save on meats

great food/service. best reuben!!

i've tried this place three times now, and all have been disappointing.

i can't remember exactly what i have the first time, but i sat at the counter. i think it was some type of braised beef sandwich. it was okay, but certainly wasn't any great value. for some silly reason i thought that this place was supposed to be a little bit more affordable, considering the part of the city that it was him. you know what they say about assumptions.

at best, the service was mediocre.

the second time i went there, i had an open faced chicken sandwich. it tasted alright, but again was certainly no great value for what i paid for it. as well, when it was brought to my table, i wasn't given any cutlery with which to eat it. i had to ask the waitress for a knife, and then after waiting over five minutes for her to bring me one so i could eat the food that she brought to me, i finally just got up and went to the counter and asked again. i was greeted with this silly little smile, and an excuse about how she had forgotten because she was busy. by this point my sandwich was almost cold.

absolutely pathetic service.

i went there again yesterday for breakfast. in all honesty if it wasn't for the fact that i had gone to three other restaurants in that part of town that were closed, and i wasn't just really really hungry, i would have set foot in the place.

needless to say, not only did they screw my order up, they screwed my friends order up. and after informing them of this, they screwed up their attempt to fix it. the waiter apologized and told us that we wouldn't have to worry about the charges for the extra product that was brought to us. in the end, they charged us for everything. had they have actually gotten the order correct, it would've cost us less money.

bottom line. the food is passable. the service is extremely lacking, and the prices are high for what you get.

if you read any number of the reviews that have been posted on urbanspoon about this restaurant, you will see the same complaints over and over and over again. the fact that nothing changes, at least as far as the service is concerned, shows that the management of this company or the owners care very very little regarding the opinions of their diners.

so i'm going to ask you directly:

save on meats owners or manager:

why do you not do something to address the concerns your diners patrons have about your establishment?

does it not concern you that i can go to your restaurant three times, and have subpar service all three times? do you really think that i'm going to recommend your restaurant to anyone else? you should be very concerned about the things that people are saying about your service and your food and your prices, but it seems that you're not.

someone wrote a review prior to this one, and i think she hit the nail on the head. vancouverites need to wake up when it comes to restaurants that offer crappy service, expensive prices, small portion sizes and mediocre food. people in this town are so used to putting up with this kind of stuff, that it just becomes the norm and they expect nothing more.

honestly, you should be embarrassed about the experience that you provide, and i as well as everybody else should be embarrassed that were naïve enough to think that this is acceptable, and to keep going back.

no more.

more plate than food. the club was only a half sandwich. the open faced. chicken looked so lonely on the plate. no peas and very little gravy. my chocolate shake came as a sunday before the meal. reasonable price but i have an aftertaste and won't be back

it was a disappointment our food came out to us lukewarm. this was probably due to the fact the diner was jam packed when we came to try. we would probably try and come back in the future to try out their other foods during non peak hours.

i continue to try to understand what people accept as good food in this city. bad service and bad food is prevalent. everyone smiles and accepts it. that's why we continue to receive bad food and service. let's learn from nyc. no shit.

their service has always been decent, my expectations for service at this hipster-esque diner may not be too high but the waitress has always been friendly. they have appeared on a popular television show called the gastown gamble on the oprah winfrey network ---not sure what ever happened to that channel. i would definitely go for breakfast ... not sure if i would recommend it during lunch or dinner (vegetarianly speaking).

not very good... service was subpar... food was cold... i guess you get what you pay for

i am going back. not only because the food was wonderful and the vibe was good but because the service is amazing.

i noticed this place because of its crazy neon signs. in vancouver, restaurants that still uses neon signs to get attention is being more scarce. when i spotted the neon signs, i thought it was a butcher shop. then i realize i am right, there is a butcher shop and the diner right next to it. seeing the full house every time passing by, i told myself to give it a try. when i entered, i notice everything looks and feel like an old vintage diner. the decor is screaming vintage and i loved every bit of it. (i am basis because i wanted a kitchen that looks vintage ) though i don’t know looking vintage and feeling dirty is supposed to be portrayed simultaneously. the chair that i was sitting on (didn’t get to sit on booths) was broken (plastic ripped wide open). the menu that i was looking at were sticky – like literally… and a smell of old syrup. i’m guessing someone spilled syrup on it but no one bother to clean it – it was sticky to touch, i’m sure someone noticed.

loved the bocconi and cheese sauce!

not too bad, but fails to meet the hype. my wife and i ate at save-on meats last sunday after having heard goods things about it and having seen the diners, drive-ins, and dives spot.

we were promptly greeted and shown a booth, but as we walked in the door, we noticed that there was a live dj. this seemed a little odd for a diner, but given its hipster reputation, we let it go. however, throughout our meal the djs continued to raise the music volume higher and higher until the waitress had difficulty understanding our orders, and vice versa. furthermore, one of the records played was cracked, so there was one 4-minute interval in there that we were all tortured by a loud 45rpm pop! pop! pop! pop! the 18 year old djs were oblivious.

the menu was about comfort food: turkey pot pie, meatloaf, burgers, sandwiches, and definitely seemed like a good value (i think our total bill was $21). but the food itself was hit or miss. my wife ordered the mac & cheese, and i ordered the barbecue ribs.

the mac & cheese was passable for a homemade real cheese mac & cheese, but wasn't terrific like so many of the great mac & cheese inspired dishes which are in fashion right now. the best thing about my plate of ribs was the mashed potatoes, which were fantastic. the peas and carrots, while at least fresh rather than frozen, were undercooked (not a problem for carrots which are good raw, but undercooked peas are starchy and nasty). the ribs came smothered in what i can only assume is the meatloaf sauce, sort of like a mildly spiced homemade ketchup -- not bbq sauce at all. also, i suppose the portions reflect the price, but four tiny 2-inch pork ribs seemed a little disappointing. i was full at the end (largely thanks to the mashed potatoes), but this dish really should have been listed as "mashed potato and peas & carrots plate, with a homemade biscuit and a small side of pork ribs with tomato paste on them."

i wouldn't refuse to eat there again, especially if i was already in that part of downtown and wanted a hot meal for not much money, but i can make better at home.

superb service!. my husband and i stopped in for a quick bite to eat while walking around vancouver. we split a rueben with a side of poutine. holy! first of all, the food was outstanding! loads of delicious cuts of meat and fresh gravy and cheese curds on the poutine! now that's how you make a poutine! not only was the food good, but the small attention to detail by our server was greatly appreciated. we told her we would just share a plate... what would you expect? the dish and maybe a side plate to split the meal? that's what i was expecting... she arrived with the order split evenly onto two separate plates. this showed foresight, care for patrons, and attention to detail. it was much appreciated! we left feeling like they truly cared about delivering good customer service and genuinely wanted us to enjoy our dining experience. great spot! we'll be back.

had lunch today and i ordered the burger while my wife had the clubhouse with chicken noodle soup. the soup tasted off like it was sour. the chicken in the clubhouse was old and dry.
disappointed with the burger. nothing special about it.

it was a meaty, epic five-course dinner at everyone's favourite neighbourhood butcher shop.

big portions with small prices. the quality of the food is not bad.
service was mediocre, there were two servers, one working her butt off serving, taking orders, refilling drinks while the other was standing by the kitchen socializing, pushing in chairs or picking at her nails. as a result, we waited over 10 minutes before somebody came by and took our order. imo, service is a crucial aspect to an overall pleasant dining experience and that was lacking.