IMBIBE | Please! Beverage Co. x Tasting House x Mount Pleasant

"Our goal is to elevate the ready-to-drink category by adding some narrative."

Mount Pleasant—(June 26, 2023) Local premium ready-to-drink bottled cocktail distillery Please! Beverage Co. has moved beyond its retail offerings with the recent opening of its bright and expansive Tasting House—taking over a space previously occupied by an auto repair shop at 5th and Alberta.

FEAST | Smokehouse BBQ x H2 Kitchen & Bar x Westin Bayshore

Coal Harbour—(July 20, 2022) The newly revamped and renamed H2 Kitchen & Bar (formerly "H2 Rotisserie") family restaurant located inside The West Bayshore hotel recently refocused its dining offerings from a primarily rotisserie chicken-based array (still available) to an exciting all-new southern-style smokehouse barbecue menu.

GETAWAY | Long Weekend x Pearl Hotel x San Diego x California

Point Loma—(May 19 to 22, 2022) On a May long weekend "bachelorette party" trip, our group ventured to the Southern California coastal city of San Diego—known for both its large naval fleet next to the Pacific Ocean and proximity to the Mexican border to the South.

KAFFE | Affogato x Sunny M Specialty Coffee & Tea x Richmond

Richmond—Of the many wonderful varieties of places and hole-in-the-wall joints you can find to visit in the airport-adjacent suburb, I have always felt there was a lack of independent coffee shops. So when I heard about Sunny M Specialty Coffee & Tea (originally starting out as a pop-up at local markets) nestled somewhere in Empire Centre, one of many Asian strip malls, I had to pay a visit.

TREAT | Machi Machi x Bubble Tea Shop x Richmond

Richmond—Famous for being Taiwanese Mandopop superstar Jay Chou's favourite global bubble tea brand, Machi Machi expanded to Canada's frosty shores a couple of years ago—first in Toronto before opening up shop on Robson Street, then another location in the boba-rich area of Golden Village last year.

GRUB | Nacho Time x The Drive Canteen x Commercial Drive

"Like a 7-Eleven, but better."

Commercial Drive—From the same team behind DownLow Chicken, partners Doug Stephen and Lindsey Mann, alongside Future Grownup founder Zach Wilcox, comes The Drive Canteen—a very East Van take on the convenience store, riffing on late night snack food culture.

FEAST | Dine Out 2021 x Maenam x Thai Food x West 4th

Bangkok Beehive (bourbon, honey syrup, pineapple juice) + Siam Sunburn (tequila, passionfruit purée, egg white)

West 4th—(January 28, 2021) The nineteenth annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival is back—a tad later than usual in the new year—with its trademark selection of set menus available across town. Courtesy of Tourism Vancouver, we were treated to a preview at the Thai restaurant stalwart Maenam to sample their three-course prix fixe dinner.

FEAST | New in Town x Street Auntie Apertivo House x Granville

"Fusion is confusion."

Granville—(November 26, 2020) The brand new, casually-named fifteen-seat restaurant Street Auntie Apertivo House, a mouthful to say, just opened in the so-named downtown Entertainment District. Its minimalist fusion-style tapas concept is focused on serving more or less authentic contemporary Chinese street food dishes with its own little culinary refinements.

TREAT | New in Town x Mello Donut Shop x Chinatown

Chinatown—(January 12, 2020) The new and modern, Korean-owned Mello Donut Shop—from the same proprietor of the well-loved but short-lived Uyu Ice Cream shop, opened up next door to Umaluma Gelato at the tail end of last year, to an already exciting reception.

FEAST | Fresh Sheet x Coquille Fine Seafood x Gastown

Gastown—(November 18, 2019) Coquille Fine Seafood has been around for a minute now after initially opening to much anticipation and fanfare thanks to its sterling pedigree inherited from the team behind L'Abattoir and their renowned "slaughterhouse" restaurant just a few blocks away.

TREAT | Beta5 Chocolates x Café Opening x Strathcona

Strathcona—(November 14, 2019) After various pop-ups and making the most of the original dessert commissary, the award-winning Beta5 Chocolates and owner/pastry chef Adam Chander have finally opened a proper café space, dubbed "Beta5 V2.0", next door to their home base on Industrial Avenue—finally replacing their makeshift storefront.

KAFFE | New in Town x Flourist Mill & Bakery x East Van

"This is not grocery store flour."

Kensington–Cedar Cottage—East Vancouver's new Flourist Mill & Bakery (formerly known as Grain) is the local brand's first proper brick-and-mortar shop and café from the well-known premium dry good purveyors.

TREAT | Sneak Peek x Fufú Pancake Café x Fairview Slopes

Fairview Slopes—(August 28, 2019) The hotly anticipated Fufú Pancake Café specializes in serving Japanese-style soufflé pancakes, and local diners seem excited about its impending opening on West Broadway.

FEAST | Dine Out 2019 x Coquille Fine Seafood x Gastown

Gastown—(January 10, 2019) After the new year, we are now fully ready and in the mode of the sixteenth annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival with its many set menu options. Last week, on the first-stop of our Tourism Vancouver restaurant tour, we were treated to the still-newish downtown shellfish eatery Coquille Fine Seafood to sample their various three-course prix fixe dinner ($45) items.

TREAT | Candy Town x Yum Sweet Shop x Riley Park

Riley Park–Little Mountain—The newly opened Yum Sweet Shop on Main Street is full of colourfully ornate decor and a deep menu of throwback treats.

FEAST | Yew Seafood + Bar x Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver

Financial District—(April 25, 2018) The brand new culinary team over at Yew Seafood + Bar celebrated the warm weather by unveiling a complete revamping of all their menus inside the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver.

TREAT | Cake and Coffee x Choco Coo Cafe x Richmond

Richmond—First started in Coquitlam, Choco Coo Cafe recently opened a second (equally cute) location across the metro area. Known for their matcha, latte art, and little details, the cafe offers colourful takes on light dessert cakes.

KAFFE | 49th Parallel Coffee x Lucky's Doughnuts x Downtown

Financial District—Another 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and Lucky's Doughnuts location has opened up (after Mount Pleasant and Kitsilano) at the edge of downtown's office district. Vancouver clearly loves its booming artisanal doughnut industry.

WEEKENDER | Richmond Night Market x River Rock Casino

Richmond—(July 8, 2017) Richmond Night Market, in its many incarnations and locations over the years, has become an annual summer staple for both locals and tourists seeking a bit of Southeast Asian flair closer to home. Located centrally a short walk from both Bridgeport SkyTrain station and the River Rock Casino Resort, it has become known as a smörgåsbord of diverse food options and for good reason.

WEEKENDER | YVR Food Fest 2017 x Olympic Village

Olympic Village—(July 3, 2017) The Big Brunch event for Vancouver's sixth annual summer YVR Food Fest (formerly known as Food Cart Fest) assembled some of the city's notable food trucks over the Canada Day long weekend.