Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio

Atmosphere is good but service is slow and not active at all, we had to wait 40 mins for food and had to call the servers twice to refill water. Paella has only two tiny shrimps with cost of $28, extremely not worth it. That is why Sat lunch time with only two tables of guests. Both food and service need to be improved.

It was my best friend's birthday yesterday and we had an exceptional time at Ancora in spite of having a rather late dinner reservation. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the name of the host/server that welcomed us, showed us to our table, and later brought us the bill. But he was definitely a great server - very attentive, accommodating and kind. Everyone else was too. Service overall was outstanding. Then the food was just superb! I had the ceviche as a starter and the tenderloin stir fry as my main course. Both were exquisite. I have vacationed in Peru multiple times and eaten plenty of ceviche made locally. I can confidently say that the ceviche made at Ancora totally lives up to Peruvian ceviche standards. The "leche de tigre" was spot on regarding flavor and seasoning. My tenderloin was mouthwatering and a dish I could easily find in any Peruvian restaurant in South America. To cap it all off, at the end of a lovely evening with my friend after enjoying great food, a birthday cake was brought to our table with a lit candle to wish my friend a happy birthday. Such a kind and thoughtful gesture! There's not one fault I could find with our night at Ancora. All I can say is, I'm looking forward to going back there soon. Thanks to all the staff that made our night and my friend's birthday away from his home and family an unforgettable moment. Keep up the great work!

Ancora is always my favourite restaurant. It is the ultimate place I gather with friends. And Ancora never let me down. I especially love the dine out menus every year. I hope they can keep those dishes throughout the year. I love this year’s pork cheek. OMG can you make it permanently on your menu please? its sooo good! Also the new strawberry dessert, hope to see it in the regular menu! There is less traffic than before, and the heat is not enough. But i am not mad to wear another layer just to enjoy the food!

What an incredible experience! I’m not a huge fan of seafood, but I absolutely LOVED all the dishes that I tried! The interior is ok, but service, staff, food are actually great! Highly recommend the sushi pizza too!

Food was great! The patio is divine in the summer. N.B. The paella stained my teeth black, stay away if your teeth are stain-prone after Invisalign 🥺

We had a pre-holiday group dinner at Ancora and ended up having the top floor dining space which made us feel like we had the restaurant to ourselves. The food was amazing and the service was excellent. Incredibly attentive staff and the timing of the service was perfect. Looking forward to going back!

Good service and atmosphere. Had a cute Ukrainian girl named Diana who provided good conversation. The Lithuanian girl who took over was cute. The guys were great as well with their service. Ended up getting 230$+ of sushi for myself 😂

Ancora has an exquisite place to enjoy with your family, friends or a romantic dinner. The dishes are varied and delicious. The service is very good, especially Antonio who was always attentive to our table providing details of each dish, we followed his recommendations which turned out wonderful.

Generally good food and drinks that is priced for one of the best patios in town. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with Ancora. On the one hand it's got this lovely patio right on the waterfront which is the one of the best places to spend a summer evening. On the other hand you're paying a premium for it. The happy hour might be the best option, as the pricing is more reasonable. Last I went I had the ceviche (very nice) and sushi pizza (pretty meh - I would probably skip it next time). I've also had their spicy tuna roll before (good, typical of what you might expect). My friend had the sablefish which she loved, and the grilled octopus which was nice, although we were surprised it was cold. I've also ordered many other things over the years and things have been generally good but not super memorable. Mains are around the $50 range and appetizers are mostly around $20-30. Drinks are pretty good - the pisco sour is my go to. The ambiance is lovely and makes for a great date night spot. Service is generally pretty good. Overall, the food and drinks are mostly good but you're paying $10+ more per plate for the location versus comparable fare in other places. Will likely be back for happy hour. Or I might find myself there again on a beautiful summer evening in spite of myself.

great service and food with a nice view. they were accommodating with a high chair and friendly. spacious table and great food. definitely pricier than average but beautiful presentation and flavors are on point. would def recommend but wouldn't go again myself unless it's a special occasion

Had a gorgeous meal here on a Wednesday evening. Sat outside on the patio and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. Got the sushi pizza as a starter and it was absolutely delicious! The crunch of the crispy rice with the fresh cuts of salmon and tuna were delicious. The size was also perfect for a starter. For the main, I got the sablefish which was stunning. The portion size was much larger than I was expecting considering food priced at this point tends to be tiny. But this dish was very generous and filled me right up! Gorgeous charred bok choy on the side along with quinoa chicharron. A very fun mix of flavors

Ambiance is alright. It does feel higher end but at the same time, it's location gives off a more grounded vibe. It's fancy on the inside but kind of tucked away by the waterfront. The service was good. We were a large indecisive party and the servers had so much patience. (Thank you!) The food was good but quite expensive for what it is. I'm not entirely convinced by the Asian X Peruvian fusion. The menu offerings felt very polarizing. I'm not sure this is a place I would frequent, especially given the price

This place is one of the best in Vancouver for sure. The sablefish and octopus are amazing. Eric our server went above and beyond, like wayyyy above and beyond he is awesome. He made our night extra extraordinary. Thank you Eric Thank you to the staff. Will be back!!!

Ambiance: BREATHTAKING views with a fresh breeze that' doesn't smell like sea lions or bad air. Calming water flows and sounds restaurant is impeccable inside and out. Top wine area to the bar and outside patio . Bathroom is extremely clean Service was amazing by Maka and the host that greeted at the front stand Parking can be tricky but available since there is construction everywhere Food: WOW .. just WOW!! I had zero complaints . Sushi was extremely fresh and of high grade cuts. Presentation was there . Even the complimentary dessert at the end was soooo special and decadent. I have a photo but I included too much . One was a cookie dough and one was a raspberry tart. Come here fast!

Excellent place for a great meal, the food was fresh, the service was above average and the Ambiance was awesome. A great outdoor Patio with awesome choice of Peruvian selection. A must try. Les and Andrew

We chose to come for dine out. The menu really appealed to us when looking at it from home. We made a reservation a few days prior, and were seated promptly despite arriving 15 minutes early. Our reservation was for 815 pm. So it was a little bit hard to tell how beautiful it was outside because it was already so dark. We were seated upstairs and could watch the bartender working away below us. We started the night off with two cocktails. They were tasty and beautiful. We always like to opt for cocktails because they tend to be really unique to each establishment. They definitely had a wide array of options in regards to cocktails, but of course they had an extensive wine list and a small beer list as well. From our dine out tasting menu, we started with the mushroom soup and the salmon causa. The mushroom soup was absolutely heavenly. I would get this again hands-down. The salmon was light and refreshing. Our main courses were a seafood pasta, which was buttery and full of mussels and shrimps. We had the option to add lingcod, but decided not to. We thought the pasta dish was good. Our other main course was duck breast, and I would definitely order this again. The duck breast was perfectly cooked and we enjoyed everything that came with. We decided we wanted just a little bit more food outside of the dine out menu because we weren't sure if we were quite full yet. We ended up getting five pieces of bluefin tuna, and every bite just melted into our mouth. It was one of the best decisions we made that night. For dessert we had something that felt like a toasted cake. I'm not really a cake person and my husband isn't either, so this was a bit underwhelming. I honestly can't tell you what was in it or what it really tasted like. The other dessert that came were three deep-fried Balls of dough. I guess you could say they were like Tim bits. They came with candied, walnuts, and ice cream and I'm still dreaming about this dessert. Service was attentive, but not overall super engaging. It was a nice quiet dinner.

Great place for patio dinning. I would like to recommend this place to all the seafood lovers. Added bonus is that you get to dine patio on the seawall. I have always wanted to try this place and noticed it everytime I went for a run. My friend recommended that this would be our next happy hour destination. The food was fresh and nice. The server was very friendly and I have to say that the ambience was very nice. They have a decent drinks menu option and there was a good food menu option. If you want to try a great place for seafood and want to dine patio, this is the place to be!

This place is awesome. Waterfront dinning while watching sunset. Ideal location for couples, friends gathering and social gathering. Seating is comfortable and highly relaxing. Food menu is a bite limited to seafood and beef steak, however, the cuisine were done to perfection, particularly the sable fish stick is tender and moist. Waiters and waitresses were friendly, helpful and caring. Very relaxing and enjoyable evening.

This restaurant is amazing. The chef clearly takes pride in the food that is prepared and presented. The restaurant uses high quality ingredients, in my opinion. A hidden gem. The best Peruvian ceviche - authentic and the "tiger's milk" has perfect flavor. Oysters were amazing and so fresh. A touch of the fresh horseradish and the mignonette sauce and squeeze of lemon is great. They are not fruity and slip off the shell nicely. Risotto was delicious. The halibut cheeks and scallops were fantastic. Service was exemplary and the ambiance was upscale but comfortable and with beautiful views of the water.

We did our Valentine's Day dinner here and had a great experience. Staff was very friendly and service was prompt and nicely spaced out. The restaurant is waterfront and I requested a table with a view when I booked but unfortunately we didn't get one. The decor and vibe was nice, not too fancy but definitely not casual, Perfect for a date. To drink, we tried a few cocktails, I had the recommended Peruvian Sour which good, but not really my style, it's made with a brandy instead of whiskey which gave it a unique flavour but I'd prefer whiskey next time. Still good though! To start we had the seafood tower for two which had oysters, mussels, sashimi, tuna tartare and Dungeness crab. It was very good, the sashimi was some of the best quality sashimi I've ever had, the oysters were delicious and the crab dish was very very good. We then had lime scallop shoots which were exact as they sound, scallops on top of half a line that you eat like you're taking a shot and they were amazing! Which I had about 10 more! We also had the sushi pizza, very simple but delicious, crispy rice base with salmon and tuna on top. For mains we had the sablefish which was super buttery and melts in your mouth along with the lobster gnocchi on a bed of curry. The sable fish was very good, but the lobsters gnocchi wasn't a very big portion and was a bit underwhelming. Overall we had a good experience here and would recommend for sure! 8.1/10

Everything... Was... incredible!! The food, service and ambiance. We went on a lovely august evening for my friend's birthday dinner and had an exceptional experience. They even brought us complimentary Prosecco. The seafood was so fresh and melted in your mouth like butter. I go out a lot and this was probably one of my favorite restaurants I've been in all over the world.

Fantastic dinner. The food, drink and service was excellent from start to finish. For food: Scallop and lime shooter - Deliciously fresh raw scallop served on top of a grilled lime. You bite into the lime and knock it back. Fantastic. Lobster and shrimp risotto - Get this. Best risotto I've ever had. Sushi pizza - Trust me, you want this. I would have never ordered this but our server was very enthusiastic about it and we were not disappointed. It's not what you think. It's served on top of this crispy rice cake that is nice and chewy in the middle. Toppings were very fresh. Sablefish - Although not my favorite of the night, it was still a solid dish. Fish was very fresh and was seasoned perfectly. It just wasn't as unique as some of the other dishes. For drink: I cannot emphasize how great the Nikkei Gin and Tonic is. The best G&T I've had in a long time. I ordered a second one after the first because it was so good. Service was very warm and friendly as was typical of all the places we ate at in Vancouver. Highly recommended if you like seafood with a nice view.

Sounded so promising but fell flat on its face (dragging the mood of the evening with it) I booked this place per a friend's recommendation for a milestone bd dinner, and it did start on a high note. The appetizers (vegetarian ceviche for me and a vegetarian causas for my +1) were non-cliche, visually fun, absolutely delicious. However, both main courses (the scallops and the sable fish) missed the mark: the flavors were off balance and more of a disparate array of notes on a plate rather than a harmonious melody. I understand fusion but hey, how about "fusing" a little versus throwing random stuff together in the attempt to be original? Now, the dessert - picarones - is what I was especially looking for, having learned that this is the "real deal" and has to be experienced...More on this later. Couple of things on the vibe itself. I was able to get a table only for a later time in the evening, so our dinner started at 8:30, and the place was far from packed. That said, every next dish took longer to arrive than the previous one. Mind you, we are simply talking appetizers + the main course + a dessert, and not a multi-course extravaganza. So, by the time we were ready for the picarones (9:30 at the latest, and mostly because we had waited so long for the food to arrive), the place was literally empty, AND the staff started cleaning up for the night. If anything, we felt rushed and completely not welcome there. When the waiters are picking up chairs all around you, the only thing you feel is that you've overstayed your welcome and need to get the heck out of there as soon as you can. I almost expected them to start mopping the floors. Anyhow, we got picarones to go (took only 20 minutes or so...) and immensely enjoyed them back at the hotel. But the mood was ruined. I want to note that this was not on our server, Camille - she did her best to smooth the rough edges of this evening. But to me this customer experience was a big "thank you but no thank you". Also, the music choice was very, very questionable for a place that positions itself as $$$$. As much as I appreciate Pop Hits 2022, I don't think this sets the right tone for a restaurant like this. In summary, this showed a lot of promise but to me, this place is not worth the money or the time spent, and definitely not worth a repeat unless they rethink their approach to the experience they want to create for their guests. The flavor combinations could use some finessing too.

A fine dining restaurant with a beautiful view, their food is a mix of Japanese and Peruvian flavours. Staff and servers were all extremely friendly and checked in on us often. We decided to get two cocktails where we're both delicious - The Devils Anchor and the Pisco Sour. For the appy, we decided to get the ceviche mixto and we appreciated the mix of seafood that was available. We thought it was not bad but the Star were definitely the two mains. We decided on the tuna and salmon. The tuna dish just had so many flavours and textures going on in a single bit that I was so thoroughly impressed. The salmon itself was very juicy and matched very well with the ikura as they would softly explode in your mouth with each bite. We ended the night with the picarones (Peruvian doughnuts), and they were the perfect end to a delicious meal. I only wished there were more!

Holy crap!! This place was really something else. We had a couple of great cocktails to start, then got the soft shell crab tacos. They were absolutely phenomenal. Crispy texture from being fried, juicy crab, a pop of moisture from the masago, and a fabulous flavor mix from the sauce, mango chunks, and lightly picked red onion. Next, we got the lobster/crab risotto, a sushi roll with some fried prawn in it (I don't remember the name) and the sablefish. The risotto was delectable. Lots of good chunks of the shellfish, and roasted hazelnuts on top added a delightful depth of flavor. We got the small portion, which I'd recommend because the full plate might be a bit too much as it's very rich. The sushi roll was fantastic, but not the star of the show, I'd stick with their other plates, personally. Which isn't to say that it's not good, it's quite tasty, just that their other dishes were better and more unique (although the little bit of pickled onion on top of each piece was quite delightful). The sablefish had a nice lightly sweet (miso?) glaze, giving it a good crisp edge, but leaving the meat still very juicy. The quinoa was just soaked in the sauce, which I couldn't even begin to describe but it was just so damn good. It came with a puffy rice cracker which looked like just decoration, but tasted phenomenal with some fish and saucy quinoa on top like a dip. There was also some lightly grilled bok choy, which paired excellently with the slightly sweet sauce and fatty fish. An incredible dish, I cleared the whole plate. Lastly, we had the yuzu tart and the... Chocolate thing with banana ice cream. They were, again, fantastic. I'd say the yuzu tart was better, and more unique, but you won't be disappointed with the chocolate + banana ice cream combo either. On top of all of that, we were celebrating our anniversary, so they sent us a nice little mini-dessert plate with some quite tasty candied jelly, fruits and simple sauces. The service was great, just like you'd expect at a place like this. A huge bonus? Our bill came out to ~$200 before tip! For an appetizer, sushi roll, 2 main dishes, 2 cocktails, AND 2 desserts? Of this quality?? If we lived in Vancouver this would be a weekly visit! Phenomenal.

Wonderful restaurant! Delicious food! Great ambiance and exceptional service. Beautiful location as well. Highly recommend this restaurant.

More bougie then Peruvian. I love Nikkei and there just wasn't anything particularly good about it. Tiny ceviche mixto was ok. Rolls were fine. Spicy tuna was too fishy. Beautiful place but kind of a culinary flop. What the hell us Peruvian humus? BS

Had a lovely dinner here with friends and will return. Service was prompt, accurate and friendly, food was well cooked, nicely plated with great presentation. Definitely recommend.

Ancora offers delicious food from the cultures of Peru and Japan. You can taste the quality put forward on each plate from the beginning to the end. Fitting the properties of Pacific North West restaurants, Ancora was spacious and elegant, open kitchen concept and a beautiful bar stocked well. The menu is contemporary cuisine but approachable. For the drinks: Verde (non-alcoholic), $10: Cucumber, thyme, honey and citrus. So refreshing and full of flavours. Daura (Spanish Beer), $8: Now on my list of favourite beers. It's clean, light bodied, sparkling with citrus and malt. It's goes in fresh/cool but finish bitter So good. It's also gluten-free. Today we had the Dine Out lunch for $34: Starter: wild mushroom and cauliflower soup. This soup was amazing. Just perfect and the truffle was not overpowering and the charred Brussels spouts elevated it. I could smell it being served from the next table with plexiglass in between so speaks volumes. Entree: Paella with forbidden rice, edamame, chorizo and sablefish croquette. At the first few bites, I found the rice salty but then realizing paella tend to be on the saltier side. However, once I mixed together the spicy sauce, the dish came together and had a better understanding. In the end I appreciated the dish and glad I didn't judge too early. Dessert: Daily Sorbet: original I selected the yuzu but was informed it was not available so our server offered us a sampler of the three other flavours: passionfruit, masala, and chicha. Simply refreshing especially after the paella and the flavours all popped. Service was also fantastic and really liked the staff taking the time to ask questions and gathering our feedback. Well done! I will be back in the summer to enjoy their big patio and try other dishes. On the menu, I was eyeing the Peruvian Pork Belly Sandwich and the El Callao Tower.

Wonderful! Service and food equally awesome, and what a convenient location in a gorgeous town.

Upon entering, the service and the staff was wonderful! We got introduced to our waiter, Hasan!! He was amazing! He not only accommodated to us but also was very much patient with us!! The food was spectacular!! We got full really quick and the food kept coming! We couldn't have enough of the menu! We kept ordering for more!!! The food was exotic with a blend of Peruvian and Japanese! More than glad to have tried this place! Have been hearing great things about this place, but they lived up to our expectations! It was worth trying!! Thank you so much guys!!! So in love with the ambiance and the food!! Thank you guys sooo much for welcoming us!

4:40PM sunny Vancouver day. Patio weather! Me: "Hi we'd like a table for two on the patio for happy hour" Unhappy Hostess (UH): "Do you have reservations?" Me: "uhm, no..." UH: "We are booked solid, sorry..." Me: (surveying a patio with a handful of people and 80 open seats) "We are not staying for dinner, we only want some bites and drinks, we will be here for 1/2 an hour...45 mins max." UH: (eyeroll) "I'll talk to my manager" off screen: "OK they can come in but it better not be more than 45 minutes" UH returns and unceremoniously escorts us to a table in the sun. We ask for one in the shade. hmph, we are escorted to another one... UH: "Is this one okay?" "Someone will be with you." poof she was gone... 10 minutes pass before someone comes... only five minutes left before happy hour ends... The rest of this review writes itself in coles notes point form.... 1. I wish we were not let in. It was that bad. (really) 2 The seafood glacier was a sad display of half heartedly put together seafood that tasted worse than it looked. (and it looked bad) 3. The saving grace was the dynamite roll. It was the kind you get at an AYCE sushi place, but still, was tasty. 4.While eating our seafood tower on a platter, the people seated next to us complained about being in the sun. The server moves the umbrella so we are 100% in the sun and they are in the shade. The dude at the next table says... "uhm I think you stole their shade..." "Are you okay buddy?" to me... I say "not really"... (uhm okay...) (umbrella is put back into a better position than before.) (bonus!!!) 5.We waited 15 minutes for our check. We were there for an hour and five minutes. I am sure the manager must have been pissed. 6. When we left there were 3 more seatings than when we arrived and about 72 open seats. 7. I really wish they blocked us from coming in. I really wish we went someplace else. Anyplace else. Even someplace with a mediocre patio, but good service and great food. I'm not sure how this place gets the reviews it does. From the so-so service to sub par food... I imagine that a huge patio with a fantastic view like Ancora, makes up for a multitude of sins... There is no salvation for this visit though.

The service was incredible - the best waiter I've had in a very long time. Showed a clear passion for his product and for hospitality. The food was mixed. For top dollar lobster sushi the roll didn't taste much better than a standard issue California roll. We also had the Brussels sprouts which were great. Finally we tried a crab Causa, a Peruvian dish. Something about the cold mashed potatoes bothered me but even still it needed more flavour.

First place we ate in Vancouver and it definitely did not let the city down. Nice location on a dock with good views. Service was great. It's a fancier spot but didnt have any problem showing up for lunch in shorts and a hoodie. We had the ceviche mix mixto for an appetizer and it was great. But the mains stole the show. The shrimp risotto was great and the paella was absolutely fantastic. Loved it.

It wasn't an exceptionally busy weekend lunch destination, but I was interested in checking out the dine out lunch menu. Service was overall above average. Friendly staff however for a fine dining establishment I would expect a more polished service. Service was slow and was acknowledged by the server after I politely said I wanted to move to the dessert course-I had not been given a quality check for my entree or dessert. I was left with a used soup spoon (for my entree) to use for my dessert (as my entree cutlery had not been cleared and properly transitioned on to the dessert course). I had to ask the hostess for a dessert spoon. The view was beautiful and the staff were pleasant but I was disappointed by the just above average service (I had refill my own $9 sparkling bottle of water) and the food. Food was average. Presentation is beautiful but the flavor profile was average to above average. The mushroom soup looked pretty but there was nothing special tasting about it. I think having a small warm piece of bread would have been a nice touch. The non traditional paella with forbidden rice was a bit confusing. I was looking forward to the pannacotta dessert but again it was just ok. I was looking for a smoothe texture and I was getting a lot of graininess and wasn't a huge fan of the flavor profile. Overall an average experience and although it is dine out, I would expect a bit better for me to ever want to come back. I had visited for dinner years ago and I had similar impressions with regards to their food. There are other fine dining restaurants in Vancouver with much better food. I don't picture myself returning.

I picked Ancora for my birthday dinner with my parents back in May because I had heard many good things from other foodies through social media. The interior of the restaurant is as stunning as the view outside. The food also looks stunning...key word: looks. Don't get me wrong, the food tasted good--you can seriously taste how fresh the seafood is here--but after reading so many rave reviews on the Japanese-Peruvian fusion fare, I was expecting to be blown away. Also, compared to other high end restaurants I've been to, the service was simply alright. My parents and I ordered the carne cruda picada, the mixto ceviche, the large shrimp and lobster risotto, and the arroz con pato. We also had the spiced picarones and strawberry "tea" for dessert. The carne cruda picada was a beef tartare served on top of sourdough bread slices. The tartare had a nice mouthfeel and I enjoyed the richness the yolks of the quail eggs provided. The mixto ceviche came with an epic variety of seafood, but unfortunately the addition of corn nuts (cancha) threw me for a loop. Despite ordering the large portion of risotto, the dish was quite small. For $45, I was left disappointed when the plate hit the table. The arroz con pato. Described as a Peruvian classic, this rice and duck dish was the unanimous favourite at the table. The duck was cooked perfectly! Picarones are the Peruvian version of doughnuts, but they're a lot less sweet than their North American counterparts. Perhaps this is why the picarones at Ancora are drizzled with a spiced syrup and served with candied pecans, the latter of which I found to be too sticky and sweet to add a desired texture contrast. I adored the lucuma ice cream though! The strawberry "tea" dessert was cool and refreshing and if I ever end up at Ancora again, I would definitely order this. My favourite part was the irigome hojicha (tea noodles); I found the jelly texture pleasant. My experience at Ancora was a bit like a roller coaster ride - filled with highs and lows. I was happy with the food and the service, but not overjoyed or content in the way I hoped to feel after a birthday meal. Unfortunately, Ancora just missed the mark for me overall.

We had one of the most amazing meals at Ancora! It was out first night vacationing in Vancouver, we could not have asked for a better meal to kick off the vacation. Sit outdoors, the view was gorgeous (especially during golden hour). I had the lobster risotto and my husband had the duck, next level! Our waitresses was also so kind, she took a solid 10 minutes talking with us and jotting down things we could do and see in Vancouver! Such a great experience!

My wife and I had a fantastic dining experience at Ancora. All food was on point. It was explained beautifully by our server Jessica, who was just awesome. We had the Dungeness crab causa and prawn tempura roll for appetizers. My wife had the sable fish and I had the lobster risotto. Everything was delicious. Not a single complaint about any of it. My wife's sable fish was some of the best fish she ever had. Service was as good as the food. We didn't get a chance to eat outdoors which was our plan because the patio is beautiful right on False Creek. But it was too cold and windy. But the dining room was very cozy. All in all a great experience. Highly recommended!

An interesting restaurant serving dishes that is a combination of Japanese and Peruvian culture. I came here for a Dine Out Vancouver and was amazed at the food. The appetizer, Aquadito de Pollo was eye catching and the onsen egg made to perfection. I chose the slow poached lingcod for the main and was not disappointed. I had the Dulce de Genmaicha and I have to say it is one of the best desserts I have ever tasted !!! A dine-out that cost $45.00 was definitely a bargain. Parking is a bit hard to find during peak hours and reservations are recommended. Service is courteous and food is delicious !

Very unusual restaurant for us - very tasty. Peruvian Japanese. Started with delicious pisco sours. Accompanied with soft shelled crab tacos. Just right balance of umami and crunchiness. Had Roy's sushi roll. Yummy. Got the baked cauliflower but added the short ribs to accompany. Worked well together. All with a nice view of the boats in the water next to the restaurant.

I booked a reservation here for a friend's birthday. I called in advance and asked them to add a dessert to my bill. I specified that I'd like "happy birthday" written on the plate for my friend. The male who answered said they were out of melted chocolate but would do something special to make up for it. We arrived on a weekday and it was rather quiet, which was expected. We were greeted and seated quickly. In short, the service from our server was great but the food wasn't anything special. We ordered oysters, hamachi carpaccio, and a the Dungeness crab roll to start. For my entree, I ordered the 6oz tenderloin. The best part of our meal was the dessert. We ordered Peruvian donuts (picarones). Delicious. I'd also like to add that although the restaurant said they'd do something small for my friends birthday, they never did. Very disappointing. The 3 stars are for our friendly, amazing server and the recommend.

Fantastic patio on the Vancouver English Bay sea wall! Amazing atmosphere with a fantastic menu. They have a fantastically stocked wine cellar and the inside and out just screams a fun time. Very friendly staff and the menu is great but priced even better. I highly recommend the seafood pasta, the burger and my all time fav the Peruvian Paella. Their sushi is also fantastic. Will definitely return next time i visit my hometown!

I went for their dineout menu, and everything was delicious. The appetizer; the Tiradito was fresh, reminded me of tataki, while for the Smoke Prawn Causa, the prawns were smoky with good amount of seasoning, whilst the mashed potato and the panca emulsion were creamy. The Pan Seared Lingcod was fresh and melt in your mouth, while the Beef Cheek was tender, and the corn cake was moist and buttery. Both of the desserts were very yummy and pretty.

Ancora is in a great location on the water. The restaurant and the restaurant staff are lovely. The lobster and shrimp risotto was really good but I wasn't a fan of the nuts on it. The pasta was a bit too oily it made for a bit of a strange texture. The ceviche was different than usual ones I've had, it was kind of like a deconstructed one but it was really good! The salmon sashimi was great and the presentation of everything was very well done. Will definitely be back for more sashimi!

Attended here for my wife's surprise private room 40th birthday and first time here. Arranged a month in advance via email and was quick to respond in providing options for this special occasion. Parking is limited in the area and what is available is meter parking. However, there is valet service available which is an o Settled with a private room for a group of 18. Room was perfect and in 2nd floor but no view unfortunately. Several group menus were available for selection. Our waiter Chris was attentive, provided great suggestions to wine and options for appetizer add ons for the group. Great person and appreciate the service he provided to ensure the night went smooth. I added the glacier appetizer for 4...it was fresh and delicious! Everyone that attended enjoyed it. The causa for appetizer as part of the group menu was amazing! My tenderloin was soft and cooked perfectly at medium rare. Dessert was ok for me.

Ancora appears to be geared towards a more tourist crowd and those looking for a marina or water view. We live on English Bay with a view from our flat's windows so we were here for the food. They actually apologized that they didn't have a table closer to the water but we didn't care at all. The food was good but the service was very distracted. I was never sure who was our server and I think that was true for the staff as well. We went to try their seafood tower on our mission to try all of them in Vancouver which was a seafood platter that they called the ancora glacier with freshly shucked oysters, ceviche mixto, poached prawns, selection of sashimi, tuna tartare, dungeness crab causas, mussels a la chalaca ($80 meant to serve 2). The ceviche mixto and the mussel a la chalaca were the highlights. I love Peruvian food especially the dishes that mix Asian and Peruvian elements (pescado A la macho is my favourite and I have not found it in Vancouver yet!). A lot of people seemed to think it was fusion of Japanese and Peruvian but if you go to Peru there are lots of dishes that like that because of the large Japanese population that migrated there before and after the WWII. It was smaller than other seafood towers or platters we've had in Vancouver but there was more skill taken in the presentation and preparation of the dishes so while it may lack in quantity it was very satisfying in quality. We also got the grilled octopus miso-panca, canario bean, baby potato, romesco, crackling which was cooked correctly but was a small portion for the price. Not sure why octopus portions are so small in North American and often cooked poorly. But this was a delicious dish. We also had the lobster and shrimp risotto cauliflower, preserved lemon, hazelnuts, edamame in the smaller portion and it was good too. While the food was good the service was not. When we got there for our reservation our table was not ready, they said they were waiting for a table by the water for us (which we really didn't care about), then they sat us far away from the water...then we waited...and waited before finally just asking a random server if we could order and from the look I could tell they had forgotten about our table or thought we had ordered. The whole meal was a series of getting food but not our drinks, then not getting the right utensils. Not to mention it wasn't that late but they started cleaning and shutting down as we were still eating. While the food was good, the lack of service or any acknowledgment of the failure in service might keep me away.

I love Ancora and just wanted to update and add photos of their Champagne and Caviar special on Wednesday nights. My Husband and I came for an Anniversary and the staff was spectacular as always. We decided to get the Champagne and Caviar special that includes a bottle of Laurent-perrier, a tin of local Northern Divine Caviar and bellinis with toppings. The toppings included shallots, creme fraiche, chives, egg yolks and egg whites. The price is 200 CAD and is a pretty awesome deal considering the bottle of champagne alone goes for 240. We had a really fun experience and had a really nice view of False Creek qnd Granville Island. I would recommend the special to anyone who wants to celebrate, surprise a loved one or treat themselves. Thanks for having is Ancora.

Amazing fresh seafood, not actually sure the cuisine I would imagine Peruvian? Love the tapa sized plates with an amazing selection of wines and cocktails. Super romantic waterfront restaurant, perfect for a girls brunch or date night infront of a beautiful sunset. (Unfortunately mostly took videos but all the dishes are beautiful)

Went to Ancora for the 2nd time, and thought the food and service could have been better. We ordered the Ancora Glacier, grilled octopus, beef tenderloin, and bokchoy. In terms of taste, I thought it was quite mediocre and not worth the high price. For some reason, there was a 1 hr+ wait until the main dish (steak and sides) arrived, which was disappointing in terms of service. However, the restaurant apologized and also gave us complimentary shrimp due to the wait.

I have visited Ancora for twice in recent years. One time in last year and one on last Saturday for dine out. I have to admit that its dine out menu wasn't too much of a wow for me, in contrast, i would say it still had some room to improve before reaching to its full potential. Please allow me the dissect what is in my story. The first time i went to Ancora with a friend without any expectation of how the food would taste like. We picked a sable fish steak as well as some seared scallops. THAT FIRST MEAL WAS AMAZING. If i did not go back to ancora for the second time, this review will certainly be a five-star review, 10 out of 10, no kidding. The sable fish, in specific, was out of this world, that we felt nothing but just the pure freshness came right out of the ocean. The natural sweetness and transparency of the sable fish indicates one thing - the chef really knew how to cook sable fishes. However, it was the second time when everything kind of went downhill. Because of the amazing 5-star experience last year, i was expecting something at least on the same level as last year. Conversely, the result was quite mediocre. The tuna tataki was good, but the sable fish was no where close to what i tried last year. The soy sauce was too thick and has taken away too much of the sable fish's natural sweetness; the fish was still tender but was not melting in my mouth as it was last year. I will skip the dessert chocolate bar since its not worth mentioning. Overall, i will give the first experience a 5-star and the second experience a 3-star. In addition, im not sure if the dine out festival comes as a factor, but if you want some real sable fishes, it is definitely better to order from Ancora's regular menu.

Came here as a FirstTable diner, and due to Covid-19, the restaurant was empty. Attentive, friendly service, we were offered coat check once we stepped inside. Beautiful decor, clean and spacious interior. Only downside was that it was near sunset and the place was very warm. We ordered four items from the menu. Kusshi oysters ($3.50 each) were very fresh, plump, and clean. Next came the big eye tuna ceviche ($18), which looked more like a tataki/carpaccio. Fresh fish and wonderful flavors, but not what I was looking for in a ceviche. Then we had their octopus ($19). This felt like the most overpriced dish, and I understand we're in a high-end seafood restaurant, but $19 for 3 small pieces of octopus. Crazy. The octopus was a little chewy, flavorful, and plated beautifully. Finally, we had the small sea urchin taglierini ($18). The sea urchin on top was very fresh and delicious. The pasta itself had a nice creamy sauce that held well and cooked al dente. However, flavoring was a bit too salty that it was overpowering after two or three bites. Plating showed thought and was aesthetically pleasing. Overall it was a beautiful location with very fresh seafood and wonderful staff. Just expect small portions but gorgeous plating! Stay safe from covid-19 everyone!

On a Sunday night my gf, me and another couple went out for Dine Out 2020 at Ancora Waterfront in Yaletown. It was a drizzly night but we were able to walk to the restaurant in about 20 minutes. It's the first time I've to the restaurant. It's a nice classy restaurant.... white table clothes... We were seated upstairs so I can't say there was much of a view. Also, it was pretty dark out so no discernible view was noted. I wanted to look at their regular menu but I was told by our waiter that they only have their dine out menu during dine out... I ended up ordering the Roast Yam and Coconut Soup (added the crab cake for $12... totally not worth it! The crab cake is only a little bigger than a toonie!)... my entree was the 24hr Braised Beef Short Rib (supplement $6... Why? It's either a dine out item or it's not!) and the Manjari Chocolate Bar (I added the $3 for a cocoa nib gelato... it certainly a nib! I think I've cough up spit balls larger than the "nib" that came with my dessert!) Overall, my meal was pretty good... the add ons were a little small for the price charged but I enjoyed my meal. The crab cake added to the coconut soup. It gave the soup extra flavour and texture. My short rib was tasty... the meat was tender sitting on a light cloud of mashed potatoes. I like my dessert too... it's like a richer version of a KitKat. My g/f was not happy with her meal.... she ordered the Tuna appie, the lingcod, and the matcha tiramisu.... She thought the tuna was average the lingcod was too dry and over cooked. The forbidden rice was too salty and she could not eat it. The Matcha Tiramisu was ok she said. Our waiter was a bit off... there were 4 people in our party and when the waiter came to serve us he didn't note who was getting what. For a white table cloth restaurant that type of action is not very professional. Also, when we were in the process of paying our bill we wanted the manager to split the bill between us and the couple we had dinner with... the guy refused to do it.... he made us work it out ourselves. I still gave Ancora a 4 star rating. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere... the service was a bit off but forgivable.... I'm sure if my gf wrote the review it would have been a 2 star rating

Ancora has been on my list for more than a year. Fiancé and I finally went to the False Creek one and it didn't disappoint at all! It's a really nice seafood restaurant along the water. You can see Granville Island across the water. We were seated at the window and enjoyed the night view. We were given complimentary focaccia bread and butternut bread and Peruvian hummous. It was AMAZING. I'd happily buy a jar and loaves. I ordered a seasonal gin lavender cocktail and my fiancé ordered a Royal Sour. Both were delicious and refreshing. For starters, we had the grilled octopus and the crab caus. I always order octopus when I see it on a menu and it didn't disappoint. It was super tender and the beans and potatoes went well together. The chip was nice too. The crab was so good and aplenty! I love any mashed starch so the mash on the bottom was a win haha. The mango and nori sauce was the perfect acidic accent to the crab. For mains, he had the lobster and prawn risotto which was rich and stuffed with sizeable lobster. Well worth the pricetag. It was a teeny bit salty though. There was edamame in the risotto too. I had the sablefish and it's the best I've had in Vancouver. WOW. It was perfectly prepared and cooked. It was flakey and buttery. It sat on a bed of quinoa and edamame "risotto" and butternut squash puree. The bokchoy was actually tasty and added to the dish. Most western places that attempt bokchoy always undercook or overcook it with no flavour. This one tasted like it was in a wok. Our server Brian was attentive and superb. A great date night spot.

Came here for the dine out on a date night. We came about 15 minutes early to our 8:45 reservation but got seated right away in a spacious, private corner that had enough room to seat probably 5. We made sure to order different things so we could get a good grasp of the dine out menu offered. For starters, we got the 'Roasted Yam and Coconut Soup' and 'Albacore Tuna Ceviche'. They came about 10 minutes after placing our order. The soup was very creamy and cozy. I thought it could've been a bit richer. The crab cake was mediocre at best; it was bland and soggy as it was placed in the middle of the soup. The ceviche was really good. I loved the citrus in the sauce and the tuna was deliciously soft. We got the 'Pan Seared Cod' and the '24Hr Braised Beef Short Rib' for entrées. These came a bit slow, there was quite an interval between our starters and our entrees. I thought the lingcod was a bit on the dry side. Also, I would personally avoid the "forbidden rice" altogether--it's like a smaller, crunchier version of a black bean.. and there was SO much of it . The short rib was so tender and they nailed the pomme purée and the jus. For dessert we got both the 'Matcha Tiramisu' and the 'Manjari Chocolate Bar'. The tiramisu was a home run. It was soft and creamy, and the matcha wasn't too sweet but sweetened enough to get rid of any bitterness. I loved the texture of the tiramisu together with the milk crumble on top. The crumble added a really great crunch. The chocolate bar was also really good. I loved the texture again--the chocolate had a crunchy exterior and a mousse-y interior. I liked the combination of the orange flavours with the rich chocolate. It made the chocolate less overbearing and complimented the chocolate well. I still felt it was a bit too heavy though. Service was friendly, but not too much. The interior was modern and classy. TL;DR: Service: 4/5 Soup: 3.5/5 Tuna: 5/5 Lingcod: 2/5 Short rib: 5/5 Tiramisu:: 5/5 Chocolate: 4/5

Had a delicious meal at Ancora. We were looking to have dinner on the patio but their patio is first come first served and was full around 5pm so we got a table inside, still with nice views of False Creek. The servers were friendly and quick to take our orders although it took awhile for the drinks to come (though the dinner bread came quickly) and one of the water glasses was dirty. We started with a smoked prawn causa, which was really good - it had a tangy sauce with a perfectly cooked prawn and potato. Good combination of flavours. The main entree I ordered was the Sablefish. This came with bok choy and a squash risotto base. The sablefish was delicious, I would definitely order this again. Towards the end of the meal, the servers took awhile to attend to us, but was very nice to give us a drink on the house which was very thoughtful and considerate.

DO NOT GO dined in during happy hour and I informed our server on my sesame allergy (highly allergic) and we ordered the seafood tower, It came out and there was sesame on two of the items,there was no apology, there was nothing taken care of and it was apparent the server didn't even tell the kitchen I had the allergy. If I had eaten it (because it was mixed in the fish and I trusted the server had done her job) I would of needed to go to emergency or to use my epipen. No apologies, nothing was done for our bill and a different server took our food, dropped our food off, billed us and took our payment (I believe we were served by 4 diff people) I have worked in the industry for over 15 years and allergies need to be taken seriously they need to train their staff on this for the future because this could have been a very different situation. For the location and prices and I expected way better service or even a manager to come talk to us. On top of that a wrote in an email to further it to management so they can better train their staff on allergy protocols and I never received a response. DO NOT GO HERE

The location is everything. I love having dinner overlooking False Creek. Ancora is fine dinning without all the stuffiness. It's classy, but not too quiet inside. We had dinner with a few friends and everyone was overall happy with the dishes. Wild Mushroom Bisque - topped with bits of black truffle and creme fraiche. It was a bit too rich / creamy for me, but otherwise still good. Pacific Lingcod - on black rice with chorizo, corn and bell peppers. Light, fresh and not too salty. Beef Tenderloin - perfectly cooked. They probably sous vide the steak and then grilled it. Topped with mushroom puree and vegetables sitting on top of potato pave. Delicious and the best item of the night. (I forgot to take a picture of it.)