Rainier Provisions

So my only experience here was around dec 1, 2013. I was an extra for the movie called «max and banks» aka Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s fitting that in this scene, I was portraying a «coffee shop patron» and I got to actually read and enjoy a chocolate brownie esque bar/​square care of Rainier. The square’s novelty wore off four hours into filming, but I love that I got to eat and read a book here (in a half reality half for make belief).
In fact, first day of filming was at this very joint. I got to witness the blessing of the set/​movie here. Very unique and cool opportunity.
Recently I have walked by in passing, but my eyesight at night is not the best so I thought it was still called Rainier, but I guess it has changed…

Serving sizes are TINY. They charge too much for these tiny servings.
The food used to be good, but there’s a new chef whose food is TERRIBLE.

Ugh…
I can’t understand most of what’s on their menu. Or maybe I can, but I wouldn’t choose to eat any of it voluntarily. If I happened upon this place as a tourist, or randomly, I would have looked at the menu for 10 seconds and left.
Instead, I went for lunch with colleagues several weeks ago. No escape… Must … order… something…
Finally I found the breakfast section. Eggs, Bacon… now we’re talking!
Then the waiter told me it was only served on saturdays. Doh!
Ok Plan B… I Finally settled on a sandwich. It was not bad.
The best part of the experience was the piano music. How often can you hear live music while you eat lunch?
Honestly, I would avoid this place. Which shouldn’t be hard since they seem to be closed half the time anyways.

First try and pretty disappointed.
Went for lunch on a rainy Monday and the atmosphere was great, live piano, big windows, fantastic wallpaper to keep you memorized.
But the food was just not good. I got the chickpea burger (and I’ve had a few in the past), this one was a gluey mass. Served on the softest of white bread bun, it had no contrast in the mouth. just pasty.
Boyfriend had the chickpea «stew» which was truly thin, lets call it a soup. We looked — it had 2 chickpeas in it. He took the burger I couldn’t eat and mixed it in his soup to thicken it up a bit. Table side dish making so to speak.
I told our server our thoughts on the food, not expecting anything except knowing we would not be coming back to spend $ 30 on a lunch for 2 again. To his and the mangers credit they did take 20% off the bill for the lack of chickpea in the stew.
So they are really trying, but with all the choices in Vancouver east side downtown they make it easy not to come back.

So since it’s opening, Rainier Provisions has seen changes. Most noticeable is the decline in food quality and consistency.
Their portion sizes have shrunk and sometimes it feels like the kitchen staff don’t care about the product. Even the common menus items like my once favored Medianoche now seem to lack in even the consistency of how it’s prepared and what goes in it.
The staff seems to rotate very often too, which makes it feel like sometimes no one remembers the wicked start this once awesome eatery had except for the customers.
Interestingly, another Heather Group joint, The Salty Tongue is ALSO seeing a big decline in service and food quality over the past 18 months. Being a regular at these places, I now only go once every few weeks just to see if the captain has righted the helm.
If they don’t start soon, the titanic slip will cost them real estate as Gastown is a competitive war zone when it comes to restaurants.

Great space, lots of potential for something simple and local ingredients. I didn’t have the coffee, however, had a pastry or two during a walk by. There was nothing in this department that stood out for me but it was an instant fix. Customer service was great and the prices were fair market.

Rainer Provisions is a lovely, beautiful and bright space. They serve well rounded meals for breakfast/​lunch/​dinner, delicious coffee, beer on tap, baked goods (including pie!), and sliced meat/​cheese to go!
I was planning a group brunch for 20 guests and Rainer Provisions filled my check list of requirements:
–Big, bright, welcoming space for a large group
–Meals for Veggie + Vegan + Meat lovers
–Light and heavy meal options
–Family friendly
–Good price range
–A variety of beverages: Fresh juice, coffee and beer
–Desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth
–Great hours: open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Before arriving, the reservations/​event coordinator at the Heather Hospitality Group was extremely accommodating with all my requests (even my last minute request to add a couple more people). Upon arrival, the bright space blew me away. The manager was fantastic. She addressed us by our first names, and allowed us to mingle while still managing to take orders for all our meals. She was so easy going with our group. Despite a tiny little mix up with two of the meals, everyone’s meal was delivered accurately and served promptly. I was impressed.
The food was nicely presented with good sized portions. Some comments on the meals:
–The Huevos Rancheros was spicy and delicious. Loved the poached eggs!
–The Veggie Breakfast Sandwich was more like a panini. Filling and delicious.
–The corned beef hash had too much hollandaise sauce and a little different than your typical hash
–The potato chips that come with the meals are more like over dried potato fries and a little chewy. I think some improvement could be made here.
Their bathrooms are clean and spacious. The chairs are comfy and very accommodating for large groups. The restaurant wasn’t very busy and we didn’t feel rushed at any point. Thanks for the great experience!

Wow, this is sad. We’ve been to Ranier twice before and really liked it in the past. What changed in the kitchen? Three of us waited at least 45 minutes for food at 1:30 pm on Sunday and when it came out the only thing that was good was the charcuterie plate (and they source the sausage). Soups lacked flavour and were served warm with half toasted bread. The pulled pork sandwich got the thumbs down. My huevos rancheros arrived with hard poached eggs (yuck) and a horrible crunchy tortilla base along with a strange side of beans with tomato paste. It was well seasoned but that’s the best thing I can say about it. The waitress apologized for not having the roasted potatoes ready but said she would bring them shortly. When they appeared the potatoes were raw in the centre so I didn’t eat them.
We didn’t feel like making a fuss about it at the time so we said everything was «fine» when asked. It was anything but fine. The restaurant was not busy, the staff were friendly and chatty but the food sucked. At the very least I would have expected an authentic soft tortilla (visit La Taqueria nearby), soft poached eggs and hot soup. If we were waiting for roasted potatoes, it would have been better to let us know and offer another side. Even the tea needed help.
Attention: Sean Heather — this needs some attention.
Until you start reading that they have fixed the issues in the kitchen, I would go elsewhere. It’s a shame because in the past, this was a good spot.

Absolute disappointment!
We have been wanting to try out this new joint largely due to the ownership and great memories from nights spent at the other, ‘Heather’ establishments. We had 40 minutes before needing to be somewhere and a slight hunger pang, we sat down at 1:50PM.
Ordered a coffee for her and a steam whistle for me, decided to split the pulled pork sandwich and soup for a quick snack. The beer and coffee came out fine, however for the next 25 minutes there was no food and no contact from our server. I finally had to ask for the bill at 1:25PM as it was all the time we had. The manager came over and apologized on behalf of the ‘new chef’ and a ‘new menu item’. The food was taken off the bill and I paid for our drinks and departed. The best part was realizing a table which came after us were served their food before ours was even remembered.
Sean Heather: You obviously have a formula for success. I feel that in the case of Rainier Provisions, you may want to review your staff’s practices. As evident by other reviews here, we aren’t the only ones who left absolutely disappointed and unless something is done, we won’t be the last.

I should have read the Unilocal reviews!
My first experience with Rainier was okay. I joined a friend for lunch and ordered the fish pot pie which was alright.
My second experience was terrible and almost exactly like what Sarah W. described in her review of the place. The restaurant wasn’t busy when we arrived for breakfast. It took about 25 – 30 minutes to get our drinks and an hour to get our breakfasts (two eggs benedicts). When the food finally arrived, it was cold and the eggs were overdone. The wait staff were very apologetic and gave us the food on the house but we won’t be back.

Rainier is a great spot — large windows, original black and white tile floor, spacious with wi-​fi.
The coffee and pie of the day is excellent. Today it was raspberry lemon tarte and a piece of perfection. I ordered the soup (yam and carrot) on a recommendation from another customer — thin, lacking in flavour, won’t do that again. Stick to the meat and cheese, which is what the Heather Group (owners) are known for and you will be happy and satisfied.
Friendly service, historic building, diverse clientele from hipster to boomers to seniors.

First experience was pretty good, Stumptown awesome, food alright, service unremarkable but not unfriendly.
Second time I went was after running in a race. It wasn’t very busy at all when we arrived, but it took (literally) 25 minutes to get our coffees and an hour to get our breakfast food. All our food was cold when it arrived, and there was no apology or acknowledgement for the slow service.
They really had the right idea with this place but despite their nice simple menu, I won’t be going back. Too bad.

Fun location, good people watching, nice patio during the summer and the food is decent to good.
I ordered the smoked salmon salad, which was nice, but I felt it could have used more seasoning — I put a ton of salt on it! The rest of the food at the table looked good too — ribs, brisket and the chickpea burger. We also got the cheese and charcuterie plates — I loved the spicy meat, but everything else was kinda meh, especially the cheese. Also, the bread pieces that are on the plate are a bit dry.
Either way, I’d def. come back for some brunch or a coffee to just sit and watch the people.

I am not from Gastown so I do not know all the places there but stumbled upon this place anyways. This place is like a retro cafeteria with a hipster feel. Great décor, comfortably simplistic seating and inviting atmosphere. The food is good but not great… seen better but tasted good but not great.
All in all a good gastown hipster hangout.

Twice in one week only two days apart — I am in love!
I love everything about this place, the wallpaper, the open kitchen, the brick wall, the metal trays, the staff and the food! Where else in this city can you go and get a $ 10 sandwich and salad combo and have the meat be freshly prepared and rolls made in house and a salad that is quite generous.
My favorite item is the Kale Caesar salad and I plan to recreate it!
Thank you to the Heather Group for bringing yet another great eating establishment with a twist to this city I call home!

I’m a real sucker for a nice space and Rainier is quite the looker. It’s a gigantic, open layout with a big grocery and deli area and tons of seating. Even the baby blue chairs look dynamite.
Now the food: there are some hits and misses here. I wasn’t too happy with my meatloaf sandwich, mainly because I’m a hot meatloaf sandwich girl and mine came cold (shiver). But I loved my side of kale salad with crispy croutons. I’ve also had the hot and cozy fish pie which is perfect on cold days, though I wish it had a bit more kick to it (spices? herbs?). The hunk of bread that comes on the side was also a nice complement and I do love to dunk my bread.
One of my favourite things to do is sit by the big windows and people watch. Being in Gastown, there’s plenty to see. Order a cappuccino and you’re all set.

Only an idiot orders bangers and mash outside of England…
Oh right, I was that idiot. I love love love Rainier, what a great space. So achingly on trend with the charcuterie plates, tiled walls and quirky fonts! But the menu, not amazing. It’s oddly very English inspired, roasts, fish pie, sticky toffee pudding, but none of it done that well. The sausage and smashed potatoes was quite pedestrian, nothing I couldn’t have made myself. My friend’s meatloaf sandwich did not look good. But then, meatloaf… really? Yuck.
I should’ve gone for the pork belly roast… but a roast done poorly may have done me in altogether and sent me weeping back to the UK.
I would definitely come back because the staff are totally charming and it’s a nice place to for a relaxed meal. Very affordable too.

I love Rainier!
Not sure which is better the sunny disposition of the staff, the welcoming also sunny space or the impeccable quality and locally sourced goodies I find here.
All the food I’ve tasted here has been great, the coffee always warm and prompt, plus it’s Stumptown so you know it’s good. I love that I can pick up a phenomenal Kale salad for lunch with coffee for under $ 10 plus I can take home Quail eggs!

The prices are right and the space is super cute. I went by myself and was treated very nicely by the host and the server (got the best window seat in the corner). The london fog latte was also delicious.
I had the roast sandwich of the day, which was served with a side of soup on a «Parker roll». The problem I had was with the sandwich. The meat was cut up and was falling out off the large sandwich. If you tried to pick it up, stuff fell out the sides and the bun was not exactly sturdy. The girl next to me got the same thing and we both looked at each other with a «how are we going to eat this look». The girl across the other side cut hers in half, with made it easier, but everything still really was falling out of the sandwich.
The taste was pretty good, though I would prefer the meat to have been warmer. I will try this place again as it is close and the prices are reasonable, so we will see if the next meal item fares better.

I checked it out opening day, I like the place, the staff seemed nice, and the food was good with a reasonable price point.
I would have given Rainier Provisions a better rating, but I ordered and paid at the front till, and after 30 minutes of no food, I talked to the staff and I discovered that my order was lost. Likely just opening day bugs to work out, but nothing whatsoever was done to amend the situation, I just had to sit and wait some more for my food. I will give it another try, hopefully next time it won’t make me late in getting back to work.