Vancouver is one of North America's great food cities, shaped by its Pacific location, its proximity to superb local farms and waters, and above all its deep, diverse Asian communities. The eating here is fresh, varied, and excellent. Here's how to think about it.
Pacific seafood. With the ocean at its doorstep, Vancouver excels at seafood — wild Pacific salmon, spot prawns (a celebrated spring delicacy), Dungeness crab, oysters, halibut, and more, served everywhere from fine-dining rooms to casual spots and the Granville Island market. The city is also a sushi powerhouse: thanks to its Japanese community and access to fresh fish, Vancouver has some of the best and most affordable sushi in North America, including the locally invented "BC roll" and aburi (flame-seared) styles. Don't leave without a great sushi meal.
Asian cuisine — the city's superpower. Vancouver's large and long-established Asian communities make it a global capital of Asian food. The Chinese food, especially, is exceptional — Vancouver and neighboring Richmond (just south, and majority-Asian) offer some of the finest Cantonese, dim sum, Sichuan, and regional Chinese cooking outside Asia (Richmond's night markets and food courts are a destination for serious eaters). Beyond Chinese, the city has outstanding Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indian, and more. Exploring this is the heart of eating in Vancouver.
Granville Island and the markets. The Granville Island Public Market is a food-lover's playground — fresh produce, seafood, baked goods, cheeses, and artisan food stalls, perfect for grazing or assembling a picnic. The city's farmers' markets and food halls reflect the region's excellent produce and the strong farm-to-table ethos that Vancouver chefs embrace.
Farm-to-table and the local scene. Vancouver's dining scene is known for its commitment to fresh, local, seasonal ingredients — "West Coast" cuisine that lets the Pacific Northwest's superb produce, seafood, and foraged ingredients shine. The city has a strong roster of acclaimed restaurants, a great craft-cocktail and craft-beer scene (BC has excellent wineries and breweries), and lively dining neighborhoods like Gastown, Yaletown, Mount Pleasant, and Commercial Drive.
How to plan. Target the experiences: a great seafood meal, an excellent (and affordable) sushi dinner, a deep dive into the city's Asian food (a dim sum lunch, or a trip to Richmond), a graze through Granville Island, and a farm-to-table dinner. Be adventurous and venture beyond downtown — some of the best food is in Richmond, on Commercial Drive, or in unassuming neighborhood spots. In Vancouver, the diversity is the delight.
