Boneta Restaurant

Octopus Chips, Lemon, Chili, Parsley & Spicy Aioli $ 6 3.5÷5 — they were too dried and over seasoned. I like the ones from Oakwood Bistro better.
The Beef Carpaccio with Quail Egg, Arugula, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Pecorino & Walnuts $ 16 ⁴⁄₅ — better than my expectation. I thought i would just be another boring salad. It came with truffle oil and the quail egg was cooked perfectly.
Le Poutine: Hand Cut Fries, Fresh Curds & Proper Gravy $ 10 4.5÷5 — people thought I was crazy ordering a $ 10 poutine. I love the strong peppery gravy with the stringly cheese. I love it as much as the one from Fritz.
Risotto, Wild Mushrooms, Salsify, Gem Tomatoes, Manchego & Chive Oil $ 24 ³⁄₅ — I don’t really like risotto but the sauce was good.
Steelhead Trout, Lentils, Carrot Purée, Kale, Chanterelles, Shimijis & Ham Hock Beurre Blanc $ 25 ⁴⁄₅ — I was a little overcooked but the skin was very very crispy but overly salty. The carrot purée and mushrooms were good!
Ling Cod, Chanterelle and Pea Ravioli, Charred Scallion, Mushroom Consommé Foam $ 26 3.5÷5 — The foam was very interesting but I still prefer the trout more. This was even saltier than the trout.
Bone-​In Pork Chop, Pork Belly, Lobster Mushrooms, Yu Choi, Farro Verde & Cherry Gastrique $ 27 2.5÷5 — my friend really liked it but it was too firm for me.
Coffee, Caramel & Pecan Crème Brûlée, Vanilla Bean Beignets $ 9 ⁴⁄₅ — I love the beignets. Too bad there were only 2 of them. The crème brûlée was just okay.
The Classic Lemon Meringue Tart & Buttermilk Ice Cream $ 9 ³⁄₅ — there was a weird aftertaste to the tart. I couldn’t really tell the buttermilk ice-​cream. It tasted the same as the salted caramel ice-​cream (because there was salt on top)
Lavender Pavlova, Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse, Cocoa Nibs & Raspberries $ 13
Warm Dutch Apple Pudding, Vanilla Anglaise, Salted Caramel Ice Cream (Allow 10 minutes) $ 13 3.5÷5 — This was a little boring compared to the other ones. The ice-​cream was strong but not as rich as the Earnest Ice-​Cream.
One of the best meals I’ve had for a while. Too bad it’s closing. I want to have another dinner before it closes. Too bad I don’t have time for that.
Service was not that good. There were only 2 servers. Our water didn’t get refilled and it took a while for our bills. She took all of our cards away because she was lazy. I thought this would be a big no-​no for restaurants.

I was turned onto this hidden treasure by the concierge at the hotel I was staying at. He earned his concierge stripes. I loved that Boneta is hidden away, yet warm & welcoming.
My cocktail, the Southpaw, was the best Drink I had while in Vancouver. I was extremely hungry when I arrived, so the smallish portion didn’t exactly fill me up, but the taste, texture & harmony of the food on the plate was superb.
The up-​side to the small portions was that we had a reason to order desert, which was very possibly more delicious than the main course.

Went back. Still a pleasure.
And unlike other places in the immediate vicinity its kinda quite and you can actually have a conversation with people at your table. Thats a plus if you are sitting with interesting people.

Went for a date night. The space is really nice on a summer’s evening, with an indoor/​outdoor patio thing going on.
We ordered octopus chips (very good), Halibut Croquettes (OK), Beef Carpaccio (excellent) and the pork chop/​pork belly served with brown rice (very good).
Overall, we enjoyed the food, the service and the restaurant. There was nothing outstanding about our experience, but nothing to complain about either. We won’t be rushing back, but Boneta is doing everything right.

3.5 Stars
Good restaurant but kind of difficult to find when you are not from Vancouver. Located in a little court area in between Water Street and Blood Alley.
The Octopus chips with the spicy /​tangy aioli are a must when coming here. My wife and went through this like fresh popcorn at the movies.
My wife had the strip loin and thought it was a bit chewy. I had the duck two ways and thought it was great. Their wine by the glass selection is limited in selection but what they had for selection was good.
The menu is limited in selection and they did not have any nightly specials. Would have liked to of have been offered some sort of a special entrée of the night and thought cheese should also be offered on their dessert menu. Service was good.

I hate to have to write this but due to the poor hospitality received and the unprofessional nature of some of their staff and the management, it left me no choice but to write about my experience here at Boneta.
Reservation for 8ppl at 9PM on a Saturday night and mind you, we were required to put a credit card on file with the reservation. A member of their staff who I made a reservation with on the phone suggested I come in early to check if there would be any available time slots for our group, but even so we would have our table by 9PM guaranteed.
I come in around 7PM to notify the hostess of our reservation. The place was packed and so were the reservations. She told me they were all booked tonight and to come back by 9PM so we could get seated.
We come back at our reservation time and were seated at the bar area to wait for our table (the table we were going to be seated at was having dessert apparently). 35 – 40 minutes no one is budging. Drinks and conversation kept us occupied but we were STARVING and frustrated with the wait. It was understood that it was a busy night but we had a reservation and were told countless times we were guaranteed a table by 9PM. We gave them more than 30 minutes of courtesy.
A note to add about their hostess that night: rudely telling one of our guys who was holding the door open for the girls to come in to shut the door because people are eating. What was her problem?
It was annoying to say the least that they kept pushing the fact that the guests were still eating their desserts when it doesn’t take over 30 minutes to finish dessert and get out. There is such a thing as restaurant policy… a 2 hour dining limit of some sort. People can’t just expect to sit there after their dinner forever while others are forced to wait over 40 minutes to be seated even with a reservation. How can a full service restaurant not know/​understand how to manage that?
What appalled me was that they wouldn’t even let us order appetizers or anything of that sort while we waited. It’s ridiculous that only one sweet girl who worked there was truly apologetic towards us. We told her we were sorry but there was no way we were waiting ANY longer and she understood. We stood outside debating what to do for the next 5 minutes or so and I could see the manager just watching us. The epitome of unprofessional and inhospitable.

Went for Dine Out Vancouver with my partner.
When I go out for Dine Out I always have a phobia that I will be served sub-​par food or treated differently than if ordering a la carte.
Boneta treated us with every kindness and the food was wonderful.
Our coats were taken, the service was gentle and not overly friendly.
We started with the parsnip and apple soup with crab.
The soup was smooth, creamy, and had much depth of flavor. It was adorned with an island of crab, crème fraîche, and parsnip chips — with an exquisite drizzle of lemon infused oil.
For a main, Steelhead trout on a bed of green beans, almond slivers, spatzle, green onion, and sauce Americaine. There was a distinct essence of bacon in this combination. It was delightful to the last bite. The sauce and the crunch of the almonds were nice touches. The trout was cooked to perfection.
Not many dishes are so amazing that they cause me to eat more slowly, but both the soup and main did this.
The desserts (carrot cake and chocolate panna cotta with kumquat) were nothing to write home about. Both were too sweet.
When we stood up to move to the door were met with our coats. Lovely.
This is the place to take someone special.

I’d love to say that this place somehow says «Vancouver» for me, like it has for other reviewers I respect and admire…
I have been avoiding reviewing Boneta because although the staff and atmosphere have been way above the mark in service and ambiance, it just has never been an amazing food experience for me. It has always been more of a faux Hawksworth meal in a more cool, relaxed setting. The food has always been okay and good, although sometimes a little too minimalist, However, the exotic hype of the ingredients teasing me from the menu description, often don’t end up being tasted on the plate. To me, going the fine dining route means you will have to go the full nine and be sure the complexity and marriage of ingredients truly stand apart, or else you fade away in the minds of the diner (…like Market).
It would be more accurate to say that I like everything they have appetizer wise and in the mains, I find their desserts not always tasty, but nothing screams wow!, and is sometimes a let down when a waiter talks it up.
I quite like their duck and foie gras plates but to me they are no different than any I could find at Hawksworth or Le Crocodile, and maybe a little less perfected in its flavour. I see Boneta as Hawksworth for hipsters who find the staunchness and pomp of fine dining to be off-​putting to their «style».
Boneta is like Nuba to me, good but not memorable. I will always be satisfied coming here with friends and groups, but its not something I would say speaks volumes about Vancouver’s culture or food style.

We were wandering Gastown, reservationless, one Saturday night when we dropped into Boneta. Despite it being prime dining time, after only a minute or two we had a nice window seat and some wine on the way.
I like the vibe in the new Boneta — the old location on Cordova was a high-​ceilinged cavernous space, low-​lit and loud. The new spot just off Water Street is mostly glass with a well-​lit, welcoming feel. It’s smaller, so the background noise isn’t as overwhelming. There’s a men’s clothing store just across the alley, also glass-​fronted, and there were guys trying on clothes right out in the open. My company found this floorshow an interesting diversion. Personally I thought it was a bit early in the season for turtlenecks.
The menu gives you the choice of a three-​course dinner for 45, but things are available a la carte as well. The trout tartare and the ling cod both stacked up well, with nicely-​balanced flavours — I didn’t feel compelled to reach for extra seasoning, as I often do. In particular, the chefs treat fish with the delicacy it needs and deserves for its flavours to emerge successfully. These folks know how to cook.
Servicewise Boneta takes things casual, and I found the staff to be suitably attentive if not always around. They dress down and take a relaxed approach — it works well for the style of the restaurant. Translation: hipsters. Be prepared.
I’m definitely a fan and will return — Boneta didn’t change my life, but it was a damn fine meal. I’m curious to see what else they do well.

9 dollar wine — for a fancy and pricey French place, this is a plus. In fact, we learned that the prices are the same whether you order by the glass or bottle, so there’s no real incentive to order a bottle.
For $ 45, you can choose from a three course fixed price menu or you can opt for a la carte ordering instead. I went for the three course meal.
Service was a touch disappointing given the prices. Maybe it’s that we didn’t look/​dress like their typical high-​end clientele, but our money’s just as good so it would be nice if their service was also. We waited around a lot for our server to come around and take our order or check on us and it wasn’t even busy.
As for the food — the meal was tasty. My friends both ordered the duck and I ordered the steak. The steak (medium rare) came out a little tough to cut. The duck was nice.
I also started with the foie gras which was really good. My friends ordered the octopus chips and poutine, and I definitely enjoyed both of these as I helped them out.
Lastly, the dessert I had was really interesting. It was: Lemon Scented Pavlova, Raspberries, Pistachio Mousse & Brittle. It was a fairly big serving and I don’t think we were able to finish it – but it was great.
Overall, the food really was good. The service just felt cold and disinterested. Prices — not bad but maybe a touch on the higher end given the portion sizes being a little on the smaller side.
I would come here again but would love to see some warmth from the service.

Good but pricey food in small servings. I was not impressed coming from a foodie city. We were overcharged and had to get our server’s attention to make a correction to our bill. I’d rather eat at Cardero’s on the Marina and have that fantastic view. Our meal there was less expensive for larger servings of delicious quality food.
My favorite part of dining here was the hand dryer in the restroom. He is tall, dark and handsome… oh, wait, that’s another restroom. Anyway, check it out. You know you need clean hands!

Have you ever taken out dessert from Boneta? Although I’ve never eaten at Boneta I have picked up a tarty dessert from the bar and taken her away with me.
After I broke up with Guu, I was ready for a new fling. Sure I was on the rebound… but who hasn’t been. I think a one night liaison with Boneta just might turn into a torrid love affair.
I met Neil, Boneta’s head of the house, captain of the ship, international man of style and flare. He is the real deal. The place was packed so I asked if it was gauche or uncouth to have dessert to take out. He looked me square in the eye and said «of course not my friend» and whispered «Pavlova»…then silence… for 30 seconds, tension building, never losing his gaze, he then described each nuance and texture of the creation ending with «when I had her the first time… my life changed»! Ever the thespian, Niel made me crave for Miss Pavlova. I had to have her.
After this I did something I am not proud of. I made my move on Miss Pavlova and escorted her a few steps to Coffee Bar and we snuck in. The feeling of doing wrong made it more than all right. I savoured her with sips of a machiato. The whole thing lasted minutes.
So after briefly standing at the bar at Boneta, picking up Miss Pavlova, sneaking her into a café, I think I am starting an affair. With Boneta.
g

Wowee! Definitely one of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
I had a magical experience at Boneta a while back, for my boyfriend’s birthday.
The food was delicious and inventive and the wine and cocktails available were sensational too.
I loved that the waiter went into every aspect of the dish when they served.
Interesting fact: Boneta is where my love of cauliflower purée was born.

It’s my birthday week and before the actual day I’ve already had two dinners and a lunch. Now I’m sitting here at Boneta waiting for my BFF to arrive.
Continuing my French bistro craze and extending from Tableau Bar Bistro, I decided to sample Boneta. This chic restaurant is nooked inside Blood Alley next to L’Abbatior, Neighbour, Apres Midi Tea House and Coffeebar
Tables line the front with booth seats running along the left side and a bar in the back. Abstract artwork fill the ceiling and a semi-​open kitchen concept. The smell of food is intoxicating as it fills the high ceiling. I see the table next to me order Bread and the miniature size loaf is cleverly presented and I’m intrigued… Do I want to order bread as a side? I’m used to having complimentary carbohydrates…
My friend is late upon arriving at the old location. So I’ve changed my mind. I will have a glass of vino while I wait.
Château Gaudrelle Sec Tendre Vouvray 2009. Initially I wanted the Vincent Raimbault Bel Air Sec Vouvray 09 (glorious Chenin. Electric quince, dry honey and crackled silk) but the buyer brought back the Château instead. The Château has sweeter notes and not as dry but still deliciously seductive with honeyed pear character, some stony minerality, banana peel and earthy tones.
Boneta’s menu is frixe prix — Table d’Hote Dinner for 3 Fine Courses at $ 45 a head. Of course all items are also available A La Carte. Some items require additional dollars and same with the sides.
In the end we couldn’t resist trying the bread.
Daily Baked Bread & Salted Butter +3
I’m so glad we ordered this. It was soft, fluffy and radiated buttermilk. Well worth the three bucks.
Torn between ordering the Foie Gras or the Beef Tartare. I wanted to compare the cow to Tableu Bar Bistro and the Gherkins and Capers attracted me.
Classic Beef Tartare, Capers, Gherkins, Shallots, Egg Yolk & Olive Oil Crostini +3
I was expecting the gherkins and capers to be served on the side like finger foods. Instead they were mixed together into a pâté for you to spread onto your crostini. A little goes a long way which balances the raw beef.
Seared Scallops, Fingerling Potatoes, Black Trumpet Mushrooms & Sea Urchin Froth +3
My BFF ordered the seared scallops. All seared beautifully — crispy outside and tender and juicy inside. The uni froth didn’t taste like much. I was expecting a punch of sea urchin but it was mild.
The night started off quite promising with wine, bread and appetizers. The story changes once we entered the mains. We both ordered the Beef Strip Loin namely because of the smoked bone marrow it advertised. The waitress told me that the bone marrow was not served on the bone itself but infused into the purée. She said to expect richness.
Beef Strip Loin, Smoked Bone Marrow & Potato Purée, Spring Onions, Red Wine Jus +4
The cut from the short loin consists of muscles and should be tender. Although not as tender as the rib eye or tenderloin I was not expecting it to be chewy at times. I hope this was not a tissue end cut (striploin that contains a half-​mooned shape of very tough connective tissue). Our medium-​rare was rather dry on the outskirts. Somewhat disappointed when coupled by the fact I didn’t find richness in my bone marrow as solicited. Guess I should not be expecting M Wells.
Moving onto desserts. Apparently my BFF had requested something special and the call back for RSVP confirmed that it could be done. I dunno, letter writing of Happy Birthday and a candle? When our Chocolate Cheescake and Panna Cotta came solo it really upset her. I’m glad our waitress was quick to rectify the issue and helped ease the miscommunication.
She brought us couple pieces of chocolate truffles with a candle. I appreciated that she was creative. The rich coco melted on my fingers once you pick them up. They were actually quite deliciously if you excuse the messiness.
Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake, Raspberry Sorbet & Thyme Sable Cookie
A rich chocolate cake. Or a rich chocolate truffle roll posing as cake. Who stole my cheese? We could not take the mascarpone. The raspberry sorbet is tart and delicious. Something much needed to offset the chocolate cake.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Rhubarb Jellied & Compoted
Very smooth but negative vanilla flavour. I could not see the tiny black specks of vanilla bean in my «delicious» Italian custard. All we could taste was heavy cream. Thank goodness for rhubarb jellied and compoted.
I had high hopes for Boneta, but désolé, je né vous aime pas ma chérie.

If you are looking for a hip and cool place to eat, this is it. This restaurant is located in Gastown and if you are in the area, you should definitely go there. It’s not cheap but it is so good.
It was girls’ night out and one of the ladies decided on Boneta for dinner. What a great choice she made. We made a reservation before heading in.
Great ambience and the food was even better. I ordered the poutine and the duck breast. Poutine was good. It’s not the best I’ve had but still it was pretty good. It’s definitely a share plate especially if you are going to be ordering a main entrée.
The duck breast was absolutely delightful. It was perfectly seasoned and cooked. It’s the best duck I’ve had ever! It was so tender, so moist and not greasy at all.
Our server was very efficient and had that commons sense some servers don’t seem to possess. (This is important factor when dining out and makes your dining experience little bit more favourable, in my opinion). She knew to divide the dessert four ways and did that in advance even before we asked her to.
We split Chocolate wafer and Butterscotch pudding. Both were delicious but if you asked me to choose one over the other, I would pick chocolate only because I love chocolate. It is quite dainty though just to let you know.
Since we were a group of 9, they added gratuity of 17%. I didn’t mind paying it since the server was on the ball and the food was delicious.
Only minor complaint I would have is the noise level. It was hard to talk to other people at the table because it was so loud. But other than that, I know that I will definitely will be back in the future and will recommend it to others.

This is the type of place that makes me proud of this city!
Still pretty awesome, even if only for post-​dinner, post-​Bourdain drinks. The place was packed on a Sat. night at 10 pm, and it had a warm, fun atmosphere. It seems to have livened up in its new location, in my op.
Our waitress was new but efficient. Neil, the proprietor, was making his rounds in his friendly way. A host whom I’d never seen before was a cuter, younger, spitting image of Bobby Flay. How fitting!
We sat by the bar, ordered some delicious glasses of reasonably priced wine and some tasty cocktails, and marveled at the staff photo that was taking place in costumes, full-​on, in the impeccable looking kitchen.
Order: foie gras in honour of Bourdain. Not my thing, but if you like it, you’ll love this with the fig jam and big pieces of French Toast.
Deep fried squid-​buttery, petite, banana-​chip looking appy that was a refreshing take on calamari. A bit rich but delicious, and just the right amount before overdoing it.
Bourdain claims that the big thing in NY is «foie gras poutine.» I personally haven’t seen it on my last visit, but the table next to us was eating some pretty looking poutine. If you’re in the mood for a heart attack, order that to go with the foie gras next time!
Bathrooms: prefer these to the last location, although they could have been cleaner; but it was an extremely busy night, so whatever.
All in all, it was delicious and entertaining, and we shut the place down. We will be back to enjoy dinner again soon!

We hopped over to Boneta after an event for some stiff drinks and delicious appetizers.
We all ordered bourbon sours. I stuck to the regular blend while the girls got «New York» ones with a spot of red wine. The wine injection packed a punch, but I preferred the classic variety.
First off, we ordered a nice helping of poutine. It was splendid. The fresh Okanagan cheese curds in particular were melty and creamy. The gravy was consistent and smooth.
It really hit the spot with our bourbon sours. It was a fine way to wind down a random Monday in Gastown.
The duck liver pâté, and rhubarb compote was quite rich and tasty. The texture was good and smooth. They did not give us nearly enough crostinis for the amount of meat paste served though. We had to ask for two additional servings. I thought the beef carpaccio with confit tomato and blue cheese was just okay. It was not as textured as I would have liked.
Boneta made for some pretty delicious dining and fine drinks. I loved the inside décor and it was definitely a relaxing time with our appies wetting our whistles.

I am still in tarte tartin heaven 24 hours after I’ve consumed it. It was that amazing.
Sweet caramelized apples, oven baked on top of a flaky, soft buttery crust. Top all of that with a large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream-​yes, this is what dessert is all about. Yes, I could eat this everyday for dessert.
Back to our meal. We came to try out the Eat/​Drink/​Local menu that was being offered. I got tan Alsace Cocktail, with gin, elderflower, lavender, chamomile, grapefruit and bubbles. A light sweet drink. Perfect for the chilly weather.
For the entrée, I chose the veal. I’m normally not a fan of veal, but today i decided i wanted a change and tried out. Best choice ever. Veal Cheeks, with carrots, turnips, kale, and mixed mushrooms. Despite the dish being a small portion, it was delicious. The veal was tender and soft, one of those melt in your mouth with flavour dishes. The veggies were also great, all the flavours mingling together to create one amazing dish.
The service was great throughout the night. Our friendly server always checked up on us, making sure everything was alright.
I’m still thinking about that tarte tartin. I just might stop by tonight for another bite of that deliciousness.

Ate at Boneta on Thursday night (Sept 23^rd) for the first time. Have had drinks there but hadn’t eaten dinner before. They are apparently moving to the Garage development on Water Street sometime in the next 6 mths.
Nice room with a few creative elements. Food is the highlight. Had the Field Tomatoes with Watermelon, Buffalo Mozzarella, Mache and a Balsamic drizzle to start. Then had the Poached Halibut with an Eggplant Caviar, Lobster Mushroom and a Romesco Sauce. Also had the ‘authentic Quebec style’ Poutin and the House Made Gnocchi with a Brown Butter Sauce, Fried Capers and Sage and Parmesan. Highlights were the Poutine and the House Made Gnocci. The Halibut was good but not over the top great. I thought the topping would be a bit crustier but it wasn’t. The tomato salad was also good with the watermelon texture added with a touch of mint. The Sage on the Gnocchi was amazing.
I am really looking forward to their new location.

Let’s get to the good stuff first: The Smoked Bison Carpaccio is what food dreams are made of! Add sherry vinaigrette, arugula, walnuts, quail eggs and you’ve got one delicious food combination.
Okay, let’s back up! This was my second visit to Boneta and I don’t know why its taken me so long to come back! I chalk it up to Gastown’s awesomeness: the neighbourhood is chock-​a-​block full of tasty restaurants, bars/​pubs, and lounges.
From the moment you walk in the door, Boneta oozes a great vibe. From the large windows overlooking the street to the cleverly placed oversize mirrors hanging from the ceiling, I don’t even know where to look!
On the table for us: the above mentioned carpaccio (nom!), daily baked bread (so fluffy!), poutine (rich gravy), house made gnocchi (pillowy soft), seared salmon (such a generous portion), and lamb presented 2 ways (love variety).
Everything was cooked really well and nicely presented. I washed this all down with a tasty bourbon sour (#1 bourbon sour spot has to go to Refinery!)
A highlight of the evening? A large group of men walked up to the kitchen single file. After lining up, they faced the kitchen staff and burst into a loud round of applause. Bravo!

Friendly service, the food was divine and and our server selected a perfect wine based on my likes. This place is excellent for dinner/​tapas only if money is no object: pretty expensive for what you get.
Comment puis-​je trouver les bars montréalaiis ici à Vancouver qui sont exactement pareils sauf les prix: tu me manques Montréal…