traveller1959

We are looking for the best restaurants in Vancouver. We want to enjoy regional cuisine and would like to go to restaurants in Downtown Vancouver. From several guidebooks, I have identified these restaurants that look promising:
- Hawksworth
- West
- Blue Water Café
- Diva at the Met
Which ones would you recommend? Or are there other good restaurants in town? Thank you for your opinion.

BC_Robyn

There tons of restaurants that are great in town, and the best part about dining in Vancouver is that you don't have to go to the fanciest/most expensive places for the best restaurants serving regional cuisine, in my opinion. Places like Hawksworth are wonderful, but so are the more casual places like Forage, Pidgin, and L'Abattoir.

I really love the ever-evolving list of Vancouver's best sampling of restaurants on Eater, specifically their "The Essential 38 Vancouver Restaurants" list: http://vancouver.eater.com/archives/...-july-2014.php

I also think, if you haven't done so already, give a browse through Vancouver Magazine's Restaurant Awards 2014:
http://www.vanmag.com/Restaurants/Va...nt_Awards_2014

Both those lists will provide you with insight into the best regional restaurants at the moment.

Note: I haven't dined at Diva at the Met or West, but I know they're excellent. Blue Water Cafe is $$$$$ but excellent. Hawksworth is one of my favourites. You might also really enjoy Yew Seafood & Bar at the Four Seasons.

BC_Robyn

Another restaurant that's missing on your list, which is definitely more traditionally French, but utilizing local ingredients, is Le Crocodile: http://lecrocodilerestaurant.com/

traveller1959

Thank you Robyn. That is exactly the kind of information we need. Especially Pidgin looks promising. We will reserve there - but we are still undecided about our second dinner. You seem to favor Hawksworth?

BTW, we will fly from Europe into Vancouver, stay two nights, will probably have dinner at Pidgin on the second night, travel to Alaska, return after two weeks and stay two more nights in Vancouver, before flying home. For our last night, we want a truly memorable dining experience in Vancouver (after the more rustic food that we expect in Alaska).

traveller1959

Finally destiny made the decision.

Since we could not get reservations for Hawksworth and other restaurants, we booked at Diva at the Met and at Blue Water Café.

We can close the thread. Maybe I revive it in four weeks with reviews of our dining experiences.

NeoPatrick

Four weeks? Can I count on your reviews before our Vancouver arrival August 30? But I suppose that will be too late to book our choices.

BC_Robyn

Sorry that I didn't get back to this sooner, but enjoy yourself in Vancouver, and let us know how it goes!

raincitygirl

NeoPatrick, Diva at the Met and Blue Water Cafe are both great restaurants and I will second the suggestion for Le Crocodile, one of my family's favourites. We have been dining there for over 25 years and still enjoying it. French cuisine with a slant to the region of Alsace.

Also for Italian I have had many great meals at Lupo on Hamilton Street. Another fun place with great food is Chambar.
And I will second Yew at the Four Seasons, this is my favourite place to have lunch in the city.The food is always good and the service is excellent.

There are also a lot of good food trucks if you want something casual at lunchtime.

NeoPatrick

Thanks, raincitygirl. I've made a reservation at Hawksworth for our final night in Vancouver. I've also made one for Pidgin for our first night (which I chose over Diva at the Met) -- do you think that's wrong? I know we will eat at Phonm Penh one night -- which remains one of the highlights of my Vancouver meals in the past (even though it doesn't have the atmosphere that I like).
I'm kind of thinking our remaining night should be Blue Water Cafe.

raincitygirl

Hi Neo, no I think Pidgin is a good choice from all I have been hearing. Have not tried it yet but hear only good things.

Blue Water Cafe is a good choice if you like good fresh seafood. They really try hard to source local and sustainable etc.

I hope our lovely weather holds out for your visit and that you have a great time.