Dine Out Vancouver is Canada’s largest restaurant festival where 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 $54 or so, plus taxes and tips, and extra for wine pairings.

In 2021 the event ran from February 5th until March 7th. For the event’s official website click Dine Out Vancouver 2021.

Below you’ll find information about participating restaurants in the following areas:

Vancouver’s Winter Restaurant Festival

In 2021 the festival ran from February 5th until the 7th of March. Details are to be confirmed for 2022.

Some of the best restaurants to check out during this year’s festival (or any time of the year) are listed below.

Note: Exact details are subject to change and may vary, so check restaurant websites for exact information.

Other articles of interest also include the following:

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!

Downtown Vancouver Restaurants

Great downtown Vancouver restaurants that participated in the festival in 2022 included the following:

Bacchus at the Wedgewood – a French restaurant in the Wedgewood Hotel at 845 Hornby Street. Their 2021 festival menu costs $49 and features salmon, braised beef or a vegetarian risotto.
Cactus Club Cafe – 18 Lower Mainland locations of this popular chain restaurant have 3-course dinners for $35. Entrées include things like tuna poke and tofu bowls, chicken breast, bacon burgers, chicken sandwiches and other items.
JOEY – the chain’s locations at 507 Burrard Street and 820 Burrard Street offer $35 menus with a choice of steak & sushi, salmon, chicken parmesan or vegetarian spaghetti.
The Keg – the steakhouse’s locations at Alberni Street, Dunsmuir, Yaletown and Granville Island have $50 dinner menus in 2021. Entrée choices include New York steak, steak & lobster, salmon and prime rib.
Kobe Japanese Steakhouse – a fun place where they cook your meal in front of you at 1042 Alberni Street. The festival dinner menu here includes a choice of a teriyaki chicken & steak combination, teppan shrimp or hibachi NY steak for $45.
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba – an authentic Japanese noodle shop with locations in half a dozen countries. It 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. (Takeout is available at this restaurant.)
Notch8 Restaurant & Bar – an upscale place at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver at 900 West Georgia Street. Their special $45 3-course dinner menu features a choice of lamb, steelhead trout or potato gnocchi dumplings.
Tap & Barrel – this restaurant has waterfront locations in both Olympic Village and Coal Harbour (at Jack Poole Plaza by the Vancouver Convention Centre). Both offer great 3-course brunch specials for $22 on weekends and daily lunch and dinner specials for $35.
Top of Vancouver – a world-famous place in Gastown at the Harbour Centre at 555 West Hastings Street. $54 dinner menu items here include a choice of lamb shank, Arctic char or chicken gnocchi in pesto cream sauce.

Tip: Either before or after your meal, join an outdoor adventure game with Vancouver Mysteries. They take place in downtown Vancouver and you can play them with friends and family from with your household (so the same people you’ll be dining out with)!

Other Vancouver Restaurants

Some of Vancouver’s best restaurants outside the city’s downtown core in 2021 included the following great places:

On Granville Island

Dockside Restaurant – a casual fine dining establishment at 1253 Johnston Street on Granville Island. Their 3-course Dine Out Vancouver lunch menu costs $34 and their dinner menu costs $44. Main options include cioppino, Arctic char, beef short ribs or chicken salad. (Note: This restaurant participates in the Ocean Wise Seafood program.)
The Keg – the steakhouse has a fancy $50 dinner menu which includes steak and prime rib entrée options. Appetizers are Caesar salad or mushroom soup. For dessert you get a choice of cheesecake or Billy Miner pie (which is made of ice cream, chocolate, hot fudge and almonds).

For a more comprehensive list of places to eat in this neighbourhood, including others that participate in the festival, see our article about Granville Island Restaurants.

In Vancouver Parks

Seasons in the Park – the fancy restaurant at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park has $44 lunch and dinner options in 2021 that include a choice of NY striploin steak, lingcod or vegetarian gnocchi entrées. (TIP: If going for lunch, and if it’s a nice day, be sure to check out the park while you’re there. Both lunch and dinner menus are available for takeout as well.) The restaurant also serves a variety of Ocean Wise Seafood.
Stanley Park Brewing – the new restaurant is located near the pitch and putt and tennis courts in Stanley Park. Lunch and dinner deals cost just $23 this year and include a maple pork belly appetizer along with a calamari burger and peanut butter brownie. (TIP: Be sure to explore Stanley Park if the weather permits. Walking or biking along the Seawall is always a treat.) The place also participates in the Ocean Wise Seafood program.

Other Vancouver Locations

Provence Marinaside – at 1177 Marinaside Crescent in Yaletown facing False Creek. Lunch and dinner menu specials are $49 and include a choice of seafood bouillabaisse, mushroom ravioli, beef fillet or rabbit tagliatelle. Seafood at Provence is verified with the Ocean Wise Seafood program.
Romer’s Restaurant – located at 8683 Kerr Street by the Neighbourhood Centre at River District Vancouver, the popular casual restaurant is offering a $30 3-course meal that includes a choice of 7 oz. Canadian steak, chicken parmesan or steelhead trout.
Sula Indian Restaurant – a reasonably-priced East Indian place at 1128 Commercial Drive that offers $30 lunch and dinner menus that include a choice of lamb kadai, chicken curry, kadai paneer (which is gluten free) or potato and channa masala.

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

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.

Maple Ridge Restaurants

Two Maple Ridge restaurants participated in the festival in 2021. Both places get very good reviews.

Big Feast – a bistro and catering company at 11920 227th Street (so close to the downtown core of the city). Their 2-course dinner costs just $23. When we went we had their chicken & shrimp noodles and striploin steak entrées. For starters we had the tuna tostadas and crab cake. It was all delicious and an exceptional deal for the price.
The Keg Steakhouse – the popular chain restaurant at 20640 Dewdney Trunk Road offers a $50 3-course dinner menu this year. Entrée choices include sirloin steak & lobster tail, prime rib, salmon or a NY striploin steak.

Striploin Steak Dinner at Big Feast Bistro

Best North Shore Restaurants

Some of the best restaurants that participated in the Dine Out Vancouver Festival in North Vancouver and West Vancouver in 2021 are listed below.

North Vancouver Restaurants

Arm’s Reach Bistro – at 4390 Gallant Avenue in Deep Cove, this place offers great food in a beautiful part of town. Their 2021 Dine Out Vancouver Festival dinner menu costs $38 and includes a choice of either malai cashew curry or tagine chicken. (Takeout is available.)
Bravo Cucina Ristorante – a North Vancouver Italian restaurant at 1209 Lonsdale Avenue (so halfway up the hill). In 2021 they have a lunch menu for $25 and a dinner menu for $35. Some entrée options are veal cannelloni, risotto, red snapper, or spaghetti Bolognese. (Both menus are available for takeout.)
Fishworks – a highly-rated fish and seafood restaurant at 91 Lonsdale Avenue (so right by Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards). Their $34 3-course dinner menu includes a choice of posh fish and chips or garganelli pesto steelhead, both of which come with a different BC wine. (Note: This restaurant participates in the Ocean Wise Seafood program.)

The Observatory Restaurant on Grouse Mountain usually participates in the festival too, but not in 2021.

For a list of other North Shore restaurants that participated in the festival, click 2021 North Shore Dining Festival Restaurants.

West Vancouver Restaurants

Village Tap House – a popular 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 a 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 white chocolate cheesecake for dessert. (Takeout is available.) This restaurant also participates in the Ocean Wise Seafood program.

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

Best Restaurants in Burnaby

One of the best restaurants that participated in the 2021 Vancouver Dine Out Festival in Burnaby was the following:

Atlas Steak + Fish – a restaurant at 4331 Dominion Street (near the Trans-Canada Highway and Willingdon). Its 2021 menu costs $40 and includes soup or salad, choice of prime rib, grilled salmon or potato gnocchi, and a dessert. Takeout is also available, although not on February 12th, 13th or 14th.
Baci Ristorante – an Italian place that’s open Tuesdays to Sundays at 3728 East Hastings Street (near Boundary). They have a $35 lunch menu and a $45 dinner one. Both include soup or salad, a choice of various pasta or meat main dish options, and a dessert (including creme brûlée, tiramisu or chocolate mousse). Takeout is available.
Hart House – at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue at Deer Lake Park. Dinner at this heritage building costs $42 and features a choice of duck leg, beet farrotto or Arctic char. (TIP: If the weather is good, before dinner, go for a walk around Deer Lake. The restaurant is in a beautiful area.) (Note: This restaurant participates in the Ocean Wise Seafood program.)

Click BURNABY‘s Best Restaurants for a list of other places to eat in this city, including venues not participating in the festival every year.

Best Restaurants in New Westminster

A popular New Westminster restaurant that participated in the 2021 festival was the following:

El Santo – an upscale Mexican place at 680 Columbia Street. 2021 menu entrées include a choice of braised pork cheek, short rib or Chile relleno. For dessert guests can choose between churros, a chocolate & elderflower tart or salted caramel ice cream. Three-course dinner deals cost $36 (and the menu is available for takeout).
Gino’s – an affordably-priced place that serves Italian and other Mediterranean dishes at 431 East Columbia Street. Their 3-course dinner offer costs about $20 and features an appetizer, choice of chicken souvlaki, roast lamb, pizza or lasagna & meatballs.

Best Restaurants in Richmond

Great 2021 Dine Out Vancouver Restaurants in Richmond included the following:

Flying Beaver – a bar and grill-style restaurant located at the Harbour Air seaplane terminal on the Fraser River at 4760 Inglis Drive. Their $24 lunch and dinner menus are available for dine-in and take-out. Entrée options include a seafood hot pot, teriyaki pineapple chicken and sirloin steak.
The Keg Steakhouse – the 11151 No. 5 Road location of this popular chain restaurant has 3-course dinners for $50. 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. (Takeout is available at this location.)
Yokohama Teppanyaki Japanese Restaurant – in Steveston Village at 12251 No. 1 Road. The lunch and dinner options in 2021 are $39 and they include a choice of New York steak, filet mignon, lobster, or sashimi. (The lunch and dinner menus are available for takeout.)

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

Best Restaurants in Surrey

2021 Dine Out Vancouver Festival restaurants in Surrey included the following:

Afghan Kitchen – a highly-rated restaurant at 16120 24th Avenue in Central Surrey near the Morgan Crossing shopping centre. The 3-course lunch specials here are just $15 and the dinner specials are $24. Entrée options include chicken qorma, chicken kebabs, mantu, lentil stew and more.
Browns Socialhouse – participating locations are at 15260 – 56th Avenue (on Highway 10 near 152nd) and at 15146 100th Avenue (in Guildford). 3-course Dine Out Festival menus cost $35 and include a choice of butter chicken curry, an Icelandic cod bowl, and steak & pasta. The first location is offering the special just at dinner. The Guildford restaurant, however, is offering the deal at lunchtime as well.
The Keg – the popular steakhouse has Surrey locations at 15180 32nd Avenue Diversion and 7948 120th Street. Both are offering $50 dinner specials. Salmon, steak (12 oz. sirloin), seafood sirloin (6 oz.) and prime rib (14 oz.) are all on the menu. (The dinner menu is available for takeout.)

Additional Information

If you are in town in late January or the first weekend in February in a typical year, then you’ll definitely want to know about the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. There is no better time 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. Not only are there exceptional restaurant deals, 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.

To see how restaurants like the Keg, Milestones, Cactus Club, Earls and other similar places compare, see our article about Vancouver Premium-Casual Chain Restaurants.

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: