The Storm Crow Tavern

I would be giving this place 5 stars but a recent experience left a REALLY sour taste in my mouth. The atmosphere is excellent, the food is decent pub fare with some cool unique extras… At the back of the tavern is an incredible ART-​O-​MAT machine that allows you to buy a tiny piece of art. Put in $ 5 token and a kinetic crow flaps its wings and glares at you with red eyes !! SO COOL!!! However… I was recently told that there was no room for reservations when I called a week in advance… But we went well over an hour early to get seats anyways… And when we arrived they said we would have to wait for up to an hour outside (it was the desirable trivia night) so I thought «O.K. It’s worth the wait «and we waited and waited and waited and after a little while there were available seats and tables … WE COULD see them… And Well… trivia began (which was the reason we came) and those tables were STILL empty and they REFUSED to seat us at them… After all that waiting!!! I’m honestly not sure I’ll go back ever again… It was so rude. No way to conduct business… If their reservation didn’t show up… They SHOULD have seated us. They need to get their priorities straight. They lost good business and what for? So those tables could sit empty for NOBODY?

Couldn’t get served. Showed up at 830pm, put in for a party of 6. Hostess took my number and said it would be about 2 hours. Came back at 10pm and hostess acted surprised and tried to talk us into leaving despite 3 open tables. We sat and waited. By 1030 two groups of 5 and three groups of four walked in and were seated right away despite no reservations. 1045 hostess comes up and says we can’t wait in the restaurant for fire safety reason. I asked to speak to a supervisor who tried to brush us off. Eventually offered to make a reservation for the next day but insisted it had to be before 7pm. Brought out a blank reservation book and took my number again.
This is the second time this has happened. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

I’ll start with the good stuff!
First, it’s awesome here, great atmosphere and vast menu. There’s so many board games, guaranteed you will have fun. We played Cards Against Humanity and it was amazing. The menu is hilarious and has so many vegan/​vegetarian/​GF options. The servers are pretty friendly as well.
Cons:
They were legit out of everything we wanted to order-​No pickles, yam fries, cauliflower, mayo or ranch. I’m not sure how a business can allow their supply to fall below their demand. We really wanted yam fries and deep fried pickles.
Our server didn’t come around often enough at one point and my friends wanted to order more drinks, so we had to go find her and order.
Otherwise it’s great! Just wish they had their supplies sorted out so we could order what we wanted!

Served me poutine already eaten by someone else! Brought our food to another table and we watched them eat it, than the waitress picked it up, switched the burger but served us the poutine which had been eaten. After obviously complaining, they took it away and said another would be out right away. 30 min later still nothing. They did eventually get me one and take it off the bill but a bit grossed out by then. My friend’s meal was also wrong, but we didn’t bother telling them.

I came here at brunch but did not know they have a real small menu for it. The inside is definitely a nerds fantasy come true with the feeling of being at the inn from Lord of the Rings. But as for the food I was not very impressed as it was $ 17 for a cheddar bacon burger with smaller then average fries and a bit cold the same with my parents hash browns for their Storm Crow breakfast. It seems maybe it would be better for lunch or dinner and drinks, but I would rather go to Belgian Fries or Biercraft next time on the drive.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than the Storm Crow. Blasters and ray guns hang by the front door, battle axes on the wall, board games on the shelves. This is where you’ll want to bulk up on big burgers, fries and beer before hiring safe passage to Alderaan.
The cantina, er, tavern was jammed by 6 p.m. on a Saturday. Tables were filled with folks playing games ranging from Magic: The Gathering to chess to Scrabble.
My two companions and I tried the tavern’s $ 5 Random Shots — one of 20 different shooters determined by a roll of the «infamous 20-​sided dice.» (If you choose the shot you want, it’s $ 6.) E. rolled 20 twice, earning the so-​called «Critical Hit,» which was 2 ounces of premium Smirnoff vodka with lemon and a sugar rim. She got to keep both shot glasses, each emblazoned with the Storm Crow Tavern logo.
I came up with «Snow Crash» (Sambuca, Irish cream and «Reason») and The Snake Plissken, described as Jameson Irish Whiskey («eyepatch not included»). Too bad about the eye patch. I had encountered a down-​on-​his-​luck gent in Chinatown earlier that day wearing a homemade denim eye patch. He probably could have used it.

Great place for a bunch of board lovers to hangout with a pint or so. The food is not the greatest, but then who cares when you’re busy playing.

The perfect way to make you get up off your butt and go to somewhere and playing board games with your friends. It’s a nerds dream! Good prices and a great atmosphere. If you love bored games or anything remotely close this is your place.
The only thing that is the down fall would be their food. The menu is convoluted and a miss match of bad bar food. I really wish they would find a good chef to redo a simpler menu that was actually good. It is just bad food. Ugh.
Other then that this place is awesome. I mean really amazing. A gem for the nerd community.

If there were half stars, I would have given this place a 3.5÷5
The good:
I came in on a Tuesday night at 10PM and it was filled up and busy. The vibe was nice and the service was good. The hours are also awesome!
My friends ordered their burgers and they’re pretty good! Unfortunately, I didn’t have much luck.
The bummers:
The card games are incomplete and very sticky (which should be expected since its been touched by hundreds of people). Just make sure you wash your hands if you are eating finger food.
I ordered grilled cheese with squash soup and was super disappointed. The bread itself was small, but that would’ve been okay if they gave me a decent amount of cheese with it. There was so little cheese that it didn’t even fill the whole sandwich!!! There was only a thin layer of cheese on the centre of the bread, the rest of the bread around it was cheese-​less… What on earth — I paid 10+ bucks for this?! Darn.
The squash soup on the other hand was good.
Well, I’ll be back… But I’ll play it safe and just order the burgers next time.

This was the best place we ate in Vancouver – or at least the most fun. I loved the needy décor and ample game selection. We had the potine app, BLT, and Storm Burger followed by the raspberry tart. All were excellent!

My friends and coworkers kept raving about this place for the longest time. So I arranged a double date with my man, my best friend, and her boyfriend to go there.
It is quite the experience. There is a cornucopia of board games and puzzles to choose from, the walls are covered with various nerdy paraphernalia (ie: Cthulu, swords, Minecraft/​other video game characters, the Tardis, etc.) and the menu also fits the nerdy theme.
The food is decent. I ordered the chickpea fries which were tasty, along with their hummus which was okay. Their drinks are themed too and they’ve got a list of 20 different shots and a 20 sided dice that you can roll and whatever number you land on is the shot you take on the list. If you land on 20, called a Critical Hit, you get to keep the shot glass, but it’s only if you roll it.
We played Cards Against Humanity, again something everyone raved about yet I never got the chance to partake in — what’s up with that? Anyways, it was a blast! It was the highlight of the night. I also played Cranium with other friends another time which too was a riot.
If you’re into nerdy things, this is the place for you. If you’re not into nerdy things, that’s okay — I’m not into tons of nerdy things but I still felt comfortable here. If you like board games, drinks, and nerdy things — then you have hit home.
Personally, I go for the fun and socializing (and rolling the dice for a shot or two) rather than the food. Be careful though, even though the menu is reasonably priced, it’s easy to quickly rack up a bill of 50 bucks or more.

I took some customers out one night to this place just because I read about the 20-​sided die shots and it was great. It was alot of fun sitting there and everyone leaving their next drink to fate! The bartenders were cool because if you happened to roll the same number twice, you get to do a re-​roll so you’re not drinking the same thing all night. I’d say it was a unanimous decision that the Jameson with a Pickle Juice chaser was by far the worst drink on the shot menu! Ugh.
I grew up playing AD&D and the atmosphere of this place rocks. I’ll definitely be checking this place out again next time I’m in Vancouver!

It feels like coming home every time I saunter through the Storm Crow’s doors.
One of the first things you notice upon entering the Storm Crow is the sheer amount of things on the walls. Signed photographs of the Firefly cast, many a piece of Doctor Who memorabilia, and a magnificent (false) hearth that looks like Davy Jones.
There’s usually a fantasy or sci-​fi movie playing on the big screen on one side of the pub, and you can always find people playing games like Catan or Munchkin. The atmosphere is incredibly friendly and jovial.
One of my favourite things is the menu of shots chosen at random by the roll of a 20-​sided die. Some of my favourites include the Vulcan Mind Meld and the Khal Drogo.
It’s always packed on weekend evenings, so make sure you come early unless you have amazing table karma.
If you are a fantasy or sci-​fi nerd, or even if you aren’t, you should absolutely come check out the Storm Crow and play a game of Catan.

The Storm Crow has very limited and uninspired vegetarian options. But you come to the Storm Crow to drink, play games and take in the atmosphere, not to eat pub food.
Food: ¹⁄₅
Drinks: ³⁄₅
Games: ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅
Get here early, even on a weekday, since it is hard to get a table after 5pm.

I have been here only once last year.
I came here because I love boardgames. Unfortunate their boardgames are incomplete (the stuff in the game /​pieces). And it the games can be sticky and gross. Like Cards Against Humanities. This place is always super busy.
The food is ok. The alcohol tasted like it was diluted with water.
The décor is interesting and cool looking but its the stickyness of their table and the boardgames or cardgames that really put me off.

Went here by myself and caught the 8pm viewing of Game of Thrones.
Very nice decoration of all you favorite TV– and video game– characters.
They sat me down right in front of the TV which was great.
Tried the first thing on the menu, the Chickpea fries for $ 6 and two Kronenbourg Blanc $ 6.50 each.
The chickpea fries where nice, obviously reminds you of falafel, it was also served with a dip which I think was a kind of a chipotle-​mayo.
Fast and excellent service, definitely worth a try and if you can catch a GoT-​viewing, it’s even better.

Piggy backed on my bf’s work trip to Vancouver. There are definitely some perks to dating a man who travels for work. :)
The bf’s American co-​worker brought us to the Storm Crow over the promise of rolling a dice to pick shots. The bf and I don’t really drink, but hey if our American guest wants to get a buzz on a work night… why not! ;D We drove all the way from downtown to be told there would be a 20 min wait to get a table. The wait ended up being over 30 min and the hangriness was setting in…
We ordered a poutine to share, two burgers and wings. The poutine was a pretty good classic. Mr. America has never had poutine before but the fatty savoury cheese and gravy appealed to him. «It’s artery clogging goodness! :)» Typical…
At this point we pulled a game off the wall and Mr. America started teaching the bf and I how to play Dominion. No. Not dominoes. Happy to hear there is no table charge for the added fun of board games. In Toronto, board game cafes charge between $ 2 and 5 an hour and none of them serve real food. However, that thought soon changed when my main arrived. I had ordered the wings, but instead of getting crispy, juicy deep fried wings I got a dozen small, dry wings. And what is in this batter? Are those sesame seeds??? I’m not really sure, but this is the first time I have ever left untouched wings on my plate. Blah!
The burgers on the other hand I have been told were okay. They were thick and «taste like a burger» which to me is my bf’s way of saying — good but nothing special.
At 8:45pm we reminded Mr. America that the meter was running out in 45 min and he better order his shots. At 9pm we reminded him (last chance bud!) and at 9:10 he asked for the bill. :(WTH man… you did not just drag us all the way here only to NOT take your $#!@ shot. He shall not live this down for the rest of the trip.

I thought this place was cool. It was unique with all its figurines and fantasy decorative pieces. It’s rustic and casual. No need to dress up.
The customer service was pretty good. I only had the chips and dip so I can’t really recommend anything.
I only went for a few drinks. I also loved the board games that are available on hand. I played Analyze Me and it was pretty good with a few beers.
I would definitely go back and order some of the yummy options available.

Storm Crow is a great staple. I’ve been here many, many times and I really like how they’ve evolved. As much as I loved the $ 5 menu, I love the way they’ve changed it, and am more than happy to pay a few dollars more for some quality nosh!
Sadly, they no longer have Fat Tug Tuesdays (or Tugsday as my friend calls it) but they did have R’n’B Oatmeal Stout on special for $ 4 a sleeve — very reasonable! And thankfully it’s a light enough stout that you can drink a few of them. The staff are always super friendly, and our server was no different! She was attentive, and kept our water (and beer) glasses full, and always had a smile or a quip for us.
I ordered the roasted veggie grilled cheese with a side of the butternut squash and lentil soup, and Friend ordered a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich. His food looked good, although I had my nose in mine so quick I barely got a look at it! My sandwich was not messing around: thick slabs of white bread, tons of veggies, and oozy cheese everywhere! The flavours were good, and the veggies were interesting — more than just onions and peppers here! The soup was tasty — it definitely had a surprise spice in it, something like nutmeg or allspice that added a great touch of Christmassy goodness. It was unexpectedly sweet though, which I liked less — nothing a dash of hot sauce didn’t balance out!
The décor here is every nerd’s dream, and I always find a new and awesome piece to ogle whenever I’m here. They were playing old godzilla movies on Tuesday, which I loved, except that they almost distracted me away from the conversation! Stupid hilarious, awesome old movies… There’s always something fun on the tv — no sports here. Plus they have a killer game selection!
This is a great spot to come and enjoy good beer, decent food, great service, and lots of entertainment!

[The Geek Pub]
If a nerd convention and an eclectic pub had a love child, Storm Crow would be the result. This charming little pub on Commercial is packed with board games, books and adorned with medieval helmets, weapons and all sorts of movie and game-​themed memorabilia. Their board game collection was impressive. Almost every table had some game going — everything from Settlers of Catan to Apples to Apples to Scrabble. Our table of 8 decided on Cards Against Humanity. Yes, we are horrible people.
Their beer selection is just average. They had 5 or 6 on tap as well as the usual suspects in bottles. What’s great is the price. You can get a 24oz stein for a mere $ 8. If you’ve got some friends or have a drinking problem, you can also get a 60 oz pitcher for $ 16.
What I found cool was the random shots they had available. There was a list of 20 different mixed shots (each numbered 1 thru 20) and for $ 5, you roll a 20-​sided dice to determine which one you’ll get. If you don’t like leaving it to chance, it’s only $ 1 more. I did not partake in this because it was only 6pm but it was cool to see other people trying it out.
The food here is average. I had the pork pie which was tasty but was only the size of a large cookie so I was still hungry afterwards. The accompanying vegetable and squash soup was warm and hearty and didn’t disappoint. However, at a mere $ 9, it made an excellent snack.
I absolutely love the ambience here. We had such a great time playing games and watching Dr. Who and Wayne’s World on the sci-​fi decorated TV. We even got shushed when we decided to sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody after a few steins. Who gets shushed at a tavern/​pub? I’ll definitely be back next time I need to unleash my inner nerd.