Railtown Cafe & Catering

I really enjoyed the food and the service! I have brought work clients and family members to eat here on several occasions and they also were not disappointed. I would highly recommend it!

The chicken club sandwich, which made me come back four times since I stumbled upon this place by chance, has been consistently excellent. I can honestly say that it is one of the best rendition of chicken clubs I had yet. Every element on the plate is made in-​house, including their wonderfully fluffy and moist focaccia bread.
At $ 10, this is not a cheap sandwich, but the portion size is big. It will definitely fill you up.
(UPDATE: I wrote a draft of this review on December 2015, but I went back today, January 2016, for lunch and they had a notice up apologetically announcing that because of the increase of cost in produce and meat, they had no choice but to raise the price of all their sandwiches by $ 1. While $ 11 price tag makes their sandwiches quite expensive indeed, I really appreciated their thoughtfulness and show of respect for their customers.)
They also carry house made ice cream jars and delightful baked goods, including focaccia bread, baguette and loaves to go. I also overheard their catering service is nothing short of fantastic. Judging from their sandwich, I know who I have to call if I need someone to cater an event.

I always tell people I’ve never considered my wedding before but after one stop at Railtown I was convinced they would be the ones to cater it. From service to delicious food they’re in my top 5 places to eat in town. The build your own salad allows a variety of customization and healthy options. The sandwiches are not to be missed though, from epic bread to never dry meats, they’re not to be missed. I’ve yet to experience a bad meal here and have been more than 20x. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ recommend.

We ordered the Christmas Turkey To Go and it was the best decision we ever made. We’ve ordered from downtown hotels in the past, but this place gives you a fresh experience with great tasting food at a great value.
The organic turkey was very moist and flavorful. The complement of stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and salad all came with unique tastes that were pleasantly different than our previous hotel orders.
If there is one thing that I think they could do better is to give larger portions of cranberry sauce. And if it’s a cost issue, they could probably drop the dinner breads and butter — there’s already a lot of carbs.
The crew were very organized and cheerful at pickup time despite working on Christmas day. If they offer this again next year, we will definitely order again!

This place is hidden amoungst all the other warehouses and shops in Railtown. The staff here are friendly and really helped me while I struggled to carry my child along with my diaper bag to carry the food to my table. Much appreciated.
During my last visit, I tried their lemon blueberry muffin and the meat lovers quiche. I remember thinking, what kind of muffin costs $ 3.75? Well, apparently one of the best muffins I’ve ever had. It was packed with lemon, blueberry, almonds and enough sprinkling of sugar on top. The muffin top was crispy and crunchy, while the body of the muffin remained soft. I was going to save it for later, but ended up eating half of it.
The meat quiche was also probably one of the best quiches I’ve ever had. This was clearly a meat lovers quiche since it contained an overflowing amount of bacon and ham. On top of that, there were tons of vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach and onions. I always struggle with ordering something meat lovers or vegetarian because the meat option never contained enough vegetables, but not anymore!
Along with my food, my usual to go drink would be coffee, but I decided on their raspberry lemonade since it looked so refreshing. That hit the spot and wasn’t too tart.
I wish Railtown Café was open on the weekends since I live and work in Burnaby on the weekdays. Parking can be limited, but not impossible so give it a shot.

A lovely place with an extended menu because of the catering. A nice ambiance with staff who are on a mission, but they do remember to smile and be hospitable.
Most likely during the day this small establishment will be packed full with hungry architects.

Railtown Café was a fortuitous find on an urban hike while visiting Vancouver. Exceptional and with its own thing going on. I had a latte and their focacia bread for a snack. Both were exceptional. I only wish I was around for lunch. Their menu looked great.
Staff was accommodating to my young kids. They have a great, friendly vibe.

Last week I took it upon myself to make the rounds to several coffee shops in the city and compare them in terms of coffee, service and overall interior design. Just for a fun experiment. I won’t list the other places I visited here because the important take-​away is that Railtown blew them all out of the water.
Their coffee? EXTREMELY delicious.
Their menu? Even relatively early in the morning it had excellent selections of baking, including gluten-​free and vegan options, and the start of an early lunch bar.
The service there was really fantastic. Every employee I spoke with or asked a question of replied in an extremely happy, friendly way that just made you want to sit there and hang out with them all day. The other patrons were equally kind, clearing their books and bags away to make room for me to sit at the small collection of dining tables, and everyone was open to me taking a photo inside and including them in the shot.
The location is also excellent, in a quiet little nook that’s just outside the popular touristy area.
Though it’s a bit further out of my way than most of the other shops I tried, I’d far rather take the extra time to walk here and have an enjoyable experience and delicious food. Definitely one of my new faves.

I’ve never been that impressed with the food or service at Railtown Café but thought I’d give them another chance. I ordered the Caprese salad to go. It cost $ 10.
What I thought I would get: Vine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yes, the menu also listed arugula on the salad, but I didn’t expect that much.
What I got: A box full of arugula (seriously, 99.5% of the salad was arugula) a handful of croutons, maybe 8 grape tomatoes? (Some sliced, some whole). And about 5 small clumps of mozzarella cheese that was covered in a pesto sauce. The dressing came on the side, in a small clear plastic tub with a lid. I had ordered black balsamic instead of the white balsamic listed on the menu. The dressing itself was a goopy brown paste, for lack of a better word, and it’s thick texture plus the fact that there was so little of it made it hard to mix into the mound of arugula.
I basically paid $ 10 to eat some dry arugula. WHY. This is definitely the last time I will waste my time or money here.

The food is average, greasy, bland, but acceptable. I wouldn’t bring my friends here.

Yum yum yum yum yummy yum yum.
Yum yum yum.
Pork Jalapeño Pickled Veggie Sammy yum.
Beer Yum. 4 local craft taps yum.
Yummy fresh salads.
Yum

Glad this weekend wasn’t rainy so it was the perfect time to go to Railtown’s 2^nd to last bbq. My friend got the tickets online for less than $ 20 per person. Of course a meat lover like me wouldn’t go for the vegetarian option. We went by car and there were lots of street parking and a pay for parking lot. Don’t really get why anyone would pay when you can park for free. Surprisingly there was one guy that did pay.
As you enter Railtown Café, it seems like small eatery opened in a garage. Quite fitting to what they offer. It’s a small café with about 3 small table and 2 larger tables which can seat about 2 – 3 couples and 2 – 3 families. The far left was a freezer with ice cream sandwiches and jars of ice cream to purchase. Next to it was the cashier, the bar and a salad bar. The bbq grill was outside doing its thang. There were also two long communal tables outside for those who prefer to eat and enjoy the sun and breeze.
We first ordered our drinks which was a highball and the day’s feature-​white peach sangria. The drinks was complimentary to our food (awesome deal). The white peach sangria was sweet and light. And down the production line, we got to pick two choice of salads and a piece of cornbread. We had a choice of coleslaw, green salad, caesar and potato salad. I got the potato and caesar. My friend got the caesar and green salad. Then we went out to get our meat. We had chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket and a sausage topped with a scoop of bbq sauce. Oh and they also gave us ¹⁄₃ of a grilled corn.
The taste of the cornbread was sweet with a bit of heat. Pretty good, but my concern was that it was a bit dry. The moisture from the caesar complimented it really well. I must say the croûton had an interesting taste. Can’t really put my finger to what it was that made it different but it was definitely different in a good way. Now to the meat. The chicken was a bit dry so I needed the bbq sauce for that. The pulled pork was my favourite. It was moist, flavourful and had a smokey taste to it. I didn’t get too much of the beef brisket, but it was juicy and also very delicious. The beef brisket had some lean and fatty portions and this is the way I like my meat. I know some people shy away from the fat but in my opinion the fat enhances the taste. The sausage was good. Nothing to complain about. The corn was my least favourite of all the items.
For what we paid, I’d say we got a lot of food. Especially for a girl, I’d consider this a 1.5 meal. However, there’s always room for dessert! I was told their ice cream is spectacular and as an ice cream freak I’d have to give it a try. Especially, when there an entire chalk board filled with at least 15 flavours. But to my disappointment, about half the flavours aren’t available. Sadly, the two flavours I wanted to try was out (the spicy Mexican chocolate & butterscotch). We got to taste the dulce de leche in its replacement which is suppose to be similar. I was not sold since I had better dulce de leche elsewhere. It wasn’t sweet nor creamy enough to be called ice cream. Our server was a bit pushy in getting us to order a scoop even those he knew I wasn’t totally satisfied. After a long ponder, I ordered their matcha (which he told me was the creamiest of all) and early grey. He also told me that their orange flavour was also creamy but… I’m not sure how orange ice cream would taste with milk. Normally this flavour is made into a sorbet. I’d probably try this flavour next time. It took quite a while before he brought out my scoops of ice cream and damn were they small. Probably the smallest two scoops I’ve ever had. At this point, i’m really not happy… BUT when I took my first lick of the matcha. Oh my God! It was super creamy and full of matcha flavour. Then I tried the early grey. It was tea-​heaven in ice cream form. The most tea-​infused ice cream ever. Now I’m really glad the server ‘made’ me order these two scoops. It was so good, part of me wanted to go back in and buy a jar to bring home, but… one should not have too much food in one day so I left that option for next visit.

Great sandwiches and salads. Big portions and good prices. Friendly staff, the only downside is the lunch rush line and wait.

Railtown Café is offering their Tailgate Summer Barbecue Series. They’ve already done three but there are two more to go: September-​12 and September-​26.
With the BBQ there are two options:
Meat-​Lovers ($ 16, $ 18.85 after Eventbrite fee and GST)
— 35-​hour Texas-​style beef brisket
— Applewood-​smoked pork shoulder (pulled pork)
— Beer-​brined Fraser Valley Chicken
— D’Original Sausage Haus Brats
— Tabatha’s Jalapeño Cornbread
— Corn on the Cob
— Choice of two sides:
— Carolina Coleslaw
— Creamy Potato Salad
— Classic Caesar Salad
— Farmer’s Market Field Greens
— Gluten-​Free option available! Skip the cornbread and the sausage and you are basically safe. Still, best to double-​check by calling ahead.
Vegetarian ($ 10, $ 12.09 after Eventbrite fee and GST)
— No meat, obviously.
— You get the cornbread, grilled corn, and all sides
For $ 18.85 including tax but excluding tip (which you basically could get away with not paying), you got a pretty heaping plate of stuff.
— It still looks pricey, BUT you will also get a drink with your ticket if you purchased it online.
— Supposed value is $ 6, but it could be a boring non-​alcoholic beverage worth 50 cents.
Alcoholic beverage is probably worth around $ 6, which is also what their 4pm-​6pm happy hour drinks are priced. So your plate of 2/​3rds meat, ¹⁄₃^rd greens is about $ 13 after tax and unnecessary tip, making it really decent value in terms of quantity, and really good BBQ meat in terms of quality.
— You can choose to skip some items and I think you get compensated with more of other things. The exact quantity of stuff is not a measured amount, so plates will vary a bit.
— Remember to wait for the BBQ sauce if you like that on your meat.
— The Beef Brisket was probably the best — tender, though with a good amount of fat on it as well.
— Some people in our group fell in love with the cornbread, but I was too focussed on finding the jalapeño in it but only seeing the odd green spec. No heat whatsoever. Really decent as cornbread, though.
— For the chicken, if you demand tender chicken, ask for dark meat, which was very tender and quite fall-​off-​the-​bone. If you end up with white meat (chicken breast, most likely) it could be on the dry side as chicken breast typically is.
TIP: It’s still a sketchy neighbourhood, so if walking from Waterfront Station, I recommend against walking alone, even during broad daylight.
TIP: Watch out for parking restrictions. We saw a lot of cars ticketed and one car towed after 9pm.

Great little spot tucked away on Railway Ave. Went here for lunch with my boyfriend and it was packed. Fortunately, they have a great system in place for efficiently moving customers through the line, and it’s working really well.
I had their feature salad that was enormous and had so many different kinds of vegetables in it. The chicken was tender and seasoned deliciously.
Love the atmosphere in here, despite it being busy it doesn’t feel hectic, and I love the rustic décor. I’ll definitely be coming back to try out more of their salads!

Unfortunately they are usually only open during the day time on week days for lunch so I have not yet had the chance to check out their regular menu, but, lucky for me, they do amazing barbecue nights in the summer on certain Friday nights.
I’m not sure what the schedule is like for these but they’ve been doing it for at least the last 2 summers and I’ve been to 2 before and recently went to their Ocho de Mayo event and it was delicious as usual! For $ 16, you line up, pick 2 sides (Caesar salad, coleslaw, potato salad and/​or mixed green salad), get your jalapeño corn bread, pay, then walk outside to the huge smoker/​bbq they have setup and they pile it all on! Corn on the cob, brisket, sausage, roast chicken, pulled pork and of course some tasty barbecue sauce on top. The plate is hefty and delicious! My faves were the super sweet corn on the cob and the melt in your mouth brisket.
The place gets busy but people are always eating and getting up to let others take over the tables so seating isn’t a huge issue, just remember to be considerate!
Plenty of free street parking in the area too! Not sure how often they will be doing the bbqs but best to watch out for it on their Facebook page!

I like this place.
The service is always really friendly and fast. And considering they are always getting slammed at lunch time, that’s pretty amazing.
Vast array of sandwiches and salads, as well as the option to create your own using your powerful imagination. They always have a veggie soup happening.
Yummy desserts and the most adorable savoury veggie quinoa muffins… not sure if they are vegan but definitely vegetarian.
Seating can be non existent depending on the time you arrive, but people seem to get in and out quickly and are willing to share tables. If you drive here, prepare to be incredibly frustrated as parking spots in this neighbourhood are like unicorns. The food is worth it though.

I first heard about this place as someone had reviewed it on the May 27^th page of Unilocal.It is a little weird to get to and for some as directionally challenged as myself, this didn’t help. Thankfully it was sunny so the walk in finding this place was pleasant.
I came in here looking for a unique taste on a familiar menu and I found it here. I had the sandwich special. Warning the sandwich is messy, therefore, you will get a sauce facial which is a good thing. Bring lots of napkins. No one will judge you for your mayo facial: P
The Quinoa salad is amazing and refreshing. Basic ingredients done right. If I wasn’t so full from the sandwich than I totally would’ve had another salad.
I had the lavender earl grey ice cream… again it was heaven in my mouth, like a slow jam before the drop.
The customer service was amazing, prices for what you get are respectable.
The staff allowed me to stay a little longer to work on my zine as I finished my latte.

@RailtownCafe You really wowed me. Can’t wait to return and have lunch. The build your own salad reminds me of Pluto’s in San Francisco. Haven’t had anything like that up here in Vancouver & it was always a favourite meal for me. There was a roasted beast cooling and that made me feel like a starving street dog. Smelling the delicious aromas made me wanna howl, because I was just there for coffee and a treat. And seeing the enormous Focaccia bread was almost too much to bear.
Thank goodness there seems to be a good selection of gluten free. More dairy free would be nice though. (Especially for the desserts.)
What a place. The tables, the cool chairs, everything is begging to be photographed. The people watching was also fun. I kept wondering, ‘what do these people do?!’ So many brilliant looking characters to ogle.

I have been to many cocktail parties and catered events and I am so glad to find this company and their amazing food.
Each bite is full of flavor and the artistry is amazing. Imagine eating a perfectly soft poached quail egg, Beef carpaccio, Ahi Tuna nicoise, Short Rib sandwich bites, Golden Beets with goat cheese and hazelnut, Chicken Karrage Skewers, there were a few others. All amazing, perfect bites!
The staff were all very courteous, friendly and professional!
I highly recommend them and will definitely use them for any parties.