Ovaltine Cafe

Walking into this place is like stepping back in time. I love the cozy booths, each with their own little mirror with beveled edges. Little details like that are impossible to recreate, so you know this place is genuine. Service was great, our waitress was super friendly. My coffee was never empty! Next time I come back, I'm going to try something from the lunch menu. Please don't be deterred by the grit of the surrounding neighborhood. My friend and I had a great breakfast. They celebrated 80 years of being in business three years ago and I truly hope they're here for another 80 years! Since 1942 You won't be disappointed!

Normal food. But the lady at the front desk was super nice and lovely!

It’s a gem of a location for finding some respite from the chaotic life. The waiter was exceptional at her job. She made sure that we got everything that we needed, she actually took care of us. Right before heading out I made a point of mentioning that it was my birthday and that her hospitality was exceptional. She gifted me a Post-card! One of the best experiences ever!

Gorgeous old diner full of original fittings. It's no longer in its prime but it's full of character and clean. The staff is wonderful. The menu is classic diner fare without an overabundance of choices. Food is cheap and delicious. You do need to navigate through homeless people on the street outside but don't let that deter you from visiting this gem. They are just people doing their best to get through their days. No one even asked me for spare change. 12/10 would go back.

Bought a 3-piece fish and chips it comes with tartar sauce, I ordered a second tartar sauce for $2.00 extra. However, when I went back and told the waiters all I got, we put it together. To me this is called stealing, they took my $ 2.00 and didn't get the tartar sauce that came with the meal. I will never go back to Ovaltine Cafe, never.

I loved the place! Is the first time I visited and will not be the unique. Good portions in food, the staff is awesome and they serve your order immediately. The strawberry milkshake is a blast! The place is super iconic and north american classic, the music man! Rush was playing while I arrived . Sadly looks abandoned because is in old Vancouver zone surrounded by homeless people but this not dismiss it value, I would love to see oldie Vancouver and its historical places better worthy

I know this place has been here a long time, but , I did not have a good experience here. My waitress was EXCELLENT, but , the food was terrible. My eggs were way over cooked, the hash browns were dry , old , not good at all. My toast was too terrible to describe, the plate my food was on was dirty, the glass that held my milk was dirty. All in all the food SUCKED!!!!!! MY WAITRESS though was very good and I tipped her for her service. This is not a place I would go to again !!!!!

wonderful experience! This cafe is turely a piece of Vancouver history. You should come over and talk to the owner Grace, you will be surprised by all the stories and nice people around despite it's located at downtown eastside.

I came off the R5 bus today and saw their sandwich board. It had been a few years since I have been here and saw their $10 specials. They have survived the pandemic and a fire so why not I told myself. I came in and sat myself down. I ordered a banana milk shake and a burger. The server said the burger was a to go special but I could have the shake in the restaurant. I stand by all that I wrote about the ambiance in my previous post. This is still the original restaurant and you are sitting where your grandparents and great grandparents would have sat for a meal. It's quite lovely for 80 plus years of use. As for today's meal. The milkshake was wonderful! And for $5 it was quite large and more than worth it. The $5 burger will hit the spot but it is plain so I would ask for some ketchup or mustard before leaving the restaurant. The bun was large and the lettuce and tomato were fresh. But next time I would ask for some ketchup as it is just a plain burger. I would come back for another milkshake. They are amazing here.

Finally got back to the Ovaltine today for lunch. Several tables of guests in around 12:15 enjoying their meals. I slid into a booth and was quickly and efficiently served. Decided to order 2 pieces of cod and freshly made chips ($12). The plate arrived promptly with two golden, crispy pieces of fish hot out of the fryer. It was absolutely delicious! I do love the look and atmosphere of the Ovaltine Cafe! Very old-school diner vibe, which I love. Wooden booths and the counter with the red-topped stools I haven't seen anywhere else in a very long time. Lots of photos deck the walls, stills from TV shows filmed there and autographed pictures of some of the stars. Free wifi available. The prices are incredibly reasonable and anything I've had there has been good. I would definitely go back for that fish. Some people might be put off by the Main and Hastings location. Live a little, people, you can get a tasty plate of freshly made food for an extremely reasonable price at the Ovaltine Cafe. And the folks on the street, they're minding their own business and you can do the same. Get yourself to the Ovaltine and chow down!

The food is excellent, just like home cooked breakfast. My granddaughter loved the pancakes. Very hospitable staff, fast service. My family brought me, they said it's the best in Vancouver. Only drawback was the neighborhood. It's a rough neighborhood.

Five stars for being a safe and friendly place with good food and very good service in a rough area. The fish and chips here are better here than a lot of places that claim to specialize. For one very important thing, they don't use frozen chips. These are real. Great prices, good food, good attitude.

Down to earth greasy spoon with great brunch. Affordable pricing with real quality. The people who run this place was also the same people who was featured on Anthony Bourdain No reservation in Vancouver. They use to run the burger joint in save on meats

Because of the sketchy neighbourhood it's located in, I finally found the courage to go here with a friend (if I was with another friend, we would've walked back out...haha). My friend laughed over my nervousness & squeamishness - hey, who can fault someone over cleanliness & friendliness (that's a lot of ness...haha again). This is definitely a diner joint with 4-seater booths on one side of the restaurant with a divider blocking the view where a long counter is in the middle & counter seating all along the other side. Cheap eats here. Ordered the BBQ burger (lettuce, tomato, cheese, jalapenos & a "haystack" of onions) with a choice of fries, salad or soup but since we didn't ask for soup or salad, it came with fries; & coffee. My friend ordered the same burger & a strawberry milkshake. Service was pretty good, the server checked on us often enough. Burger tasted pretty good & the coffee was ok, but I look at the table for sugar & there's a juice bottle that contained the sugar...yuck. All in all, it was the experience & now I can say I've been here but probably won't return.

It was the morning before Christmas and all was right, as we drove to Hastings near Main the Ovaltine Cafe was soon in sight. The big sign, neon red, beautiful and historic, inviting, "comfort" is what it said. We entered, early it was, before most awake and at the back we found a booth to take. All around is history to be found, the Ovaltine is from the 1940's and the past abounds. Like a time machine. It is awesome. So much time it has seen, like an oak tree four foot around had been. We ordered eggs Benedict and the house breakfast, good, hearty and flavourful. The prices so low as to be in another time. Service with a smile, the atmosphere inviting us to sit for a while. Dave, a patron came over and sat and said hello. Told us his story, full of interesting times. We talked about life in nonsensical rhymes. Nothing is as it seems, that's the lesson to learn. Open till three, so if the chicken we want, lunch it we'll be. And so it is, we will come again for breakfast or lunch, soon, and have the burger, the chicken or the soup, all of which delight. Time stood still for me and a friend in this place, a great morning escape from the human race.

This place is amazing in a few ways. My daughter lives Down there so the Ovaltine Cafe is our go to place so we can visit have a meal together. the food is perfect for a diner and reasonably priced. The pictures on the walls tell stories and brings out your imagination. I feel safe there never had a problem with the people on the street trying to do the best they can. I'm so grateful this place is here!!!

When we arrived, there was a cardboard sign blocking the entrance that said something to the effect of "we're open, please just wait here." So we waited outside for ten minutes and no one ever came to greet us, despite a server being right there talking to the only customer in the place.

Ovaltine Cafe is a solid diner. They have the entire selection of foods you'd expect, the aesthetic you'd expect, plus a very clean establishment and happy staff eager to make your meal enjoyable. I ordered the classic breakfast which did not disappoint. The potatoes were fried expertly, the eggs were a perfect sunny side up, sausages were as greasy as I'd hoped, and toast was buttered. All in great proportions for a filling experience. The only thing that bothered me was the coffee. It was regular coffee, nothing to return for, which they not only charged $2.50 for the small cup (cup, not mug), but they charged an extra $1.00 for refill. I can walk a block away and get a much better bean, more coffee, for less money. As a passionate coffee person, this is big. Also, it's hard to not be a bit bothered by drug-related debris along the sidewalk out front of Ovaltine, but rest assured, it's quiet, clean, and enjoyable inside. Oh! And their music selection couldn't have been better!

Once in awhile I'll come here. Breakfast is cheap and it's an old old institution. You can smell the age and it's a very cool thing. Be warned, this is not a fancy schmancy diner. This is the original thing that will take you back to the 1920's. Or the future if you happened to watch I-Robot. My father first took me here in the 70's and I took my kids here in the 90's. Even if you just come in for a coffee and a pie and experience what it was like back in Chinatown back in the 60's. It's a piece of history.

The food is passable, the service is stiff, the clientele is barely parollable and I've yet to visit the washroom out of sheer terror, but despite all it's flaws I LOVE THE OVALTINE CAFE. I try to get here at least once a year, have a burger and a coffee and reminisce in the history of a time that once was. (I also like to think about the time I got dumped here too.) A huge room with insanely high ceilings, a long low lunch counter and creaky private wood booths that have cracked mirrors in each of them. It's under appreciated by the people that run it, but hey at least it's still here. Long live Ovaltine forever. Someone has to do it. Oh, and on that note. If it was me. I'd decorate it a bit more in period, play some decent music, stay open later than 4pm and offer a late-night menu, serve cocktails and utilize the little candy shop counter area where you pay your bill, like the original design allotted for to sell cool stuff. Done.

A historic gem in Vancouver's DTES. Friendly service, tasty food, reasonable prices, and a huge gust of nostalgia.

If heaven and hell are diners, then the Ovaltine exists in both places. Filled with the hungry, the drug-addled, the hung over, the hipsters yearning to appear real. The food is greasy but honest and cheap. Service is terrible, but when it comes, it comes with the smile of an angel. The ambience is sticky linoleum, bare tables and smudged wall mirrors that give you surreptitious views of women with two-pack-a-day voices swapping tales of loser boyfriends and drunken men moaning in vain for a menu. It's perfect.

I have been coming here since I was a child. Literally nothing has changed, except the food has improved and the staff have changed. Cheap 6.99 breakfast, always consistently great good. They have a decent menu with a bunch of options depending on what you like. They are always very welcoming and polite. It's a very relaxed environment, an old diner style restaurant.

People won't go here because it is in the worst neighbourhood in Vancouver but that doesn't phase me! The people won't bother you if you mind your business. I guess it helps that I have a resting bitch face and a 6'4" boyfrand. Anyways, the food is your typical diner fare, greasy but delicious and what you crave for your hungover, sleepy, half delirious selves. It is cheap, they have amazing coffee which is fresh and an array of items that will satisfy your vegan friend to your carnivore self. This place is my definition of a real, old school diner. *If you're walking from downtown I suggest you walk on E. Pender and take a left onto Main rather than walk along E. Hastings. The neighbourhood friendlies change from drug addled to the cute Chinatown seniors this way.

I'm giving this 5 stars as it is up there in the pantheon of my fave places to eat around the city. I don't give a rat's ass that the servers don't smile at you and the place looks run down. I come here for basic, filling, tasty diner food and i never leave disappointed. I don't need service with a smile, i need service that is fast and doesn't give me food poisoning later. Bingo! Unlike a few other places that have one particular cheap special on their menu, EVERYTHING here is priced well and i always feel like i get great value for my money. The portions aren't disgustingly huge but that doesn't mean they're tiny! I have yet to finish one of their $3.50 breakfasts, although my bf never has trouble polishing his off (then he'll spend the next hour complaining that he ate too much!) I also never find their items lacking in the good stuff: Their grilled cheese never skimps on the fromage, and their bacon is regular bacon, not that creepy paper-thin stuff you find in a lot of diners. You'd think i'd have some interesting stories about the place considering how often i'm here and what the Main and Hastings like but... none! Everyone is always on their best behavior and minds their own business. Screw Denny's with their screaming children and people cranky about their lives, i'm going to Cafe Ovaltine where everyone is dead inside or wants to be left alone! note: The ladies washroom has a sign on the door that says 'out of service until further notice.' The sign has been there since i started going there two years ago. And one more note: When you use the men's washroom, there is no soap. You have to get some from the pump at the station in the middle of the restaurant where the coffee is. Soap is a big responsibility in the DTES so you've gotta play by their rules i guess. Can you tell i'm a bit of a regular?

Finally! Went in the other day, for the first time. It wasn't the last Wednesday of the month, so I went for it.....yes I heeded the warnings. Like walking back in time. Thank God (yes GOD you loser Libertards) the place is still in business. I played it safe, by ordering the grilled cheese and substituting cheddar ..for another dollar. Brought it to around $5.99 I think. Much cheaper than those other joints that go charging $6.00, right? I really hate that desperate 99 cent shite....I should knock off a star just for that alone. Anyways, the prices have no doubt gone up, with the new owners. But still good prices as far as I'd noticed. Just as long as the menu is improved also(?). I asked for gravy with the fries, and was a decent sized ramakin........99 cents. Walked around a bit while waiting for the food. I had a booth, but naturally had to sit down at one of the stools for a bit and take it all in. Cool. Stainless steel everywhere behind the counter. Dark stained wood, coat hooks and grey bevelled glass mirrors everywhere outside the counter. Most with cracks. A red neon-encircled clock on the back wall. This place was very old and even beautiful to look at, however it did seem a bit bare. OK, food came. It was actually good! Enough gravy to dip my sandwich in, too. Or into. Can't decide which. I also had dessert. They only had apple or blueberry pie, WOW ice cream (my lame attempt at an abbreviation for "with or without"). I had the apple......also good. I politely asked that slightly chubby asian waitress (probably the one that gets yelled at a lot) for a glass and spoon. She actually didn't give me a rude-assed stare *GASP!*. And yes, there was enough ice cream, so.....I made a Float out of my can of coke. This all had me somewhat impressed by the way. Then I left. A little too quick, so turned around and went back in for a moment. It was fun zinging a $2 tip 15 feet across the side counter to that lady, and seeing her catch it. Although I can't help but wonder if I actually was hoping for a bit more adventure. I'll be back. On a Wednesday.

The Ovaltine is your run-of-the-mill greasy spoon, if there's such a thing as a run-of the-mill greasy spoon anymore.. Twenty years ago, when this was still a working class neighbourhood and Vancouver was an affordable city there were lots of little greasy spoons like the Ovaltine, Chinese/Canadian fusion joints with cheap prices, standard fare food, all day breakfasts, bottomless cups of coffee and counter service. Since then of course, the working class have been replaced with the unable to work class and the along with the ghettoization and soon gentrification of the Downtown Eastside, most of those places have long since disappeared. But the Ovaltine remains - I'm pretty sure for the most part because with its decor and neon, it's a well used favourite of movie/TV productions looking for a gritty diner - and thank goodness for that. The Ovaltine is not trendy or ironic or kitschy - it's real. It is neither a drug front populated by junkies or a retro-boho milleu of hipsters. It's a cheap greasy spoon frequented by old timers living in SROs, working stiffs, cops and courtworkers. It's the kind of place that will allow a regular with no money to go on credit. It is the kind of place that serves processed grilled cheese sandwiches on white bread with pre-frozen steak fries and has liver and onions on the special - god bless 'em. I'm sure that soon enough the relentless surge of gentrification will see new owners repurpose this tired old diner into some fashionable caricature of itself.. a simulacrum of a greasy spoon for people who don't know any better -- but for now, enjoy the Ovaltine while you can, for what it is...

When I was young, daring, and afraid of the homeless, I explored the downtown eastside with a real hesitation. My first time attracted me to the Ovaltine and it's nostalgic exterior. It was a beacon of hope, a promise of an honest 50s diner instead of a downtown remake. I passed many times, curious but not interested. A fateful afternoon changed it all. A friend moved in to a Chinatown apartment four blocks away. I moved in to the same building a year later. She called me to go exploring our neighborhood and we ended up here. We first noticed flickering fluorescent lights and cracked mirrors. At the booth there was a notice, "minimum $3 purchase to sit in booth, pay at front counter". The glass cases, once holding displays of food, had been filled with various odd knick knacks. Despite high ceilings, and plush, yet tattered, booths, we noted what a neighborhood can do to a "50's diner," sixty years later. Much like the other businesses in Oppenheimer, the Ovaltine was likely once a thriving, popular diner, but through years of neglect, it has fallen to the same dirty barren state as it's neighbors. I have an obsession with cheap breakfast for those days when you've spent too much money at the bar the night before and are way too hungover to cook. The Ovaltine seemed to qualify with a $3.50 breakfast. The Chinese waitress, cook, and cashier took my order with some difficulty, but at least did not degrade my first experience by insisting I pay up front. The meal arrived quickly, thin and tasteless bacon, eggs cold and overcooked, and toast semi-stale. Despite a willingness to eat nearly anything I couldn't finish the meal. In desperation I order the pie and coffee, a favorite dessert that's difficult to screw up. I got lukewarm coffee and frozen pastry. A year later, and some stubbornness with the menu, I would say the Ovaltine has some mediocre dishes and some horrible meals. Regardless of what you order it's generally not worth the visit for any reason except the historical content and depressing interior. You may even end up leaving them a tip because you feel sorry for the place.

Cheap like borscht, as my Ukrainian grandmother used to say, and one of the best values in the city. Basic is the name of the game, and I often order a grilled cheese with a side of hashbrowns - it comes to the astonishing price of 3.50 Sure, Hastings and Main may look unsafe to an out of towner, but it is one of the safest places in the lower mainland due to the rich sense of community in the area and VPD headquarters. I pop by here for lunch when I am in the mood to sit at a retro lunch counter, read the paper and admire the historically important authentic neon sign. Live a little! Get yer greasy eats in a real part of Vancouver's history.

I went to the Ovaltine Cafe for the first time today. The new owners have now been in business for seven months. I'm giving the diner four stars because the quality of the food was surprisingly good for both the price and the location. We had two cheeseburgers, I got fries and my partner got potato salad. The burgers are homemade with lean ground beef, which is more than I can say for a comparatively cheap restaurant in the neighbourhood (to remain unnamed). The fries are handcut in the back and the potato salad was nice and fresh. They even threw the bun on the grill. Yes, the place is plain, quiet and a little run down but I'd rather support the mother-daughter team owning this business than someone trying to build an empire of cheap restaurants filled with annoying college-age drunks. If they can keep the place going, I'm sure they will bring it back to life. Oh, and they are open later now and serve cheap beer, so that's a plus. We'll definitely be back to try their breakfast.

This place actually wasn't nearly as horrifying as you might think. I was early to meet a friend there, so I was just leaning on a wall outside, and there are some downtown east-side places that actually have a pretty steady stream of decent folk going in and out. . . this was not one of them. It was crackhead after crackhead and I started questioning our decision. However, it was basically clean, the service was fast, the food definitely passable and super cheap to boot! Definitely worth checking out if just for the novelty. Some patrons shouted "Thanks for nothing, you fat f***ing cow!" on their way out. It's like dinner and theatre all in one! :-D

Your requisite greasy spoon in the "seedy" part of town. The food is not good at all. It's full of grease. But it is cheap. The only problem is they aren't open late night (when you're most likely to crave grease laden food). For $3.95 you can get two pieces of toast, two eggs, hash browns, and a meat. The decor is kinda cool, and there were some interesting characters dining while I was there. Don't expect too much from this place, but it's worth a visit. The place looks like it could use a good scrub down, but perhaps that would remove some of the charm.

This place still has the same old school diner vibe, but the menu has been updated and they are open later. Great beer on tap! Tasty Burgers!

Good cheap eats exactly what we expected. Came for breakfast with the kids and they loved it. Cool experience.

My friend hadn't been there since maybe 1963. Really! This was my first time. He quite enjoyed himself for his own personal nostalgia. For me, I could see what it was like back in the day. The decor has not changed either. This place is as you'd expect, a greasy diner with history from the 1940's. The menu has a good selection with very reasonable prices. This place serves the people in the neighborhood and workers in the area. It's OK. Check it out!

Very disappointed. The server was stressed she appeared to have about eight tables which is standard for a lunch service. I suspect there were other operational issues at play that were contributing to her stress. She was trying to keep up but she was clearly fed up and had a short fuse. When my food arrived it was cold the server apologised and told me that the cook was overwhelmed (not what you want to hear) She later returned with a hotter plate but I after a few bites I had to stop. The cooking oil for the fries was old making the food inedible. When we were ready to leave we waited for an unusually long time for our bill. Again I could see our server was struggling. The Ovaltine Cafe has some charm but the lack of cleanliness outweighs to charm. While my friend waited for the bill I went to the restroom. The restroom was the dirtiest restaurant restroom I have ever seen in Vancouver definitely a health concern. Just because it is located in a neglected area does not mean diners deserve a lower level of service and a lower level of cleanliness. I do hope they can elevate their food service and cleaniless so all diners can have a some dignity during their restaurant experience. I know it's a challenge to keep the safety and health concerns on east hastings in check when they flow into the restaurant however a basic level of care is possible. Unfortunately The Ovaltine Cafe is missing the mark on multiple levels. I will not return.

hello i have heard alot about the ovaltine my mom worked here long time ago will be stepping in one day but the place dose not look very safe the area it is in.would love to see if my moms picture might be on the wall florence wiser just to go back in time all good things i heard.irene

Sublime 1942 long-running neon-windowed, diner cafe in the heart of the DTES. Reinvigorated recently but not ruined. Mahogany panelled cozy booths, and long, low counter bar. All-day breakfast is $6. Lovely server enthusiastically swapped out the carbs for some avocado. A delightful steal.

I love this place. The food looks like something your mom would make you on a rainy Sunday afternoon if your mom was trailer trash and you were an unplanned pregnancy. The bathrooms are repulsive. The service is mediocre and the waitress always seems surprised (not quite annoyed, but definitely surprised) if you try to get a second (or third, or fourth) cup of coffee out of her. This is a great place to go alone on a rainy day and just feel depressed and romantic as hell.

This is definitely in a seedy part of town. Site of Mulder's pie-eating scene in the X-Files episode 'Jose Chung's From Outer Space'!

T.O. was the man!! Went back two nights in a row to hang with him. We were seeing a show at the Rickshaw across the street and security suggested we try the Ruben there. The guy nailed it. T.O. was our waiter the first night and was really personable and made some great beer pairings for the Ruben. We stayed at the Patricia Hotel while in Vancouver and the Ovaltine is walking distance so it was an easy choice to get dinner there the second night as well. T.O. was working his first night helping in the kitchen and suggested we try the Meat Loaf tonight. That too was freaking delicious. We would have come back the third night but they're closed on Sunday's. Hopefully he'll still be there next time we're in Vancouver!

Walk through the doors and you've arrived circa 1943. Take a look around. Enjoy the retro atmosphere. If you feel like you must experience more be careful what you wish for. Basic choices are best.