Restaurant

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

Name: Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Address: 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V5, CA
Telephone: (604) 669-1940
Price range: value

Seafood•Vancouver•value

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is one of the best seafood restaurants in Vancouver for group dinners, especially if you want a strong option in Vancouver.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House has occupied a specific and deliberate position in Vancouver's downtown dining landscape for decades — not the restaurant where a chef takes risks, but the one where a city sends its out-of-town clients and anniversary parties when reliability matters more than novelty. The room signals its intentions immediately: leather banquettes, a long oyster bar running through the main floor, and a rooftop garden patio above the Thurlow Street corridor that is, by most accounts, one of the better outdoor tables in the downtown core. It is a loud, busy, purposefully social space, and it functions best when the occasion calls for exactly that register. The oyster bar is widely regarded as the anchor of the operation, with a rotating selection drawing from British Columbia and further afield, shucked to volume at a pace that suits a room moving serious numbers of covers. Beyond oysters, the menu centers on the familiar architecture of a seafood chophouse — planked fish, towers built for celebration, and steaks for the table's holdout — with a reputation built on consistency rather than ambition. Diners consistently describe the kitchen as dependable, the kind of place where expectations are set clearly and met without drama. That is not a diminishment; for a downtown institution operating at this scale, it is a difficult thing to sustain. Service is reported as professional and efficiently paced, calibrated to the business-lunch crowd as much as the evening occasion table. The rooftop patio books out well ahead in summer, and that reservation should be secured early if the season aligns. Joe Fortes is not the destination for a diner chasing the leading edge of Vancouver's seafood scene — it is, however, the considered choice when the occasion demands a room that knows its role and executes it without incident.

James Whitfield, Restaurant Critic

In our guides:8 Best Seafood Restaurants in Vancouver

Methodology•Vancouver guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Group DinnersBusiness Lunchfamily dinnerdinnerlocal

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Taste ID

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Taste Score 8.5/10

Rating (Google) 9.0

8,566 reviews

Vancouver

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

8.5/10

Taste Score

Google 9.0 from 8,566 reviews

Best for

Group Dinners and Business Lunch

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Vancouver | 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada

Price

Good value

Taste Score

8.5/10

Phone

(604) 669-1940

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

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TastyPals Editorial Pick

TastyPals Editors

“Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a strong choice for Seafood restaurants. It gives diners a distinct reason to choose it over another stop on this list.”

As featured in8 Best Seafood Restaurants in Vancouver →

Menu and ordering

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House menu: what to order

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is listed in the Good value price range. Check the restaurant's current menu for available dishes and prices. Menus, availability, and prices can change, so confirm current details before visiting.

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Why go

What makes Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House worth the move

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a clean first click in Vancouver when you want a seafood option you can trust. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 8,566 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.0 from 8,566 Google reviews

Best for

Group Dinners and Business Lunch

Style

Seafood in Vancouver

Spend

Good value

Best for

Group Dinners Business Lunch family dinner dinner local

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.0 from 8,566 reviews

Price point: value

Website linked on this page

Phone number available

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by James Whitfield for Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

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Google snapshot

9.0 from 8,566 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by James Whitfield

No diner notes for Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House 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 Menu Directions

Address: 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada
Phone: (604) 669-1940
Price: value
TastyPals score: 8.5/10
Google rating: 9.0 (8,566 reviews)
Cuisine: Seafood
Neighborhood: Vancouver

Featured in

Guide • vancouver

8 Best Seafood Restaurants in Vancouver

8 Seafood restaurants in Vancouver worth planning around, from Blue Water Cafe to Cardero's Restaurant, with standout orders and options for different budgets.

Read guide

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House serve?

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a Seafood restaurant located in Vancouver, Vancouver. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House has occupied a specific and deliberate position in Vancouver's downtown dining landscape for decades — not the restaurant where a chef takes risks, but the one where a city sends its out-of-town clients and anniversary parties when reliability matters more than novelty.

What is Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House best for?

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is best for group dinners, business lunch, family dinner, dinner, local. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a clean first click in Vancouver when you want a seafood option you can trust. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 8,566 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House?

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 9.0 from 8,566 reviews

Is Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House worth visiting?

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House holds a 9.0 Google rating from 8,566 reviews. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a clean first click in Vancouver when you want a seafood option you can trust. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 8,566 Google reviews.

Where is Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House located?

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is located at 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

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