where jess ate

While looking for a place to drop for by lunch downtown, my friends and I ended up at Acme Café (@Acme_Cafe) in Gastown. The restaurant has a nice modern diner-feel to it and has high ceilings giving it a bright and cheery atmosphere.

I apologize for the poor quality of the photos in advance. Unfortunately my camera died just before lunch and I had to use my phone.

By the entrance, you’ll see a large selection of tempting pastries, cakes and pies. Make sure you save room for these sweet treats! As for their savoury options, they have a large menu of sandwiches and comfort food classics including mac & cheese, meat loaf and pot pie. Drop by before 11am on weekdays or anytime on the weekends and you’ll be able to order their breakfast classics.

After much deliberation, I decided to go with the Daily Quiche – braised beef, swiss, mushrooms ($10.25). They make a different type of quiche each day, so make sure you ask your server for the quiche of the day before making your choice.

No regrets with the quiche! It was one of the best quiches I’ve ever had. It had such a great flavour from the tender braised shortribs and earthiness from the mushrooms. It also contained a generous amount of filling and didn’t taste heavy or greasy like some other quiche’s I’ve had.

The quiche also comes with a cup of soup and salad. The soup of the day was lamb sausage and had a nice creole flavour to it. Like the quiche, the soup also changes daily.

Mike went with the Meat Loaf Sandwich – meat loaf, BBQ sauce, grainy Dijon, mayo, swiss cheese, caramelized onions and arugula on an onion Kaiser ($12). The meat loaf was moist, incredibly well seasoned and covered in a delicious sauce. The sandwich was served hot on a soft hamburger bun and turned out to be my favourite dish. If you’d prefer, they also have a meat loaf entrée which isn’t in sandwich form.

All sandwiches are served with a pickle, chips and your choice of soup or broccoli almond slaw. Since my dish came with soup, Mike opted for the broccoli almond slaw. The slaw was crispy, creamy and very refreshing.

My friend Swin decided to go with the Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwich – onion Kaiser, beef and spicy horseradish mayo, topped with house gravy ($12). It was another deliciously comforting dish! I had a few bites of the sandwich and loved it. The flavour of the beef and gravy was spot on. I don’t always love hot roast beef sandwiches so I was pleasantly surprised.

My other friend Doug went with the Shepherd’s Pie, one of the features of the day. It arrived in an individual bowl with a large piece of bread sticking out of it. While I only had a bite of his dish, I thought it was pretty tasty. Doug had great things to say about it too, so it’s worth ordering if it’s featured on your visit.

Doug’s wife, Jess, went with the classic Mac and Cheese ($9). While the portion doesn’t look very big, it was certainly filling, making it a very heavy lunch option. Taking a bite out of it, I enjoyed the rich and creaminess of it. While I thought it was a solid mac and cheese, I can’t say it’s one of my favourites.

If you’re coming to Acme Café, the best advice I can give you is save room for the pie! They make their pies fresh everyday, so check their twitter account for their daily offerings. I decided to go with the Banana Cream Pie ($5). It had a light, creamy filling sitting on top of a thin, flakey crust. I highly recommend a slice of this pie if it’s available.

What a great lunch! Everyone enjoyed their order so it doesn’t seem like you can really go wrong at Acme Café. Just make sure you don’t leave here without getting a slice of homemade pie!

At a glance:
• A modern diner located in Gastown
• Serving up a selection of sandwiches and comfort food classics
• Save room for their homemade pie
• They serve breakfast on weekdays before 11am and all day on weekends

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars