Dine Out Restaurants Revealed: Vancouver Neighbourhood Guide
The moment foodies in the city and beyond have been waiting for has now arrived: the big reveal of participating Dine Out Vancouver Festival restaurants and their delicious prix fixe menus.
Launched in 2002, Dine Out Vancouver Festival was initially an initiative to encourage people to visit restaurants during a traditionally quieter period after the holidays. Since then, the annual Festival has grown considerably to include diverse events, as well as over 400 restaurants that offer special multicourse menus.
This year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival takes places January 22 to February 9, 2025, sponsored by FortisBC, Hullo Ferries, Downtown Van, Evo, Vancouver Hotel Destination Association (VHDA)/Stay Vancouver Hotels, Air Canada, and The Westin Bayshore. The list of participating restaurants and their menus is now live, which means you can start making reservations for incredible dining experiences. Menus cover breakfasts/brunches, lunches, and dinners at multiple price points ($20-$34, $35-$49, $50-$65) to suit different budgets. Participating MICHELIN-starred restaurants will also offer a special deal. In addition, takeout at some places is available. Establishments represent a range of cultural cuisines, in addition to both under-the-radar and award-winning places.
Dine Out Vancouver Festival is the perfect opportunity to get to know (even better) Vancouver’s vibrant food scene in unique neighbourhoods across the city.
Here is a taste of neighbourhoods to explore throughout the nearly three weeks of the Festival.
The downtown core, which includes Robson Street, has a plethora of restaurants to choose from during Dine Out Vancouver Festival. MICHELIN-recommended establishments that are participating include some of the top Italian places in town, such as Acquafarina, Carlino (focusing on the Friuli region), and Bacaro. You can also find CinCin Ristorante + Bar on Robson for Italian. If you’re looking for outstanding steak (and seafood) restaurants, downtown also has Riley’s Fish & Steak (MICHELIN-recommended), stalwart Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse, and C|Prime. Other MICHELIN-recommended places offering special prix fixe menus include Hawksworth (Pacific Northwest), Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar (West Coast, seafood), Archer (Pacific Northwest), and Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge (European). Expect showcasing of local, sustainable ingredients at these restaurants.
The West End has some especially multicultural eats at reasonable prices, including Sula Indian Restaurant, Banana Leaf (Malaysian), Jungle Room (cocktail bar, Indonesian/Japanese), and España (Spanish).
Yaletown, once a warehouse district, is now a fashionable and family-friendly shopping and dining neighbourhood. Restaurants here take their food and drink seriously, and are well represented in Dine Out Vancouver Festival this year. Per Se Social Corner (MICHELIN-recommended) is an expansive space, which brings together Spanish and Italian culinary influences. Other excellent Italian spots in the area include Tutto Restaurant & Bar, Dovetail (California-inspired with some great pastas), and Robba da Matti. A range of cuisines are available here, including Provence Marinaside (French/seafood), Minami (Japanese), Nuba (Lebanese), El Guapo (Mexican), and MeeT (plant-based).
Gastown, Vancouver’s most historic neighbourhood, has tons of amazing dining establishments. Two of the jewels are the MICHELIN-recommended L’Abattoir, which spotlights local ingredients through deft French technique, and PiDGiN, also MICHELIN-recommended, in this case for their melding of Asian and the West Coast cuisine. Monarca, sister restaurant to Ophelia (also participating) in Olympic Village, offers playful, elevated interpretations of Mexican cuisine. And you can expect consistently good eats at The Greek Gastown and long-running Water St. Café (Italian/Pacific Northwest cuisine).
Chinatown holds particular resonance for the Chinese Canadian community, with many phenomenal Chinese dining and food establishments. The neighbourhood has become an incredible destination for top notch restaurants that you can try during Dine Out Vancouver Festival. On the outer edges of Chinatown, Torafuku (MICHELIN-recommended) features creative pan-Asian cuisine using local ingredients. Their cocktail list is equally as innovative. Sister restaurant to Burdock & Co, Bar Gobo has also received a nod from MICHELIN (in this case, recommended) for the natural wine bar’s thoughtfully curated drink list and local-focused dishes. Food from Florence is the inspiration at the welcoming Fiorino where they pour multiple Negroni versions, as well as other Italian cocktails. And visit MILA for a global take on plant-based eating.
Mount Pleasant is one of the city’s liveliest dining neighbourhoods. MICHELIN-starred Burdock & Co is taking part in the Festival, as is fellow MICHELIN-starred Published on Main (reserve pronto for these ones). Both of these restaurants are award-winning due to their exemplary locavore menus. Published’s sister restaurants Bar Susu (wine bar, MICHELIN-recommended) and El Gato Gab Gab (Mexican) are also taking part. Other highlights of Mount Pleasant include plant-based The Acorn (MICHELIN-recommended) and buzzy newcomers Lila (modern Indian) and ELEM (an elegant meeting of local and global cooking, focused on sustainability). Fun spots like Sing Sing (casual bites with some Asian twists), Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions (a cocktail spot), and El Camino’s (Latin American) round out the list.
Commercial Drive, affectionately known as The Drive, has a long and proud history connected to the Italian community, as well as a championing of diversity. Both are reflected in the restaurants taking part in the Festival. Neighbourhood favourite Marcello Ristorante & Pizzeria consistently satisfies while Pepino’s Spaghetti House and Caffè La Tana offer modern, yet nostalgic interpretations of Italian American and Italian cuisine respectively. Other recommended spots on Commercial Drive include La Mezcaleria (Mexican), neighbourhood darling Havana (Latin American), Kulinarya Filipino Eatery, and Collective Goods (further south, a lovely French bistro).
While West 4th Avenue and West Broadway are Kitsilano’s main thoroughfares, there are restaurants located throughout the neighbourhood. There are a lot of big names participating in Dine Out Vancouver Festival, including the always delicious Maenam (MICHELIN-recommended Thai food), Delara (MICHELIN-recommended for inventive Persian cuisine), Fable Kitchen (MICHELIN Bib Gourmand) for its farm-to-table cooking, and Karma Indian Bistro, another MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. Newcomer Radish, sister restaurant to Oddfish (seafood) and Nook (who are also participating), well deserves a visit for their standout pizzas and pastas. Other diverse eats include Lucky Taco, Chi (plant-based Vietnamese), and Don at Kitsilano (Asian-inspired).
Picturesque Granville Island has come into its own when it comes to dining. Pacific Northwest restaurants like Dockside, The Sandbar, and The Vancouver Fish Company pride themselves on their freshly sourced ingredients. Meanwhile, you can enjoy Mexican eats and margaritas at Alimentaria Mexicana, or local brews and bites at Granville Island Brewing or Tap & Barrel Bridges.
Metro Vancouver
In addition, other areas in Metro Vancouver are well represented in the Festival. Options include West Vancouver (e.g., Mèreon - French), North Vancouver (e.g., Pier 7 – seafood, Pacific Northwest), Richmond (e.g., Liuyishou Hotpot, Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant), Langley (e.g., Food by Fanta – French meets Thai), Surrey (e.g., Afghan Kitchen), and Port Moody (e.g., Pizzeria Spacca Napoli – award winning pizza).
The above is a sampling of the many, many restaurants and neighbourhoods making up the Festival this year. Other neighbourhoods to visit include South Granville (e.g., MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Gary’s, Saba Foods - Middle Eastern/Yemeni), Fairview (e.g., Salmon n’ Bannock - Indigenous), Olympic Village (e.g., Nook, Ophelia - MICHELIN recommended), East Vancouver (e.g., Poor Italian Ristorante), and Kerrisdale and further west (e.g., Bufala, Jess’ Café, and MICHELIN recommended Wildlight Kitchen + Bar).
The full list of participating restaurants for Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2025 can be found here. There are hundreds of amazing restaurants to try. Book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.