights (they have a giant projector screen), so it can get pretty busy, but food quality never suffers, though you may have to wait an extra minute or two (but never too long!) for your server.
Main street tacos, wonton nachos, lobster mac & cheese (huge portion, most times it needs to be packed up for lunch the next day), the lobster grilled cheese and the salads are some of the best items on their menu. Really, I’ve loved everything I’ve ordered, except the calamari which just isn’t done the way I prefer, but no biggie, if only 1 item on their menu isn’t hitting my particular taste, I think it’s pretty good.

Holy Moly… great fish tacos! Only $ 4! Love this place lol. Good drinks, service and food. I would recommend it… definetly!

Our server was friendly at first but forgot to ring in our appys, I ordered the mr brownstone burger and I wasn’t a fan. Had a few bites of the unseasoned patty covered in a flavourless gravy and I couldn’t do it. Our server just told me «that sucks» and left it on the table. I clearly moved it to the side for her to take it away and still the same reaction. Sat there while I watched my friends eat their food and our server was no where to be found. She came back and discounted my burger (20% off for a burger I didn’t eat) we paid and went down the street so I could actually get food to eat cuz I was starving. Never going back again.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning. It was quiet but I think it’s because people don’t know about their brunches. So GIVE IT A TRY all Unilocal family.
The beef rib benny was very well done. It totally hit the spot after my swim workout. I got a perfectly cooked soft poached egg on my well butter toasted muffin.
I looked on the rest of the menu and I will be back to try pretty much everything. My friend just moved there recently and has already tried half the menu. Lobster Mac n’cheese! I think so! Apparently they give you a big dish too unlike some restaurants who only give you an appetizer sized mac n’ cheese.
Monday nights are also Karoake nights if you are a fan of the mic.

So glad I didn’t read the reviews before going. And also glad I didn’t know that Main Street wasn’t a cool place to eat. There were two shops there we had been to on our last Vancouver trip that we wanted to return to, so we happened into this spot because my hub thought the outside looked cool and we were starved.
So glad we did. It happened to be a Seahawks playoff game day and it was starting to fill up, so I can say unequivocally that the service is excellent. It was quite busy and we had both an attentive and super interesting server. She took an interest in our tourist status and we had several chats.
We were able to select from either the lunch or brunch menu. Hub had the Philly Cheese omelet and I had a lobster grilled cheese sand. Neither dish was at all what we expected and I mean that in a good way. The omelet was very light, flavorful, big enough portion for a manly man. The «hash» was some nicely roasted crunchy potatoes. Just salty enough and tasty.
My sandwich was not at all grilled (which would have made a heavy calorie count even heavier), but on toasted YUMMY homemade sourdough bread. Huge pieces of lobster and the cheese was creamy and delicious. It came with a side balsamic salad. Nice combo.
Despite it being something of a sports bar, décor is cool. Bathrooms are particularly nice. And they did not turn the sound up on the TVs, so people could have a normal volume conversation. We left before the game got crazy, but would definitely go back.
I liked the disclaimer on the bottom of the menu that said the chef endeavors to put a unique spin on traditional bar food. Menu includes things like wings, French dip sand, etc. but like the wings come in 6 – 7 flavors. Check it out.

I was actually really prepared to dislike this place. First, the font on the awning just didn’t sit right with me. Anyways, I’m not big on sports bars and I fully expected to receive some attitude from the establishment, you know, the type of attitude you get from from establishments that are cool elsewhere in town, but recognize that they don’t quite fit in on Main.
So, what I’m trying to say is, it wasn’t that bad at all. The food was decent, the drinks were decent, the server was nice and efficient, and if I’m going to end up at a zero personality sports bar for an evening, I’d much rather choose this than a chain like Earls or Cactus.

This place doesn’t look like anything that great from the outside but don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I just happened to stop in around 6 pm because it was too late for coffee and I had some last minute work to do. I ordered a Russell Angry Scotch Ale, nice dark brown in colour but not as dark as Guinness. Now, I am an avid Guinness drinker. I love the stuff. It is my go-​to beer, as long as its on tap. We all have one. But after trying the Russell Angry Scotch Ale, this would be my new go-​to beer if more places served it.
Originally I didn’t plan on eating, although once I read over the menu and had a sip of beer I decided I was. Convenient.
After much contemplation and great patience from the waitress, I decided to try their $ 4 tacos. They had chicken and fish to choose from, each comes as a serving of one, so I chose one of each. I’m full of great ideas.
The tacos were amazing. I love when they come in one of those stands too! They came with lots of meat which was very lightly fried, with fresh non watery salsa and had lots of crunchy homemade coleslaw. Another nice touch was the hot sauce served on the side. Not bad for an $ 8 meal.
I was surprised that just 2 tacos made me quite full. Who would have thought the day would come when I would only eat 2 tacos? Anyone who knows me probably does not believe that statement, but in your face cause I provided photos this time!
I highly recommend Mr. Brownstones to anyone. They have a great variety on their menu, the chef adds his own person touch to favorite dishes and they have a huge wing menu. Including Maple Bacon Caramel, who wouldn’t want to try that magnificent creation?
On a side note, for those of you who care, they have gluten free options for majority of their dishes.
Get your buns, gluten free or not, to Mr. Brownstones.

I was never actually planning on setting foot in here. I don’t like these types of places, especially not on Main Street, but I was with some friends who said it was alright and seemed to want to go, so off we went.
The place has zero personality. If you blindfolded me and shoved me inside I would assume I was at a Cactus Club or something. Yeah. It’s like that. On Main Street.
Our server was nice enough, but getting her attention took forever, which was only annoying because the place was dead. It felt like an eternity waiting to pay the bill.
The 2 stars goes to the bucket of brussel sprouts. I saw them on the menu, asked how they were, and when I was told «addictive» I was sold. Sprinkled with parmesan and salt with a delicious vinegary flavour (what the hell did you do to these things?). I tried to eat the entire bucket, but I had to get help from a friend because my mouth was starting to shrivel up from the flavour. OH MAN. So good though. Those brussel sprouts are the only reason I would ever come back.
Yeah, I dunno. Meh. Get the brussel sprouts.

To put things in perspective, a combination of misfortunes really made this dining experience unfulfilling.
It was Thursday night before the long weekend. Hockey was on. There was a live band performing and there were only two servers. So you can imagine what brewed the perfect storm.
We walked into several restaurants along Main and it seemed like everyone had the same bright idea. Every establishment was packed with a lineup. Hmmm shocking.
Brownstone had some seats open so it seemed like a good idea to try out this fairly new establishment.
The waiter seemed flustered (understandably) and every drink we ordered on the menu was out except for beer and highballs, neither of which I was in the mood for. So much for celebrating. :(We decided to order the mushroom risotto and mussels.
I like cheese. I like cheese A LOT. However, I don’t particularly enjoy tasting powerful punches of parmesan in every bite. It felt like I was eating spoonfuls of melted parmesan cheese which in my opinion is kinda gross. The flavours of the mushroom and risotto were lost in a sea of salty parmesan and no refreshing drink in hand to wash the taste away.
The mussels held its own a little better. The curry broth had a nice flavour but the mussels were slightly overcooked. Decent but could be better.
It could have been a one-​off bad experience but I can’t say I’ll be back anytime soon.

I had been intrigued by Mr Brownstone for awhile now, especially since I drove by recently and noticed it was jam packed. So when Vincci L. suggested we come here on a Wednesday night for improv, I was all for it. Vincci had read on their website that it started at 8pm, but when we showed up we saw that the sign said 9pm. It’s pretty disappointing that they couldn’t have updated the website to accurately reflect the night’s events.
Once you’re inside, you can’t help but feel like the place suffers from an identity crisis. It’s dark, sleek and modern looking which doesn’t suit the neighbourhood. I also really don’t understand the menu. It has WAY too many items and touches on Irish, Asian, regular ol’ pub food, and more. I can hear Gordon Ramsay’s voice now…
It might have been an off night, but we were really turned off by the lacklustre attitude of our waitress. No pleasantries, no smile talk, barely a look in the eye. Ouch.
By the time the improv group went up, we were well overdue for some lightheartedness. The first act was devoted to stand up comedy rather than improv. Unfortunately, this really wasn’t the strong suit of the group, or the extra comedians they had invited up on stage to join them. By the time intermission came, we made our escape.
I don’t like to judge a place by only one visit, but I can’t say that I ever want to come back here again.

Had the forager flatbread (mushrooms, truffle cream, parm, basil) and the mussels. Two small pieces of bread with a huge bowl of mussels is a bit of a travesty in my opinion, and they were incredibly salty. The flatbread was soggy and super oily, clearly made off a terrible pre-​made store-​bought type bread. Disappointed in the food in general.
I had a great beer there though and many people seemed to be enjoying the wings so maybe we just ordered the wrong things. Service was attentive even though the place was packed and the kitchen was slammed.

One of my favourite places to watch a hockey game – their centrepiece HD-​like screen must be 60″, just gi-​normous! lol
good casual atmosphere, unlike the Shark Club. good service too.

As a huge fan of both Guns ‘n’ Roses and heroin, I wasn’t able to resist getting a beer and such here: but unlike heroin and Guns ‘n’ Roses, it was just okay.
*though I bailed on my scheduled lunch date. Guess I lost track of time

We arrived hungry Sunday afternoon, probably looking for brunch, as nothing on the menu appealed to us. We finally settled on the BBQ pulled pork flatbread and calamari. The BBQ sauce was way too sweet for me (I don’t really care for it in the best cases), and the calamari was lukewarm. Sad face!
After we’d ordered our food I noticed that they had some omelettes listed on the back chalkboard. Not too sure if that was left over from the brunch menu, or if they were available? There was no fresh sheet with the menu, or list of brunch-​like items. Our (two) servers didn’t offer up any other selections… mystery!
The décor is nice and clean. I think we ordered the wrong things, as others’ choices looked lovely (the tacos! the bruschetta! Danielle’s description of the onion rings!). Though, it did seem a little spendy, so maybe Saturday night *is* the best time to go.

A new fave on Main Street! Christine N and I have been watching the renos with curiosity, as Bert’s has been transformed into a trendy-​ish nightspot (we frequent 49^th Parallel next door, ahem, «occasionally»). So for her birthday celebration tonight, we couldn’t get a group reso for Burgoo and instead decided to try the new place. Are we ever glad we did.
They fit in a party of seven on a Saturday night, in a nice spot by the front window. The décor is sparse and rather masculine (in a good and classy way), with cream and aubergine accenting raw stonework and the smaller tables feature comfy armchairs. There is a slightly elevated stage area next to us, presumably for live music. The bar has 3 large TVs visible throughout the front, and the way back section has their own, smaller, one. Seating across the front has a fabulous street view for people-​watching.
They have a selection of craft beers (I’ll let someone who actually knows about that kind of thing give a more detailed review), a wine list (ditto), a cocktail list (one of my things, and I look forward to updating this review when I’ve toured it thoroughly), and the food is simply fantastic (this I do feel qualified to judge right now!). Well done, Mr. Brownstone, and it’s been a pleasure indeed to meet you … whoever you are.
We ordered a whole bunch of stuff, and everything was truly scrumptious: mussels cooked in white wine, calamari, pancetta bruschetta (repeat ordered!), portobello fries, Mr. Brownstone burger, and my Beef Dip. The burger (which comes with a fried egg and an onion ring inside), was described as «melt in your mouth good,» and the mussels were «really good, and very filling.»
My beef dip came with an incredible stack of onion rings (seriously — check out the pic I posted, and drool). The onion rings were enormous. And just about the best I’ve ever had. The exterior was crispy-​crunchy and oh-​so-​light, and the batter was tender and soft inside the golden shell. The onion slices were huge, but perfectly tender and sweet, and never once did an onion ring thwart my will and slide out of the batter on me (I hate it when that happens).
Oh, and the jus? So savoury and delectable … After finishing the sandwich (I’ll get to it too — just be patient!), I dipped onion rings in the jus and it was a) super-​delicious, and b) reminded me of a meaty tempura dipping combo: everything I love about eating tempura, plus a powerful beefy punch of flavour.
Ok, the sandwich. Wow. Just wow. I tasted it on its own without dipping, and it was actually a yummy sandwich by itself, what with all that smoked provolone and mushroom demiglace supporting the tender shavings of pure and fabulous roasted prime rib and soaking into the soft but substantial focaccia bread. And after dipping? I kind of stopped noticing not being able to hear my dinner companions as the table next to us roared, or noticing anything else, as I experienced a carnivorous high of melty, meaty, tender and flavourful bliss.
When I picked up the second half of my sandwich off the plate, I noticed that I already felt a pang of sadness, that my blissful beef dip experience would soon be coming to a close. But I realized the foolishness of borrowing tomorrow’s troubles and quickly brought my focus back to the delectable task at hand. I’ll also add that the focaccia was strong enough to hold together through every bite, so the messy drippiness was all my own fault and I gladly take responsibility for it ;)
A few other notes: our server was attentive, helpful, and friendly. The noise level was quite high, as generally happens on Saturday nights, so don’t expect a quiet date night here, at least on a weekend. But it’s not too loud for our group to have conversations, and I’m more than pleased to have celebrated a dear childhood friend’s birthday by checking out a *great* new place in our ‘hood. Happy Birthday, Christine!
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