Granville Island Public Market Vancouver: What to Eat and Buy

Granville Island Public Market Vancouver is a beloved treasure, showcasing local businesses all while staying close to the shorelines and mountains. While the market can hit its peak on weekends or during rainy days, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to help you uncover the best of BC staples and make your visit to Granville Island a whole lot sweeter.

Fresh Produce and Protein Stalls:

Four Seasons Farms

Start your visit at the Public Market Vancouver at Four Seasons Farm, located right at the entrance. This is where BC’s best produce makes the quick trip from farm to table. Pile your basket with local picks like blueberries, strawberries, and deep red cherries, or go bold with vibrant bell peppers and earthy mushrooms.

Seafood City

If you think you’ve tried it all, save room for West Coast fish. At Granville Island Public Market, open waters are just steps away, and the catches are sourced locally. Seafood City is a must-stop for sashimi-grade selections and oysters to take home. Learn about the best pairings and watch their skilled team fillet seabream and halibut right before your eyes.

Armando’s Finest Quality Meats

This full-service butcher shop is the place to go for all those specialty cuts that you can't find at any old grocery store. True to its name, Armando's Finest Quality Meats focuses on high-quality meats and products that deliver noticeable flavour and freshness.

Artisanal Goods to Try and Buy

Benton Brothers Fine Cheese

Your favourite blue cheese might always be up for debate, but Benton Brothers Fine Cheese makes a strong case. For the next stop on your tour, visit Benton Brothers, run by siblings who know their craft. They cut top-quality cheese straight from the wheel, sourced from Canada and beyond.

Discover new gems like nutty Parmigiano Reggiano or decadent triple-cream Château de Bourgogne. Add a few cured deli delights to your snack plate and taste the expertise in every bite.

Chilliwack River Valley Honey

Once you’ve had your cheese fix, sample the sweet offerings from Vancouver Island’s own Chilliwack River Valley Honey. Explore their filtered varieties, from wildflower and clover to mountain flower honey, along with featured flavours like blueberry and peach. The golden hue is impressive on its own, but the rich, buttery taste seals the deal. And if honey isn’t enough, you can also take home beeswax candles and fresh bee pollen.

Granville Island Tea Company

When sampling sweets calls for a palate cleanse, head to Granville Island Tea Company, your hot or iced tea oasis just a few stalls away. Try a fragrant Earl Grey or a refreshing iced jasmine tea, both available sweetened or unsweetened.

Hobbs Pickles

When the owner of Hobbs Pickles noticed a lack of East Coast delicacies on the West Coast, he decided to craft his own deli-style creations. Swing by their stand and take your taste buds on a tangy adventure, from classics like Kosher Dill to punchy horseradish. For a real kick, grab a jar of their Honey Mustard Chips to level up your sandwiches. Each jar is made in small batches, so no pickles are the same. Ask for a sample, or two. You won’t be sorry you tried.

Sweet and Savoury Market Treats

Lee’s Donuts

A must-stop on your tour is Lee’s Donuts. What started as a mom-and-pop donut shop quickly became a Vancouver institution with lines forming behind the market. Their secret to the best donuts in the game are yeast and cake as the foundation to every donut. They've perfected classics like honey-dipped and powdered sugar, but if you’re in the mood to mix it up, try their Cookie Monster donut, with creamy vanilla-blue icing topped with a generous topping of Oreo crumbs.

Bon Macaron Patisserie Ltd.

The perfect sweet treat does indeed exist. Bon Macaron Patisserie has perfected the art of this classic French dessert, serving up ever-changing varieties of both sweet and savoury macarons. Pick out an assortment to take home, if you can resist finishing them all before you leave.

Longliner Seafood

And when you’re looking for the perfect souvenir, stop by Longliner Seafood. Their famous maple candied salmon and Canadian-made smoked salmon are market treasures that pack easily and are instant crowd pleasers.

Tasty Things to Eat at the Market

Zara’s Italian Deli

Once you’ve got an armful of produce and artisinal goodies, head over to Zara’s Italian Deli, your direct flight to Northern Italy on Granville Island. Zara’s is family-owned and the place to grab rich imported olive oil and ricotta, plus other pantry staples like a crisp olive brine and sweet balsamic glaze.

They’ve also got fresh caprese salad and crisp olives ready for your lunch by the water. The star of the show is Zara’s line of egg pastas, made fresh and packaged in-house, ready to turn dinner into something special.

A La Mode

Every day is pie day at A La Mode. Stop in for a warm beef pot pie at lunch, then finish things off with a slice of tangy lemon meringue pie. The team at this local favourite are masters of flaky crusts and cozy comfort food classics. You simply can't go wrong with pie for lunch! Or breakfast or dinner, for that matter.

Celine’s Fish and Chips

When in Vancouver, you've got to enjoy the abundance of fresh, delicious seafood at your fingertips. One of the best spots to do so is Celine's Fish and Chips, where you can try everything from cod fish and chips to deep-fried oysters. Always fresh and always delicious.

Best Bakeries at Granville Island Public Market Vancouver

A Bread Affair

A Bread Affair in the Granville Island Public Market Vancouver is BC's first certified organic bakery, where small batches of expertly made goods are available to purchase every day. Grab a double-baked pistachio croissant or a breakfast sandwich served on house-made brioche while you're there.

Siegel’s Bagels

Siegel's Bagels is one of the city's most loved bagel shops in the city, with locations in the Granville Island Public Market Vancouver and Kitsilano. For over 35 years, they've served up chewy, fresh Montreat-style bagels and smoked meat baked traditionally in a flame oven.

Terra Breads

Come for the pistachio cranberry sourdough loaf, stay for the Cinnamon Cardamom Cruffin and Parmesan and Herb Focaccia. Terra Breads is your one-stop shop for the fluffiest breads, flakiest pastries, and artisan granola.

Local Makers and What to Buy as Souvenirs

Granville Island is the best place to shop for locally made souvenirs and handcrafted goods that feel like authentic, meaningful symbols of Vancouver.

ARTYRA Studio

Aleksandra Kalinic of ARTYRA Studio creates one-of-a-kind silver jewelry that feels both ancient and modern, inspired by archaeological artifacts, rugged landscapes, and ancient relics. Touches of gold and natural stones add spirit and character to each piece, making each one truly special.

Iris Wong Pottery

Iris Wong is a contemporary realist potter whose work reflects the spirit and traditions of Chinese culture. Using distinctive designs and glazes, she creates expertly crafted teapots, vases, ikebanas, fountains, and bowls that are as functional as they are beautiful.

Knits by Maria

Since the 1990's, Knits by Maria has been a fixture in the Granville Island Public Market Vancouver. Her knit hats are beloved by locals and visitors alike, as are her soft and snuggly handmade teddy bears. Maria donates a portion of her sales to charity groups in her home country of Peru, making each purchase feel even more meaningful.

When to Visit and How to Avoid the Biggest Crowds

The great thing about the Granville Island Public Market Vancouver is that the indoor setting makes it the perfect place to visit any time of the year. Summer is the busiest time with the influx of tourists, but you can avoid the bulk of these crowds by hitting the Market early in the morning when it opens at 9 am or visiting weekday rather than weekends.

Rain or shine, the Market is always worth a visit. But if you’re hoping to enjoy your snacks or coffee along the waterfront, it’s worth checking the forecast before you go.

For the best balance of energy and breathing room, visit on weekdays in the mid-morning hours to experience the market buzz without long lines at stalls.

How to Get There: Taking the Aquabus or Driving

Ride across False Creek to Aquabus, the rainbow-coloured passenger ferries connecting downtown Vancouver to Granville Island. The quick and affordable journey offers incredible skyline views along the way, and all ferries are wheelchair, bicycle, stroller, and pet-friendly. No reservations are needed, and services run continuously every day from 7 am to 10:30, or from 9:30 pm in the winter.

If you’re driving to the Granville Island Public Market, it’s about a 15-minute trip from downtown Vancouver via the scenic Granville Street Bridge. There are several paid parking lots on-site, though they can fill up quickly on summer weekends.

Once you’ve made your rounds at all the Market stalls, claim a bench by the water and unwrap your goodies. Granville Island Public Market Vancouver is not just a win for your taste buds, but a sustainable choice worth coming back to.