Vancouver City Guide

(Current as of Mar 2018)

LUNCH / BRUNCH:

• Slickity Jim's. Eclectic diner vibe. Apparently this is one of Moby's favorite restaurants.
• Paul's Omelettery
• Red Wagon. Go early to avoid the lineup.
• Meat & Bread. Their porchetta sandwich has bits of crackling in it. Need I say more?

CHINESE:

• Non-dim-sum Chinese brunch: Ningtu. Get the sesame rolls with minced pork filling. Their tea-smoked duck, while not strictly a brunch item, is also amazing; it's available as a whole or a half duck.
• Dim sum: My personal favorite is Sun Sui Wah
• Hand-made noodles: Sha-lin Noodle House
• Dive-y Hong Kong cafe, cheap and casual: Angel
• All-you-can-eat hot pot: Fatty Cow

INDIAN:

• Traditional: Tandoori Raj (f/k/a Original Tandoori King). Love the lamb korma and eggplant bhartha. Their takeout portions are significantly more generous, so this is a good option for a night in with a growler of microbrew.
• Fancy: Vij's Rangoli. All the great flavors and creativity, with less fuss than at the flagship restaurant.

JAPANESE:

• Cheap, generous portions: Samurai (Fraser location only)
• Izakaya: Zakkushi
• Izakaya: Guu
• Fancy sushi + izakaya: Kingyo

CAMBODIAN / VIETNAMESE:

• Phnom Penh. For the brave, the deep-fried frog legs are amazing. For the less brave, the butter beef is too. And the chicken wings, for everyone (the lemon dipping sauce really makes this dish).

FRENCH:

• Bistro: Café Salade de Fruits
• Bistro: Absinthe
• Fancy: Le Crocodile. The decor is starting to look really dated but the food is solid.

ITALIAN:

• Tavola (f/k/a Tapastree)
• Fancy Neapolitan pizza: Nicli Antica Pizzeria
• Ludica has an entire wall of board games for you to play.

SPANISH / TAPAS:

• Sardine Can. Do not miss out on the sherry-cream mushrooms.
• España is on the fancier side and can get pricey but the food is great.

MIDDLE EASTERN:

• Jamjar. They usually have several seasonal flavors of hummus. A good option for brunch too.

MEXICAN / TACOS:

• La Taqueria. My favorite ones are the carnitas and the lengua.

WEST COAST:

• Fable. Farm to table.
• Flying Pig. Has a great happy hour.

VEGETARIAN:

• MeeT. I am a total carnivore - but SO addicted to their quinoa, sweet potato and kale salad. With a cup of the house chili, it makes for a pretty substantial meal.

SEAFOOD:

• Crab: Dungeness is great almost year-round in Vancouver, but Alaskan King crab season is truly legendary. The price for these monster crabs - live in tanks in most restaurants - dips below $20/lb, sometimes even below $15/lb, and Chinese restaurants do a particularly tasty preparation with tons of garlic called suan long. YUM!
• Geoduck: A weird-looking but delicious creature in the clam family. It's delicious simply sliced and blanched, in a dipping sauce of soy and scallions. (The cleaning and prepping is tricky so best not attempt to cook it yourself if you have no experience with it.)
• Like eating with your hands? Holy Crab
• Best salmon burger in the city: Tipper

FOR THE VIEW:

• In a park (warning: these are a tad tourist-y): Stanley Park's Teahouse or QE Park's Seasons
• A little further out: Beach House or Salmon House (unaffiliated) in West Vancouver. Enjoy a scenic drive over the Lions Gate Bridge on your way to dinner.

AFTERNOON TEA:

• Your great aunt's parlor: Adonia 
• Rustic farmhouse: Secret Garden

SWEETS AND PASTRIES:

• Purebread. A veritable orgy of baked goods. Your sweet tooth will thank you. Your waistline, maybe not so much.
• Earnest Ice Cream. I like to try the limited edition flavors, but their Tahitian Vanilla has a wonderfully restrained purity.
• Aphrodite's Pie Shop. Their strawberry-rhubarb is my favorite.
• Cheesecake Etc. They're open late, so it's a good place to catch up with old friends. My favorite thing to order is a frozen slice of the classic cheesecake with extra strawberry sauce.
• Lucky's Doughnuts / 49th Parallel Coffeehouse. Get the espresso milkshake if it's in season.
• New Town Bakery. Famous apple tarts and other Asian pastries.

MISC:

• Activity / market: Granville Island Public Market. There is an artisan sake maker, and local micro-distillery called Liberty on Granville Island.
• Kitchenwares: Gourmet Warehouse
• Dried fruits and nuts: Ayoub's

BARS:

• Main St, preppy: Portland Craft
• Main St, microbrew: Brassneck. Of the three Main Street micros, I like Brassneck's beer and selection the best. They have all the standards but I love them for their sours and seasonal fruit-infused beers.
• Main St, microbrew: 33 Acres. Their beer is a bit hoppy for my taste but their cider is divine.
• Gastown, wine: Salt - note: yes, the only entrance is off "Blood Alley"
• Gastown, whiskey: Shebeen
• Olympic Village, beer: Craft. Very deep beer menu and decent food. Can get a bit noisy in the converted warehouse space, and multiple rounds of drinks can add up to a painful bill.
• Cambie or Commercial, Belgian: BierCraft. They have Delirium Tremens on tap.
• Broadway or Commercial, nerdy: Storm Crow. A sci-fi fan's wet dream.
• Canucks games and cheap chicken wings: Original Joe's (half price on Tues); The Pint ($4/lb on Wed)