Things to do in British Columbia
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Wild Rice
East meets west here in a loungey, minimalist reinvention of the traditional Chinese restaurant. Fusing classic dishes with unexpected culinary influences from around the world – think tuna tataki (lightly seared tuna) lettuce wraps or wild boar with jasmine rice and plantain chips – this is a popular late-night hangout on weekends. Once you’re done stuffing your face, you can work your way through the comprehensive martini list as you slide gracefully off your chair.
reviewed
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Le Crocodile
Tucked along a side street in an unassuming building that resembles a cast-off from a shopping mall, this surprising Parisian-style dining room is right up there with the city's top-end best. Instead of focusing on experimental shenanigans that only please the chefs, it's perfected a menu of classic French dishes, each prepared with consummate cooking skill and served by excellent wait staff. Try the braised veal shank with wild mushrooms, washed down with a smashing bottle from the mother country.
reviewed
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Hapa Izakaya
If you think Japanese restaurants are all about sushi, drop by this popular reinvention of a Tokyo tapas bar. Within its cocoon-like windowless interior and black-on-black color scheme, you’ll discover comfort-food treats such as steaming hot pots and beef skewers marinated in miso – all best washed down with an ice-cold Sapporo beer. You’ll completely forget you’re in Vancouver when you stumble out onto the street several hours later looking for the nearest karaoke bar.
reviewed
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Wanderlust
Neatly divided between guidebooks, maps and travel literature and a large array of travel accessories, this store has been inspiring itchy feet among the locals for years. While the travel book selection is deeper than any other in town, it's the gadgets that are most intriguing. Peruse the luggage, money belts and mosquito nets, then wonder how you ever got by without quick-drying underwear. The staff of seasoned travelers is super- knowledgeable if you just want to talk up your next big adventure.
reviewed
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Private Tour: 3-Day Wine-Tasting Tour Through Victoria and the Gulf Islands
3 days/ 2 nights (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
Taste your way through one of British Columbia's booming wine regions in the Pacific Coast Province, on this private 3-day, 2-night tour from Vancouver to…Not LP reviewed
from USD$890.23 -
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Stanley's Park Bar & Grill
Overlooking the gardens and the Malkin Bowl outdoor theater, this casual summer-only resto-bar in the Tudor-style pavilion building has the park's biggest outdoor patio, although the view is dense forest rather than rippling seafront. A comfort-food menu that mirrors the Prospect Point Café (they share the same owner) means everything from burgers to steaks as well as a good range of Whistler Brewing beers and cocktail slushies. This is a good spot for a relaxing drink at the end of your park visit.
reviewed
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UBC Thunderbird Arenadictionary.com
Going under a variety of names, the UBC Thunderbird Arena (or Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, or UBC Winter Sports Centre) is on the University of British Columbia campus and plays host to one of the winter sports closest to Vancouver's heart.
Just before the Games, 1800 temporary seats will be installed to accommodate hockey lovers, who will have no need to question referee decisions: a newly installed video replay system will allow for the review of all questionable moves on the ice.
reviewed
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Cinemark Tinseltown
A Vancouver favorite, Tinseltown – incongruously located on the 3rd floor of a usually empty Chinatown shopping mall – combines blockbuster and art-house offerings, screened in a convivial but high-tech multiplex setting. Comfy, stadium seating is the norm here and it's the ideal place to shelter on a rainy Vancouver day, especially with its bottomless-coffee-cup policy. Drop by for the first showing of each movie on any day when all tickets are $8, or hit the crowded all-day-Tuesday discount day ($8.75).
reviewed
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Cincin
A favored haunt of Hollywood types, casual yet elegant CinCin is the restaurant where you’re most likely to find yourself standing next to Robin Williams at the urinal. Don’t let that put you off, though. The Tuscan-brushed seasonal menu often includes delectable Salt Spring Island mussels and tender Fraser Valley duck, while gourmet alder-smoked pizzas are another favorite – the wild salmon variety is recommended. There’s also a tempting 800-bottle wine menu to keep you merry.
reviewed
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Black Frog
A few steps from the Steam Clock but occupying a side-street blind spot, this smashing Edmontonian-run bar does everything right, from its friendly staff to its perfect pub-grub menu. In summer, aim to bask on the wood-deck patio – covered against the rain – and tuck into the full array of Big Rock beers from across the border in Alberta (Traditional Ale is the way to go). Food-wise, favorites include hearty burgers, sandwiches and baked Stilton, but consider the great two-person ploughman's lunch instead.
reviewed
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Whale-Watching Tour from Vancouver
Varies (Departs Vancouver, Canada)
by Viator
While in Vancouver, don't miss the chance to take a whale-watching tour and spot killer whales, porpoises, seals, eagles and other wildlife amid the stunning…Not LP reviewed
from USD$184.50 -
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Au Petit Chavignol
Oddly located on a humdrum strip of scruffy neighborhood shops, this exemplary cheese and wine restaurant is the best place in town to indulge your curd addiction. Twinned with the top-notch cheese shop next door, it's a loungey but unpretentious little room where the friendly staffers happily guide you through an eye-popping array of local and international cheese and charcuterie, available per-selection or in 'flights' of three or five. Expert wine accompaniments – Rieslings are favored – are also offered.
reviewed
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Uva
Possibly the city's best wine bar, this little nook combines a heritage mosaic floor and swanky white vinyl chairs that add a dash of mod class. But despite the cool look, there's a welcome snob-free approach that will have you happily taste-tripping through a boutique drinks list carefully selected from Old and New World delights plus some exciting BC wines: go for the citrusy Joie Riesling. Combine your drinks with tasting plates from charcuterie to tangy cheese – make sure you have the sardine bruschetta.
reviewed
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Bloedel Floral Conservatory
Cresting the hill in Queen Elizabeth Park, this triodetic domed conservatory – an ideal indoor warm-up spot on a rainy day – is the area's green-fingered centerpiece. It has three climate-controlled zones with 400 plant species, dozens of koi carp and many free-flying tropical birds, including parrots and macaws: ask for a free brochure to help you identify the exotic flora and fauna. At the time of writing, the conservatory was under threat of closure due to funding issues so call first before you head over.
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Planet Veg
The Indian owners of this small and friendly vegetarian café bake rather than fry their samosas and fill them with wholesome ingredients such as spinach and tofu. Their roti rules – try the Katmandu roll, filled with cabbage and mixed veggies and lined with fried noodles and jalapeno cilantro chutney. The hot pots with rice and the tasty veggie burgers, flavored with yam and apple chutney, are good value. All can be packed up and carried around the corner to Vanier Park for a picnic with the birds.
reviewed
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Mill Marine
The food here is nothing special, but the waterfront panoramic patio views of Coal Harbour and the North Shore mountains more than make up for it. There's a small but impressive beer selection – try the Whistler Brewing Pale Ale – as well as summer-friendly cocktail slushies, while the nosh is generally of the pizzas and pasta variety. If you're in this area on a sunny day, drop by: it's one of the best spots to catch a signature Vancouver vista – arrive before 5pm or you'll be wrestling the locals for a table.
reviewed
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Horseshoe Bay
The small coastal community of Horseshoe Bay marks the end of West Vancouver and the start of trips to Whistler, via the Sea-to-Sky Hwy (Hwy 99), or Vancouver Island, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast via the BC Ferries network. It's a pretty village with great views across the bay and up Howe Sound to distant glacial peaks. Cutesy places to eat and shop line the waterfront on Bay St, near the marina, where you can also take a whale-watching boat trek with Sewell's Sea Safari.
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Foundation
This lively vegetarian (mostly vegan) noshery is where artsy students and chin-stroking young intellectuals like to hang. Despite the clientele, it's not at all pretentious (apart from the philosophical quotes adorning the walls) and its mismatched Formica tables are often topped with dishes like the giant, finger-licking Utopian Nachos, spicy black bean burgers or hearty house-made curries – called Revolutionary Rations on the menu. Vancouver's Storm Brewing beers are also served (go for the Scottish Cream Ale).
reviewed
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Cascade Room
A great way to fast-track your way in with the local hipsters, this is the perfect contemporary reinvention of the trad neighborhood bar. Choice bottled beers like Anchor Steam and Young's Double Chocolate Stout feature, but the excellent 50-strong cocktail list is recommended: try a Cascade Room Cocktail of bourbon, pressed apple, lime juice, vanilla bean, bitters and egg white. Food is of fine gastropub quality, with the wine-braised beef and bubble and squeak worthy of praise. Drop by on Mondays for quiz night.
reviewed
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Sushi Aoki
It’s hard to believe that such a tiny restaurant would have the kind of extensive menu usually found in places 10 times bigger, but Sushi Aoki is a fancy-free yet recommended nook that knows exactly how to do the business. Using only the freshest fish (it flies in what it can’t source locally), the chefs artfully craft rolls such as the signature shrimp with mayonnaise and apricot sauce and the fab rainbow roll of salmon, clam, tuna and sea bass. Ask for menu recommendations from the friendly owners.
reviewed
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Nyala
While the slow-cooked goat stew and mafe (a spicy Creole-style chicken dish with tomato, ochre and hot chili) are menu mainstays at this 20-year-old city favorite, the recently added vegetarian buffet is making waves among veggies and carnivores alike. Available thrice weekly for dinner ($18.50), it’s a bargain $9.50 lunch (Tuesday to Sunday only) and includes stews, salads, tabbouleh and Ethiopian flat bread. Check out the colorful African décor and the traditional clay pots made by the owner.
reviewed
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O'doul's
Live nightly jazz attracts savvy locals to the watering hole of the Listel Vancouver hotel, where there's an impressive wine list of Old and New World classics and a surprisingly smashing BC beer selection from brewers like Crannog, Storm and Turning Point: go for the Hermann's Dark Lager. The shows are cover-free and you can also expect performers to drop by for some late-night jamming during the Jazz Festival. Service is excellent here and there's also a good grease-free bar menu.
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Sandbar
A vast array of West Coast seafood heads the menu at this long-established, high-ceilinged restaurant-with-a-view tucked under the iron arches of Granville Bridge. The fresh oysters are justifiably popular and they're best sampled on the fireplace-warmed rooftop deck – there's also a sushi bar if your raw mood continues. The giant wine list is also something to write home about, but the urban professionals crowding the U-shaped bar on weekends seem more interested in quaffing cocktails. A good romantic dinner spot.
reviewed
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Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre
Enjoying Deep Cove's sheltered waters, this is an ideal – and idyllic – spot for first-timers to try their hand at paddling. The staff here will gently show you all you need to know on a three-hour introductory course ($80), where you'll learn that getting in and out of the boat are the hardest parts. For those with a little more experience, the center also offers rentals and some smashing guided tours (the full-moon tour is recommended). Check the website for regular events, including Tuesday's popular race nights.
reviewed
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1181
The West End's coolest gay bar, this loungey spot combines a chatty, sofa-strewn front space with a cozy back area that feels a lot more intimate. Separating the two is a sidebar staffed by friendly servers ever-ready to offer you tips on the local scene: this is also where the singletons sit, so you can expect to be the subject of some flirty attention as soon as you arrive. There's a good wine list and plenty of tempting cocktails, including the signature 1181 Margarita, made with Cointreau and lime-infused tequila.
reviewed