Notch8 Restaurant & Bar

Amazing service. Sexy ambience. Stellar brunch. Great times. And they have a happy hour. One of my favourites for a cocktail after a long afternoon of shopping :)

the appetizer was great but unfortunately the entrée was disappointing. The chicken was too salty while the veggies did not have any flavour on
the time i was done, all i was craving for was more water. I’ m happy that it had the dine out price because i would not have paid more for what it!!! never coming back.

Dined here last Sunday evening. Our server paired wines with the food perfectly. Knowledgable, professional staff. The food was absolutely amazing. I recommend the prime rib, oysters and duck.
Great place for a double date. I will definitely come back and try the other menu items.
Beautiful atmosphere.
Thank you Notch8!

Great food, drinks, ambiance, and amazing service. We had dinner here on Sunday 10^th, our server Christian was attentive, professional and very knowledgeable. He made great suggestions pairing the perfect wine for our oysters, prime rib and finally the duck. We finished the evening of with a seven layer cake, a very full tummy, and smiles on our faces. Can’t wait to dine here again.
Well done Notch8!!!

3.75 Stars
I honestly did not have high hopes for Notch8 since the restaurant always seemed empty every time we passed through the hotel, but I was pleasantly surprised with my meal. The décor was a bit distasteful and over the top in my opinion, but the chairs were very comfortable and the service was excellent.
The hilights of our meal included:
Their Signature Bread, which came loaded with savoury comte cheese and mustard seeds
The signature BC Hot Pot, with a variety of seafood. Almost everything in this dish was delicious; especially the giant scallop and sablefish. The halibut was on the dry side though.
The lemon tart, which everybody keeps talking about! It had the perfect amount of tartness, which complemented the sweet and tangy dessert very well.
Overall, we had a great meal here but it was a bit pricey for the quality. I feel like I could get a much better meal at Blue Water for the price.

5 stars for the atmosphere and cocktails. The holiday décor was lovely.
I would definitely recommend Notch 8 as a place to enjoy a drink or two. The cocktail menu is nicely laid out.
Our drinks came with generous servings of bar nuts and sweet potato chips. We didn’t order from the food menu here.

I’ve been meaning to check out this newly-​renovated restaurant-​bar in the lobby of the Hotel Van and I was rather impressed. I knew the space would be swanky and gorgeous (which it was), but I didn’t have high expectations for the food. Had a full dinner and it was outstanding — tasty, inventive, and well-​presented. We had the mac & cheese to share (creamy & delicious), the BC hot pot, and the pork tenderloin, which was the highlight for me. Service was spot on and friendly, and the whole experience feels like a setting for Mad Men. Finally, the Hotel Van has a lobby bar-​restaurant fitting its grandeur.

Pleasant lobby bar with a happy hour from 3 to 6, although the specialty cocktail is not available until 4 pm for some obscure reason. My Daisy drink, a precursor of the Cosmopolitan, was fabulous as it should be since it is $ 15 Canadian. The server did bring out fried sweet potato chips and some asian cracker mix to go with our cocktails. The place filled up by 5. The chandaliers are worth a gander, and the couch/​chair sitting areas are cozy. The wifi is free here and in the lobby, but $ 15 if you want to use it in your room. Pretty much a wash, and tastier if you want to hang out and use wifi in the bar.

A pleasant, elegant and comfortable place to hang out and use the free Wifi that is not offered in the rooms of the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel, of which it is a part.
They have a weekday happy hour from 3 to 6pm and offers a good deal on a limited small plate menu and basic drinks. From what I observed, it seems aimed at business types who don’t want to head home without a drink or two under their belts.
I stuck to the regular drink menu, which was very interesting. Despite misgivings as to how maple syrup infused bourbon would taste in a Manhattan, it was great!
Live music on weekends, curling and hockey was playing on the 2 TV’s over the bar the afternoon I was there.

Slick little hotel bar in downtown Vancouver. Delicious cocktails (I like the Sage margarita), nice bar snacks including crispy little carrot slices, and relaxing live music, in the case of our night, women with alto voices playing guitar. This is a grown up joint for a night of polite drinking and conversation, but you pay for the setting and location.

Pretty restaurant, mediocre and expensive food, salty as f– French onion soup topped off with horrendous service.
Impulsively popped in here for a snack and had massive expectations for Notch8 as we walked past the impressive foyer with huge dandelion things dangling atop. That’s when the fun began. We waited at least ten minutes before being approached by our server, SHERRIE. And of course, being Chinese and all, and given way more time than we needed, we were ready to order drinks, appetizers, and dessert all at once — the way it should be done because who has time these days?
We didn’t wait too long for the food, a sigh of relief in such fancy restaurants. As Ms. Sherrie went to set the soup down, I saw my plate of fish on her other hand tipping and coming at my face. I dodged it like Jackie Chan but my pants were soaked with sea bass au jus. «Did I get it on you?» asked my dear Sherrie, as I’m grabbing my crotch with my custom made N8 napkin. «Yes, but I’ll be okay», and without another word Sherrie shuffled off, attending to more important guests.
If it wasn’t the saltiest French onion soup in the solar system, sheesh. Quinoa, corn, kale side dish was pretty damn good. The loaded $ 34 BC Seafood Hotpot was a bargain compared to the almost $ 40 Medi Sea Bass. What a great place to lighten your wallet after a hard day’s work. Five-​star prices for four-​star food. It’s always unfortunate when you get service like this in such a beautiful restaurant. We would have told her had she come back to check on us but we never saw Sherrie again after she unloaded, probably attending to her newborn baby in the kitchen sink.
Billing took about fifteen minutes. Ms. Sherrie decided she would bill us and run off to chat with another table, take our payment then disappear for another hour only to come back with news that UnionPay doesn’t work there. Just when we were about to pull out another card, she vanished like a magical troll. This is one of those moments where you just want to dine and dash the f– out of there. Finally she reappeared at another table with a wine serving set, oh no. We left some money and left. Goodbye Notch8, goodbye Sherrie, forever.
Reminiscing on the Medi Sea Bass as I smell my crotch. What an experience. Tide me please.

After a disappointing dinner at Tableau, we drifted over to the Fairmont Vancouver for dessert, hoping to introduce our dining buddies to the interesting Grand Marnier Soufflé we had had at Notch8. Alas, the dessert menu (at the bottom of the bar-​lounge menu) had long since changed to a basically $ 10 everything list.
We were seated at a different location in the surprisingly expansive restaurant, and got to see a little bit more of the interior. Each turn of a corner takes you into a different ambiance, making Notch8 a surprisingly versatile dining location.
Lemon Curd Tart ($ 10) candied peel, vanilla crémeux
— Average sized lemon tart. Barely any sharp tartness, which may be disappointing to some.
— Bitter peels and vanilla cream were totally worthless as a result, and I really didn’t need to pay for them, did I?
— Nowhere close to the excellent tart at Tartine so I’m gonna have to rate this one at no more than $ 6. But you’re at the Fairmont, so I suppose a couple of extra dollars are expected.
— Burnt-​sugar crème brûlée top.
Summer Berry Pudding ($ 10) vanilla bean ice cream, honey tuille
— Yup, it’s pudding all right. Absolutely soaking in sweet berry syrup. So sweet you might want to temper it with the ice cream.
— Otherwise pretty tasty. Definitely a 2 – 3 person sharing portion based on the sweetness.
Coffee ($ 5.50)
— This gets you a POT which has probably 3 mugs in it.
— Better than Starbucks, AND you get to have it in a much nicer space. Next time you’re thinking of a quiet place to read or get work done, try asking to be tucked away somewhere quiet, deep inside Notch8.

I made a reservation via Unilocal and had to wait over an hour for a table. Meanwhile my husband and I had 2 cocktails, mediocre. When we finally got the table, I have this to say. The French onion soup was lacking in flavor. The salmon was unevenly cooked. The dessert was great, the caramel éclair. The waiter was rude and paid low attention. I had to ask my husband to serve my wine. I had to request the check twice, gave my credit card and had to ask another waiter to help. My bill was given to my husband, though I requested it. Original guy said to put in my room number, through I had provided my card and was not staying in that hotel. I expected a fine dining experience at a Fairmont. For the first time in my life I deleted the tip and wrote in «bad service». I requested a manager and was told there was no such animal present. Now I am left angry after an expensive meal, not a happy camper.
I will not return next trip to Vancouver. A bad experience for what was supposed to be a fine dining evening.

My friend and I came here after work for a drink before going for dinner somewhere else. It’s the first time I’ve been here since the renovations and it was really nice. The service and cocktails we ordered were good. The drinks are on the pricey side and smaller than normal portions, but that is expected in a hotel of this kind. It was a great way to start the weekend off!

If you’re looking for great service and ambience and feeling like a VIP this is the place to go. Unfortunately, the menu was not impressive. I tried a chicken and bacon sandwich here, which was alright. The BC hot pot, which is a seafood soup was very salty. My 4 year old niece liked her little hamburgers and the steamed vegetables that came with it.

Good drinks, okay food
I was here with a couple of friends for some drinks and appies. The drinks are really good, while there’s nothing special about the food. We’ve tried the mussel and fries. The fries are pretty good, while the sauce for the mussel could’ve been better. Each of the drinks are served in unique glasses, which i thought was very classy. Only thing I wasn’t too happy about was the service. It was standard, but the server did not understand what we meant when we asked him to split the appy. We had to do some drunk math, but it all worked out fine in the end. I would definitely recommend this place to people who are looking for a good bar experience.

Beautiful modern design inside, definitely looks like 5 star. Went here for dinner on a Friday night. As I sat down I already had a feeling it’s not going to be as what I expected. The menu did not look too exciting, nor did it taste anything good. I had the Mediterranean Sea Bass with dungeness crab, artichokes, and seafood nage, and shared ‘Notch8 Signature Bread’. Gotta say, sea bass was perfectly cook, but everything else was bland. I’ve never used salt & pepper for my food but I had to this time. Bread was okay, first couple of bites were good, then the rest was just dry. Friend’s NY Strip was not the best either; I’d rather go to the Keg. I would’ve had dessert, but it was just not worth it. So we left feeling unsatisfied, and went somewhere else for desserts.
I must say though, our server was pretty good and attentive, helpful, and had good aura. Extra star for him.

I always wanted to be a princess.
The closet thing for me came at High Tea during my 1^st trip to Vancouver.
3 ½ stars.
I guess I was expecting castles and servers dressed in Victorian dresses but instead… Notch 8 was a regular modern restaurant inside of the Fairmont Hotel. Don’t get me wrong… it was a beautiful hotel… just not what I was looking for at the time.
We paid $ 60/​person for some tea and crumpets. We left hungry and thirsty.
It was a fun experience, and I had a great time with my girls… but overpriced and small portioned.

We went to this place for my birthday dinner. It was the Victoria long weekend and it was pretty cozy and quiet when we were there. One thing for sure, I do miss the piano at the center before this place was renovated. Now, it has a fresh, updated retro look, which is more inviting for a younger crowd. On that evening, we ordered the Shrimp Cocktail, the 12oz Prime Rib and Duck Leg Confit. The Shrimp Cocktail was pretty good. It was my first shrimp cocktail that was not served in a cocktail glass but served spread out on the plate. The sauce marie rose was interesting but it a little sweet for me, kind like tasting Ebi Mayo. The Duck Leg Confit and the Prime Rib was perfectly cooked and great in taste. The dishes were well-​portion as well, with a decent portion of mash potatoes and veggies, which can hardly not have a full, satisfied stomach by the end of the night. The service on that night was good, not much enthusiastic but professionally well manner. At the end, my girlfriend ordered as the Chocolate Pots de Crème (chocolate cake) as my birthday dessert for me. It was great and we loved it so much that we may came back just for the dessert.

Had an excellent breakfast here while staying at the Fairmont Vancouver. Notch8 is on the lower lobby level, and as far as I can see was the only restaurant — it isn’t even listed in the book the hotel provides in your room.
Service was very fast and friendly — I was surprised at how fast my food came out. My omlette and hashbrowns were excellent. The toast was a little too cool to melt butter however.
Ambience was exceptional — all the little touches are here. Even the little book for the check was nicely detailed. I will definitely try dinner here.