We will use this space to arrange meet-ups and share travel tips with our members and others travelling to Canada for the Women’s World Cup.

Vancouver:

Food:

Brunch

Slickety Jim’s – fantastic brunch joint at Main +18th. Quirky interior, friendly servers and a great selection of breakfast-y and brunch-y fare. The ‘Honey ManCity Butter’ french toast is a personal fave. Expect a bit of a wait – but it is totally worth it.

Bandida’s – amazing little taqueria and brunch place on the Drive. Everything is local and they use a cargo bike to move produce and other ingredients. Great community spot that has a great bar for killing time in the evening. Always happy when I leave here.

Medina – if you’re looking for a fancier brunch spot – Medina is the place for you. Famous for its Moroccan inspired meals and delicious coffee, Medina is worth the wait (but it will be a very long wait) – you might want to grab a snack before you set out.

Lunch:

Bestie – rad little German sausage joint located on Pender Street in Chinatown – great food (the Currywurst is amazing), local beer and cider available and the take out window is open late. The Bestie brunch is legendary and worth the inevitable line-up. Seriously.

Japadog – you have probably heard the hype around Japadog – the Japanese hotdog joint – they have a brick and mortar spot on Robson a few blocks from BC Place and hotdog carts scattered all over downtown. The Terimayo dog is a favourite of ours and make sure you try the Butter + Shoyu fries.

La Taqueria – excellent tacos, delicious Horchata and friendly service – we love the Taqueria. 2 locations (W.Hastings and Cambie + Cambie and Broadway) plus the Mezcaleria on the Drive for dinner. Go here.

Foodtrucks – though not as prolific as Portland, the Vancouver foodtruck scene is pretty decent. Favourites include:  incredible breakfast fare at Yolk’s, hearty pies from the Aussie Pie Guy, Tacos from Tacofino and Pizza from the Community Pizzeria.

Sushi –  there are a million great sushi joints in Vancouver. Try them. Sushi 7 on Cambie, Sushiyama on Broadway and Kadoya on Davie are favourites, but don’t be limited by this list.

Dinner:

Mezcaleria –  the big brother of the Taqueria, you need to go here. Unbelievable food and drinks including Mezcal flights – the Queso Fundido and Parrillada are worth the wait. No reservations accepted so get there early and prepare to wait a bit. Located in the heart of Commercial Drive.

The Union – located on the Union St. bikeway in Chinatown, the Union is a great place to grab a casual Vietnamese inspired meal. The crispy fish bowl and the pork belly bowls are my favourites – make sure to pair them with one of the Union’s tasty cocktails. It can get a bit loud, so if you are looking for conversation with your dinner, you might want to arrive earlier.

The Flying Pig –  Vancouver gastropub with great food across the board. Always good food and decent bar selection. Plus there are three locations in the city so you are pretty much covered wherever you are.

Poutine:

For our American visitors – we know you want to try it… Fries, cheese curds and gravy – best hangover cure around…here are a few places to try some decent versions:

Fritz European Fry House –  718 Davie (just West of Granville) – Great poutine, double fried fries,,,what more can you say. Oh yeah, they’re open super late (4am on the weekends)

Smoke’s – Canadian fast food joint that serves only poutine…yup, it exists. Not the most authentic, but definitely the most variety. Try the pulled pork poutine or the Hogtown special with double smoked bacon, sausage, mushrooms and onions.

La Belle Patate – home of the All-you-can-eat poutine. Enough said.

Pubs:

Doolin’s Irish Pub/ Belmont Lounge – located at Smithe and Nelson in the heart of DT Vancouver, Doolin’s is the home of the Vancouver Southsiders and all things footy in the city. There is word that the AO will make the Belmont (downstairs) their home pub in YVR – but if you want to share a pint with other footy fans, this is the place to go.

Devil’s Elbow – located on Beatty Street, right next to BC Place – Devil’s Elbow Ale House – has tons of great beer on tap (Howe Sound Brewery is their parent bar) and tasty BBQ on the menu. Their weekend brunch is rumoured to be excellent.

Craft Beer Market – a Calgary institution, Craft’s Vancouver location has lived up to it’s hype. Located in Olympic Village, the retrofitted Salt Building makes a great home for this gastropub. With 100+ beers on tap, you always have a great selection to choose from. The prices can be a bit high for some ‘meh’ beers, but the selection can’t be beat. And the food is decent. Also open for weekend brunches.

The Alibi Room – located in Gastown/Railtown, The Alibi Room is one of Vancouver most famous beer bars. Great selection, great food – get there early to score a table.

St. Augustine’s – on the Drive, St.Augustines is a beer nerd’s fantasy. The ‘real time scoreboard’ showing all the beers on tap and where they are in their stages of emptiness is a nice touch. East Van institution.

The Diamond: If you are a cocktail snob…which is apparently a thing – head down to the Diamond in Gastown for some award winning mixed drinks. Make sure you bring your Visa though as it isn’t cheap – but after a few…who’s counting?

Beer/Spirits:

Vancouver is home to many local craft breweries and distilleries that have tasting rooms and growler fill stations on premises . Arcane provincial rules prohibit the serving of food in tasting rooms, so food trucks are usually parked outside to fill your  tummy while you drink.

Some of our favourites include:

Brassneck – Mount Pleasant – one of the first to the ‘hood, Brassneck has some of the best looking growlers if you are looking for a souvenier from your trip. The beer is great too! Try the Passive Aggressive Pale Ale – you’ll love it.

33 Acres – Mount Pleasant – Just a few blocks from Brassneck, 33 Acres has the local beer game dialed. They also do coffee in the mornings and a sweet waffle brunch on the weekend. Try the 33 Acres of Ocean and the 33 Acres of Cid3r – so tasty!

Mount Pleasant is home to many of the city’s local craft breweries including the two mentioned above – also in the hood are: R+B (a Vancouver original), RedTruck, Main Street, Steel Toad,and  Big Rock. These are all within walking distance of each other and make for a fun afternoon of brewery hopping.

The other beer centric neighbourhood is the Powell/Commercial/Clark area in East Van. While a little more spread out than Mount Pleasant, the breweries here are well worth the visit: Parallel 49, Callister Brewing, Storm, Coal Harbour, Strange Fellows and Bomber. Also in this hood is Odd Society Spirits – a local craft distillery and tasting room – great folks and well worth the visit!