Sustainable Restaurants in Vancouver: 3 Spots You Can’t Miss

Surrounded by the wild North Shore mountains, the old growth forests of Stanley Park, the sprawling farms of the Fraser Valley and the vast Pacific Ocean, to be in Vancouver is to be constantly reminded of the natural world.

Maybe that’s why sustainability is so ingrained in everything we do here. It’s hard not to care about the health of our planet when it’s on such impressive display everywhere you look.

That goes for fine dining, too, with many of our Michelin-starred and recommended restaurants finding creative ways to tread lightly on the earth. For these three top organic restaurants, sustainability isn’t just about checking boxes. It’s about quality and integrity.

Actively adopting sustainable practices in every part of their operations, from sourcing to food preparation and disposal, they are showcasing the best BC has to offer and supporting our farmers, fishers and foragers. On your next visit to Vancouver, you’ll want to try at least one of these three East Vancouver spots:

The Acorn

At The Acorn, sustainability started before they even opened their doors. The cozy 45-seat restaurant was built using recycled BC plywood and lumberyard off-cuts, and decorated with repurposed and upcycled elements. Their entirely plant-based menu is also a way of reducing waste, avoiding the emissions of meat production.

Serving food that’s truly from here is a point of pride for owner Shira Blustein and Chef Matt Gostelow, so 100% of all their fresh produce is locally sourced. Herbs and edible blossoms like woodruff, nasturtium and shiso are hyperlocal, coming from their own restaurant garden tucked behind sister restaurant Lila.

Wild greens, plants, herbs and mushrooms are respectfully foraged from across the region, sometimes on team outings for restaurant staff. Up to 99% of other ingredients they use are grown or produced in BC, too, even staples like salt, olive oil, rice and flour.

In the kitchen, the focus is on celebrating what’s ripe now, and wasting nothing. With zero out-of-season produce or imported ingredients on hand, cooks rely on canning and fermenting to preserve fruits and vegetables at their very best. Chef Gostelow uses kitchen trimmings like elderflower, squash guts, and magnolia blossoms to flavour house miso, for example. Peels, pits, cores and stems are transformed into sauces, stocks, vinegars and syrups.

The result? Creative, satisfying, unexpected dishes that delightfully capture what’s growing here and now, served in the glow of rustic lanterns under cascading plants. Don’t miss the cocktails.

Burdock & Co

When you take a seat in Burdock & Co’s intimate 32-seat space, look down. Your table was rescued from a demolished Vancouver fire hall. Then, look up. The ceiling is made from local wood damaged by the notorious mountain pine beetle. But of course, the loveliest sights in the room are the ones arriving on your plate (hand thrown by local potter Grace Lee or Janaki Larsen, naturally).

Chef Andrea Carlson has a knack for poetic presentation, and every dish in this Michelin-starred farm to table restaurant captures the eye (and the palate).

Recognized by a Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards Sustainability Award, Burdock’s commitment to sustainability is embedded in every aspect of operations and deeply important to Carlson.

“Food security is the driving philosophy of my life and work. The restaurants exist because I believe in supporting local food systems and people who nurture the land instead of destroying it,” says Carlson. “We called the restaurant Burdock & Co because it’s not just about me, or the restaurant. We are a community. We are a hub of farmers, foragers and grassroots providers.”

Set menus rotate every two months, featuring an ever-shifting spectrum of unique ingredients sourced by this community. Each one is used to its full potential. For example, for a citrus menu: oils are extracted from the peel and juices are frozen for future use. Pith might be candied and folded into a dessert. Peels become oleo saccharum for cocktails, and zest is fermented into a citrus kosho.

Published on Main

Published on Main’s stylish contemporary fare showcases sustainable local ingredients prepared with global influences.

Partnerships with local farms are supplemented by wild foods from our local surroundings. “I forage a lot for the restaurant myself,” says Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson. “Morels, porcini, chanterelles and matsutake . . . [I] also pick a lot of elderflower, rose, flowering currant [and] wild berries.”

Meat and seafood are sourced sustainably, too. “We will buy local wild salmon when it is fresh and in season,” says Stieffenhofer-Brandson. “Otherwise, we use a sustainable farmed steelhead, but stay away from open pen farmed ocean fish.” Seafood is Ocean Wise–certified and proteins are as local as possible, coming from BC or occasionally Alberta.

Fermentation is key when it comes to preserving local bounty and finding creative new uses for things that would otherwise be discarded. Pumpkin seeds and pulp become a miso glaze for a pumpkin dish, for example, and asparagus peels are converted into a vinegar for seasoning asparagus salad.

In the kitchen, reusable deli containers with lids are used rather than options with cling film, and suppliers are requested to deliver orders in reusable plastic totes rather than cardboard boxes.

Stop by the elegant Ste Marie–designed space for a thoughtful tasting menu with an emphasis on house-made pastas and fresh seafood.

Sustainable Dining in Vancouver

Whether you’re looking for a top organic restaurant for a business lunch or an elevated farm to table restaurant for a romantic evening out, Vancouver’s dining scene has you covered with exceptional food served in relaxed, welcoming spaces. Get a true taste of place at one of these three spots, where talented chefs celebrate the incredible foods being grown, raised and produced right here.

Discover more recommended spots to eat in Vancouver.