Vancouver

Delara  
The undertow of pungent, tangy and nutty flavours that permeate the menu at this home to modern Iranian cuisine starts with a Hop Plum Spritzer with a top note of acidic dried lime. It recedes and then rises with a starter of roasted cauliflower, spicy yogurt, hazelnut and sumac, and peaks in the chicken and barberry main. Iranian folk songs bounce off white walls while carved mashrabiya panels seem to let in a warm Kashan breeze. A boldly tattooed server batting baby–blue eyelids reminds us we are in Kitsilano and brings our meal full–circle with the gentle citrus and haunting floral note of the turmeric and orange cake. Longlisted as part of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022.

Keefer Bar  
In Vancouver’s up–and–coming Chinatown, local haunt the Keefer Bar is dark and daring. Drinks listed as “prescriptions” at this cocktail apothecary use ingredients like deer–antler bitters and red cardamom. Ask the bartender about the Fountain Cocktail, a curatively delicious and ever–changing daily concoction.

Bacaro  
Set on the street level of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, this Italian eatery takes its name and menu inspiration from Venice’s canal–side bars. On your way to Stanley Park or shopping, pop in for a tasty Aperol Spritz and cicchetti — small plates, such as chicken liver crostini, buffalo mozzarella and olives.

Rain or Shine Ice Cream  
With a weatherproof name, this ice cream shop has developed a coterie of year–round devotees who can’t get enough of their Salted Caramel, London Fog or Blueberry Balsamic. They also dutifully line up for waffle–cone “tacos” filled with two scoops of ice cream on Taco Tuesdays.

Suyo  
Named after an Indigenous word that means homeland, the menu at this modern Peruvian restaurant pays homage to chef Ricardo Valverde’s heritage, with a Japanese twist — think Nikkei tartare with steelhead trout, aji amarillo pepper and crispy nori, and fresh ceviche with bold flavours. The interior’s jungle greenery, a curved wood ceiling and a golden bar that evokes the element’s importance in Incan history help create the ambiance of a faraway oasis.

Elephant  
Cross the unmarked threshold of this East Van den to find yourself greeted by a fermentation–mad inventor in the kitchen and a natural–wine–loving sommelier. Many are first drawn to this 18–seat industry fave for the umami explosion that is chef Justin Song–Ell’s steak tartare burger, seared on the outside then layered inside a brioche bun with fermented onion, Parmesan fonduta and pickled pearl onion. Try this and you will want to return for the five–course omakase tasting and wine pairing, which might include a plush 2020 Claus Preisinger Kalkstein blaufränkisch from Kelcie Jones’ stellar wine list. Longlisted as part of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022.

Matchstick  
Vancouverites revel in the Pacific Northwest trait of treating coffee like it was cold fusion. The myriad spots that employ beakers and atomically precise measurements in search of the perfect brew are endless, but the Matchstick mini–chain excels at making a great cup. It also bakes some of the city’s best housemade bread.

Acquafarina  
Dining at this posh, Michelin–recommended restaurant is an experience, and you will want to dress up for it — indeed, you will have to since there’s a strict dress code (and a no cellphone or camera) policy in place. You will be dazzled by the copper bar and the starry ceiling lights, but most of all by the perfectly plated Italian dishes, such as the rotolo alla Norma, a gorgeous grilled eggplant with ricotta salata and saffron.

Como Taperia  
Pours of on–tap vermouth and sherry zip by at warp speed as servers strive to keep up with the thirsty crowd at this jumping Mount Pleasant watering hole, named #2 on the 2019 Canada’s Best New Restaurants Top 10 list. Salty, addictive, traditional small plates of Madrid and Barcelona range from canned conservas (razor clams served with imported potato chips and Catalan Espinaler hot sauce) to grilled octopus with crispy potatoes, aioli and smoked pimentón. Still thirsty? Wash it down with a Bereziartua Basque cider, poured from on high in the flamboyant manner of the region.

St. Lawrence  
Pacific Rim–, sushi– and downward–dog–oriented B.C. loves its foie–gras–filled French–Québécois cuisine. This cozy, teal–panelled spot excels at fat tranches of smoked–ham–studded pâté en croûte accompanied by two kinds of mustard and bottomless crocks of cornichons. The poached cod with grilled mussels and fennel–kraut is doused with a savoury vermouth sauce. The team weaves cheerfully between tables, bearing cocktails of fresh watermelon, pastis, gin and cherry liqueur, and brightly acidic natural wines. Listed as one of the Top 10 Canada’s Best New Restaurants of 2018.