British Columbia Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in British Columbia - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in British Columbia - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Locally run 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters sources and roasts their own coffees, which they feature at their flagship café on Main Street. It's always packed with neighborhood residents and shoppers enjoying the top-notch brews and the house-made Lucky's Doughnuts, which come in flavors from simple vanilla-glazed to salted caramel to decadent triple chocolate. Centered on a wood-framed counter, this large airy space has walls of windows on two sides. Its three other locations help keep the rest of the city caffeinated.
Neighborhood residents queue before opening to secure one of the 30 seats in this cozy Italian bistro serving up house-made pasta and Prosecco on tap. Antipasti like burrata, fried cauliflower and—of course—meatballs, are served family style, so bring some friends for the best experience. It can take up to two hours to get a table, so plan to head elsewhere for drinks; the friendly staff (none of whom are named "Luigi") will text when your name hits the top of the wait list, or come for lunch if time is of the essence. Regardless of the hour, don't miss the house-bottled Spritz.
The critically acclaimed Aura offers inspired west coast–Asian fusion cuisine and a drop-dead gorgeous backdrop of the Inner Harbour—arguably the best in town. Think BBQ sambal skate on banana leaf or crispy pork belly with peanut and bacon crumble, and carrot truffle mouse. Dining here is also a grazing adventure of small plates, so hearty appetites may need multiple plates, which can rack up the cost. The wine cellar is full of hard-to-find Vancouver Island wines and Okanagan labels; there's also a good selection of local craft beers and spirits as well as splash cocktails. Did we mention that Aura has the city's best waterfront patio, bar none?
As one of Whistler's top destination restaurants, this elegant bistro never fails to impress. The modern Canadian-inspired cuisine means that the menu choices, which change daily depending on the availability of local products, may include anything from a rack of wild caribou with sweet corn to pepper-crusted elk carpaccio to steamed Dungeness crab with garlic herbed butter. If everything looks too delicious to decide, let chef Melissa Craig customize a five-course tasting menu or you can simply go for the three-course menu. Allow the sommelier to do the wine pairings for a really masterful meal.
Before "local" and "seasonal" were all the rage, this highly regarded restaurant was serving West Coast cuisine with an emphasis on organic regional produce. Menu highlights include starters like tuna tartare with pickled garlic scapes and arugula seed pods, while Haida Gwaii halibut with broccoli puree, roasted cauliflower, and crispy potato, and heritage pork with clams are among the tasty main dishes. All are expertly presented and impeccably served with suggestions from Bishop's extensive local wine list. The split-level room displays elaborate flower arrangements and selections from owner John Bishop's art collection.
Looking for a great steak? This two-level steak house has its own meat locker for dry aging, and the house specialty is certified Kobe ribeye and striploin. Several dishes include showy, table-side service. Vegetarians and pescatarians will also find plenty of options. If you can, head to the rooftop patio, a garden-inspired space filled with pergolas adorned with lights and flowers for a very romantic, happening space. Happy hour runs every day, all afternoon, so it's the perfect place to stop into after a shopping spree along Alberni and Robson Streets.
Granville Island has several coffee places, but only the Blue Parrot provides sweeping views of False Creek. If you haven't eaten your fill elsewhere in the market, accompany your espresso with a sticky hot strudel or gooey cinnamon bun. Early birds, take note: you can perch at the Parrot starting at 7 am, before the rest of the market stalls open. There's a second location at Hillcrest Centre, near Queen Elizabeth Park.
Located along the Songhees Westsong Walkway, adjacent to the new Victoria International Marina, the views match the food at this waterfront restaurant. Its bakery-café offers sweet and savory treats for walkers and coffee aficionados, and the restaurant menu is a combination of charcuterie boards and terrines for sharing, wood-fired-oven pizzas, raw options like scallop with pickled beet citrus vinaigrette, marinated octopus and ceviches, as well as pastas and imaginative takes on classics such as duck Bolognese. The entire space is bold and modern with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Inner Harbour from an outer harbor vantage—provided there isn't a multimillion-dollar yacht in the sightline. Late night munchies? This is the spot. Picnicking? Then order a Boom Box (for delivery or pick up) filled with culinary delights.
French country cooking shines at this informal Chinatown bistro, and the historic room—once a schoolhouse for the Chinese community—evokes a timeless brasserie, from the patina-rich fir floors to the chalkboards above the slate bar listing the day's oyster, mussel, and steak options. Owner Sean Brennan, one of the city's better-known chefs, works with local farmers and fishermen to source the best seasonal, local, and organic ingredients. The menu changes daily but lists such contemporary spins on classic bistro fare as duck confit with house-made sausage, beef bourguignon, or spring salmon with beets, shallots, and pommes rissolées. Be prepared for lines as this petite spot does not take reservations—but it's worth the wait.
This intimate yet bustling Italian villa–style room has long been a Victoria favorite, mainly because of its Mediterranean-influenced atmosphere and cuisine, which is prepared primarily with locally raised ingredients. The menu changes almost daily, but you might find local halibut paired with an anchovy bacon vinaigrette, or even an apricot dessert soup. Most dishes come in full or half sizes, which are ideal for smaller appetites or for those who want to sample the menu more widely. Virtually everything, including the bread, most pastas, charcuterie, and desserts, is made in-house. The 400-label wine list has a top selection of BC choices.
Located on the border of Chinatown and Gastown, Calabash Bistro is a laid-back Caribbean eatery known for their flavorful food, rum-forward drinks, and late-night weekend music. Appetizers include guacamole made with plantain chips, fried coconut dumplings, and jerk-marinated wings. Entrees include a variety of curries and rotis (chicken, fish, etc.) alongside slow-braised oxtail and jerk fried chicken.
In this hip, brick-walled eatery, classic Belgian dishes are reinvented with flavors from North Africa and beyond. The moules (mussels) are justifiably popular, either steamed in white wine or sauced with exotic smoked chilis, cilantro, and coconut cream. Those seeking a more adventurous option might select the barbecued frog legs, curried mushrooms, or ostrich carpaccio. Unusual, perhaps, but definitely delicious. Meanwhile, a smartly dressed crowd hangs out at the bar sipping imported beer or delicious cocktails like the Blue Fig (gin infused with oven-roasted figs and served with a side of blue cheese). An easy walk to theaters and sports arenas, it's a good spot for a pre-event bite.
Chef/owner Konan Mar's passion for cultural diversity and his talent for fusing Canadian and Asian cuisine with a distinctly European flair shape this restaurant's regularly changing menu (think pork and kimchi potstickers and stout-braised duck shepherd's pie). Based in one of Golden's oldest houses and decorated with local art, the space is cozy.
Book ahead to nab one of the 30 or so seats in this cozy bistro, voted one of Canada's 100 Best restaurants, where Chef Alden Ong and his team in the open kitchen craft wildly creative vegetable-forward menus. Here, fresh local ingredients, organic produce, and ethically sourced meats play a starring role. There is a set menu served family style for the table (C$80) and Happy Hour on Friday and Saturday. For cocktails and a lighter meal, head next door to the sister wine bar, Grapes and Soda. Reservations are essential.
Watch floatplanes take off and land at this buzzy pub on the Fraser River, near YVR's south terminal. A shuttle service runs from the main terminal.
Owner Umberto Menghi is one of Vancouver's most favored and venerable restauranteurs, and his upscale, charming, fine-dining venue is usually the choice to celebrate anything special. High ceilings with wooden beams, ochre walls, and an inside garden courtyard offer plenty of private corners. Tuscan flavors abound whether in pasta or dishes like oven-roasted sablefish with horseradish crust, or slow oven-braised veal osso buco with saffron risotto. Reservations are a must. If you like what you find, Umberto runs a hotel and cooking school in the heart of rural Tuscany.
If the weather's fine, head for this seafood stand on the seawall, overlooking the docks beside Granville Island. The menu is short—highlights include fish-and-chips, grilled salmon or tuna sandwiches, and fish tacos—but the quality is first-rate. It's hugely popular, and on sunny summer days the waits can be maddening both to order and to wait on its cooked-to-order delivery. So try to avoid the busiest times: noon to 2 pm and 5 pm to closing (usually around 7). Because there are just a few outdoor tables, be prepared to take your food to go.
With sleek white tables and sparkling chandeliers, Chef David Hawksworth's modish restaurant welcomes locals toasting new clients or celebrating a romantic anniversary. The food (and the crowd) is suave and swanky, too. You might start with hamachi tartare dressed with chili lime vinaigrette, or a simpler heirloom tomato salad with burrata and preserved cherries. Although the menu changes frequently, mains might include wild salmon with lobster agnolotti, or duck breast with turnip and loganberry jus. Everything is superbly presented, including, for dessert, the delicious mushroom ice-cream. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
At this authentic Austrian cuisine restaurant, house specialties like schnitzel, rack of lamb, and venison cutlets are served by a welcoming, friendly staff. The decor is reminiscent of an Austrian schnitzel house---cozy, with warm wood accents and walls, plus a feature fireplace for cold winter nights.
The warmth of Italy surrounds you at this family-run trattoria near Fisherman's Wharf. The owner hails from Genoa so much of the menu features cuisine from that region as well as daily specials from other parts of the country. Traditional favorites include carpaccio, polpette in agrodolce (tender beef meatballs with a savory sweet and sour sauce of caramelized onions, dried cranberries and green olives, and toasted almonds), spaghetti allo scoglio (a seafood medley in a wine and marinara sauce), and gnocchi in various incarnations. The heritage building adds to the inviting ambience, as does the delightful patio rock garden where you can dine alfresco and from where the kitchen gets its herbs and edible flowers. Classic desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta also make their mark. Families will appreciate the menu for children.
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