As the holiday veneer peels away and with it, melting snow, heavy rain clouds endlessly pour over the city. The bills have come due and yet another year has arrived. It’s January alright.
But fret not, dear foodies, for today begins Dine Out Vancouver: Canada’s largest annual food and drink festival.
Cooked up by Tourism Vancouver, the gastronomic event brings together our city’s most desirable culinary delights along with smashingly good BC wines, craft beer and cocktails.
Lasting 17 days, the festival takes place throughout the city, where diners choose from a special three (or more) course prix-fix menu priced at $20, $30 or $40 per head.
This year, discover 6 of Gastown’s finest food & drink establishments, all having created a menu that is sure to please.
So go dine out, be merry and celebrate in one of the best and tastiest neighbourhoods in the city.
Al Porto is a romantic restaurant suited for all occasions. Steps away from the Steam Clock, Al Porto delights with traditional Italian cuisine in an impressive two level dining area. Satiate your appetite with delicious seafood, game and wood-fire pizza, accompanied with a critically acclaimed wine list that features over 300 world wines.
Bambudda is where innovative cuisine and modern ambiance come together for a unique experience. Chef Curtis Luk combines French techniques and Chinese flavours with Asian inspired craft cocktails and a thoughtfully selected beer and wine list.
Known as one of the city’s best and number 13 on Canada’s Top 100 restaurants, L’Abattoir highlights the finer points of eating and drinking in an informal setting. Chef Lee Cooper’s French influenced West Coast fare is paired with Sommelier Lisa Haley’s eclectic wine program to offer a truly unique dining experience.
Set in a refurbished brick and beam building that combines classic French tile work with industrial fixtures, natural wood, and glass and steel finishes, the restaurant offers a bar and lounge setting, elevated dining room and plush, sun soaked atrium.
Housed in the historic Dominion Grand Hotel, this pub retains its original tin-stamped ceilings, exposed brick walls, stained glass windows and railings. The rest of this storied room has been given a grand renovation, including a new sound system and jukebox, classic pub furniture and flatscreen TVs. A long-time favourite Vancouver watering hole, the Lamplighter is the city’s busiest pub for good reason: friendly service, honest local pub fare and a large selection of craft beer and cocktails.
Old Spaghetti Factory is a living museum of Canada’s colourful past. People have returned time and again to enjoy their reasonably priced food in unique surroundings for over 35 years. The menu includes a wide range of delicious selections such as veal parmigiana, New York steak, tender breast of chicken and feature rib dinner. They also have a separate menu which is entirely gluten free.
Established in 1988, Water Street Cafe is a Gastown cornerstone overlooking the world famous steam clock. The high ceilings and large windows make for a bright and casual atmosphere. Water Street Café focuses on using only the freshest of ingredients and preparing all items in-house, from daily baked fresh breads to exquisite desserts. The superb menu features the freshest of seafood’s, creative pastas and daily specials all made with imagination and flair.