Dunn’s Famous

Went on Tuesday night before the Blue Rodeo concert at the Orpheum. Merian and I both had medium juicy Montréal Smoked Beef and shared a Québécois Poutine and a Caesar Salad. We both loved the sandwich and the Poutine. I liked the Caesar salad although Merian thought the dressing was too acidic. My only suggestion would be to upgrade their croutons — they were a little too dry — not enough chew. They weren’t very busy — we were surprised — but both the food and the service were outstanding. We will definitely return.

Dunn’s is part of an ever-​growing group of Montréal-​themed comfort food places popping up around downtown: smoked-​meat, poutine, and fried pickles.
I feel a little a little conflicted about reviewing this place. I’ve been here twice.
The first time was at an event hosted by Dunn’s. The food was free and provided by them for the event, and the poutine and fried pickles I had from them was delicious. They had almost as many servers as guests and everything flew out of the kitchen. Naturally I couldn’t wait to go back the next time I felt like poutine.
The second time… the experience was a little bit less stellar. I went on my own, and found myself waiting to be seated a long time (ten minutes or so), which wouldn’t be too bad except I was also literally the only customer. I ordered the poutine, and the portions were very generous, but the quality feels a lot lower than my first try. A lot of rather overdone fries, very little gravy and cheese (poutine isn’t exactly the rocket science of the culinary world, guys). Oddly, this poutine was totally different from the one I’d had previously: the fries were larger cut and drier, and the gravy was heavier, with less of it.
The ambience is very old-​fashioned diner-​y. They serve alcohol if that matters to you.
Five stars for the event they hosted, two stars for my experience as an independent customer. Given I was there on an ordinary day, I’d give more credence to the latter.

Went here based on a recommendation from a friend. I am not sure why he would recommend this place to me; I personally did not like it. I ordered a Caesar salad and it would have been appreciated if the waitress told me that it was a salad large enough to feed a small family! ugh. Not to mention it had a kind of a sour taste to it… I don’t know what that was about, but I have had better salads. Not to mention the price… the prices were a bit much, especially considering what you actually get. The best thing I had there was the carrot cake and I don’t even think they make that in house. I’d definitely never go back again; unless its for the carrot cake. The waitress loses major points for the salad snafu and also because all they had was warm white wine… she asked me if I wanted ice in it… not for $ 9.00 a glass I don’t!
Needless to say, I won’t be going back!

The plan for this meal was to eat all the food. Everything ever.
We ordered the appetizer platter of deep fried pickles, egg rolls and latkes. Was pretty good. Pickles were yummy, egg rolls were ok, though a little strange, and latkes were quite good.
Dinner was pulled pork grilled cheese and coleslaw, the other party had The Best Reuben in the City and it was pretty great. The grilled cheese was very tasty, and coleslaw was awesome!
As for service, that was wonderful. The server, and all staff were outgoing and very nice. I even got a cheerful greeting from a woman working in the kitchen.
Overall I would recommend to anyone.

NOTE: As part of the relaunch media event, all food and beverages were free, but all opinions are based on my own experience.
They have revamped their menu to focus more on their signature dishes, but have also added a couple of new items. My immediate reaction when I entered was how bright the restaurant is now.
The new addition is the deli experience where customers can purchase both quick lunches and also goods to take home. They offer a variety of smoked meat, pickles, salads, and soups. Of course, you can also choose sit-​down dining, but it’s great that there’s an option for Downtown workers for a quick sandwich.
Of course I had to try their signature item, so I ordered the Montréal Smoked Meat Sandwich. For the sandwiches, you can choose the size, cut of your meat, mustard, and any side add ons. I asked for advice from one of the servers (who by the way, are extremely well-​trained and knowledgeable with the products) and chose the smallest size, a 4 oz meat sandwich, with a medium cut, and Dijon mustard. They use rye bread which comes from the local bakery, Brekka, so the bread is extremely fresh. All sandwiches also come with a pickle, which is refreshing to eat between the sandwich. The smoked meat is seriously some of the most melt-​in-​your-​mouth meat I’ve had though. This is because Dunn’s offers the only hand-​sliced Montréal smoked meat in Vancouver. The hand slicing is an art that takes years to perfect and allows the meat to be cooked for a longer period of time and it can be cut against the grain. This would not be achievable with a machine. With a medium cut, you get a mix of lean and fat meat, so you still get the perfect melt-​in-​your-​mouth texture.
For my add-​on, I chose the Quebecoise Poutine. The fries are hand cut and made from Kennebec potatoes, and topped with fresh Canadian cheese curds covered in an original BBQ beef gravy. The gravy is made in house from scratch using roasted beef bones and a signature barbecue spice mix, which I thought was quite different from your typical gravy sauce. I quite liked this and the fries were extremely crispy.
Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the service and food at Dunn’s Famous. There are very few, if any, Montréal smoked meat restaurants that I’m aware of so it’s great that Dunn’s still keeps the traditions and authenticity of this delicious artisan meat. Great location and I’m loving the new vintage retro ambiance at the restaurant. Plus, you can now bring home the smoked meat to assemble your own sandwich!

We had two sandwiches, the cubano and the smoked Montréal. The Cubano was excellent but the other wasn’t that tasty. As a side dish, we had a poutine but wasn’t that fabulous. The portion and the sandwiches were really small for the price charged.
The service was also quite slow although the restaurant was quite empty. The sandwiches didn’t come together so one of us has to see the other eat.

I’m on the fence about giving this place 1 or 2 stars…
Came here once, before the renovation and the service was pretty nice and friendly. That time was it was only for drinks. But never did I expect such terrible service on grand opening day.
I literally walked in the restaurant and headed towards one of the waitress standing and she just ignored me. No greeting, nothing. I had to ask her to be seated. Even then, it took forever for them to hand me the menu and it wasn’t even busy. Probably had two or three tables seated and some already had their orders.
The menu I was provided only had their grand opening special, which had a choice of meat, the type of mustard to choose from ($ 4) and the add ons. I read the previous reviews that the sandwich is what I should go for and not waste any time on the other items, so sandwich it is! Again, I had to flag someone down to take my order and she didn’t seem very happy when I asked for a glass of water either. Where’s the initiative and good customer service?
This was my first time having Montréal smoked meat and I thought it was ok. I can’t really compare but it didn’t have much flavor, however the fatty choice was tender and succulent. The bread was pretty coarse and rough which I didn’t really like. The mustard just didn’t do its thing for me so I had to add extra sauce. Maybe this isn’t my kind of sandwich.
Sadly to say, even paying was a hazard. I got up to the waitress standing by the computer and told her I want to pay my bill. She seemed confused and was about to tell me to take a seat so she could get me the machine but then decided to let someone else take over. I paid my bill and somehow the atmosphere seemed to lighten up. Maybe I just wasn’t welcomed.
On the note: The renovation, though, was nice and have a diner-​look compared to what it was a few months ago. However, I’d prefer a less pretty décor over crappy service.

Pretty good! Nice environment, I had the dunns poutine for $ 13 and it was quite tasty. The portion was a bit overwhelming though. Their smoked meat is similar to Schwartz in Montréal.

My boyfriend and I were tired after a long day downtown, so we decided to hit up Dunn’s at around 8pm. My boyfriend has been to the restaurant before, and had a positive experience. I was expecting stacks of Smoked Montréal Meat, like the one in this page’s thumbnail because that’s the way it’s suppose to be made, right?
Wrong. I ordered the 4oz (small), medium (juicy) smoked meat, while my boyfriend ordered the Capitol. We also decided to order a side of coleslaw and Québécois Poutine.
Never have I seen a sandwich that small for $ 11. I was very disappointed, to say the least. The rye beard was not toasted, and when I asked the waiter about it, he informed us that the rye beard should be slightly toasted, in which I responded it was not. Our waiter seemed quite new, and confused, so he turned to his manager (or perhaps his colleague) instead. The manager casually informed us that was the traditional way of serving it. Fair enough, but I would’ve preferred a toasted rye beard. The rye beard was way too soggy and grainy — I disliked it. I wanted it toasted, which was a simple enough task. No one even thought of offering me this option.
The smoked meat on both our sandwiches were quite dry, despite the fact that I ordered a medium — juicy cut for mine. My boyfriend pointed out that the restaurant probably give us the last batch of the day. He agreed that it was dry, and didn’t have a chewy texture to it. There was so little meat in our sandwiches too! Now, you would think that it’s probably the standard, but when we searched up pictures on Unilocal and Zomato, we discovered our portions was significantly smaller! What a rip off. I felt rip off.
The side dishes were excellent. I enjoyed the poutine. With that being said, when the side dishes outshine the featured products of a restaurant, that speaks volume about the quality of the restaurant.
I will save my money and go for real Montréal Smoked Meat next time. The 1 star is for the side dishes and water.

Disappointing. Tiny sandwich that cost almost $ 15. It wasn’t that tasty, it tastes the same as Tim Horton’s. Save your money and go elsewhere. They charge extra for a pickle. Most places give them away.

Went there for the ‘famous’ smoked meat. Upon placing our drink order — the server tells us ‘sorry we are all out of smoked meat’! The five of us, famished, pissed, decided to order burgers because we weren’t willing to look for an alternative dining spot. Well, upon arrival of our orders ⁴⁄₅ of us noticed missing elements from what we’d ordered. Big disappointment!

I’m not sure what everyone else was served to gain such a high rating on the other reviews, but my rating is two stars for tonight. We ordered a Reuben and Mac & Cheese with smoked meat and an order of deep-​fried pickles and all… were disappointing.
The Rueben was cold and small and the meat was not very good. Nothing like a Rueben at Dunn’s in Montréal. My friend had the Max & Cheese with smoked meat and he said it was very nice not sure how it rated to Montréal’s Mac & Cheese with smoked meat.
We shared the deep-​fried pickles and yet the dipping sauce was very good the pickles itself were terrible — they were dried up the batter fell right off of them and they were very small… again not like in Montréal.
Service was ok, all in all when the bill came and it was accompanied by a Dunn’s loyalty card — we left the card on the table because we will not be going back !

Montrealers like myself miss barbecue chicken and smoked meat. Dunns goes a long way to rectify the latter. Great sandwiches, lots of options, killer fries (in all meanings of the word), poutine and of course (passable) cheesecake.
Dunns misses the 5^th star owing to inconsistent service. It ranges from excellent to dismal. (We waited 40 minutes for our meal last time watching everyone and their dog get served. Can we get our bill? Please? Pretty please! No apology.)
I’ll keep coming but I’ll pick my server before I pick my meal.

I don’t hand out 5 star ratings like Halloween candy, but Dunn’s Famous deserves this ranking! On a cold somewhat wet Friday afternoon I dropped by Dunn’s for a quick lunch. My plan was to spend the afternoon at the Vancouver Art Gallery to check out their Forbidden City exhibition. Feeling a bit peckish I decided on Dunn’s.
I had the matzoh ball soup and a medium size medium juicy Montréal style corn beef sandwich. The soup hit the spot on a cold day. There were 2 matzoh balls. The balls were light and airy just like mom would make them if my mom were Jewish!
Ok I can’t eat like this everyday, but this sandwich was Freaking Awesome!!! Clearly the very best sandwich I’ve had in little old Van City by a long shot! Have you ever watched When Harry Met Sally? If you have watched the movie I would be the Sally character in the deli scene after taking my first big bite of this sandwich! This place is a carnivore’s delight! After handling this bad boy your hands and face will be a bit greasy, but you’ve got to break some eggs if your going to make an omelette right?
Yes yes I’ve been to Montréal and I’ve eaten at Schwartz, but to me this place is better! Schwartz has the cachet, but the times I’ve been there it was crowded and over exposed.
I’ve been reading some other reviews and some people think Dunn’s is a bit expensive, but isn’t $ 12 a small price to pay to have the best sandwich of your life? I’ll be back Dunn’s I hope my next experience comes close to this one!

Still good but they just raised their prices in June 2014. Not such a great deal anymore. Food still decent but pretty expensive so this will not be a restaurant I will frequent often anymore. The prices went up quite a bit and don’t like that they changed the menu a bit.

Prices are a bit high, but this place is consistently good. I haven’t had a bad meal, but I always feel like I slightly overpaid…
Is this the best smoked meat in Vancouver? Not sure yet, but I suspect there is better.

I’m an America, who’s been to Dunn’s in Ottawa and Montréal and they were nowhere as good as this one. While a smaller location and not seemingly as popular as it’s eastern counterparts, this Dunn’s in downtown Vancouver did succeed in quality. I was surprised to find lean, tender, flavorful smoked meat here, much better than was served at the other locations.
The only downfall is they only carry yellow mustard, whereas their other stores had spicy, deli and other mustards, but don’t let that stop you. Walk in, order a sandwich and you’ll be satisfied. The poutine, on the other hand, is much tastier in Ottawa and Quebec, but we came here for smoked meat, right?

I’ve walked by here many times, however, to be honest from the outside it’s not my first choice of eatery to walk into and have a meal.
I’ve actually been here a few times to meet some friends before a concert, however, never actually stayed and ate until today before the New Order concert.
I will admit that I am not familiar with Montréal style food, therefore, I don’t have any basis for real comparisons between the two. What I did eat was f*ckin’ awesome.
I had the nachos loaded with smoked meat. My god the smoked meat was awesome.
For dessert I had the cobbler, however, the cobbler was nothing to write home about. It was a disappointment.
Prices were mid to high for nachos with smoked meat. It is the basic nacho price that is a little bit of a highway robbery.
The place is mall, dark and clean.
Our waiter was totally awesome and funny.
We were served in a timely manner.
There is a stuffed pickle by the door… give it a hug for good luck.

Decent food and the atmosphere of a sports bar — I don’t like sports bars, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t impressed.
I stopped in here once while in Vancouver because we’d been looking for a place to try Canadian smoked meat. I had the smoked meat Rueben and poutine, which was good, but not great.
The place was clean. Service was friendly, but they checked up on us a lot while we had our mouths full, which got annoying.
Overall it was agreeable, but there has to be better smoked meat than this. I’ll try somewhere else next time.

Diete wa ashita kara (Japanese: tomorrow we diet)
patron beware: when there is a whitecaps game, a Canucks game and a doo at the Orpheum, you be waiting 35 minutes for a table at the Dunn’s Famous.
No worries, we were having fun with the patrons in line, the hostess and wait staff. We snuck in at about 20 mins because an opening in the lounge came available.
º11.99 $ pitchers for the Saturday Special: We’ll take 2 please.
ºthree 8 oz fat smoked meat platters. (two show up as six ounce ~ and we get a free cheesecake) BONUS! I just had it with my wife _​I took it home. oh my god!!!
ºtonight the staff were shining examples of go with the flow. It was super busy, yet their easy going attitude made our evening really fun. The smoked meat tonight came juicy, hot and ready to munch. The fries were hot and tasty.
Tomorrow we diet. It’s almost too much of a good thing.
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