Casual fine-dining modern vegetarian restaurant and bar opened in spring 2012. Serves west coast cuisine and uses fresh produce from local urban farms. Menu items are clearly marked. Reported to HappyCow to use only veg rennet or rennet-less cheeses. Brunch every Sat and Sun. Open Mon-Sun 5:30pm-10:00pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am-2:00pm. Bar service until 12am daily.
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3995 Main St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5V 3P3
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Last update on 10 Jun 2024 by sociallyhawkword
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73 Reviews
First Review by kimward8
Tokebi916
Points +113
Interesting approach, enjoyable experience - Edit
We dined a la carte at The Acorn, and the food was very good. We shared one small plate and one large plate, and that was plenty.
Read moreGuest
vegetariangirl
Points +2559
Favourite spot on our visit! - Edit
We ate here twice on our 5 day visit. The meals are very flavourful, high quality and a gourmet experience. Loved the taro chips and cashew cheese. The Harvest special was out of this world! It is a busy place. Tons of vegan options. We can back in 2024 and went 3 times. Loved the chefs choice which gave lots of different dishes. The flavours and textures are unmatched .
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2018-09-08
Guest
Aly&Sean
Points +602
Creative fine dining - Edit
Great spot for a special occasion. It's definitely a pricey small plates type of place but we enjoyed everything and it was worth it for the quality. I appreciate that it's very vegetable-centered, and there were plenty of vegan items or things that could be made vegan. When we asked about how they alter something to make it vegan, we learned they don't replace ingredients with vegan alternatives, they just remove them. Not a big deal, but something to consider when choosing a "plant-based" restaurant.
Read morePros: Creative dishes, Friendly service
Cons: No vegan alternatives for animal products, Pricey
Guest
ABeanz
Points +823
Delightful Fine Dining - Edit
This place is amazing, I am always impressed. Once, I had the set menu with a group of girlfriends, and I will never forget the mushroom mouse served under a smoke filled glass dome. It was a stunning presentation and a simply delicious dish. Another time, I had tempura zucchini blossoms beautifully served on a bed of wilted greens and even more edible flowers.
Read moreThe candlelight ambiance at Acorn is a perfect place for a datenight or a special occasion.
Pros: Rotating seasonal menu, Creative dishes, Intimate dining room
Guest
Ken.thompson
Points +832
Always amazing - Edit
The Acorn is the best vegetarian fine-dining restaurant in the city. It’s a must go if you’re visiting and an often-go if you live here!
Read morePros: Creative, Ever changing, Great atmosphere
Cons: The odd dish is a ‘miss’, but no risk no reward, Expensive so I can only eat there 1-2 times per yr
Guest
Mel_Pen
Points +42
Amazing - Edit
The vegan options are amazing. Probably the best desert I have had as a vegan. I am also gluten free and I could choose from half the menu.
Read moreThe service was also fantastic.
Guest
Veganup
Points +1950
Great food - Edit
We ordered the chefs tasting menu at The Acorn. You need a reservation and we found the website a little confusing since we were well into the process before it finally gave the option to order the meal as vegan. The restaurant itself is small and the tables are close, so with the background noise we didn’t hear a lot of the waitress's descriptions of exactly what we were eating. Although they were a mystery, we had some lovely food.
Read morePros: Good food
Cons: Hard to hear the wait staff due to ambient noise, Difficult website to navigate
Guest
microwavenby
Points +174
Acorn should be vegan - Edit
We ordered the chefs menu at brunch for two, and they sent out the oyster mushrooms, potatoes, chayote salad, radicchio salad, fried oyster mushrooms over a waffle, and a melon sorbet for dessert. The oyster mushrooms come served in ceramic mock oyster shells - but i am not sure who this was for. I think it was a bit of a novelty or a parlor trick more than a source of real joy. The potatoes were delightfully crisp and savory. The radicchio salad was a real miss for us; a bevy of flavors and ingredients that never came together fully. The chayote salad was light and crunchy, a pleasant mix into the meal. The fried mushrooms and savory waffle dish was a complete slam dunk. Complex, umami, spicy, acidic, rich, really a whole panoply of flavors that shows when Acorn succeeds, there can be minds (and taste buds) blown away.
Read moreWe ended with the melon sorbet, and i have to say it is hard to impress me with a sorbet as the end of a fancy multiple course experience. In contrast to the vegetarian option (a juniper cake with beautifully piped whipped cream that we vegans missed out on), it seems more disappointing. Melon, basil, mint and ginger is a clash of flavors as well, and neither of us finished our 1/8 cup scoop.
The space is very loud and live, if you have sensory issues, be aware.
Pros: Fried oyster mushrooms, waffle, Good drip coffee, Potatoes!!
Cons: Noise level, Some dishes really miss, Stiff bench seating
Guest
SeanBerger
Points +1151
A Culinary Adventure of Flavors and Textures - Edit
Read moreAcorn truly exceeded my expectations! 🌟 It was a culinary adventure from start to finish, with nearly every dish hitting the mark. The absolute star of the night was the mushroom course - a true masterpiece. In fact, I could easily have turned it into a full meal and left entirely satisfied. The depth of flavor and the perfect balance in that dish were simply mind-blowing.
A close second was the bread. It might sound simple, but it was pure perfection. Fresh, warm, and incredibly delicious - it set the stage for the entire dining experience.
However, if I had to choose a less favorable dish, it would be the aubergine. It fell a bit short, tasting a bit bland and slightly hard in texture. I couldn't help but think it had the potential to be elevated, to truly melt in your mouth with a burst of flavor.
Having said that, the sheer quality of the dishes presented was undeniably impressive. The effort put into incorporating both visual appeal and the interplay of taste and texture, often including a delightful crunch, was exceptional. Acorn has certainly mastered the art of creating a multisensory dining experience, and I left with a deep appreciation for their culinary expertise.
Pros: Quality of meal, Finesse and attention to detail, Best mushrooms I’ve ever tasted
Cons: The vodka martini needs some work
Guest
SassieKay
Points +46
Delicious Experience! - Edit
We did the 4 course vegan chef’s tasting & it was amazing! Definitely a must for a special event or splurge!
Read moreGuest
DrMichelle20
Points +501
Vegan tasting menu - Edit
My husband and I were really looking forward to this experience and we were not disappointed!! I counted a total of 11 different dishes (over about 2 hours), all incredibly flavorful and creative. I loved that the plants were really the stars of the dishes. We skipped the wine pairing and went with cocktails which were also delightful. We were FULL by the 7th or 8th dish but we made room to clean every plate they brought. This was an evening well spent!
Read moreGuest
sazzyom
Points +140
Amazing meal - Edit
We had 4 amazing dishes and a desert - everything was so was good. Can’t wait to go back
Read moreGuest
Aniseed
Points +4913
Best Spot in Vancouver! - Edit
All dishes were unique and tasted very fresh. The food was absolutely phenomenal. This place has a lovely atmosphere and the service was great. Perfect spot for a date!
Read moreGuest
BunMum
Points +724
Fancy menu, chill vibe - Edit
It’s a pretty small restaurant that didn’t accept reservations when I tried to book for my birthday. When we showed up, the wait time was super long so we crossed the road to Chickpea instead.
Read moreHowever, we finally got a table and had Thanksgiving dinner here. I was expecting something super fancy and perhaps a bit snooty but the staff were chatty, making us feel relaxed and although there wasn’t much space in the restaurant, we did experience that feeling that we were in our own little bubble, which we like!
When the starter came, it was delicious and set the bar high for the rest of the meal. Unfortunately, the starter was the best part of the entire meal. The portion sizes weren’t that big and we did end up grabbing food somewhere else on the way home…which my boyfriend wasn’t happy about after having just paid for an expensive meal 😅
Pros: Great atmosphere , Chatty staff, Delicious starter
Cons: Difficult to get a table, Expensive, Small portion size
Guest
piglet_enthusiast
Points +516
A fancy vegan find! - Edit
Get ready for fancy, beautiful, amazing food! They custom made small dishes to look like oyster shells so that you actually feel like you are having oysters while eating the oyster mushroom appetizer. That's one small example of how creative the menu is and how much attention to detail there is.
Read morePros: Really creative and artful food, The dishware is seriously beautiful , Lovely ambience
Cons: The coffee could be a bit stronger 👀
Guest
Jawshoeuh
Points +46
Birthday Meal - Edit
Wife took me here for my birthday meal. Had the chef's tasting which is easily made all vegan. Each dish was full of flavor and variety. Definitely would come back!
Read morePros: Amazing food
Cons: Expensive
Guest
Sarilein
Points +21394
Overrated and overpriced - Edit
Ich war hier zu meinem Geburtstag, weil ich mir etwas spezielles gönnen wollte. Die Kellner sind sehe aufmerksam und man bekommt Wasser zum Essen dazu. Das Menü ist rein vegetarisch bzw vegan je nachdem und recht teuer - liegt aber auch an der Qualität der Speisen. Vorab wurde falsch kommuniziert, dass man als Geburtstagstagskind ein Dessert bekommt. Das wurde vor Ort dann verneint. Ich hatte nämlich kein 6 gang Menü gebucht. Ok. Trotzdem unangenehm. Die Hauptspeise kam vor der Vorspeise und war lauwarm. Auf Nachfrage wurde nur gesagt - sorry for that. Ja gut, find ich trotzdem nicht gut. Wenn man 16 Euro für 3shiitake Pilze zahlt, dann erhoffe ich mir, dass die auch heiß ankommen. Der spinatsalat - optisch auch sehr schick war leider zu kalt (wie aus dem Kühlschrank) und kam wie gesagt kurz nachdem die lauwarme Hauptspeise gebracht wurde.
Read moreIch hatte mich auf ein schickes dining Ambiente gefreut zu meinem Geburtstag, aber was soll’s.
Pros: Service
Cons: Expensive , Cold food
Guest
BonnieSpringsteen
Points +463
delicious - Edit
we had breakfast here a couple years ago and I still remember this place because everything tasted delicious.
Read moreGuest
briethom
Points +97
Did not disappoint - Edit
Like others have said the menu is confusing, but decided not to bother with it and do the multi-course set vegan menu. Food was delicious and memorable! Love how they focus on one ingredient per dish and really let it shine! Service may have been a bit stiff.
Read moreGuest
experimental_setup
Points +358
Maybe it deserves a 2nd chance - Edit
As specified, it's a rather fancy place, but not over the top. The menu is to a large part unintelligible, so your best bet is instead of trying to read it to simply grab hold of the personnel and let them explain it to you - saves time.
Read moreThe food was a mixed experience. The appetizers we had were good - nice fresh bread with a flavourful butter and some cracker-style item with an interesting topping. The main dishes were underwhelming, especially one dish made of mushrooms that was outright inedible (at least to me), so I was not able to finish it. The ice cream was good ice cream...
All in all I'd rather try the other veg* fine dining options in the area before giving the Acorn a 2nd chance.
Pros: Interesting, creative dishes
Cons: Interesting, creative dishes
Guest
MikeFather
Points +33
good stuff - Edit
been many times, mostly for special occasions.
Read moreusually great, either chef's menu or ordering off the general menu, creative and tasty
Pros: variety and quite tasty, good atmosphere, good service
Cons: pricey
Guest
CeciliaR
Points +30
Delicious food! - Edit
Been here twice for anniversaries, once with a multi-course tasting menu. Only had 2 less-than-perfect dishes in the 10 dishes we’ve had from them! Amazing use of flavours and local food. Definitely recommend a tasting menu and/or to check them out during Dine-Out Vancouver.
Read morePros: Creative flavours , Entirely vegetarian
Cons: Expensive (but worth the price), Small (have to wait or reserve)
Guest
AlecHo
Points +85
Love the vibe and the food - Edit
We had the chef's menu. Every dish was delicious - the brassica, legume, tomato, corn creme brûlée and the day's special - which was like an eggplant tartar with lentil crackers . Each dish was special - a great spot for amazing. Also saw other diners had comfort food - fried oyster mushrooms on waffles - have to try that! LOL.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-10-02
Pros: Amazing menu and execution
Guest
whitneyellen
Points +397
Delicious - Edit
I've gotten into the habit of doing at least one fancy meal when I travel solo, so I booked a chef's tasting reservation for Acorn and y'all it was SO GOOD. My biggest mistake was booking 8pm Pacific dinner when I was awake at 4:30am eastern, so I was close to delirious at dinner and the atmosphere made me want to nap, but the food was so good. The mushroom dishes (particularly the shiitake with xo sauce) were SO GOOD. I loved being pleasantly surprised and trying things I wouldn't make on my own. Elevated cuisine, nice atmosphere, good service, and the drink I had (the Concorde) was delicious.
Read morePros: Treat yourself , Chef's tasting, no decisions
Cons: Pricey
Guest
phashonkat
Points +503
Chef’s Tasting 10/10 - Edit
If you want an incredible voodie dining experience, then reserve yourself a Chef’s Tasting dinner at The Acorn! Every dish was so unique and playful and tasty - you can tell the chef really enjoyed playing with all the seasonal ingredients.
Read moreI love how they list on a sign in front what came from their last forage and trip to the market. Doesn’t get fresher than that!
The ambiance is lovely, upscale yet unassuming, casual yet thought out. I celebrated my birthday here and was NOT disappointed!
Pros: Creative menu, Local and seasonal ingredients, Ambiance
Guest
MarEichler17
Points +289
Excellent Mushrooms! GF Vegan Approved. - Edit
Wonderful dishes and experience. We got the $75 per person chef choice menu and were able to specify both vegan and GF. We received 7 small dishes to share, all of which were so unique and refined.
Read moreAnother great thing is that they try to use all of the plant. For example, we were served 2 dishes at once - one dish had crushed radishes and the second dish had cooked down radish tops. Really wonderful experience and high quality cooking and recipes.
Pros: Completely GF Vegan menu , Unique flavor combinations
Guest
Jeroen040
Points +18
Best of tastes in easy going nice place - Edit
what an experience for my taste buds - and all from plant based sources, local and seasonal. with a great wine-pairing.
Read moreGuest
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