Closed as of October 2012.
Address: 760A Yates St. (Odeon Alley)
Phone: (778) 430-5673
Website: jackalope.ca
Price: Less than $10 (for everything!)
Notes: Great prices, simple food, cute name!
The Jackalope is a wee bistro located in the Odeon Alley (between Yates and Pandora by the Odeon Theatre). Their tagline is "great food doesn't have to cost a lot" and their menu certainly delivers! All the food is simple, but made from scratch in the most tasty of ways and as everything on the menu is under $10 your pocket will thank you.
Geek culture is totally celebrated here - from the killer rabbit menu item to the 'meme wall' including Darth Vader informing that he finds "your lack of bacon disturbing" and "EAT ALL THE BURGERS!" Awesome!
They have grown the menu since the restaurant was open, mainly with the addition of a daily special burger or two. The menu features meat & veggie burgers, breakfast and other tasty dishes. They're even gluten-free friendly with either a lettuce-wrap or a gluten-free bun. I'm excited to see where this goes!
Food:
Feburary 15, 2012
A late post-dinner yoga for my gluten-free friend and I. We rocked enough downward dog until it burns to fully justify the inhaling we did. My friend ate her gluten-free burger & bun so fast I didn't even get a chance to snag a photo - but she really liked the GF bun this time so two thumbs up to whatever changes were made from the last visit!
I opted for the "Apple Jackalope" - the significance of the joke I didn't catch until after the order was called out as an "apple jack" (tee hee!). It's a super interesting combination (melty cheese, ranch dressing and a crisp slice of green apple) but it worked Incredibly well! I will have difficulty ordering something else again next time... As usual, the bun was fresh and soft and the patty was thick and well-seasoned. Fries were also awesome - nice and crispy and simply salted.
August 23, 2011
Firstly, I love the name of this burger. Monty Python references always ensure I will order something! I also love spicy things and this fits the bill - a handmade herbed beef patty topped with jalapenos, chorizo banana peppers and chipotle. If you add cheese to this and it becomes the Killer Jack Rabbit. You can't help but smile!
This is in a different range of burgers than what you get at the Pink Bicycle: this is more like a fancy ballpark burger than something fine-dining inspired - there are no truffled fries here. It's nice, actually because there is space for both in town for sure! The flavour in my burger patty was fantastic, and I loved all the toppings. I thought the bun could have stood up to all those toppings more, but then it would have taken away from the classicness of the whole burger. So I am torn.
My friend ordered the gluten-free bun, but was not a fan. She pointed out the taste was Not Right - I had a nibble and agreed. The texture wasn't bad, and I think it could have worked the the flavour was pretty unappealing. I think the issue was it was cooked on the grill where the meat is cooked and ended up just tasting mostly of old grease than anything else - which is good news, because that can be fixed. She ate the patty alone with gusto, and really, really enjoyed the fries.
June 11, 2011
As you can see, the portion sizes are quite small but this suits me just fine - I'd rather pay a bit less and not be overfull any day! My wrap was delicious. There was some spice (perhaps a hint of garlic in the mayo?) that meant it was just perfectly savoury. There were eggs and mushrooms and peppers and tomatoes. Yummy! The side of potatoes was a touch small, but I loved the strawberry on the side... (my partner-in-food-and-life always calls that kind of thing "breakfast dessert!")
This was a Properly Classic eggs benny with a slightly smoked piece of ham although you could substitute veggies to make it vegetarian friendly. The hollandaise was phenomenal! Well worth checking out if you're a lover of eggs benedict.
Service:
February 15, 2012
I think I pretty much have to give up my half-assed attempts at anonymity in my blogging because for the second time this week it was painfully obvious I have not succeeded at all although in this case my PIFAL used to work with the owner so that makes it extra difficult! (Mostly I just want to not have that awkwardness where the paranoia kicks in when I visit and I am over thinking if they are over thinking my experience the whole time...). Anyhow, I got stellar service but I would expect that regardless because a) they rock here and b) we were the last customers of the night.
August 23, 2011
Service was good - the owners were behind the counter and although both busy very attentive. They even helped us try track down somewhere with gluten-free desserts in the downtown core (gap in the market, Victoria!)
June 11, 2011
Our server was super friendly and she was wearing what I'm pretty sure was a Kingdom of Loathing tshirt so she gets SUPER AWESOME NERD POINTZ from me! Also, they were super dog friendly - a bone and a bowl of water. Fabulous!
