There are places where you hear about often, but never get around to going there. For me, Swiss Chalet was one of those destinations. I saw their commercials since I was very young and loved the shiny, oily videos of rolling chicken and wished to devour such a treat! And finally, Wendy and I got to try it out! We chose the Broadway location since it was the closest one (where IS the next nearest one?) and we had $15 of Gift Cards!
Parking was quite convenient. It is located in the back alley behind the restaurant. There’s about a couple of dozen spots for access. This picture was taken from the side-street where the front door faces.
Indoors shots. It was a quiet night. We noticed that the demographics of the customers were mostly families or couples.
We didn’t order too much tonight because we were all that hungry. So we skipped the apps and dived straight to the main course. I ordered the Quarter Chicken with Shrimp special – which was only $10.99! The shrimp were bigger than I thought and it was delicious. The chicken skin was well season, however, probably because I added extra $ to order white meat, the meat itself was quite dry. I needed the love of the special gravy dip (which came with the meals) to help me finish the meal. A serving of “Uncle Ben’s” rice was provided as a side dish. I honestly don’t have too much to comment about that.
Wendy wanted some ribs and ordered the Quarter Chicken and 1/3 Rib Combo. She says it was good and friendly on the wallet. The fries was actually quite excellent despite the fact that it seemed pretty dark (OIL CHANGED NEEDED!) The chicken was more juicy than mine because it was dark meat. The coleslaw was bland as ever (and a bit bitter), therefore, we didn’t even bother finishing it. She also commented on the ribs that they are very comparable the Costco Ribs – which says a lot about Costco but not so much about Swiss Chalet. LOL
This was one of the weirdest parts of the experience. They handed us two small bowls of warm water + lemon to wash our fingers. I didn’t know that we were running short of water this year in Vancouver, but the amount of water in this bowl is purely pathetic! We had to dump the contents of one bowl into the other to be able to make any effective use of it. “Well-intent”, check; “Active thinking”, not checked.
I whipped out my……………GIFT CARDS!!! A whopping $15 dollars worth! Now I can eat another day!
The bill came to $20 with tips. It was pretty satisfying. Honestly, I don’t think I will drive nearly 20km from Richmond to Swiss Chalet again, but the experience was satisfying. If you are in the area, please go try! The service was pretty good, the place was kinda quiet and proved a setting to relax to wind down the night.
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My experience at Swiss Chalet was not memorable. The chicken was overcooked and bland and the sides were skimpy.
I think PNE’s chicken tastes better flavour-wise and i especially prefer Nando’s as my preferred choice when I’m craving bbq chicken. Also, Nando’s has decent salads and side dishes.
As a matter of fact, I’m having Nando’s for dinner tonight, with hot seasoning. Can’t wait.
When I saw the title, I knew there had to be a catch (e.g. you gift certificates), as Swiss Chalet doesn’t come front of mind for going out for a meal. For me, I’d have to say its been a good 15 years since I ate there, and can still remember the bland meat and even more tasteless dipping sauce.
I’m surprised this outlet still exists, I see it all the time but never sure if people actually went in. Guess they do…
well, as someone who used to work t swiss chalet, i have to say it seems to be getting worse! after my location closed down i didn’t have a chance to set foot in one for over a year….when i finally did i was so disappointed! The prices had gone up, but the chicken had gotten smaller, not to mention I think the cook staff was being sloppy. My wrap was not assembled neatly; a petpeeve of mine :p and my rice was too dry, and my gravy (NOT THE CHALET SAUCE, EWW!) was watery. Again, disappointed!!!