I’ve organized the article into Vancouver neighborhoods, highlighting the best restaurants, restaurant bars, specialty coffee places and bars in each zone. In my limited exploration thus far, I’ve visited establishments in the Downtown Eastside, Downtown, Mount Pleasant, Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Grandview-Woodland. For a witty breakdown of what to expect in Vancouver’s neighborhoods, check out Hoodmaps.

Downtown Eastside

Downtown eastside easily has the most number of food and drink destinations in the city. Unfortunately it’s also the sketchiest neighborhoods in Vancouver. The downtown eastside includes the safer and touristy Gastown to the north and the always adventurous Chinatown to the south. This zone is home to some great cocktail bars including Keefer, Meo and Laowai.

Laowai (251 E Georgia St)

Years in the making, Laowai is a hidden cocktail bar in Chinatown which opened in July 2021. Conceived by Lewis Hart, Laowai is located behind the popular Blnd Tger dumplings. When you enter Blnd Tger, ask for the off menu dumpling to gain access to the speakeasy.

Laowai’s stylish and dark interior was designed by London-based Bergman Interiors. Laowai has tables both near the bar counter and in a more intimate space in the back. There is also a private room used for special events. Lewis Hart explained that Laowai is inspired by 1920s Shanghai, characterized by a booming economy and wild nightlife. The city was a chaotic mix of visionaries and misfits, where the locals and laowai (foreigners in Mandarin, gweilo in Cantonese) were free from the societal restrictions of the Western world. This is the ethos of Laowai, with a menu and atmosphere which encourages its guests to explore and indulge. Laowai’s drink menu reads like a book and is a pleasure to hold and flip through. For each of the signatures, there is an original illustration and story behind the drink. There is a strong focus on baijiu, which is included in several signature cocktails. Near the end of the menu, you will find a list of baijiu you can order by the shot.

During Vancouver cocktail week, Laowai organized a several guest bartending events, bringing in Jesse Vida of Catbite Club Singapore, Bastien Ciocca of Hope and Sesame China, Salmon Guru Madrid, Tato Giovannoni of Floreria Atlantico Buenos Aires and Harry Tham of Clive's Classic Lounge Victoria. In all cases, the afternoon seminars and evening guest shifts were well attended, providing added motivation to local bars to organize more international events.

Guest bartenders Harry Tham and Tato Giovannoni

The Keefer Bar (135 Keefer St)

The Keefer Bar, together with Gastown’s Pourhouse, were the first bars to start the craft cocktail boom in Vancouver around 2010. 14 years later, these bars continue to be reference points for mixology in the city. The Keefer Bar sources ingredients, often with medicinal qualities, from Chinatown’s apothecaries to come up their innovative cocktails.

Led by GM Keenan Hood and Bar Manager Amber Bruce, The Keefer draws in an eclectic mix of Vancouverites and tourists. The long, narrow and darkly lit space is how a classic cocktail bar should be. There are also oddball ornaments, bottles and art to remind you that you’re in Chinatown while you savor one of the team’s prescriptions. From the latest menu, try the Inside Out Old Fashioned (pictured below) with Michter’s sour mash whiskey, Classic Laddie single malt, baby corn gomme, and caraway angostura.

Kissa Tanto (263 E Pender St)

Kissa Tanto elegantly blends the Japanese and Italian flavors to deliver one of the city’s best dining experiences. The name Kissa Tanto is another fusion of Japan and Italy, with kissa refering to the Japanese jazz cafes of the 1960s and tanto simply meaning “a lot” in Italian. The fusion at Kissa Tanto is perhaps inspired by chef owner Joël Watanabe’s mixed heritage (his father is Japanese while is mother is Corsican-French Canadian).

The interior at Kissa Tanto is stunning, with Pete Wells accurately describing the design as a set from a David Lynch movie. The standout on the menu are the tajarin with butter, cheese, miso-cured egg yolk and black truffles. They are things legends are made of and better than most tajarin I’ve had in Piedmont. The whole fried fish at Kissa Tanto was deliciously tender.

Whole fried fish at Tajarin at Kissa Tanto

Bao Bei (163 Keefer St)

A Chinatown institution, Bao Bei is as cool as it gets in Vancouver. Dim lighting, an intimate bar area and delicious Asian sharing plates. The cuisine at Bao Bei is a modern take on casual Asian food. Think dim sum that you'd enjoy eating in the evening alongside well-made cocktails like the red date old fashioned.

The pot-stickers and dumplings are the highlight of the menu. Don't miss the steamed pork, betel leaf, cabbage and fuzzy melon dumplings. Another must-order dish is the crispy tofu, garlic sweet soy, and fresh water chestnut.

Steamed pork dumplings at Crispy tofu at Bao Bei

Meo (265 E Pender St)

From Tannis Ling, Joël Watanabe, and Alain Chow, the brilliant team behind Kissa Tanto and Bao Bei comes Meo, the hottest new bar opening in Canada. Located on the ground floor of a Chinatown heritage building, one floor below Kissa Tanto, Meo has one of the most beautiful interior designs I’ve seen. Inspired by the sexy 1970s, Meo’s interior features pink tones, dark wooden paneling and a vintage juke box in front of the center piece of the bar, the bar counter with gorgeous overhead mirrors. Bar manager Denis Bykov has developed an intriguing menu of twists on classics along with playful signatures, of which six are available on tap. With his menu, Bykov wants to remind guests that not al all fruits are sweet and all vegetables are savoury. My favorite drink on the menu is the Spicy Margarita, with tequila, melon milk, lime and agave along with a custom spicy level, from jalapeno to ghost pepper.

Gobo (237 Union St)

Gobo is my favorite wine bar in Vancouver, focusing mainly on natural wines and smaller producers. With bartender/sommelier Peter Van de Reep constantly changing the wine lineup, every visit to Gobo will satisfy even the most demanding wine geek. Other than the stellar wines selected by Peter, you will be treated to the best bar food in the city. When in season, do not miss the world class tomatoes from Milan Djordjevich at Stoney Paradise Farm (Kelowna).

pjimage (19).jpg — Great wine and food at Gobo

Torafuku (958 Main St)

I am ashamed that I have only just discovered Torafuku. This chinatown institution has been around for 6 years, with an enticing menu focused on Pan Asian flavors. Owner and chef Steve Kuan has developed highly addictive Asians dishes using Pacific Northwest ingredients, but always staying true to Taiwanese and Chinese traditions. At lunch, you will find mostly noodles and rice, but a dinner there is also room for more sophisticated mains. Torafuku also has a serious cocktail list which includes Asian-influenced drinks such as the Kanpai Negroni with Chrysanthemum infused Tanqueray gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and plum sake.

At lunch, the signature dish is Torafuku Beef Noodle Soup with sake braised beef shank, 72 hours beef broth, hand-pulled noodles, bok choy, soft poached marinated egg, and pickled mustard. Simply put, this is the best noodle soup dish of my life, and the best dish I’ve ever had in Vancouver. Chapeau to chef Steve Kuan, whose inspiration for this dish came from his mom’s beef noodle soup that he ate while growing up in Taipei.

Torafuku Beef Noodle Soup (photo Torafuku)

DD Mau Chinatown (145 East Pender St)

DD Mau offers hipster-friendly but authentic Vietnamese food. DD Mau was initially a food truck but in 2012 they opened a restaurant in Yaletown and an even larger restaurant recently in Chinatown. The family run business seeks to provide “Vietnamese food for the people”. Based on our experience, they’ve accomplished this, with clientele ranging from Vietnamese families, to hipsters like me, to blue collar hockey fans enjoying a pre-game meal. The minimalist Vietnamese fusion design elements at DD are appealing, but are not meant to overshadow the star attraction, the kick ass food.

Start your adventure with the fried sticky rice with Chinese sausage, Shitake mushrooms and runny egg. Not only is it food porn, it’s umami overload. I thoroughly enjoyed the signature bun cha ha noi, grilled meatballs and pork in a fish sauce broth served with vermicelli, salad and herbs. It’s simple but savory comfort food.

PiDGiN (350 Carrall St)

Billed as French Asian fusion, PiDGiN is a beautiful oasis in one of the worst parts of the Downtown eastside. Although I didn’t get a chance to try the full tasting menu experience, I thoroughly enjoyed the dry aged striploin with black garlic butter and fermented bok choi. As a starter, don’t miss out on the spicy and addictive beef tendon chicharron with gochugaru citrus spice. I wish I had also tried the Korean rice cakes with gochujung bolognese and spiced hazelnut but unfortunately my daughter nixed it out of a fear of the spice level. Before the meal, I tried PiDGiN’s rotating Duke’s martini. On the day I went, they mixed Tanqueray with Noilly Prat and fino sherry. Although it was a much wetter version of Palazzi’s recipe, it was good enough that I ordered two and thought about getting a third.

Revolver (325 Cambie Street)

The reference point for specialty coffee in Western Canada, Revolver is a hip coffee joint located in the gastown district. They serve excellent espresso and can prepare coffee in a myriad of different ways such as cold press, siphon and pour over. Although they don’t roast their own coffee, the feature the best local and foreign roasters including Phil and Sebastian from Calgary, Bows and Arrows from Victoria and superstars Tim Wendelboe from Oslo and Rubens Gardelli from Rimini.

Nemesis (302 W Hastings St)

Nemesis is located a stone’s throw from Vancouver’s leading coffee shop Revolver. Huge windows allow natural lighting to enter the large and welcoming space on W Hastings. This place has a similar vibe as Blue Bottle SF in Mint Plaza. An eclectic mix of beautiful customers in a great space, looking to level up on their Starbucks experience. Nemesis is big, aiming to be a high volume specialty coffee shop. However, the product is excellent, with tasty pastries and reliably good pour overs.

Pourhouse (162 Water St)

Located just east of the steam clock in Gastown, Pourhouse was one the first establishments to kick off the craft cocktail bar scene in Vancouver. The 100-year-old building was built in 1910 and the centerpiece of the bar is the 38-foot counter handcrafted from 120 year-old planks of reclaimed Douglas fir. At Pourhouse, expect well made classics such as the Old Fashioned along with a convivial atmosphere up at the bar, a breath of fresh air for the normally cliquey Vancouver clientele.

Martini cocktail and whiskey sour at Pourhouse

Downtown

Downtown includes the expensive condos in Coal Harbour, the great views from Waterfront, the yuppies in Yaletown and also the Stadium and Science World areas.

The 515 Bar (521 Seymour St)

Although it's attached to a Malone's, 515 feels anything but cookie cutter. This place is hipster, in the best possible way - friendly faces, good independent products, and well-made drinks. One of my favorite bars in Van.

Elisa (1109 Hamilton St)

Elisa is the new baby of the Toptable group. Located in Yaletown and across the street from sister restaurant Blue water, Elisa is the premier steak restaurant in town but also has great seafood dishes such as the succulent roasted sea scallops or local oysters. Don’t miss the steak at Elisa, which is always delicious no matter what your budget is.

Local oysters; Brant Lake Farm Wagyu flat iron

The Fairmont Pacific Rim (1038 Canada Place)

The Lobby Lounge is the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel’s original cocktail bar and is located on the lobby level and includes live music and high quality sushi, donburi bowls and bento boxes from RawBar. The Lobby Lounge is one of the best locations in the city for those seeking a glamorous cocktail bar with a warm atms. The typically laid back Vancouver attitude is left at the door at the Lobby Lounge, where you will feel like you’re hanging with a vibrant South Beach crowd. Whether you’re at one of the Bob Dylan-inspired communal tables or up at the white Italian marble-clad bar counter, you’re sure to have a great time thanks to the upbeat mood and well-mixed drinks by beverage director Grant Sceney and his team at the Lobby Lounge.

Grant Sceney making me an epic dirty martini at the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Lobby Lounge

Botanist is the flagship bar at Fairmont Pacific Rim, and flanks the restaurant of the same name. To find Botanist, walk past the Lobby Lounge bar and up the stairs. The centerpiece at Botanist is the cocktail laboratory, which is visible from the bar counter. The lab empowers the bartenders with a culinary-forward approach to cocktail design and production and includes modern equipment such as a rotary evaporator and centrifuge.

One example of the sophisticated cocktails at Botanist is the terroir-inspired Botanist’s martini, which pays tribute to the best of Vancouver: the local mountains, the pacific ocean and the temperate rainforest. Coastal gin blend, house vermouth, seaborne tincture (spruce tip tincture, verbena tincture, elderflower liqueur and salt water) and an oyster leaf and vegan caviar garnish are combined to produce an elegant martini that highlights some of the best flavors of the region.

Mount Pleasant

Published (3593 Main St)

Executive Chef Gus Stiefenhoffer-Brandson has a wealth of important culinary experiences including Perch at UBC, Hawksworth Restaurant and a summer at Noma. His latest project Published on Main has quickly become a darling among Vancouver foodies.

Published seems to be full every night, with tempting sharing plates and an excellent cocktail program thanks to Dylan Riches. Other than a perfectly crafted Michter's Manhattan, I was blown away with The Adrian, a cocktail dedicated to co-founder Adrian Wijesinghe. This cocktail features everything Adrian liked: Oban 14 scotch, Los Siete Misterios mezcal, Monkey Shoulder, coconut Campari syrup, Dandelion & Burdock bitters, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. This smoky and complex drink prepared by Published bartender Liam Hattan was a perfect end to an amazing experience at Published, which also included two stellar dishes from the kitchen.

The ultimate bar food, the chicken fried maitake mushroom and garlic scape ranch is a must order. I also loved the burrata with stone fruit, tomatoes and a black currant leaf oil. On a return visit for dinner, my favorites were the roasted scallops with popcorn butter sauce and sorghum tabouli, japanese style milk buns with bee pollen and whipped butter and the homemade gnocchi. Compliments to Gus and his kitchen team.

Left: scallops and milk buns. Right: gnocchi

Modus Coffee Roastery (112 W Broadway)

Modus is a micro-roaster with well-balanced seasonal coffees and great bites. Dine in to enjoy the calming atmosphere and exquisite yuzu avo toast with japanese mayo, sauerkraut, smoked salt, black sesame and fromage blanc.

33 Acres (15 W 8th Ave)

Although 33 Acres is better known as one of the top craft brewers in Vancouver, they also happen to make the best espresso in town! I enjoyed a Phil and Sebastian roast of Nansebo Genene. It was acidic and vibrant, and my favorite espresso in recent memory.

Anh and Chi (3388 Main St)

Located on the southern edge of Mount Pleasant, Anh and Chi is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant on Main St, which is becoming the Vancouver foodie’s favorite street thanks to neighbors Published, Toshi, Hawker’s Delight, Bob Likes Thai Food and Sun Sui Wah.

Anh and Chi is a modern Vietnamese eatery that stays true to its roots. I ordered Number 37 with lemongrass chicken and char-grilled pork chop with jasmine rice, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and Mẹ’s chilli fish sauce. The succulent meat reminded me of my best experiences during my PhD days back in Toronto, the reference point for authentic Vietnamese food in Canada.

Like its friendly competition The Lunch Lady, DD Mau and Do Chay, Anh and Chi also does Vietnamese twists on cocktails.

Kensington-Cedar Cottage

Do Chay (1392 Kingsway)

Do Chay, which means vegetarian stuff, is a vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant opened in May. Run by Patrick and Amanda Clark, Do Chay is a contemporary version of Vietnamese cooking, obviously with no meat. Ensuring that tradition is always respected in the innovative cuisine is Patrick’s mother Yen Do, the heart and soul of the operation.

A must try to start are addictive the Vegan XO potstickers (hand-wrapped potstickers, mushroom XO, cabbage, carrot, served with sweet soy, sweat pea shoots). From the noodle dishes, I was blown away with the taste of the Desert Island noodles (thick rice noodles, coconut milk, vegan “meatballs,” shredded tofu, peanuts, “Ish sauce”, herbs and greens) and Satay noodles (peanut and sesame spicy satay broth, broccoli, seitan, tomato and rice noodles). Note that Ish sauce is the homemade vegan replacement for fish sauce, a crucial part of Vietnamese cuisine. To mimic the flavor of fish sauce, they used many ingredients, including fermented mung beans.

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Grandview-Woodland

The Lunch Lady (1046 Commercial Dr)

My favorite place on Commercial Drive, the Lunch Lady serves outstanding Vietnamese street food with both traditional and modern dishes. Start with the salad rolls with crispy fried tofu and peanut sauce. No visit is complete without the beef pho served with brisket, rare beef, rice noodles and 24 hour beef broth - perhaps the best pho in town.

You can also find Vietnamese twists on classic cocktails such as the Cafè Negroni with traditional Vietnamese brewed over top of the Italian aperitivo.

Dachi (2297 E Hastings St)

Dachi is a hip restaurant and bar just off of East Hastings serving natural wines, sake, cocktails and small plates. The pleasant staff are very helpful in navigating the foreign world of natural wines. Thanks to the pandemic, Dachi offers patio seating in what was once their parking lot.

OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS

Hansol Korean Restaurant (1192 Lansdowne Dr #401, Coquitlam)

Hands down the best Korean restaurant I’ve tried in the Lower Mainland, Hansol is a new addition to the growing number of quality Asian restaurants in Coquitlam. I have tried the Bulgogi, stone bowl Bibimbap and Jap Chae which were all authentic and delicious. Outstanding!

Honey's Doughnuts (4373 Gallant Ave, North Vancouver)

Honey’s Doughnuts is probably the most famous eating joint in Deep Cove. The specialty here is obvious but they also have decent sandwiches. In addition to their flagship honey donut, you can also find maple and chocolate flavors at Honey’s. The honey variety is possibly the best donut I’ve ever had. A word of warning: despite the laidback Deep Cove location, there are long lines and rapid-fire service at Honey’s, leading to a rather stressful experience. But take a deep breath as it’s all worth it once you have the holy grail of donuts in your hand.

Honey and maple donuts at Honey’s in Deep Cove

Naka Bistro Lao & Thai Cuisine (20055 Fraser Hwy, Langley)

Naka bistro is 45 minutes from Vancouver but the Laotian/Thai food on offer here is so good, that a true foodie would make the trip to the Fraser Hwy location. When I am back in town visiting my parents in Surrey, I visit Naka at least once a week. Naka makes the best Laotian food in the Lower Mainland.

My favorite Laotian dishes are the Nem Khao (crispy rice lettuce wrap with spices, shredded coconut, cured pork, fresh herbs and sour lime juice), Kao Piak Sen (noodles in soup topped with chicken, green onions, dried garlic flakes and cilantro), and Sai Gok (Laotian pork sausages with spicy chilli dip and sticky rice)

If you are less adventurous, the Pad Thai and Pad See Iw are solid choices and the Curry chicken is very good. But I strongly encourage you to pick from the Laotian specialties. It’s some of the best Asian food in the Greater Vancouver area.

Vancouver /March 30, 2024 by shane eaton