Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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All India Sweets & Restaurant
This is the best of the string of good-value Indian family restaurants lining Main St's Punjabi Market area, with a giant 45-item buffet of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes and a continually replenished supply of naan to soak up the sauces. The ambience - chipped 1980s tables and chairs - is nothing to write home about, but the welcome is warm and the food will fill you for a day.
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Asahi-Ya
You'll be rubbing shoulders with chatty Asian language students at this friendly and decidedly unpretentious Japanese diner. Good value sushi and sashimi classics are fresh and well-presented, but it's the hearty cooked combo meals - especially the sizzling chicken teriyaki - that will bring you back for more. If it's crowded, there are several other good value Japanese and Korean eateries dotted nearby.
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Chill Winston
Sit on the sprawling fan-shaped patio and squint your eyes and you might almost be in Paris (you'll probably need to be a little merry with drink, too) at this leading exemplar of Gastown's new look. Inside, it's all polished wood floors, exposed brick and a loungey fusion menu of house-smoked salmon and crispy crab cakes. A popular after-work hangout for local business-types, this is a chatty spot to line your stomach for a pub crawl.
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Eatery
Wooden booths, lava lamps and a neon 'miso horny' sign are all part of the ambience at this pop-culture reinvention of the traditional sushi joint. Bring your manga comic and dip into the giant, well-priced menu of soba bowls, curry-rice and several sushi combos, all washed down with a good selection of Japanese and Canadian bottled beers. There are plenty of vegetarian options, including some shareable platters.
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Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar
Attracting the power-lunch, after-work and late-night crowds, this hip but unpretentious joint has a comfortable, lounge-like feel. Its menu of classy dishes fuses local ingredients with Asian and Mediterranean flourishes - the cheese tortellini with smoked chicken is ace and the finger-licking array of satay sticks is a recommended starter. Good value lunch specials are offered daily and there's a smashing seafood-dominated weekend brunch menu.
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Habit Lounge
A smashing cafeteria-style dining room with a welcoming ambience and a knowing 1980's feel - who knew that orange vinyl benches and minimalist artwork could be so cozy? - this is like a postmodern update of the classic neighborhood bar. Encouraging shared plate experimentation, the well-priced menu includes adventurous treats such as duck ragout, carrot and brie pierogies and pan-roasted halibut, served with broccolini and arugula pesto.
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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.
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Hon's Wun-Tun House
Part of the city's favorite Chinese restaurant minichain, Hon's flagship Chinatown branch is suffused with inviting cooking smells and clamorously noisy diners. The giant, 334-item menu ranges from satisfying dim sum brunches to steaming wonton soups, bobbing with juicy dumplings. For something different, try the good value congee rice porridge, a fancy-free soul food dish that takes three hours to prepare and comes in seafood, chicken and beef varieties.
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New Town Bakery & Restaurant
Arguably the area's best Chinese bakery, this old-school diner specializes in steam buns, Chinese pastries and dim sum, served from giant steamers on the counter. The warm, moist barbecue pork buns are the bakery's signature snack and they make an ideal takeout - there's not much of an ambience here, so there's no real reason to stick around. The buns also come in several vegetarian varieties.
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Noodle Box
Hailing from across the water in Victoria, Noodle Box' plans for world domination have taken hold in Vancouver, where its winning combination of freshly prepared, good-value Asian nosh has roused wealthy Kits locals from their high-end dining ways. The company's kitsch-tastic take-out noodle boxes helped spread the word, but diners keep coming back for Malaysian lamb curry, Thai chow mein and the ever-popular spicy Cambodian jungle curry.
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Nu
Nestled under the north side of Granville Bridge, this swish eatery has the appearance of a decadent 1970s hotel bar. The menu is far from old-fashioned, though, combining a host of exciting French-influenced tasting plates: highlights include tempura-battered olives and duck confit with liquefied foie gras. Don't forget to try a few cocktails, preferably on the lovely, wraparound sunset-facing deck.
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Six Acres
This buzzy brick-lined nook next to the 'Gassy Jack' statue is an ideal spot for hanging out with a friend or two over a plate of excellent grub. The problem is choosing what to have, since the menu includes fusion platters of maple-smoked salmon, baba ghanoush and piquant international cheeses. The Berlin - farmer's sausage, havarti, smoked gouda and piping hot bread - is recommended, washed down with a lip-smacking local beer.
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Vij's
Sleek modern Vij's is the high-water mark of contemporary East Indian cuisine, fusing regional ingredients, global flourishes and classic ethnic dishes to produce an array of innovative flavors. The unique and highly popular results range from wine-marinated 'lamb popsicles' to halibut, mussels and crab in a tomato-ginger curry. Reservations are not accepted, so if you don't want to line up, there's Rangoli, Vij's own take-out café next door.
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Waazubee Café
One of the Drive's most popular hangouts, bohemian WaaZuBee outfits itself with huge painted murals, velvet curtains and recycled metal sculptures - check out that spoon chandelier. An equally eclectic menu (including plenty of vegetarian options) runs from sesame tuna sashimi to grilled portobello mushroom burgers and maple-soy wild salmon. There's also a good selection of regional beers, including Storm Scottish Ale, made just down the road.
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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.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
