Chambar

ChambarChambar
ChambarChambar
Bar, Eatery

562 Beatty St
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 2L3
Canada

(604) 879-7119 | map
chambar.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.43
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
22
pDev:
7.67%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Rutager:
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Rated by Rutager from Canada (BC)

3.5/5  rDev -21%

May 25, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.8 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

May 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.54 by Jeremy7 from Canada (BC)

Aug 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Jul 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Beervana from Canada (BC)

Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Jack_Frost49 from Canada (BC)

Feb 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.26 by italianstallion from Wisconsin

Dec 23, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by cbnz from Canada (BC)

Sep 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by aoampm from Hawaii

Sep 04, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by AdamNowek from Netherlands

Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by HoppySeb from Washington

Jun 11, 2014
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

4.4/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.75
Chambar had been on my radar for a while, so I made the point of ensuring a table for dinner on a recent visit to Vancouver.

Not so much a beer bar, but a really wonderful restaurant with a beer list. Poutine (chambar style) was fantastic, foie gras was decadent, two sets of mussels from the mussels menu both demolished. Could have used some spongy bread to soak up that wonderful broth, but hard to desire more food.

The beer list was nice - settled on a reasonably priced Carolous Triple which lends itself well to most cuisine.

Service was also good. Really solid meal with Belgian ale. Great spot.
Jul 09, 2013
Photo of spoony
Reviewed by spoony from Colorado

4.4/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Atmosphere--This is a reasonably high-end restaurant with a small beer bar, not the other way around, and the atmosphere matches that idea. Decor is exposed brick and wood...nicely done here, if a bit over-done everywhere. It was a crowded when we arrived, but we got a table (after making a reservation) right away and I never felt rushed or annoyed by the action after we sat down.

Quality--The beer list is mostly Belgian and mostly bottles of medium to higher-end stuff. If you were looking for a Falling Rock-like selection of American crafts...look elsewhere, but the beer is not bad here by any stretch of the imagination.

Service--Our waiter was attentive (water glass never went empty for long), honest (told us his honest opinions about the food and beer), prompt (food and beer arrived when it was supposed to), and knowledgable about the entire menu (knew what food went with what beer, etc.). We showed up about 15 minutes early and the hostess managed to seat us without any production or attempt to sell us a drink in the waiting area...nice.

Selection--See above re: Quality...if you like Belgians, you're good here, and there are a few of each style to choose from. That being said, if you want craft beers by the dozens, head to the Alibi Room.

Food--Amazing mussels. My wife and I tried two different varieties and the quality of the mussels, as well as the preparation were out of sight. Seriously, I dig high-end food (maybe even more than I dig high-end beer), and these were great mussels. The fries were middle of the road, but they're fries, so, whatever. The starter course and desert were solid and intriguing, too.

Value--It is not cheap. However, as I said above, this is not a beer bar, but a real restaurant with real food, and when that is taken into account, the prices are quite reasonable.

If you're looking for a beer joint that non-beer people can get behind, Chambar is a good pick.
Sep 05, 2012
Photo of morebeergood
Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
My wife and I ate here on our first night in Vancouver. It's a bit of a distance from downtown proper, so be prepared for a walk or a short taxi ride. We arrived and were told that there was a wait for a table, but that we could have a nice two-person seat in the window at the front of the bar looking out onto the street. That was a nice choice, as it was not too noisy or crowded, but we still had a waiter. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly, and made us feel like real diners even though were were cornered in the bar area. There is a nice looking bar here if you are just looking to enjoy a beer. Atmosphere at Chambar is definitely upscale, almost club lounge like, but still comfortable enough to stick your hands into a big pot of mussels. Speaking of, if you eat here, you have to order mussels. We each ordered different preparations, and both were literally finger licking good. As for beers, it's heavy on the Belgian side. I went with the Petrus Dubbel and my wife had the Affligem Blonde, the only inexpensive choices on the tap list at $6, and served in branded glassware. We split a bottle of Cookie Beer from Brasserie D'Ecaussinnes for $10. We surely spent a few dollars here, but it really did remind us of our trip years ago to Brussels. If you are looking for the Belgian experience in Vancouver, then look no further than Chambar.
Jul 07, 2010
Photo of atigerlife
Reviewed by atigerlife from Hawaii

4.88/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
I was in Vancouver for 5 days and went here four times! Amazing place. About my only "issue" is that it can get quite noisy due to the beautiful brick walls. Really, that is nothing to worry about, but I figured I had to find something that was not perfect about this place.

Place is wood and brick. Very classic. It is narrow but opens up a little in the back. Not a very large place. There is a good sized private room in the back which I used one night with about 20 people.

Food, well, amazing!! Cheese plate is great. Mushroom appetizer is great. Mussels congolaise is so good it is impossible to describe...just get a lot of bread and dip to your hearts desire...nirvana!

Beer list has about 40 beers, with each style in a different section. Not a huge list, but quality stuff. I had Troublette witbier, St. Martin Blonde, Augustijn Grand Cru, Gulden Carolus Classic, La Moneuse, 3 Monts...and some others I don't recall. The Augustijn was from a 3 litre bottle!! You don't get that in every restaurant!!

As a side note, that also have some very tasty rums. I would highly recommend the Pyrat XO. Yummy.

Anyway, this place is truly incredible. I miss it already!
Mar 27, 2010
Photo of jp11801
Reviewed by jp11801 from Florida

4.33/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Chambar was my last beer bar that I made it to while on vacation in Vancouver. The place is well appointed and is an upscale restaurant we sat at the bar for a lite dinner and drinks.
I stated with the house IPA brewed locally by Storm, it was really nice and I would give both Storm and Chambar high marks for this house beer. I then moved on to the strong beer section and had a Satan Ale that was great and finished with a St Martin blonde. All were served in appropriate glassware, although my last beer was served in a broken glass but when discovered the server recovered well with a replacement beer.

Food was hit and miss, I have the Mussels and they were outstanding but my guest had the Halibut and said that it was just so so. About 50% of the people dining were having the mussels, there are three preparations to choose from so I would strongly recommend them.

The service was top rate and they were excellent at offering beer pairings for your food as well as recommendations for your next beer.

The food is on the pricey side but well worth it, if you are in town this should be on your short list of places to visit.
Apr 21, 2009
Photo of Graham5161986
Reviewed by Graham5161986 from Canada (BC)

4.63/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I love Chambar! To have such a great Belgian restaurant right in the centre of Vancouver is really cool. The only problem is, it is also the #1 most reserved restaurant in the city. So, if you want to eat there, make sure you make your reservation early.

The atmosphere is great. Nice artwork, funky layout, beautiful people, and mood lighting.

The quality of this restaurant is top class - well run and very classy without being too pretentious.

The service I received was friendly and prompt - nothing really to complain about.

The food was exceptionally good. I, of course, had the mussels (most recently) and they were delicious. I paired it with a Bornem Tripel and had myself a very satisfying meal.

Chambar is not cheap. However, you get what you pay for. The food is top quality and they have one of the better (but not the best) Belgian beer menus in the city. What hurt the most was paying $10 for my tripel. However, I think the whole experience makes up for the somewhat expensive drinks. Plus, its BC...possibly the most expensive place for alcohol in the Western world...

I look forward to the next time I dine there. If you are a BA visiting Vancouver and don't mind paying a little extra for a great experience, I highly recommend Chambar to you!
Oct 15, 2008
Photo of TurdFurgison
Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Stopped here for dinner while in Vancouver on business. Vancouver is an outstanding city for food it seems, and this place fit the city nicely. The atmosphere was nice, at least in the front where I sat. There was a European-feeling to the lounge area, with beautiful polished wood tables and comfortable leather-trimmed benches and seats. Very nice.

There were about 20 beers offered. Five were on tap, and were fairly standard choices (Chambar cream ale, Hoegaarden, Leffe Blonde, Stella Artois, Bellevue Kriek). But the bottle menu included some Trappists (Orval, Chimay Red, Chimay Blue), and some other nice Belgian beers (Tripel Karmeliet, Palm, Petrus Blond, Petrus Oud Bruin, etc).

The waiter was very helpful once I asked about the beer selection, and brought out several other beers not on the menu (mostly other Petrus ales).

The food was outstanding, I had braised lamb and couscous, everything was delicious. Price is OK, the tap beers ar $6 each and the bottles are around $10 (that's CAD).
Apr 30, 2007
Photo of doubleipa
Reviewed by doubleipa from Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Nice to find a place in Vancouver that something decent to drink! I had read great reviews of this place and the concierge at the Fairmont highly recommended, as well. We were not dissapointed. The food was probably one of the top two meals we had during our four day visit to Vancouver. The only downside was the very loud room acoustics. We were initially sitted in the back room. Ther was a groupd of 8 that were talking very loud, which made it almost impossible to talk to my wife. We moved to the front and sat by the front window - much better. While there was only 5 Belgians on tap, I was able to enjoy a Rochefort and a Chimay Bleu in the bottle and another sour ale on tap (haven't found my tasting notes on that one yet). The food was really outstanding, as was the service. Very pleasant staff.
Oct 16, 2006
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Great place right near the Chinatown sky train stop. This place is more a restaurant than a beer joint, but it does have a small well chosen belgian beer list. There are a few taps, but most hold little interest. The bottled selction is a little better, with Karmeliet triple, Westmalle, Duvel, Gouden Carolus and the like. All in all only about 10 different bottles are available, but for Vancouver its a great selection. The beers are all fresh, the bartenders and wait staff are very knowledgeable, and the place is hip and has pleasant decor. The real reason to come here, though is for the food- everything we had was really fantastic and creative. This is one of the better restaurants in Vancouver, and the fact that you can have a great Belgian beerwith fine food is a definite plus. Also, if you liked mixed drinks (or are dining out with someone who prefers them), this place is out of this world. They'll ake you all the standards or hip new drinks, and make them very well. What you really want, however, are their signature drinks. Really amazing house infused liquors, fantastic and creative combinations of ingredients, and beyond the norm garnishes makes this place really standout. The whole experience is highly recommended.
Sep 07, 2006
Photo of Herrless
Reviewed by Herrless from Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
My wife and I went to the Chambar for desert and a couple of drinks while we were vacationing in VanCouver.

They had a nice selection of Belgian Ales in bottles, none on tap. Service was great, and the atmosphere was trendy and very cool but not stuffy at all. Everyone was very friendly (seemed to the rule rather than the exception in Canada). I wish I had had more time to go back for dinner because the desert was great. Fun place to people watch as well.

On my short trip to VanCouver this was the best bar that we went to. Best beer, best service and best atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Jul 29, 2006
Photo of dhenriqu
Reviewed by dhenriqu from California

4.72/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Wow. This place, in a lot of ways, was the best dining/drinking experience I've ever had.

The city of Vancouver offers up a lot of places to eat and drink, but I felt like this place was one step above most. There was a very nice selection of Belgian Beers (pricey, but to be expected) and they had the appropriate glass for each drink. So naturally, I had to experience my very first Kwak.

The bartender was fairly knowledgeable, and made the bar a comfortable stay. My food, I must say, matched the quality of the beers I was drinking.

I really have no complaints about this place. It is a more up scale place, so dress nicer than your regular bar apparel. If you are looking for gourmet food, Belgian beer, a nice atmosphere and don't mind paying for it, then definintely check this place out.
Aug 27, 2005
Chambar in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Place rating: 4.43 out of 5 with 22 ratings