Best Vancouver restaurants!

[pi2tl]

Will be in Van next month and was wondering what the best restos are?? sushi, Italian, Indian,bars, nightlife etc

Please help!!

[Outnabout]

I thought that I would offer you one specific suggestion - the restaurant that I never tire of in Vancouver...for Indian, I would definitely try Vij's. They do not accept reservations and so be prepared to wait. I can assure you that it's well worth it.

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

[waylman]

Tough question! I'd suggest searching the forums to see what turns your crank...

A few of my faves are La Quercia (Italian), Blue Water Cafe (French/West Coast), and L'abbatoir (French/West Coast).

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La Quercia
3689 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R1P2, CA

[akt22]

These are all amazing! My favourite is probably l'abbatoir, but they are all delicious.

[LotusRapper]

Not to trivialize pi2tl's question, but IMHO, new visitors to Vancouver might want to arrive with no preconceived ideas of which restos are best, worst, somewhere-in-between, etc.

I say, do as much exploring as possible, We have a very liveable city, very transit friendly, and in many parts, very pedestrian and cyclists-friendly. Explore, discover, eat and explore some more. There'll likely be several that stick out as memorable in good ways.

Some of my personal "best" restos are hole-in-the-walls where an entire meal costs less than an appy in other restaurants :-D

[Sam Salmon]

Quite agree-I can think of oodles of great places in different neighbourhoods that I've tried and many more I'd love to visit if only there was time-our cups runneth over.

[leanne_wagner]

Would you mind sharing of few? I love hole-in-the-walls and will be visiting next week!

[fmed]

My favourite HITWs are: Bo Laksa King (Thai, Burmese), Seri Malaysia, Bob Likes Thai, Nine Dishes (Sichuan).

[LotusRapper]

See Hidden Gems/Hole-in-the-Wall (HITW) thread:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809019

[Philx]

I have soft spots for both Bishop's and Le Crocodile as long time Vancouver stalwarts that still deliver top level food and delightful dining experiences. They may not be the best two restuarants in Vancouver but they are certainly in the top echelon.

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

[grayelf]

For sushi I like Kimura (prebook the omakase for $30 and up). My favourite Italian is La Buca. No Indian I'd recommend at the moment, though Vij's is quite unique. Bao Bei might interest you as it combines interesting cocktails with the owner's take on Asian snacks. It gets mixed reviews but I've had a few very good dishes there, and it is near the part of town you prolly want to be in for nightlife, namely Gastown.

[akt22]

For sushi, zipang on main is very good, very fresh and beautiful presentation.
The poutine at boneta was the best I've had
Good Indian food, just go walk around little India, they all have something tasty to offer.
I would say stay away from tojos, it has a reputation but it is very expensive and just average IMO
I would sa if you are going to eat out once, go to la Quercia and get 7 course family style menu. Lamb, pastas, salad, a pickled fish salad.... I'm still dreaming about it.

[fmed]

Zipang's chef is now at Kishimoto on Commercial Dr. Check it out if you like his theatrical sushi.
Lots of good Indian but nothing great. I like Madras Dosa House on Fraser for South Indian (they also serve some North Indian specialties, but I come here for the vege food.). Saravanaa Bhavan also serves decent South Indian (Tamil) but go for the lunch buffet which is a great AYCE deal.

[hotsaucedon]

I gotta say that Tojo's doesn't get much love on this board but I disagree you just have to know what to when u get there Sit @ the bar ,give him a $$ idea and let him create , I've been many times n he always serves me somethin new n amazing. don't let the naysayers sway you most of the time I think they're just being cheap Even if he's not there most of his staff have been there for ten years plus