Vancouver Bars and Restaurants

Vancouver has some amazing restaurants and drinking establishments, both at the high and low ends of the price scale.

Best Places to Eat and Drink

For the best places to eat and drink throughout the Lower Mainland, check out the following:

Top Restaurants in Vancouver

Below are just some of the region’s culinary and experiential highlights:

H2 Kitchen + Bar is a great restaurant that specializes in smokehouse-style cuisine. If you like rotisserie chicken, brisket, barbecued ribs and other similar dishes, you’ll love this place! It also has an exceptional outdoor patio in the summer. (Click H2 Kitchen + Bar for our article about the place.)
Vij’s is arguably one of Vancouver’s finest East Indian restaurants (and definitely the most famous).
Top of Vancouver in Gastown also has memorable and revolving 360 degree views of the city.
The Teahouse is a fancy place for a meal in Stanley Park.
Popular Vancouver-home-grown trendy chain restaurants to check out include Cactus Club, Earls and The Keg Steakhouse.
Dockside Restaurant – a popular place on Granville Island.
Guilt & Company – a bar and live music venue at #1 Alexander Street in Gastown.
La Casa Gelato at 1033 Venables Street draws fans from all over town to its 500 flavours of ice cream and gelato.

The Lower Mainland offers many more exceptional bars and restaurants, so be sure to check out the best places by region at the top of this page.

A number of special restaurant events take place in Vancouver. They include the following:

Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival – special hot cocoa creations at participating cafes and coffee shops in January and February.
Dine Out Vancouver Festival – special menu deals at hundreds of restaurants across the Lower Mainland from mid-January until the beginning of February.
A Taste of the Valley – an event with food, drinks and artisan vendors in Chilliwack.
Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival – a series of food truck events at various locations in the summer.
Taste of Yaletown – special menus at participating restaurants in Vancouver’s Yaletown district in October.
Richmond’s Asian Feast Dining Festival – a seasonal initiative promoting Chinese and other Asian restaurants in the City of Richmond.