Vancouver food

[martincath]

If your budget is US$100pp, and nobody wants swanky wine, any of the steakhouses listed will work - but personally I'd be inclined to go Italian as there are far more options for a nice big tasty meal under even CAD$100 for 3 courses and drinks than at steakhouses given how much beef prices have gone up in the last couple of years.

 

Close to the PP on foot, for someone with mobility issues, there's really only one Italian close enough to recommend - Bacaro in the Fairmont Pacific Rim just down the street. I'm loathe to recommend it though as I have yet to visit it myself, but it has done consistently well in both professional and Regular Joe reviews. However, there are some great places I can recommend that you could take a cab to! e.g. Lupo or Cibo would only run about $10 each way (for up to 4 people).

 

There are much trendier Italians, but I find both of these joints hit the sweet spot of decent value for decent portion sizes of high quality food without hustling you out the door ASAP - you'll spend more for less food elsewhere, and they're both consistently good without being too popular (i.e. hard to make a reso). I also find both of them a little quieter than most downtown restos - for a birthday meal you probably want to hear everyone talking!

[psuboater]

12 hours ago, Milhouse said:

A couple of steak options:

I think an obvious option is Chop Steakhouse which is located across from the Pan Pacific along the side of the Convention Centre West building.  I have not eaten there yet but it's on my list.  Chop is a chain and this location opened about half a year ago.  Apparently it has a very nice room.  

 

I'm not sure if I'd call Cactus Club upscale but I think it's a reasonable option located on the other side of the Convention Centre West building in Jack Poole Plaza.  It also has a nice room with great views.  My friend kept pestering me to order a steak at Cactus Club and I was pleasantly surprised by it when I did (not at this locaton though).  They're not a steakhouse though so they don't have a wide variety of cuts but serve Certified Angus Beef.

 

At the edge of where you probably would want to walk (~15mins), there's the Keg, Hy's Steakhouse, (and Gotham Steakhouse).  The Keg is a relatively cheaper steakhouse chain (but still nice) with a variety of AAA grade cuts and typical steakhouse fare/sides/appies.  I find this location's dining room really dark if that's an issue.  Hy's is a smaller steakhouse chain that's a step up from the Keg and serves prime grade beef.  It's probably going to push your $100pp target.  (Gotham is a part of the Hy's group but operates under it's own banner.  It's a la carte and serves prime grade beef but is likely going to be above your $100pp target).

Something to note for American friends- the steak will taste slightly different than what you're used to at home. We went to Gotham last summer and had a great experience, but our waiter explained the taste will be different than US Beef due to the feed they give their cows. It was still a phenomenal meal and great steak, but there was a noticeable difference. My husband's pandemic hobby was buying a steak oven and therefore we had a lot of steak the past few years.  🙂  Just wanted to give others a heads up in case your waiter doesn't! And if you do get to Gotham- the creme brûlée was the best I have ever had from all my travels. 

[Left_Coast]

Thank you @martincath and @psuboater for your suggestions and info

[challahmom]

Great suggestions! 

Which restaurants would you recommend for fresh fish?

[martincath]

3 hours ago, psuboater said:

... the taste will be different than US Beef due to the feed they give their cows. It was still a phenomenal meal and great steak, but there was a noticeable difference.

What the cows eat definitely makes a difference (I remember a really interesting 'steak tasting trilogy' of the same herd fed either all grass, all corn, or grazed then finished on corn and both taste and texture of the beef varied noticeably!) but I've yet to come across a country-wide difference in flavour, only individual ranch/regional oddities (if you ever get the chance to try PEI 'Blue Dot' grab it; it's a regional marketing thing of potato-fed Prime-qualifying beef and I really enjoy it - similar high fat content to corn-fed cows, but with a slightly deeper flavour more akin to all-grass-fed cows, best of both worlds!)

 

Take the same Angus cows that make up most herds in both countries,  graze them on the same species of grasses, finish them with the same monocultured cultivars of corn or soy in the feedlots, and they taste the same regardless of what their accent is - none of the plants or animals know about the border 😉

[martincath]

1 hour ago, challahmom said:

Great suggestions! 

Which restaurants would you recommend for fresh fish?

It's hard to go wrong with local seafood here - any remotely high-end resto, heck even many of our pubs, will have at least salmon, cod, and halibut on the menu regularly (and often at least two kinds of salmon!) Since portioned fish is really easy to cook, regular menu items the staff almost everywhere are able to get plenty of practise; I can't recall the last time I had to send back a fish dish anywhere in Vancouver. Plus of course we have a massive sushi scene, varying from classic to more niche like Aburi style (at Miku, next to the pier - I'm actually not a fan, I think raw should be raw rather than blowtorched, but I have to admit they're consistently good at what they do).

 

During much of cruise season, you've got solid overlap into fishing seasons for all of these and more - Arctic Char is becoming more and more available locally, as a sustainable fish that's salmon-y enough to be popular, and Steelhead is actually my favourite of all the classic game fish and readily available here from sustainable inland farms with minimal environmental impact as well as seasonally-wild-caught. Char is I think still the only constant dish at Barbara, a now-very-hard-to-book resto I've been championing since it opened (curse you Michelin star!) - no matter what else changes week to week on the hyper seasonal menu, the char remains on the menu (just with varying veg).

 

But if you want to maximize your chance of getting some rarer fish cooked properly, or served raw for that matter, then Blue Water Cafe begins and ends your search - nowhere else in town regularly serves as many different kinds, and while their raw bar may not be quite as good as say the best three straight-up sushi joints none of those can hold a candle to Frank's cooked fish menu! Unless you want an all-sushi meal, if BWC is within your budget get it booked.

 

Unfortunately the best time of year at BWC does not overlap with cruise season: February we always make a point of sampling everything on the Unsung Heroes menu that we haven't already eaten before (and of course any returning items if we have room for them); it's always a joy!

 

Not a dedicated seafood place, but if by chance you're here in May or June for Spot Prawn season, I always encourage folks who want to see what the fuss is about spot prawns to try Provence in Yaletown. They are consistently the best value place to try multiple presentations, with set menu that gives you several dishes - if two folks both order different appies and mains you can try up to five ways to eat them (one of the mains they usually has is 'spot prawns two ways', on top of three other singular dishes). I believe that they are finally reopening their more casual Wine Bar for this summer, which has an excellent selection of local wines sold by the ounce - so you can have just enough wine to match even a small nibbly plate. Pre-covid, this was one of our favourite 'grazing' spots to while away the hours in, and despite not being a dedicated seafood resto since the chef-owner J-F is a native of Marseilles the seafood dishes are always on point, especially the bouillabaisse!

[cattman]

We like Rodney's Oyster House, in Gastown, about a twenty - minute walk(approx.) from Canada Place. Casual, fun atmosphere, and their Potato-encrusted Halibut is to die for

[challahmom]

Thank you for the suggestions!  We live on the other west coast, on St Pete Beach, FL.  We also get excellent fresh fish!  We’ll be sailing on the Equinox from September 10-30, 2023.

We look forward to enjoying your delicious fresh “cooked” fish!

[Milhouse]

I'm a fan of Blue Water Cafe too.  

 

Wanted to also suggest trying sablefish (aka blackcod and gindara) if on the menu.  It's a very buttery whitefish.  

[dawnvip]

Another vote for Blue Water Cafe!

 

Here are some that others haven't mentioned:

Hotel restaurants that we love: Diva at the Met (Metropolitan Hotel) and Bacchus at the Wedgewood

Italian: Italian Kitchen on Burrard, Tavola and CinCin on Robson

One-off Vancouver only: Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop house 

 

Cafe Medina on Richards and Chambar on Beatty for brunch!

[martincath]

Glad I didn't see the recent posts until well after dinner, or I'd be making myself hungry reading!!!

 

Backup votes for Diva (several chefs over the years, but consistently good, and weirdly enough the only spot I have ever felt the need to go and personally thanks the chef for how good the soup was - I think it was Hamid Salimian at that point) and Bacchus (especially for the birthday meal request mentioned before - I always forget how good Bacchus is as they keep very low key, but it's also possibly the quietest dining room in downtown, lots of plush fabrics and heavy furniture, so low-volume convos can be had easily; it's where my wife got taken for dinner when they were trying to persuade her to move here, which worked out well for us!)

 

Medina has had the best brunch (and waffles!) in the city since they opened, and frankly still do despite many new spots opening which have upped our average brunch game significantly. Why anyone is daft enough to queue up for Jam Jar, the Stefo's of brunch (mediocre food in huge portions) when they could walk right into Chambar on the same block is beyond me - Medina began here, using the kitchens when Chamber was dinner-only and when it moved many recipes remained behind (there's still some shared ownership and general good vibes) so it's almost as good as Medina, especially the waffles (same type of irons, just lacking a few years of seasoning compared to the Medina ones!)

 

@Milhouse Since we definitely overlap a lot in dining taste, in case you're not already a regular there the best sablefish I've ever been served was in Salmon'n'Bannock last year - I was pleasantly surprised because while I've been a fan forever I had always regarded their food as more homely, family-style fare than fancy, going here for proteins that are challenging or impossible to get elsewhere (sea lion, oolichan oil, herring roe) rather than superb cooking. Even a little before the pandemic hit they were trying to up their game and are definitely succeeding - there's now a permanent FoH manager/Maitre d'/Sommelier, which is a fair few hats but in such a small resto it works even though he also has to add a 'cultural advisor' hat for first-time visitors, explaining the basics of indigenous cuisine.

 

The sides are still mostly parochial, literally the same potatoes & daily veg for most mains, but (obviously from the name!) they cook a lot of fish so most importantly they know when to stop cooking it - and unlike many fancier spots, the sable fish was truly allowed to speak for itself due to the simple presentation, just a basic white wine pan-sauce on the side. 9 times out of 10 when you order sable it's done in Miso - which is classic for a reason but, like 'English' peas with the first halibut of the season, just because they're a good combo doesn't mean you have to serve them together! Right now they're smoking their sablefish with sage, over polenta and beets, so it seems my feedback about maybe bumping the sides up a smidgen in fanciness was accepted!

 

Although SnB has very much been on the radar of TripAdvisor rankings for several years now, being outside the downtown core still keeps it a little quieter especially for cruisers with short Pre- or Post- stays; the days of me being able to just wander in whenever I was passing without a reso are long gone, but even in summer you can usually call just a day or two in advance midweek or a week at most for a Fri/Sat mid-evening slot. It's truly unique, will definitely deliver several fishy options for @challahmom, and while it's not Italian or a Steakhouse for @Left_Coasts Birthday Boy (or Girl) they always have a couple of Bison dishes (all cows that have been good wish to be returned as bison in their next lives!) and something else Game-y in season like elk or caribou. The bannocks are pretty good too, especially for sopping up sauces.

[Milhouse]

12 hours ago, martincath said:

@Milhouse Since we definitely overlap a lot in dining taste, in case you're not already a regular there the best sablefish I've ever been served was in Salmon'n'Bannock last year - I was pleasantly surprised because while I've been a fan forever I had always regarded their food as more homely, family-style fare than fancy, going here for proteins that are challenging or impossible to get elsewhere (sea lion, oolichan oil, herring roe) rather than superb cooking.

Thanks for the tip.  I have not been to Salmon n Bannock yet.  Will add them to the list!

[libtrek]

Hi all, we’re the folks that booked atrium for better or worse. For dinner near there on our one pre cruise night I see Vancouver has pho, one of my favorites. There is NOTHING resembling it in my small-town, thumb of Michigan home. (We have MacBurgWen in town, and 3 total restaurants and China Buffet). So, best Pho ideas? Mary Lou

[KeepCalmBearOn]

2 hours ago, libtrek said:

So, best Pho ideas? Mary Lou

 

If you mean you are at the Atrium Inn, there are a lot of pho spots nearby.

 

Head to Le Pho Vietnamese. It is on Hastings, west of your hotel, maybe 1/2 a mile. You will walk past three other pho places. That is okay. Keep walk until you get to Le Pho.

[Milhouse]

Must avoid Pho Don across the street.

Le Petit Saigon on the next block over is convenient and normally good.  But something kind of seemed off last week and I'm wondering if ownership has changed.  (Had the Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio last week and thought the spring roll tasted a bit under fried. And the missus thought the pho broth was good but a bit wimpier than it normally is.)   

It's a bit more of a trek but if you like northern Vietnamese, Mr Red Cafe is a 15 min walk west.  Not the most interesting of walks tho.

A little further away (5 min by car as I wouldn't suggest walking there even though I do) is Commercial Drive with many interesting places to eat.  For pho (and other dishes), there's Lunch Lady.  The owners collaborated with the lunch lady of Anthony Bourdain fame and its been a hit (after struggling in its previous iteration).  I'd go more often but it's hard to get a table.

I also have to mention Merci Beaucoup Cafe further down Commercial.  Their pho is ok but their Banh Mi's are really delicious.  

[xlxo]

On 5/2/2023 at 5:13 PM, Left_Coast said:

B-day persons faves are Italian and Steak

 

My fav steak destinations are Elisa and Gotham's.  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elisa+steaks+vancouver

 

Porterhouse and Tomahawks are my fav best served shared.

[dawnvip]

I love Le Pho, and am sorry to hear that Le Petit Saigon has gone down hill as their food has always been better than looks of the restaurant itself (Showing its age for some time). I wonder if they are struggling too? 

[challahmom]

Thanks for the heads up about sablefish, malaclypse cod.  We’re not familiar with it, but will definitely try it!  Is it practical to walk to Salmon n’Bannock from the Pan Pacific?

 

Another dining request is for vegetarian Asian restaurants?  Are there any that are worth trying?

 

 

[xlxo]

On 5/10/2023 at 1:37 PM, challahmom said:

Is it practical to walk to Salmon n’Bannock from the Pan Pacific?

 

Another dining request is for vegetarian Asian restaurants?  Are there any that are worth trying?

 

Salmon 'n Bannock takes over an hour to walk there.  I recommend bus/cab/uber/lyft there.

 

For veggie Asian... friends like Po Kong and Sun Bo Kong (Kingsway near Knight) and it's another you don't want to walk there.

[arpie05]

On 5/5/2023 at 1:41 AM, martincath said:

Medina has had the best brunch (and waffles!) in the city since they opened, and frankly still do despite many new spots opening which have upped our average brunch game significantly.

Thank you Martincath! Going to make a brunch reservation for there! We're staying at the Hilton which appears to be across the street. 

[martincath]

On 5/10/2023 at 1:37 PM, challahmom said:

Thanks for the heads up about sablefish, malaclypse cod.  We’re not familiar with it, but will definitely try it!  Is it practical to walk to Salmon n’Bannock from the Pan Pacific?

 

Another dining request is for vegetarian Asian restaurants?  Are there any that are worth trying?

Do Chay on Kingsway has been getting rave reviews since they opened (veggie Vietnamese - their fake fish sauce in particular comes damn close to replicating the real thing); like SnB it would be more sensible to bus (the 19 runs from Stanley Park through downtown then along Kingsway, it's a very useful 'tourist bus' for visiting Little Saigon and a few other very local foodie 'hoods) or cabuber unless you enjoy a lengthy uphill hike.

17 minutes ago, arpie05 said:

Thank you Martincath! Going to make a brunch reservation for there! We're staying at the Hilton which appears to be across the street. 

It's actually on the same block, but you need to walk around the perimeter (the 'street' between them on google maps is the alley - while not a scary alley, it does get a bit stinky in summer as that's where two hotels and a few restos worth of garbage is collected from!)

 

One of the very few silver linings from the pandemic was Medina finally taking reservations - before that queues were regularly an hour plus for brunch!

[Milhouse]

4 hours ago, martincath said:

Do Chay on Kingsway has been getting rave reviews since they opened

That's one of the places the missus has been dying to try!

[martincath]

3 minutes ago, Milhouse said:

That's one of the places the missus has been dying to try!

Unfortunately it's one of the many that while I can claim it was great personally, I'm mostly reliant on the lack of recent negative reviews to keep me believing it remains great post-Pandemic... so please report back after you treat the missus to 'ish' sauce and mushroom 'wings'!!! Tasty as the fakes were back in the day, Phnom Penh remains my personal touchstone for Vietnamese style wings, and raw beef is something no veggie product can even come close to replicating... but if we have any vegantarian visitors I'll get back to Do Chay with them!

[Gregrat]

Which Cactus Club Cafe would you locals recommend for views, ambiance etc.?

Coal Harbour or English Bay?

Edited May 13, 2023 by Gregrat

[Ferry_Watcher]

Stayed at the Pan Pacific the day before our Celebrity Solstice 9 day Alaska cruise (Vancouver - Seattle).  We walked along the waterfront pathway to Cardero's for a late lunch.  Excellent food and service.  There was a special - a glass of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and 6 Oysters on the half shell for $21 CAD.  It was so good on that beautiful sunny afternoon that we ordered it twice during our lunch.  Highly recommend

 

https://www.vancouverdine.com/carderos/

 

For dinner, we were tired after a long day of running around and decided to go to the nearby Steamworks.  Food was just okay, but service was excellent and it was close to the Pan Pacific. 

 

https://steamworks.com/brew-pub/