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Weekend Brunch Upstairs at Campagnolo

Having heard great things about Upstairs at Campagnolo, I decided to visit them earlier today for brunch.  Unfortunately, the experience was lackluster and I left feeling disappointed and still hungry.  While I’ll go into more detail about why the meal went so poorly, I’ll just start off by saying it was a 2/5 dining experience.

campagnolo

Weekend Brunch

Upstairs at Campagnolo opened over two years ago and serves weekend brunch from 10:30 am to 2 pm on Saturday and Sundays.  The entrance to the restaurant is through a non-descriptive green door (no window, no address) just to the right of their main restaurant, Campagnolo’s, front door.  The doors to both Campagnolo restaurants are doubly secured via a chain fence which is locked during off-business hours.  After a staff member unlocked the chain fence and the door, we proceeded up a long, dark staircase to the restaurant.  It smelled of urine in the stairwell.  Although that is a very normal for the area, I still thought it was a bit of an unwelcome start to what is supposed to be a cozy and comforting weekend brunch.

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The dining room is a divey sort of place: small and can only accommodate about 32 from what I read.  Most of the tables were just for 2 while a large group can be accommodated by pushing the tables together.  The green painted walls gave the room a dark, intimate kind of vibe.

What We Tried

My husband and I ordered the following though many of the items end being comped (more on that after):

  • Dirty Burger ($11)
  • Bacon Pancakes ($12)
  • Homer Simpson Donut ($3.50)
  • Coffee ($3)
  • Tea (3$)

Campagnolo is famous for their Dirty Burger having been named “Best Burger in the City” by Scout Magazine.   We came for brunch to see if that was really the case.  The Dirty Burger really is very underwhelming in terms of appearance as reported.  First of all, it’s small with the patty being only 4 oz.  The patty is served in a irregularly-shaped, housemade Scottish Bap (soft and floury) bun.  In the case of the Dirty Burger, you really are going for “quality” rather than looks.  The patty is a 40 day dry aged beef patty which is ground-in-house.   Throw in some American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a sweet-salty housemade secret sauce and you’ve got a burger that is known as one of the best in Vancouver.

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Without a doubt, the flavour was very good and I enjoyed it.  A lack of sides was an issue and I had overlooked that part when ordering.  I certainly didn’t feel much excitement to see one small burger on a dinner plate with no sides.  It just looked lonely and even perhaps pathetic in terms of presentation.  I think it would be better if the burger was priced higher (say $15) and had some sides.  And if you look at the picture below, it looks like a small bun, small patty and overarching large pieces of lettuce.

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The Homer Simpson Donut was of a denser texture but still pretty good.  The glazing wasn’t overly sweet.

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Moving on, we had to endure a bit of a fiasco with the bacon pancakes.  Why?  Because the pancakes and bacon were burnt on the edges.  When we received the dish, we brought it up with the server immediately.  He took it back to the kitchen and we were to receive a newly prepared version.

campagnolo

On the second round, the pancakes and bacon were still burnt around the edges just a bit less than the first time.  We again raised the issue with staff who offered to bring a different entree for us.  It was too late, however, as we had to get going.  The fruit puree was still pretty good from what I could tell.

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I commend the servers for being polite, professional and gracious in the matter.  They comped the donut, tea and the two attempts for the bacon pancakes.

Overall Impression of Campagnolo

The Dirty Burger had a very good flavour overall but nothing to entice me to come back again.  After two unsuccessful attempts at the bacon pancakes, I left hungry and wishing I had had gone elsewhere for brunch.  Service was solid and professional.  Rating: 2/5

Websitewww.campagnolorestaurant.ca

Campagnolo Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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D

Monday 17th of April 2017

The burger IS the best in the city, and your being overly picky on the pancakes, plus they did their best to accommodate. I find your review and eating unfair.

Naomi T.

Sunday 27th of November 2016

wow that sucks... you'd think they'd keep trying until they get at least 1 or 2 that were unburnt...

Nosh and Nibble

Saturday 26th of November 2016

Such a shame 2 goes at the pancakes did not yield an unburnt dish :(