I recently visited Sandbar Seafood Restaurant for my birthday, and it was a truly lovely experience. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the evening had a nice, intimate feel—especially dining by candlelight.
I started with oysters, followed by lobster and their seafood pasta—everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful. It was truly seafood fine dining at its finest.
While the service was a bit slow at the beginning, it definitely improved as the night went on, and the staff made a real effort to ensure everything was enjoyable. A thoughtful highlight was when they brought out a candle with my meal to celebrate my birthday.
I had a wonderful time and would absolutely recommend Sandbar to anyone looking for quality seafood, a relaxed atmosphere, and a memorable dining experience.
Kylin Gao (Key)
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October 22, 2025
TLDR: Worst of the Sequoia resturants, will not be returning (updated).
Visited around 4pm on Sept 22, 2025.
The good: The sashimi was great, signature wok squid was good, I thought the crab and artichoke dip was okay but friends thought otherwise. I forgot what the dessert was but it's a coconut caramel seasonal cake of sorts, really enjoyed that. General food presentation is okay too. The interior looks nice and the outdoor seating seabreeze is pretty good although the chairs weren't the most comfortable.
The bad: Sesame Crusted Albacore Tuna was dry and flavourless, as was the roasted mushrooms. Oysters are not cleaned properly (though I'm not sure if they normally are supposed to be, sand aside it tastes okay, I'm no connoisseur). On the theme of sand, our clam chowder also had sand in it (had 3 sips, got sand twice), the server said they'd strike it from our bill. We weren't given a chance to order a replacement or anything else before they took it and left. The server was friendly and conversational but we'd prefer a good food focused dining experience above all else.
The ugly: We had another event to run to after so we didn't check the bill at the end, but upon later review, it turns out we were charged for the clam chowder anyway.
Update: The manager reached out and refunded the clam chowder. More refunds were offered for some other dishes but were not taken since they were finished.
Marija Salamun
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December 16, 2025
I was helping out with a photo booth for a Christmas party at Sandbar and was very impressed with the overall experience! The food was incredible, the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming, and the staff were so friendly and polite! Huge shoutout to Captain Tommy and his team for the outstanding customer service! I will definitely be returning!
Leah
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December 21, 2025
Had oysters here for lunch and it was a great experience overall. We tried a mix of West Coast and East Coast oysters, and the quality was very consistent.
The West Coast oysters were especially impressive — plump, clean, slightly sweet, and nicely briny without any off flavors. The East Coast oysters had a more pronounced mineral profile, which made the contrast really enjoyable.
Everything tasted very fresh, and the differences between the oysters were clear and well-presented. We also ordered fish, which was well prepared and complemented the meal nicely.
Service was smooth and professional. Overall, a solid spot for oysters with great quality and balance.
H Y
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January 27, 2026
Sushi tower comes with really rusty metal frame. Red rust was rubbing off everywhere and it just didn't feel too healthy to have that around food.
Otherwise the food was great. Oysters were really fresh and the pumpkin sticky toffee pudding was The Best!!!
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1535 Johnston Street, Creekhouse #102, 1535 Johnston St #35, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S6, Canada
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I recently visited Sandbar Seafood Restaurant for my birthday, and it was a truly lovely experience. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the evening had a nice, intimate feel—especially dining by candlelight. I started with oysters, followed by lobster and their seafood pasta—everything was incredibly fresh and flavorful. It was truly seafood fine dining at its finest. While the service was a bit slow at the beginning, it definitely improved as the night went on, and the staff made a real effort to ensure everything was enjoyable. A thoughtful highlight was when they brought out a candle with my meal to celebrate my birthday. I had a wonderful time and would absolutely recommend Sandbar to anyone looking for quality seafood, a relaxed atmosphere, and a memorable dining experience.
TLDR: Worst of the Sequoia resturants, will not be returning (updated). Visited around 4pm on Sept 22, 2025. The good: The sashimi was great, signature wok squid was good, I thought the crab and artichoke dip was okay but friends thought otherwise. I forgot what the dessert was but it's a coconut caramel seasonal cake of sorts, really enjoyed that. General food presentation is okay too. The interior looks nice and the outdoor seating seabreeze is pretty good although the chairs weren't the most comfortable. The bad: Sesame Crusted Albacore Tuna was dry and flavourless, as was the roasted mushrooms. Oysters are not cleaned properly (though I'm not sure if they normally are supposed to be, sand aside it tastes okay, I'm no connoisseur). On the theme of sand, our clam chowder also had sand in it (had 3 sips, got sand twice), the server said they'd strike it from our bill. We weren't given a chance to order a replacement or anything else before they took it and left. The server was friendly and conversational but we'd prefer a good food focused dining experience above all else. The ugly: We had another event to run to after so we didn't check the bill at the end, but upon later review, it turns out we were charged for the clam chowder anyway. Update: The manager reached out and refunded the clam chowder. More refunds were offered for some other dishes but were not taken since they were finished.
I was helping out with a photo booth for a Christmas party at Sandbar and was very impressed with the overall experience! The food was incredible, the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming, and the staff were so friendly and polite! Huge shoutout to Captain Tommy and his team for the outstanding customer service! I will definitely be returning!
Had oysters here for lunch and it was a great experience overall. We tried a mix of West Coast and East Coast oysters, and the quality was very consistent. The West Coast oysters were especially impressive — plump, clean, slightly sweet, and nicely briny without any off flavors. The East Coast oysters had a more pronounced mineral profile, which made the contrast really enjoyable. Everything tasted very fresh, and the differences between the oysters were clear and well-presented. We also ordered fish, which was well prepared and complemented the meal nicely. Service was smooth and professional. Overall, a solid spot for oysters with great quality and balance.
Sushi tower comes with really rusty metal frame. Red rust was rubbing off everywhere and it just didn't feel too healthy to have that around food. Otherwise the food was great. Oysters were really fresh and the pumpkin sticky toffee pudding was The Best!!!