The 38 Best Restaurants in Vancouver, According to a Local Expert
From elevated Michelin-starred dining along Main Street to Robson Street with its dizzying array of dumpling shops, ramen-ya, Korean-fried chicken joints, and creative bakeries, Vancouver is a city that demands you come hungry and ensures you leave satisfied. Since I arrived as an immigrant from the U.K. more than a decade ago, exploring the culinary […]
From elevated Michelin-starred dining along Main Street to Robson Street with its dizzying array of dumpling shops, ramen-ya, Korean-fried chicken joints, and creative bakeries, Vancouver is a city that demands you come hungry and ensures you leave satisfied.
Since I arrived as an immigrant from the U.K. more than a decade ago, exploring the culinary delights of the city has been like a global food tour. (Hard to say whether I fell first for the city’s soaring mountain views or the easy access to superb, cheap sushi.) Over 40 percent of Vancouver’s residents are born outside of Canada, and the city is home to robust Chinese, Indian, and Filipino communities, to name a few. Chefs from around the world apply culinary traditions to exceptional produce from the Lower Mainland and superb seafood from the cold, clean waters around Vancouver Island, creating a unique style of West Coast cuisine. Add in mushrooming brewery and distillery scenes, as well as fruit-forward wines from the nearby Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, and you can see why Vancouver deserves its reputation as one of the world’s best places to eat and drink.
Maple leaf pride — through supporting all things B.C. in particular and Canadian in general — continues to be the order of the day here in Vancouver. American wines and spirits have been pulled from shelves in response to the tariffs imposed by President Trump, creating more room for businesses to highlight whisky made right here at craft distilleries in B.C. along with superb wines and other spirits.
The city is about to slide into rainy season for the next few months, so bring your waterproofs along with your appetite. Don’t forget that a tried and tested cure for Raincouver Blues is a dozen Vancouver Island oysters and a chilled glass of B.C. bubbles. As ever, come for the superb seafood and terrific pan-Asian cuisine; stay if you agree with our belief that a tolerant, multicultural society is a good one.
We update this list quarterly to make sure it reflects the ever-changing Vancouver dining scene. Our write-ups include insider tips from our experienced writers and editors, as well as a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 (or the equivalent in Canadian dollars), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
New to the map in October 2025: It’s Okay, an East Van dive bar with a killer happy hour; Cheez Whiz-topped hot dogs at Breeze Bar; sophisticated izakaya cooking and craft cocktails at Noah’s Cafe; family-run Vietnamese food at Pho in Love by English Bay; and a crowd-pleasing weekend brunch at Coast.
Nikki Bayley is an award-winning freelance travel, food, and wine writer whose work has appeared in The Daily Telegraph, BC Living, and Whistler Traveller.
