Carthage Café

I had a very enjoyable lunch a few weeks back.
We sat down a bit early (before noon) and the place was quiet, later on a few tables got filled.
Very interesting menu with a fusion of North African and French cuisine.
Immensely enjoyed the lamb shank and couscous dish. Service was great too.
Looking forward to visit again soon, maybe in the evening. Seems like a nice restaurant for a romantic dinner.

The food here is absolutely delicious. I had the house special Couscous — the lamb, chicken and merguez sausage were accompanied by root vegetables in a perfectly spiced savoury sauce that I would love to know the recipe for. The portion was large and very satisfying.

I came here for the first time for Dine Out Vancouver 2016. I got their soup, duo fish, and crème brûlée. Their portions are quite large for dine out standards, so I would suggest coming here with a bit of appetite. The soup and crème brûlée were mediocre, but I really enjoyed the fish. I liked the way they paired the fish with curry sauce and served the rice topped with spices. I’m not usually a big fan of fish but they did a surprisingly good job with this dish.
The service was excellent. The server checked on us multiple times throughout our meals to refill our water and made sure we were satisfied with our meals.
I would definitely come back again to try their regular menu!

This is a nice little restaurant with lots of character and excellent service, especially to a family with a toddler. I had the lamb chops and really enjoyed the mint sauce. The french onion soup was good too. A nice but short wine list with a good selection of local and imported wines, and it seemed reasonably priced. We did find it slightly dark.
We’d go back.

Excellent ambiance, great service, reasonable prices and very good food.
Really enjoyed our experience here, and look forward to visiting the restaurant again. It is French-​Tunisian fusion, but I would say it is decidedly more French than Tunisian. Most dishes have a smattering of Tunisian ingredients but are prepared in a French way, including the use of wine, which is a faux-​pas in Tunisian cuisine.
The only reason I haven’t given a perfect rating is the Mussels were disappointing. Mind you, the restaurant has steep competition in Vancouver with the excellence that is Chambar. I would say that the ‘Asian’ mussels are lacking in tartness and the broth was too creamy; the ginger and lime were not perceptible and didn’t feel ‘Asian’ for that reason. Also, the fries served with the Mussels were not good. Tasted like frozen fries, rather than fresh fries.
Will certainly return. Go for the ambiance, stay for the food, don’t order the ‘Asian’ Mussels.

4 of us, women friends, ate here last week. Nice ambience and charming décor, pleasant waitress. However… We ordered the specials, for 3 of us this was the «tenderloin steak» with 2 prawns and a scallop, mashed potatoes and vegetables for $ 27. When the meal came the steak was clearly not a tenderloin, but a thin piece of sirloin. When we politely pointed this out, we were told they had run out of tenderloin and were giving us 8 oz steak for the price of 5 oz.!We again pointed out this was not an acceptable substitution and that we wouldn’t have ordered or paid this much for a cheap steak, the waitress came back and told us they would only charge us $ 23, the price of their striploin with frites, therefore $ 4 off each for the 3 of us. Though the restaurant was about a third full in a Wednesday, neither the chef or owner made any effort to speak to us or apologize, and though 2 people had 3 courses because we wanted a good chat, they didn’t offer free dessert or anything. Food itself adequate only, and generally overpriced. we won’t be back… don’t like dishonest business practices.

Very cosy atmosphere, Parisian bistro feel, friendly service though our server did not know the menu items so that was annoying (her having to ask at the back for every question we had). Food was good enough but not special. The baklava was not good at all though.

Starting with the atmosphere, it was calm intimate and original however slightly too dark. The French onion soup was amazing. You can’t go wrong with Saffron rice and the seafood broth was cooked to perfection. I enjoyed the food for sure. Service was great, although they need to reduce the number of times they come up to you to ask how everything is. Nothing wrong with it but waitress’ conversation was as random as hiking on a rainy day with a baseball cap in a wedding dress in Southern Australia. The quality of food though doesn’t reflect the price. It’s a tad too pricey. If you’re going to offer 20 above dishes, which we ordered, then consider ways to bring higher quality and more light so we can see what we are eating.

Came here tonight for my first visit ever on a blind date. Gorgeous dining room although a little dark. Not sure why so many cameras are needed in their dining room (hidden in the uppermost corners). Enjoyed steak medallion special with veggies and whipped mashed potatoes for $ 25. A glass of Malbec red wine with the meal. My date had the only vegetarian dish (he chose the place!) couscous. No dessert however try their Moroccan mint tea (has caffeine) but think twice about having it sweetened or not (I went unsweetened while my date had half sweet). Location was a bit loud but otherwise as romantic as can be. I’m not sure I would be in a rush to return though.

Team Tastic came here for a Tuesday dinner and I had the following:
Couscous Carthage ($ 23)
Bouillabaise ($ 24)
Bread and Butter (included)
The Couscous Carthage, sort of the «everything» couscous, came with chicken, lamb, merguez and autumn vegetables in tomato sauce. The couscous hidden underneath the meat was the best part; it was steamy hot and perfectly cooked through. I wish I could say the same about the meat. The chicken was quite dry on the inside, the lamb a tad less dry, but the merguez (sausage) was juicy and the best meat out of the three. I had to swish in a lot of sauce to offset the dry insides. If this were the intended style of the dish I wish I ordered the Merguez Couscous ($ 20) because the sausage was delicious.
The Bouillabaise came with the fish of the day (salmon), scallops, tiger prawns and mussels in saffron broth. I liked that the scallops were big. The tiger prawns were about the same size and same with the fish. Nestling these items in a ring of mussels made for a very well-​presented dish. However, almost all these seafoods were overcooked despite the soup beneath being a joy to drink. This was not as good as comparables I’ve had at Provence Marinaside but it’s a little cheaper.

This is a terrific little spot. The service is very thoughtful and kind. The food delicious. I am fond of the lamb shanks. The waiter is from Budapest and understands OLd World gracious service. It’s a pretty place too and relatively quiet, which I appreciate.

TUNISIAN CUISINE… its like travelling back in time. carthage is an ancient city where history of Tunisia begun… this place is one of the most beautiful restaurant ive ever been… contemporary and yet ancient ambiance, we had escaragot, lamb, fish and beef, serving were huge and the taste was superb, casual attire, quite place to eat, dtreet meter parking, credit/​debit/​cash okay, small restaurant… i would like to come back soon…

I decided to explore the Drive on my next foodie adventure so without a destination in mind hopped on the train and found this great cozy joint.
I stumbled upon this place from across the road and
The décor is very unassuming and reminded me of a small brasserie in Paris. The ambiance is chill without being pretentious. The hanging colorful lamp coverings reminded me of Turkey so this place has a worldly feel to it.
Our server was very nice, gave us the best table by the window and was very attentive and good at suggesting what to try as this was my first introduction to Tunisian food.
My friend and I decided to share a bottle of Rose which was just delightful. Then we started off with Doigts de Fatima, which is the Tunisian version of a spring roll. The fillings instead were cooked properly and the wrap was not over fried. It was also accompanied by a Tunisian salad, which was very refreshing and was decorated with an amazing olive oil.
As for the main we shared the Brochette de Carthage, which was more than enough for 2 people even though we were quite hungry. The lamb was tender and didn’t smell bad, the chicken was juicy and tender and the side of Tunisian Salad was a great addition to the mix. The sausage and couscous were cooked to perfection.
Overall this was a great introduction to Tunisian food and I’ll be back again to taste more and more of it.

4.5*
Best mussels
Attentive service
Amazing value
I can’t believe it took me so long to actually come here.
Will be back. Frequently.

I recently had dinner at this restaurant with friends and family.
The service was great and the waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu. I was also very impressed with their selection of mussels. I would recommend this restaurant if you were visiting or shopping on Commercial Drive and wanted something a little different.

Really enjoyed this place. The food was amazing and the service was impeccable. I didn’t catch our servers name, he kind of looked like Sydney Crosby, but let me tell you he was everything you could ask for in a server.
I will definitely be back.

What a great restaurant!
Aside from the amazing duck (special) the atmosphere and service put this place over the top for me.
Big ups to «Crosby» for making this experience as special as it was. We will definitely be back!

Came here several months ago for a set dinner/​Meetup, soup/​entrée/​dessert for $ 30 or so… well worth it, think all you have to do is call up and say you’re bringing in 15 ppl or so, and you’ll be amazed at what creations they come up with.
there were 2 choices of each, but went with the seafood pasta linguini, & crème brûlée, highly recommended.
small, cozy resto, and good service.
kinda surprised by the other negative reviews, but guess i got lucky lol.
they also deliver too.

A lovely spot for a Saturday afternoon of eating tasty food and drinking a glass of full-​bodied Malbec.
Had the three piece delight; chicken, lamb chop and merguez. All fragrant and wonderfully seasoned. The soup was a taste delight, just spicy sweet with chick peas and tomato broth. Salads fresh and tantalizing. Pear sorbet was top-​notch.
Great ambience, although the street noise hampered our chat so we moved to the middle of the room, which was just perfect. Recommend Carthage for a hearty lunch and lavish conversation. Our server had a wonderfully wry outlook, and his recommendations were spot-​on.
Closed for afternoon break, so time your lunch. Clean washrooms. Great spot on Commercial Drive.

Must order the mussels. My partner and I shared the El Atlas mussels. They were extremely fresh, not a second overcooked. I could have drank the leftover sauce, it was that tasty.
I had the halibut special, with lemon, capers on gnocchi and veggies. It was good but nothing mind-​blowing. My partner had the bouillabaisse, with tender scallops, fish and more mussels! Again excellent sauce with anise flavouring. Massive portions. I was stuffed.
Cute little date place. Not a lot of seating. Impeccable service. Not that many restaurants in these parts that do North African food so this was a great find. I’m excited to try their lamb shank and chicken tagine.

I was wandering around Commercial Drive with a friend of mine, and we stumbled on this jem of a restaurant. Carthage Café has the feel of an antiquated restaurant, complete with dark walls and really neat chandeliers. We arrived around 9 PM, and were given a cozy table at the back of the restaurant.
The food served here is french, with appetizers costing around $ 10, and entrée’s ranging anywhere from $ 20 – 32. Carthage Café has a whole section of their menu devoted to mussels, with a variety of different sauces and flavors, each for $ 15.
Since my friend and I were both guilty of snacking before our super late dinner date, we decided to opt for appetizers and a shared plate of mussels. We received a small french bread and butter starter, which was a nice touch.
For an appetizer, I opted for the classic french onion soup ($ 11), which was smaller than I expected, but pretty good. I’ve had better french onion soup, but it was still worthwhile. My friend had the salad special for the day, which looked great. For the mussels, we chose the Carthago mussels, which came in a spicy cumin sauce. The mussels were great, but not as spicy as we hoped. The mussels did come with a side of frites (aka fries), which were crispy and hot — try dipping them in the mussels sauce for an extra burst of flavor! Another tip: keep some bread around for dipping, we were very happy we had done so.
Our waiter was really friendly, and refilled our water glasses at least 5 or 6 times throughout the meal. He gave us the full spiel on all of the specials of the night, and was great at answering questions, such as «what is harissa?» (turns out it’s a spicy sauce). He also didn’t treat us any differently after we didn’t order any alcohol or dessert. It took awhile for us to get the bill, but everything else came out in a timely fashion.
Overall, if you’re looking for a nice hideaway restaurant to share a meal, Carthage Café is a great place to go.