Vancouver "Can't Miss" Restaurants?

[coppolka]

Hello! My husband and I are from the NorthEast, and we are traveling to the Pacific NorthWest in a couple of weeks for the first time. We're looking for restaurants in Vancouver, BC that we might enjoy (brunch, lunch, dinner). We don't need anything too fancy, but would spend the $$ to eat at the city's authentic, "can't miss" restaurants. Please help us! Where should we dine while in Vancouver?? Thanks!

[LotusRapper]

I should add Campagnolo is solid !

A few more ideas, not necessarily "can't miss" but definitely worth your while:

EAST VANCOUVER

1) Au Petit Chavignol
http://www.aupetitchavignol.com/

CENTRAL VANCOUVER

2) Les Faux Bourgeois
http://www.lesfauxbourgeois.com/

3) Pied-a-Terre
http://www.pied-a-terre-bistro.ca/

DOWNTOWN

4) L'Altro Buca
http://www.altrobuca.ca/

5) Tapastree
http://www.tapastree.ca/Tapastree/Home.html

VANCOUVER WEST SIDE

6) La Buca
http://www.labuca.ca/

7) Salade de Fruits Cafe
http://www.saladedefruits.com/

8) Bistrot Bistro
http://www.bistrotbistro.com

9) Pastis
http://www.bistropastis.com/

10) Q4 *used to be called Quattro
http://www.q4restaurant.com/

(btw, Buca, L'Altro Buca and Pier-a-Terre are all owned by the same people

)

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La Buca Restaurant
4025 MacDonald St, Vancouver, BC V6L2N8, CA

L'Altro Buca Restaurant
1906 Haro Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 1H7, CA

Tapastree Restaurant
1829 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1E4, CA

Salade de Fruits
1545 7th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6J1S1, CA

Campagnolo
1020 Main St, Vancouver, BC V6A, CA

[fmed]

A slight update on your great list Lotus - L'altro Buca is sort of moving operations to the new Ping's location and now to be called "Cafeteria". The old L'altro Buca space will/has become an Adesso Bistro (I think it is open now actually).

[betterthanbourdain]

good list LR.

Cafetaria and not Parkside (2.0).. hmm ty for update..

yes adesso is opened. at least i believe so. sign changed and new menu posted when i was by there recently.

not sure what is 'cant miss' but i'll add some other possible options:
Chambar
Phonm Penh
Vij's
Tojo's
Octopus Garden
Kingyo
Song Huong
Saravan Bhagavana

wait, this is pointless. grayelf is right. cant help you unless you are more specific. i find it help's to understand someone's 'palate' and the type of experience you are seeking.
for some a trip to japadog will suffice...

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Vij's Restaurant
1480 11th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6H1L1, CA

Kingyo
871 Denman St, Vancouver, BC V6G2L9, CA

Parkside Restaurant
1906 Haro St, Vancouver, BC V6G1H7, CA

Song Huong
1613 Nanaimo St, Vancouver, BC V5L 4T9, CA

[LotusRapper]

"Slight update" ..... it's Saravanaa Bhavan ..... such a tongue-tripper !

Thanks Fmed re: L'Altro Buca --> Ping's --> Cafeteria, etc. ..... forgot to update my original posting in the Greater Seattle board.

[grayelf]

Yeah, I'm wondering if the OP has even checked back in. It would be helpful to get some hint as to his/her palate for sure, bthanb ;-).

[scarberian]

My wife and I just came back from a trip to Vancouver (we're from T.O.) and we thoroughly enjoyed Vij's. The food and atmosphere were definitely worth the trip. I second Vij's as a must "can't miss" destination. BTW if you are going to Vij's get there at least 10 minutes before they open or you won't get a table.

We also found Vancouver very accessible via taxi so if the OP doesn't have a car then taxi is definitely the way to go.

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Vij's Restaurant
1480 11th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6H1L1, CA

[LotusRapper]

Sounds like you're quite open to a lot of cuisines. Are there any you would *not* want to eat ?

How long will you be in Vancouver ? Will you also be in Seattle area, in which case you can also inquire Chowhounds Seattle for complementary cuisines and restaurants:

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/63?t...

For example, if you are going there and Mexican/Latin American fare is part of your itinerary, then I would suggest doing those ones down there than here, to save on the duplication and the fact that our strengths are elsewhere.

[Ms.chef]

Seattle's strengths are DEFINITELY not in Mexican/Latin either!

[LotusRapper]

[grin] :-)

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7097...

Actually I was down in Renton on the weekend. While stopped at a red light in the midst of the suburban blight that NW Renton is, I looked over to the curb side and saw a taqueria cart parked off of a gas station, being patroned by at least a dozen Latinos, all solemnly doing some serious chowdown seated under a large makeshift tent. I thought to myself: "Damn, there's some good grub going on over there !".

Then the light turned green and I had to drive off .........

[grayelf]

Okay, I'll be the Chow cop for the morning :-). If you provide us more details about you, we can answer better. Where are you staying? Will you have a car? Are there types of cuisine you would like to eat? Any to avoid eg. stuff you can get in NY? Have you read any threads here to see if there are places that sound particularly appealing? Do you want to just eat, or are cocktails/wine/beer important? Age range (so we don't send you somewhere where everyone is way older or younger than you)? Any other relevant tidbits?

Help us help you and your experience here on the friendly neighbourhood BC and Territories Board will be a better one for all!

[fmed]

Just to jumpstart the discussion for coppolka a bit...Vancouver is known for its Chinese food (especially Cantonese, Shanghainese, & dim sum) , Japanese food (specifically sushi and izakaya), and a couple of "famous" eateries (made famous by celebrities) - Vij's, Tojo's, Japadog. Hopefully this and grayelf's query for your particulars will help us generate a good eating itinerary for you.

[grayelf]

A $$$ but can't miss for me is Bishop's, which continues to excel at feeding happy diners beautiful local food in an unprepossessing room. It's also a short walk down the hill to one of our beaches (Kits) which makes for a great stroll before or after dinner.

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Bishop's Restaurant
2183 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7, CA

[Philx]

In the spirit of Bishop's let me add three restaurants that have good reputations in Vancouver. First Le Crocodile http://lecrocodilerestaurant.com/about/ ; Second Lupo http://www.luporestaurant.ca/ and third Cioppinos http://www.cioppinosyaletown.com/

All are run by long time veterans of the culinery scene in Vancouver and all are reasonably expensive; Lupo which only opened recently is probably the least expensive of the three but it does produce very good food. If you examine the web sites of these fine establishments. you will probably glean enough information to determine if they might suit your preferences.

Good luck
Phil

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Le Crocodile Restaurant
909 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z2N2, CA