Had four meals there, very good food, very good service. All servers were very friendly. All the items we ate were very good.
Had four meals there, very good food, very good service. All servers were very friendly. All the items we ate were very good.
This restaurant has been in existence for over 30 years, first as the Wayfaring Tree Restaurant and then, following a significant renovation in 2009, as Harold’s Kitchen & Bar. How this eatery got its current name is a heartwarming story: In brief, Harold Cross had...patronized this eatery every day for nearly 30 years. In recognition of his patronage, hotel management at the Sheraton decided to rename the establishment after him; thus, “Harold’s Kitchen” was born. Mr. Cross, for whom the restaurant was named after, continued to visit “his” restaurant right up until he passed away in 2020. Indeed, the restaurant’s backstory is touching, but how’s the food? Harold’s Kitchen has been in TripAdvisor’s top 5 restaurants for Richmond for a number of years (it currently sits at #3). It’s also received a glowing word from the Vancouver Sun and was recently ranked at #2 in Noms Magazine’s “Best Breakfast” places in Richmond (2022). Given its accolades over the years, I was always curious to try this place and finally got the opportunity to do so – quite unintentionally – a couple weeks ago. You see, Pacific Coastal had cancelled our flight after 7 hours of delay and put us up for the night in the Sheraton Vancouver Airport. Since I was traveling with my dear grandparents, and they didn’t want to go beyond the hotel, we made our way to Harold’s Kitchen for an evening repast. Curiously, Noms Magazine describes Harold’s Kitchen & Bar as being upscale, suggesting that the trees back by the hotel pool give the restaurant a “tropical feel.” Uh, sure. If this place is tropical then so too is the Dirty Apron at YVR (hey, they’ve got a couple of plants!). I’m more inclined to describe Harold’s Kitchen as nothing more than your typical hotel restaurant; that is to say, the ambiance and character is bland and largely unremarkable. Seriously, the restaurant is in the hotel lobby and is largely an open space with various shades of off-white and grey colouring. It was loud and busy when we attended Harold’s, but that doesn’t make up for the general lack of atmosphere. Despite how busy the restaurant was, we were promptly seated at a comfortable table. Reviewing the menu, I noted that it was fairly compact yet wide-ranging in its cuisine – as I guess it has to be since this is, after all, a hotel restaurant. We ordered the Tempura Beans, Black Cod, Fish & Chips, and Meatloaf. Our food arrived in good time. For me, the Tempura Beans were the clear highlight of our meal. Served with a Japanese soy wasabi dipping sauce, the beans were light and crunchy while the wasabi dip added a nice “kick” to this appetizer. Our mains, while they were certainly generous servings, reminded me, in presentation and taste, of Stages Bistro on West Broadway (another hotel restaurant). My fish & chips were crispy, but were far more batter than fish and my grandfather’s Black Cod, which I took a sample of, was surprisingly devoid of any flavour despite apparently being miso-marinated. My grandmother’s meatloaf was easily the best of our mains: The loaf was tender and flavourful; the crispy onions gave a nice texture contrast, but the potatoes were bland and the veggies rather uninspired. I don’t know – I struggle with this one. Service was really good, but the food merely average. The appetizer was promising, but things promptly went downhill from there. I’m still surprised by the flavourless Black Cod – how is that even possible? The “modern equivalent to fine home dining,” indeed! FOOD: 3/5 SERVICE: 4/5 VALUE: 3/5 RECOMMENDATION: I think Harold’s is another case of popularity (i.e.: number of reviews) pushing it to the top because our food certainly wasn’t noteworthy, less the beans. Thus, I would say if you’re staying at the Sheraton then Harold’s might be a decent option, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way. It’s just standard hotel fare. Mild recommendation. PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the "helpful" button!More
Came here for a dinner with friends. Appetizers were all excellent, and a great Happy Hour deal. Entrees were equally good. Service was fantastic. The only reason I did not give a 5 star rating was lack of " ambiance". It's pretty open to the...hotel lobby. Having said that, the fact that this is a hotel restaurant that is not " branded", and has to offer food all day long and does it so well. is even more in its favour. And the story of Harold is very sweet.More
We were guests at the Sheraton Hotel adjacent to this restaurant. Being Pinnacle Elite Marriott members, we were given complimentary appetizers, drinks, and breakfast the next morning. Our food was good, portions very generous, and service impeccable. We were thrilled and highly recommend.
We stayed at the She raton Vancouver Airport for 7 nights and had breakfast and dinner here every night. The food is good, but what made this such fun was the staff. Management has gone through some difficult times with many new staff, for example...Adam on day 2 of his contract So keen to help and so positive. We would also like to mention Kimberley, Jimmy and Oswaldo - all so helpful and excellent in their work. For us, the star of the show was Sandra. Such energy, and a wicked sense of humour. We really looked forward to our meals and felt valued by the staff. Thank you all so much.More
There was a special section within the restaurant for our tour group of 130 people. Good selection of items. As with many restaurants currently, it was short-handed, but servers did their best to keep buffet filled and beverages filled.
The food is delicious! The bartender (Jo) is outstanding. We stayed here 6 weeks ago and had dinner and drinks at the bar. When we came today he remembered us, our drink order, our food order, where we were from, and even our jobs! Perhaps...we shared too much! 😂 He is by far the most personable bartender we have encountered in a long time. Thanks for the amazing service Jo.More
Harold's Kitchen & Bar is named after a frequent patron, who sadly has recently passed away. However its unique root gives it an unusual flavor. The service was excellent during my two breakfast and my Thanksgiving dinner here. For Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving is in October),...the restaurant offers a unique Thanksgiving dinner and the usual menu is also available. I decided to have the Thanksgiving dinner, since I no longer live in North America, and it's nice to have some turkey dinner, which I miss here in Asia. For starter, I chose the yellow beet with cranberries salad, instead of butternut squash soup. I was not disappointed at this Autumn themed salad, and it was a great start to the dinner. The turkey main course was nice and just hit the spot. The only thing missing is bread, which I hope the restaurant at least offers a paid option. For dessert, I choose the pumpkin cheesecake, which I was not a fan, but then I don't like pumpkin to begin with. For the two breakfasts here, I chose omelet once and the steak and egg once. Both dishes were fine, as good as a hotel breakfast could be. For all three meals I had, the service was nothing but great. The servers can't be any nicer, which is the theme of my visit to Canada this time. If you need to dine here, it is okay.More
This was a busy place but we ended being seated at the bar which was fine with us! The service, food and ambiance was fantastic! We'd definitely return!
We live nearby and have dined here once previously so we already knew the food was good and the air conditioning would be on. We decided to return due to the heat spell since it was too hot to cook at home. Food is very...good, menu has something for everyone and the staff are professional and friendly. Free parking and a quiet atmosphere. Restaurant is very well spaced out following covid protocols. We will return and I have already recommended Harold's to friends and family.More
After a few hours at the Richmond Center mall , my sisters looking for a nice quiet place to take a break ,one of the staff in the mall told us the Sheraton Hotel ,only few mins walk from the mall, it is awhile since...my last visit since their elevate , the restaurant very modern spacious ,happy to say their Covid 19 guidelines perfectly done , we all fell very comfortable and relax , may be little early for dinner ,the whole place is empty , for sure it is nothing compared to the crowds that used to dine here , they have a lovely ALL Day Menu ,dinner from 3 pmto10 pm, I was surprised they also have the Happy hours from 3to 6pm , all the appetizers is $5 off , not very creative menu , very limited ,I was thinking order the Lamb Shank for dinner , but last mins I choose two order Chicken Wings and Calamari , also the Chicken Shanghai Noodles , to share with my sisters , I am so picky with my chicken wings ,but no complain at all ,good size not like pigeon wing ,,very crispy the Calamari is not greasy also good portion ,the Noodles got room to improv , ,little blend , and little oily ,but over all ,delicious food ,quality is excellent , , price very reasonable , service oriented , exceeded my expectations ,,extremely comfortable dinning experience ,so if you in the area ,drop in try their Happy Hours !it is one of the best I seen .More
We unexpectedly got put up in the Hilton after a flight delay and decided to eat here for supper. We were completely blown away with the service of this restaurant. All staff worked hard to deliver excellent timely service. We had drinks and appetizers along...with main meals and everything was delicious and delivered extremely fast. Our waitress went above and beyond to serve us and was absolutely amazing. We had the ribs and prawn Alfredo which were delicious! It was also nice that the restaurant offered guests an optional mask if anyone didn’t have one and wanted to wear one. All covid protocol was followed impeccably. Overall we are extremely satisfied with our experience and definitely want to return on purpose next time haha Also we were able to have custom drinks done up to take to our rooms which was great since we could not make it to the liquor store.More
We had the pleasure of meeting jimmy the first night we stayed at the Sheraton. We arrived late for dinner on Friday and he was our server. Very friendly and absolutely made our night. Imagine how lucky we felt when we arrived to dinner the...following night and we had our favourite guy again! What impressed us is he literally remembered what each of us had drank and eaten the night before after only serving us just one time! We’re already planning our next trip back just to see him! 😁 KEEP HIM FOREVER. PLEASE. (We love you jimmy....)More
I always look forward to at least one visit to this great restaurant in the Sheraton Hotel in Westminster Hwy. in Richmond. I am always greeted with a smile and by my first name when I arrive by the fabulous servers. I have tried many...of the items on the menu but now always go for the Fraser Chicken, my favourite item on the menu. Yvonne, Pricilla, Ani and Brittany know just how I like it (extra crispy chicken skin) and I am always satisfied with the portion. This is a very comfortable restaurant and lounge and I look forward to returning... back this coming week. Thank you so much to the above noted ladies for never failing to impress me with their awesome service. See you again soon. Sincerely; extremely satisfied customer!!!More
It was really nice to see how professional our severs were at the restaurant. We had a group of 25. Everyone's dish looked very good. Serving sizes were very adequate. Drinks took a bit of time arrive. Someone had a Caesar that looked fantastic. The...bill was very well organized when the time came. The breakfast crew was also very service oriented and friendly.More