A (Self-Proclaimed) Local’s Guide to Vancouver
This fall I had the unique opportunity to up and move out west to Vancouver for two months with one of my close friends. We both accepted co-op positions at a Vancouver-based company and decided to use our new jobs as an opportunity to travel to and live in a new city. Neither Ali nor I had ever been to the West Coast before this adventure. We received an influx of recommendations from friends and family who had either been out west before or who currently live there, and their recommendations sure didn’t disappoint! I am happy to report that we diligently worked our way through the list and ticked off the majority of the boxes. We also found some cool spots of our own along the way. Here is a summary of the top recommendations that we received and some of our favourite places we discovered along the way. I hope you enjoy!
Where to Stay
Vancouver has tons of great neighbourhoods that all offer unique amenities and experiences. Through recommendations from friends, Ali and I decided to make the neighbourhood Kitsilano our home away from home during our time in Vancouver. Kitsilano, or “Kits”, is located right on the shores of English Bay and is know for its laid-back pace of life and proximity to the beaches. As my friend describes it, Kits is “one of the most young, vibey, happening places in Van”. That’s a direct quote and I think it does an excellent job of encapsulating what Kits is like. For our stay Ali and I opted for a long-term stay Airbnb and it worked out incredibly. We were in the basement unit of a home in Kits just down the road from the intersection of Macdonald and Broadway. Our landlady was lovely and we had access to all the major bus routes within a ten minute walk from our front door. Our stay was adequately named “Along the Garden Path”, the Airbnb listing can be viewed here.
Where and What to Eat
Cafés
The Ones We Visited
When Ali and I first arrived in Vancouver we ventured out to Café Lokal on 4th Ave for a bite to eat and a latte. While we were sitting at our outdoor table sipping our lattes we decided that it would be fun to do a café crawl (like a more tame version of a bar crawl haha). The goal of the café crawl was to visit one new café every weekend and to write a postcard or two to send home to friends or family while we enjoyed our drinks. I would say that we did pretty well with this goal.
Famous for their donuts, which we unfortunately arrived too late in the day for, There Their also has a great selection of food and warm beverages as well as a lovely little store with home goods and books. Note to anyone looking to visit, go early if you want a donut!
Angus T is located in the heart of the Yaletown neighbourhood and has the most gorgeous selection of croissants. Their croissant flavours range from your traditional butter croissant to blueberry, matcha, and black sesame. Not only are the croissants delicious and perfectly flaky, they’re also stunning to look at. They were almost too pretty to eat! Almost…. I made a pit stop here to pick up a few treats for the week when I was on my way to visit a friend that lives in Yaletown and had to stop myself from going overboard – it was so hard to resist buying one of every flavour. In the end I walked out with one of each of the almond, blueberry, and matcha croissants.
49th Parallel is another classic Kitsilano spot that is not only famous for its coffee, but also its donuts. I enjoyed their donuts on two separate occasions, both times the donuts did not last long enough for a photo, they were that good. If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you can purchase 49th Parallel’s coffee in various retail and grocery locations around the city as well as at their 4th Ave store.
Flourist has been one of my biggest baking inspirations for the past couple of years. If you are unfamiliar with the brand, it is a Vancouver-based bakery that does milled-to-order fresh flour from grains grown by Canadian farmers. Flourist believes in edible transparency, i.e. knowing where your food comes from and who grew it, which is very in-line with my values and philosophy on food. My time in Vancouver simply would not have been complete without making the trip to Flourist to pick up a loaf of fresh sourdough and some goodies. I was not disappointed.
Mon Pitou has incredibly aesthetically pleasing interior design. We didn’t actually get anything to eat or drink here -they were super busy and had a long waiting list when we popped in- but I did get to peak at the lovely interior. Mon Pitou offers weekend brunch, which looks incredible, just make sure to call ahead if you’re planning to brunch here!
Located on 9th Ave right around the corner from where I was living in Kitsilano, Purebread has a wonderful selection of decadent baked goods and warming drinks. Ali and I stopped in here after a day out exploring the city to pick up a treat each to bring home with us to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea.
TurF is a fitness studio/restaurant/café/store with two locations in Vancouver, one of which is in- you guessed it- Kits! My mom gave me a gift card for TurF for my birthday based on a recommendation she received from a friend who’s local. Over my time in Vancouver I stopped in for a variety of different treats and lattes, my favourite being the Mermaid Latte, named for its turquoise colouring. If you’re looking for a selection of plant-based meals or treat options to grab when you’re on the go, TurF is a great option.
Rain or Shine is not so much a café, but an ice cream parlour with three Vancouver locations, one of which is on west 4th in Kits. I am an ice cream fanatic. I usually will have three to four pints of different flavours just chilling in my freezer at any given time – you never know when you’re going to need an emergency pint! On top of my love for ice cream, I am even more enamoured with locally-owned small batch creameries. Rain or Shine was suggested to me by a friend and it was one that I just simply couldn’t pass up on. Their menu is comprised of classic childhood favourites and more unique seasonal flavours. When I was there I indulged in the house specialty, Malted Milk Chocolate and Honey Comb (yes, it’s as mouthwateringly good as it sounds!) and the Tea and Cookies flavours. If you’re big into ice cream, or even just a little bit into it, I’d recommend making a pitstop here!
The Ones We Didn’t Get To
Arbutus Coffee was recommended to me by a true Vancouver local as a great place to grab a coffee, a treat, and to catch up with friends.
Jam Café and Sophie’s Cosmic Café are located only about a block apart on West 4th Ave in the heart of Kitsilano and always have lineups stretching at least halfway down their respective blocks. These two spots were recommend to us as great places for a classic diner-style breakfast complete with the quintessential quirky diner decor. Unfortunately we just didn’t have the time to get out to these two spots for a meal, but hopefully I’ll be able to go back some day and get my quirky diner fix!
Kind Café + Eatery is a plant-based and zero-waste café (two things that are very up my alley) that I would have loved to have had the chance to visit. I guess I’ll just have to come back another time!
Level V Bakery was introduced to me by a plant-based friend of mine that lives in Vancouver. Level V is a vegan bakery in the Mt Pleasant area. I did not get to visit here, but I did follow them on Instagram and their baked goods look to die for!
Restaurants
The Ones We Visited
Tacofino, as the name suggests, is a taco restaurant with locations in Kitsilano, Tofino, and Victoria. Ali and I ate at the original truck in Tofino after our morning of surfing. You can read more about our time in Tofino here. Tacofino has a great selection of burritos, tacos, gringas, and some fun beverages. Plus, they have vegetarian and vegan options for all my veggie friends out there. I know that the menu does vary a bit between locations, so be sure to check out the different menus on their website.
La Ruota Pizzeria is located on west 4th Ave in the heart of Kitsilano (like many of my other recommendations as I’m sure you’ve already noticed). Ali and I ate here one afternoon while we were browsing the shops on 4th. The pizza, which you can order by the slice or by the pizza, is indulgently cheesy and delicious. I would definitely recommend the pizza here if you’re in the market for a hot slice.
MeeT is a plant-based restaurant with three different locations in Vancouver: Yaletown, Main, and Gastown. I ate at the Yaletown location with my friend Ryann who is a Vancouver local. The food was incredible! I always find it fun when a vegan restaurant pushed the boundaries on vegan cuisine, which is exactly what MeeT did. Ry and I both ordered the Crispy Chickun Burger, which blew me away. The patty was a crispy breaded oyster mushroom and I could not believe how good it was. The cocktails were also incredibly good. I had a Paloma Picante, which is a jalapeño infused Tequila, Aperol, grapefruit & lime juice cocktail sweetened with agave syrup, topped with soda and salted rim. I am a sucker for a good tequila cocktail and MeeT really knocked it out of the park with this one.
Sing Sing was recommended to Ali and I by one of our colleagues. Located on Main St, we sat in for dinner, and a drink for me, after our afternoon of thrifting on Main. Sing Sing is a a beer, pho, and pizza joint, which sound like three things that wouldn’t really mix, but somehow they made it work. The food was super tasty, the atmosphere was cool, and the drinks were delicious. I ordered the Crispy Tofu Bowl and the Stray Bullets cocktail (another tequila-based cocktail). This is a great place to go for a casual dinner/drinks with friends.
Danbo Ramen is a super popular ramen chain with locations in Vancouver, Seattle, and New York City. There are two locations in Vancouver, one on 4th Ave and one on Robson. If you’re planning to stop in here for a meal my recommendation is to arrive early and put your name on the waitlist so that you can eat at a regular time. The seating here is limited to begin with and the pandemic certainly has not helped with that, so best practice is to arrive early and get on that waitlist and then browse the stores in the area to kill time until you can be seated. Alternatively, you can join the waitlist from home if you have the Yelp app. This is where Ali and I ate for her final night in Vancouver and it was definitely worth all the hype, the ramen was delicious.
I went out to brunch at Heirloom with one of my mom’s oldest friends who lives in Vancouver. Heirloom is a vegetarian restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. It was terribly rainy on the morning that we went for brunch, but we were lucky enough to get seated by the fireplace inside during our meal and the food was incredible! I ordered the Truffle Mushroom Benny and a matcha latte, both of which were fantastic. I definitely plan on eating here again when I return to Vancouver some day.
Groceries
I am an absolute sucker for a good farmers market, so imagine my excitement when I found out the Kitsilano Farmers’ Market was only minutes down the street from my house! Correct answer: over the moon excited. There are various different farmers markets all over Vancouver, so fear not if you don’t happen to find yourself in Kitsilano. You can browse the different market locations and days/hours of operation on the Vancouver Markets website here. There’s something so grounding, at least to me, about working a trip to the farmers market into your weekly shopping routine.
Persia Foods is an ethnic market with a bunch of different locations throughout Vancouver. I was lucky enough to have one of said locations right around the corner from me on Broadway in Kits. What I love about Persia Foods is that they have a wonderful selection of fresh produce and specialty goods while still being affordable. This is where I purchased most of my produce and all of my hummus while I was in Vancouver because the prices were reasonable and the quality was, in my opinion, great.
In the heart of Granville Island is a spectacular public market with a wide selection of prepared foods, produce, specialty ingredients, baking, and take away options. If you are planning a trip to Granville Island, I would definitely recommend carving out some time to browse the public market and do a bit of shopping.
What to Do
Outdoor Activities
The Ones We Did
Visit the UBC campus. UBC, the University of British Columbia has a breathtaking campus. I honestly could not believe how beautiful it is. I mean, many of the campus building have ocean views, what could be more beautiful than that? It is a fun outing to get out to UBC and wander around the campus and maybe pay a visit to the bookstore, which also blew me away. The university bookstore was practically the size of an Indigo and sold camping supplies along with all the regular university bookstore stuff. It was a cool place. Definitely would not be opposed to doing a degree at UBC after seeing the campus haha.
Visit Granville Island. This is a great activity for a weekend day trip. Contrary to what the name suggests, Granville Island can be accessed by car or bus, no ferry is required to get here. The island has a bunch of great souvenir shops and a fantastic public market, as I mentioned above. I did a fair amount of my Christmas shopping at Make, which has an awesome selection of home goods, clothing, and accessories.
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is located in the Lynn Canyon municipal park in North Vancouver and can be accessed through public transport, but I will warn you that it is a rather long bus ride. The park is free to enter and has a network of beautiful trails with views of waterfalls and stunning greenery. You can easily pass an afternoon wandering around in the park, which is exactly what we did. This is also a nice option because the suspension bridge is free to access, whereas the Capilano Suspension Bridge– also in North Vancouver- costs over $40 for one adult. One thing I will say about Capilano is that they do have multiple suspension bridges, whereas Lynn Canyon just has the one.
The Ones We Didn’t Get To
Unfortunately, due to the unrelenting rain, we did not have the opportunity to do as many outdoor activities as we would have liked. Several people suggested biking the Sea Wall at Stanley Park, so I was pretty bummed that we didn’t get the chance to do that. I’ll just have to put it at the top of my list for my next visit!
Similar to biking the Sea Wall, we got rained out of hiking the infamous Grouse Grind, Mount Cypress, and Mount Seymour. On my next visit I intend to come in the summer so that the rain does not limit my outdoor adventuring.
Parks + Beaches
Vancouver has no shortage of beautiful beaches and parks. Some of my favourites are listed below, but there are certainly many more to be explored!
- Kits Beach
- Stanley Park
- Jericho Beach
- Spanish Banks
Indoor Activities
Thrifting and shop browsing on Main. Read all about my thrifting adventure here.
The Vancouver Aquarium. Ali and I never got to this recommendation, but I’ve heard that it is spectacular and I bet that it would make for a great rainy day outing.
Get a facial at Formula Fig. This was a recommendation from one of my colleagues which I treated myself to after a long week at work. Fig offers a bunch of different treatment options at a range of different prices so you can find something that works for you. There are two locations in Vancouver and their website gives you the option to book ahead online, which I definitely suggest doing if you plan on treating yourself to one of Fig’s services.
Visit Country Beads on west 4th to pick up the tools you’ll need to undertake a fun beading project! Ali and I were introduced to Country Beads by a friend of ours who lives in the area. Beading is a great craft to pass time on a rainy afternoon or to bring to the beach and do on a picnic blanket. I bought all the materials to make myself a pretty pair of teardrop pearl earring inspired by these ones from Mejuri. If you’re into crafts of any type, this is a fun store to wander around in and get inspired by.
Browse the record selection at Zulu Records on west 4th Ave. I collect records and keep a running list of the ones I am looking for one my phone so that whenever I stumble upon a record store, like this one, I know what to look for. Zulu has a great selection of records, new and old, at reasonable prices. I picked up a copy of Mumford and Son’s Delta and Cage the Elephant’s Social Cues.
Visit the Vancouver Convention Centre. The convention centre hosts a number of different exhibits that rotate throughout the year. On our first weekend in Vancouver Ali and I attended the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit at the convention centre which was fantastic. All upcoming events at the convention centre can be found here.
How to Get Around
Something that is really great about Vancouver is how walkable it is as a city. It is incredibly easy to get around by foot and some areas are so beautiful that you’ll hardly notice the walk. What’s less great about Vancouver is the rainy season, which I unfortunately got caught in. On those rainy days the best ways to get around are by bus or Evo. You can purchase a public transit card and load it up with cash so you can simply tap when you get on the bus. This is what Ali and I did because we were using the bus frequently to commute to work, get groceries, and explore the city.
Evo is a car sharing program in Vancouver and Victoria that you can sign up for online and download the app for easy access to their services. I signed up for Evo, but never actually ended up using it because I primarily used the bus, but it is a great option for taking day trips that the bus either would not reach or would take a very long time to reach. Evo has a rate per kilometer travelled and a flat rate fee for overnight trips. All the information about the car share program can be found on their website here.
And that’s a wrap on my guide to Vancouver! I hope that this guide will act as a helpful Vancouver trip-planning reference tool for any who read it. I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to Ali and my list of recommendations, we appreciated it so much! I had so much fun visiting all these great places and having the opportunity to experience a new city 🙂
xx
Ashley
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