Forest Bistro & Lounge

My wife and I recently went here for an anniversary dinner and we had a great night. The atmosphere and decor were great but the food stole the show. They have an extensive scotch offering and the lemon tart is unequivocally the best desert in Powell River. hands down. John came by the table several times over the course of the meal to check on us and we had some really nice conversation about the establishment, his background, etc. It was a wonderful evening and we are really looking forward to going back.

Wow! What a gem! We are passing through and this was our first time here. Our favourite restaurant in Powell River by far. Forest Bistro & Lounge was a fantastic dining experience.

Food:
- Glazed beet salad was perfectly balanced and seasoned. You know a salad this good is a great opener to a fantastic meal (sorry chef we did ask for goat cheese on the side)
-The beef carpaccio was EXCELLENT. A heavenly aioli on warm bread, and what we think were fried capers. Um yes!
- Calamari - yum! Perfectly fried with dipping sauce and red onion
- Pasta of the day: Prawn, white cream sauce with spinach and sun dried tomatoes over pasta. Best pasta ever! It was heavenly!

We were very impressed with great service in a busy restaurant. Owner and Chef John was eloquently doing it all and even serving us! Our plates came out each time just when we were ready for them. Music was excellent as well! We love a Dermot Kennedy cover.

We sat on the patio and enjoyed the view!

We felt the prices were very reasonable given the quality and experience.

We will definitely be back.

All I can say is WOW!!!! This is one of the best hidden gems on the entire coastline. The fried oysters are the best anywhere and the food absolutely fantastic!!!!

I was in town for the Kathaumixw festival and visited this place twice! Once for karaoke and the other time for the choir’s last meal together. Karaoke was fun! The Dj even came to hear one of our concerts, and she greeted me by name the next time we were there! The atmosphere is great. Obviously, the staff are also good people. It was the only place we could get to accommodate our group of nearly 40, and the service was stellar!! The bartender was excellent both of my visits, and having gone at night and then during the day, the view is gorgeous. Even the other singers at karaoke were kind and generous in their conversations. Definitely a highlight of my time in Powell River!

Upon arriving we were greeted fairly quickly. We were seated and water was provided right away, along with the menus. Nice atmosphere, wasn't too busy when we arrived. Our server appeared after we had some time to make a decision on what to order, they immediately took our order for our meals. We continued with the drink menu while our server put our order in. When they returned we placed our drink order. Our drinks were brought to us soon after, while we waited for our meals. Upon arrival, our meals were hot smelled great. The steak was perfect, cooked exactly how I ordered. The lamb was, well awesome, my wife wouldn't stop raving about it. The bread tower was good too. In all, it was an exceptional dinner. After we finished eating our server cleared the table and gave us a run down of the available deserts. We ordered the one with fire involved, which was fun and delicious. Thank you to the hard working staff.

Update:
We returned and ordered the same thing, except the dessert was different. We ordered the special, banana cream tart, which was delicious. The food was consistent with our last visit, everything tasted great. This time we had the pleasure of enjoying some live music with our meal from Andy Redhead. Thank you for the great night.

If you're in Powell River and looking for a nice place to eat that won't disappoint, check this place out.