What does it mean to mention the best restaurants in downtown Vancouver?
For me, choosing where to eat downtown is about experiencing global cuisines made with local ingredients.
And you probably never even thought about Canadian food in downtown Vancouver.
Let’s go culinarily crush these Vancouver downtown restaurants.
The Best Restaurants in Downtown Vancouver
Botanist
$$$$ | Coal Harbour | 1038 Canada Place | Skytrain: Waterfront | Website
Our mild climate means Vancouverites have access to stunning ingredients year round. So why not indulge in a culinary tour of BC where the public transport is your tastebuds?
Set in the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Botanist’s impressive dining room includes its own garden with over 50 local varieties of plants. It’s the best restaurant in downtown Vancouver, in my opinion.
Dishes like the olive oil poached halibut with konbu and fresh legumes and the wagyu cap coulotte with bone marrow and ratatouille masterfully show off our local ingredients.
Botanist also shares the rare distinction of appearing on both Canada’s 100 best restaurants and 50 best bars lists.
This isn’t the best eats in downtown Vancouver – it’s the top local dining experience hands down.
Hawksworth
$$$$ | Modern Canadian | 801 W. Georgia St. | Skytrain: City Centre | Website
A five time winner of Vancouver Magazine’s best upscale award celebrates modern Canadian cuisine with a spontaneous, seasonal menu.
Executive Chef David Hawksworth takes a casual, multi-ethnic approach to create stunning entrees like wild ling cod with black rice, curried root vegetable, and orange lassi.
The piece de resistance is the aged beef sirloin with a beef fat roasted onion and smoked bone marrow bordelaise.
There’s also a superb cocktail list (try the golden negroni with honey and bianco bitters) and an amazing dessert selection like the dark chocolate fondant with orange.
Blue Water Café
$$$$ | Seafood | 1095 Hamilton St. | Skytrain: Yaletown| Website
As a third generation member of a BC fishing family, there are few things I want you to try more than the bounty from our beautiful coastline.
Yaletown hotspot Blue Water Café may just do it the most justice. This downtown restaurant is all about the freshest, most sustainable seafood delivered daily.
The extensive raw bar features premium cuts of sushi and sashimi with some amazing imported oysters and caviar to boot.
In groups it’s an easy choice for the seafood tower (one of my must eat Vancouver foods) with dungeness crab, clams, mussels and scallops and more.
Entrees include local sockeye salmon, sablefish and halibut. Meat lovers? You’re still covered with the beef tenderloin and Kobe beef short ribs.
Heritage Asian Eatery
$$ | Rice & Noodles | 1108 W.Pender St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
When checking out downtown restaurants it’s paramount to pay homage to the city’s heavy Asian influence. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly spot to do so then I highly recommend Heritage Asian Eatery.
I usually opt for one of their rice and noodle bowls. They start at just $12.00, making them one of the best value meals in the entire city.
The dan-dan noodles with spicy ground pork, the pork belly bowl, or the lamb shank bowl all knock it out of the park.
The baos are also some of the best this side of Chinatown. Choose from the duck leg in Peking sauce, pork belly with kimchi daikon, or the sautéed shiitake mushroom option for vegetarians.
Tasty Indian Bistro
$$-$$$ | Indian | 1261 Hamilton St. | Skytrain: Yaletown | Website
Tasty Indian Bistro in Yaletown, Vancouver, offers an exquisite journey into the rich flavors of Indian cuisine.
Each dish is a masterpiece of spices and aromas, showcasing the depth of traditional Indian cooking with a modern twist.
The elegant, contemporary decor creates a luxurious yet comfortable atmosphere, perfect for both casual and special occasions.
Whether you’re a fan of spicy curries or savory tandoori, this bistro promises a memorable dining experience that will leave your taste buds craving more.
Chambar
$$$ | Modern Casual | 568 Beatty St. | Skytrain: Stadium-Chinatown | Website
This chic Belgian-inspired spot right on the edge of the city’s stadium and entertainment district is a great date spot – or pre-game meal that won’t break the bank.
In fact, the $65.00 three course set menu might be the best dinner deal in downtown Vancouver.
I had the dungeness crab chowder, braised short ribs, and cheesecake epicé though the menu options we quite vast and included plenty of vegetarian options.
In all, this is a great downtown restaurant to for lovers of moules frites, charcuterie platters, and locally foraged ingredients tinged tastingly European.
Thierry Cafe
$$$$ | Dessert | 637 Hornby St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
Thierry Chocolates in Vancouver is a haven for anyone with a sweet tooth – this is my top dessert restaurant in downtown Vancouver, if that’s a thing.
This exquisite café offers a delightful array of handcrafted chocolates, pastries, and desserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious.
Master Chocolatier Thierry Busset brings a touch of French elegance and expertise, ensuring each creation is a work of art.
The cozy, chic ambiance makes it a perfect spot for a relaxed afternoon or a post-dinner treat.
Hy’s Steakhouse
$$$$ | Steakhouse | 637 Hornby St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
There’s just something timeless and classic about a steakhouse.
Hy’s is quite possibly Vancouver’s most elegant dining room, an opulent throwback to more extravagant times. You’ll feel like Gordon Gekko sipping on your dry gin martini and attacking one of their Canadian prime dry aged steaks.
I like to eat like an executive and opt for the bone-in rib eye with baked potato and all the fixings. And don’t forget to include an order of the legendary Hy’s famous cheese toast.
Wash down your downtown food with a big boy glass of Cab-Sav and your evening is complete.
Cioppino’s
$$$$ | Italian | 1133 Hamilton St. | Skytrain: Yaletown | Website
This Yaletown institution offers fine dining Italian-style.
Chef/owner Pino Posteraro’s recipe for success? Calabria’s rustic simplicity paired with elevated culinary techniques, and fresh West-coast ingredients.
Pasta courses like king-crab tagliolini and braised veal cheek ragu are enough to make my nonna hang up her apron for good. But the proteins are where Cioppino’s begins to move.
The sou-vide technique here means your West-coast sablefish or Alberta beef-tenderloin will be cooked to absolute perfection.
If you’re asking Italian soccer legend Andrea Pirlo or Canadian legend Drake (yes, I know) about their top things to do in Vancouver, this is on their list.
Chancho Tortilleria
$ | Mexican | 560 Davie St. | Skytrain: Yaletown | Website
This might be the best casual restaurant in downtown Vancouver and it’s dominating what is perhaps Mexico’s most famous export: the tortilla.
But it ain’t just any old version.
Each homemade shell is made using an imported Lenin tortilla machine. Some days you’ll see white corn, other days yellow, or even a blend.
Top them with one of three carnita options: maciza (pork shoulder/leg), panza (pork belly), and campechano (a mix of the two).
There are also three veggie options: papas dias (a potato), a verduras dias (mixed veggie), and campechano (a mix of both).
You then order by weight, a 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound or for groups, a full pound.
Careful! Chancho shuts when they run out of food, usually around 7:00 pm on weekdays and Saturdays and 5:30 on Sunday.
Joe Fortes
$$$ | Seafood | 777 Thurlow St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
This Vancouver institution named after a legendary Vancouver lifeguard is universally considered the best oyster bar in town.
But with over 50 different kinds of fish, shellfish, and chops sourced only from local farms, fisherman, and ranchers… Joe Fortes is much more than that.
The stunning 1920’s dining room features 30 foot ceilings and a famous rooftop patio. It’s one of the best spots in the city to enjoy a happy hour cocktail.
Of all the downtown restaurants this is the one for uniquely West-coast cuisine.
Boulevard
$$$$ | West Coast | 845 Burrard St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
Located in the iconic Sutton Place Hotel, Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar is consistently ranked among the best restaurants in downtown Vancouver due to the inventive cuisine of executive chef Alex Chen.
While firmly based in French traditions, Boulevard’s menu also employs strong Asian and West-coast influences into its award winning menu.
As a seafood lover I recommend the local roasted sablefish, served with broccoli, grilled maitake mushroom and xo sauce.
Looking to stay on land? The grilled USDA prime NY steak with shiitake pomme Anna and maitake mushrooms.
The happy hour menu also offers some of the best value in the city.
Marutama Ramen
$$ | Ramen | 780 Bidwell St. / 270 Robson St. | Skytrain: City Centre | Website
Good restaurants in downtown Vancouver should all have a little chicken soup for the soul – but we’ve got a city taking soup to the next level here.
Robson Street alone itself has twelve ramen shops. The two block stretch near Stanley Park between Cardero and Denman has six alone.
My suggestion is to choose one of the locations of this Japanese chain.
It’s famous for their creamy chicken broth and house made noodles. I always add on pork char-su, an ajiitama egg and some chilli flakes for maximum flavour.
An order of the gyoza and a bottle of Asahi beer round it out nicely – this is one of the best lunch spots in downtown Vancouver.
Nightingale Restaurant
$$-$$$ | Seasonal Italian + Pizza | 1017 W. Hastings. | Skytrain: Waterfront | Website
Don’t let the big local chef name fool you – this Hawksworth joint is all about buzzing, unpretentious atmosphere.
Yes, they’re so stubborn that they decline all menu modification requests (and even specify this on the menu) but I have to love their conviction here.
The super seasonal, fresh, bright menu works for high end contemporary Canadian but then bam! It also doubles as a quality pizza joint with the prosciutto, pear, and walnut version being among my favourite dishes in the city.
This is that rare place where you can’t go wrong with sharing a couple family-style Italian offerings, then gearing up with some pork belly or espresso and porcini butter steak.
I also noticed they’ve got a generous 7 item dessert menu if you’ve got a sweet tooth – one of the top Vancouver downtown restaurants for dessert.
Miku
$$$-$$$$ | Sushi | 200 Granville St.| Skytrain: Waterfront | Website
Miku Restaurant in Vancouver is a must-visit for an unparalleled Japanese dining experience.
I mentioned it in my post on what to eat in Vancouver: it’s renowned for its innovative Aburi sushi, a unique twist on traditional sushi with its flame-seared technique, enhancing flavors and textures.
The waterfront location provides stunning views, complementing the exquisite, artfully presented dishes.
Miku’s commitment to quality and sustainability in its ingredients ensures every bite is not only delicious but also responsibly sourced.
Kosoo Korean Restaurant
$$ | Korean | 832 Cardero St. | Skytrain: Waterfront | Website
Sometimes everybody needs a little Seoul food, and even if you haven’t tried Korean cuisine you may find some familiar tastes here – Kosoo (‘master’ in Korean) dominates Korean and Japanese ingredients with French cooking techniques.
I love the great comfort foods here like their beef brisket bimbimbap, a filling rice and vegetable dish topped with a fried egg.
Another standout that turned heads was the wang galbi – a premium short rib soup that cooks hot pot style right on your table. In fact, there are four featured hot pot soups here that really hit the spot on rainy days.
Of course, as much as we hesitate to list fried chicken on our list of Vancouver’s best restaurants downtown – we can’t not.
The soy garlic version makes the Colonel’s secret spices taste like Chef Boyardee.
Le Crocodile
$$$$ | Central DT | 909 Burrard St. | Skytrain: Burrard | Website
When it comes to the best places to eat in downtown Vancouver, this has been the crème de la crème for over 30 years.
Le Crocodile has achieved numerous accolades due to its impeccable yet unpretentious service and innovative interpretation of traditional Gallic cuisine.
Legendary chef Michel Jacob has even been knighted by the French governor for his service to French cuisine abroad – so you know he’s legit!
Classic favourites like lamb shank Provençal and beef tenderloin au poivre come accompanied with a wide selection of French and local wines.
You can also check out other best restaurants in Vancouver that are not on this list for more food adventures.
Best Places to Eat in Vancouver Downtown
There are nice restaurants in downtown Vancouver – literally in every corner.
So much so that I couldn’t list all of them here.
So, in case you still haven’t found anything, here’s a quick little downtown restaurant awards based on my recent experience:
- Best cheap restaurant downtown: Totoan Donburi
- Best chain restaurant downtown: Cactus Club Cafe English Bay
- Best Mexican restaurant downtown: La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop
- Best Chinese restaurant downtown: Chinatown BBQ
- Best fancy restaurant downtown: Five Sails
- Best Italian restaurant downtown: Bacaro
- Best family restaurant downtown: Old Spaghetti Factory
- Best brunch downtown: Jam Cafe
- Best casual restaurant: The Flying Pig
- Best vegan restaurant downtown: The Acorn
- Best Greek: The Greek
- Best Korean: Damso
Don’t agree with my DT Vancouver restaurants? I’d like to hear your opinion below 🙂
Where to Eat in Downtown Vancouver Map
Still Looking for the Top Vancouver Downtown Restaurants?
I’ve given you a heavy arsenal of the best restaurants in downtown Vancouver but maybe I missed something.
Get at me if you need any additional advice on food in downtown Vancouver.
Enjoy the best restaurants in Vancouver downtown 🙂
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