Review Grotto - Vancouver

Declan Tran

Good is great. Service is awesome. The restaurant itself is somewhat very quiet... Maybe because of unusual location. Nevertheless, my pasta order is always spot on.

Andy Tan

Excellent food for the price, not too busy but probably because we went on a weekday.

Amara Smith

Great food. Fantastic cocktails. And an ever-changing sorbet menu. Only downside is the service. I've been here twice and the servers always seem to be overworked. This past time, there was someone busing and seemingly unqualified to take orders. The actual (?) server was also bartending, which is a tough gig when groups of 4 or more are ordering high-end cocktails. She was apologetic for the delays. You should go here if you don't mind waiting for your service or you don't mind reminding the staff that you need to order.

Dan Nan

I had high expectations of this place due to the good reviews, and one of the ways I gauge Italian places is based on the Margarita Pizza. Unfortunately, the pizza dough/crust was not that great and even the toppings were not as good as other authentic pizza places. The dough was dry and coarse. However the appetizer of Carpaccio was nice and my friends pasta looked delicious. The drinks, decor and location was fantastic too.

jeannie

Pizza is the thing to order here. Large and deliscious. Wild boar, also excellent. Skip the gnocchi. While tasty, an appetizer sized serving with a full dinner price. Only one waitress in this small location, so service was slow once it started to fill up. A cute place to dine with a couple drawbacks

Carl Steffens

The food was nice here. Would recommend a pizza as they are quite large for a reasonable price (had enough to take home for another meal). Used a Groupon here which made the price just right. House wine was not great (they were out of two other wines on the menu. The real disappointment though was the service; we were ignored as we walked in and continually ignored throughout the night. We were not alone in this as we watched other tables try and flag down the waitress who was constantly standing at the bar. The waitress never checked in on us, never refilled water, and only returned to bring the bill after being flagged down. Overall, good location and not bad if you have a Groupon, but not sure I would visit again based on the service.

Benjamin Bolliger

Quality Italian Comfort Food. I really enjoyed Grotto when we visited for dinner. I had the gnocchi which was well prepared and tasted great. Everyone at our table enjoyed their dishes and drinks. They have a number of creative cocktails and the sangria packs a punch. Grotto is a little hard to see from the street as it's set below street level. From the outside the interior looks rather dark, but once your in the restaurant it's rather warm and inviting. Prices are reasonable, service is good, food is well prepared and the atmosphere is cozy. Would certainly recommend.

Shayn Yoe

Okay. This restaurant is made of highs and lows! Let's start with the good. I've been to the restaurant several times and the food has Always been spot on. They braise their meat and season their food so well, that when I close my eyes, I am transport to the countryside of Italy. Their pappardelle with beef marrow is magical! I encourage everyone to do it and not think twice. It is that good. And their pizzas are even better. Again, their seasoning is perfectly on point! My hats off to the chefs for creating delicious food. Let's talk about the bad. Like other reviewers on here, I would agree that the service (or in particular, 1 server) is plain bad. And I don't mean poor, I mean his service is Bad, terrible, aweful, insulting, unwelcoming, rude. I don't want to suppose why it is (nor should I). But you know when you're not welcome, and this server makes it so. Me and my partner have been served by him for the last 3 visits and in each time, he has made it clear that having customers are just an annoyance to him. And it isn't just us, becuase the other patrons get treated in the same fashion and worse. I do not suspect thay rudeness is what Grotto is going for? I don't think that it is. So it's too bad for them, becuase his bad attitude single handedly ruins an otherwise very cute, quaint West End restaurant with delicious food. I know I sound overly critical, but I promise you I am not and I encourage you to try it for yourself. So there in lies my review. High highs; Low lows! 4* for the chef's. And unfortunately -2 for the service. A note to owner: I enourage the owner to take a look for yourself. He is putting your business in jeopardy.