Pidgin Restaurant

A Vancouver Date Idea

What We Loved

Tasting Menu, Flights of Sake and Excellent Service

Insider Tip

The place gets pretty busy, even during the week, so make sure to get a reservation. The restaurant has a cool bar so if you feel like making it less formal request a bar seating. Lastly - partake in the fun and order a flight of sake!

Our Date Experience

For both of us, it was our first time at Pidgin so we weren’t sure what to expect. I read some good reviews online so I was pretty excited.

We started the date with a little walk on the Seawall (from Yaletown to the Science World) and ended up heading towards the Chinatown. Since we were early and impatient to start celebrating, whatever that was we were celebrating that day 🙂 we decided to make a stop at another hidden gem of Chinatown – The Keefer Bar. P went there several times, I assume on dates with other dudes, haha, so I was determined to create our own experience.

It was Thursday afternoon so we got seated at the bar right away and seemed that P knew most cocktails on the menu. That made me wonder even more lol. Anyhow, we ordered her favorite cocktail on the menu and I went for the usual.

Two cocktails later we headed towards Pidgin through the not so pleasant streets of Vancouver East Side, but I got to hold her hand ready to save her anytime. Once we finally made it, we scored a nice booth at the front and went straight for the sake and tasting menu.

The Drinks

Pidgin’s drink menu offers a long list of sake and an opportunity to try several types without getting absolutely hammered. Neither of us knows much about sake but the waiter was very helpful and made great suggestions. We haven’t really explored the wine menu, but according to P, the wine list was pretty good so I’ll just trust her on that.

The Food

Pidgin is an Asian / French fusion restaurant, which kinda makes you wonder how the heck these could go together?! But trust me, they do! We were recommended to try the tasting menu, which I am usually not a huge fan of, but in this case that was the right decision. The tasting menu walks you through 5-7 of their best dishes, we swapped one of our courses for sablefish (P loves it), and skipped dessert. Honestly, all of the food was fantastic!

I actually had no idea where we're going. Walking to the restart through East Hastings and Pidgeon Park made me a little nervous about this whole thing. I was wondering if he is taking me to some crack house nearby. At the end of the day, it was our 15th or 16th date… You never know, right?! 🙂 So imagine my surprise when we walked into a hip, modern space with simple, yet cool decor and an exciting Asian/French fusion menu. For the 'hangry’ ladies out there, the tasting menu is the best and a flight of sake definitely helps to forget the dreadful walk though Vancouver East Side 😉 All in all, the food and service were exceptionally good and Pidgin got a well-deserved spot on my restaurant favorites list.

Hands down Pidgin is one of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver so far. I am a fan of low key restaurants and strong booze so Pidgin nailed a lot of the essentials. P and I are still fairly new at dating so I'm still a little nervous every time I choose a restaurant as a date night. Pidgin thankfully delivered with a great atmosphere leaving lots of room for her to talk and me to listen (relationship advice 101 right there for you guys).

If you're using this as a first date - the flights of sake will definitely help calm your nerves. If you've been together for a while the tasting menu will give you a ton to tell your friends about later.

@vancitydateideas