Salty Tongue Café

I used to go here all the time.
Way too expensive for the food you get. They used to have this amazing Kale Caesar salad which everyone loved, but they got rid of it. When I inquired as to why, the chef got snippy about it and said it was gone. «Period!».
I have them another chance today and bought their $ 14 dollar salad. It was ok, but it was $ 5 worth of ingredients. and TINY!
I won’t be back again.

super kaffee that’s it
wir waren fast die einzigen gäste und mussten dennoch sehr lange warten. mein essen konnten sie sich nicht einmal merken und fragten nochmals nach, nachdem meine freundin schon halb aufgessen hatte.
mein blt toast schmekte gut, ihr vegtarisches frühstück nicht wirklich
schade…

Quick, fresh, build your own sandwiches! The food is average but the service and atmosphere are awesome. The barista was very sweet, and I really like the space and funky décor.

Nice little place in gastown self serve type operation the coffee was light but still nice breakfast was good the ambience could be improved very reasonable

Had a turkey cranberry sandwich the turkey was pretty dry, fries were good but the sandwich was pretty boring for the price. My spouse had a sandwich to order which was a little more interesting than mine. Atmosphere was nice and long tables are neat.

It’s a shame but it appears the quality is declining while the prices are increasing.
20 minutes to wait for a panini, which was already made, and just needed to be grilled? When there is no one ahead of me?
For some reason the cooks seem to focus on prepping for the Heather’s night service or something rather that providing service to Salty’s patrons who are waiting.
The food quality is going down too. The ingredients seem to be a bit more scant, and not as fresh… the sandwiches are slapped together such that they’re difficult to eat.
The staff seems to not care about their job…
I hope these guys can recover from the current slide they’re in.

I’ve eaten here many times. Today was dreadful: $ 7.95 for a Roast Beef Sandwich on Dempsters (almost Wonderbread) piled with onions: I’ve posted a picture. Sean Heather used to do much better than this– won’t be back

I’ve eaten here many times. Today was dreadful: $ 7.95 for a Roast Beef Sandwich on Dempste

This is the most mediocre place in Gastown, but today I had enough. SHITTIEST SOUP I’VE EVER HAD. It looks and tasted like it came out of a Campbell’s soup can that was 2 years expired. So disappointed.

If you’re willing to dodge the Crackheads standing outside the pharmacy at the Corner of Carrall & Cordova, and step over a few used syringes, come on down and enjoy the magic of Gastown!
Salty Tongue is my latest rainy day haunt!
Honestly, all I’ve only ever ordered coffee and a peanut butter cookie, but they’ve hit the spot.
One thing I don’t care for is the giant cafeteria style table in the back. If the window seats are occupied, I’m going somewhere else.
I really don’t understand this cafeteria table trend at all. I hated sitting with a bunch of strangers for lunch in high school. Why would I want to repeat that experience 10 years later?
Those factors aside, the staff are really nice, the prices are reasonable, and honestly considering how pretentious some of the places in Gastown are, this place is a breathe of fresh air.

I used to be a huge fan of this place. I don’t get there as often as I used to, which means I do notice changes. Today I bought leek & potato soup to go — the large size. The soup was so-​so — initial bland taste, but peppery. What I did notice was the portion seems smaller, so I paid $ 6 for not a lot of soup (fortunately I wasn’t wildly hungry). They included two miniscule pieces of bread. All in all, not a very good deal any more. Service was very slow, but that might be in part because there was a new person taking orders. (They lost at least one customer when the woman in line behind me gave up and left after several minutes during which time the line didn’t move.)
it would be nice if they updated the menu a bit as well. (I yearn for the days when they did this amazing mac & cheese with mushrooms — there was enough to do me for lunch and dinner. But then they added meat to it.)

Honestly disappointed in where the Heather Group’s more casual eateries are headed. It’s nowhere good.
Sean Heather, where are you and what’s happening to your legacies? Both the Tongue and Rainier Provisions (half a block away) are shadows of their former self in almost every way.
I’ve frequented (once per week or more) The Salty Tongue for almost two years. In the past 18 months, service has declined and food quality has become inconsistent and questionable.
They used to have fresh baked chips to side up to their creative and simple sandwich fair. Now they serve what looks like Old Dutch at the same price. Their mains have seemed to slip in similar ways.
Service is a big issue. I show up at 10:50am and wait for staff to mosey around before finally taking my order at 11:01am only to be denied my pick because breakfast ends at 11am. She even said, «it’s just eleven now, but…»
They are slow and a once indisputable focus on the customer, now seems to be redirected to fellow staff. Everything takes far to long and for the price, you can get far better food within half a block in most any direction.
I’m not sure what has happened I. The Heather Group over the past 18 months but it is seriously hurting the brand.

* Meh on all levels *
Level 1: Three people behind the counter, not a single customer, and not a single acknowledgment walking in or to take an order. Meh.
Level 2: Being told, fill out this form to order your sandwich and being given a broken pencil. Meh.
Level 3: Filling out the form and handing it back to be told, I don’t take forms. Give it to her instead. Meh.
Level 4: Being rung up at a higher price than the form says and only having it corrected when asking why. Meh.
Level 5: Waiting 25 minutes in an entirely empty place for the sandwich. Meh.
Level 6: Being sprayed by cleaning fluid as a staff member was cleaning a nearby table. Meh.
Level 7: Finally receiving the much anticipated «handmade corned beef» sandwich and seeing a disappointing looking small sandwich on supermarket bread with pink shreds posing as corned beef and a few toppings. The swiss cheese was half melted and half unmelted. The corned beef was scraps that did not have a classic corned flavour. It was served with fries that made it clear why this place is called the Salty Tongue. Let’s just say, «Would you like some potatoes with your salt?» And the sandwich and fries was priced at a very unreasonable $ 11.45 for this crap. Meh. Photos:
and
Level 8: Me walking out. While all of those meh’s sound like a 2, when adding them up you actually get, «Eek! Me thinks not.» A solid 1 star experience.

average

When Dan J, mentioned somewhere on this site that Salty Tongue sells Stumptown beans, it took exactly ½ of «one second» to know I would be there the next day.
If all I knew was that Salty Tongue sold Stumptown, I would already be in love with this place.
There were two girls behind the counter when I arrived and their warm smiles and hearty hello made my rainy Vancouver day turn into a sunny one. I had a nice conversation with them and bought my beans. The place smelled lovely and the menu looked enticing yet I was torn because I was excited to go home and make my yummy triple wet cappuccino.
…I will be back.
oh and Stumptown I love you too…
g

Never ever had a good lunch here. When I asked them to make me a vegetarian sandwich, I got a piece of old bread with a leaf of lettuce and a piece of tomato. Enough said.

Don’t waste your money here. They don’t deserve it. Do yourself a favour & hit Meat & Bread, Finch’s, or head to Baguette Time on Davie.
Twice now I have been disappointed by Salty Tongue. So much so that I have joined Unilocal just to warn others of the pompous, unhelpful service you will receive here.
The most recent visit, today, I was informed I could only have a tuna sandwich if I ordered the melt. Apparently, the tuna is inseparable from the melted cheese. I tried a couple times, even the sandwich «chef» said it’s impossible. So, I ordered the melt asking for pickles to be added. I was met with a blank stare. Again, this was not possible. Getting rather annoyed I asked them to try putting pickles on before the last piece of bread. They finally agreed, however, I did notice sandwich chef guy shaking his head & looking rather put out when he saw the ticket come up.
While I waited an older gentleman tried to order an iced americano & the reply was «we can’t do that». They have an espresso machine, cold water & ice, however, they apparently lack the ability to combine all three to satisfy their customer.
I’d also ordered the turkey sandwich, which wasn’t made on the bread I had asked for. Both tasted good but given that I spent almost $ 18 on sandwiches for my friend & I it would be nice if the end product was as requested & there wasn’t the attitude up front. I could maybe understand if they were busy but I was the only person in the restaurant at the time.
On my previous visit they forgot to make a sandwich, read back the order & paused when they read out the missing one from the bill but still handed me the bag assuring us that the order was complete. When I ran back for the missing item I asked for fresh fries as mine were now cold… again, I encountered a blank stare as they couldn’t comprehend why I would be requesting such a ridiculous thing of them.
I’ve read the other reviews & I have to agree with some that the attitude is you, the customer, just don’t matter. At least not enough for them to put in a little effort to make you happy.
I won’t be going back.

Really, Really, liked our quick bite at the Salty Tongue.
We popped in briefly on Saturday mid tattoo sitting for a little sustenance. Our artist suggested the Panini’s as they are super filling and moderately priced. He was right on all accounts. I had the Smoked Salmon Panini and a bite of my girlfriend’s Turkey Breast Sandwich. Both we’re really flavorful and since we ate them there came with some nice little chip things. I guess I knocked them down a star because I’m being a stickler, it took a while for the Barista to take our order but in all reality he was super nice, and if you can’t wait for 10 – 15 mins for a sandwich you probably shouldn’t leave the house anyhow. All in all, good showing Salty Tongue!

Dinner: Lamb Three Ways = Meh… not good no matter how many ways you have it. I should have ordered something else.
Price: $ 25 = Meh. Really struggled to finish the lamb. Definitely not worth the price.
Classiness of patrons: A fight nearly started = Meh.
Server: Apologetic.
Seriously loved the idea of the communal table until it looked like a heated argument down the table was about to blow up. It didn’t help that while leaving the washroom, my dining companion was smacked upside the back of her head by one of the instigators due to a ‘misunderstood’ look. I’m leaving my rating at 2 stars (instead of 1) because the server was quite apologetic — really wasn’t their fault.

I look forward to my breakfast sandwich served by the lovely Michelle every day that I open. Its the little things in life. She understands my morning hanger and is quick to rectify it.
I would also like to say that it is very clear that there has been a management/​staff change in the last few months. Staff seem much happier and are much more accommodating then they have been previously. Good job Salty Tongue! Thanks for being so delicious and friendly.

Breakfast sandwiches and Stumptown Coffee? Count me in!
Starting off the day right with a pork belly breakfast sandwich. Pork belly, a fried egg, beans, onions sandwiched in between a freshly baked bun, lightly toasted. This was quite satisfying. My latte was good, but it wasn’t hot enough.
Well priced breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and a long table. Like it.

OK I am still a bit muffed about this… I ordered a soup (minestrone) with a side order of fries, only to be told that, uh, they only allow the side orders with sandwiches.
Hunh? What kind of sandwich-​centric world is this?! I seriously did not understand. Is the sandwich making invariably linked to the fryer? Are the two connected in ways only a conjugal visit could mimic? What am I not getting? I voiced my discontent only to be responded with a «that’s the new policy». Jeebus. So my friend who ordered a sandwich ordered two sides of fries cause apparently that’s allowed and makes some kind of sense in the alternate Salty Tongue universe.
Anyway, let’s move on. The ‘large’ minestrone was tiny. I can only imagine the small was more like a shot. Also, it was basically watered down tomato soup with a few chunks of celery and carrot. No noodles, no beans which i’m pretty sure is what makes a minestrone but again, alternate universe action going on.
High point though is, like a tool, I left my wallet in the washroom and someone returned it so it saved me cancelling credit cards which on the eve of a vacation was very much appreciated. Oh and the hazelnut sparkle cookie was awesome. Hence the two stars.