We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
The restaurants below have been grouped in four different price categories:
$$$$ (over C$110)
$$$ (C$80 to C$110)
$$ (C$40 to C$80)
$ (Up to C$40)
These are based on the average price of a three-course meal for one person and for half a bottle of house wine or equivalent. Restaurant
charges are subject to the 6% Goods and Services Tax (GST) and an additional liquor tax (10%), which are usually added to the bill at the end. Restaurant bills do not always include a service charge, so a tip is expected. The standard is 15%, with 20% given for good to exceptional service.
Gourmet C Restaurant This award-winning contemporary seafood restaurant serves inspirational cuisine in three dramatically designed spaces: a double-story glass-fronted main dining room, an intimate mezzanine above for private dining and an outdoor patio with fantastic views over False Creek. The menu is extensive and luxurious, including a raw bar with oysters and some Asian-inspired salads, a taster box, as well as normal starters and mains, such as scallops wrapped in octopus and bacon. The wine list is also extensive and highly regarded, with a few dozen available by the glass.
2-1600 Howe Street
Tel: (604) 681 1164.
Website:
www.crestaurant.com Price: $$$-$$$$
Le Crocodile A highly professional standard of service and sophisticated European atmosphere make this Alsatian restaurant an ideal location for a special event or celebration in downtown Vancouver. The Franco-German influence is evident in the meals prepared by chef-owner Michel Jacob. A particular favorite menu meal is the savoury onion tart served with chilled Alsace Edelzwicker in green-stemmed glasses.
100-909 Burrard Street (entrance on Smythe Street)
Tel: (604) 669 4298.
Website:
www.lecrocodilerestaurant.com Price: $$$
Diva At The Met A sophisticated hotel restaurant, with an airy, spacious interior and a relaxed and refined atmosphere,
Diva specializes in Pacific Northwest cuisine prepared with the finest local ingredients. Popular main courses include roasted breast of duck, smoked Alaskan black cod, or duo of lamb. Diva boasts the most extensive cheese selection of any Vancouver restaurant and the wine list comprises some of British Columbia’s best offerings.
The Metropolitan Hotel, 645 Howe Street
Tel: (604) 602 7788.
Website:
www.metropolitan.com/diva Price: $$$
Lumière Restaurant This elegant and excellent restaurant is located 10 minutes’ drive from Downtown in Kitsilano. With attentive service,
Lumière offers modern French cuisine with Asian influences, alongside classics like foie gras and caviar. The menus change seasonally but might include roasted wild black bass in a casserole, with black trumpet and yellow foot mushrooms, or black truffles and seared Alaska scallops with leek and mascarpone ravioli, accompanied by a specially chosen wine flight. The
Tasting Bar is New York chic and offers selections of small menu items. The restaurant does not serve lunch, but the same owner’s cheaper next-door bistro,
Feenie’s (tel: (604) 739 7115; website:
www.feenies.com), does and is also open for weekend brunch.
2551 West Broadway, Kitsilano
Tel: (604) 739 8185.
Website:
www.lumiere.ca Price: $$$$
Tojo’s Restaurant Hidekazu Tojo is known as the man who invented the BC Roll (barbecued salmon skin and cucumber) and inside-out crab and avocado (often called the Californian Roll), two dishes that are now as vital to the area’s sushi kitchens as wasabi. The cuisine is rooted in classical Japanese cooking with a heavy emphasis on innovation, organic ingredients and local Pacific Northwest specialties. Vegetarian sushi and cooked food are also available as are teriyaki, tempura, sashimi, sushi and various rolls.
Omakase (the chef’s arrangement) is the best way to enjoy
Tojo’s - Tojo-san will create a very special entire meal based on your preferences, his inspiration and market-fresh ingredients.
1133 West Broadway
Tel: (604) 872 8050.
Website:
www.tojos.com Price: $$-$$$
Business Aqua Riva This spacious restaurant, dominated by bold murals and a curved bar, has a window-wrapped vibrant setting, with mountain and harbor views. Just a 5- to 10-minute walk from the major downtown hotels,
Aqua Riva is a highly regarded rotisserie and grill kitchen with a menu that changes daily. Specialties include wood-roasted halibut, spit-roasted leg of lamb and fresh salmon from the grill. High-profile political figures often choose to dine here. No lunch at the weekend.
200 Granville Street
Tel: (604) 683 5599.
Website:
www.aquariva.com Price: $$
Bacchus Restaurant Located in the city’s
Wedgewood Hotel, this award-winning restaurant aims to offer a ‘truly Epicurian experience’ complemented by live entertainment in the elegant piano lounge. The restaurant is also known for its exceptional weekend brunches and traditional afternoon tea, also served at the weekend. Famous people who have put in an appearance include Al Pacino, Hilary Swank and Robin Williams. The cuisine is French and fairly meat-based.
Wedgewood Hotel, 845 Hornby Street
Tel: (604) 608 5319
or 1 800 663 0666.
Website:
www.wedgewoodhotel.com Price: $$$
Caffé dé Medici The atmosphere is businesslike by day and romantic by night in this elegant Italian restaurant.
Caffé dé Medici has won many awards for quality service and has an outstanding wine list. Staff provide a personalised service by always being on hand and happily making recommendations. The food is colorful and rich and the mouth-watering menu covers antipasti, salads, soups, pasta and main courses.
109-1025 Robson Street (Robson Galleria)
Tel: (604) 669 9322.
Website:
www.caffedemedici.com Price: $$-$$$
Chartwell Based in the
Four Seasons Hotel, this first-class restaurant has been designed to resemble Sir Winston Churchill’s summer home, Chartwell, with oak panelling, scenic murals and warming fireplaces. The menu varies quarterly but the wines and the ‘seasonal producer’ dinners (when local farmers showcase their fresh produce) are considered to be some of the best in the city.
Four Seasons Hotel, 791 West Georgia Street
Tel: (604) 844 6715
or 689 9333 (hotel).
Website:
www.fourseasons.com/vancouver Price: $$$
Hermitage Restaurant Hervé Martin, chef and owner of this restaurant, serves up some traditional French meals that include duck confit, steak tartare and pheasant. Patrons can dine outside on a private patio or enjoy the cosiness inside. Among the fine linen-clad tables, surrounded by antiques, guests can select from a wine list of over 350 wines.
115-1025 Robson Street
Tel: (604) 689 3237.
Website:
www.thehermitagevancouver.com Price: $$$
Morton’s of Chicago: The Steakhouse The Steakhouse’s menu is famed for its signature prime, aged beef, as well as its fresh seafood and fish, including the whole-baked Maine lobster that is flown in on a daily basis. Hand-picked vegetables, elegant desserts and crisp salads are also offered. Rich mahogany red panelling, artwork and pristine white tablecloths, together with fine wines and food displays, set the tone.
750 West Cordova Street
Tel: (604) 915 5105.
Website:
www.mortons.com Price: $$$-$$$$.
Trendy Bin 941 Although it is labelled a tapas parlour, many of the dishes from Gord Martin’s open kitchen are the full meal deal and you may not always want to share - the filo-wrapped beef Wellington comes as a small work of art, and there are many equally good examples of a cuisine that has far more of a West Coast flavor than Spanish. The décor is full of eclectic touches, enlivening the small space. There is a sister restaurant,
Bin 942, south of False Creek at 1521 West Broadway (tel: (604) 734 9421).
941 Davie Street
Tel: (604) 683 1246.
Website:
www.bin941.com Price: $$
The Cannery Seafood Restaurant Established in 1971, this award-winning restaurant on the docks of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet east of Downtown is proud of its highly acclaimed seafood and extensive selection of wines. Magnificent views of the mountains and harbor have made this one of the city’s institutions. The eclectic décor, constructed from aged or antique materials and seagoing memorabilia, resembles a rustic fish cannery. Yet it is still very elegant, with fine linen, china, silver and crystal. The Pacific Northwest menu exhibits international influences and is dominated by fresh fish, such as seared Albacore tuna or seared Pacific salmon, but there are also meaty dishes available, as well as purely vegetarian options.
2205 Commissioner Street
Tel: (604) 254 9606
or 1 877 254 9606.
Website:
www.canneryseafood.com Price: $$-$$$
Cin Cin Ristorante & Bar This Italian restaurant has long been the recipient of many awards.
Cin Cin is elegant dining but the original murals give it a warm, slightly rustic, feel. The seasonal menu comprises classic Italian dishes with strong French and Mediterranean influences, focused around the wood-fired oven and grill. Dishes depend on the season and range from the extravagant ‘AAA’ beef tenderloin to the simple, yet tasty, pizzas on offer.
1154 Robson Street
Tel: (604) 688 7338.
Website:
www.cincin.net Price: $$$
Nu Restaurant
Voted ‘Canada’s Best New Restaurant for 2006’ in an
enRoute Magazine poll of the country’s most respected food critics,
Nu Restaurant has a great location, excellent service and very good food. With a shiny patio by the water near Granville Bridge, it offers great views, and the interior and ambience are both very attractive. The food is slightly eclectic and experimental but has its roots in French bistro cuisine.
1661 Granville Street
Tel: (604) 646 4668.
Website:
www.whatisnu.com Price: $$
Raincity Grill Situated in Vancouver’s West End, this urban bistro overlooks the beach, the park and English Bay. Its upscale modern decor gives it a casual atmosphere and welcoming attitude. The Pacific Northwest menu changes seasonally and focuses on game, poultry, seafood and organic vegetables sourced from sustainable growers/producers in the region (British Columbia, Alberta, Washington State and Oregon).
1193 Denman Street
Tel: (604) 685 7337.
Website:
www.raincitygrill.com Price: $$
Budget The Naam Winner of a great many awards, this 24-hour restaurant in Kitsilano specializes in vegetarian fare at very reasonable prices. Seated within the casual wooden interior, diners can choose from a range of foods that include salads, soups, Mexican dishes, stir fries and vegetarian burgers - ideally accompanied by sesame fries with miso gravy. There is also a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed.
2724 West Fourth Avenue, Kitsilano
Tel: (604) 738 7151.
Website:
www.thenaam.com Price: $
Old Spaghetti Factory Established in Vancouver in 1970, this highly popular restaurant in Gastown is decorated in the style of a living museum - with historic artifacts adorning the walls. Cheerful and friendly staff serve up a great selection of fantastic pasta dishes - all accompanied by a salad or soup, sourdough bread, garlic butter, roasted coffee or hot tea and
spumoni ice cream (chocolate, vanilla and pistachio flavor) at no extra charge. Dishes like New York steak or breast of chicken make for alternative choices.
53 Water Street, Gastown
Tel: (604) 684 1288.
Website:
www.oldspaghettifactory.ca Price: $
Pink Pearl Restaurant An award-winning Cantonese restaurant near Chinatown,
Pink Pearl features tanks of fresh fish, which inevitably end up forming a large part of the menu. Service comes complete with a smile and good dim sum is served daily. Other treats include stuffed dumplings, fried white turnip cakes and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. This is a good place for a family meal and there is free parking as well.
1132 East Hastings Street
Tel: (604) 253 4316.
Website:
www.pinkpearl.com Price: $-$$
Sophie’s Cosmic Café One of the best spots in the city for breakfast, this Kitsilano favorite presents a rather kitsch take on the traditional diner, with brightly painted walls, pink vinyl booths separated by walls with old Coke bottles as railings and all sorts of memorabilia on the walls. Though often busy weekend mornings, it is worth queuing (if arriving after around 1000) for a fry-up, Belgian waffles or eggs Benedict. It is also good for lunch. Dinner might be oyster stew followed by roast chicken.
2095 West Fourth Avenue (near Arbutus Street)
Tel: (604) 732 6810.
Website:
www.sophiescosmiccafe.com Price: $-$$
Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant Having received many awards and accolades over the years, this modern and posh Cantonese restaurant is a well-known place for its daily dim sum. The roast squab is particularly notable. Also on offer is fresh seafood, such as abalones, rock cods, geoducks, lobsters, prawns and giant Alaska king crabs. Diners select a live creature out of the fish tank and then choose the cooking style for their dish.
3888 Main Street (at 23rd Avenue)
Tel: 1 866 872 8822.
Website:
www.sunsuiwah.com Price: $$
Personal Recommendations The Fish House Restaurant in Stanley Park This wood-panelled restaurant is surrounded by lush gardens and forests (visible through the picture windows and from the patio seating) and very much lives up to its reputation as a ‘tranquil oasis in the city’. The chef, Karen Barnaby, has published a series of cookbooks and the menu changes three times a year. Famous diners have included Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro.
8901 Stanley Park Drive
Tel: (604) 681 7275
or 1 877 681 7275.
Website:
www.fishhousestanleypark.com Price: $$
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House This San Francisco-style restaurant has the traditional atmosphere of an American brasserie.
Its mahogany and brass furnishings give it the comfortable feel of a gentleman’s club. Specialties include locally caught Pacific Northwest seafood and selected local meats grilled to perfection. The restaurant’s roof garden dining is said to be the best in the city.
777 Thurlow Street
Tel: (604) 669 1940.
Website:
www.joefortes.ca Price: $$$
Provence Marinaside As the name suggests, there is an obvious Provençal influence in the cuisine here and the ‘Marinaside’ is reflected in the floor to ceiling windows looking across False Creek and in the menu’s emphasis on seafood. The casually elegant dining space is well suited to the young professionals of the nearby Yaletown district. Specialties include the excellent bouillabaisse, rack of lamb or seafood platter.
1177 Marinaside Crescent
Tel: (604) 681 4144.
Website:
www.provencevancouver.com Price: $$-$$$
Vij’s Regarded by many as the best Asian restaurant in Vancouver,
Vij’s is not the place to go for a standard curry but rather to enjoy experimental Indian dishes using top local produce and homemade yogurt, cheese and
ghee. The no-reservation policy means there may be a wait, but chai and snacks are served in the lounge to whet the appetite. The regularly changing menu might include jackfruit in black cardamom and cumin curry or quail cakes for starters, followed by pomegranate-glazed chicken, seared striped bass or pork tenderloin filled with khoa cheese and potatoes in porcini cream curry.
1480 West 11th Avenue
Tel: (604) 736 6664.
Website:
www.vijs.ca Price: $$
Nightlife:Vancouver offers nightlife to suit all tastes, including nightclubs, pubs, lounges and karaoke bars. Popular areas for going out include Gastown, Yaletown and around Granville Street, which has become increasingly popular of late. The largest cluster of Vancouver’s gay establishments can be found in the Davie Village, on Davie Street west of Granville Street.
In Vancouver, there are also a fair number of members-only clubs catering to all sorts of crowds (many of these have fairly lax membership policies but it is best to check ahead) and restaurants often double up as bars. Any of these may offer live music on some nights. The scene is evolving since licensing laws changed a couple of years ago, with bars and clubs now allowed to serve alcohol until 0400, subject to local approval - individual venues may close earlier. The minimum drinking age is 19 years and the price of an average drink will set you back around C$5.
Entertainment listings can be found in the free weekly alternative paper,
The Georgia Straight (website:
www.straight.com), as well as in the Thursday edition of the daily
Vancouver Sun (website:
www.vancouversun.com). Information on the city’s gay and lesbian scene is available in the free weekly
Xtra West (website:
www.xtra.ca). A number of local websites (
www.clubvibes.com,
www.vancouverplus.ca and
www.livemusicvancouver.com) also have detailed venue and event listings.
Bars: In Gastown, the
Picadilly Pub (‘the Pic’ to the locals), 620 West Pender Street, is a popular spot and sometimes features live bands. Granville Street and surrounds has steadily become more of a night-time destination: try
Ginger Sixty Two, a hip lounge at number 1219, or
Caprice Lounge and Grill, a chilled bar with upstairs nightclub at number 967. For something rather more casual, the
Loose Moose, around the corner at 724 Nelson Street, is a decent spot for cheap food and beer. A couple of great spots to down a Martini are
Zin, 1277 Robson Street, and the classic
Delilah’s, 1789 Comox Street, in the West End.
Subeez, 891 Homer Street, draws a similar crowd for drinks and dinner in its funky, warehouse-like space on the edge of Yaletown.
The city also has a couple of good brewpubs -
Steamworks Brewing Company, 375 Water Street, in Gastown, and the
Yaletown Brewing Company, 1111 Mainland Street.
Bridges, near the Arts Club Theater and the Maritime Market, has been a landmark bar and bistro on Granville Island for more than 25 years, and the outdoor seating makes it a popular and fun spot in the summer. Also on Granville Island, the post-theater crowd congregates at the
Backstage Lounge, beside the Arts Club Theater.
East Vancouver has more of an alternative edge.
Waazubee, 1622 Commercial Drive, is a favorite watering hole among the locals and it also serves reasonable meals.
Bukowski’s Bar and Bistro, 1447 Commercial Drive, is a popular spot for beat poetry and also has occasional live bands.
Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, offers some folk and rock in the evenings.
The laid-back
Fountainhead Pub, 1025 Davie Street, is popular with gays and lesbians and has street-side tables.
Clubs: For nights of house, hip-hop and the like, two of the hottest spots are both on Water Street in Gastown.
Shine, at number 364 (website:
www.shinenightclub.com), and
Sonar, at number 66 (website:
www.sonar.bc.ca). Granville Street, though, is evolving into the city’s club district:
The Roxy, at number 932 (website:
www.roxyvan.com), draws weekend clubbers for chart dance hits, while
Caprice Nightclub, at number 965 (website:
www.capricenightclub.com), has everything from techno to retro on two levels in a former cinema. For gay visitors,
The Odyssey, 1251 Howe Street (website:
www.theodysseynightclub.com), offers club hits and theme nights to a mostly male, younger crowd.
Live Music: The renovated
Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street, is a great place to catch established acts and well-known artists, who also play at the
Queen Elizabeth, 649 Cambie Street, and
Orpheum, 601 Smithe Street, theaters. The really big acts take over
General Motors Place, 800 Griffiths Way, or even
BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Boulevard. For up-and-coming rock bands,
The Brickyard (punk and alternative), 315 Carral Street, and the more mainstream
Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street (website:
www.therailwayclub.com), are good bets. The
Yale, 1300 Granville Street (website:
www.theyale.ca), is considered the place for blues in Vancouver. The top spot for jazz in the city is
The Cellar, 3611 West Broadway (website:
www.cellarjazz.com).
O’Doul’s Restaurant and Bar, 1300 Robson Street (website:
www.odoulsrestaurant.com), is another good jazz spot. The
Vancouver Jazz Society (website:
www.vancouverjazz.com) has loads of information on the local scene.
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