The Ascot Lounge

Use to be my go-​to lunch spot when I worked in the area. Atmosphere is really cool and cozy, staff are always friendly and the food is great.
Their lunch special is always good and really affordable.

Went there for Happy Hour today. The waitress was bad. She wasn’t sure what’s included in the Happy Hour nor took any effort to explain things to us. The $ 3.50 beer special was ‘OUT’ and they offered no substitution. We order the mussels. The portion’s decent but it’s lack of flavor and freshness. We will not return to this place EVER!

What a pathetic excuse for a restaurant. Non existent service and when we finally did get some service for takeout the server was rude and inconsiderate. Ordered the meatballs which were rock hard and tasted store bought along with the perogies and cauliflower gratin. Again both the perogies looked fresh out of a freezer bag. Cauliflower serve was abysmally small. What a waste of money. Will not be returning at all.

This place is fantastic. A great spot for lunch as well as dinner. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the Ascot as well.
I really appreciate the delicious food and the classical stocks, sauces and slow cooked ribs !

Showed up with my girlfriend at about 6PM on a Tuesday before seeing a 7:20 movie at International Village (which is about a five minute walk away). The food took so long to arrive that we missed the beginning of the movie, even with wolfing everything down.
In the 50 minutes that we waited for the food to arrive, the server didn’t come over once. Not to check in, not to refill our water or get another beer, and certainly not to apologize for the wait.
The food itself — braised short rib and cornish game hen — was pretty good, but not remotely worth the wait and the bad service,

I’m kind of upset my office moved further away from this great lunch spot shortly after I discovered it. The vintage décor is quite cozy, and the big window in the front gets a lot of light around lunchtime. And, if you’ve got some time to kill there are board games as well.
I noticed that the soup of the day always seems to be a vegetarian option. And, so far I have been pleased with the Chickpea Curry, which is served with some amazing rice infused with a lot of cilantro flavour and the Mixed Bean Casserole, which was quite filling, and served in a way that you never know what the next layer will bring. However, I wasn’t too pleased with their Veggie Wrap. But, the Ascot does have a great soup and sandwich lunch deal if you happen to be carnivorous.
I’d be interested to see what this place is like in the evening hours. There is a DJ booth in one corner, and they have some interesting cocktail options. Although, their beer list seems to be lacking.

This was a very Mixed experience. What attracted myself and bf to this place was the signboard outside on the street advertising $ 4.50 pints. We ordered a couple of these, & to our surprise were charged $ 7 for each. We brought it to the attention of the waitress and the manager, who explained THAT particular beer was more. So the false advertising ruined the overall experience. After some debate the price was lowered, but It wasn’t forthcoming, and given we ordered two meals I thought the service could have been alot better. The pumpkin soup and turkey sandwich were good however. Just be careful you get what you bargain for here.

Update!
Nov 6^th 2013: My jacket has been found! A huge thank you to the owner of The Ascot who handled the situation expertly, even though the night when my jacket was lost was being run by an outside party, he still stepped in and handled the situation. Nothing but glowing things to say about The Ascot now. :) Can’t wait to go back soon!
Nov 1^st 2013:
I came here on Halloween and used their coat check service. When I went to retrieve my coat at the end of the night it was gone. They didn’t have any system in place for their coat check and were just letting customers take whatever coats they wanted as they left. A number/​ticket system should have been in place.
I wasn’t really impressed with the staffs answer as nobody offered to cover the cost of my coat, or a cab ride home. I had to ask them for the cab fair since I had planned on walking home. They told me to follow up today and are now «hoping that it turns up in the next day or two», but I’m not sure what they will do for should my jacket not be returned.
Asides from this negative, The Ascot does have good drinks specials and cool atmosphere. A nice layout and lots of private seating. It’s a great place for a private party or just to gather with a few friends.
I’m hoping they sort out their coat check system and start using numbers etc. Until the issue of my missing jacket is resolved though, I’m holding off on a final verdict.

We came here for a quick lunch and to check out a new spot since the Unilocal reviews were so spotty. The place was dead, but we still decided to give it a try anyways. The items on the menu looked promising and it was anything but that after we got our meal.
The amazing looking braised beef was perfectly cooked, but horribly seasoned with a ton of salt. Needless to say, it was impossible for me to have taken a second bite so I had no choice but to send the food back to the kitchen. The waitress apologized and the chef blamed it on the prior chef who must have added additional salt to the pre-​made sauce. So instead of waiting for another salty braised beef, I went with the calamari and squid marinated in some type of pink sauce. The calamari wasn’t too bad, but the overall experience was just a big no-​no and I left hungry.
I heard this joint is bumpin’ later in the evening, so maybe their drinks are good?

Came here for lunch and we all had a terrible experience.
Once seated, no one brought us menus for awhile. When the server finally brought the menu, there was one menu only. Which didn’t bother us. The poor server was by herself serving 20 people, while the manager and bus boy stood around. There was an odd smell I couldn’t get over. Turns out it was from the rag that was used to cleaned the table. The old mildew smell.
We ordered our food, took a while for it to arrive. As long as the food is good, I could overlook everything else. Well, the food wasn’t good. The pulled pork taco was dry. My colleague had the tuna salad and she said the dressing was bad. She had to stop eating it. I ate my tacos because it took so long, and I was starving.
Overall, we won’t be coming back here for lunch.

Where’s my monocle? I kept asking myself this throughout dinner.
The Ascot has a really neat interior, very vintage, with a cheeky nod to old-​timey Britishness (hence the name, I suppose).
The charcuterie plate is quite large and ample for sharing. We also shared the lamb, which was a little dry, but the beans that it came with were very tasty. Drinks were also quite good; I had the Lord Hoffer’s Medley which was easy to drink and yummy.
Will have to come back to try some of the other things. I don’t think my wallet can handle the audacious «Arrogant Prick» drink, however.

Came here for dinner to start off our date night, to be followed by FUSE at the Art Gallery. Sounds like a fantastic night, right? Would have been had we been fed.
We had reservations for 6:30. Service wasn’t terrible, we were seated with no issues, drink orders taken. We got around to ordering food, and 3 of the 8 entrees on the menu were not available. At 6:30pm. On a Friday.
Just so happens that my date’s first and second choices weren’t available, and I didn’t feel like settling for food was a good way to start the night, so we had our Crab, Artichoke and Watercress dip appetizer (which tasted a lot like spinach dip and the crab wasn’t very noticeable) and peaced out. The server was super understanding and attentive, but then again maybe the decent service was to make up for our obvious disappointment with having to hunt for something else. The décor and atmosphere is quite apt. I am open to coming back for drinks but am definitely not counting on having dinner here.
The guy’s lucky this is our umpteenth million date and not our first.

With a vintage décor, the classic chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, and plush velvet couches greet you as you enter. We came on a late Saturday night, the place was quite packed as there was a birthday party going on. Regardless, we weaved our way to the bar to seek some libations.
The brown haired bartender offers to make us some drinks, so we asked to have vodka as a base, and preferably something sweet. The result was a muddled strawberry cocktail, so light and refreshing. The next drink he made for us had whiskey, Frangelico, vanilla, and several other things I can’t recall. It was a strong, but sweet drink. It was a good night. The music there is just right, perfect for a Saturday night.
I really like the atmosphere of the place, a relatively smaller space just on the edge of Gastown. The food menu looks promising too, I need to return to try it. Bonus is that they open until 2am on Saturdays!
²⁄₁₀₀; The Unilocal 100 Challenge

OH MY GOD
your service is fucking terrible
i was invited to meet friends here tonight so i scanned the Unilocal reviews and noticed the reoccurring themes of good food, happening décor/​vibes and the shitty service. ALL were true. especially the service.
at one point I was looking for our server while our entire group, long neglected, all needed new drinks and other food/​service requirements. I finally located our server and the only other server on staff that evening eating dinner at the bar together.
after a few $ 10 doubles we paid the bill and hopped a cab towards realistic drink prices.
the Ascot seemed to have good kitchen staff and a decent overall management but their serving staff is awful and an amazing weak-​point. which i cant deny ruins any other aspect of a business.
i would never return unless i saw reviews of this business reflecting a change in front-​line service.

The Ascot Lounge was really cool, hip and one of those places that makes you feel like you’re at a parlour of some sort.
I had called weeks in advance and spoke with the manager to book a table for 20 – 25 people. We followed up with each other 2 more times before the day of the party. The staff were friendly and drinks were delicious. I recommend the Pimm’s Cup, which consisted of Pimm’s, ginger ale, cukes and strawberry for $ 7.50. I didn’t eat anything, but everyone else told me the food was pretty good.
My small complaint was that the manager didn’t even come by to say hello the whole 3 hours we were there. I figure he would since we were communicating over the phone a few times already. It’s not a big deal, but it’s the little things that makes a business stand out.

Ascot is hit and miss for me.
Food is good, but the menu hasn’t changed much since opening to piqué my interest any further. The feature cocktail list is enticing and better-​price than many area hotspots, but the beer list isn’t lengthy nor interesting. They are now open for lunch, and some of the same dinner items are found on the lunch menu for a cheaper price. I don’t get that. Either, they’re encouraging a lunch audience, or consider dinner time a premium. I like the idea of happy hour specials, or at least on certain days the appetizers are 2 for 1.
I’d bring the occasional office guest here, but wouldn’t go out of my way.
On my few visits, one of the servers always seemed bored, and one had to be lured away from her iPhone to tend to us. Their sandwich board advertised «Come Watch!» hockey games last year, but TVs weren’t on, or had no sound on. This could be a good place to hang out, and the décor and large tables are begging me to do so, but the ambiance is still a bit sterile and offerings are a bit too sparse to feel cozy here.
²⁹⁄₃₀: #30DaysOfYelp

I sauntered in on a slow weekday night and got easily distracted by the wacky cool ambiance (the lounge chairs and coffee table by the window, the chandeliers… deer head, dark drapes and textured wallpaper, etc.).
The bartender/​server was friendly, and the Queen’s Fist cocktail (gin, cucumber, lime, rosemary, tonic water) I ordered came quickly, definitely a refreshing start to my meal.
On her recommendation, I ordered their chicken marbella, which arrived fragrant and succulent, with a decent helping of its white wine stock, diced root vegetables, and prunes, olives, and caper berries which came with it. I would have preferred to have more olives and to have a stronger taste of the berries, but the main was overall well prepared.
All-​in-​all, no complaints to make about the experience. The service was fine, the food well-​prepared, and the decorations fun to look at. The rest of the food menu looks delicious, and I’ll be back to check out some of their more interesting items: such as their caramelised pork rib bites, cider marinated prawn skewers, and oven baked brie…
(2÷30)

I really love this place, to the point where I am hesitant to share why its amazing lest it become crowded.
I stumbled upon this place walking towards gastown and it looked kinda funky, so I made a point to visit in the future.
Let me give you the lowdown:
1. old school decoration — vintage furniture
2. smooth concrete bar
3. UK themed drinks — see «Pimms» etc.
4. Stellar food: they have chefs there which have made me amazing Brie, and cheesecake on separate occasions quite late in the evenings.
5. Super-​friendly bartender who will make you experimental cocktails and even tweak them to ensure you like them by adding additional syrups, bitters etc.
6. the bartender also knew when to start also adding some pints of water to the mix
Ok — the funky things which make this place even better
1. They have a super large patio out back
2. They have dj’s who play an eclectic mix of hip-​hop, I am not sure why because it’s not what you would expect from a place called «the ascot», but hey, I like old-​school hip-​hop. Last time I was there — they played a bit of pharcyde and q-tip…amazing.
3. You can bring a decent size group here, if you wanted. they have seating for 30 – 40 people in there + the bar
I plan to return on a regular basis to finish testing the rest of the menu…

Shows that those sandwich boards on the sidewalk do work! Intrigues by the $ 10 Roast Beef on a nice bun, and well worth the takeout.
while waiting, was impressed by the elegant décor, high ceilings, and the old-​style royalty like sofa and single cushion chairs, yellow and classic.
Nice lady who took my order too.
Will come back for sure.
Definitely date-​material here!

When you enter the Ascot Lounge you are reminded of your grandmother’s parlour circa 1940 – 1950 but with a twist. Chandeliers decorate the ceiling. A taxidermist has done some wonderful work in the form of a a deer head that hangs on the wall. And then there’s a cool cat at the back, spinning the best that hip-​hop has to offer – and this from a non-​loving, self-​professed hip-​hop fan. But don’t despair if hip-​hop isn’t your thing; the vibe changes on a nightly basis.
It takes me back to my days in hipster’s mecca, «Billyburg», Brooklyn, except that it’s right here in our very own Vancouver! You will feel like Alice who has just discovered a new hole – a watering hole – and be smug about the fact that you discovered it.
Snag a seat by the bar to mingle with the locals or regulars, or if you’re lucky, sit on the comfy gold couches and peruse the menu for some lovely eats. You might even get to mingle with Stu M., the gregarious, good-​looking and laid-​back bartender, who just happens to be the proprietor, too. But don’t let his youthful appearance and charming good looks fool you; he’s got the whole scene covered from the menu, to the ambiance to the drinks. In short, he knows what Vancouver has been missing, and he’s decided to be the one to bring it to us!
And then there are the prices! Order some tasty pork «poke» (teriyaki short ribs) with salad or maybe the Ploughman’s charcuterie board; all appetizers to be found are between $ 8.00-$ 12.00 each. Relish each and every bite and confirm that this is no ordinary pub. Realize that next time you will just have to come back for a full meal.
Try the $ 5 Russell Lager special or one of the $ 7 dollar glasses of wine, and then savour the fact that you are getting them for a steal and that they taste pretty good, too. Order a second one, and sit back and relax.
Walk to the back past the dj, and notice the patio that you can’t wait to come back to try out on a sunny day. Be proud of yourself for finding this gem of a place.
Then, just when you think it can’t get any better, for a small tip, ask Eric, the French magician to do a few tricks for you. Yes, people, the Ascot has their very own MAGICIAN. Don’t be fooled by his «errors» when you realize that you’re the real fool that can’t figure out his magic!
Leave with full belly, a smile on your face, and the satisfaction that this magic is so close to home!