Restaurant review: Bar Haifa, the new challenger for Vancouver’s top Middle Eastern restaurant

When you eat enough hummus as I do, you tend to obsess. Memorable hummus experiences are increasingly defined, for me at least, not by the hummus itself, but what aspiring chefs include on top. 

Don’t get me wrong, the hummus matters. As someone who has never replicated in my own kitchen what I find at restaurants, it’s a humbling experience eating silky smooth hummus. Great hummus is revelatory. But in the hands of experts, the dish itself is elevated by the contrast and combinations of new textures and flavours, that this otherwise simple item to a new level. 

My most memorable experience was Saj in New Orleans, where they topped their hummus with crispy fried chicken and a vinaigrette combined with diced figs. The contrast of sweet, salty and bitter made me wonder why hummus doesn’t always include it. I’ve been chasing something that good ever since.

Well, that is, until I visited a new restaurant Bar Haifa, the new Middle Eastern restaurant at 410 W Georgia St. late last year.

What enticed me most about Bar Haifa is what I’ve found to be missing in Vancouver — namely, a number of high-quality Middle Eastern restaurants. That’s not to say the city doesn’t have any. Tamam: Fine Palestinian Cuisine, while only experienced through takeout, is deserving of any Middle Eastern food lovers. 

Likewise, at Aleph, where their vegan cuisine is a reminder of why that type of food is a favourite of the health-conscious. I’ve never been to Yasma, which emphasizes Syrian food, but have heard great things. Jamjar focuses more on Lebanese food, with simple dishes, popular spreads and well cooked skewered meats. 

But in a city like Vancouver, it’s noticeable how easy it is to get Italian compared to Middle Eastern options. Which is unfortunate, given Vancouver has the health-conscious, vegetarian label. Luckily, Bar Haifa is here. 

The restaurant is a Palestinian-Israeli restaurant from the team in Toronto responsible for the Haifa Room, an incredibly popular spot that still stands out in a city full of Middle Eastern restaurants. The chef Jason Hemi, was the sous chef at Rose and Sons and Fat Pasha, two popular and well-established spots in Toronto. 

• Vancouver Sun restaurant reviewer Mia Stainsby reminisced about how it reminded her of Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooking, which I should’ve connected to given I own four of his cookbooks, two of which I use all the time.

Enveloped by the Deloitte building, to the point of being somewhat invisible from the outside, I was lucky to skip the business-casual Patagonia vest-sporting crowd by visiting with a friend on a weeknight. 

Darkness, greenery, marble-styled tables, the space wasn’t massive, but each table was spaced out enough so you aren’t unintentionally, or intentionally, listening to your neighbour's conversation. Think spacious Parisian cafe vibes with more tropical plants. 

• I haven’t had to take out a new date in many, many years. I suspect Bar Haifa, with its dim lighting, sharing plates, spacious seats and romantic vibes, may become a go-to date destination. Based on the front-of-house staff, I suspect sitting at the bar would be a memorable time. 

The restaurant was only open for a month when I visited. The front of house was attentive, to the point of multiple servers coming around to take our orders, checking on us and asking the same questions. Little things — which frankly I couldn’t care less about — like that are to be expected with a new restaurant, and I wouldn’t hold it against them. The recommendations and discussions from the servers with me and my friend were a reminder of the quality of craft that comes with managing the front of house.

We started with a round of drinks. Now, I’ve seen some TikTok videos claim that they have some of the best cocktails in the city. I wouldn’t go that far. We tried many of them, some clear winners, and others less so. 

The haifafashioned ($16), made from rum, bourbon, maple, black walnut and orange bitters, was what you’d expect from a traditional old fashioned, good but not Earth-shattering, nothing more nothing less. Likewise the rosewater paloma ($14), refreshing but not a home run, a bit too subtle for my taste. 

Where the drinks stood out was the saffron pistachio bourbon sour ($16). Eggwhite infused with sweet pistachio flavour throughout, the creamy drink had milkshake-like qualities — a compliment! — and it stood out as the winner, so much so that we ordered a second. For those who like a martini, the Pepperon’tini ($17), with a strong punch-you-in-the-face flavour of pepperoncini brine, is not to be missed. 

• I’m sad to see the sour is off the menu according to their website, but the Pepperon’tini remains! Maybe ask and see if they’ll make it for you.

The place also has an expansive wine list, with a team full of helpful recommendations, with both by-the-glass and bottle options as well as a long list of natural wines.  

• For the adventurous type, ask the bartender for some arak. It’s regional strong flavoured liquor, tasting of black licorice. It was included in a previous cocktail but I was glad they let me drink it alone.

But I didn’t come to Bar Haifa for the drinks. I came for the food. And dear reader, I was not disappointed. 

Defining a place by its hummus is, I admit, a little basic. With such items as Nazareth hot chicken ($18), boneless lamb shoulder ($52) and an aleppo chimichurri charred fish, it’s not fair to define a place by a couple of chickpeas blended with tahni and lemon.

But I am and I won’t apologize. Sorry, not sorry. 

We started with the cashew muhammara ($13) and the seasonal hummus ($17), topped with charred brussel sprouts, pistachio gastrique and zhug.

The hummus… Smooth as you’d hope for, this is a team that knows their way around chickpeas. But what stood out was the combination of the salty and crispy brussel sprouts caramelized and blackened to perfection, the sweetness and vinegar of the pistachio gastrique, and topped with healthy dollops of dark green herb zhug and lightly toasted pine nuts. All together better than the sum of its parts, this was the hummus I had been hoping for. 

The muhammara was textured, sweet and tangy, hearty from the nuts, and I liked it almost as much as the hummus. But after going home and making it myself, being able to replicate the flavours left me, in retrospect, even more appreciative of the hummus.

• Both dishes are a decent size, if you’re looking for a larger meal, I wouldn’t order more than one.

Homemade pita ($3), marked with char lines from the grill, was dense, flavourful and still steaming. Exactly what you want. We ate it, and then ate it again with a second order. Like Olive Garden’s never-ending breadsticks, it’s a mistake to fill up on it too early.

We followed it up with charred cabbage ($19) and kofta ($15). Let’s just say we hoped to order more, but the pita defeated us. 

Cabbage is really in right now. My TikTok is filled with charred vegetable chunks littered across plates. This one was no different. The layers of cabbage, each individual leaf layer perfectly charred, reminded me of the rings of a tree. And like a burning tree, a smokiness infused each cabbage layer that punched through the sauce on top.

But the dish fell somewhat short, more subtle than forward, feeling like it was missing either more sweetness or tangy flavour. It was a bit tougher than I had hoped to cut and chew. Maybe a little more cooking to loosen up the leaves? That’s my personal opinion though, I’ll leave it to other guests to decide.

Kofta is a tougher one to review. With beef and spices, the dish is intentionally subtle compared to something like muhammara. Most places I go to tend to be similar.  like the gates of a dam bursting, the juices spilled out of it after each knife slice, as the aroma of the beef filled up the space. But at $14 for two small pieces, it felt like one extra piece was missing.

We finished off the meal with knafe ($14), a ricotta tart topped with saffron syrup, preserved tangy lemon curd and toasted pistachios. Enveloped by what I think was kataifi, a stingy crispy fried dough, each slice of ricotta was soft but firm, cooked to perfection but without overpowering flavours.

The strong flavours were left to the lemon curd and saffron syrup. If I could bottle that tart and sweet lemon curd, I’d put it on everything. Granola, pancakes, pizza, you name it (okay not pizza). Overall the dish was extremely light, and the perfect way to finish off the meal.

In a city missing out on the expansive Middle Eastern offerings of Toronto, Bar Haifa is a welcome addition. The meal exuded a level of experience that you’d find at places open much longer. A few dishes could be improved, but I suspect a second visit, with enough time after they’ve opened, will yield even better results. 

With such a comprehensive set of options for vegetarians, with other dishes like loaded eggplant, roasted root veg, artichoke carriage and multiple salads, I suspect this may soon become a go-to place for the vegetarians and celiacs in the city. You could easily enjoy multiple pleasurable visits without ordering a single meat or wheat dish. 

Would I say Bar Haifa is the best Middle Eastern food in the city? No. But I’m not one who enjoys making sweeping statements about the nature of food. One person’s favourite spot is another person’s nightmare. 

What Bar Haifa does do is lean into a type of food that Vancouver could use more of. Their vegetarian-forward Middle Eastern dishes will leave you wanting to explore other places like it in the city. So go, enjoy, drink and fill your stomach, ideally with lots of friends willing to try different dishes. If we’re lucky, they won’t be the last Middle Eastern spot to open up. 

Atmosphere: Intimate but vibrant, dark but you’re able to see, a perfect place for a secluded date night or a smaller group of friends.

Noise Level: Spacious so noise does carry, but I never felt it was loud, easy to hear conversations.

Recommended: Hummus, kofta, knafe, saffron pistachio bourbon sour, but really any of their vegetarian dishes.

What I wish I ordered: Labneh brulee, nazareth hot chicken, loaded eggplant, salad shuk.

Drinks: Moderately priced but very high quality between $14-$17, focused on wine (including natural ones) with seven cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks available.

Price: $$, with dishes ranging from $16 to $36, I found it affordable for the level of quality. Bring more people and the sharing makes it even cheaper. It’s not cheap, but you can easily get by with under $80 food for two people, depending on your order.

Other details: Vegetarian options, many celiac options, 55 seats, sharing plates, booking available online.

Similar restaurants:

• Zarak by Afghan Kitchen — all you need to know is I believe this will get some sort of Michelin recommendation, so go sooner rather than later

• Tamam: Fine Palestinian Cuisine — an excellent place that focuses on more traditional regional dishes.

• Yasma — have not been, but I’ve heard great things.

• Jamjar — a Lebanese spot with some of the best dips in town!

• Mazahr — have not been, but it’s on my list to review