Restaurant review - Cafe Barney (South Granville)

Cafe Barney is the epitome of reliability. D, I, A, H and I went for burgers and fries recently since we do know that we can find excellent fries and burgers at this place. Cafe Barney always deliver. I happen to know one of the staff members since a few years ago because I used to live in the neighborhood (now known as South Granville, though I think the technical term would be Fairview Slopes).

The strip between Broadway and 16th Avenue on Granville has usually been touted as one of the nicest shopping districts. However, you can also find reliable good food in this area. If you want to go for pricey (albeit excellent food), you can do Star Anise or West, or you can do cheap eats (Cafe Crepe, Cafe Barney) or somewhere in between (The Red Room).

Now, the fact that the burgers aren't expensive doesn't mean that Cafe Barney is some sort of cheap joint. On the contrary. The ambiance is great and the service is top-notch. Their burger and fries are to die for. Their pasta (penne with chorizo) is definitely not bad, although I would say that Cafe Barney has more of a reputation for their burgers.

I have had brunch here before and it is consistently reliable. Definitely one of the best places if you want to eat fries, scrambled eggs, chorizo, and of course... burgers! They seem to have a good variety of beer (I am clueless here as I don't drink beer). Their wine selection seems good albeit perhaps a bit pricey (their martinis seem a bit expensive too). But the rest of the food is quite affordable.

I would strongly endorse Cafe Barney for a night out :-) Beware that the music can be a little loud and the atmosphere is relaxed. I read elsewhere some critiques to the servers, but I can't agree. Any time I have been here the service has been really good. I am sorry to hear that other people have had bad experiences, but I've been to Cafe Barney enough times to actually say that it's been consistently good.