Dine Out Vancouver is Canada’s largest restaurant festival where in January hundreds of restaurants put on special 3-course menus at great prices.

Some of the region’s best and most popular restaurants participate, and full set meals typically range in price from just $15 to $45 or so, plus taxes and tips, and extra for wine pairings.

In 2021 the event runs from February 15th until the 31st.

2-FOR-1 RESTAURANT COUPONS!

Did you know that the Entertainment Coupon Book is full of 2-for-1 restaurant coupons that you can use at dozens of great Lower Mainland restaurants, including ones participating in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival? And you can use the coupons almost any day of the year (just not on major holidays). They are such a great deal, and the book is currently on sale at an exceptionally good price if you purchase it online!

Click Vancouver Entertainment Book for our article about restaurant-related coupons, or visit the Entertainment.com website to learn more and purchase your book!

Vancouver’s Winter Restaurant Festival

In 2020 the event ran from Friday, January 17th, until Sunday, February 2nd. In 2021 the festival runs from January 15th until the 31st.

The list of restaurants offering special deals in 2020 was announced on January 9th, 2020. Some of the best restaurants to check out during last year’s festival (or any time of the year) included those listed below.

Below you’ll find information on the following topics:

Participating Dine Out Restaurants

Below is a list of restaurants that took part in the festival in 2020.

Prices in 2019 were in most cases about $5 more per meal than they were a couple of years ago. Prices in 2020, however, were generally the same as they were last year. New for 2020, were the brunch offerings which were priced at $15.

Note: Exact details may vary, so check restaurant websites for exact information.

Best Downtown Vancouver Restaurants

Great downtown Vancouver restaurants that participate in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in 2020 include the following:

Arc – this fine dining restaurant at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel offers $45 menu option in 2020. Entrée choices this year include Dungeness crab gnocchi (which is a kind of soft dough dumpling), braised pork collar or sunchoke & hazelnut Tart Tatin (which comes as a vegetarian option). The restaurant is located at 900 Canada Place which is across the street from the Canada Place Convention Centre. (Last year if you showed your Aeroplan membership card you would have gotten a complimentary amuse-bouche. Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case though in 2020).
Bacchus at the Wedgewood – a highly-rated French restaurant in the luxury Wedgewood Hotel at 845 Hornby Street. Their Dine Out Vancouver Festival menu costs $45 and features smoked steelhead salmon, braised veal or a smoked mushroom and vegetarian lentil cassoulet (which is a type of casserole).
Copper Chimney Indian Grill & Bar – a very nice and popular East Indian establishment at the Executive Hotel Le Soleil at 567 Hornby Street. Their $45 2020 festival dinner menu features a choice of pork belly, wild mushrooms with vermicelli, or Tandoori prawns. For lunch they offer the same, also for $45, but with braised duck kulcha (which is a type of Indian flatbread) instead of the prawn option.
Diva at the Met – at the Metropolitan Hotel at 645 Howe Street. 2020 3-course lunch and dinner entrée options for $45 include steelhead trout, short ribs or kabocha squash angolotti (which is a kind of pasta).
Kobe Japanese Steakhouse – a fun place where they cook your meal in front of you at 1042 Alberni Street. The Dine Out Vancouver Festival dinner menu here in 2020 includes your choice of a teriyaki chicken and steak combination, teppan shrimp or hibachi NY hibachi steak for $45.
Notch8 Restaurant & Bar – an upscale place at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver at 900 West Georgia Street. Their special $45 3-course dinner menu this year features a choice of rotisserie porcetta (which is a type of boneless roast pork), steelhead trout or gnocchi dumplings.
Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant – located around the corner from Gastown one floor from the Harbour Centre’s Vancouver Lookout at 555 West Hastings Street. $45 dinner menu items here this year include barbequed pork ribs, New York steak (for $10 extra), Arctic char or roasted duck breast.

Click Downtown Festival Restaurants for a more complete list of Dine Out Vancouver Festival restaurants in the downtown core, Coal Harbour, Gastown, Yaletown, English Bay and Robson Street.

Arc Restaurant at Fairmont Waterfront — The Fairmont Waterfront’s Arc Restaurant

Other Vancouver Restaurants

Some of Vancouver’s best restaurants outside the city’s downtown core in 2020 include the following great places:

Bombay Kitchen – a really good and reasonably-priced East Indian restaurant at 1018 Commercial Drive. 2020 is the first time they’ve participated in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival and their 3-course menus include a fish or chicken appetizer, choice or fish or lamb curry, and dessert. The dinner also includes butter chicken, a cauliflower curry, rice, papadum and naan bread, all for just $25 per person (with a 2-person minimum order).
Bridges Restaurant – a nice pub-style restaurant on Granville Island at 1696 Duranleau Street with a fabulous patio (on warm days) overlooking False Creek and the Vancouver skyline. The price for both lunch and dinner entrée options at their downstairs venue in 2020 is $35 (which is actually $5 less than a couple of years ago). Upstairs at the same place you can also get wild salmon, Creole chicken breast, ravioli or sirloin steak for $45.
Dockside Restaurant – a casual fine dining establishment at 1253 Johnston Street on Granville Island. Their 3-course Dine Out Vancouver menu options cost $35 (which is $10 more than last year). 2020 menu options include spaghetti with clams, Arctic char or beef short ribs.
Provence Marinaside – at 1177 Marinaside Crescent in Yaletown facing False Creek. Lunch and dinner menus during the festival in 2020 are $45 and include seafood bouillabaisse, mushroom ravioli with prawns, or steelhead trout For $8 extra you can also get a beef filet with mushrooms and peppercorn sauce.
Romer’s Restaurant – located at 8683 Kerr Street by the Neighbourhood Centre at River District Vancouver, the popular casual restaurant offers a choice of 10 oz. NY peppercorn steak, fettuccine Alfredo, ahi tuna or a lobster-topped hamburger for $35, plus starter and dessert.
Seasons in the Park – the fancy restaurant at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park has $35 lunch and dinner options that include a choice of NY striploin steak, grilled salmon or mushroom ravioli entrées. (TIP: If going for lunch, and if it’s a nice day, be sure to check out the park while you’re there.)
Stages Bistro & Lounge – the restaurant at the Holiday Inn at 711 West Broadway offers a $25 three-course dinner in 2020.
Sula Indian Restaurant – a reasonably-priced East Indian place at 1128 Commercial Drive that offers $25 lunch and dinner menus that include a choice of lamb kadai, chicken curry, kadai paneer (which is gluten free) or Rajastani vegetable tarkari.
The Teahouse – in Stanley Park at Ferguson Point by Third Beach. 2020 Dine Out Vancouver Festival menus are $35 for both lunch and dinner. Menu options include pan roasted chicken, eggplant lasagna and salmon.

Click The City of VANCOUVER‘s Best Restaurants for more great places to eat at any time of the year.

Best North Shore Restaurants

Some of the great restaurants participating in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in North Vancouver and West Vancouver in 2020 include the following:

Arm’s Reach Bistro – at 4390 Gallant Avenue in Deep Cove offers great food in a beautiful part of town. Their 2020 Dine Out Vancouver Festival dinner menu costs $35 and includes a choice of either duck confit or farro lily pasta with mushrooms.
Bravo Cucina Ristorante – a North Vancouver Italian restaurant at 1209 Lonsdale Avenue (so halfway up the hill). In 2020 they have lunch and dinner menus for $35 which include a choice of coconut curry red snapper, sausage with blue cheese penne pasta, or chicken breast main courses.
Fishworks – a highly-rated fish and seafood restaurant at 91 Lonsdale Avenue (so right by Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards). Their $35 3-course lunch and dinner menus include a choice of sablefish or moules & frites (i.e., mussels with truffle fries).
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba – a Japanese noodle shop originating in Japan and now with locations in half a dozen different countries including a restaurant in downtown Vancouver and another on the North Shore. The North Vancouver location at 100 East 1st Street is just a couple of blocks from Lonsdale Quay and offers $25 menu options including karaage (fried chicken or other meat) appetizers, a mazesoba main course (which is a soba noodle dish that’s not in a soup), and a Fuji cheese cupcake dessert.
Maru Korean Bistro – a popular Korean restaurant located at 125 East 2nd Street in North Vancouver (so just three or so blocks up the hill from the Shipyards). Their $25 dinner menu in 2020 includes a choice of a mushroom nabe hot pot, eggplant and shrimp katsu, or bossam (which is a cured pork belly dish with a fermented black bean sauce).
Olive & Anchor – at 6418 Bay Street in Horseshoe Bay offers good hamburgers, fish & chips and other seafood. They say that their “menu is all about simple, home-made, un-fussy and delicious food using only fresh, local and sustainable produce.” The 2020 Dine Out Vancouver Festival menu here includes a savoury seafood scallion pancake, Japanese-style salmon or beef Thai curry for $35.
The Salmon House – a fish restaurant with exceptional views at 2229 Folkestone Way, not far from the turn off to Cypress Mountain. The festival dinner option in 2020 is $45 and includes your choice of sockeye salmon, seafood pasta or beef tenderloin.
Vaades – a popular and affordably-priced East Indian restaurant at 149 West 3rd Street in North Vancouver. Their 3-course festival dinner menu includes a choice of three different appetizers, a chicken, lamb or coconut mushroom curry entrée, and either a cheese dumpling or mango mousse dessert.
Village Tap House – a good West Vancouver pub at 900 Main Street at the Park Royal Shopping Centre. Both lunch and dinner options this year are $25. Your entrée choices here are a cheeseburger with fries, mushroom pizza or macaroni and cheese, so fairly typical pub-style fare. The meal also comes though with your choice of a brussel sprout appetizer, soup or caesar salad, plus a sticky toffee pudding or apple berry crumble for dessert.
Zen Japanese – at 101-2232 Marine Drive in West Vancouver. It’s a very good Japanese restaurant offering Dine Out Vancouver 3-course dinner options for $45. Menu entrées in 2020 include a lobster poke bowl, stuffed chicken teriyaki or a selection of sashimi.

Click NORTH VANCOUVER’s Best Restaurants or WEST VANCOUVER’s Best Restaurants for more great North Shore places to eat.

Best Restaurants in Burnaby

Some of the best restaurants that participate in the 2020 Vancouver Dine Out Festival in Burnaby include the following:

Hart House – at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue at Deer Lake Park. Dinner at this heritage building costs $45 and features a choice of braised beef cheeks, albacore tuna, or a haloumi cheese dish with quinoa and kale pesto.
Horizons Restaurant – located at the top of Burnaby Mountain at 100 Centennial Way, Horizons boasts some of the Lower Mainland’s finest views. The dinner menu costs $35 and includes salmon, duck and flat iron steak options. (Note: separate from the Vancouver Dine Out Festival, and the same as it did last year, in 2020 Horizons is offering 50% off second dinner entrées between January 1st and February 13th.)

Best Restaurants in New Westminster

Popular New Westminster restaurants participating in the 2020 festival include the following:

Amaranthus – a highly-rated vegan and vegetarian restaurant serving “plant forward food” at 112 – 810 Quayside Drive in New Westminster. Entrées include a choice of beet risotto, cauliflower steak or quinoa roasted vegetables. The cost for their three-course lunch and dinner menus in 2020 is just $25.
El Santo – an upscale Mexican restaurant at 680 Columbia Street. 2020 menu entrées include a choice of salmon with mole sauce, duck, or chile relleno (which is a stuffed pepper that’s usually deep-fried). Three-course lunch and dinner deals cost $35.

Best Restaurants in Richmond

Great 2020 Dine Out Vancouver Restaurants in Richmond include the following:

The Keg Steakhouse – the 11151 No. 5 Road location of this popular chain restaurant has 3-course dinners for $45. The place is located near SilverCity Riverport Cinemas and not far from the International Buddhist Temple. Our favourite option is the prime rib, but the salmon and steaks are also exceptional.
Tramonto – at 8811 River Road at the River Rock Casino. For $45 in 2020 you get a choice of braised beef chuck flat, albacore tuna or duck confit entrées.
Yokohama Teppanyaki Japanese Restaurant – in Steveston Village at 12251 No. 1 Road. The lunch option in 2019 was $25 and the dinner was $35. In 2020 both cost $45 and include a choice of 1) mixed steak and seafood teppanyaki, 2) seafood teppanyaki or 3) a seafood poke bowl with a mix of sashimi and sushi pieces.

Click RICHMOND‘s Best Restaurants for more dining venues any time of the year.

Best Restaurants in Surrey

2020 Dine Out Vancouver Festival restaurants in Surrey include the following:

Afghan Kitchen – a highly-rated restaurant at 16120 24th Avenue in Central Surrey near the Morgan Crossing shopping centre. The 3-course dinner specials here are just $25 in 2019 and include your choice of beef, chicken or lamb kebabs and naan. (TIP: Show your Aeroplan membership card and get a complimentary glass of wine.)
The Keg – the popular steakhouse has Surrey locations at 15180 32nd Avenue Diversion and 7948 120th Street with both offering $45 dinner specials. Salmon, steak (12 oz. sirloin), seafood sirloin (6 oz.) and prime rib (10 oz.) are all on the menu in 2020.

Additional Information

If you are in town in late January or the first weekend in February, then you’ll definitely want to know about the Dine Out Vancouver Festival – there is no better time or way to enjoy all the culinary talent that Vancouver has to offer. Plus, this is also a great time of year to stay in the region, as not only are there exceptional restaurant deals on offer, but some hotels participate too, offering attractive packages at reduced rates.

The weather is far from its best in January, but the festival’s restaurants and hotels price specials make up for that.

Click Dine Out Vancouver Festival for the event’s official website to learn more. On the site you can search for restaurants by region and learn about some of the festival’s other special events.

For a list of special places to check out, click Dine Out Vancouver Restaurants with a View.

For other best places to eat and drink throughout the Lower Mainland, including those not participating in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival, check out the following: