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JJs Restaurant at VCC, Vancouver, BC

JJs Restaurant at VCC

4.7
4.7
241 Reviews
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Canadian
Top Tags:
JJ’s Restaurant is a Vancouver institution. Both the kitchen and front of house are run by students who are in their 2nd level of cook training. Enjoy a three-course a la carte lunch which is reasonably priced and produced with the highest level of passion and care by students with the guidance of their Chef Instructors. If you are interested in a group booking please email culinaryarts@vcc.ca.

Please note that JJ’s and Chef’s Table service may be interrupted by inclement weather, including extreme heat or significant snowfalls. VCC makes this precaution to keep the staff and customers safe. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 2 times today
Experiences are available.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    Canadian, Contemporary French / American, International
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Mon–Thu 11:30 am–12:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 6:30 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (604) 443-8479
  • Website
    http://www.vcc.ca/services/eat-shop--more/jjs-restaurant/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Tobias MacDonald
  • Location
    250 Pender St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1S9
  • Neighborhood
    Chinatown
  • Cross street
    Hamilton
  • Parking details
    street parking also available
  • Public transit
    Stadium/Chinatown Sky Train Station
  • Additional
    Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Chef's Table

    CA$55.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Multiple dates available
    The Chef's Table dinners, are one of Vancouver's best-kept secrets! Enjoy a gourmet five-course meal designed by Chef Hamid Salimian with optional selected wine pairings, served in a unique group setting with only 10 seats available per night. The Chef's Table dinners are run by students, led by award winning instructors in Vancouver Community College's International Culinary Arts Program. Thank you for supporting VCC students-gratuities help the VCC Foundation create awards and bursaries. Dietary restrictions and preferences may be accommodated with at least 24 hrs notice. Please direct requests to culinaryarts@vcc.ca. Please note that Chef’s Table service may be interrupted by extreme heat. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

What 241 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.9Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Vancouver / British Columbia

    Best Value

  • Vancouver / British Columbia

    Canadian

  • Vancouver

    Best Food

  • Vancouver

    Best Value

  • Vancouver

    Canadian

241 Reviews

  1. OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 30, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Well worth it! Excellent experience. Fabulous food and the price is incredibly reasonable for what you get. Large portions, exquisite flavours all round.

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  2. Carol

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 29, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very enjoyable experience, all the staff and servers were very attentive and knowledgeable .Food fantastic, we were looking forward to rack of lamb, soldout alas, but found excellent alternatives for mains. We'll get there earlier next time.

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  3. Kidab

    Seattle

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 29, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I would not have known it was a culinary school had I not been told from the beginning. Service and timing of food served was excellent from the moment we walked in the door to the very end where we probably delayed the students' clean up process by staying too long. Food was tasty as was presentation and doneness of the different meats served. Better than some nice restaurants in town. Was fun to be the only table in the dining room. Decor/lighting/ambience could be improved upon but hey, this is a school so that's ok.

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  4. AndrewW

    Las Vegas

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 21, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I came by myself as I was interested to see how the food would taste like from culinary students and because the value looked great. I was seated at a table for 2. It wasn't until the food was served that the 2nd set of cutlery and dishes were removed. Other than that service was good and attentive. The dishes were plated nicely and were enjoyable for the most part. The braised short rib potato foam sauce could have been less thick. There was a lot of attention to detail to n the lamb dish, especially the vegetables. Overall an interesting experience that I would finally l definitely try again

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  5. YasukoM

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 1, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The service was great and all the plates were very tasty. We enjoyed our lunch very much!

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  6. Svalena

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 1, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent menu, food, drink, service and the organization of this event! Good luck in the future. Always happy to visit you again.

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  7. BethB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 26, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Thank you for the lovely lunch and for accommodating our tight timeline between meetings! Our out of town guests were impressed!

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  8. SKYVR

    Vancouver

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Met some old friends here for lunch and we had the most wonderful meals. Portions were big, food was perfectly cooked and the presentation of each dish was spectacular. Service was very attentive and polite, and it was very good value for the three-course lunch. You also have an option of choosing a la carte (one or two items) if you don't have room for three courses. It was also great to see young chefs in training, getting real life experience in a restaurant setting. We will definitely return.

    1 person found this helpful

  9. Jeff

    Vancouver

    15 reviews

    3.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on October 25, 2023

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The restaurant was 10 minutes late in opening. When we did confirm our reservation, the manager handed the host our menus and then host began walking away with acknowledging that we were to follow them. We were seated at a nice table by the window and our server came by to take our beverage order. My friend ordered the pineapple juice mocktail and I just a Perrier. The server returned to give my friend his mocktail but forgot my Perrier. We then received our artisan bread and butter but the butter was hard. When it was time to order, I asked for the terrine and my friend requested the pork wellington. The server returned to state the terrine was not available so I ordered the pork wellington as well. The server still forgot my Perrier. Our meals came and the wellingtons along with the sides were exquisite, however there wasn't any mushroom duxelle to bind the pork with the wellington so it easily came apart. There was no quality check from our server. She stood on the side talking with her colleagues nearly the whole time. I had to flag her down to request my Perrier and then request the bill three times before we received it. I know this is a training establishment and I will continue to support it but there must some intuition instilled on quality service where anticipation is inherent. In addition, room to make mistakes as most of the staff seemed very timid and almost fragile in their interactions.

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  10. DonC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 19, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It's fun to watch young people working to master a craft, and producing an excellent and very different meal! And the food was excellent! Smiles all around!

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  11. CecileJ

    Vancouver

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on October 18, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The staff was very attentive and food was amazing. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

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  12. Dudley

    Frankfurt

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 12, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    An outstanding food which opened new horizons to us. Superb kitchen, excellent service. We shall return. Heinz

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  13. JonnaG

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 3, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Overall it was a great dining experience. Every bite of the food was exceptional and the students provide exceptional service. I appreciate that the instructor (chef) come to our table and provide details about the food that was serve. We had the 3 course meal lunch. We are looking forward to book for the chef’s tasting dinner menu.

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  14. ResshennaM

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 21, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Staff are awesome, the ambiance. The food are absolutely amazing.

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  15. James

    Vancouver

    50 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    50 reviews

    Dined on September 19, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    After a less-than-ideal chef’s table experience, I decided to return to see what lunch was like here. So glad I did! The food was marvelous, the service careful and attentive, and delivery of courses was well paced (which it had not been for evening chef’s table). Bravo!! A really lovely experience.

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  16. James

    Vancouver

    50 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    50 reviews

    Dined on September 15, 2023

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 1
    Culinary school meals are always a mix of pluses and minuses. The pluses here? The staff here are enthusiastic and the food was very good overall. The minuses? First the room is really quite unappealing. Second the service felt rushed. Third, the elaborate plating process often meant that the food was served more than a bit on the cool side. But still a fun experience.

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  17. PaulaC

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 31, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Quite a nice value for having a nice 3 courses meal.

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  18. EdInTheWestEnd

    Vancouver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on August 30, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It's always a pleasure to visit JJ's. The students are very Earnest and trying their best, but sometimes they are so nervous that they make some little mistakes which are easily and quickly corrected.

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  19. AlexG

    Vancouver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 21, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Easily my favourite restaurant, not just in Vancouver, but in the world! (And I've been to Michelin star restaurants too)

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  20. Traveller47

    Vancouver

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on August 18, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    A lovely experience. The staff were very engaged in their work and the artful presentation of the food.The dishes on which it was served were most interesting. The food was delicious and probably quite impossible for me to reproduce at home. The wine pairings were interesting. There were just 5 couples when we were there.The room is quite large so it was blissfully not noisy and the music was good. We had been wanting to go for some time and we were not disappointed.

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  21. YifatM

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 18, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great fine dining for 2. We had so much fun. A fantastic dinner for a great price.

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  22. EdInTheWestEnd

    Vancouver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on August 16, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely delicious! Be patient as the students are doing their best to make it perfect for you.

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  23. DonnaB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 15, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had an excellent lunch. The food was delicious and the staff amazing!! Everyone was helpful, attentive and friendly. Congratulations to these culinary students! They did a great job!!

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  24. Yuliya

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on August 14, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    I love coming to J.J's Fine Dining - the food is extraordinary and very inexpensive. I enjoy supporting students and help build their confidence as they move through their program. Fine Dining at a decent price, ENJOY!

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  25. AnnieW

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on August 9, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our JJ's 3 course lunch was wonderful. The service was great and the food was delicious. Glad to know they try to source their ingredients locally as much as possible. We will be back!

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  26. Brenda

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 9, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My son and I didn't like the dessert, Chai Ganche.

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  27. Chun

    Vancouver

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on August 3, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We’ve always enjoy going to JJ’s. We can always count on being served good quality food, well prepared and beautifully presented. We are always greeted by polite and friendly servers. Most importantly, we know we are helping the students to gain valuable experience.

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  28. EErwin

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 25, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    This is a hidden gem, and I am so glad we found it! What a fantastic experience! I would recommend this to anyone who wants a fabulous meal and experience at a very reasonable rate! It's an amazing experience for the students as well as the guests!

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  29. CynthiaM

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 24, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A lovely experience from start to finish! Beautiful plating and delicous flavours, all prepared and presented by the very attentive and gracious team at JJ's. I loved the atmosphere of learning and earnest efforts by the culinary arts students, making the meal extra special. What a wonderful dining experience!

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  30. KeikoT

    Vancouver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on July 11, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food, and services, we will be back again。

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  31. GigiD

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 23, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Lovely 5 course meal with wine pairings. The attending students were cute and did their very best to make our meal memorable. The chef who described the courses was very informative, friendly and professional as he guided the students through their training.

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  32. gordmet

    Vancouver

    52 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    52 reviews

    Dined on June 8, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    A hidden restaurant upstairs in Vancouver Community College, JJ's offers an excellent Chef's table dinner for a very reasonable price. The restaurant staffed with students and taught by award winning chef's offers unique dishes with innovative techniques, fresh local ingredients, and excellent flavours and presentation. The chef's table is limited to only ten guests per night to allow students to prepare more complex dishes. Our dinner started with a unique freeze dried foie gras fluff served with a freshly made brioche followed by the highlight of the night a great tasting sous vide steelhead wrapped in a tender scallop mousse served on a sauerkraut dill consomme with asparagus puree, and sauteed root vegetables, followed by a tender venison sirloin with a oxtail tart served with cherries three ways, jus, compote, and a charred cherry skin powder coating on the sirloin. The main course did not disappoint with a sous vide lamb sirloin wrapped in bacon served with a celeriac oyster mushroom layered square, a caramelized onion tart, and a slow cooked lamb neck meat compress, with a balsamic glaze. Dessert followed with an interesting individual tiramisu dome creation dusted in cocoa and accompanied with a rich expresso icecream with chocolate shavings.

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  33. LiamLoxton

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 26, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Such a hidden gem! Definitely a great place to have a food experience.

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  34. QueenieL

    Vancouver

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on May 25, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    All food presentation excellent and , taste very good

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  35. Smallcar

    Exclusive

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 25, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Only very limited seats available as it’s a student run restaurant, have to book in advance

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  36. robertp

    Vancouver

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on May 10, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    A gem of culinary delight & a unique experience of molecular cuisine & extremely great value in this day and age, well worth a visit

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  37. JonathanL

    Vancouver

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on May 4, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    I enjoyed going to JJ restaurant very much so, and they even decorated the writing happy birthday on my dessert plate. Thank you to the entire team, students and instructor/dining room manager included of course!

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  38. Smallcar

    Exclusive

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 2, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Students run restaurant so not expected a professional service provide. The food were pretty good for the value.

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  39. Lily

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 27, 2023

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had lunch here a week ago and the place was full. Despite this, service was impeccable and the food was as great as ever! Every menu item was worth its price. Kudos to Dennis for running a tight ship and the students for a job well done, both in the kitchen and in the dining room. Another pleasant dining experience! :)

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  40. Hossein

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 27, 2023

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The price for the quantity (portion amount) was too expensive. We felt almost hungry when we left !!!!! Not worth it... will not come back again and will not recommend anyone either! It was really a nano/micro eatery.

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily

  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners

FAQs

JJs Restaurant at VCC is rated 4.7 stars by 241 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 2 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for JJs Restaurant at VCC

250 Pender St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1S9

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Hamilton
  • Neighborhood
    Chinatown
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Mon–Thu 11:30 am–12:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 6:30 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    Canadian, Contemporary French / American, International
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    street parking also available
  • Public transit
    Stadium/Chinatown Sky Train Station
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Tobias MacDonald
  • Additional
    Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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