Vancouver Chefs Take the Plunge
Meet British Columbia’s most fish-friendly chefs as we dive into Vancouver’s sustainable seafood scene.
Celebrating the year Vancouver’s landmark Rosewood Hotel Georgia first opened, 1927 is vintage you can get behind: historically accurate... Read more
Bars
This eccentric lounge-tavern in Railtown – a little east of Gastown on the water – has a split personality: relaxed after-work... Read more
Bars
With almost a half-century onstage, the non-profit Arts Club is the soul of professional live theatre in Vancouver. It’s also where... Read more
Arts & Culture
This is the paragon of the old-school hotel bar. Pianist riffing on jazz standards? Check. Roaring fire? Check. If the three-martini lunch... Read more
Restaurants
The stage behind which you’ll find this friendly Granville Island pub is the Arts Club Theatre, so it’s the obvious choice for... Read more
Bars
Photo: Hamid Attie
The neon sign puts you in a film noir set in vintage Chinatown, but Bao Bei is totally of the moment – it’s taken this long to... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
Bill Reid’s The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, in the airport concourse, is one of the first things visitors see when they arrive in Vancouver.... Read more
Arts & Culture
John Bishop is the grandfather of Pacific Northwestern cuisine – everything Vancouver knows about cooking (and eating) BC’s natural... Read more
Restaurants
Photo: Elaine Fung
This cavernous space – all the more room for parking Bugaboo strollers – serves up modern treats like the S.O.B., a singleorigin... Read more
Bakeries / Cafés
This boutique parades the latest fashions from Paris, Milan and New York. If you’re into contemporary chic, the Tibi or Alice + Olivia... Read more
Shops
Vancouver’s best fine-dining spot is a sushi restaurant. Actually, we should clarify two points: some people think West is better, and... Read more
Restaurants
You won’t find any granola at this South Main boutique, specializing in sustainable designs with an urban aesthetic. Discover lines... Read more
Shops
Riding the line between the Gastown of steam-whistle clocks and cobblestone streets and the Gastown of wobbly derelicts gives the location... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
With views overlooking False Creek and Granville Island (where much of the freshly caught fare is sourced), Chef Robert Clark’s glass-encased,... Read more
Restaurants
This Italian coffee shop gives a shot of character to the quickly developing Commercial Drive. Wade through the old-timers chatting out front,... Read more
Bakeries / Cafés
Photo: Ted Anderson
“We want guests to feel comfortable walking in off the street in whatever East Van duds they’re wearing,” says chef/restaurateur... Read more
Restaurants
Expect Trappist Chimay beer and mussels, both in quantities that would make your healthcare professional grimace – you could return... Read more
Restaurants | Bars | Canada's Best New Restaurants
"Roya knows you are either wood or fire,” Roya says confidently, padding over the heated floors of our warmly lit suite. Among... Read more
Health & Wellness
This outdoor weekend party caters to every sense. Get lost among the crowds and explore the dozens of stands that line the blocks, hawking... Read more
Arts & Culture
Simple ingredients, sublime execution. The kitchen does rustic Italian and makes much of peasant staples: beans, potatoes, fresh pastas and... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
This Yaletown room is the gold standard for Italian food in Vancouver, and the well-heeled diners that consistently pack the buzzy room will... Read more
Restaurants
Boasting a Piet Mondrian-inspired porte cochère with coloured block glass, this hotel is an oasis of sleek design all the way to its... Read more
This raw bar offers a mainstream Gastown dining experience at moderate prices, with delicate smoked sablefish on choucroute that suggests... Read more
Restaurants | Bars
Photo: Ola Cholewa
“Dayton Boots is a true original,” says Stephen Encarnacao, the principal owner and CEO of this legendary footwear maker. Indeed,... Read more
Shops
A remarkable sanctuary nestled in the middle of rough and ready Chinatown. This is an authentic representation of private spaces within a... Read more
Landmarks
A contemporary member of the more traditional Fairmont family, this hotel is all sleek lines and high design – like the 50-metre-long... Read more
Located at the Vancouver International Airport, this hotel will have you at your gate for that early-morning flight in 10 minutes flat. Dig... Read more
Photo: Robert O'Neil/YYoga
When in the home of Lululemon, try a one-on-one session with yoga master Kelly Colleen at Flow Wellness, a light-filled space that’s... Read more
Health & Wellness
Photo: Martin Tessler
Just a 10-minute walk from both the convention centre and the shops on Robson Street, this property is ideally situated for business or pleasure.... Read more
This is what an elegant neighbourhood restaurant in one of Canada’s wealthiest postal codes looks like. Perched atop the British Properties... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
Careful: the tab here mounts rapidly, and not just because of the Yaletown prices. Cocktails are some of the most innovative and expertly... Read more
Restaurants | Bars
It’s only ten kilometres from Vancouver International Airport to downtown, but for years the trip could only be accomplished either by taking two public buses or a $30 cab ride. All of these options take between 30 minutes and an hour. The Canada Line now connects the airport to the SkyTrain transit network, reducing the travel time to 25 minutes and the cost to $5.
If Vancouver is a foodie haven, then Granville Island Public Market is its Mecca. Professional chefs, ambitious home cooks, and happy tourists... Read more
Shops
“Nature’s Stairmaster” is the summer hike of choice for resident calorie burners (it’s no joke: 3 kms up 2800 feet),... Read more
Health & Wellness
Japanese tapas. Lots of booze. And don’t be surprised if your server arrives with your mackerel while carrying a blowtorch. One of the... Read more
Restaurants
Photo: Virginia Macdonald
Having spent a decade in Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe, chef David Hawksworth is aiming to bring one home here. Although he is committed... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
The grande dame Canadian luxury department store keeps things fresh and contemporary by adding to its impressive lineup of designer labels... Read more
Shops
Tucked away on Blood Alley, this stylish, modern 28-seat tapas bar was opened by the same people who brought you Salt Tasting Room, right... Read more
Bars
In Vancouver’s still up-and-coming Chinatown, industry haunt the Keefer Bar is dark, daring and, frankly, almost dangerous. Drinks listed... Read more
Bars
This former factory in historic Chinatown was converted into four sleek loft-style suites (from $700/night) appointed with original art by... Read more
Photo: Margaret Mulligan
Walking into this restaurant is like stumbling upon a remote Japanese temple that happens to be hosting a rollicking party. There are loud... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
When it comes to Italian cuisine, classics never go out of style. This quiet neighbourhood resto (where reservations are hard to come by)... Read more
Restaurants
At the Loden Vancouver you’re never far from the action. This dashing Coal Harbour boutique hotel is steps away from Robson Street shopping... Read more
Photo: Lost + Found Cafe
With its vast space filled with artwork, cameras, travel books, magazines and a mixed clientele of local startup workers, Gastown residents... Read more
Bakeries / Cafés
Photo: Glasfurd & Walker
A few things you should note about Gastown’s L’Abattoir: It’s in a building that was Vancouver’s first jail and its... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
The luxe vibe of this boutique hotel, smack-dab in the middle of the city’s shopping core in the Robson Street district, washes over... Read more
Hungarian-born Vancouver designer Hajnalka Mandula’s Gastown shop comes complete with crumbling tiles and original hardwood floor and... Read more
Shops
Market at the Shangri-La Hotel marked the Canadian debut of celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Jean-Georges interprets seasonal ingredients... Read more
Restaurants
The upside of the economic downturn has been the proliferation of the do-one-thing-do-it-well eatery. Staffed by rugged men with knives, Meat... Read more
Restaurants
Open since 1945, this salumeria was the first butcher in Vancouver to offer traditional Italian cuts of meat and house-cured salami. Today... Read more
Restaurants
Photo: Elaine Tseng
The quiet end of Robson Street is now the de facto hub for Vancouver’s noodle lovers. Chef-owner Daiji Mastubara takes a West Coast... Read more
Restaurants
Mount Pleasant’s ultimate men’s shop (there’s even an old-school barber in the basement) is a throwback to general stores... Read more
Shops
Bill McCaig wanted to create the most authentic Neapolitan pizza you could get outside of Naples. He’s succeeded with an Acunto wood-fired... Read more
Restaurants
Mike Jeffs, executive chef and co-owner of Nook (as well as neighbouring small-plate haven Tapastree), has beefed up Denman Street’s... Read more
Restaurants
What ever happened to old-timey “shoppes”? You know, the kind that sold sturdy everyday basics for around the house, yard and... Read more
Shops
It says something about the character of the hotel (and its guests) that, on a good night, the Opus Bar seems to take up the entire lobby... Read more
Bars
Yaletown’s Opus may no longer be the city’s only real boutique property, yet its relentlessly personal service and its effortless... Read more
This modern and reasonably priced 34-seat French bistro on trendier-by-the-day Cambie Street is a neighbourhood restaurant packed with people... Read more
Restaurants
Pourhouse celebrates pre-Prohibition lifestyle with an impeccable attention to period detail. Antique couches. Crushed velvet wallpaper. Pedal-operated... Read more
Restaurants
Until 2009, it seemed like the SkyTrain light rail network only covered places no one wanted to go, but the addition of the Canada Line, running along Cambie to Richmond, makes it a very efficient way to get around. The only dark spots on the map where you’re still stuck with mediocre bus service are the West Side, the West End and West Vancouver (yes, these are three totally different places).
translink.ca
Being the temple of java in Vancouver is no small feat, but this Gastown laboratorycum- café – scales and beakers figure prominently... Read more
Bakeries / Cafés
Photo: Rosewood Hotel Georgia
Built in 1927, the Hotel Georgia was once the city’s most storied hotel property (guests included Louis Armstrong, Ginger Rogers and... Read more
If you’ve got a hankering for cheese and charcuterie, head to Salt and put together a tasting plate from the daily selection of 10 artisanal... Read more
Restaurants | Canada's Best New Restaurants
A shining beacon in historic Gastown, the flashing neon sign depicting two chubby piggies may be an indication of what’s in store inside.... Read more
Restaurants
In this city, the only thing more prominent than Starbucks is sushi. You can’t walk half a block without hitting an establishment that... Read more
Restaurants
The hotel itself, a 1927 heirloom property restored to its former grandeur, makes a con- vincing case for agelessness as an attainable goal.... Read more
Health & Wellness
This 61-storey monument to Vancouver’s induction into the “Global City” club was the first North American property by the... Read more
Photo: Tourism Vancouver
Over 400 hectares of evergreen forest and open green spaces are bounded by the 8.8-kilometre seawall, a favourite of local runners, cyclists,... Read more
Landmarks | Health & Wellness
Dim sum is a hotly contested category in Vancouver – you could spend years comparing the relative authenticity of the Richmond strip... Read more
Restaurants
A quick glance around Tableau in the Loden Hotel reveals a surprising freedom from West Coast design clichés – you won’t... Read more
Restaurants
Cabs aren’t the best way to get around in Vancouver, since one trip across a bridge runs up the meter dramatically. Of course, sometimes they’re a necessity. A 15% tip is usually expected and you’re better off calling – you’ll spend 10 minutes trying to hail unless you’re right outside a hotel.
Black Top & Checker Cabs: 604-681-2181 Maclure's Cabs (1984) Ltd.: 604-683-6666 Vancouver Taxi Ltd.: 604-871-1111A prohibition-inspired bar dishing out Asian-influenced small plates (bánh mì, noodles in lemongrass broth, gyoza). The heritage... Read more
Bars
The grande dame of Vancouver hospitality, the Hotel Van opened its doors in 1939, just in time for the arrival of King George VI and Queen... Read more
A Gastown sandwich-and-beer Brit-stop that locals adore and lucky tourists chance upon. Veal marrow on toast with Maldon salt and garlic confit... Read more
Restaurants
The best kinds of gifts work double time: decorative and artful, practical but pretty. The Hach is full of knick-knacks and stationery, most... Read more
Shops
The reputation of this “boozer,” based on its authentic atmosphere and huge selection of fine ales on tap, definitely precedes... Read more
Restaurants | Bars
Everything about this Coal Harbour pints-and-nachos brewpub is par for the course. Except one: the sprawling patio spills out into the seawall... Read more
Restaurants | Bars
Photo: Ola Cholewa
“‘Farm to table’ wasn’t a catchphrase growing up; it was how dinner was made,” says owner Brad Miller. Marry... Read more
Restaurants
Step into the lobby at the St. Regis and you might just feel like you’ve been transported back to the Roaring Twenties. As part of its... Read more
Most of the permanent collection is composed of B.C. icons like Emily Carr and Jeff Wall, but the VAG is known as of late for some blockbuster... Read more
Arts & Culture
The Waldorf’s restored Polynesian party palace in Vancouver, Tiki Bar dates back to the early 1950s. A South Seas whirl of palm trees,... Read more
Bars
For more than 35 years, Hidekazu Tojo has reigned as emperor (or at least Prime Minister) of seafood in Vancouver. A stool at the sushi bar... Read more
Restaurants
If the best Vietnamese restaurant is the one with the most Vietnamese people, does that make the best bar the one with the most bartenders?... Read more
Bars
For ten days in late June, you’ll be able to catch shows at over 40 venues across town, almost any time of day or night. Jazz is a broad,... Read more
Arts & Culture
A spectacular 55-acre garden with over 7,000 plant varieties, helpfully labelled, make this a botanical paradise. Its new, visually stunning,... Read more
Landmarks
That Vikram Vij’s South Granville spot is one of the best Indian restaurants in the world is no secret (no visit to Vancouver is complete... Read more
Restaurants
Genevieve Allen’s Parisian boutique on South Granville was inspired by designer Vanessa Bruno’s apartment. Restock your closet... Read more
Shops
This minimalist, white-on-white store on Cambie carries exclusive pieces like whimsical ceramics inspired by takeout containers from designer... Read more
Shops
After the departure of David Hawksworth, the native son who defined Vancouver’s Pacific Northwestern fine-dining culture out of West’s... Read more
Restaurants
Photo: Jamil Rhajiak
Maybe it’s the expertly mixed Singapore sling… or the air of refined exoticism… or the tinkling of the baby grand... But... Read more
Bars
Tucked into a leafy corner of the city’s west side, this small space has become the top destination for Japanese fare. Opt for the omakase... Read more
Restaurants
Meet British Columbia’s most fish-friendly chefs as we dive into Vancouver’s sustainable seafood scene.
Our favourite hotel stays: Vancouver, B.C.
Five reasons to zip up your snowsuit in Vernon, B.C.
