Patios for Cozy Dining in Vancouver
The release of the list of restaurants and prix fixe menus for Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2025 is set for January 15, 2025, while tickets for the many tasty events happening during the Festival are now available. In the meantime, you can take advantage of Vancouver’s vibrant eating and drinking scene in anticipation of the big release. With Vancouver’s temperate climate, you can enjoy a delicious meal on a patio even in the winter months.
Below are some suggested restaurants for patio dining this season. Note: call ahead to ensure the patios are open before heading out.
Alongside their gorgeous views, many of the Sequoia Company of Restaurants have fantastic patios that are great for dining out during colder months. Seasons in the Park, located in Queen Elizabeth Park, has an elegant patio, complete with fireplaces, chandeliers, and sight lines of the park below. Their Sunday Night prime rib special is a great bet; otherwise, other popular dishes range from mushroom caps stuffed with crab, shrimp, and cream cheese to their seafood linguine carbonara.
Over in Coal Harbour, at Cardero's, the vibe is more casual but the location equally as spectacular, with a patio perched right over the water. Go for their signature wok squid or Dockside Platter, which comes with fresh oysters, chilled clams, prawns, mussels, Dungeness crab, ahi tuna tataki and salmon poke. And The Sandbar on Granville Island has another great heated patio, in this case with False Creek before you, where you can enjoy sushi, seafood from their fresh sheet, and their Surf and Turf Sundays. Each of the locations are great for strolls before or after your meal.
Heaters, fire pits, and a generous overhead awning keep you warm on chilly days at this Yaletown mainstay. Views of the marina and the seawall make a meal on this patio memorable. For over twenty years, Provence Marinaside has been welcoming guests to their inviting restaurant to appreciate their southern French cuisine showcasing primarily local seafood. Provence has become known for dishes such as Mamie Suzanne’s fish soup, steamed mussels, and West Coast style bouillabaisse.
Vietnamese food on a patio in the winter is quintessentially Vancouver. Anh and Chi (MICHELIN Bib Gourmand), which represents two generations of passionate restaurateurs, serves Vietnamese cuisine in a lively, modern setting, which includes their enclosed patio with fire pits and lush greenery. The menu is designed for feasting family-style, including dishes like grass-fed shaken beef, lemongrass yellow curry, steamed rice sheets with wood ear mushrooms, ground pork, and onion. They also have a strong drink program, with cocktails such as Sleepless in Saigon and a Flower Power Sour. Anh and Chi provides a great opportunity to get to know Mount Pleasant’s Main Street better.
In the heart of downtown, Black & Blue, one of the city’s top steak establishments, has an expansive patio on their third floor: The Roof. The patio overlooks bustling Alberni Street so it gives a unique urban dining experience. The space features fireplaces, heat lamps, as well as twinkling lights and decorations for the holiday season. The restaurant has one of the best happy hours (daily from 2:30pm-5:30pm) in the city with comforting elevated options like prime rib beef sliders and phyllo prawns. They, of course, are known for their beef options, including Japanese A5 wagyu and kobe ribeye and striploin.
Vancouver has numerous rooftop restaurants now, including Lavantine Restaurant & Skybar at the Azur Legacy Collection Hotel. With its marble, and blue and white colour palette, the patio has a carefree Mediterranean vibe. The food is equally sunny with options like watermelon tartare; octopus with batata harra, chimichurri, and radicchio; and lamb Aleppo kebabs. Drinks like Desert Dreams and Sultan’s Fire are ideal for pairing with the regional food concept.
If you’re looking for another cool patio above the city, head over to Parker Rooftop, located on the ninth floor of The Parker Hotel. They’ve winterized the patio with tents, heat lamps, and plenty of sparkly festive lights. Parker Rooftop is known for their fun Happy Hour (daily 3 to 6pm, Mondays from 3 to 11pm) that serves bubbles and small plates like mushroom arancini. The dinner menu is equally approachable with beef tartare, wagyu sliders, and charcuterie boards.
MICHELIN-recommended Wildlight Kitchen + Bar has a bright, airy patio space adjoining their dining area. With fairy lights and heat lamps, you’ll be wonderfully cosetted. The patio will give you views of UBC’s leləm̓ village as you sup on the dishes inspired by fresh ingredients from the West Coast. You can’t get more local than UBC Farms harvest greens. Items that would be lovely on a wintry day include smoked sablefish chowder; and Fraser Valley duck with a confit leg tartlet, sunchoke puree, pomme dauphinoise, haskap berry compote, duck jus, and rainbow carrots. Visit UBC’s many other spots, including the Museum of Anthropology, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Nitobe Memorial Garden, and Botanical Garden.
The large, covered, and very comfortably heated patio at Steamworks Mount Pleasant is often bustling, especially on the weekends. It’s pup friendly so a big draw in Mount Pleasant. This patio has a variety of different seating options (e.g., high tops, longer tables) but they’re all great for hanging out over casual bites and pitchers from their selections on tap. Food goes beyond the usual pub fare, with options like chicken banh mi, Cajun chicken with sundried tomato risotto, and Korean tacos with crispy chicken.
Vancouver’s Cambie Village, running from West 6th Avenue to King Edward, is a great area for shopping, dining, and exploring. Vij’s (MICHELIN Bib Gourmand) is an iconic establishment, a path maker when it comes to Indian cuisine in the city. Their covered and heated rooftop patio is a pretty space, with greenery accents. Order a cup of chai and snack on pakoras while you look forward to dishes like lamb rogan josh, local goat curry, and better butter chicken.
After exploring the charming village of Kerrisdale, make your way to nearby Okini to experience Kevin Lim’s cooking on the restaurant’s heated and covered side patio. The food melds Japanese and West Coast culinary inspirations and ingredients, with creations like Hokkaido uni toast, truffle yaki udon, and A5 Miyazaki wagyu tenderloin. Not only is the patio dog friendly, Okini also features a menu for their furry guests, such as salmon soba, so your pet can also have a satisfying meal.