Vancouver food

[Milhouse]

On 5/13/2023 at 4:52 AM, Gregrat said:

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

Coal Harbour or English Bay?

I have a bit of a skewed perspective because I've gone to the Coal Harbour location for quite a few work events/gatherings vs the English Bay location to have drinks with friends.  

I feel the Coal Harbour location skews towards the business crowd with the convention centres, tourists, and locals.  The area can get fairly busy during the weekends with the plaza occasionally hosting events.  Nice view of Stanley Park, the seaplanes, and the north shore depending on where you sit.  

The English Bay location can feel a bit more lively with seating right along the beach walkway as the area gets really busy during weekends and nice summer evenings.  It's one of the place to be during the summer.  I think it's a bit of a younger crowd but there's still a mix of demographics as everyone wants to enjoy this location.  Nice location to be for sunset (but can get a lot of sun in the late afternoon), looking out at ships in English Bay and people watching.

 

Both locations can have a (long) queue, particularly on the weekends so a reservation is handy.  

 

Some pix I took during my walk this morning.

Picture 1:  View of the windowed area of the Coal Harbour location jutting out from the "hillside" (and location relative to Canada Place as you can see Disney Wonder in the background)

Picture 2:  View out from above the windowed area.

Picture 3:  Coal Harbour location's outdoor seating showing view of Jack Poole Plaza side and north shore.

Picture 4:  Coal Harbour location overall view of the restaurant from the Jack Poole Plaza side

Picture 5:  Relative location of the English Bay location

Picture 6:  View of the restaurant's outdoor seating 

Picture 7:  View out towards English Bay from in front of the outdoor seating.  

 

[martincath]

On 5/13/2023 at 4:52 AM, Gregrat said:

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

Coal Harbour or English Bay?

The only thing I can add to the above extremely thorough comparison is a note about timing - with summer bringing us very late sunsets English Bay's main selling point requires dining to run Spanish-late, otherwise you're sitting inside a greenhouse for a rather mediocre view (water yes, mountains no) in comparison to Coal Harbour (which, being under the Green Roof, also maintains a cooler temp on a hot day). Unless you are actually going to be sitting there when the sun goes down, I'd plump for Coal Harbour myself.

[Sigyn]

I get the feeling there's no risk of going hungry in Vancouver!

[MBP&O2/O]

What sort of feedback are the locals giving on " Chops " which seems to have opened up just down the road from Canada Place? Thanks

[xlxo]

2 hours ago, njsmom said:

I get the feeling there's no risk of going hungry in Vancouver!

If cost is a factor...

• Costco offers this incredible Polish Combo for $1.50 Canadian.  No longer available in the USA, it's still offered in Vancouver stores.  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/costco-getting-rid-of-polish-hot-dogs-from-menu-and-social-media-is-not-happy/
• lots of affordable Chinese food around
• Food courts offer value

 

If cost is not a factor...

• Elisa and Gotham's are the best steakhouses in the city.  Reservations are recommended.
• lots of ethnic foods and opportunities to explore.  May I recommended Dim Sum?
• yes we have seafood.  If there's a group of 6 to 8 of you, think about Alaskan King crab Vancouver style as it runs across your table.  Just don't ask for boil 'n butter.
  • we just launched our spot prawns season if you want to try something local the next few weeks.
  • what are your thoughts about trying a Geoduck?  Harvested locally in nearby waters, it looks like a big *****.
• For big eaters and want to warm up your belly to the ship buffet... have you heard about our many food challenges?

Edited May 28, 2023 by xlxo

[xlxo]

29 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

What sort of feedback are the locals giving on " Chops " which seems to have opened up just down the road from Canada Place? Thanks

I haven't been there yet, but here's a yelp review... https://www.yelp.ca/biz/chop-steakhouse-and-bar-vancouver

 

For steaks...

1. Elisa https://elisasteak.com/
2. Gotham's https://www.gothamsteakhouse.com/
3. Hy's https://www.hyssteakhouse.com/
4. Victor https://www.parqvancouver.com/food-drink/the-victor/

 

The Porterhouse are my fav, followed by the Tomahawk.

[MBP&O2/O]

XLXO ..thanks.