Restaurants are something that every Vancouver visitor looks for. Surrounded by mountains, gleaming with skyscrapers that reflect in still waters and the food, Vancouver will make you fall in love with it.
With amazing attractions, nightlife, and spa scenes, Downtown Vancouver is definitely the place you should add to your bucket list. What’s even more amazing is the array of delicious food that you will find here.
You will find all types of food, food trucks, gluten-free menus, natural wines, and along with it a family-style happy hour.
30 best Must-try restaurants in Vancouver
No matter if you are visiting Vancouver for the first time or have visited earlier, or if you are a visitor or a local, the food here never stops to amaze you and there are several must-try restaurants in Vancouver. The food, the fresh air, the location, and the climate are what makeup Vancouver restaurants.
The food here is made of fresh produce and seasonal products. South & North Vancouver is extremely famous for its sustainable seafood. With diverse choices of customers, the food made here is from around the world.
You will find amazing Japanese, Chinese, Indian, French and Italian cuisine here. You will also get some very tasty Canadian classics and some contemporary Canadian cuisine.
If you have a food bucket list, get ready to check it off with this list of must-try restaurants.
1. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar is a restaurant placed inside the Sutton Place Hotel. Pedigreed Chef Alex Chen (Iron Chef Champion 2019), Roger Ma (Canadian Culinary Champion 2020), and the team are the star of the restaurant and showcase the talent in West Coast Seafood.
The restaurant features a gorgeous main dining room, stylish and elegant patio, signature booth, and beautifully decorated private dining spaces. With exceptional service and a wide selection of wines produced naturally and cocktails.
At Boulevard enjoy some of the most classic dishes such as seafood tower or steak fries. The seafood tower and steak fries are one of the best dishes here and will satisfy your cravings. Albacore Tuna Tataki is a simple yet amazing dish.
Boulevard offers daily happy hour which includes a Korean galbi dog made with wagyu beef. Also don’t miss the pastry by Chef Kenra Takahashi who won Canada’s Best Pastry Chef in 2020.
Location: BC V6Z 2K6, 845 Burrard St, Vancouver, Canada
2. Blue Water Café
Located in the prestigious city of Yaletown, Blue Water Café is another must-try restaurant in Vancouver for seafood. The menu here features sustainable seafood as well as West Coast seafood.
The dining room here gives an amazing view of the open kitchen and Raw Bar. Take a seat at the Sushi Bar and watch the expert chefs prepare sushi with natural flavors and extraordinary presentations.
Blue Water Café is an amazing choice for a romantic night out to special occasions and will satisfy your cravings for seafood. Order halibut tataki, sablefish, sashimi, rolls, or yellowfin tuna. Get to taste oysters with nigiri or maybe iced vodka. From their cocktail bar, order a sweet treat and pair it off with the wine.
The service is on point and the British Columbian Seafood tower will make you fall head over heels for the restaurant.
Location: 1095 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5T4, Canada
3. L’Abbatoir
Seated in the heart of Gastown, near the cobblestone street where you can hear the faint whistle of the Historic Steam Clock, L’Abbatoir is amongst the must-try restaurants.
Here, Chef-owner Lee Cooper and his team are dedicated to serving and experiencing the customers. The dining is set in a comfortable yet refined setting. Their award-winning wine and cocktail list creates an unforgettable experience.
At L’Abbatoir you are loaded with choices of dishes to opt for. The Steak Diane is just amazing and if you want to try something different, opt for Chef Lee Cooper’s favorite dish- baked Pacific Oysters along with truffle puree, whipped garlic butter, and mushroom marmalade.
Location: 217 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2, Canada
4. Savio Volpe
Savio Volpe or “wise fox” is a traditional Italian-based restaurant. Savio Volpe, a traditional Italian-based restaurant styled after the classic Osteria. The groceries here are collected from the nearby lakes, oceans, fields, and farms.
Serving authentic Italian cuisine, everything here is prepared in simple ways and is full of flavors. Their simple menu serves authentic Italian food. The pasta here is handmade and is made fresh every day. The meat, poultry, and fish are smoke kissed over the wood-fired grill.
Savio Volpe provides a long list of Italian wines and old-world coffee. The atmosphere here will make you indulge in the fine taste of authentic wine which inspires conversation and results in good cheer.
Location: 615 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5T 3K5, Canada
5. Burdock and Co’s
Chef and Owner Andrea Carlson opened Burdock and Co’s in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood in May 2013.
She works with a vegetable-filled menu that portrays the bounty of the farmers of British Columbia. The restaurant is all about artisanal techniques and ethical ingredients.
The menu features dishes made with local fresh ingredients. Their wine list features wines made from artisanal techniques. Try their white wine and the buttermilk fried chicken is a must to order from the menu.
Location: 2702 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E8, Canada
6. Phnom Penh Restaurant
Locate in the heart of Chinatown, Phnom Penh has had diners lined up. Phnom Penh became the perennial winner of “Best South East Asian Restaurant”.
Phnom Penh has super delicious food and a reasonably priced Vietnamese-Cambodian menu. The exterior and interior of the restaurant are not too much to boast about.
But the entire scene changes as you get inside. You feel the happy energy coming from the customers.
The specialty of Phnom Penh lies in “The Holy Trinity” items—The Butter Beef, Deep-Fried Chicken Wings, and Beef Luc Luc. You will find this trinity on almost every table there. Their Butter Beef is freshly prepared with a light hint of seasoning beef carpaccio and the dish is an absolute favorite of the customers of Phnom Penh.
Location: BC V6A 1Z7, Georgia St 244 E, Vancouver, Canada
7. Miku
Placed along the Burrard Inlet next to the Canada Place (Vancouver Landmark), Miku Waterfront continues to serve gourmet Aburi cuisine along with its energetic ambiance.
Miku was originally located on West Hastings St in Coal Harbor but later on shifted to its new location. In 2008, Miku became the first restaurant to introduce Aburi-style dishes in Vancouver.
Their new location has access to its bar, lounge area, private dining room, waterfront patio, and sushi bar.
Executive chef Kazuhiro Hayashi makes use of fresh, regional ingredients and uses the best of ocean-wise seafood to show its customers the best of Vancouver food. They make use of traditional Japanese flavors and techniques and combine them with a local twist to create a truly unique set of cuisine.
The innovative dessert choices made by the chef are the perfect way to end your culinary experience. Make sure to order Salmon Oshi Sushi for special occasions.
If you are a sushi lover and are a fan of Miku’s sushi, you should try its sister restaurant Minami in Yaletown. These two are the top choices for sushi restaurants in Vancouver.
Location: BC V6C 1S4, 200 Granville St #70, Canada, Vancouver
8. St. Lawrence
Executive Chef and Owner J.C. Poirier began the developing concept of St. Lawrence in 2013 and opened it in 2017. It was originally a Japanese general store but grew into one of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
The décor of St. Lawrence is made on the basis to give you a rural French home while savoring a country-style meal.
Food made with authentic French techniques is served with French spirits. They have a list of classic and signature cocktails, while the wine list complements Chef Poirier’s rustic choices.
They offer a three-course meal that includes the choice of a starter, main, and dessert with optional add-ons.
Order Pâté in pastry of duck, foie gras, pistachio, and black truffle & Duck confit, warm salad of potatoes, escarole, green bean & foie gras, and for dessert Chocolate tart with coffee & lavender ice cream. Save room for their special salted caramel rice pudding.
Location: 269 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1G3, Canada
9. Chambar
Belgian chef Nico Schuermans has created the casual fine dining room, cooking for Mick Jagger, Prince, and several other glitzy celebs.
Chambar has a fine elegant dining room, on-point service, and a French-Belgian-influenced menu made with Pacific Northwest ingredients.
Location: BC V6B 2L3, Beatty St 568, Vancouver, Canada
10. Botanist
Located at the Fairmont Pacific rim, Botanist is led by Executive Chef Hector Laguna and the menu shows the botany of the Pacific northwest ingredients. The ingredients extracted from the soil of the northwest, freshly sourced seafood, and organic supplies showcase the best cuisines of Botanist.
They have an exclusive wine program that has been specially curated for Botanists. Through the list, you will find wine and the sustainable and organic way of wine production.
Their expertise is shown in their wine and the white wine is a must-try from the menu.
Location: 1038 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9, Canada
11. Hawksworth
One of the most glamorous and classic restaurants in Vancouver is Hawksworth. The main dining room is lit with a gleaming oversized chandelier and the cocktail bar’s wall is decorated with Damien Hirst art. This restaurant set high expectations for its customers.
Chef David Hawksworth and his culinary team, showcase ingredient-led, contemporary Canadian cuisine that is firmly rooted in Asian influences.
Their cuisines perfectly show the classics; bold, bright flavors that are skillfully presented on the plate. The cuisines give you an echo of nostalgia and the flavors give a modern and local twist.
Their award-winning wine list is carefully selected to bring their customers value and quality. You can order your favorite or discover new varieties.
Join Hawksworth for lunch and dinner, with a cocktail bar, and spend time in your private dining room overlooking the art gallery. Hawksworth delivers experiences that will suit each individual’s mood and preferences.
If you are a fan of Hawksworth and want to explore more similar restaurants in Vancouver go to their sister restaurant Nightingale.
Location: 801 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
12. Nightingale
Sister restaurant to Hawksworth, Nightingale is known as “Canada’s Best Farm to Table Restaurant”. Their diverse menu is ingredient-led and packed with flavor.
They use local produce for their dishes and maintain a close relationship with farmers, growers, foragers, and fishermen and bring the highest quality, freshest produce ingredients to life with their creative twist menu.
Their award-winning wine list has been carefully curated by their team and will guide you towards some local hidden gems and will help you discover more and more varieties. They also have a wide range of locally crafted beer along with seasonally changing original cocktails.
Nightingale’s name is inspired and taken from Aesop’s Fable of the Hawk & the Nightingale. Join Nightingale and enjoy their diverse cuisine.
Location: 1017 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6E 0C4, Canada
13. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House has achieved legendary status in Vancouver. Joe Fortes has earned its name and maintained its reputation for over 30 years.
As an award-winning restaurant, guests from all over the world have come here to have a great dynamic culinary experience.
This iconic Vancouver restaurant is a San Francisco-styled seafood grill that delivers happy hour, hospitality, more variety, and more buzz.
Located just off the bustling Robson Street, Joe Fortes is a place where locals and visitors come to enjoy one of the best food in town. The meal completes with an exceptional wine list that represents over 300 wines.
Order Lobster bisque and wine to enjoy the filling taste of Joe Fortes.
Location: 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada
14. Do Chay
An industrial-style restaurant serving Vietnamese meals, cocktails, and some happy hours to its customers. At Do Chay, Vietnamese street food gets a veggie twist, taking the traditional Vietnamese dishes and creating a new vegetarian version of them is their specialty.
The restaurant creates vegan-friendly Vietnamese food. Their menu is a mix of modern and traditional twists, creating a perfect plate for locals and tourists to experience a new twist on Vietnamese food in a Vancouver restaurant.
Order Vegan Verm noodles, rice bowls, and spring rolls to enjoy their rich and unique taste. Save room for their awesome collection of wine and beer.
Location: 1392 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5V 3E4, Canada
15. Jam Café
Located in Victoria and Vancouver, Jam Café is an all-day breakfast and lunch café. The original Café opened in the spring of 2012 at Herald St. in Victoria. The café was immediately welcomed by the city and was embraced with love by its customers.
In 2016 they opened their second venue in downtown Vancouver, Beatty. The popularity of the Café didn’t stop here and they opened their 3rd and newest edition in the fall of 2018 Jam Café Kitsilano.
Their recipes are inspired by the south, they create a menu of comfort in a settled rustic atmosphere. Their menu is created with a collection of family-style recipes that have been shared and passed down to generations to keep up the proud name of the café. Their menu options will calm down your cravings.
Their everchanging rustic décor adds a warmth to the welcoming atmosphere which fills the appetites of their customers. Order Fried chicken French toast and savor the rich taste of the mouthful goodness in it. Their French toast is a specialty of the Café.
You will get a real seasonal taste of British Columbia at the Café.
Location: 2153 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7, Canada & 556 Beatty St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2L3, Canada
16. Heritage Asian Eatery
Heritage Asian Eatery is a casual dining restaurant with locations based in the heart of downtown Vancouver’s Financial District and the central location at Mount Pleasant.
Their menu features flavors prepared from Far-East locally sourced ingredients with modern techniques.
The local ingredients offer classic Asian comfort foods with an unexpected twist of taste. Both of their locations offer a familiar fun and honest dining experience.
The casual communal atmosphere is perfect for a lunch or dinner service. Order Rice bowls along with some fried chicken to enjoy the taste.
Location: 1108 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4J6, Canada & 382 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1R2, Canada
17. Brix & Mortar restaurant
Brix & Mortar is a locally operated and owned restaurant offering modern Canadian cuisine, a wine bar and a fine wine list, creatively curated cocktails, and an inviting personal space that creates a talk-worthy experience.
Located in downtown Vancouver in one of the most contemporary and historic neighborhoods. With a glass-covered patio and a uniquely sophisticated elegant dining room where memories are made, the experience at Brix & Mortar is worth remembering.
You can also book a venue for wedding ceremonies and other special occasions. Order Wild salmon, wines, Thunder Creek pork ribs, and cocktails.
Location: 1137 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5P6, Canada
18. Pidgin Restaurant
A stylish restaurant offering creative, Asian influences takes on French techniques plus crafted cocktails. They have a wide menu range, tasting menu, food or Dine-in, Sake, Wine, Beer, Cocktails, and Japanese Spirits.
Located in the historic Gastown, Pidgin Restaurant pays homage to the unique cultures of the city. Using Asian and Pacific Northwest ingredients with modern techniques.
Location: 350 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J3, Canada
19. H Tasting Lounge
A sophisticated situated Lounge offering creative Cocktails, area-sourced cuisine & weekend afternoon tea. Toast a glass at H Tasting Lounge and explore the unwind seaside with their creatively curated cocktails.
Their culinarians take fresh ingredients from their backyard. They create a colorful, Coastal British Columbian sea life for their menu. Each plate is freshly prepared with simplicity along with it a cocktail to complement the entire cuisine.
Location: BC V6G 2V4, 1601 Bayshore Dr., Vancouver, Canada
20. Anna Lena
One of the best restaurants in Vancouver offering a 4-course contemporary Canadian fare & creative cocktails that are provided in a stylish & modern setting. Anna Lena is simply the best.
Their specially prepared wine list is a must try to experience Anna Lena at its best.
Location: 1809 W 1st Ave, BC V6J 5B8, Vancouver, Canada
21. Café Medina
Located in the Library District, Café Medina is a snug spot for coffee & a daytime menu that includes waffles with some of the most unique toppings. Café Medina offers fine Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, coffee, and the sweetest city’s best Belgian waffles.
Café Medina has had several rave reviews since its opening in 2014. It is the perfect place for weekend brunch for locals and visitors.
Location: 780 Richards St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3A4, Canada
22. Kirin Restaurant
A celebrated staple restaurant serving classic Chinese fare & inventive, dim sum in a finely polished dining space.
Began in 1987 in the heart of Vancouver, Kirin restaurant is notable for its Northern Chinese cuisine and its perfect service. Their unique dining space opens up into a four-story atrium to give a perfect dining experience.
Order Chicken wings, Pork Belly, and Dim sum and enjoy the Chinese taste in Vancouver.
Location: 1172 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A5, Canada
Other Best Restaurants in Vancouver BC
These restaurants serve some of the best cuisines in Canada and are also among the must-try restaurants in Vancouver. So read on and explore some of the other best restaurants in Vancouver.
23. Forage
A far-to-table bistro presenting a creative menu, area-sourced plates, and a tap of local beer & wine. At Forage, order Pork belly and Duck breast along with some beer. It is one of the best restaurants in Vancouver serving naturally produced items.
Location: 1300 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1C5, Canada
24. The Wolf & Hound
The Wolf & Hound is a creative neighborhood pub offering crafted brews, a full menu of grub, and amazing sidewalk seating & live music. Order Poached egg and enjoy the evening at one of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
Location: 3617 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6R 2B8, Canada
25. Kissa Tanto
A Japanese-Italian cuisine restaurant serving cocktails in a chic space. The outlook 0f Kissa Tanto is inspired by 1960s Tokyo Jazz Cafes. Order roasted chicken along with a cocktail. Enjoy crafted cocktails at one of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
Location: Pender St 263 E, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T8, Canada
26. Meat & Bread
Very simple, they make sandwiches that will make you forget all the other dishes in the world. Meat & Bread is a Sandwich shop giving out creative combinations using quality, seasonal ingredients to give a fresh taste every time. Order Ice cream sandwiches and savor the taste.
Location: 1033 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6E 2M6, Canada
27. ZUBU Ramen
A new and exciting Japanese restaurant in Vancouver specializing in ramen, temaki, gyoza, and some other unique dishes freshly prepared from local ingredients. ZUBU Ramen is known for dishes made out of local ingredients.
Location: 2129 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V6M 1Z6, Canada
28. Tom Sushi
A casual dining area serving Japanese traditions prepared with fresh ingredients including sushi, tempura, noodles & donburi, plus a bar offering sushi. Tom Sushi delivers traditional Japanese flavors to your table.
Location: BC V6E 1N2, 1175 Davie St, Vancouver, Canada
29. Vij’s
Vij’s is a celebrated Indian restaurant serving inventive cuisine & a lively atmosphere with dishes made from local ingredients. Order lamb popsicles and enjoy them at one of the best restaurants in Vancouver bc.
Location: Cambie St 3106, BC V5Z 2W2, Vancouver, Canada
30. Lee’s Donut
Lee’s Donut is a longtime-running food stall serving a variety of crepes & donuts to its customers satisfying their needs in the Granville Island public market. Enjoy donuts at one of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
Location: 1689 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9, Canada
Closing Thoughts
These were some of the must-try restaurants in Downtown Vancouver that every visitor or local should try. These restaurants are famous amongst visitors and even locals cannot resist them. So, if you visit Vancouver, stop by any of them and see if they live up to theirs.
This was all about the restaurants in Downtown Vancouver serving really tasty cuisines, my favorite roasted in-house. So, go ahead and try these dishes.
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty