Restaurant

Is That French

Name: Is That French
Address: 45 Blood Alley Square, Vancouver, BC, V5B 0C4, CA
Telephone: (604) 499-0680
Price range: moderate

French•Vancouver•moderate

Is That French is one of the best french restaurants in Vancouver for date night, especially if you want a strong option in Vancouver.

Blood Alley Square is not where you expect to find a room this confident in its own quietude.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Blood Alley Square is not where you expect to find a room this confident in its own quietude. Is That French — the name itself a shrug, a wink, a deflection — occupies a corner of Gastown's oldest laneway with the energy of a place that has decided, once and for all, not to explain itself. Chef-proprietor Prevost runs the kitchen and the floor with the kind of ownership that reads in a room: his grandparents opened Café Français in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, and that lineage is literally on the wall, a black-and-white photograph anchoring the whole project to something more durable than a concept. What this is, in practice, is a Pacific Northwest wine bar operating under a loose French sensibility — tapas-format plates, minimal-intervention BC wines hand-selected for the menu, live jazz on Thursdays — where fine dining ambition meets a deliberate refusal of fine dining formality. It draws couples and regulars who want the quality without the ceremony. The menu rotates with the seasons, but two things hold: the organic beef tartare — made with oyster emulsion, Coligny Creek egg yolk, and Urfa Biber, a dried Turkish pepper with slow, fruity heat — and the Basque cheesecake, which has been on the menu since day one and inspires the kind of devotion that gets people through the door for a slice and a glass of wine and nothing else. The raw bar anchors the savory side, with oysters sourced coast to coast and shucked to order; rotating appearances of spot prawns with uni hollandaise and scallop aguachile suggest a kitchen that treats Pacific seafood as its true mother tongue, whatever the French sign above the door implies. The wine list is the menu's equal partner, not an afterthought. The move regulars know: come on a Thursday when the jazz is live, sit close enough to the bar to watch Prevost work, and treat the cheesecake as a course, not an afterthought. The tartare is the dish to anchor an order around — it's the one that best demonstrates what this kitchen is actually doing, which is French technique applied to hyperlocal sourcing without apology or explanation. Book ahead; Blood Alley does not have overflow seating, and this room earns its full tables.

Sophie Laurent, Food Editor

In our guides:8 Best French Restaurants in Vancouver

Methodology•Vancouver guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

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Taste ID

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Taste Score 8.0/10

Rating (Google) 9.4

418 reviews

Vancouver

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

8.0/10

Taste Score

Google 9.4 from 418 reviews

Best for

date night and dinner

Price and pace

moderate

Neighborhood

Vancouver | 45 Blood Alley Square, Vancouver, BC V5B 0C4, Canada

Price

moderate

Taste Score

8.0/10

Phone

(604) 499-0680

Watch

Is That French on video

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TastyPals Editorial Pick

TastyPals Editors

“Is That French is worth putting on the shortlist for Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber and Basque Cheesecake—the two orders to build a first visit around.”

Dish highlight

Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber

As featured in8 Best French Restaurants in Vancouver →

Menu and ordering

Is That French menu: what to order

Start with the dishes below, drawn from the restaurant details and TastyPals notes available on this page. Is That French is listed in the moderate price range. Menus, availability, and prices can change, so confirm current details before visiting.

Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber

Basque Cheesecake

Oysters from the raw bar

Why go

What makes Is That French worth the move

Is That French is an easy yes when you want somewhere that feels considered rather than fussy. Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber and Basque Cheesecake also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.4 rating across 418 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.4 from 418 Google reviews

Best for

date night and dinner

Style

French in Vancouver

Spend

moderate

Best for

date night dinner local

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.4 from 418 reviews

Price point: moderate

Popular dishes: Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber, Basque Cheesecake, Oysters from the raw bar

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TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Sophie Laurent for Is That French

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Google snapshot

9.4 from 418 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Sophie Laurent

No diner notes for Is That French yet.

There's a small ceremony to eating here that most Vancouver hot pot rooms skip: the cloisonné copper pots, the charcoal glowing underneath, the sense that dinner is an event rather than a transaction.

group dinnerdinnerhot pot

2726 reviews

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Plan the visit

Quick details

Visit Website Directions

Address: 45 Blood Alley Square, Vancouver, BC V5B 0C4, Canada
Phone: (604) 499-0680
Price: moderate
TastyPals score: 8.0/10
Google rating: 9.4 (418 reviews)
Cuisine: French
Neighborhood: Vancouver

Featured in

Guide • vancouver

8 Best French Restaurants in Vancouver

8 French restaurants in Vancouver worth planning around, from Five Sails Restaurant to Absinthe Bistro, with standout orders and options for different budgets.

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Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Is That French serve?

Is That French is a French restaurant located in Vancouver, Vancouver. Blood Alley Square is not where you expect to find a room this confident in its own quietude.

What is Is That French best for?

Is That French is best for date night, dinner, local. Is That French is an easy yes when you want somewhere that feels considered rather than fussy. Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber and Basque Cheesecake also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.4 rating across 418 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Is That French?

Is That French is in the moderate price range (moderate). Google rating: 9.4 from 418 reviews

What should I order at Is That French?

Start with Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber, Basque Cheesecake and Oysters from the raw bar. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Is That French worth visiting?

Is That French holds a 9.4 Google rating from 418 reviews. Is That French is an easy yes when you want somewhere that feels considered rather than fussy. Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber and Basque Cheesecake also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.4 rating across 418 Google reviews.

Where is Is That French located?

Is That French is located at 45 Blood Alley Square, Vancouver, BC V5B 0C4, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

Is Is That French good for a date night?

Yes — Is That French is tagged for date night dining. Is That French is an easy yes when you want somewhere that feels considered rather than fussy. Organic Beef Tartare with oyster emulsion and Urfa Biber and Basque Cheesecake also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.4 rating across 418 Google reviews.

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