save on meats

...the save-on meats burger...i appreciate the amount given – considering it cost me $6...with crispy (but not greasy) fries...

everyone has seen and heard the stories of hastings street: the once bustling hub of vancouver deteriorated to a neighborhood of poverty. and amidst the destitute, was a remaining bright beacon of the glory days: the iconic neon save on meats flying pig sign. the sign dimmed its light 2 years ago when the owner retired.

i am not a hipster, a trendster not have i lived in vancouver long enough to have even gone to the original save-on-meats. i like the place because it offers cheap, good eats and to be honest, the server who served me both times seemed like an honest-to-goodness-nice guy who cared about the food they were serving.
their open-faced roast chicken sandwich (with gravy) made me feel homeless for our very own pancake house back in the islands. their ribs were stick to your bones filling and did i already say the food here is cheap?

the burger was wicked good. the meat was tasty, fresh, and grilled to perfection.

sandwiched between a dense biscuit-like bread, the fresh fluffy eggs and tasty ham made for a great breakfast for only $1.50.

my oldest memory of save-on-meats was winning a gift certificate in elementary school, but my parents decided not to go redeem the certificate since it was in such a sketchy area. fast forward 15 years later and that part of hastings isn't too bad with the new addition of sfu woodwards and some other amazing establishments. there has been a lot of buzz about save-on-meats since it reopened and i wanted to see for myself if it lived up to expectations. never really thought i would ever be dining at a place called save on meats. they have a butcher shop and a restaurant, so you get a bit of everything. they also have a window area outside for take out. the interior is super retro! i went here on two occasions to give you a bigger scope of what's on their menu. mandu and i needed coffee ($2) since we really we super tired out of our minds. the coffee here is just the usual. comes with cream and sugar to mix. mandu is particularly picky about what she puts into her coffee, so she asked for

yeah.. not bad... i tried this restaurant on opening day, it was packed, and a bit of a wait to get in (5 min), but all good. staff was friendly, organized and got us a place a the diner bar. i was surprised at how cheap everything was on the menu. i ordered the chicken clubhouse ($7). sandwich presentation was nice and tasted good, came with fries and coleslaw.-chicken was a tad pink. the place could do with some more natural light. a couple of homeless men came in a couple times asking the bartender for food and then the customers, not sure if that adds to the flavor or not, but had me guarding my sandwich. all in all, i'd give it a 7/10.

many vancouverites mourned the loss of save on meats, a vancouver landmark that closed its doors after over half a century of service - the famous neon flying pig finally dimming its lights in 2009. not one to miss a step (or opportunity), serial entrepreneur mark brand took over the space with a vision of resurrecting the butchery and giving the famed back of the room cafe a proper home.

not impressed. our office being in gastown the three of us tried it. we all ordered different things to try, i guess the chef 's idea of flavor is salt salt more salt. he should learn how to play with spices and herbs a little more and forget the salt. there is nothing healty about this place just another greasy spoon. what a deception after all that anticipation. acme cafe has nothing to worry about it does't compare. dark. depressing place with no atmosphere. red necks kind of staff, avoid if you can


-----26 jun, 2011-----

once was enough for us. our office being in gastown we were happy to give it a try . waitress was loud and stressed. the place dark and sad looking. the food nothing special really , we all ordered different dishes everything was just ok, .just another greasy spoon, but considering the prices you can't complain you get what you pay for. acme cafe has nothing to worry about ...

good cheap eats. went down to check out the new save on meats. nicely renovated, although as previous poster mentioned the signs are a little bit of an overkill. would have been nice to see pics of the neigbourhood back in the day... food though is good and cheap which is what diner should be like. unlike acme, this place does not seem too yuppie like so if you want that diner feel this is much better.