Chongqing Bistro - Vancouver

Deep within the 'International Village' complex at 88 West Pender near Chinatown is a jewel - the Chongqing Szechuan Bistro. We had Groupons so we made reservations, but the restaurant was nearly empty. Very interesting decor (a mid-70's discotheque?), very nice and comfortable. And the food - so incredibly delicious, right up there with best.meal.ever :-) Spare no spicy!

We stopped in before a movie at the cinema just upstairs. We were seated promptly in a large dining room with a well-stocked bar. There was an outdoor patio but no one was out there, even though it was a pleasant evening. Not sure why. I noticed a stage so maybe they have music or performances sometimes. Washroom was clean.Ordered three dishes, including a fried rice, ginger beef and kung pao chicken. Having just returned from Szechuan, we didn't find the food spicy at all, but it was tasty and well prepared. Seemed very fresh.Service was very good.We will likely return.

We really enjoyed the chili fish and the green tea cake with strawberries and whip cream but the best dish was the ginger beef. In one word - delicious. Service was attentive. Place was kind of quiet for a Friday night but shouldn't be as it is well worth trying.

We visited on their second day open and came for an early dinner before a show at Rogers Arena one block away. We tried to order wine but although they have a liquor license, they had not yet taken delivery of any wine. I asked if we could bring our own wine in; they agreed, and for a $10 corkage fee I was able to enjoy a chilled bottle from the liquor store just downstairs from the restaurant. Very accommodating.We ordered vegetarian spring rolls for an appetizer. Hot and crispy with a nice mix of veggies inside; sauce was delicious. Good size (4 large) for an appetizer. We had the prawn cashew dish, snow peas and rice shared between 2 people. There was plenty of food and we took home some leftovers. Fresh ingredients, very tasty, not spicy (they have plenty of spicier dishes). Service was excellent. Food arrived promptly, water and wine glasses attentively refilled as needed. Prices were reasonable.The only slight problem was the washroom had not been renovated to the same standard as the dining room.

Came here for lunch with my cousin because there's a groupon online.