The Ouisi Bistro

Ate here on a Wednesday evening. Brisket Po Boy, Gumbo, and Jumbalaya were all tasty, fresh, and nicely presented. Side dishes were interesting and very unique as well as super good! Service was friendly but not very attentive. Restaurant did not seem busy but did seem understaffed. Prices a bit above average and portion size more than adequate. Parking not an issue on the night we came but probably a different story on Friday and Saturday nights. Highly recommend if you enjoy Cajun cooking.

Food was amazing, the ribs were huge, really meaty and served on an amazing bed of mash. Service great and staff were really friendly. Great vibe.

MAN! What a great place. Found it on Unilocal of course a few weeks ago. We had to pick up family at the airport and come into town for a funeral service. But first we have to feed people. We were stoked with the food and the service. We all had different brunch offerings and they were all delicious and plentiful. We loved everything and the server was terrific. I can’t wait to go back and bring more people to enjoy this place.

Awesome brunch for a great price. This has become our favorite and most reliable place to grab breakfast in the area. Always delicious.

Third time there and my first time eating catfish. I love the sides. Had the jicama and kale salads. My favourite is for sure still the cornbread. Everything is so original and nothing like I cook at home. Just how I like going out to eat. See you again.
Oh. And I loved the blueberry limoncello martini. Mmmmm

Great food, drinks & atmosphere. The jambalaya was delish; I love that they give a solid portion of chorizo sausage in it. Also, happy hour drinks are well-​priced: $ 3.50 for house wine and $ 4 for beer.
If you want a mint julep, this is the place to get it while enjoying great live music!

Good food, Good beer and good service what more do you need. We visited Ouisi twice while on holiday in Vancouver and both times we were not disappointed !
The first time we had — Hash it out (Creole Hash) and the cowboy breakfast, the second time we had Ale marinated chicken thighs and Duck smoked sausage Gumbo with sides (Jicama slaw, Yukon gold garlic mash, rice and beans and braised Kale. Absolutely delicious !

Little bar/​restaurant. Good foods and good service too. Eggs Benedict are good with ham and potatoes. Salad and vegetables are fresh. Nice place for breakfast and more.

Probably the worst brunch I’ve ever had in Vancouver. Our food arrived before our drinks. They call it ‘Cajun’ but it was more like eggs and potatoes with tomato sauce poured on top. The service was also the shits. The best part of this place is the art on the walls and their beautiful back yard patio.
Don’t bother!

Take a break from pop ups and frou frou small plates places. Ouisi is proper food, done well. This is my first choice in this area when hunger strikes. Ouisi has been around for a while and the menu and vibe has always been good.
When it comes to Creole /​Cajun, no other place in town does it like this.
My favourites are the ale marinated chicken thigh and duck sausage gumbo, and the voodoo ribs. Even the sides are delicious, especially the roasted potatoes.
The drinks menu is extensive enough, with various craft beers on tap to keep me happy.
The bonuses of this place that will completely blow you away when you have the combination of it all: The outdoor patio in the back, and the occasional live jazz music. Win.

Was Craving «Gator bites and Gumbo» so I ordered it… wasn’t really what I expected… when I think of Gator bites I thought of Fried goodness w/​a side of dipping sauce (in this case it wasn’t), however it was good… Just a bit on the saucey side… The gumbo however was Ok… spite the fact that the chicken in the gumbo tasted a bit sour and kinda under cooked… Over all it was an OK experience

Sucks. I left before eating because just getting drinks was a joke and to top it off I had to wait 15 minutes to pay my tab.
It’s just poorly run.

Do not let the cool atmosphere fool you! The food was terrible. The service was even worse. The waitress barely smiled and acted like we were an inconvenience. I ordered a Ceasar salad and the lettuce was wilted, and the extra charge for the chicken was insulting as the salad wasn’t even the size of a side salad. $ 12.00 w chicken. Out of 7 meals ordered only 2 were mildly pleased. The rest of us couldn’t wait to go. $ 3.50 for an iced tea and getting a refill was nearly impossible. The syrup given was about the size of a quartet. Horrible from the service, to the portions to the food itself.

We’ve come here twice now, and have enjoyed it both times. The atmosphere for us was cozy and romantic, and the service was very friendly and accommodating both times (we have food restrictions). The veggie burger is great, and comes with a very tasty salad and some fries (nice and filling). We also enjoy their drinks, as they have a good amount of alcohol in them for what you pay.
If they had a little more veggie options then this would be higher stars for me.

Checked out Ouisi for the first time a few day and I’m not too sure what to think of the place other than I probably wont be going back.
I ordered the Hamburger Champinion and it was actually quite good. It was large, filling and yummy for a vegetarian dish. However, the side of fries were by far the worst «frites» I’ve ever had– thin, flimsy and tasteless, and my dining partners were all quite underwhelmed with their meals.
Although there are many different menu options, the menu itself is very confusing and poorly organized. Everything is quite expensive for what it was (average entrée about $ 18-​$ 20) and the atmosphere is really. dark and cheap. The lighting was terrible, the candles were fake and the service was incredibly slow.
The restaurant was about 30% full, so it made very little sense why it took over 15 minutes to get a gin and tonic!
Given, I’m not a fan of Creole food to start off with, for the price, I think you could easily find a more upscale or welcoming restaurant, or for a much lower price, you could easily find a place with the exact same atmosphere with similar dining options (burgers, stews, sandwiches, mussels, etc.)
Disclaimer: Having gone to Louisiana this past summer, I can attest to the authenticity of the menu options. If you love yourself some gumbo, pu’boys, bread pudding and jumbalaya, you’ll love Ouisi. It just isn’t my thing :(!

Love love love the cornbread. Good food. Didn’t really like the alligator lol… no. it does not taste like chicken. I like the ambiance. I’d go back and order something else next time. ;) …like the burger. My cousin liked it.

The service was a little sporadic at first as the barmaid was covering both the bar and indoor tables, none the less she was attentive to our needs. When my wife found the filé style gumbo was not to her liking she immediately removed it from the bill and offered alternatives. She also entered
Into an explanation of a okra gumbo vs filé which explained the difference between what my wife was served and what she expected
The seafood chowder was much more to her liking although it was a little heavy on the tomato base. The roasted potatoes were very flavorful and the voodoo ribs fell off the bones and were both smokey and nicely spicy.
The good customer service more than made up for the speed of the initial service and will have us back the next time we visit Vancouver.

Food looked tastier than it was. A night of under-​staffing and kitchen errors? Maybe.
Highlights (or rather, low points):
Sweet Potato-​Pecan Hash — under cooked sweet potato chunks were crunchy. Also not very flavourful. Did they forget to reheat this to tenderness?
Bistro Prawns — Deeply bitter after-​taste to the thick sauce. The bitterness hits you several seconds later, and it’s bad. A mix-​up with the quantity of spice?
Catfish — sweet, tender, juicy. Until I got to the thicker middle portion and there was something chewy in there. Did they just undercook the fillet to get it tender and juicy?
Bread Pudding — Pretty decent but smallish for price.
Safe to order:
Voodoo Ribs Fall-​off-​the-​bone tender meat. BBQ sauce has a light buzz to it, so it’s not «diablo» hot if you’re worried.

Hmmm, things fell flat for me tonight. We were a party of six with 8pm reservations. My friend and I arrived early and chose a seat at the bar. The place was packed so we waited until our table was cleared of people. By then the rest of our party had arrived. Then we waited and waited for the table to be cleaned. They were terribly understaffed. I don’t know why they did not bring in more staff on a Friday night. They need a busser in there to help the servers, that’s for sure. Once we were seated I asked for water and was told they did not have any glasses??? What kind of place is this, no glasses?
I had the Deep Fried Pickles (meh) and was looking forward to the «Gulf of Mexico Prawns» as stated on their menu. If you expect prawns to be big, these were not. I had assumed that would be the case when the menu also said I would be getting 12 of them. I was so disappointed I did not even finish them they were over cooked, as was the conclusion we came to after I shared them with others. The BBQ sauce they came in was not to my liking either.
Dessert was delicious, we chose the house made Bread Pudding.
So, I do not recommend the prawns but one of my companions was happy with the Catfish.
edit: Well I thought my friend was happy with the Catfish turns out if was the ribs.

Now that I have been here a few times and tried a bunch of different items my view and rating has changed.
On a sunny day, my colleagues and I decided to head to Ouisi’s patio for some good old Cajun food.
The patio is one of the best in this area and has a very homey feel to it. It literally feels like you are in someone’s backyard for lunch.
We started off with the gator for appetizer which is divine. The texture is nice, a bit chewier than shredded beef and the sauce is spicy yet not complementary to the texture of the meat.
I had the Chicken Po’ Boy and have to say that the chicken breast is cooked to perfection. This meal also comes with a side of fries and salad and is just enough to feel the tummy without that sick feeling after eating a large meal.
Needless to say I’ll be back again to try more Cajun goodness!