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Eating and Drinking

Vancouver’s restaurants are some of Canada’s finest, and span the price spectrum from budget to blowout. If you want to eat well, you’ll be spoilt for choice - and you won’t have to spend a fortune to do so. As you’d expect, the city also offers a wide range of ethnic cuisines. Chinese and Japanese cuisines have the highest profile (though the latter tend to be expensive), followed by Italian, Greek and other European imports. Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai and Korean are more recent arrivals and can often provide the best starting points - cafés and the ubiquitous fast-food chains aside - if you’re on a tight budget. Specialist seafood restaurants are surprisingly thin on the ground, but those that exist are of high quality and often remarkably cheap. In any case, seafood does crop up on most menus and salmon is heavily featured. Vegetarians are well served by a number of specialist places.

Restaurants are spread around the city - check locations carefully if you don’t want to travel too far from downtown - though are naturally thinner on the ground in North and West Vancouver. Places in Gastown are generally tourist-oriented, with some notable exceptions, in marked contrast to Chinatown’s bewildering plethora of genuine and reasonably priced options. Downtown also offers plenty of chains and huge choice, particularly with top-dollar places and fast-food fare: the local White Spot chain was founded in 1928 and has some thirty locations in Vancouver, and offers good and glorified fast food if time and money are tight - the branch at 1616 W Georgia St between Seymour and Granville is the most central downtown outlet. Superior chains like Earl’s and Milestones are highly commendable, and a reliable choice for downtown eating right on Robson .The old warehouse district of Yaletown , part of downtown’s new southeasterly spread, is also a key - and still developing - eating and nightlife area. Similar places line 4th Avenue in Kitsilano and neighbouring West Broadway, though these require something of a special journey if you’re based in or around downtown. Perhaps try them for lunch if you’re at the beach or visiting the nearby Vanier Park museum complex.

Countless cafés are found mainly around the beaches, in parks, along downtown streets, and especially on Granville Island. Many sell light meals as well as the coffee and snack staples. Little Italy , the area around Commercial Drive (between Venables and Broadway), is good for cheap, cheerful and downright trendy cafés and restaurants, though as new waves of immigrants fill the area Little Italy is increasingly becoming “Little Vietnam” and “Little Nicaragua”. Yaletown and the heavily residential West End , notably around Denman and Davie streets - Vancouver’s “gay village” - is also booming, the latter having gained a selection of interesting shops and restaurants.

The city also has a commendable assortment of bars , many a cut above the functional dives and sham pubs found elsewhere in BC. Note, however, that the definitions of bar, café, restaurant and nightclub can be considerably blurred: food in some form - usually substantial - is available in most places, while daytime cafés and restaurants also operate happily as night-time bars. In this section we’ve highlighted places whose main emphasis is food and drink; entertainment venues are listed in the next section. Note, too, that Vancouver has a handful of places that stay open all night or until the small hours.

Cafes and Snacks

Bavaria , 203 Carrall St (no phone). A simple, no-frills Gastown place with a couple of tables outside on Maple Tree Square almost in front of Gassy Jack’s statue. Particularly recommended for its inexpensive all-day breakfast: if you want something a touch more upmarket, then head for the fine Pistol Burnes café on the corner to the right (with lots more outside seating) or Blake’s and The Irish Heather , both just a few doors away.

Blake’s , 221 Carrall St near Water St (tel 899-3354). One of several cosy and relaxed places on this short Gastown stretch of Carrall St for a coffee, sandwich or snack; a good place to while away an hour writing a postcard or reading the newspaper.

Boulangerie la Parisienne pretty all-blue interior that - true to its name - opens up French-style on to the pavement in summer.

Bread Garden , 1040 Denman St at Comox (tel 685-2996). In Kitsilano at 1880 W 1st at Cypress and 812 Bute, downtown, off Robson. Locals love to moan about the slow service, but food in these hypertrendy deli-cafés is some of the best - and best looking - in the city. Great for people-watching. There are now twelve branches in the Vancouver area. Recommended.

Calabria Coffee Bar , 1745 Commercial Drive (tel 253-7017). Very popular café, known to locals as Franks, and tucked away from downtown in “Little Italy”. Probably as close as you can get in Vancouver to a genuine Italian bar.

Doll and Penny’s , 1167 Davie St between Thurlow and Bute sts (tel 685-3417). Fun West End place with big servings, large, gay clientele (but all welcome) and daily drinks specials. Comes alive when the clubs close and stays open to the wee small hours.

Flying Pizza , 3499 Cambie (tel 874-8284). If you want pizza this is the place; cheap, thin-crust pizza by the slice (but no alcohol) at five outlets, including Library Square (lunch only), Cornwall Ave (for Kits beach) and just south of the Burrard St Bridge.

Gallery Café , Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St (tel 688-2233). Relaxed, stylish and pleasantly arty place at the heart of downtown for coffee, good lunches and healthy, high-quality food (especially desserts); also has a popular summer patio. Recommended.

Hamburger Mary’s , 1202 Davie St between Bute and Jervis sts (tel 687-1293). These may well be the best burgers in the city, though there are plenty of other things on the menu. Lots of people end the evening for a snack at this former West End diner. Outside tables when the weather is fine. Open very late (usually 3am). Recommended.

La Luna Café , 117 Water St between Cambie and Abbot sts (tel 687-5862). One of only a couple of places on Gastown’s main street that has the character to raise it above the usual tourist-oriented cafés in this part of the city.

The Only Café , 20 E Hastings and Carrall St (tel 681-6546). One of Vancouver’s most famous institutions, founded in 1912, and worth the trip to the less than salubrious part of town to sample the food and old-world atmosphere. This counter-seating greasy spoon has little more than seafood (perhaps the best in town) and potatoes on its menu; no toilets, no credit cards no licence and no messing with the service. 11am-8pm; closed Sun.

Café S’Il Vous Plait , 500 Robson St and Richards St. Young, casual and vaguely alternative with good sandwiches, basic home-cooking and local art displays. It is close to the Kingston Hotel and central library. Open till 10pm.

Sophie’s Cosmic Café , 2095 W 4th Ave at Arbutus St (tel 732-6810). This excellent 1950s-style diner is a Kits institution and is packed out for weekend breakfasts and weekday lunch; renowned for its vast, spicy burgers, milkshakes and whopping breakfasts. Recommended.

** Chinese**

Hon’s Wun-Tun House , 108-268 Keefer at Gore St (tel 688-0871). Started life as a cheap, basic and popular place known for the house specialities, “potstickers” - fried meat-filled dumplings - and ninety-odd soups (including fish ball and pig’s feet). Success has spawned other branches and a slight smartening-up, but the encouraging queues, good food and low prices are mercifully unchanged. No alcohol or credit cards.

Imperial Chinese Seafood Restaurant , 355 Burrard St near Pender St (tel 688-8191). A grand and opulent spot in the old Marine Building with good views and busy atmosphere, serving fine, but pricey, food.

Kirin Mandarin , 1166 Alberni near Bute St (tel 682-8833). Among the first of the city’s smart Chinese arrivals with an elegant decor that’s a world away from old-fashioned Chinatown. The superior food is at top-dollar prices but you’re repaid with great views of the mountains.

Pink Pearl , 1132 E Hastings near Glen St (tel 253-4316). Big, bustling and old-fashioned with highly authentic feel but in a dingy part of town. The moderately priced food has a Cantonese slant, strong on seafood and great for dim sum. It frequently emerges as the city’s top Chinese restaurant in dining polls. Recommended.

Shanghai Chinese Bistro , 1128 Alberni St and Thurlow St (tel 683-8222). A modern-looking but less ostentatious and more reasonably priced alternative to the Imperial , if you want to eat Chinese downtown. The handmade noodles are a must. Open very late (2-3am).

Sun Wong Kee , 4136 Main St (tel 879-7231). Some of the city’s best and cheapest Chinese food and popular with Chinese families, so get here early. Over 225 items on the menu, yet deep-fried seafood remains a winner.

** Italian**

CinCin , 1154 Robson St at Bute St (tel 688-7338). An excellent downtown option, with stylish, buzzy setting (try to book an outside table in summer), food that merits the highish prices and includes top-grade home-made pastas and desserts. Check the wine list - it’s one of the best in the city.

Da Pasta Bar , 1232 Robson St between Jervis and Bute sts (tel 688-1288). Deservedly popular mid-priced spot, with varied clientele, in a visually brash place downtown on Robson. You can pick and mix from six pastas and around fourteen inventive sauces and blend to taste. Good for lunch.

Il Giardino di Umberto , 1382 Hornby St at Pacific St (tel 669-2422). Sublime and expensive food with a bias towards pasta and game served to a trendy and casually smart thirty-something clientele. Weekend reservations are essential, especially for the nice vine-trailed outside terrace.

The Old Spaghetti Factory , 55 Water St at Abbot St (tel 684-1288). Part of an inexpensive chain and hardly alta cucina , but a standby if you’re in Gastown and better than the tourist trap it appears from the outside, with its spacious 1920s Tiffany interior.

Piccolo Mondo , 850 Thurlow St at Smithe St (tel 688-1633). Pricey but excellent food and an award-winning selection of Italian wines. A nicely restrained dining room, just off Robson St, that’s not as formal as it first appears. The clientele are expense accounts at lunch and smoochy couples in the evenings. Recommended.

Villa del Lupo , 869 Hamilton St near Smithe St (tel 688-7436). Authentic and expensive, high-qual-ity food in a renovated country house - unfussy and elegant - on the eastern edge of downtown midway between the library and Yaletown: there’s not a better osso bucco in Vancouver.

** French**

The Hermitage , 115-1025 Robson near Thurlow St (tel 689-3237). Warm brick walls, a big fireplace, crisp linen, French-speaking waiters and a courtyard setting give this central and very highly rated restaurant a cosy, almost European feel. The chef here once cooked for King Leopold of Belgium, so he knows his way around food - the onion soup is unbeatable.

Le Crocodile , 100-909 Burrard St, entrance on Smithe St (tel 669-4298). Plush, French-Alsace up-market bistro establishment that pushes Bishop’s close for the title of the city’s best restaurant and, unlike its rival, it’s located downtown. The menu has something for traditionalists and the more adventurous alike. A memorable meal is guaranteed - but check your credit limit first.

Le Gavroche , 1616 Alberni St at Cardero St (tel 685-3924). The similarly priced Le Crocodile may just take the culinary plaudits, but this other top French restaurant (with a West Coast twist) is not far behind. A formal but amiable place and rated as one of the most romantic places in the city.

Lumière , 2551 W Broadway near Trafalgar St (tel 739-8185). Local food critics have named this Vancouver’s best restaurant twice in recent years, and it is indeed one of the city’s most outstanding places to eat. Cooking here is “contemporary French”, and a touch lighter than Le Crocodile , though prices are equally elevated. Visitors based in downtown will need to take a cab here: you’ll also need to book, for the simple, tasteful dining room accommodates just fifty diners.

** Greek**

Le Grec , 1447 Commercial Drive (tel 253-1253). Popular restaurant with a big range of titbits at reasonable prices, though you’ll have to travel out of downtown to enjoy them. Casual and lively later on, especially at weekends.

Orestes , 3116 W Broadway between Trutch and Balaclava sts (tel 738-1941). Good, basic food in one of the city’s oldest Greek restaurants. Belly dancers shake their stuff Thursday to Saturday and there’s live music on Sunday.

Ouzeri , 3189 W Broadway at Trutch St (tel 739-9995). A friendly and fairly priced restaurant that is the first port of call if you’re at the hostel or beach in Kitsilano.

Stepho’s , 1124 Davie St between Thurlow and Bute sts (tel 683-2555). This West End restaurant has simple interior, fine food, efficient service and is very popular. Recommended.

Vassilis , 2884 W Broadway near Macdonald St (tel 733-3231). Family-run outfit with a high reputation; serves a mean roast chicken. Closed weekends during lunch. Moderate

** West Coast Restaurants**

Bishop’s , 2183 W 4th near Yew St (tel 738-2025). Consistently ranked one of Vancouver’s best restaurants, though it’s some way from downtown. Although there’s a frequent film-star and VIP presence, the welcome’s as warm for everyone. The light and refined “contemporary home cooking” - Italy meets the Pacific Rim - commands high prices but is worth it. First choice for the big, one-off splurge, but booking is essential.

Bridges , 1696 Duranleau, Granville Island (tel 687-4400). Unmissable big, yellow restaurant upstairs, pub and informal bistro (the best option) downstairs, with a large outdoor deck. A reliable and very popular choice for a drink or meal on Granville Island.

C Restaurant , 2-1600 Howe St near Pacific Blvd (tel 681-1164). The Fish House at Stanley Park is C ‘s only serious rival for the title of best fish and seafood restaurant. The lengthy menu, which contains Southeast Asian influences, might include a choice from the “raw bar” - say a trio of scallop, wasabi salmon and smoked chilli tuna - and unusual fish such as Alaskan arctic char. Views from the dining room are good, too.

Chartwell , Four Seasons Hotel , 791 W Georgia St (tel 844-6715). Don’t let that fact that this is a hotel dining room put you off: the gracious, almost gentleman’s club-like ambience is good if you want to dress up or have an indulgent lunch, and fine service, great wine list and progressive Pacific Rim-influenced food makes this one of the top-ten restaurants in Vancouver.

Diva at the Met , Metropolitan Hotel , 645 Howe St (tel 602-7788). Like the Chartwell , Diva has carved out a character completely separate to the hotel in which it’s lodged. This is among Vancouver’s leading restaurants, thanks to the punchy, imaginative food and the modern, clean-lined dining room. Starters might include smoked salmon with Quebec foie gras, followed by a main course of halibut cheeks with black-olive tapinade. Expensive, but a great pace for a treat or full-on brunch.

Earl’s On Top , 1185 Robson St near Bute St (tel 669-0020). Come here first if you don’t want to mess around scouring downtown for somewhere to eat. The mid-priced, and often innovative, high-qual-ity food is served in a big, open and casual dining area, with outside terrace in the summer. Recommended.

Ferguson Point Teahouse , Ferguson Point, Stanley Park (tel 669-3281). A very pretty and romantic spot - ocean view, outside dining - and the best place for a lunch or brunch during a walk or ride round Stanley Park. Be sure to book ahead.

The Fish House at Stanley Park , 2099 Beach Ave and Stanley Park Drive, at the north end of Beach Ave (tel 681-7275). The name more or less says it all. The leafy setting in the southwest corner of Stanley Park is almost that of a country estate, and the seafood arguably the city’s best. Indulge at the oyster bar, order any available fish baked, broiled, steamed or grilled, and check out the daily specials. Excellent wine list. Expensive but worth it.

Granville Island (tel 681-8816). Popular Granville Island choice for a beer or a meal, though Bridges is probably a shade better. Fine breakfasts, weekend brunches and light meals with plenty of good veggie/wholefood options. Lots of outdoor seating, but expect queues and slower service at weekends, particularly Sunday brunch. Moderate.

Liliget Feast House , 1724 Davie St at Bidwill St (tel 681-7044). This West End aboriginal restaurant - the only one in Vancouver - serves types of food you’ll get nowhere else in the city: seaweed, steamed ferns, roast caribou and barbecued juniper duck. However, the cedar tables and benches, designed to resemble a Coast Salish long house, making the dining room a mite austere. Moderate.

Milestone’s , 1145 Robson St between Bute and Thurlow sts (tel 682-4477) and 1210 Denman St (tel 662-3431). Popular mid-market chain restaurants with cheap drinks and food (especially good breakfasts) in very generous portions at the heart of downtown (fast and noisy) and the English Bay Beach end of Denman St (more laid-back). There’s also a popular and appealing branch with outdoor terrace in Yaletown at 1109 Hamilton on the corner of Helmcken (tel 684-9112).

Tomato Fresh Food Café , 3305 Cambie St (tel 874-6020). This high-energy place serves good simple food, with a fresh, health-conscious bias. It’s way south of downtown, so it’s a good place to stop en route for the airport, Vancouver Island or the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen. Eat in or take away.

Water Street Café , 300 Water St at Cambie St (tel 689-2832). The café-restaurant of choice if you wind up in Gastown (located close to the famous steam clock). An airy and casual atmosphere that offers a short but well-chosen menu; consider booking an outside table if you’re going to be here for lunch.

** Other Ethnic Restaurants**

Chiyoda , 1050 Alberni St at Burrard St (tel 688-5050). Everything here, down to the beer glasses, was designed in Japan. A chic but convivial place - the emphasis is on grilled food ( robata ) rather than sushi - that draws in Japanese visitors and businesspeople at lunch and the fashionable in the evenings for moderately-priced dinners.

Ezogiku Noodle Café , 1329 Robson St at Jervis St (tel 685-8608). This tiny Japanese noodle house is a perfect place for quick food downtown. The queues are prohibitive, but the turnover’s speedy.

Kamei , 1030 W Georgia at Burrard St (tel 687-8588). Superlative sushi, but at stratospheric prices. Large and bright, and a menu as long as your arm.

Mescalero’s , 1215 Bidwell between Burnaby and Davie sts (tel 669-2399). Very popular Mexican-Latin restaurant in the West End with appropriately rustic atmosphere and fit young punters. Moderate.

Phnom-Penh , 244 E Georgia near Gore St (tel 682-5777) and 955 W Broadway near Oak St (tel 734-8988). Excellent, cheap Vietnamese and Cambodian cuisine, especially seafood, in a friendly, family-oriented restaurant. Recommended.

Pho Hoang , 3610 Main at 20th (tel 874-0810) and 238 E Georgia near Gore St (tel 682-5666). The first and perhaps friendliest of the many Vietnamese pho (beef soup) restaurants now springing up all over the city. Choose from thirty soup varieties with herbs, chillies and lime at plate-side as added seasoning. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The new Chinatown branch is right by the Phnom-Penh .

Simply Thai , 1211 Hamilton St, corner of Davie St (tel 642-0123). This plain, modern but inviting Yaletown restaurant is packed at lunch (11.30am-3pm) and dinner, thanks to the keen prices and good, authentic food - the chefs are all from Bangkok. Another place, Thai Urban Bistro , just up the street at 1119 Hamilton (tel 408-7788) is almost as good.

Tojo’s , 777 W Broadway at Willow St (tel 872-8050). Quite simply the best Japanese food (sushi and more - try the tuna or shrimp dumplings with hot mustard sauce) in the city. Very expensive.

Topanga Café , 2904 W 4th Ave near Macdonald St (tel 733-3713). A small but extremely popular and moderate Mexican restaurant; a Vancouver institution.

Vij’s , 1480 W 11th Ave near Granville St (tel 736-6664). Vij ‘s Indian cooking has won just about every award going in Vancouver for Best Ethnic Cuisine. The inexpensive menus change regularly: some excellent vegetarian options.

** Vegetarian**

The Naam , 2724 W 4th Ave near Stephens St (tel 738-7151). The oldest and most popular health-food and vegetarian restaurant in the city. Comfortable and friendly ambience with live folk and other music and outside eating some evenings. Open 24hr. Inexpensive and recommended

** Pubs and Bars**

The Arts Club , 1585 Johnston on Granville Island (tel 687-1354). The Arts Club ‘s popular Backstage Lounge , part of the theatre complex, has a waterfront view, easy-going atmosphere, decent food and puts on blues, jazz and other live music Friday and Saturday evenings. Recommended.

Bar None , 1222 Hamilton St (tel 689-7000). Busy, reasonably smart and hip New York-style Yaletown bar and club where you can eat, drink, watch TV, smoke cigars (walk-in humidor), play backgammon or shoot pool and listen to live music.

Blarney Stone , 216 Carrall near Water St (tel 687-4322). A lively Irish pub and restaurant, in Gastown, complete with live Irish music and dance floor. Closed Sun.

Darby D. Dawes , 2001 Macdonald St and 4th Ave (tel 731-0617). A pub handy for Kits Beach and the youth hostel. People often start the evening here, meals are served 11.30am-7pm, snacks till 10pm, and then move on to the Fairview for live blues . Live music is only played on Friday and Saturday evenings with jam sessions on Saturday afternoons.

Gerard’s , 845 Burrard at Robson St (tel 682-5511). The smooth wood-panelled lounge and piano bar with leather chairs and tapestries, all make this very elegant downtown drinking. Also, the place to spot the stars currently filming in town.

The Irish Heather , 217 Carrall St near Water St (tel 688-9779). A definite cut above the usual mock-Irish pub, with an intimate bar, live Irish music some nights, excellent food, good Guinness (apparently it sells the seond largest number of pints of the stuff in Canada); and an unexpectedly pretty outdoor area in the back.

La Bodega , 1277 Howe near Davie St (tel 684-8815). One of the city’s best and most popular places, with tapas and excellent main courses, but chiefly dedicated to lively drinking. It’s packed later on, so try to arrive before 8pm. Recommended. Closed Sun.

Rose and Thorne , 757 Richards near Georgia St (tel 683-2921). Popular, comfortable place next to the Kingston Hotel and very close to the look and feel of an English pub.

Shark Bar & Grill , The Sandman Hotel , 180 W Georgia (tel 687-4275). The best and busiest of several sports bars in the city. There are 30 screens, a 180-seat oak bar, 22 beers on tap, Italian food from the kitchen, and lots of testosterone.

Sylvia Hotel , 1154 Gilford and Beach (tel 688-8865). This nondescript but easy-going hotel bar is popular for quiet drinks and superlative waterfront views, and pleasant after a stroll on English Bay Beach.

Yaletown Brewing Company , 1111 Mainland St (tel 681-2739). An extremely large and unmissable bar and restaurant with their own six-beer on-site brewery. Currently very popular, and leading the way in the funky Yaletown revival.