lia_b

Hi Everyone, Can you please suggest places for breakfast within walking distance of the Westin Bayshore suitable for young teenagers, a preteen and parents.

Also, how far is the walk from The Westin to the seabuses that go to Granville Island. I figure we walk to the ferry and then take the boat accross for fun.

Thank you.

saharabee

lia_b,

I'm absolutely not going to suggest my fave place in Vancouver for breakfast.

Not unless you are up for a really good walk and your kids are blessed with a really good sense of humour and are easily exposed to different points of view than the normal "family" venue.

If the above all holds true, then you will love a place called the "Elbow Room". It's a fair hike from the Westin. The food is superb. The staff is mostly gay, idiosyncratic and their signature is humorous abuse. There's lots of witty repartee, some yelling and more snappy sarcastic one-liners zinging around than you can throw a garter at. I absolutely adore the place. It's quintessential Vancouver.

RubyMc

Hi-I really like a coffeshop called Bojangles. There is one on the waterfront right near the Bayshore, one just up from the Bayshore on Denman, and another in Yaletown. It has great cinnamon buns and muffins, I don't know about other items. The ferry to Granville Island is a bit of a hike from your hotel, but doable. Walk straight up Denman street to the beach, turn left when you hit the water, and walk along the seawall until you get to the ferry dock. You can see Granville Island across the water from the ferry, it is only about a 5 minute ride and the ferry goes every few minutes. You will have a great view of the harbour as you walk along the seawall, and Granville Island is lots of fun.

klam_chowder

The White Spot, almost right across the street, on Georgia would get my vote! Good solid breakfast choices.

When back in Vancouver this past w/end we went to the airport early just to enjoy a White Spot breakfast (and took burgers to-go for the plane ride); available at the Medalist Grill...yum!

Enjoy-la!

BAK

Seabus is not the right term. The seabus goes somewhere else, so if you grab a cab, be careful what you tell the driver or you'll end up on a boat taking you to North Vancover.

And once you get to Granville Island, it's got places for picnic-like breakfasts.

BAK

lia_b

Thank you for all the great suggestions. Got it not the Sea Bus.

Kabouterhouse

they are called the False Creek Ferries (or water taxi). Info: http://www.bc.worldweb.com/Transportation/Ferries/

BowenLinda

... also known as the AquaBus.

I'm with saharabee re the Elbow Room. I love it that they "make" you give a donation to the Persons Living With AIDS jar if you don't finish everything on your plate (portions are very large, so you've been warned!)

Cat123

Actually Linda, the Aquabus and False Creek Ferries are not the same thing. They are actually two different operations with slightly different routes. It can be an important distinction since they sell tickets separately.

The Aquabus (www.aquabus.bc.ca)are the rainbow coloured boats and the False Creek Ferries are white and blue (http://www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca/home.html).

BowenLinda

Hi, Cat

... learn something new every day.

Thanks for the correction.

L

wrldtrvlr05

De Dutch Pannekoek house for sure. If you have never been to one you don't know what you are missing! There is one on Davie Street which isn't too far from the Bayshore. You will need to walk back after having breakfast there.

littlemountain

De Dutch Pannekoek House on Robson? Yep, I can endorse that for family friendly. Nothing like IHOP!

The fact is, there aren't that many great breakfast places in Vancouver, and many of them have been trading on their names for years. Like Sophie's Cosmic Cafe in Kitsilano. Talk about the value of a name.

And, sorry to say to some extent, the Elbow Room. In its original location (on Jervis, between Alberni and Georgia) it was a classic -- plastic sheeted gazebo and all. Torn down to build condos, it now languishes a 30-minute walk from the old neighbourhood in a rather depressed downtown area.

And certainly not the White Spot, either; another venerable but degraded old name; in the words of a recent Seattle Fodorite who stayed at the Bayshore: "Sunday morning, we thought we'd just walk to the White Spot for brunch ... I mentioned that my husband loves breakfast -- I figured the White Spot was a diner sort of place where we could get some good and greasy food. That was the end of our streak of excellent meals. What a poor choice! I had a burger smeared with goo, the french fries were stale (at 11:30am?), even the Coke soda tasted off. Please don't waste your time! More at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34813312.

I would recommend the Raincity Grill for sure; from the same thread: "Saturday morning, we woke and walked from the Westin to RainCity Grill for brunch. We had a really terrific brunch (my husband loves breakfast, and I prefer lunch ... the restaurant was more than able to satisfy our different wants)." Here's their brunch menu: http://www.raincitygrill.com/brunchmenu.html.

The other place I would recommend, perhaps a little more kid friendly than the Raincity Grill (but without the view and proximity to the Bayshore) is Griffin's at the Hotel Vancouver. It has a great buffet, even more so on Sundays, and it's a beautiful room. About a 15 minute walk from the Bayshore, and in the heart of downtown, if you're going somewhere after breakfast or brunch.