Bistro Wagon Rouge

Always my favourite local restaurant and never disappointed until tonight. Ordered the steak frites as we have many times but tonight the steak was incredibly tough while cooked perfectly medium rare. The server while attentive, never once asked how the dinner was. Nor did the owner who spent all night polishing his stemware in front of us. Too bad. The stack of staff backpacks, coats and purses behind the bar was rather low rent… it didn’t used to be like this. Perhaps too popular now to care? Time to move on and let the suburban commuters experience it.

Hmm. I thought this place was okay, factoring the time we waited, taste, price, and service. There was plenty of parking up in front. On the weekend, the place we parked was for free. Unfortunately though, when we got to the restaurant, the waitress told us that the wait time was 45 min to an hour. We decided to drive down the street to get some Mean Poutine first as an appetizer and then come back. We came back after an hour and then the waitress told us that it would be another 30 minutes. We probably waited a total of 1.5 to 2 hours. I think that is a ridiculous wait time. There were people who had finished and were sitting there. I’m not suggesting that the restaurant staff be rude and kick them out but there are more efficient ways to encourage your guests to leave. They could have given the customers the check or asked if there was anything else they wanted to order. I think they could have done a better job in moving things along, especially since you have a line of people waiting to eat.
Since they didn’t have any tables to seat four, we decided to opt for the two person table and bring two chairs in. The restaurant is already cramped in itself. It felt even more uncomfortable to be crammed in that little booth. I think this took away from the pleasurable eating experience that we could have had, along with the 1.5−2 hr. wait time.
The waitress was pretty nice. She made her recommendations and patently waited to take our orders.
We got the oysters, steak tar tar, steak and fries, and pasta with chantrelle (sp) mushrooms. The oysters were okay but some tasted more sea-​foody than others. I think it is because of the way they cooked it. Some were more cooked than others. I didn’t try to steak tar tar so I can’t comment. The steak and fries were the highlight of our food experience. I don’t know what they did but the steak was moist and flavorful. Each bite was filled with full savory flavors. I was blown away by how good the steak was. The pasta with chantrelle mushrooms were okay. Overall, I thought our gastronomical experience here was okay. I don’t think I would come back though because of the ridiculous wait time.

A hidden gem, literally! I lived like four blocks from this place for 2 years before I even realized it was a restaurant. When my wife and I finally gave it a try we were blown away that this wonderful little spot had been right under our noses this whole time.
Food is wonderful and reasonably priced for the quality. And the staff are delightfully un-​snooty considering that they work in a french restaurant.
Definitely worth seeking out. Give me moules frites or give me death!

Love this Blue collar French bistro for the food, the service and the ambiance. I always sit at the bar because I like watching the salad/​appy chef working away. The place has fantastic food and interesting specials. It is a little pricey but I’ve never been disappointed. I highly recommend this place. The only downside is that they don’t take resos and there is often a line up.
Check this spot out but go early.

Went here with three friends while visiting from out of town. The wait staff was extremely friendly, and the lead waitress was very accommodating and helpful. We went on a Friday night, and the staff seemed a bit overwhelmed, as it was a full house. Unfortunately, it took them about 40 minutes to get our food out. However, the waitress was gracious enough to update us as to the wait time of our order and she even gave us a couple of free appetizers to hold us over. We were patient and not in any hurry, so we didn’t mind.
The food was good, I had scallions and my friend the mussels. The sauces on both were well-​prepared and the dishes were a good portion, not too large.

Tried it tonight. Only reason it gets 2 stars is becasue the place is clean and the service is very good. Comfortable, professional, but not overbearing or pretentious.
The food on the other hand went from «It’s Ok.» to «I’m drowning in salt.» The frites were obviously not fresh (and rock hard) and the both the frites and steak were so covered in salt, I couldn’t finish the dish. I should have sent it back. But I was hungry, it was late, and I was not in the mood to argue. As was my dining companion.
The wine list also left something to be desired. I don’t mind a small list, but some broader options would be nice. Instead you’re paying $ 9 for a glass of so-​so red.
For the money — you can find a hundred other restaurants in the city that provide better value.
Won’t be back. And that’s a shame — again, very good service and a nice room make me really want to like it.

Absolutely delightful! My fiancé and I went here for my birthday dinner and were not disappointed — great atmosphere, friendly service and phenomenal food!

Pork belly tartines: pork so dry and over cooked it taste like eating cardboard. You can’t taste anything on there other then chewing as hard as you can before you swallow the food.
Chicken liver mushroom: Tasty. but also the bread under was almost to the point impossible to eat. I think my shoe sole was easier to digest.
Roasted Beef cheek: Was so salty. i couldn’t taste the meat at all. But the meat was super tender. I’m sure in this dish there was more salt then the daily recommended intake.
Bathroom: If you want to use the bathroom, it’s inside the kitchen. I’m not sure how well that goes with the health code but all night non stop i see customer going to the bathroom and I personally stood beside the dishwasher by the fridge as i waited for the bathroom. The fridge door is 3ft from the bathroom door. And there were open pots of sauce they were using all night right by the bathroom door also. and yes. they dry the dishes there too… at least the service was good. I can’t recommend this place to anyone at all.

My bf and I went there last night, and had great time!
It is unfortunate that we can’t go there that often, YET, when we went in, the server recognized and welcomed us!
That is a very nice first impression when you come into the restaurant.
And the food was great too!
We had liver parfait, grilled octopus, steelhead, and beef cheek.
The grilled octopus was great, soft and delicious. Steelhead was nicely cooked, crispy on skin and soft inside, and seasoned very well. Beef cheek was so tender so you don’t need knife at all. The inside could have been seasoned better from braising in the sauce though, it was very delicious.
All and all, we did enjoy the food and conversation with servers, very much!
Applause to the great service customer and kitchen works!!! :)
Thumbs up!

Excellent ambiance, service and food. Tartines to start, delicious. Cassoulet and steak frites for mains, yum! Cassoulet wasn’t too salty either, which other restaurants tend to fault on, although the pork belly was a bit dry, probably from waiting in the oven. My only hesitation about returning is that it’s a SUPER small place. We got lucky with no wait to sit at the bar, but I doubt we will be that lucky next time!

4.5* really.
Love this place, we have been coming here since it opened, our go to place for a good evening without feeling rushed, for great food and drinks, and amazing service. Beef cheeks all the way baby.
My only suggestion is save the cheese plate to last.

Wonderful french cuisine. This place was amazing for quality, service and efficiency. Loved everything from their wine pairing to their desserts. We literally walked in when they opened at 5pm and the restaurant tables were completely full by 5:10pm. We now understand why. Highly recommend for an intimate dinner. Enjoy!

Tiny space, but enough room to enjoy a good meal. We somehow ended up here, waited 10 mins for a table, and the food was good and overall, we had a great time. Cute décor, good service, and overall, a nice find.

2.5 stars, rounded up because optimism
hits:
homey, comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere
well chosen wine list. lovely sancerre on feature.
wonderful escargot croquettes
perfectly cooked steelhead trout
maybe the best lemon tart i have ever had. i love lemon tarts.
misses:
octopus appy was spongy. i also love octopus, order it wherever i can, and i could barely choke down half of it.
frisee lardon was served with a hard poached egg. the whole point is to have runny yolk coat your salad…
they were out of both the duck breast and the beef bourguignon, which would have been nice to know before my husband ordered a glass of red wine. especially strange because we were informed that the pork rillettes were sold out when we sat but no mention of the mains.
the feature carrot risotto was way too runny, basically it was carrot and rice soup. and the $ 15 pricetag was ridiculous for a bowl of soup (it was even served in a soup bowl, it would have just run right off a plate).
overall, would return. maybe an off night? maybe we just ordered unluckily and picked the few less awesome dishes? i would give it one more try to find out…

My friend recommended we try out this place after her mother had said that it was very good. We went this past Saturday night, just before six and contrary to popular opinion were seated right away. The restaurant IS small, and I’m usually not a fan of places like that, feeling smushed and being brushed up against by other people is really not my idea of a good time, but it was really quite nice and cozy. My only complaint was that it was very warm, and both of us found ourselves to be a little dewy during our visit.
We spent the better part of almost two hours hogging a table up between me and my friend but we never once felt rushed by the staff, who were kind, helpful and on top of their tables. We both started with a Tartine each, and enjoyed it very much, and were pleased that they were only $ 2.50 a piece. We’d have had more if the complimentary bread basket wasn’t plunked in front of us right afterwards. My friend had a cocktail and thought it was really good.
I ordered the Special of the day, the Corn and Mushroom Risotto-​which while I thought was small at first glance turned out to be just the right amount, as well as delicious!-and my friend had the Steak Frites which she enjoyed a lot. The french fries looked really good and the proportions were plentiful.
For dessert I had the Dessert of the day a Plum Clafoutis and my friend the Lemon Tart. The Clafoutis was amazing and HUGE for a dessert, I ate it all without a regret. My friend is a sucker for Lemon tarts and thought it was yummy.
All in all, I would go back, though would have to find something on their special of the day board, because their main menu-​at least to me-wasn’t as exciting as the specials.

As another Unilocaler had mentioned, this place really is the total package.
I came here last night for the first time w/​my in-​laws from out of town, and everything from the warm welcome to the last scrape of dessert was absolutely outstanding.
The atmosphere is very cozy, service unpretentious, and the food so rustic and tasty without the snobby price tag. I especially enjoyed the size of the plates, as they were totally perfect for sharing. We ordered about 8 different dishes, and they were all equally unique and delicious. I especially enjoyed the muscles (broth to die for), romaine salad with big pieces of house-​made bacon, and lamb sausage w fingerling potatoes. Every plate was licked clean. Dessert was fabulous too, but it was the accompanying coffee that stole my heart! It was so yummy and rich, and served in a lovely stainless steel french press from JJ Bean. In fact, after dinner we went there and purchased 2 of them!
I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better dining experience. My in-​laws were totally impressed and talked about the food all night. They claimed that this meal «made their trip.»
Bistro Wagon Rouge tops my list of best places to eat in Vancouver, which is hard to do with so many excellent places to dine. We all had such an enjoyable and memorable dining experience. Compliments to ALL who work there.

Opening in November, the team behind the ridiculously popular Red Wagon Café have quickly established their offshoot Bistro Wagon Rouge, a small diner like eatery based on fine French cuisine, as a go-​to destination in the area.
For libations, I enjoyed a La Chouffe beer on tap as well as a Wagon Rouge cocktail (with gin and lavender lemonade).
On our tasting, we started off with some of the trademark deep fried pâté fingers, quite delicious, deadly so. Their two chalk board feature menus of breads, cheeses, and mains change and rotate daily so your experience is sure to never be the same. I definitely recommend any of the bread slices topped with pâté or meat spreads.
We were told the grilled octopus (with fingerling potatoes, chermoula, fennel, and arugula salad) was a must try and its flavourful combination did not disappoint as a mishmash of diverse flavours.
I greatly enjoyed the composition and combination of tastes in the cassoulet duck confit (with house made Toulouse sausage, crispy pork belly, and braised beans) full of contrasting meat tastes as a hearty, filling main served as a slow-​cooked casserole.
The staple of steak frites (with hanger steak with peppercorn sauce and café de Paris butter) was a superbly cooked highlight, done just right. As for seafood, the ling cod (with chowder, mussels, clams, and brandade croquette) was a delightful smörgåsbord of flavours. The beef cheek bourguignon was well prepared, but not as intriguing or mighty in taste as the other plats principaux. It was a little plain for my tastes.
For dessert, I heartily recommend the butterscotch pot-​de-​crème (with shortbread crumble) and the simply financier cake.
BWR offered a plethora of great French cuisine in a charming environment despite just opening. It’s a very small, intimate space with minimal seating but a enticing bar setup. I suggest you get there before 6pm or after 8pm to snag a table.

*3.5 stars*
One of the perks of being friends with those in the restaurant industry — you find out about little gems like this.
If you think «oh it’s on Powell, so it must be in Gastown», think further East. Like, a 10 minute drive East, to a more ‘untouched’ part of the city.
It is a tiny little place, moreso meant for groups of 4 or less; our little group of 2 came in shortly after 6 and got a table right away, but by 6:30 the place filled up.
For food, we tried some of the more adventurous/​authentic French fare — a couple of tartines (I thought they were ok but my chef companion thought they were delicious), the sweetbreads (very tasty), octopus (a little rubbery), frisee lardon (it’s a salad), and the pork belly (always a crowd pleaser). Overall, the food was good.
Ambience-wise…it could use some work. But it stays true to it’s bistro-​eque style — chalkboard menu/​specials, local wines and liquors. I could have done without having to walk through the kitchen to get to the washroom… but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.
So what tipped the scales from 3.5 to 4 stars? The service. Attentive, friendly, and not pretentious AT ALL. I love this.

New fav place to go! It’s my first time but I know I’ll be back! Loved everything we ate! We had to wait a bit when we went at 6:15pm for the first round of tables to finish. But after that we got a roomy table to fit all our food.
We were sold on the specials on the chalkboard and had the smoked trout rilette tartine and the pork with apple mustard tartine. Basically they are like the French version of the bruschetta. So yummy. We also tried another special item escargot croquettes. Would have ordered more of them!
For mains we had a tough decision and decided to share with our friends. We ordered the boeuf bourguignon and it was so tender against the crispy bacon and gnocchi. We also had the moules frites in curry but the size of the mussels aren’t as big as some other French bistro we frequent! The cassoulet was a stand out and guys would be in meat heaven with confit, sausage and pork belly all on one plate. French onion soup looked rich but we didn’t taste it. For dessert we didn’t have the lemon tart but the financiers are a must try!

Oooooh la la!
Oui, Bistro Wagon Rouge is a clever twist by the same owners as Red Wagon (go and eat there too). Hon hon hon (stereotypical French laugh).
The waitress was super friendly and helpful and just the right level of attentive. She earned her tip.
We had a few appetizer-​sized daily specials:
2 tartines (think crostini), the duck one was amazing. I was so excited I forgot to snap a pic. This should be a regular menu item.
2 croquettes stuffed with escargot. Simple and outstanding.
Lamb belly which doesn’t need any more description. Yum.
Then for mains, we attacked the cassoulet and steak frites both of which were delicious. The steak had great colour and texture. The cassoulet was rich and the house made sausage nailed it for me.
For dessert we had caramel pot de crème and a lemon tart both of which were excellent although I’d expect the pastry part of the tart to be flakier but it was still very good.
Prices were reasonable, we got STUFFED for $ 107 between 2 people including a demi bottle of wine which was delightful.