Society Dining Lounge

I like this place!
Was here for a get-​together with friends from California. Its fun but the food isn’t five stars. The company. Thats five stars.

The place looks cool. Very trendy. Very… Yaletown.
But if you’re going out to actually eat something, perhaps skip this place. The drink menu, though fancy with their milkshakes and cotton candy, are only ok. The food? Ugh, it tasted like microwave food. The poutine was the only decent thing, and even then the gravy was gummy.
won’t be coming back.

Poor dining experience. We ordered two items: Hello Hawaii Pizza and Society Burger.
Hello Hawaii Pizza: Unacceptable for a $ 16 pizza. The chefs need to go back to the drawing board. The pizza was generally flavourless; couldn’t taste the pulled pork and flatbread wasn’t particularly crispy. It wasn’t until we asked for BBQ sauce and doused it before it tasted ok. Too bad because the BBQ chicken was apparently pretty good last time.
Society Burger: nothing to write home about. Patty was definitely dry and not much flavour.
The staff was attentive and did well though.
Unlikely to come back.

Wow! What happened to this place? I’ve been here several times but over a year since my last visit. I brought a friend from out of town here hoping for a pleasant experience, it was anything but!
1. The hostess didn’t mention the specials. We didn’t even hear about the specials until after we had ordered drinks, decided on what to eat and then even after we ordered. At least 3 people had been to our table in this time and it was after we had ordered that our server mentioned ‘oh ya you know everything here is 50% off, right?’. Umm. no, we didn’t.
2. The server was not clear on what exactly was on special. He said ‘everything here’ but failed to mention ‘everything’ meant just appys.
3. What we initially ordered was terrible. When I used to come here a few years back, the macaroni jalapeño balls were the best! gooey and moist, crunchy and flavourful. The ones we received were anything but. Too dry and no flavour whatsoever. They had clearly been deep fried to long b/​c the panko crust was just a little too dark and way too crisp. The chicken wings were disgusting. I don’t know how you can go wrong on chicken wings but these were sick. Slimy, and the meat tasted… off. Not to mention these appys were served in a plastic basket like you see at some neighbourhood grill! Doesn’t this place have real plates?
After we each tried one macaroni and cheese ball and I took a bite of one wing and my friend tried to eat two we finally told the server we would like to try something else, so we ordered the poutine and the garden salad. Both were much better than what we originally ordered but nothing to write home about.
Once we got our bill (Finally! The service was so terrible here, the whole front of house staff hung out behind the bar the entire time we were there. We ordered a cab and ended up missing it because the server took so long to get our bill) we discovered that #1 only appys were on sale (our salad was full price) and #2 the server charged us for the appys we didn’t like. I’ve spent alot of time working in the hospitality industry and he definitely should have removed what we DIDNT EAT off the bill. Go to any reputable restaurant and they will REPLACE something that isn’t satisfactory or give you the option to take if off your bill completely.
Anyway, I gave it 2 stars because the drinks were good. I’d come back for a jug of the heavenaid on a hot summer day but probably not for anything else.

Terrible service, almost inedible food (cold spaghetti & meatballs, seriously??!) — too bad our server didn’t bother to see how things were after our meal was delivered. Oh, and don’t bother making a reservation. We had one for a party of two, but they had nowhere to seat us except at the bar or out under a leaky awning while it poured rain. What a waste of my time.

The food is only OK here as a general rule; the stars come from the most beautiful pink chandeliers; great service, and the Candy Collins cocktail. Yes a Tom Collins with a froth of pink candy floss on top. So yummy and pretty to look at!
I have tried the mac and cheese balls, very good; also the pizza was fine; friends recommend the salmon encrusted w sesame seeds, and the (ew) «meat sweats» burger that basically is Noah’s Ark on a bun.
Desserts are hit and miss. The crème brûlée is massively disappointing (liquidy, which they said is the way it’s supposed to be) but it comes with a wee chocolate chip cook sandwich filled w burnt marshmallow.
Clever ideas, fun for adults, uneven execution.
50% all food on Tuesdays!

So we came here on a Tuesday a few months ago for their 50% off special (however, I believe that it has changed to 50% off food Wednesdays for their Chow Down special) and we left quite disappointed.
First of all, their coca cola wings were just… not good. We thought it would be really interesting but in the end, they were just plain weird. Next, their philly cheese steak was a bit over cooked and quite tough. The poutine was just mediocre and to be honest, you can’t really screw up poutine.
The only thing that was slightly enjoyable on the menu was the meat sweats burger, which came to the table in a towering mess. It was almost impossible to eat so we had to cut it up into several chunks and in the end, we used our forks and knives to eat each layer separately. Even though I’m still complaining about this, I actually kind of liked all the different ingredients in the burger. (or I just really love onion rings)
Anyways, the décor is really nice here and the staff are fairly friendly. It is really cheap to come here during their Chow Down special (Weds now, not Tues!) just to fill up on some cheap lounge type of food!

After a lot of Hype & this resto being featured on Real Housewives of Vancity, the chic-​ness in me decided to visit this resto on a Tuesday evening.
Pros :
–Sweet location obviously, friendly + attentive service, elegant décor, Good Vibe
Cons:
–The Food was really mediocre, perhaps there has been a recent menu change or on Tuesdays (50% off menu special date) the quality dips a bit because of more service?
–The menu was really just lacking variety and the quality did not distinguish itself enough from the amazing array of restaurants we are so lucky to have in Vancouver.
Overall: Definiltey would not return again, food did not leave a lasting impression on me and there seemed to be a lot more busier restaurants in Yaletown that evening than Society. It’s a shame because the reputations makes you expect a lot more.

A decadent kids store for adults.
We spent most of our time people watching and commenting on the massive pink chandeliers. Rococo, eat your heart out!
If you love sweets, large swaths of cotton candy, and huge piles of deep fried/​meaty things, check this place out. Food is a-​ok. Greasy, but sinful. The anti-​diet locale: paleo and whole30 folks steer clear!

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.
I went here after seeing lots of cool photos, and was extremely disappointed.
Ordered the dessert platter as well as some drinks, everything was a disaster.
It’s hard to mess up sweets and drinks, but I guess they did it.
Milkshakes — creamsicle and chocolate, wow were these gross. It tasted like whipped chocolate mousse not a frosty icy milkshake. The creamsicle one was probably the worse milkshake I’ve ever had (even worse than a wasabi chocolate one I had before, wow).
Dessert platter — we got it for two people first just to see. They give you a little bit of everything on the dessert menu to try. The donut holes with some weird not-​even-​cream-​or-​cheese dip… trust me on this one Tim Hortons is better. The crème brulees were inedible, we just left them there, the crème wasn’t set properly and the flavoring was just indistinguishable, it was a chocolate-​cinamon-​disaster. Popcorn (caramel) was STALE. The only edible item was the bread pudding, but we literally only got a ramnekin of it, not even enough to taste.
We got their special «cotton candy» drink (mocktail version). It was basically mineral water with blue food coloring, whoop! For kids, or adults, no one would drink that. At least add some flavoring, geez.
Service was rude, even with only two other tables, the waiter was pushy and asked us if «we wanted change» after we were out the door, rude. No wonder this place is so empty when Rodneys and everywhere else is jam packed.
Good luck.

Came here with high expectations and was excited to try their signature cotton candy drink. Ordered that to start off and was disappointed by the mediocrity of it — definitely more of a novelty. The cotton candy also leaves a sticky mess as well :(
Moving onto the food. I came here as a part of a large group event that booked the whole restaurant that night. When we came in though the staff seemed like they didn’t even know how many seats they had available for everyone and the kitchen was incredibly slow. Our «meals» were actually just appies shared between 5 – 6 people and the staff didn’t know how many people were sharing a plate. What really ticked us off was the first item, a flatbread, that they took away from us once we had half of what we given and said they had to give it to other people… Poutine was like A&W’s, meatballs were pretty good, and the dessert donut holes with white chocolate filling was one of the better items as well.
The service and the lack of coordination really threw us off. Many people were saying that they were still hungry after the meal. Our server probably knew how people felt and gave us an extra dessert plate at the end, but still… Over 3 hours to deliver food? Had a pretty bad experience here and don’t think I would want to come again.

I had cotton candy with my scotch just because I could, hehe. My friend and I popped by for drinks and a chat — drinks were good but the chat was difficult because it’s so loud in there! There is a lounge upstairs, I think it’s bookable? Their triple chocolate cake was surprisingly good with a nice hit of sea salt and an added rich sweetness from the caramel.
It’s a bit of a mess on weekends I suppose, a few girls were being sick in the bathrooms… It’s not my scene but Society isn’t bad! Super loud if that’s what you’re into and they played the hockey game on a projector.

Came here for a smallish group party (some 20 people) and sat on the mezzanine this time. I must say that the setup is not good at all for such an event. Why? The small round tables mean that you’re all piled around them, and you can’t line the tables up beside each other without wasting a ton of table space. It was honestly quite uncomfortable.
The Society burger ($ 13) was actually pretty decent. I would recommend paying the extra $ 1.25 for carmelized onions on top — wow, it makes it that much more enjoyable. The fries were a bit dry, but they were thick cut.

Came here for the first time in the summer for happy hour… The food and drinks were ok. Service was good as it was pretty slow. For the $$ we paid it was well spent for 50% off. To be honest I wouldn’t come here on a regular occasion.
I gave them an extra star because the server gave us a bag of cotton candy to take home. A great gesture to an okay experience.

Anyone want to pay $ 24 for a marginally acceptable martini and have ridiculously poor service to boot? If so, this place is for you!
If not, I highly suggest looking elsewhere.
The waitress brought me my bill which indicated $ 23.57 for a single martini. When I expressed a grimace of shock and asked her to justify, she merely said, «well you got the premium gin.» Most places I have gone, even in this area are between $ 11 and $ 12 for a top side martini, and they taste much better. She just shrugged her shoulders and asked, «how will you be paying?»
I for one will never be returning to this establishment and will be actively recommending that others go someplace else as well.
I wish I could give 0 stars…

Had dinner here with an old friend last night. At first we thought it may be a bit too «gimmicky’ with all the cotton candy and milkshakes and candy themed cocktails, but we were pleasantly surprised!
We started with the mac and cheese balls and then shared the braised short rib hoagie and caprese salad. Shared a bottle of pinot noir that was decent. Got a big portion of cotton candy with our bill and it was delightful! Our server was a bit forgetful but extremely friendly. The manager Aleem was very friendly and helpful, even suggesting a few lounges to us for after dinner. We would definitely return, it was a lot of fun!

OMG, did I really give this place 5 stars before?! I must have been drunk.
I had my 25^th birthday party there 2 years ago. I had a reservation for 40 people in their upstairs area. Everything was in check. And I was good to go.
The day of my party, I arrived, went upstairs and to my surprise… the restaurant was FULL. And not with my friends.
WTF.
So I talked to the manager. «Your party is late. We gave up your space.»
WHAT? I am NOT late.
«You have to arrive with 15 minutes of your reservation» (or something like that, I can’t remember the exact time because this was 2 years ago.)
I AM NOT late. Why wasn’t I told this? «You were.» No, I wasn’t. If I knew, I would have been sure to put it on my FB invite, tell everyone. Tell the world. And how do you give away a spot for 40 people?
«Sorry. It’s full now, I can’t do anything. Your reservation was at 7:30, it’s just past 8pm.»
Um, my reservation is for 8pm.
«No, I have you down for 7:30pm, under Becky.»
Oh, really, since when was I Becky?
«Oh, that’s not you? Oh sorry, the space is full»
And that was it. The place was PACKED. How do you have a reservation for 40 and fill the space up within 10 minutes of the reservation time?
Anyways, I went and grabbed my cupcakes my friends dropped off from the kitchen — which had my name written on it «TANIA 8pm.» And went elsewhere.
Oops, sorry, can’t help you. See ya.
That was it.
Yes, this was 2 years ago. But I just couldn’t stomach the fact I once gave this place 5 stars. Just had to update it.

I wish that we could give half stars because I think I would give this place a 4.5. Went here on a Tuesday and all the food was half out. The server (Megan) was very tentative to us as we mentioned to her that we were a in a bit of a time crunch.
The Hawaiian Pizza was definitely a good change. Instead of the traditional Ham and Pineapple, it consisted of Pineapple, Pulled Pork, Shrimp and a Pesto Sauce. It had some spice to it and really change up the take on Hawaiian Pizza. I’d definitely recommend this. There are usually onions on it, and I told the server that I don’t like crunchy onions, and she happened to notice that they put them on top at the end. She got the kitchen staff to only put onions on half the pizza which was really awesome!
The cocktails looked really interesting. The Cesar salad was really good. The dressing they used had a bit of spice, and tastes freshly made.
I ordered the chicken corn chowder. I was expecting a soup that was more of a chowder, but it was a chicken stock. I’ve never had a chowder that has a chicken stock consistency so it was definitely a change. Still good though, just not what I was expecting. I would definitely recommend this place on a Tuesday for sure, and would come here with a group of friends on a regular day every now and again.

I’ve been here before about 5 years ago and remember not being overly impressed — but this last experience definitely changed that.
The 5 stars isn’t for the food or the ambiance. Truthfully, the meal was all right, but the menu was a bit too ‘pub food’ for the décor of the place, and the ambiance was way too loud for me to enjoy it; this review is about the service.
We were a large party — 10 people I think was the count — and we all ordered dinner. My boyfriend was the only person who’s meal didn’t arrive — apparently it was entered late into the queue or something, and the end of it was that it was on its way.
They brought him an extra order of appetizers (the macaroni & cheese balls), along with an apology. That was nice.
What I was incredibly impressed by was the floor manager, who came over shortly after to apologize again, sounded very sincere about it all, and then took it off the bill.
My boyfriend didn’t complain or put up a fuss when the server told him that his meal was late — so the appetizers coming out were a lovely surprise — the manager’s next steps were exactly what you’d hope a restaurant would do — care enough about their patrons to take it a step further, even when it’s someone who isn’t causing a fuss.
I know he really appreciated it, and so did I.

Apologies to all ICP fans for what I’m about to do… wait. no, not really.
Have you ever wondered what might happen if you crossed the Diner’s, Drive-in’s and Dive’s show on food network with a dark nightclub?.. No?
Perhaps like most of us, that concept does not appeal to you, especially when as a result of that cross, you get a restaurant called «Society» that would be better off termed the «Dark Circus». What was supposed to be a place to get fun «quirky» comfort food for your «inner child», turned out to be a mangled fête that included garish pink chandeliers (the only thing you can see clearly), drinks worse than faygo, and food that I now believe was cooked by a kitchen full of floobs and idiots.
My companions and I started off our excursion in the black. I mean, I don’t mind my restaurants dark, in fact, It makes for a more cozy atmosphere, but being in the shadows apart from the white edges of our tablecloth on a tuesday, felt a bit foolish… suddenly, up popped our server out of the abyss to take our order. the whites of her eyes gleaming in the darkness.
The menu had a very simple Americana comfort food theme, so it ought to be easy to execute well. We were all looking forward to some kitschy but cute appetizers, a good burger and maybe a spiked milkshake. To start, we ordered the calamari, the mac and cheese balls, and the ultimate poutine. The calamari were tender but pretty oil-​drenched, and the poutine was a grand mess of goo. Unfortunately, the mac balls were about as tasty as a warm, braised softball. I had to control my desire to lob one back at the juggalos in the kitchen.
As we drank our beers, shamrock shakes (aka. the 10 $ «Mad cow»), and sticky cotton candy cloud covered «candy collins», our mains arrived. We ordered the ultimate cheeseburger, the pulled pork sandwich, and the «meat sweats» burger x2. I must admit, they all looked great at first glance (see the pictures!) but boy were we fooled. My ultimate cheeseburger with two types of cheese, was not very cheesy tasting and I’d bet the farm that this was not Kobe beef. If it was, id like to know where they got their meat. It was gristly, and overcooked and was a pretty below average burger. My companions burger’s were piled high with toppings (eggs, bacon, pulled pork, onion rings) and despite this, they reported it was all pretty bland. Perhaps they have not learned of the other magic white substance known as salt…
The worst offender however, was the pulled pork sandwich. As you can see from the pictures, it arrived in a hollowed out cornbread shell that looked like a napkin holder, and was deceptively edible looking. As my friend began to deconstruct and eat it, he cried «Foul!» literally at us, for it was not pulled pork at all, but some fat cap covered thick-​chopped meat. heavily scented with chinese five spice and slathered with bbq sauce. We all tried it, and we all shouted «T&T bbq Duck»!!! at the same time. Had the kitchen run out of pulled pork and sent a schleb to fetch more at the market down the street? Did they really think asian style, large fatty pieces of duck would blend well with southern cornbread and a sweet bbq sauce? It was like the Carnie’s trick, when you realize you have been taken for all your money and left with a booby prize.
The only thing positive to say was that they had good servers. So good that we all enjoyed how most of the other staff seemed to be upstairs beyond the velvet rope, having their own party and dancing where we all could enjoy a good view. That and their handcut fries were very tasty…
MMFCL