Calabash Bistro
10 reviews 428 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC +1 604-568-5882 www.calabashbistro.com suggest an edit
29 July 2023 3:29
Excellent and Authentic Mexican street tacos! Very tasty. Very friendly. Ask them to make a little more spicy and it’s perfect!? Also, very clean for the area it’s in. Their food feels good in my stomach?
06 July 2023 23:00
I went in with high expectations based on the reviews but this was the worst food I’ve ever tasted. I took a bite of the wings (which were dry and cold) and i couldn’t eat anymore. The jerk chicken meal was inedible and a very small serving size considering how much we were charged. Worst food I’ve ever had.
26 June 2023 6:34
Sketchy location of Vancouver but pretty delicious Jamaican-style food. This spot also has some crazy selection of rum and rum flights if you're into that!
18 June 2023 21:53
My husband and I went here on Mexican day. I ordered fondito and quessadilla with beef, if you like cheese, these are your go to. My husband ordered some tacos. The food was Delicious! I ate quessadilla with pickled cucumbers and hot sauce. It was so tasty! We'll def come back again.
10 June 2023 19:27
Excellent and Authentic Mexican street tacos! Very tasty. Very friendly. Ask them to make a little more spicy and it’s perfect! Also, very clean for the area it’s in. Their food feels good in my stomach.
25 July 2022 12:48
Went in for a birthday dinner celebration. Most of us ordered the oxtail, which tasted good. Patties were ok, lacked flavour. Drinks were delicious (Dark & Stormy, Rum punch and Reggae on Broadway) However, major disappointment in the service dept. We had booked the last available dining time for 9pm. Upon arrival, our table wasn't ready as there were still patrons there. We finally got seated at 9: 30pm and this was when it turned sideways We were told that we needed to vacate the table by 10: 15/10: 30pm to make room for dancing. So our dining experience went from 1.5hrs to under an hour. Talk about being rushed through dinner, couldn't even enjoy it. On the online booking site, even says that tables will be reserved for 2.5hours for parties of up to 6. Perhaps this needs to be amended.
Manager there was also quite condenscending, especially when she made a remark of "So, you want us to do you a favour" when asked if we could order another meal at 10pm and we understood we had to finish it by 10: 30pm, which we did.
Here's the kicker. After spending $$$ on meal and drinks, they wanted to charge another $5 per person if you wanted to stay for dancing Only consolation was that the food and beverages were good.
Manager there was also quite condenscending, especially when she made a remark of "So, you want us to do you a favour" when asked if we could order another meal at 10pm and we understood we had to finish it by 10: 30pm, which we did.
Here's the kicker. After spending $$$ on meal and drinks, they wanted to charge another $5 per person if you wanted to stay for dancing Only consolation was that the food and beverages were good.
02 July 2022 20:10
Great breakfast. I love this place it was really cool you’re in Vancouver and I highly recommend getting breakfast here.
26 June 2022 9:30
The rice was the perfect allegory for the restaurant itself: bland, dry and definitely underseasoned.
Looking at the price of each items, you would expect more flavors, care or quality for the ingredients, not cheap costco chicken meat for this interpretation of jerk chicken. Same for the oxtail.
If you're craving carribbean/island soul food, expect to feel disappointed and ripped off.
Browsing through the reviews, it seems this issue has been going on for years and never been adressed.
Looking at the price of each items, you would expect more flavors, care or quality for the ingredients, not cheap costco chicken meat for this interpretation of jerk chicken. Same for the oxtail.
If you're craving carribbean/island soul food, expect to feel disappointed and ripped off.
Browsing through the reviews, it seems this issue has been going on for years and never been adressed.
26 June 2022 3:49
My second time here and they have decent oxtail. Reservations are a must as it gets really busy. The staff are all kind and down to earth and the bottom floor of the restaurant turns into a dance floor at night on the weekends, and it's pretty fun and bumping.
My boyfriend says the oxtail recipe has changed throughout the years (he has been a patron here since way back) and that it used to be much better with bigger portions of meat, but we still enjoyed the dish.
The meat is tender and fatty although some of the pieces are very small. Tiny bones with small pieces of meat. There is just the right amount of spice. It comes on a plate with rice, salad, a doughnut ball, and two tiny pieces of fried plantain (would have liked more). The rice was disappointing because it was flavorless and so plain! If you're going to make oxtail then you need authentic rice to go along with it. If I could rate just the oxtail it would be 3.5/5
The dark and stormy drink appears to be pretty popular here and it is very tasty with coconut shavings on top.
We also shared a starter of the pork belly which was really good. I enjoyed the mango pieces it was paired with and it also came with two doughnut balls.
The only downside is that the area that this restaurant is in has gone downhill, especially more so during the pandemic. Just steps outside of the restaurant you will witness some of the most impoverished and mentally ill people, which is heartbreaking to see.
That being said, parking can be a headache in the area and it might be better to park a few blocks down where there is less foot traffic. Or better yet just take a cab and leave your car at home!
My boyfriend says the oxtail recipe has changed throughout the years (he has been a patron here since way back) and that it used to be much better with bigger portions of meat, but we still enjoyed the dish.
The meat is tender and fatty although some of the pieces are very small. Tiny bones with small pieces of meat. There is just the right amount of spice. It comes on a plate with rice, salad, a doughnut ball, and two tiny pieces of fried plantain (would have liked more). The rice was disappointing because it was flavorless and so plain! If you're going to make oxtail then you need authentic rice to go along with it. If I could rate just the oxtail it would be 3.5/5
The dark and stormy drink appears to be pretty popular here and it is very tasty with coconut shavings on top.
We also shared a starter of the pork belly which was really good. I enjoyed the mango pieces it was paired with and it also came with two doughnut balls.
The only downside is that the area that this restaurant is in has gone downhill, especially more so during the pandemic. Just steps outside of the restaurant you will witness some of the most impoverished and mentally ill people, which is heartbreaking to see.
That being said, parking can be a headache in the area and it might be better to park a few blocks down where there is less foot traffic. Or better yet just take a cab and leave your car at home!
19 May 2022 21:54
Man let me tell you. Friends of ours booked a birthday celebration here that included dinner that came out in 3 parts. When you first look up the location of this spot you quickly realize it's right next to East Hastings, okay no problem, and once you get close to the restaurant you realize its REALLY right next to East Hastings, but im here to tell you, do NOT let that throw you off from going here. The service from literally EVERYONE was fantastic, our waitress was so happy to serve and make a great experience for all of us. I was nervous about the food that was going to be served because im a fussy eater but good god the food was awesome. The atmosphere, staff, food and even the room temperature (considering it was downstairs and quite packed) was all perfect. Kudos to all the staff for making such a memorable experience for me!