The Little District

This is currently my favourite casual restaurant — perfect spot for drinks and appies! Interesting menu items and consistently amazing flavour combinations. Some of the items I’ve enjoyed include the fried oysters, chorizo sausage, chicken and waffles (addicting!) and the enormous Cobb salad. I order the deep fried pickles almost every time and they are always top notch. The patio out back is a slice of heaven in the summer — it’s completely secluded from the busy traffic along Lonsdale and kind of feels like a secret garden! A great place to suntan and sip drinks.

Let me cut to the chase. Good food, comfortable and semi-​cool design/​layout and atmosphere and decent prices. 90% of people looking for this type of venue won’t go wrong here. But, they fell well short in terms of my expectations for customer service from a modern, professional restaurant. I’m allergic to seafood, all seafood. And it’s a severe allergy. 95% of modern restaurants can accommodate me for anything they serve that’s not seafood. For example, french fries are almost never an issue. Even if the restaurant in question happens to fry fries in the same oil vat that they fry seafood in, they’ll almost assuredly accommodate me by emptying out an oil vat and cleaning it, frying my fries, and then continuing on with business that evening. Well, not at The LIttle District. They happen to fry everything in the same oil and don’t make any accommodations for those that can’t handle it. Ok, fine. Not ideal, but hey, life isn’t always fair. But here’s the rub: they charged me for an upgrade to their house salad when I had no other choice but to ‘upgrade’ to the house salad. Now that’s cheap. Sure, it was only $ 1.60 (net of a 40 cent ‘discount they gave me), but seriously, you couldn’t just comp me the house salad since I couldn’t eat your fries that came with my dish? And then, when questioned about the upgrade charge, the server insults me by suggesting that they’re a ‘seafood restaurant’ and I shouldn’t have come there in the first place? Wow, great way to promote word of mouth advertising. In this modern day and age when almost any restaurant staff are trained to accommodate allergies, this was incredibly disappointing. The icing on the cake was when she told me the ownership is incredibly strict about accommodations and discounts and she would get in trouble if she fully comped me my salad. What a ridiculous ownership group and absurdly rigid set of instructions to give a restaurant staff if your goal is to build the long-​term profitability of the business. I know that 98% of you will never be affected by my issue, but I thought this was worth writing to highlight the difference between a great restaurant and one that is just a wannabe great restaurant, and right now The Little District are just wannabes posing as a cool restaurant.

I really want to like Little district. There are so few places in NV with this vibe: cool room, good lighting, music & funky menu. Unfortunately they miss on execution with both food and service. For such a small place that was less than half full last time I visited, we waited more than 10 minutes before anyone even took our drink order. The staff were clearly under trained and confused. Then our food came and the slaw had to be sent back for being bitter and upon closer inspection– brown. Not a big confidence builder. The challenge of having a kitchen right up front for all to see is that all can see it, so it better be well run. Unfortunately the staff here don’t look or act like pros. Please get better management before you scare away all your fans.

Went during happy hour with the better half. Great apps. Was able to eat and drink and tip for under $ 60.
Minus one star for cheap outdoor furniture.
Great start to date night.
Went back again:
HOLY LOUD MUSIC BATMAN.
minus one star for not being able to hear my wife across the table. Apparently it is all the iPods fault. They can’t figure out how to equalize the volume.

Small and cozy. First time I’ve been there, my (medium rare) steak was actually good. Pricey but good, they had a great cook.
Second time I ordered the same, expected the same. Unfortunately, it was not of the same quality. I just told the waitress when asked, expecting nothing in return. To my surprise, she deducted something from the final bill, which I truly appreciate. That’s also why my four stars, I’ll visit them again.

Love it. Hit the happy hour it’s fantastic. Great service and great food! The front and back patios are a great space in the summer.

Very brief menu, i liked the steak burger, worth going there once but not very intresting for me to keep going there

I like this place! :) it’s a small narrow space but the brick walls give it a lot of character.
The highlights are definitely the appies, particularly the deep fried pickles and oysters! Yum! (But they could offer a few more fries per basket). I’m huge fan of Bridge Brewing so having that on tap is a big plus! The waitresses are nothing to write home about, they bring you your food with no friendly banter… But that’s typical for the average quality of customer service on the north shore.
I like this place MUCH more than the original district on lower Lonsdale… That place is not as chill, it’s more for the older crowd on the north shore.
Last thing… There are no TVs, if you want to be distracted by sports go to Jacks. If you want to enjoy each other’s company, go to the Little District :)

No! First try was a soggy attempt at fish tacos for lunch — fail. 10 months later I braved the place again — was empty for the after work crowd, so no reason my tomato soup should be cold in some spots and weakly warm in others? Fail #2. Also, the fish & chips (cod) is a hefty $ 19!!! Seriously? to pay for the stellar chef? Not. This place is long on tables and steep on pricing and they can keep their microwaved ultra boring food. Disappointed and won’t go back for solid strike 3.

2 stars mostly just cause it’s a cool little place and my fries were good. That’s it. My fish was not good.
Service was friendly but our waitress didn’t even know what came on the special of the day, which was just a cheese steak. All she knew was it was on a ‘hotdog’ bun. She was a bit clueless actually. They were apparently out of the chicken and waffles which was kinda funny as she told us they’d be out of waffles for a month. Lol. What’s the hold up on waffles?
Trendy cute little restaurant, but way too small for the amount of people they try to squeeze in.
Not sure what’s so good about this place. Might go back, but prob not! Well maybe when the waffles arrive. Lol.

We enjoyed our evening at the Little District. Nice casual atmosphere. Short beer list, but with some decent choices. This place seems to focus more on their whiskey selection. Great appetizers with the mussels (felt more like a main) and prawns. In terms of mains, we enjoyed the burger and the chicken & waffles. We were not a big fan of the house salad, however. Prices were quite reasonable and the service was good. Overall we left stuffed and happy, having enjoyed a nice evening with friends, and are sure to return one day.

This place is our fave little spot on lonsdale ! Love the food especially the deep fried pickles! The chefs are friendly and very talented!

In a cold rainy day, I just wanted a bowl of warm soup. Then, I spotted the Little District– lucky me!
Small cozy restaurant. From outside: Black sign– difficult to spot if you’re not looking carefully– with a big glass window– people walking on the street can see how the chef prepares dishes. Inside, small space but clean and tidy. Slightly dim light (not too dark or bright) made me feel cozy.
I ordered the simple but enough-​to-​test-​restaurant-​value dish: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Combination of crunch buttery bread and perfectly-​melted cheese was absolutely heavenly! Who said grilled cheese was a simple dish?! Tomato soup was warm and hearty with good chunk of tomatoes. It also had nice acidity that goes well with buttery grilled cheese. I felt so good with every bite and spoon that I gave my sincere compliment to the chef. The Little District may be little in space but not in taste of their dishes!

This place is a great hidden gem that won’t stay hidden for much longer. The vibe is really cool, the menu is small but appropriate, the drink menu is focused and makes use of high quality spirits and the service has always been stellar.
I have been here on a number of occasions and always enjoy my experience. The music is audible, but not so loud as you can’t hold a conversation at a normal level. The playlist is predominantly blues unless you’re there early or late (then it’s the chef’s selection). The vibe you get is a south-​eastern US BBQ joint, which suits the menu. The ambiance does a good job of providing enough to look at that the place isn’t sterile, but doesn’t distract from your food or your company.
The drink menu focuses on bourbon, but your staple drinks can be found as well. There is a handful of local craft beers on tap which change with the seasons. If one beer doesn’t sell particularly well, it will be replaced by the time you’re back again.
The menu is focused and concise. It’s definitely southern BBQ inspired, the oyster po boys, fried chicken and waffles, and cod fritters all point to that. The burger is great, especially with blue cheese, and the fish and chips are very good as well. The fries are double blanched and seasoned to perfection and come with an aioli that will make you wonder why people even bother with ketchup. If you’re looking for something lighter the salads are very good, in particular the quinoa salad.
My experience with service has been exemplary every time I go. My food is delivered promptly and steaming hot, the servers do a good job of keeping an eye on the table without hovering, and with a clear view of the kitchen you know the food is prepared with a high standard in mind.

Best food on Lonsdale. Good service. When I say good I don’t mean that in a «if you can’t say something nice then stfu» kind of way. We come in the servers greet us seat us feed us and bill us. Yes there are some places where they go the extra mile to engage you or entertain you but this isn’t one of those places. They get the job done and we leave with happy stomachs.
We have been about 6 times since they opened. Will be back about 600 more times. We have a 4-​year-​old daughter and our whole family loves Little District.
It’s amazing watching the chef. That dude is fully pinned non-​stop! He must be some sort of wizard because he never appears the least bit flustered and never makes any mistakes. Maybe not quite a wizard but definitely a sorcerer or warlock or something.
Pricing is good too.

I’m a huge fan of this place because of their Chicken and Waffles. They come in 2 sizes but I’ve never order the larger one because frankly the smaller size always fills me up. Good amount of food for the price. They have a really excellent drink selection as well.
My only complaint is that service can sometimes be a little lackluster. Often we never see the server unless she’s dropping off our drinks and then our food. Dont think it would hurt for them to check in once, especially because I’ve rarely seen this place very busy. That being said, the food and drinks more than make up for it.

FOOD: Chicken and Waffles killer. Deep fried pickles delishious. Ceasar Salad perfect.
MENU: Small but dedicated to true southern cooking. Fried oyster po-​boy sandwiches, cod fritters, steamed muscles, classic steak and fritts, massive hand made beef burger and more.
VIBE: Hipster long table seats about 90, very cool, say hi to your neigjbor social feel. Very indicitive of a true Austin or Birmingham eatery. Secret back patio makes you want to stay all night. The only thing missing is the blues guitarist on the slide steel.
BAR: Bourbon, bourbon and more bourbon. All bourbons are whisky, but not all whisky is bourbon. Nice small selection of micro brew on tap as well. The ubiquitous wine list makes an appearance as well.
SERVICE: The service needs an overhaul and the chef needs an attitude adjustment. Be prepared to wait for your drinks and your eats. An easy fix with some experienced wait staff.
THE BILL: 3 adults one cute kid, 5 drinks, 3 mains, 1 salad, no desert… $ 110.
THE TAKE AWAY: You should go! The food and vibe make it worth a vist but until the service is bumped up bring your patience… after all it’s not called slow-​food for nothing.

Honestly, I hate giving poor reviews, but I am left with no choice in this case. Decent layout (the outside), very good food, but horrible service, which I will, unfortunately, have to expand on in a bit.
Not being from the North Shore, we stumbled across this place quite by accident on a Friday evening. Our first impression after poking our noses in was good enough to draw us in. This restaurant has an interesting layout, being very long and narrow. However, they have a back patio, which was more open and inviting. I don’t think we would have stayed had there not been a patio seat available, as the inside doesn’t look very comfortable.
We were happy that they had a seat available for us outside, and we were escorted through the restaurant onto the back patio, where we were seated, at the last remaining table for four. We were two. We had been craving a margarita all evening, and promptly ordered two, on the rocks. And two glasses of WATER. Our margaritas were delivered after about 10 minutes, with both being spilled and splashed all over our table upon arrival. They were full to the brim, which would be great if the alcohol stayed in the glass, but it didn’t.) Not even a ‘sorry’, or ‘oops’, or anything. Just plunked down on the table with booze splashing over the sides, leaving pools of wetness for us to wipe up ourselves. Ok, not a great start, but really… get over it, right?
Our conversation a few sips into our drinks was interrupted by the server showing up at our tableside with two people, and asking us to shift down against the wall so that she could separate our table to accommodate two more guests. I get the concept, but the proper thing to do would have been to separate the tables before they sat us. It was kind of rude and awkward to correct that after the fact, and was certainly not professional.
Our food order was taken in a reasonable time, but then, «Let the waiting begin.» The service that night was unacceptably slow, with huge gaps between our server even looking over our way. We were in the far corner, unfortunately, so we couldn’t even flag her down as she was passing, because she didn’t pass our table! Trust me, it wasn’t for lack of trying to attract attention, but we’re not the type to yell across the room to our server, so we suffered in silence.
I’ll interject some good news. We ordered the Fish and Chips to share, with the deep fried pickles to start. Oh yes, and two glasses of WATER. (No, not too MORE glasses of water, the same two glasses we had asked for with our drink orders.) Both food items were very good, with the fish being lightly battered and flavourful, the chips being tasty and crisp, and the pickles being magnificent. An interesting assortment of dips were served making the meal a bit of a pleasant adventure. I’d go back for the food, if it wasn’t for the service, which ruined it for us.
I’ll try and wrap things up.
The service was very, very bad. A long time after our meals had finally been served, the server returned and asked if everything was alright, and if we’d like another drink. Neither of us had particularly enjoyed the Margaritas, which had an odd flavour to them, so I said yes I would, but asked for the drink menu to make another selection. And I politely, asked (begged) for some WATER. The menu was brought to our table promptly. However… she NEVER returned to actually take the drink order! Thirty minutes went by, and when our server (Lindsay) finally returned to clear our table, she looked at the drink menu and asked, «Oh yah, what else would you like to drink?» A tad late, don’t ya think?
Water? What water? Despite asking on three separate occasions, we never did get our water. Yikes.
Ok, so you can see we’re not big fans of The Little District. However, credit where credit is due. When we were presented with the bill, Lindsay had been proactive enough to comp our drinks, which was much appreciated. It at least showed that she cares, which was refreshing. I have no idea why we were stuck into the corner and all but forgotten, but whatever the reason, it wasn’t fun.
Food was good. Drinks being taken off the bill was awesome. Will we go back? No. Sorry, for us, awesome service will make up for ok food, but good food won’t make up for bad service.
As I said at the start, I feel bad leaving poor reviews, but hey, what good is Unilocal if the true story isn’t told. I guess next time we’ll have to go to one of the four million sushi restaurants on Lonsdale! lol What’s up with all the sushi restaurants???

We had been to The District several times over the years but hadn’t been to its little brother before. The place was quiet and I enjoyed being able to watch the kitchen staff do their thing. I ordered the Fourteen Buck Chuck burger and it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had — three different preparations of onion on there! My wife had the quinoa salad (so good!) and the cauliflower and cheese soup (also very tasty). The only disappointment is the mussels have been permanently removed from the menu due to lack of interest … that is one of my restaurant «litmus tests,» and a favourite of mine to order anywhere. The desserts seemed a bit pricey so we had that elsewhere, but every bite was enjoyed. I would certainly return.

Awesome addition to boring Central Lonsdale. Super cozy little joint (Like half of the other District) with an extensive fresh menu which sells out regularly, great cocktail list and super friendly staff.
Little bit pricey for my blood to be a regular (but I’m cheap as shit).I recommend the Burger and an Old Fashion. Have at it!