the dime

bar food.... today, i decided to come to the dime because i've passed by many time and wondered what $4.95 can offer. the dime used to be la rocca ristorante italiano and i figured that opening a italian restaurant next to another italian restaurant in the heart of little italy wasn't going well. my friend said there has been some dramatic changes to the interior with a new bar, new walls and new seating. what stayed the same is the ugly floor, but you're not going too eat off of them so why care?

the first thing i noticed when i arrived was how dark it was. a few dimmed light bulbs and the dark wood, i had trouble seeing where i was going. i was greeted by a single server with a friendly smile. she plopped two menus on the table and walked away. she came back pacing back and forth wondering if i was going to order or if i was just going to drink my water. my friend has arrived yet.

at first glance at the menu, everything was bar food. a lot of mini bites, salads and a few 'burgers'. iorderedthe mama t's mac n cheese and the veggie burger with fries. when my friend arrived, sheorderedthe maple bacon gnocchi and the beet and goat cheese salad. we shared.

food arrived within 15 minutes of being ordered. i suspected everything is prep early and made quick. my mama t's mac n cheese were okay. bit size balls of mac n cheese fried and bedded on some sauce. i thought they were bland and not cheesy. my friend suggested they should have used cheddar instead of just parmesan. my veggie burger didn't arrive and the pulled pork came instead. i called the server over and she acknowledge it wasn't what iorderedand sent it back. my friend's gnocchi was nicely made and creamy, but lacked bacon. disappointing. her beet and goat cheese salad wasn't the best. the beet was a bit under down and the leaves of the salad were wittered. my veggie burger came and it was massive. nicely topped with avocado, onions, tomatoes and corn on top a veggie patty with melted cheddar. i also question whether the patty was cooked on the same grill as the beef burger. it did have a hint of beefy flavors.

ultimately, i doubt i will return. the bar feeling isn't my style and for the quality of food and service received, it is not worth it.

the dime is a local pub on robson st. downtown vancouver, which is the busiest street in downtown vancouver. it is one of the restaurants in the warehouse group. it called the factory a few years ago. it has been changed the name to the dime in 2~3 years. it serves very cheap and delicious food. my boyfriend and i had a quick lunch when we were in vancouver two weeks ago. we arrived the dime around 11:00 am when it just opened. we quickly got a table and began ordering the food. both of usorderedburger dish. it was very cheap at only $ 5.95. we only waited for few minutes, our burgers came out off the kitchen. the burger was very tasty. the meat platter was very fresh and well cooked. all the burgers came with a side dish. i had house green salad and my boyfriendorderedyam fries. the house green salad was my favourite, very fresh and delicious. in summary, we had a great experience eating at the dime. definitely, we should come back to this place again.

cook was rude and spit in food.
i used to work at this place back in early spring, i was hired on as a dishwasher. while i was working in the kitchen one of the guys who had be cooking there for a while would make jokes about the customers,  about the way they looked, there ethnicity, weight, if they had lots of money,ussually nobody said anything, they probably just ignored him after a while, maybe they were as desperate as i was to have a job. one time i thought i saw from the corner of my one of the cooks spit or something onto of the burgers, and then he laughed. i didnt think hed actually done it so i didnt say anything i just looked at him waiting to see a guilty look on his face. i didnt get many shifts for the next two weeks wondering if he had made up something about me to the manager. a couple weeks later we were working the same shift and he started saying a lot of rude comments about one of the couples that were in there, this guy was defenetly racist. i couldnt believe the stuff that was coming out of his mouth, i spoke up because i was sick of people treating people that way and he started commenting about how i could only get a job as a dishwasher and was worthless and that they were as worthless as me. another time a guy south american couple came to eat there, and he was making comments about his girlfriend or girl he was with, and saying really demeaning remarks, he started talking about how people shouldnt be allowed to come from other countries into canada (as you can see this guy had a really frigged up perspective, i cant believe they let him work there knowing he was like this, they must have known he was like this , narcissistic and insulting all the time) i said something to him along the lines that his perspective of the world was unevolved and maybe he should learn from other cultures since this one has done him only wrong clearly. im not even kidding you he called me a name i cant say on here and haucked a loogie in two of the burgers that were about to be put out. i tried to grab the plates but he got in my way, i left and went to talk to the manager who wasnt there at the moment. i walked up to the couple they hadorderedone burger and and orzo pasta dish and i said dont eat that the cook spit in it. they were astonished and didnt want to believe me at first. but i told them how he was really rassist and i said out loud the cook has possibly spit into a lot of the food. some of the customers had left after a big argument broke out between me and the cook. i came in the next day and was fired, the manager was so rude about it. she said i caused a scene and costed the business money. after that experience i went on a trip with my dad (hes a photographer) to tanzanian and kenya for a few months. i just couldnt be in the city anymore, i felt like i was experiencing conditioned close minded people most days. so i took him up on the trip. when we were in amsterdam between flights back to vancouver i talked to a guy one the street, one thing led to another and he told me hes experienced being treated horribly by a restauruant here and suggested i write a review. so here i am writing everything i witnessed at the dime, in hopes that nobody should have to experience that. and in hopes that this guy gets fired! i know hes still works there because ive seen him opening in the front. i would normally feel really unjustified and pissed off about. but theres nothing i can do other then find my own sanctity and maybe be able to handle a situation like that better if it happens again.

the deals are insane, all food for only $4.95! the service staff are quite attentive but the only downside is the noise level here is over the top. don't plan to stay long when you are dining here, it's more of an in and out as it's so hard to hear the person sitting next to you let alone your own voice. aside from the noise level, i would give the food at this place a 5/5. everything including the desserts were on par. weorderedthe seasonal specials including the fish tacos, honey wings, house made nachos, perogies and the deep fried waffle with ice cream drizzled over blueberries in a sauce. this dessert was amazing, the crispiness and warm waffle with the icecream is the ultimate combo!

for the price you pay, i give this place two thumbs up. 
i don't expect gourmet food or anything like that when i pay $4.95, but when my food did arrive i was fairly impressed. (it's a bang for your buck)

iorderedthe pesto chicken and shared the perogies with a friend. she had the dime burger with fries. all of our food came out in around 15min. presentation wise, my plate was clean and simple, while my friends was more rustic.

the pesto i had was pretty standard. nothing really out of the ordinary but what makes my review positive are the portions and the chicken. portions were big (you'd think my meal cost $12) and the chicken was well seasoned, moist and came in a good quantity. 
perogies were everything good perogies should be. they were crispy on the outside, the shell wasn't too hard or too soft, the filling was creamy and had a good taste and texture. they were topped with (roasted?) bell peppers, bacon and a side cream cheese. the bacon was extra but i really recommend ordering the perogies with bacon for the extra kick of taste.

cheap prices don't make up for terrible food.orderedthe gnocchi and the prawns. the gnocchi weren't cooked fully and the "white sauce" was extremely sweet...too sweet to eat. the prawns were terribly oily.

save your money and go elsewhere.

i’ve walked by the dime a few times before and it has always intrigued me because of it’s everything for $4.95 menu. i mean who doesn’t like cheap eats? anyway, i ended up finally stumbling into the door of the place for lunch one fine afternoon and had quite the visit. iorderedthe quinoa and green apple salad which had crisp apple, sweet corn, cucumber, toasted almonds, avocado, mint and cilantro.

avoid and beware!. there's a growing number of these $4.95 restaurants likely owned by the same restaurant group. i visited the hastings warehouse and felt it was tolerable for the price but the dime is just simply disgusting.

iordereddime burger and it was the most vile burger i've ever had. the menu says it's beef which i'm very suspect of because it did not taste like normal ground beef. if it was, it is highly processed and likely contained various organ parts from a cow or other animal. after a bite or two, it was impossible to swallow. i still feel sick thinking about it. mcdonalds burgers are far superior to this.

the effort this restaurant took to make the cheapest burger is alarming which makes me think what other shortcuts they take with food and drinks. stay very far away from this place!

bloody awful. went there with a friend, expecting good brews and cheap food. to my dismay, the simple burger and perogies that weorderedtook them over 40 minutes to make. when i asked the server what was going on, he was flat out rude to the point that we both walked out. terrible experience, never again.

dont go for lunch -service is slow iordereda burger and it took them over 35minutes which is just wrong for a place that isnt crowded and specializes in pub fair. the wait staff were not apologetic when they knew good and well that a burger shouldn't take that long. i wouldn't go back for lunch if i had to be anywhere. oh by the way the food was ok. you get what you pay for. and remember the dime is a bar not a restaurant.