WEEKENDER | Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026

"Discover a world of wine."

Waterfront—(March 12 and 13, 2026) Wine lovers gathered together once more for the 47th annual Vancouver Wine Festival and its week-long celebration of alcoholic grape drink-related festivities. Tens of thousands of VIWF attendees wined and dined themselves while attending countless seminars, minglers, pairing meals, and signature tasting events across eight days of fun, known as "the largest wine festival in the Americas."

WEEKENDER | PNE Fair 2025 x Hastings Park x East Van

Hastings–Sunrise—(August 14 and 20, 2025) For its 115th year, the 2025 PNE Fair is still trying to make everyone happy. This past weekend, East Vancouver's annual late summer tradition on the Pacific National Exhibition's festival fairgrounds in Hastings Park opened up once again for two weeks of hot summer fun for the whole family.

WANDER | Douglas Coupland x Suite X x Faimont Pacific Rim

"I'm very much a product of the late twentieth century."

Coal Harbour—(July 23, 2025) It was a real treat to tour acclaimed Vancouver-based visual artist and novelist Douglas Coupland's latest design collaboration, Suite X, located inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in the Corner Suite on the newly renovated Fairmont Gold floor lounge, overlooking the scenic Vancouver Waterfront.

FEAST | Global Flavours x Bar Asra x South Granville

"We want to celebrate the connection between cultures, ingredients, and people."

Tokyo Silk (sake, Calpico, pomegranate, and vodka) + Nigata Paper Plane (bourbon, spritz, grappa, and lemon)

South Granville—(May 9, 2025) Bar Asra, the brand new cocktail bar and restaurant, comes from seasoned Sirka chefs Kanwardeep Ahluwalia and Baldeep Singh (also co-owners) and occupies the original hundred-year-old location of the legendary Vij's and later its sister restaurant Rangoli.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver International Wine Festival 2025

"The wine world is here."

Waterfront—(March 1, 2025) Once again, the city welcomed the wine world during the 46th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival for its usual eight days of end-of-winter, grape-soaked fun. Thousands of VIWF attendees wined and dined themselves at countless seminars, minglers, pairing meals, and signature tastings.

GETAWAY | The Library by The Macallan x Four Seasons x Whistler

Whistler—(November 26, 2024) Late last month, press were invited up to the Four Seasons Resort Whistler for a quick but refreshing day trip to visit the 4-star luxury hotel's many amenities while also checking out the newly reopened The Library by The Macallan, an intimate whisky and cocktail pop-up bar, back for its second year.

IMBIBE | Good Thief x Rebellious Vietnamese x Riley Park

"It's a venture into the unexplored territories of flavour and design."

Riley Park–Little Mountain—(July 25, 2024) From co-founders/siblings Vincent and Amélie Thuy Nguyễn, the same "older brother and sister" duo behind the award-winning, authentic Vietnamese restaurant slyly named after themselves, Anh and Chi (since 2016), comes their hotly anticipated, recently opened next door culinary side project, the cheekily named Good Thief—a name purposely evoking a modern day Robin Hood.

IMBIBE | Science of Cocktails 2024 x Science World x False Creek

aromatized gin & tonic (Sheringham Seaside gin, tonic water, and aromatic smoke bubble)

False Creek—(April 11, 2024) In its second year back in action, Science of Cocktails, the seventh annual signature charitable fundraiser, transformed Science World once again into another giant adults-only cocktail lab in support of its Bursary Program.

IMBIBE | Zarak x ¿CóMO? x Tocador x Vancouver Cocktail Week 2024

Mount Pleasant—(March 5, 2024) In its third year, the annual Vancouver Cocktail Week continued its libatious celebration of the art of the cocktail through a variety of bartender-forward events, tastings, and dinner pairings across the city. Among many of the thirsty day trips offered, I was invited to one of VCW's neighbourhood jaunts, the Main Street Cocktail Crawl, visiting three of the hottest restaurants for a drink and snack at each stop.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver International Wine Festival 2024

"Taste the world."

Waterfront—(February 29 and March 1, 2024) The 45th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival returned to its usual late February slot for another eight fun-filled days of wine-related hoopla and imbibing. Like always, VIWF entertained, wined, and dined thousands of eager guests across the city at various tastings, pairing meals, and signature wine events at two dozen different venues.

IMBIBE | Flamingo Room x Havana Restaurant x Commercial Drive

Commercial Drive—(December 6, 2023) East Van's new Miami-inspired backroom cocktail lounge and performance venue, The Flamingo Room, adjoined to the Cuban-themed Havana Restaurant, has taken over the old Havana Theatre (originally "Little Mountain Theatre") space after officially opening its doors last week.

GRUB | Fast Food Italian Style x Monzo Burger x Opening x Granville

Granville—(September 7, 2023) Kitchen Table Restaurants opened its hotly anticipated retro burger joint (their twelfth restaurant) called Monzo Burger (a spin on the word "Manzo"—Italian for "beef") located on the ground floor of the Vancouver House building to much local fanfare by giving away free cheeseburgers to its first thousand customers.

WANDER | Meet Me in Gastown x Café Kitsuné x Water Street

Gastown—(August 31, 2023) Last week, several blocks of the historic Water Street were cordoned off to traffic and taken over by pedestrians for the second annual Meet Me in Gastown street festival in celebration of local dining, shopping, and live music.

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.

IMBIBE | Crudo Bar x On the Terrace x Acquafarina Restaurant

Downtown—(May 17, 2023) Michelin Guide-recommended Italian fine-dining restaurant Acquafarina recently installed Chef Jefferson Alvarez as its Culinary Director earlier this year, alongside reestablishing his weekly Chef's Lab meals (served on Tuesdays) while making a string of other moves behind the kitchen since then.

WEEKENDER | Vancouver International Wine Festival 2023

"The wine world is here."

Waterfront—(April 28, 2023) The 44th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival returned for eight wine-soaked days of fun. Known as "the largest wine festival in the Americas", VIWF wined and dined thousands of attendees at its various tastings, pairing meals, and signature events across the city.

IMBIBE | Science of Cocktails 2023 x Science World x False Creek

smoked old fashioned (Choya 23 plum wine, plum bitters, sugar, and cherry wood smoke)

False Creek—(April 27, 2023) Science of Cocktails, the sixth annual sold-out signature charitable gala fundraiser, finally made its libatious return after a three-year hiatus to once again transform Science World into the world's largest cocktail laboratory—all in support of its Bursary Program.

KAFFE | Honolulu Coffee x Olympic Village x False Creek

Olympic Village—(October 13, 2022) Honolulu Coffee recently opened a brand new twenty-five-seat location in the False Creek area to complement its two other Hawaiian-style cafés.

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.

FEAST | Mediterranean Fusion x Oo La Cha x Versante x Richmond

Richmond—(June 1, 2022) Just a stone's throw away from YVR Airport and a short walk from my apartment (true story), the swanky, year-old Versante Hotel is secretly brimming with luxurious culinary flavours and indulgent libations from the still relatively newish Mediterranean-inspired seafood fusion restaurant, Oo La Cha, found across the hall from the cavernous Cask Whisky Vault lounge—both located inside the recently established Club Versante complex attached to the hotel.