craft beer market

this place has so much potential, but falls short of the mark. it really is a place that goes for quantity over all-around quality. the food is alright; but the only real reason to come here would be for the large array of beers. however, the cost of a glass of beer (the glasses are not full pints) is higher than the average pub or brewery & the servers aren't able to answer questions about most of the beers (probably because there are way too many types of beers to learn). with this, you often make guesses on what beer sounds good and miss out on some really tasty drinks. if the servers were paid to have a few hours training a month on beer knowledge, this place could be so much more successful. having so many breweries in walking distance, heading to brassneck or 33 acres may be a cheaper option for a good beer... and you will have a team of people who can tell you what each beer is like: making it easier to choose a good beer that you will actually enjoy.

in regards to service, it wasn't our best experience. our server would come over to us only if we flagged her down and she seemed very rushed. she couldn't answer my question about which stout was more popular and when we ordered multiple beers, she only brought us one at a time. this was lousy because we were upstairs and she had to go down to get the beer she had forgotten. then she wouldn't come back for 5-10 minutes and one person would be almost finished a beer, while another hadn't even started.

also, the upkeep of the place seems to be going a bit downhill. came here for the second time last night since it opened and i was sad to see the changes. the window on the handicapped elevator is smashed and held together with duck tape, the paper towel dispensers in the women's bathroom were out of paper towel & filled with random garbage, the wall behind the hand drier was covered in soap & looked like it was stripping the paint from the walls...

this could be a great place, but it just doesn't quite make the trip to olympic village (and search for parking) worth it to me.

mediocre service and food. came here on a tuesday to have their taco tuesdays which lacked flavour and a small piece of fish in it. however, their kale chicken salad was super filling and had a good seasoning. would come here for late nights rather than lunch or dinner times.

a group of ten of us went to craft for a birthday lunch. the manager, curtis, greeted our first guest and made her feel comfortable as she waited on her own for the rest of us to arrive. we arrived and were situated with waters. the restaurant didn't appear to be too busy but we think our server may have been new. half an hour later we were all starting to feel concerned about not yet being approached for our order. a few of us had meetings that afternoon and we all needed to get back to work. we wouldn't have been stressed if it were at a dinner service, but for lunch service we just didn't have that kind of time. we waved over the manager and within seconds he had two servers taking our order. our food arrived in record time (and was delicious). as we were done and had cash on the table waiting for our bill, curtis approached us and told us that everyone's meal was taking care of. we were blown away by the service and we will all be back again. thank you curtis!

holy beer batman!. if you like beer, you'll like it here. so much to try. my husband had one of the beer samplers and loved it. great deal for your money. our server was awesome, super friendly girl. the building inside is beautiful. great atmosphere.
my husband had the fish tacos, thought they were just ok. i had the ravioli, it was awesome the only thing missing was a piece of garlic bread (which i later found out they used to serve with this dish, but no longer do, due to customer waste)
my stepson works in the kitchen here, so i might be a little bias, but the kitchen staff do seem to work very hard to make the food great and always bring in fresh idea's for the menu.

great beer selection. this is a great place to have beer on tap, with an impressive selection.
the food is good enough if you're hungry. the music is much too loud, and it's hard to hear anything else.
interesting space, with a unique industrial feel inside the building.

lots of beers in an unpretentious atmosphere that is hit and miss with food!. i've been here only a handful of times, some just for drinks and some for food and drinks and both times were overall okay to good.

the beer menu is very, very extensive and can be daunting at times. the first visit, i ordered a beer flight which was well thought out with a good mixture of different beers and respective flavours. from that, i much preferred the fruit beers and radlers, for a light and refreshing beer that tastes like juice. for those unaware, you are allowed to drink in public in germany and radlers (a mix of juice and beer) were made for people riding bikes to be able to drink without getting drunk (rad = bike in deutsch, hence 'radlers'). on the second visit, i ordered a big rock trad which never disappoints.

the food on the first visit was very good. my partner ordered the macaroni and cheese and i found myself eating more of his than he ate himself. it was delicious. absolutely gooey cheese and firm yet tender noodles in a piping hot skillet. i ordered the flatbread and finished it so quickly. it was delicious, but i felt like it wasn't enough. granted i'm a big eater and it was on special, so nothing more could i expect from that.
on my second visit however, a sunday afternoon, the food was just not up to par. i was meeting a few coworkers and wasn't feeling particularly hungry so i just ordered the poutine, thinking that would be more than enough. when it arrived, it wasn't hot but rather just warm, like it had been sitting in the pass-through for about 5-10 minutes. the cheese curds were delicious, but the fries tasted dry and a bit burnt. i ate about half and couldn't eat anymore, not out of appetite but rather i just couldn't eat any more burnt and dry fries. my coworkers ordered a burger with fries and an asian-fusion type noodle bowl. the asian-fusion noodles bowl looked just okay, but doesn't look like it belonged in what the rest of the menu offers. as well, my coworker who ordered the burger also said that the fries tasted burnt, but he was so hungry that he ate them all.

the service both times was very attentive and positive. the servers came and checked up on us enough so that we were able to order more drinks/request sauces but not overbearing.

all in all, i must say that craft being beside national really creates a saturated market on this one street block. both offering pub-style fair and an extensive beer list in an upscale, relaxed environment. unfortunately, i will choose national next time, and hope that one day when i return to craft i'm able to change my opinion.

p.s. i've heard through friends that have been subject to this policy that on fridays and saturday nights, both craft and national will only allow those over the age of 21 or 25 to enter, seeking a more 'mature' crowd. myself, i think this policy is ridiculous because age certainly does not mean maturity. i mean, the age of majority in alberta is 18 and even then, i know a lot more 25-30 year olds who are less mature and less successful than some 18 year-old friends. i, myself have never been subject to this policy so this is just a response to that policy if it is true, and i really hope it isn't.

pretty good. i was hesitant to bring my 2 young kids here on a sunday afternoon for brunch, but the atmosphere was great and they enjoyed themselves.
my only complaint is that if a restaurant has a childrens menu, they should have highchairs or booster seats.

got there around noon on a sunday and had the classic eggs benny. yum yum!! and beer of course! the eggs were done perfectly and the yolks were a deep yellow. where do you get your eggs from and would you consider selling them from the side door. the crowd was a mix of young to "older" as well as infants. will definitely be back here for brunch.

huge beer selection, good food. ate at craft last week and enjoyed it a great deal. over 100 beers on tap, tons of different varieties, including a decent amount of unusual stuff i've never seen at any other vancouver restaurant. maybe the pints are a couple of bucks more expensive than average but you are paying for the selection as well (or so i rationalized to myself).

for dinner, i had the beer can chicken, my wife had the baby back ribs. the chicken, potatoes, and vegetables were all delicious. roughly $15 and well above typical standards. my wife's ribs were delicious but they were served alongside a deepfried rice patty which was very unusual. we both tried it and found it not to our liking at all.

service was fine although we also had a bit of a wait despite dining pretty early (5:45 or so) and saw a lot of empty tables around us when we sat down.

i think i'll be returning to craft. the beer selection is awesome and the food was quite good as well.

in reading some of the negative reviews on here, i wanted to drop a line and say that craft is my go-to! i find it difficult to find the balance of fun atmosphere, great service, great food (inferno burger, yam fries-to die for, tuna appetizer! all yum!) and oh, the beer, the beer! we have yet to have a server that we didn't love, even just to chat with, aside from their great service and knowledgeable beer suggestions! we (my husband, friends and i)used to always be on the lookout for a new place to go, but now find ourselves here 4+ times a month and have yet to have a reason to look for a new place! it's a rut i don't want to get out of!

ouch. $9 pints that i pay $6 for everyday is criminal. then when the manager is asked about the price difference i am told it is due to taxes. so how come i paid $6/pint at the sandbar on granville island? let me guess》 the tax is different over there! this place has misleading ads and is way overpriced. they offer nothing original and charge up the yang for it. 1 out of 5 imho.

wow beer!. i love this place, truly a craft beer connoisseurs heaven. the atmosphere is fantastic, the staff knowledge of the beer is second to none. this place is a must see, if your in calgary, make a point to go here. the food, service, and beer are all terrific!

great experience!. i went to craft with a couple buddies after work today and had an amazing experience. our food was delicious, and we had what may have possibly been the best service we have ever had. our server, claire k (or so the receipt said) was friendly, helpful, and very knowledgable. she reccomended all our tasty food and also reccomended beers that could be paired with each meal. this girl knows what she's doing.

craft has an extensive and impressive amount of craft beer. the beer menu is almost endless and overwhelming! i wanted something citrus-y, and decided to try the blanche de chambly, a type of belgian pale ale. it did not disappoint, and hit the spot perfectly. it was refreshing, citrusy, and light topped off with a great, velvety layer of foam. the boyfriend ordered a darker beer, the ayinger celebrator which was very malty and hoppy...

craft beer market is exactly what it says on the tin. there are over 100 craft beers from around the world on tap and a few more in bottle form, just in case you like a bit of variety. they also have a full food menu (think american/canadian comfort food), some extremely friendly staff to look after you, and a ridiculous amount of seating. my suggestion would be to sit at the bar if there are just a couple of you as the bartenders are good for discussing beer and sourcing suggestions.