Argo Café

Another little gem in the city. The Argo Café offers all day breakfast, delicious soup, real turkey in their club sandwich and regularly in house made pie. Don’t miss their chocolate cake and mouse cake with marshmallow icing. The service is friendly and quirky and if you are in the neighborhood pop in!
This place is family friendly but it is not very big so there could be wait times on busy days and at times.
There is a lot of street parking for this place. I would not suggest this little gem for dates but it is ideal for your lunch time crew. The house made fries are made from real potatoes and there are so many whole ingredients in the foods you can taste the difference.
The prices are extremely reasonable and if you are in a rush no problem order to go.

Love the neighborhood homey feeling… we live a couple blocks away and finally got to the later hours option. The service was great, the menu options all reasonable and entre came with soup. Fun little gem with a diner feel but casual local feel. Certainly not fancy or complicated but an old style place for a hearty meal

I LOVE this joint. Their «Mexican poutine» was made famous when it was featured in the Food Network series, «You Gotta Eat Here.» The original recipe however is on a bed of rice, not fries, however, it’s equally as delicious served either way. I usually go there any order the poutine for its strong combination of flavour and spice.
I have also been able to try other dishes over time. The taco steak salad is delicious and every slice of beef is well seasoned, the greens are crisp and delicious, and yet the dish as a whole is elegant, but simple. I’ve also tried their chow mein. It’s delicious, and an accurate take on the Vancouver Chinese classic, minus the unnecessary grease, plus the higher quality ingredients.
My only disappointment are its limited hours. I do not work in the area and as I do work fulltime, it is next to impossible to get in. There is no dinner because they are closed by 4 PM, and they are never open on weekends. I get it, it’s an iconic establishment and the family has been running the place for a couple generations now, so it’s their choice. Who wants to work in a restaurant on a weekend if you don’t have to? There was however, one time I was very disappointed because I did not know if they were closed on a stat holiday (not Christmas or any of the other major ones, I think it was Victoria Day), but there was no posting on their website or restaurant. They used to always tell me to check for specials and menu changes on their website. It also did not specify that the restaurant would be closed for on stat holidays in general. Just FYI. I am such a fan of this place, I would easily give it 5 stars if their hours, from a customer perspective, wasn’t so limiting.

Just went after a recommendation from a friend who works in the area. Went at 2pm and it was pretty empty but they mentioned the busy lunch time is usually 11−1pm.
Staff was friendly and the food was really delicious. I ordered a special «Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with mashed potatoes, veggies and currant Demi-​glaze». Really well cooked and the Demi-​glaze was on point! Mashed potatoes were buttery goodness and the veggies were just left steamed which was nice.
The meal came with complementary soup and the Turkey Barley was just like my granny used to make.
My mom had the Beef & Broccoli which she said was good. Nothing amazing but a good side dish for $ 13.
I will definitely go back :)

In a sea of restaurants trying too hard, Argo is an absolute gem. They seem to open when they feel like it and cook whatever they feel like, and for that it’s awesome.
Burgers are great. Fries are great. Soup is great.
Generally they’re open weekdays 8 – 4, but at the moment they’re open evenings Thursday and Friday. From what I understand, the daughter is pondering becoming a full time cook, so she runs the restaurant a couple nights a week to try out some recipes.

We wanted to try a new place that was nice and close to my new house so I decided on Argo as I’ve been meaning to check this place out.
The restaurant was eclectic inside and out and I loved it. The menu was very simple and the prices were great. As my boyfriend and I were famished, we went for an assortment of appetizers to share. It turned out they were all deep fried and that wasn’t planned nor was that a good idea for the waistline but today of all days, I didn’t care.
The first to arrive was our 5 spice duck spring rolls which were decent. The duck definitely had an Asian flavour that I recognized, hence the French/​Asian fusion theme of the restaurant hinted at. Next was the deep fried pickles and oh man, these were my favourite of the night. For only $ 2.50 a plate, it was a steal and I loved the dip that it came with. I could eat 3 plates to myself… But I won’t.
Lastly our chicken wings and Mexican poutine arrived. The chicken wings were a very close second to the pickles. They were breaded perfectly and the flavour tasted just like this fried short rib dish that my dad always made for when I was younger. The garlic pieces that came with the chicken wings were awesome and the overall taste somewhat reminded me of Phnom Penh. The Mexican poutine with chicken was my boyfriends favourite of the night. It was different than your average poutine and the flavours were definitely Mexican and it worked.
We’ll definitely be checking back in for their day menu. Our server was also suuuuuper friendly and bubbly and made the whole experience even better.

Service is casual and friendly, with cheerful and sassy banter, but snappy too! Not a moment is wasted, especially during the rush.
Food is excellent. I recently had a burger for twice the price at a fancy downtown restaurant and it was nowhere near as good. Don’t be shy to try their milkshakes — they’re the real deal! But if they are too busy, milkshakes are off the menu, so be prepared for that possibility.
Finally, the onion soup I had today was so good I would’ve ordered a second bowl if I’d had the time. Salty, as it should be, but not overly so, and in a really flavourful broth. Yum!

When my husband took me here for breakfast I was a little hesitant due to the looks from the outside of the café. But once you step inside you’re greeted with the most awesome abundance of personality. I didn’t get the server’s name but he was hilarious! He kept cracking jokes the whole time we were there. As for the food, it is what you’d expect from a diner. The food was good and served in a fair amount of time. I wouldn’t say what I ordered was spectacular, but definitely good enough to go again. I got the breakfast platter with French toast. The lunch menus looked interesting and intriguing because they offer good that is Asian infused with what looks traditional American plates. Definitely worth trying!

My husband and I popped by Argo for lunch today and lucky me, my seat had a direct view into the kitchen. I watched as the guy working back there used his bare hands to manhandle a whole chicken (it was cooked, thank god), wipe his hands on his dirty pants multiple times, pick up a skanky looking rag to wipe counters down, and then proceed to make my grilled cheese sandwich without washing his hands. This is in addition to the fact that this whole place is filthy.
This is my own fault. I ate here awhile ago and found what looked like pubes in my pasta, but were more likely beard or moustache hairs. I told myself I would not be back but I work around the corner, today was gross out, and we just needed somewhere close and fast. I went in against my better judgement and left hungry. I’ve now learned my lesson!
Be warned, haha!

I discovered this place earlier this summer…
As I was taking a walk while waiting for my take out…
Next doors at Manna sushi…
So I made a point to come back and try this place…
I like these dinner-​café with an old school vibes like at the Templeton…
As Hamburgers Mary’s in da West end is now close (boo I was a fan)…
I was really curious to come in…
The booth are definitely authentic (kind of old but still comfortable)…
The customers service was average but it’s fine with me.
I picked the chicken burger… It come lettuce, tomato,
red onions, pickle and chili mayo… It was good tough…
No fries or cheese as you need to pay an extra.
Just lil tricky in my case if it’s not summer time…
As they are open 7am to 4pm not too sure when I will be able to come back…
Also not sure if they are open during the week-​end/​Statutory holidays.
But it was a surprise… A good one tough…
As I like encouraging local businesses
I would not mind to go back simply to taste their fries!!!

This is a really cool local restaurant with a friendly vibe. The exterior is very unassuming and the décor very unpretentious, definitely a neighborhood restaurant. The food has an unmistakeable gourmet flair. We ordered mexican poutine, surf+turf, and a paneer salad. All tip-​top and delicious. We were easily persuaded to stay for cakes and tea. A huge meal that we spent around $ 60 for, and as a bonus we received tons of tips on things to do during our Vancouver tour from the amazingly friendly waiters. The combination of high quality and good value would keep me coming back weekly if i were a local.

I really like that it is a fusion restaurant where I can enjoy both asian and american food.

This charming, local café-​diner has high quality food, great service, good sized portions and local charm. It’s not somewhere you go for ambiance, but for a quick, solid, high quality meal. It was perfect for our «foodie» family.

OMG where have you been all my life? I am ashamed to say that a foodie like myself just discovered this place today. I was taken here for a monthly business meeting and to just shoot the shit with my boss (I was the Banana that ran into him at Coachella 2011 and almost knocked him down). He knows that I am a foodie and suggested this place.
It’s a hole in the wall joint with character. Limited seating, however, decent turn around. The food is a cross between diner and some reasonable plated meals.
I had the steak, gravy and potatoes for $ 12 before tax. Everything on the menu was very reasonably priced. My steak was well done as ordered and tasted decent. Very greasy spoon but well worth the effort.
Best business meeting ever. I was tempted with the apple pie, however, was stuffed to the brim with food.
Waitress was very friendly.

Surprising find. This diner style restaurant is a bit of a whole in the wall and looks quite unimpressive but you’ll be surprised. Menu is up on the chalkboard and they have quite the list of specials. Definitely try a special. I had baked salmon and it was good! I was hesitant to order it in a place that’s a bit of a dive but my friend who use to go all the time swore it would be good and he was right! It’s a small restaurant with booths so can’t really fit bigger than groups of 4.

Delicious, well presented and fair prices! Vancouver desperately needs more places like this!

They take debit now!

it’s a dive… so expect it to be one.
they were in the papers for one of the best burgers… total fail! i would not rate their burgers as such — they were tasteless. again, don’t expect too much.

Great place to go for lunch, even though the place is a dive. I think a relocation into a newer, cleaner space would make a world of difference for this place. Food is solid, just don’t like the space they are in.

Poorly handling the food, toilette, kitchen area, bugs flying around. no dishwasher machine to dry out the utensils. (Staff using cloth to dry out every fork, spoon and others)
Honest, they are family business but the FOOD is not SAFE.
The chef dumping the waste and back into the kitchen without wash hand, the Asian mother not wearing apron to handing clean food.
Convenient for construction/​retail worker choice here for quick homemade food,
PLEASE SEE yourself, the low ceiling, poor condition… you give them 5 star? Really?
Don’t be a poppycock.

It’s a dive with great food and nice service.
Haven’t had any of the seafood but the sandwiches and soups are great as well as the breakfast specials. Even had good Chinese dishes there which was a surprise.
They even sell soup stock and sauce stock that they make on site.
Some of the reviews claim cash only but they changed that they have a debit machine now.

Pastas, excellent sandwiches and burgers, duck confit, homemade pie, ect.
This place is the best lunch spot in the area. Worth going out of your way for.
Disguised as a diner. don’t be fooled

I’m a fan (as evidenced by my 4 stars).
Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a place in a unique spot that can make a go of it with next to no walk-​up traffic in the area, it makes the customer feel like a true local and part of a secret club. Given the door is camouflaged when the place is closed as a graffiti laden wall,… maybe that isn’t so far from the truth.
Rumour has it that the cooks/​chefs here have a pedigree that allows them to be chefs by night in some of the fancier Vancouver places including Seasons in Queen E. Park (allegedly). I’d beleive it but the food here is simpler,… not quite diner, but close, maybe 90% diner, 10% something slightly more gourmet. The space,. however,… is diner for sure.
Check it out, I think it is verging on Vancouver institution.

I see that everyone really likes this place. Hence my guess is I ordered the wrong items as things did not go well for me.
Place is super cute, kinda dive-​ish. Waiter was nice, friendly and attentive.
Started off today’s lunch with an awful bowl of chicken barley soup. It was damp in Vancouver and this sounded like a solid idea. Soup was 95% stock with minimal barley/​solids. Had no flavor, really needed seasoning. The soup alone was one star.
Then had the house salad the waiter recommended. I asked the waiter, «What is the best salad you have.» The salad was mediocre with a mediocre dressing.
Nice décor and friendly vibe. But the food, or at least the food I had today, needs some help.

Saw this on Food Network’s «You Gotta Eat Here» and decided to give it a try since it’s only a 10 minute drive from where I live.
I went for the Mexican poutine I saw on TV except with rice (chicken con queso on rice) instead of the fries and it was delicious! My only complaint is the $ 1 charge for avocados and they only give you 4 slivers. But that aside, it was yummy! I also had the risotto once and the rice wasn’t fully cooked. I love risotto and didn’t appreciate biting into hard pieces of rice in the centre.
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed the portions getting smaller, or maybe that’s just me?
My two major complaints:
— Not enough wait staff. Sometimes I wait well over 10 minutes to get my water refilled. Other times I wait over 10 minutes just to get my order in and I’m sitting at the actual shared long diner style bar instead of the chairs.
— The hours. I get that this place was made for the regular worker, but it’s a little sad it’s only Monday to Friday until 4pm. Sometimes when you have cravings, wish they were open later and on weekends!

Great food, friendly staff, quick service on everything. But short hours, and I wish they had paper menus instead of just the large chalkboard. Their service is friendly but distant, and preferred by most proffesional businesses located in this neighborhood.
I had the burger, and it impressed me. My date had pasta, and it impressed her. I saw other plates, and they also looked impressive. Nothing here is much over $ 10, so don’t worry about risking anything.
They have a wall of shame at the windows where they leave your lost property. My beret was sitting there for two months. When I got it they didn’t comment but noticed and laughed… it’s the only reason I remembered to write this review! I would go more often, but their hours are only until 4pm, and only weekdays.