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Best of the City Dining 2017: And the winners are...

Another year, another delicious spread of winners. Despite the well documented cost pressures placed on the residents of Vancouver and its restaurant industry, this city’s food scene just doesn’t slow down.
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Another year, another delicious spread of winners.

Despite the well documented cost pressures placed on the residents of Vancouver and its restaurant industry, this city’s food scene just doesn’t slow down.

In our annual Best of the City Dining Awards, we’ve laid out Vancouver’s bounty before you – thanks to your help, of course.

We’ve got some stellar newcomers – congrats on your debut Westender awards, Botanist, St. Lawrence and H2! – as well as steadfast veterans that continue to evolve with these fast-paced times.

We’ve also got some fresh trends represented – who could have thought a few years ago we’d all be scarfing down poke? – as well as the best representatives of traditional cuisine.

In the next several pages, we list all of this year’s winners and feature some of your top favourites.

You’ll notice that a lot of them deal in liquids and this, too, has been a recent revolution of sorts. Whether they choose bubble tea or artisan tea leaves, craft beer or B.C. wine, more Vancouverites are realizing that a glass of cola or cheap plonk just doesn’t cut it anymore.

This is your invitation to get out there and explore, satisfy your belly and your curiosity, and support some amazing people – from executive chefs to servers – who somehow keep making our city’s food scene better every year.

Cheers! —The Westender team 

 

THE RESULTS

 

BEST OVERALL

 

Best Restaurant

1. Hawksworth, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

3. Blue Water Cafe, 1095 Hamilton St., bluewatercafe.net

 

Best New Restaurant In 2017

1. Botanist, 1038 Canada Pl., botanistrestaurant.com

2. St. Lawrence, 269 Powell St., stlawrencerestaurant.com

3. H2 Rotisserie & Bar, 1601 Bayshore Dr., h2restaurant.com

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Botanist, the incarnation of the former Oru at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, is an amalgamation of old, new and distinctively luxe. - Ema Peter photo

 

Best Chef

1. David Hawksworth, Hawksworth Restaurant, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

2. Alex Chen, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

3. Trevor Bird, Fable, 1944 W. 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

 

Best Bartender

1. Kaitlyn Stewart, Royal Dinette, 805 Dunsmuir St., royaldinette.ca

2. Sabrine Dhaliwal, UVA, 900 Seymour St., uvavancouver.com

3. Marc Smolenski, Mission, 2042 W. 4th Ave., missionkits.ca

 

Best Service

1. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com | SEE STORY

2. Black+Blue, 1032 Alberni St., glowbalgroup.com/blackblue

T-3. Fable, 1944 W. 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

T-3. Hawksworth, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

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John Paul Potters is the executive general manager of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar. - Contributed

 

Best Upscale

1. Hawksworth, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

3. Le Crocodile, 909 Burrard St., lecrocodilerestaurant.com

 

Best Casual Dining

1. Cactus Club Café, various locations, cactusclubcafe.com

2. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

T-3. Earls Kitchen + Bar, various locations, earls.ca

T-3. Joey Restaurants, various locations, joeyrestaurants.com

 

Best Catering

1. Railtown Catering, 397 Railway St., railtowncatering.ca

2. The Lazy Gourmet, 1605 W. 5th Ave., lazygourmet.ca

3. The Butler Did It Catering, 620 Clark Dr., butlerdiditcatering.com

 

Best Cheap Eats

1. Tacofino, various locations, tacofino.com

2. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, various locations, lataqueria.com

T-3. El Furniture Warehouse, various locations, warehousegroup.ca

T-3. What’s Up? Hot Dog!, 2481 E. Hastings St., whatsuphotdog.ca

 

Best Cooking School/Lessons

1. The Dirty Apron Cooking School & Delicatessen, 540 Beatty St., dirtyapron.com

2. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, 101-1505 W. 2nd Ave., picachef.com

3. Vancouver Community College, various campuses, vcc.ca

 

Best Dessert

1. Thierry Café, 1059 Alberni St., thierrychocolates.com

2. Earnest Ice Cream, various locations, earnesticecream.com

T-3. Breka Bakery & Café, various locations, breka.ca

T-3. Mosquito, 32 Water St., mosquitodessert.com

 

Best Food Truck

1. Tacofino, tacofino.com

2. Vij’s Railway Express, vijsrailwayexpress.com

3. Chickpea, ilovechickpea.ca

 

Best Food/Drink Event

1. Vancouver International Wine Festival, vanwinefest.ca

2. Dine Out Vancouver Festival, dineoutvancouver.ca

3. Brewery and the Beast, breweryandthebeast.com

 

Best Gluten-Free Options

1. MeeT, various locations, meetonmain.com

2. The Acorn Restaurant, 3995 Main St., theacornrestaurant.ca

T-3. Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery, 3385 Cambie St., lemonadebakery.ca

T-. Nuba, various locations, nuba.ca

 

Best Restaurant Decor/Design

1. Nightingale Restaurant, 1017 W. Hastings St., hawknightingale.com

2. Osteria Savio Volpe, 615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com

T-3. Hawksworth, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

T-3. Kissa Tanto, 263 E. Pender St., kissatanto.com

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Nightingale – David Hawksworth’s second major room — is a two-tiered, multifaceted space in the artfully recreated premises of the old University Club. - Tim Pawsey

 

Best Late-Night Eats

1. The Naam, 2724 W. 4th Ave., thenaam.com

2. Lucy’s Eastside Diner, 2708 Main St., facebook.com/lucyseastsidediner

3. Fritz European Fry House, 718 Davie St., fritzeuropeanfryhouse.com

 

Best Locally Sourced Menu

1. Fable, 1944 W. 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

2. Forage, 1300 Robson St., foragevancouver.com

3. Farmer’s Apprentice, 1535 W. 6th Ave., farmersapprentice.ca

 

Best Office Lunch Delivery

1. Enroot, enrootmeals.com

2. Food.ee, food.ee

3. Foodora, foodora.ca

 

Best Restaurant To Take Visitors

1. Miku Restaurant, 200 Granville St., mikurestaurant.com

2. Seasons in the Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, W. 33rd Ave., vancouverdine.com/seasons

3. Cactus Club Café - Coal Harbour, 1085 Canada Pl., cactusclubcafe.com

 

Best Vegan/Vegetarian

1. The Acorn, 3995 Main St., theacornrestaurant.com

T-2. MeeT, various locations, meetonmain.com

T-2. The Naam, 2724 W. 4th Ave., thenaam.com

3. Heirloom Vegetarian Restaurant, 1509 W. 12th Ave., heirloomrestaurant.com

 

Best View

1. Seasons in the Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, W. 33rd Ave., vancouverdine.com/seasons

2. Cactus Club Café - Coal Harbour, 1085 Canada Pl., cactusclubcafe.com

3. Miku Restaurant, 200 Granville St., mikurestaurant.com

 

Best Working Lunch

1. Cactus Club Café, various locations, cactusclubcafe.com

2. Meat & Bread, various locations, meantandbread.com

3. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

 

Most Romantic Restaurant

1. Seasons in the Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, W. 33rd Ave., vancouverdine.com/seasons

T-2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

T-2. Le Crocodile, 909 Burrard St., lecrocodilerestaurant.com

3. Hawksworth, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL

 

Best African

1. Simba’s  Grill, 825 Denman St., simbasgrill.com

2. Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant, 2149 Commercial Dr., harambes.com

T-3. Fassil Ethiopian Resturanrnt, 736 E. Broadway, fassil.ca

T-3. Jambo Grill, 3219 Kingsway, jambogrill.ca

 

Best Canadian

1. Forage, 1300 Robson St., foragevancouver.com

2. The Oakwood Canadian Bistro, 2741 W. 4th Ave., theoakwood.ca

T-3. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.ca

T-3. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

 

Best Caribbean

1. The Reef, various locations, thereefrestaurant.com

2. Calabash Bistro, 428 Carrall St., calabashbistro.com

T-3. Havana Restaurant, 1212 Commercial Dr., havanarestaurant.com

T-3. Riddim & Spice, 1945 Commercial Dr., 604-215-9252

 

Best Chinese

1. Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie, 163 Keefer St., bao-bei.ca

2. Kirin Restaurant, various locations, kirinrestaurants.com

3. Peaceful Restaurant, various locations, peacefulrestaurant.com

 

Best French

1. Le Crocodile, 909 Burrard St., lecrocodilerestaurant.com

2. Les Faux Bourgeois, 663 E. 15th Ave., lesfauxbourgeois.com

3. L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca

 

Best Greek

1. Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna, 1124 Davie St., 604-683-2555

2. The Greek by Anatoli, 1043 Mainland St., thegreekbyanatoli

3. Maria’s Taverna, 2324 W. 4th Ave., mariason4th.com

 

Best Indian

1. Vij’s, 3106 Cambie St., vijs.ca

2. Sula Indian Restaurant, 1128 Commercial Dr., sulaindianrestaurant.com

3. Siddhartha’s Kitchen, 2066 Commercial Dr., siddharthaskitchen.com

 

Best Italian

1. Ask For Luigi, 305 Alexander St., askforluigi.com | SEE STORY

2. Italian Kitchen, 1037 Alberni St., glowbalgroup.com

3. Savio Volpe, 615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com

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Pappardelle at Ask for Luigi. - Dan Toulgoet

 

Best Japanese

1. Miku, 70-200 Granville St., mikurestaurant.com

2. Minami, 1118 Mainland St., minamirestaurant.com

3. Tojo’s, 1133 W. Broadway, tojos.com

 

Best Korean

1. Sura Korean Cuisine, 1518 Robson St., surakoreancuisine.com

2. Damso, 867 Denman St., damso.ca

3. So Hyang Korean Cuisine, 6345 Fraser St., sohyang.ca

 

Best Mexican

1. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, various locations, lataqueria.com

2. Sal y Limon, 701 Kingsway, salylimon.ca

3. Las Margaritas, 1999 W. 4th Ave., lasmargaritas.com

 

Best Middle Eastern

1. Nuba, various locations, nuba.ca

2. Afghan Horsemen Restaurant, 1833 Anderson St., afghanhorsemen.com

3. East is East, various locations, eastiseast.ca

 

Best Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino

1. Banana Leaf, various locations, bananaleaf-vancouver.com

2. Tropika, various, tropikavancouver.com

T-3. Hawkers Delight, 4127 Main St., 604-709-8188

T-3. Penang Delight Cafe, various locations, penangdelight.com

 

Best South American

1. El Camino's, 3250 Main St., elcaminos.ca

2. Chicha 136 E. Broadway, chicharestaurant.com

T-3. Baru Latino, 2535 Alma St., barulatino.com

T-3. Cuchillo, 261 Powell St., cuchillo.ca

 

Best Spanish

1. España, 1118 Denman St., espanarestaurant.ca | SEE STORY

2. Bodega on Main, 1014 Main St., bodegaonmain.ca

3. Cabrito, 2270 Commercial Dr., cabrito.ca

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España's paella dish is slow-cooked with saffron, garlic and paprika. - Contributed

 

Best Thai

1. Maenam, 1938 W. 4th Ave., maenam.ca

2. Sala Thai, 102-888 Burrard St.,salathai.ca

3. Bob Likes Thai Food, various locations, boblikesthaifood.com

 

Best Vietnamese

1. Anh and Chi, 3388 Main St., anhandchi.com

2. Phnom Penh, 244 E Georgia St., 604-682-5777

3. Pho Goodness, various locations, phogoodness.com

 

Best West Coast

1. Coast, 1054 Alberni St., coastrestaurant.ca

2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

3. West Restaurant, 2881 Granville St., westrestaurant.com

 

 

BEST SPECIALTY ITEMS

 

Best Appetizers

1. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.com

2. H2 Rotisserie & Bar, 1601 Bayshore Dr., h2restaurant.com

3. Fable Kitchen, 1944 W 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

 

Best Bagels

1. Solly's Bagelry, 368 W 7th Ave., sollysbagelry.com

2. Siegel's Bagels, 1883 Cornwall Ave., siegelsbagels.com

3. Rosemary Rocksalt, various locations, rosemaryrocksalt.com

 

Best Barbecue

1. Memphis Blues BBQ House, various locations, memphisbluesbbq.com

2. Dixie’s BBQ, 337 East Hastings St., meatatdixies.com

3. Buckstop, 833 Denman St., buckstop.ca

 

Best Bubble Tea

1. Chatime, various locations, chatime.com | SEE STORY

2. Dragon Ball Tea House, 1007 W King Edward Ave., 604-738-3198

3. Bubble World, various locations, bubbleworld.ca

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Chatime offers up authentic Taiwanese bubble tea. - Dan Toulgoet

 

Best Burger

1. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

2. Romer’s Burger Bar, various locations, romersburgerbar.com

3. Vera’s Burger Shack, various locations, verasburgershack.com

 

Best Chocolate

1. Thomas Haas Chocolates, 2539 W. Broadway, thomashaas.com

2. Purdy’s Chocolatier, various locations, purdys.com

3. Chocolate Arts, 1620 W. 3rd Ave., chocolatearts.com

 

Best Croissant

1. Thomas Haas Chocolates, 2539 W. Broadway, thomashaas.com | SEE STORY

2. Beaucoup Bakery & Café, 2150 Fir St., beaucoupbakery.com

3. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA), 101-1505 W. 2nd Ave., picachef.com

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Perfecting the croissant is all about butter and time, says Thomas Haas. - Contributed

 

Best Cup of Tea

1. DAVIDsTEA, various locations, davidstea.com | SEE STORY

2. TWG Tea, 1070 W. Georgia St.,twgtea.com

3. Neverland Tea Salon, 3066 W. Broadway, neverlandtea.com

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DAVID's TEA employees serve up the world's most popular drink: tea. - Contributed

 

Best Dim Sum

1. Kirin Restaurant, various locations, kirinrestaurants.com

2. Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, 108-777 W. Broadway, dynasty-restaurant.ca

T-3. Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant, 4989 Victoria Dr., westernlake.ca

T-3. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant, 3888 Main St., sunsuiwah.ca

 

Best Donair/Kebab

1. Donair Dude, various locations, donairdude.com

2. Babylon Café, various locations, babyloncafe.ca

3. Donair Town, various locations, donairtown.com

 

Best Donuts

1. Cartems Donuterie, various locations, cartems.com

2. Lucky’s Doughnuts, 2902 Main St., luckysdoughnuts.com

3. Lee’s Donuts, 1689 Johnston St., 604-685-4021

 

Best Dumplings

1. Dinesty Dumpling House, various locations, dinesty.ca

T-2. Lin Chinese Cuisine, 1537 W. Broadway, linchinese.ca

T-2. Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant, 4989 Victoria Dr., westernlake.ca

T-3. Gyoza King, 1508 Robson St., gyokingroup.com

T-3. Long's Noodle House, 4853 Main St., 604-738-3198

 

Best Fish & Chips

1. The Fish Counter, 3825 Main St., thefishcounter.com

2. Go Fish, 1505 W. 1st Ave., 604-730-5040

3. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

 

Best Ice Cream/Gelato

1. Earnest Ice Cream, various locations, earnesticecream.com

2. Bella Gelateria, various locations, bellagelateria.com

3. Rain Or Shine, various locations, rainorshineicecream.com

 

Best Juice/Smoothie

1. The Juice Truck, 28 W. 5th Ave., thejuicetruck.ca

2. Body Energy, various locations, bodyenergyclub.com

T-3. Booster Juice, various locations, boosterjuice.com

T-3. Glory Juice, various locations, gloryjuiceco.com

 

Best Pho

1. Pho Goodness, various locations, phogoodness.com

2. Thai Son, various locations, thaison.ca

3. Anh and Chi, 3388 Main St., anhandchi.com

 

Best Pizza

1. Via Tevere, 1190 Victoria Dr., viateverepizzeria.com

2. Nicli Antica Pizzeria, 62 E. Cordova St., niclipizzeria.com

3. Pizza Garden, various locations, pizzagarden.ca

 

Best Poke

1. Pokerrito, 558 Dunsmuir St., pokerrito.ca | SEE STORY

2. The Poke Guy, 420 Richards St., thepokeguy.ca

3. Westcoast Poke, 463 W. 8th Ave., westcoastpoke.com

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Pokérrito is riding high on the wave of poke's popularity in Vancouver. - Pokérrito

 

Best Poutine

1. Fritz European Fry House, 718 Davie St., fritzeuropeanfryhouse.com

2. La Belle Patate, 1215 Davie St., westcoastpoutine.wixsite.com/labellepatate

3. Mean Poutine,718 Nelson St., 604-568-4351

 

Best Ramen

1. Jinya Ramen Bar, various locations, jinya-ramenbar.com

2. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, various locations, santouka.co.jp

3. Ramen Danbo, various locations, ramendanbo.com

 

Best Seafood

1. Blue Water Café, 1095 Hamilton St., bluewatercafe.net

2. Coast, 1054 Alberni St., glowbalgroup.com

T-3. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

T-3. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.com

 

Best Steak

1. The Keg Steakhouse, various locations, kegsteakhouse.com

2. Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar, various locations, hyssteakhouse.com

3. Black+Blue, 1032 Alberni St., glowbalgroup.com/blackblue

 

Best Sushi

1. Miku Waterfront, 70-200 Granville St., mikurestaurant.com | SEE STORY

2. Minami, 1118 Mainland St., minamirestaurant.com

3. Tojo’s, 1133 W. Broadway, tojos.com

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Sangwoo Kim, sous chef at Miku, with a platter of signature pressed sushi. - Dan Toulgoet

 

Best Tacos

1. Tacofino, various locations, tacofino.com

2. La Taqueria, various locations, lataqueria.com

3. Sal y Limon, 5-701 Kingsway, salylimon.ca

 

Best Tapas

1. Espana, 1118 Denman St., espanarestaurant.ca

2. Bodega on Main, 1014 Main St., bodegaonmain.ca

3. Guu, various locations, guu-izakaya.com

 

Best Vancouver Beer

1. 33 Acres Brewing Company, 5 W. 8th Ave., 33acresbrewing.com | SEE STORY

2. Strange Fellows Brewing, 1345 Clark Dr., strangefellowsbrewing.com

T-3. Central City on Beatty, 871 Beatty St., centralcitybrewing.com

T-3. Parallel 49 Brewing Company, 1950 Triumph St., parallel49brewing.com

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33 Acres’ popular tasting room in Brewery Creek. - Jan Zeschky

 

Best Waffles

1. Nero Belgian Waffle Bar, 1703 Robson St., nerowafflebar.com

2. Café Medina, 780 Richards St., medinacafe.com

3. Scandilicious, 25 Victoria Dr., scandilicious.com

 

BEST FOOD RETAIL

 

Best Bakery

1. Beaucoup Bakery & Café, 2150 Fir St., beaucoupbakery.com

2. Thomas Haas, 2539 W. Broadway, thomashaas.com

T-3. Breka Bakery & Café, various locations, breka.ca

T-3. Terra Breads, various locations, terrabreads.com

 

Best Butcher

1. Windsor Quality Meats, 4110 Main St., windsorqualitymeats.com

T-2. Jacksons Meat and Deli, 2214 W. 4th Ave., jacksonsmeat.com

T-2. Windsor Meats, 2276 E. Hastings St., windsormeats.com

3. Rio Friendly Meats, 2477 E. Hastings St. 604-253-0345

 

Best Coffee Shop

1. JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, various locations, jjbeancoffee.com | SEE STORY

2. 49th Parallel, various locations, 49thcoffee.com

T-3. Matchstick, various locations, matchstickyvr.com

T-3. Moja Coffee, 1102 Commercial Dr., mojacoffee.com

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JJ Bean now has 20 stores around Vancouver - JJ Bean

 

Best Cheese Shop

1. Les Amis Du Fromage, various locations, buycheese.com

2. Benton Brothers, various locations, bentonscheese.com

3. La Grotta Del Formaggio, 1791 Commercial Dr., lgdf.com

 

Best Deli

1. Oyama Sausage, 1689 Johnston St., Granville Island Public Market, oyamasausage.ca

T-2. Bosa Foods, various locations, bosafoods.com

T-2. La Grotta Del Formaggio, 1791 Commercial Dr., lgdf.com

T-3. Santa Barbara Market, 1322 Commercial Dr., 604-253-1941

T-3. Solly’s Bagels, various locations, sollysbagelry.com

 

Best Farmers’ Market

1. Trout Lake Farmers Market, Lakewood Dr. & E. 13th Ave., eatlocal.org

2. Kitsilano Farmers Market, 2690 Larch St., eatlocal.org

3. West End Farmers Market, 1100 Comox St. between Bute & Thurlow, eatlocal.org

 

Best Gluten-Free Bakery

1. Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery, 3385 Cambie St., lemonadebakery.ca

2. The Gluten Free Epicurean, 633 E. 15th Ave., glutenfreeepicurean.ca

3. East Village Bakery, 2166 E. Hastings St., eastvillagebakery.com

 

Best Grocery Store

1. Whole Foods, various locations, wholefoodsmarket.com

2. Donald’s Market, various locations, donaldsmarket.com

3. Urban Fare, various locations, urbanfare.com

 

Best Produce Store

1. Kin’s Farm Market, various locations, kinsfarmmarket.com

2. Donald’s Market, various locations, donaldsmarket.com

3. Young Brothers Produce, 3151 W. Broadway, 604-732-7088

 

Best Seafood Store

1. The Fish Counter, 3825 Main St., thefishcounter.com

T-2. The Daily Catch, various locations, dailycatchseafood.ca

T-2. The Lobster Man, 1807 Mast Tower Rd., lobsterman.com

3. F.I.S.H. (Fresh Ideas Start Here), 2959 W. Broadway, eatfish.ca

 

Best Specialty Food Store

1. Bosa Foods, various locations, bosafoods.com

2. Meinhardt Fine Foods, various locations, meinhardtfinefoods.com

T-3. South China Seas Trading Co., various locations, southchinaseas.ca

T-3. Whole Foods, various locations, wholefoodsmarket.com

 

Best Stall At Granville Island

1. Oyama Sausage, 1689 Johnston St., oyamasausage.ca

2. Lee’s Donuts, 1689 Johnston St., 604-685-4021

3. Duso’s Italian Foods, 1689 Johnston St., dusos.com

 

BEST PLACES TO DRINK

 

Best Wine List

1. Blue Water Café, 1095 Hamilton St., bluewatercafe.net | SEE STORY

2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., bluewatercafe.net

T-3. Hawksworth Restaurant, 801 W. Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

T-3. L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca

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William Mulholland, wine director at Blue Water Cafe. - Contributed

 

Best B.C. Winery

1. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, 500 Burrowing Owl Pl., Oliver, burrowingowlwine.ca

2. Quail’s Gate Estate Winery, 3303 Bourcherie Rd., Kelowna, quailsgate.com

3. Mission Hill Winery, 1730 Mission Hill Rd., West Kelowna, missionhillwinery.com

 

Best Craft Beer List

1. CRAFT Beer Market, 85 W. 1st Ave., craftbeermarket.ca | SEE STORY

2. Alibi Room, 157 Alexander St., alibi.ca

3. Central City Beatty Street, 871 Beatty St., centralcitybrewing.com

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GM Franny Roberts, right, and sales manager Jessica Singh beside some of CRAFT’s 152 taps. - Dan Toulgoet

 

Best Craft Brewery

1. 33 Acres Brewing Company, 15 W. 8th Ave., 33acresbrewing.com

T-2. Parallel 49 Brewing, 1950 Triumph St. parallel49brewing.com

T-2. Strange Fellows Brewing Company, 1345 Clark Dr., strangefellowsbrewing.com

T-3. Brassneck Brewery, 2148 Main St., brassneck.ca

T-3. R&B Brewing, 1-54 E. 4th Ave., randbbrewing.com

 

Best Cocktail List

1. The Keefer Bar, 135 Keefer St., thekeeferbar.com

2. The Diamond, 6 Powell St., di6mond.com

3. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

 

Best Local Distillery

1. Odd Society Spirits, 1725 Powell St., oddsocietyspirits.com

2. Long Table Distillery, 1451 Hornby St., longtabledistilliery.com

3. Central City Brewers & Distillers, 11411 Bridgeview Dr., Surrey, centralcitybrewing.com

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Bartender Kylie Bartlett of Odd Society Spirits whips up a Blushing Sicilian using the local distillery's Bittersweet Vermouth. - Dan Toulgoet photo

 

Best Cocktail Lounge

1. The Keefer Bar, 135 Keefer St., thekeeferbar.com

2. Lobby Lounge RawBar – Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Pl., lobbyloungerawbar.com

3. The Diamond, 6 Powell St., di6mond.com

 

Best Hotel Lounge

1. Lobby Lounge RawBar – Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Pl., lobbyloungerawbar.com

2. Gerard Lounge, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

3. Prohibition, 801 W. Georgia St., rosewoodhotels.com

 

Best Happy Hour

1. Earls Kitchen + Bar, various locations, earls.ca

2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.com

3. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.com

 

Best Neighbourhood Pub

1. Local Public Eatery, 2210 Cornwall Ave., localkits.com

T-2. Darby’s Public House, 2001 Macdonald St., darbys.pub

T-2. Colony Bar (Main St.), 2904 Main St., colonymainst.com

3. The Blind Sparrow, 751 Denman St., blindsparrow.ca

 

Best Dive Bar

1. The Cambie, 300 Cambie St., cambiepubs.com

2. Jackalopes, 2257 E. Hastings St., jackalopesdive.com

3. The Metropole Community Pub, 320 Abbott St., themetpub.ca

 

Best Sports Bar

1. Shark Club, 180 W. Georgia St., sharkclub.com

2. Score on Davie, 1262 Davie St., scoreondavie.com

3. The SportsBar LIVE! at Rogers Arena, 99 W. Georgia St., thesportsbar.ca

 

Best Liquor Store

1. Legacy Liquor Store, 1633 Manitoba St., legacyliquorstore.com

2. B.C. Liquor Store (Cambie location), 5555 Cambie St., bcliquorstores.com

3. Liberty Wine Merchants, various locations, libertywinemerchants.com

 

NEIGHBOURHOODS –WEST END

 

Best Restaurant in the West End

1. Tavola, 1829 Robson St., tavolavancouver.com

T-2. Espana Restaurant, 1118 Denman St., espanarestaurant.ca

T-2. Forage, 1300 Robson St., foragevancouver.com

T-3. Kingyo, 871 Denman St., kingyo-izakaya.ca

T-3. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

 

Best Bar

1. Score on Davie, 1262 Davie St., scoreondavie.com

2. The Blind Sparrow, 751 Denman St., blindsparrow.ca

2. Gerard Lounge, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

3. H2 Rotisserie & Bar, 1601 Bayshore Dr., h2restaurant.com

 

Best Breakfast/Brunch

1. Forage, 1300 Robson St., foragevancouver.ca

2. Cora, 1368 Robson St., chezcora.com

3. Joe’s Grill, various locations, joes-grill.ca

Forage
Forage chef Chris Whittaker. - File photo

 

Best Lunch

1. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

2. Cora, 1368 Robson St., chezcora.com

T-3. Cactus Club Café, various locations, cactusclubcafe.com

T-3. Cardero’s Restaurant, 1583 Coal Harbour Quay, vancouverdine.com/carderos

 

Best Diner/Greasy Spoon

1. Joe’s Grill, various locations, joes-grill.ca

2. Denny’s, 1098 Davie St., dennys.ca

3. Red Umbrella Café, 1707 Davie St., 604-688-7818


Best Late-Night Eats

1. Denny’s, various locations, dennys.ca

T-2. Buckstop, 833 Denman St., buckstop.ca

T-2. Espana Restaurant, 1118 Denman St., espanarestaurant.ca

T-3. Earls Kitchen + Bar, various locations, earls.ca

T-3. Guu, various locations, guu-izakaya.com

 

Best Take Out/Delivery

1. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

2. Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna, 1359 Robson St., 604-683-2555

T-3. Thai Basil, various locations, thaibasilvancouver.ca

T-3. Dominos, various locations, pizza.dominos.ca

 

Best Patio

1. Cactus Club Café, various locations, cactusclubcafe.com

2. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, 777 Thurlow St., joefortes.ca

3. Lift, various locations, liftbarandgrill.com

 

Best Happy Hour

1. Earls Kitchen + Bar, 1185 Robson St., earls.ca

T-2 Cactus Club Café, various locations, cactusclubcafe.com

T-2 Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, 777 Thurlow St., joefortes.ca

3. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca

 

NEIGHBOURHOODS – WEST SIDE

 

Best Restaurant on the West Side

1. Fable Kitchen, 1944 W. 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

2. Bishop’s, 2183 W. 4th Ave., bishopsonline.com

T-3. La Quercia, 3689 W. 4th Ave., laquercia.ca

T-3. West Restaurant, 2881 Granville St., westrestaurant.com

 

Best Breakfast/Brunch

1. Jethro’s Fine Grub, 3420 Dunbar St., jethrosfinegrub.com

2. Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe, 2095 W. 4th Ave., sophiescosmiccafe.com

T-3. Fable Kitchen, 1944 W. 4th Ave., fablekitchen.ca

T-3. Sunshine Diner, 2649 W. Broadway, thesunshinediner.com

 

Best Lunch

1. Burgoo, various locations, burgoo.ca

T-2. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, 1505 W. 2nd Ave., picachef.com

T-2. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

T-3. Au Comptoir, 2278 W. 4th Ave., aucomptoir.ca

T-3. West Restaurant, 2881 Granville St., westrestaurant.com

 

Best Diner/Greasy Spoon

1. Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe, 2095 W. 4th Ave., sophiescosmiccafe.com

2. Sunshine Diner, 2649 W. Broadway, thesunshinediner.com

3. Jethro’s Fine Grub, 3420 Dunbar St., jethrosfinegrub.com

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe
L-R: Emmanuel, Jimmy, Sophie and George Dikerkos of Sophie's Cosmic Cafe. - Rob Newell photo

 

Best Late-Night Eats

1. The Naam, 2724 W. 4th Ave., thenaam.com

2. The Eatery, 3431 W. Broadway, theeatery.ca

3. Mission Kitsilano, 2042 W. 4th Ave., missionkits.ca

 

Best Takeout/Delivery

1. The Naam, 2724 W. 4th Ave., thenaam.com

2. Peaceful Restaurant, various locations, peacefulrestaurant.com

3. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

 

Best Patio

1. The Local Public Eatery, 2210 Cornwall Ave., localkits.com

2. Darby’s Public House, 2001 Macdonald St., darbys.pub

T-3. Tap & Barrel (Olympic Village), 1 Athletes Way, tapandbarrel.com

T-3. The Boathouse, 1305 Arbutus St., boathouserestaurants.ca

 

Best Happy Hour

1. Earls, 1601 W. Broadway, earls.ca

2. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

T-3. Chewie’s Steam & Oyster Bar, various locations, chewies.ca

T-3. The Local Public Eatery, 2210 Cornwall Ave., localkits.com

 

Best Bar

1. The Local Public Eatery, 2210 Cornwall Ave., localkits.com

2. Bimini, 2010 W. 4th Ave., donnellygroup.ca/bimini

3. Storm Crow Alehouse, 1619 W. Broadway, stormcrowalehouse.com

 

NEIGHBOURHOODS – EAST SIDE

 

Best Restaurant on the East Side

1. Savio Volpe, 615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com

T-2. Ask for Luigi, 305 Alexander St., askforluigi.com

T-2. Bistro Wagon Rouge, 1869 Powell St., bistrowagonrouge.com

3. Les Faux Bourgeois, 663 E. 15th Ave., lesfauxbourgeois.com

NOSH-0608
Savio Volpe's half chicken with rosemary, grilled lemon and sides. - Knauf and Brown photo

 

Best Breakfast/Brunch

1. Yolk’s Restaurant and Commissary, various locations, yolks.ca

2. Fable Diner, 151 E. Broadway, fablediner.com

3. Red Wagon Café, 2296 E. Hastings St., redwagoncafe.com

 

Best Lunch

1. Fable Diner, 151 E. Broadway, fablediner.com

2. Railtown Café, various locations, railtowncafe.ca

3. Sal y Limon, 5-701 Kingsway St., salylimon.ca

 

Best Diner/Greasy Spoon

T-1. Fable Diner, 151 E. Broadway, fablediner.com

T-1. Red Wagon Café, 2296 E. Hastings St., redwagoncafe.com

2. Lucy's Eastside Diner, 2708 Main St., facebook.com/lucyseastsidediner

3. Nice Café, 154 E. 8th Ave., facebook.com/nicecafevan

 

Best Late-Night Eats

1. Lucy's Eastside Diner, 2708 Main St., facebook.com/lucyseastsidediner/

2. Congee Noodle House, 141 E. Broadway, 604-879-8221

T-3. The Cascade Room, 2616 Main St., thecascade.ca

T-3. What's Up? Hot Dog!,  2481 E. Hastings St., whatsuphotdog.ca

 

Best Take Out/ Delivery

1. Kin Kao Thai Kichen, 903 Commercial Dr., kinkao.ca

T-2. Sula Indian Restaurant, 1128 Commercial Dr., sulaindianrestaurant.com

T-2. Budgies Burritos, 44 Kingsway, budgiesburritos.com

3. Don’t Argue Pizza, 3240 Main St., dontarguepizzeria.com

 

Best Patio

1. Havana Restaurant, 1212 Commercial Dr., havanarestaurant.ca

2. Falconetti’s East Side Grill, 1812 Commercial Dr., falconettis.com

2. The Arbor, 3941 Main St., thearborrestaurant.ca

 

Best Happy Hour

1. What's Up? Hot Dog!,  2481 E. Hastings St., whatsuphotdog.ca

2. The Cascade Room, 2616 Main St., thecascade.ca

3 Crowbar, 646 Kingsway, crowbareastvan.com

WUHD 1105
A selection of gourmet dogs at What's Up? Hot Dog! - Dan Toulgoet photo


Best Bar

1. The Keefer Bar, 135 Keefer St., thekeeferbar.com

2. Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Dr., stormcrowtavern.com

T-3. The Cascade Room, 2616 Main St., thecascade.ca

T-3. Crowbar, 646 Kingsway, crowbareastvan.com

 

NEIGHBOURHOODS – DOWNTOWN/GASTOWN/YALETOWN

 

Best Restaurant in Gastown/Downtown/Yaletown

1. L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca

2. Blue Water Café, 1095 Hamilton St., bluewatercafe.net

3. Chambar Belgian Restaurant, 568 Beatty St., chambar.com

alchemist 0824
L'Abattoir's Avocado Gimlet. - Contributed photo

 

Best Breakfast/Brunch

1. Café Medina, 780 Richards St., medinacafe.com

2. Jam Café, 556 Beatty St., jamcafes.com/vancouver

3. Nelson the Seagull, 315 Carrall St., nelsontheseagull.com

 

Best Lunch

1. Meat & Bread, various locations, meatandbread.com

2. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.com

3. Tacofino, various locations, tacofino.com

 

Best Diner/Greasy Spoon

1. Save On Meats, 43 W Hastings S., saveonmeats.ca

2. The Templeton, 1087 Granville St., thetempleton.ca

2. Ovaltine Café, 251 E. Hastings St., facebook.com/ovaltinecafe

 

Best Late-Night Eats

1. Pourhouse, 162 Water St., pourhousevancouver.com

2. Gringo, 27 Blood Alley Square, gringogastown.com

3. The Diamond, 6 Powell St., di6mond.com

 

Best Take Out/Delivery

1. Tacofino, various locations, tacofino.com

2. White Spot, various locations, whitespot.ca

2. MeeT, various locations, meetonmain.com

 

Best Patio

1. Chill Winston, 3 Alexander St., chillwinston.com [closed]

2. The Keg, various locations, kegsteakhouse.com

T-3. Gallery Café & Catering, 750 Hornby St., thegallerycafe.ca

T-3. Reflections, 801 W. Georgia St., rosewoodhotels.com

 

Best Happy Hour

1. The Flying Pig, various locations, theflyingpigvan.com

2. Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market, 762 Cambie St., fannybayoysters.com

T-3. L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca

T-3. Provence Marinaside, 1177 Marinaside Cres., provencemarinaside.ca

 

Best Bar

1. The Diamond, 6 Powell St., di6mond.com

2. Central City on Beatty, 871 Beatty St., centralcitybrewing.com

3. Alibi Room, 157 Alexander St., alibi.ca

 

Thank you to all the Westender readers who voted! Be sure to congratulate your favourite Best of the City Dining winners with the hashtag #BOTCDining! 

 

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