Noisy. Unsophisticated. Can’t do anything well other than fish. Nothing compared to other high-end hotel restaurants.
Aline S.
Place rating: 3 Vancouver, Canada
This is a review for the Dine Out 2016 menu only, a 3-course meal which costs $ 40/person. So for appetizers, we ordered the Creamy Pei Mussel and Clam Chowder and the Smoked Cheddar Corn and Ravioli. The chowder was an immediate winner, it was deliciously creamy with tender mussels cooked to perfection. The ravioli was OK even though I have to make sure to take a bite of every single component in the dish otherwise I’ll get pieces that are way too sour or way too sweet. For main, we ordered Arctic Char and Golden Miso Braised Short-ribs. This is when the whole experience became a disappointment to me. I would strongly suggest to order wine, which I didn’t do. Both of these dishes have a very sweet profile and since we shared the food, I experienced the unpleasant sensation of not being able to finish the food but still not full. Wine would probably make the sweet, heavy taste of these dishes more digestible. On the positive side, the short-ribs was very tender and cooked right, too bad that I couldn’t taste any saltiness from the miso. For dessert, we ordered Lemon Drop and Hazelnut & Honey. Lemon drop is OK, when a way too sweet cake and way too sour ‘drops’ were combined together, it made a passable dessert. Will I come back to order it again though? Probably not. The Hazelnut and honey was again a ‘meh’ experience, where was the salt and pepper caramel? I just tasted caramel. Friendly waiter and nice atmosphere but nothing too fancy for me to make a comment.
Ning J.
Place rating: 3 Woodlawn, Chicago, IL
We had brunch. Scrambled egg lobster was good, but my crab benny was a far cry. The crab was grounded and dry. The egg benedict was very dry and tasteless, not salt at all. In addition, the dish was served with crispy proscuitto and buns. All in all, this dish was too dry and nothing special. I would consider take it off the menu. Also, the service wasn’t good. The server seemed rush when we ordered food and did not come back ask about the food. Anyway, this wasn’t what I expect from a Four Seasons restaurant.
Faye F.
Place rating: 4 Vancouver, Canada
What a little gem that’s hidden in one of the nicest hotels in Vancouver. It’s chic, adorable and posh. It’s quite a place to take a date to or parents visiting in town as the ambience is quite pleasant, bustling waiters and waitresses hustle around in sneakers while still well dressed, an open kitchen is present w a beautiful wine collection in the middle of the room. Yew did not disappoint and the food was delicious. From the attentive service to beautifully presented food, I would give them a solid 4. We tried the place through dine out and I think you should too. I’ll be back for the regular menu;) a great opportunity to dress it up w the girls or go in a romantic date. The appetizers were really awesome. The best clam chowder I’ve ever had. It had a kick in it that made it so smooth and warm and fuzzy. The smoked cheddar and corn ravioli was something I was sure about when ordering but it was such a pleasant surprise. You must try it. Seems to transport you to a time of childhood pasta mixed w farm food on the table. Just lovely. The main entrees were the Arctic char done perfectly sitting on a bed of refreshing greens and apples and the melt in your mouth short ribs. The desserts were not spectacular. The hazelnut and honey was an over sweetened bar and the lemon drop was ok– too bad the cream toppled to the side and looked like a sad lemon drop. All in all a great place. Will be back. Don’t miss out on this place!
Danielle C.
Place rating: 3 Vancouver, Canada
Went to Yew last night for the first night of Vancouver’s Dine Out Festival. It’s a $ 40 prix-fix menu. Before we got started on our meal, we were given a basket of lemon and seaweed biscuits. They were warm and had a crispy exterior. The lemon was a bit dry compared to the seaweed one but they weren’t bad. They’re quite filling though. We were both surprised at how quickly our first course came. It was literally less than 5 minutes after we got the bread that we were served so I’m sure they were prepared in advance… I’m a sucker for chowders so for my first course, I picked the Creamy PEI Mussel & Clam Chowder. Wow oh wow… I have to say, this was so yummy. It was indeed creamy but not too much and the consistency was just right. There were celery bits as well as mussels and clams which were very fresh. It also had a slight bit of sweetness from the maple syrup. A wonderful Canadian dish. My only complaint is that it was not hot enough. NW got the Smoked Cheddar & Corn Ravioli for his first course. I wasn’t too impressed with this dish. The ravioli tasted a bit gritty and it was soggy. The cheese was too heavy for me as well. Not a fan of this one. Moving on to the main course, I got the Crispy Paradise Ranch Pork Belly. On the side, it had maple pecans, pear, squash, and a piece of bacon. The skin of the pork belly was crispy but I thought the meat was a bit dry and overcooked, which is a shame because it would’ve tasted so much better. Anyways, I liked the squash which was sweet and the pear had a sweet and pickled sort of taste, giving the dish a nice acidity. Overall, wasn’t blown away by this dish but it was decent. NW ordered the Golden Miso Braised Short Ribs for his main. I didn’t really enjoy this one… the short ribs were slightly overcooked and it was served with parmesan jus which was really overpowering. We both felt that the cheese flavour was much too strong and it didn’t go well with the meat. I couldn’t even taste the miso under all that parmesan jus. Very disappointing dish, in my opinion. For dessert, I ordered Hazelnuts & Honey. It was hazelnut rocher with honey ganache and salt & pepper caramel. It also came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Yum!!! It was like a fine dining dessert version of ferrero rocher. It had a crisp texture and it wasn’t overly sweet. The vanilla ice cream and salt & pepper caramel was a great combination. Lastly, NW’s dessert was the Candied Grapefruit Cake. It was basically a vanilla butter cupcake with fresh grapefruit as well as candied grapefruit on top. There was also a dollop of mascarpone cream. It wasn’t bad but I liked my dessert better. :P We were impressed with the service. Our dishes were cleared right away, our water was never empty, and everyone working there was friendly. The ambience was very nice as well — modern and welcoming. Noise level was surprisingly loud, however. In terms of the food though, we were pretty disappointed. It wasn’t bad but we felt that the $ 40 price point was not worth it. If we’re paying around $ 100 after tax and tip, I feel like the food should be on point. And last night, that just wasn’t the case. However, over the past few years, I’ve noticed that the food isn’t as good during Dine Out so I’d like to go back to Yew on a regular day. Not an outstanding experience but we still had a good time nonetheless(plus our stomachs were full). Food — 6.5÷10 Service — 9⁄10 Ambience — 9⁄10 Value — 6.5÷10
Stacey N.
Place rating: 3 Vancouver, Canada
We heard about brunches at the YEW through a friend and then another through a write up on top brunch places to go to in Vancouver … unfortunately, the food was not as exciting as we would expect. No explosion of flavor, no surprises… although we did get a comp plate of PNE style sugar donuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to the YEW for dinner and happy hour before.. however, this is the first time we went for brunch. My brunch companion ordered the brunch special(it must be good if its a special!) which was the shrimp and potatoes omlette.. Kinda looks like a Japanese okonomiyaki pancake with green onions on top. If it’s going like a okonomiyaki and cost $ 20 … it better taste as good! My brunch companion’s response was«I could cook this better at home» …and guess what? He doesn’t even know how to cook. Lol. I had ordered the dungess crab eggs benedict… and the crab was salty. Honestly I expected more from a place like the YEW(especially if it’s located within the Four Seasons Hotel).
Mary S.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Came here for lunch in the bar/lounge area. Very nice restaurant in the four seasons hotel. Husband has the clam chowder and oysters. Good service and yummy selection. Hope to try it in time for dinner.
Sarah W.
Place rating: 3 Vancouver, Canada
We have been here a few times for lunch and if I had written my review after my first visit, the stars would have been higher. This restaurant is located inside the Four Seasons Hotel. The space is modernly decorated and spacious. Make a reservation as there aren’t any tables for walk in unless you are wiling to sit at the bar or have a later lunch. Each time I visited, I ordered the Chowder to start, the first time was excellent, perfect consistency and lots of clams, and potatoes. Second time, not as thick, kind of runny, but still good. Today, maybe it was a later lunch, my chowder was more corn niblets than clams and the soup was very runny. I finally told the waiter it was just too much corn and he took it away. For the price of the dish, I really don’t want to have a corn chowder. We also ordered the Burger — cooked to Medium and my DH enjoyed it. I ordered the BLTA — Bacon Lettuce Tomato and Avocado with a fried egg on top over rosemary bread. It was excellent each time I had it. Previous visit we tried the Rennie, Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup and Salmon with Salad and both tasted good. The service was good and they are very quick in refiling water glass and bring you more scones. If not for the disappointing Chowder it would have been a 4 star review.
Jana A.
Place rating: 5 Alamo, CA
This place is fabulous. Great cocktails and service was really good. We had a business function and decided to bring everyone here for few drinks. Great experience. We will come again. The menu looked really good too. Maybe next time we will try some food.
Angela B.
Place rating: 4 Vancouver, Canada
It was a busy Saturday morning downtown with people scrambling for last minute gifts and parking spots. I was lucky to make it into the Four Seasons and get into Yew restaurant upstairs for brunch. It was so much more calmer then staying outside for sure. We sat in the high chairs in the lounge to watch people and hockey. I ordered a cup of coffee and the Smoked Salmon Benny with asparagus, capers, poached eggs, potatoes and hollandaise on the side. I can tell you that $ 5 for a cup of coffee is not worth it at all, but $ 19 for the Benny is comparable to most hotel restaurants in the city. I asked them to give me a gluten free option instead of the English muffin. The salmon was soft and definitely not dry, and the eggs were medium. The potatoes were lightly seasoned, a nice change from the typical hash browns, and wedges. The portion was just right for brunch and I didn’t feel too full or still hungry when I left. My only suggestion is to lower the price for coffee as you’re better off to go to Starbucks down the street!
Mary-Jane A.
Place rating: 4 Surrey, Canada
I’ve been here a few times for brunch over the years and it’s consistently good. Came here last weekend with friends for brunch. They serve all the usual breakfast items. My friend and I shared the eggs Benny and also split a specialty fruit juice they blend. Very tasty!
John R.
Place rating: 4 Warren, NJ
Dinner for one and late enough not to get into anything too heavy. Thus, I had to try the Lobster Meatballs — Olives, Herbs, Warm Tomato Vinaigrette. Well, they are indeed meatballs, and they are lobster, and they are in a red sauce. Maybe there are other incarnations of this out there somewhere but I haven’t run into any. Though I cannot say it was so amazing that I can’t wait to go back for more I will say it was unusual enough to probably try other things from the Yew Signature Lobster Tank section. Service was attentive and helpful as well — so for me the perfect quiet dinner before calling it a night.
Ayla C.
Place rating: 2 Vancouver, Canada
I really wanted to love Yew. I really did! But it left me very cold. Boyfriend had a room booked at the Four Seasons(he had a conference in town, and I’m not going to turn down a staycation!) so while waiting for him I stopped into Yew for a drink, having heard great things. The hosts were dressed in beautiful outfits, and I complimented one on her dress before realising her co-host was wearing the same thing! It was bustling at 7pm on a Friday, so I snagged a spot at the bar. I had a great book to read, and I love people watching, so I was excited to settle in for a little bit. There were at least 4 bartenders behind the bar, all busying around, and it only took a minute before a bartender dropped off a menu with a smile. My water glass was promptly filled by a busser(from whom I received the best service all night), and it all started to go downhill from there. I looked through their menu and my jaw almost hit the floor when I saw their prices! Cocktails that start(start!!) at $ 14 – 20 had better be the best thing you’ve ever drunk, and while they looked interesting, they didn’t look life changing. I get it, it’s a hotel bar and they tend towards the expensive, but the more I looked around the more I felt it was expense for expense’s sake, not because they were offering anything that much more incredible than any of Vancouver’s other cocktail bars. It took almost ten minutes for a bartender to take my order, and this was with the menu firmly closed and placed by the bar, not to mention my constant attempts to make eye contact with anyone to come and talk to me. Perhaps there’d just been a shift change and they were catching each other up, but there seemed to be a lot of not-talking-to-me happening. I consider myself a friendly person, and I love chatting to staff — certainly other folks were getting some great chats with the staff, but alas I was ignored. When my order was eventually taken I asked for a whiskey sour. To his credit, the bartender asked what kind of whiskey I wanted — I decided on bourbon. My drink was quickly made and placed in front of me — it looked good; it also looked small. I’m used to my drinks being served in boob glasses(you know the ones I mean), and this was a mini rocks glass which made it look smaller than I’m sure it was. I did enjoy the drink — it was tasty, but the egg white made up a good portion of the drink, and the flavour was not as well balanced as I like. If I seem over-critical it’s because I was analysing my experience much more than I typically would, given the high end appearance(and pricing) of Yew. Boyfriend arrived and we were eager to drop off our stuff and get out for dinner. It took another few minutes of wild eye contact to flag down a bartender to get the bill. Ultimately for me it comes down to the question«would I return,» and I’m afraid to say that the answer is «probably not.» Unless someone else was extremely eager to head to Yew, I wouldn’t give it another try.
Benjamin h.
Place rating: 1 Vancouver, Canada
Nope. Here was my bill: 1 old fashioned $ 14 1 makers mark $ 6 That was for a single drink. They felt the need to upcharge me because Maker’s is so top-shelf and exclusive. After tax and tip my drink was just under $ 27. It was too much bitters, overly floral. It’s nice in there and all, but it’s not clear what I just paid for.
Lisa L.
Place rating: 3 Vancouver, Canada
After months of anticipation, I finally made it to Yew for brunch! Unfortunately, my expectations were too high. The restaurant is very beautiful– tall ceilings and tastefully decorated. There is also a glass room/wine cellar in the center of the room for more private/VIP dining! If you add $ 10 to your main, you can get a 3 course meal! Great deal!!! I started off with a liege waffle which came with whipped cream and jam– very tasty! However, I would not have ordered this had I known the restaurant served mini donuts to start. My friend had a tuna dish, I didn’t try it but he said it was delicious. For the main we both had halibut. I couldn’t finish it as I thought it was bland and could not force myself to eat it. It wasn’t the worst however as my friend finished his. For dessert I had a pistachio financier– it was alright, I wouldn’t recommend it though. My friend had the warm chocolate cake which he thoroughly enjoyed! Service at this restaurant is impeccable! We met a lot of servers and every one of them served us with a smile and made sure we had everything we needed in a timely manner. Since I didn’t enjoy my meal, I was offered something else which I declined. However, my meal was comped– greatly appreciated :)
Jennie Y.
Place rating: 4 Vancouver, Canada
Food: 4⁄5 Service: 4⁄5 Ambiance: 5⁄5 Their weekend brunch deal is FANTASTIC!(11:30am-2:30pm) You add $ 12 to any brunch entrée course and receive 1 starter and 1 dessert. We shared this between 2 people and added the YEW chowder which was PLENTY of food and we were pretty much stuffed(we were initially concerned that it wasn’t going to be enough food). Brunch is served with complimentary mini sugared donuts with maple/chocolate dipping sauce(served cold, I wish it was warm). YEW Chowder I was surprised by the portion — very generous. It is made with smoked cod and sablefish which potatoes, corn, and apple. Amazing flavour and easily my favourite dish of the meal. Albacore Tuna Tataki Amazing cuts of tuna with pickled vegs and on some sort of delicious sour sauce that added a great kick of flavour. Halibut Smoked maple glazed pork belly, potatoes, apples, and a sunny egg. This was our least favourite dish of the meal. The halibut was over-done and dry. The pork belly was nice and fatty but lacked flavour. I wish there was another sauce component on the dish since the runny sunny egg was not enough to cover that element. Strawberry and Pistachio Financier Delicious, moist cake balanced by the tartness of the strawberry compote and creamy ice cream. We also tried their Caesar which was about average — nothing special in terms of flavour but it did come with a nice piece of bacon for garnish. Bacon will always win points to my heart(and stomach). Our server’s style was prompt, cool, and efficient. The hosts, food runners and bussers were warmer and just as efficient.
Helen T.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
Located within the Four Seasons hotel, I thought that this place was going to be super expensive, but it really wasn’t too bad(though it might be because of the USD to CAD conversion)! For the quality of the food, I definitely thought it was worth it. We came at around 2:30PM, so we could only order food from the bar menu. We ordered a few items, including the Smoked Meat Sandwich, Lobster Tacos, Fish and Chips, and Salt & Pepper Wings. I was deciding a few cocktails, and our server told us that he didn’t like the Icy Pancakes and recommended the 12 Apostles instead. I really liked my cocktail and it was pretty tasty! Anyways about the food, I HIGHLY recommend getting the Fish and Chips. The Fish and Chips here were the best I’ve ever had! It wasn’t overly fried and you could actually taste the fish flavor! I think the Fish and Chips here were the best I’ve ever had. The fish wasn’t overly fried, and you could definitely taste the fish. The sandwich was also tasty, the lobster in the lobster tacos tasted fresh, and the wings were bomb. Every dish we had was delicious! The bill came out to be about $ 20/person, but it was filling and the food again, was really good. This place might be more expensive during dinner, but I think it’d be worth, assuming that the quality wouldn’t be that different!
Sarah T.
Place rating: 4 Surrey, Canada
Enjoyed a birthday dinner at Yew last night. We bought a 3 course salmon dinner off of travelzoo. Ordered a nice bottle of quails gate gewertziminer to pair with our food. Started off with a delicious salmon chowder and cured salmon. The salmon chowder was substantial with large pieces of salmon, potato and corn. The cured salmon had a nice fresh pesto style sauce with olives and jalapeño pepper slices. Both appys were very good. For our mains both my dining partner and I had the duo of salmon and pork belly on a bed of soba noodles with Asian greens. The dish was perfection. Both proteins were cooked beautifully and the noodles had so much flavour. For dessert I had a little cake that was very similar to a blueberry muffin with pistachio ice cream. My partner had soft serve ice cream with blueberry compote. I preferred my partners dish as I found the cake just a little too heavy after such a large entrée. Since it was a birthday meal they also sent over a platter of berries and macaroons which was a very thoughtful touch. Our waiter was very attentive without being intrusive A great experience!
Denise W.
Place rating: 5 Vancouver, Canada
I have to say their food are delicious. Had their trout fish and I was amazed. They have cooked it to perfection. the trout is being served on a black look a like pan. Portion may look deceivingly small but its quite a filling portion. Their appies and desert are delicious as well. So anything you order off the menu, you can’t go wrong. The décor is brown or golden color. I always find it a waste of space to have a glassroom in the middle of the restaurant. It does look unique and interesting. The servers are really friendly. Definitely will recommend people here. My sister loves this place.
Elena N.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
I came here solely because their February 2012 Dine Out Vancouver menu looked interesting. The roommate and I made a reservation via OpenTable. We were about an hour early, but they happily sat us since the restaurant didn’t seem too busy. Appetizer *Crab cake *Lobster poutine Entrée *Salmon *Steak(added foie gras) Dessert *Bananas foster *Cheesecake *End of meal chocolates *Cookie for the next morning The food itself was okay. My favs were the steak and bananas foster. I added foie gras to my steak, which to me, almost always makes a steak better! The dessert was good too. Nice and creamy. Service was excellent, as was expected from a Four seasons. Very nice place for dinner. And with DOV, dinner was a good deal. But I’m not sure if I’d come back for a regular meal.
Victor C.
Place rating: 5 Hamburg
Wer im Four Seasons wohnt, für den führt kein Weg am Yew vorbei. Aber auch wer Wert auf frischen Seafood legt(den man in Vancouver ja in Hülle und Fülle bekommt). Das Restaurant ist sehr stylisch. Die Produkte sind wie zu erwarten unglaublich frisch, es werden hauptsächlich lokale Produkte wie z.B. Lachs, Hummer oder Muscheln verarbeitet. Es gibt sehr guten Wein, und außerdem eine große Auswahl an nationalen und internationalen Bieren. Alkoholika können über ein iPad ausgewählt werden, dazu gibt es meist eine kleine Beschreibung. Empfehlen kann ich die Plat de Fruit de Mer, die an das französische Original angelegt ist, aber aus vielen kleinen Fisch– und Meerestierkompositionen besteht. Außerdem ist das wohl beste Mac ‘n’ Cheese im Yew zu verachten, das mit Trüffeln und Hummer angerichtet wird. Ein wahrer Genuss! Preislich spielt das Yew in der oberen Liga von Vancouvers Restaurants mit. Für deutsche Verhältnisse aber sicherlich noch in vertretbarem Bereich, erst recht mit Bezug auf die gelieferte Qualität.