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Vancouver's best and coolest restaurants and dining in Vancouver, sunset dining, fine dining, pub fare and more.

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RAGE ON THE MOUNTAIN:
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Dining in Vancouver

The patio at Milesones on the beach is popular at sunset.

Those who enjoy salmon will be happy as a clam in Vancouver.

It's a regional specialty and is available just about everywhere. Oddly, food critics feel Vancouver is thin on good seafood restaurants. Chinese restaurants, on the other hand, are as plentiful as rain. Most pubs also serve food, although for a really good meal it's best to seek out a restaurant. A couple of notable exceptions are the Yaletown Brewing Company in Yaletown and the Lennox Pub at Granville and Robson.

Sometimes, finding the best restaurant is as easy as walking down the right street and seeing which places are busiest. Yaletown and the East Side/Main Street areas can be especially rewarding. Vancouver's unofficial 30-something Restaurant Row is Robson Street. There are several upscale/casual options in the area from Burrard and Bute Street. Davie Street is also full of choices, though Robson restaurants are a bit more pristine in appearance.

The best seafood restaurant in town is C (2-1600 Howe Street, 681-1164). It walks away with virtually every "best" award in the city. Chef Rob Clark's secret is his ability to combine regional ingredients with the area's sea creatures. C has an extensive wine menu and is expense-account pricey. The Fishouse in Stanley Park also gets high marks.

The Boat House has good seafood with easily the best view. It is in English Bay, right along a small beach. At sunset, hundreds of people come out to sit on the beach, enjoy the street performers (which often includes muscians), dodge the rollerbladers and see the spectacular sunsets over the ocean. The Boat House's large desk is a perfect perch. So, too, is the slightly more upscale Milesone's next door, which has a more varied menu.

A second Milestone's location is on Robson Street in the center of shopping. Across the street is Cactus Cafe. The latter has a slightly larger patio making for great people-watching. Both are casual.

There's a Chinese or Asian restaurant on almost every street corner, but the one critics like the most is Sun Sui Wah (3888 Main Street, 872-8822).As is the case with C and The Fishouse, it's on the upscale side of dining. Steak lovers enjoy Morton's (757 W. Hastings, 915-5105), the high-quality American chain that has found a home in Vancouver. A local steak choice is Gotham (Seymour Street), which has a bit of a bar scene. A more interesting choice is the Stone Grille, which gives patrons a slab of steak or salmon and a hot block of granite on which to cook it. The portions are a tad too small and the prices are a bit too high but the owner is friendly enough to make it worth a look. Its located above the C Restaurant.

One of Vancouver's best-kept secrets (at least as far as tourists are concerned) is the Brick House Bistro. Located on the top floor of the Brick House Pub (700 block of Main Street), the bistro is an elegant yet inexpensive treasure. Its prawn stir-fry comes with noodles and vegetables in a succulent sauce supported by four large shrimp – for $7. That's less the cost of a glass of wine in some of the city's so-called finer restaurants. Other choices include tuna, duck breast and a Southern roasted chicken leg. Nothing on the menu exceeds $12. The 20- and 30-somethings crowd in here on weekends, but fortunately the bar action is good enough to make the wait for a table pass quickly.

One type of restaurant Vancouver lacks is a really good breakfast spot. The choices are slim; there a Dutch pancake house on Davie Street that's acceptable and a place famous for its rude waiters that gets a lot of attention. It's called The Elbow Room (560 Davie Street), but frankly, we get enough abuse at the bars to have to put up with it over breakfast.

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