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.

FEAST | Festa della Polenta x Di Beppe x Gastown

Gastown—(March 31, 2022) Di Beppe Restaurant's fourth annual Festa della Polenta seasonal feature menu—described as "a centuries-old Tuscan tradition [and] long-standing celebration that remains today"—has returned for diners to enjoy the Northern Italian culinary staple of a porridge-like boiled cornmeal ingredient made from other grains in a variety of specialty dishes.

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.

KAFFE | Coffee Italian Style x Caffe Di Beppe x Gastown

caffè mocha

Gastown—Caffe Di Beppe, the front-facing coffee shop portion of the two-hander space of Di Beppe, has quickly become a charming little cafe destination after replacing the short-lived Joe Pizza location from the same proprietors behind St. Lawrence and Ask for Luigi, Kitchen Table Restaurants.

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.

KAFFE | Iktsuarpok Coffee Stand x Downtown Eastside

Downtown Eastside—The tiny, shiny, and new Iktsuarpok Coffee Stand utilizes its compact but bustling 183-square-foot to-go space and location to serve some precisely brewed coffee.

KAFFE | Cafe Away x Timbertrain Coffee Roasters x Gastown

Gastown—West Cordova staple Timbertrain Coffee Roasters remains somehow both a hip and trendy joint, yet still also a classical cafe full of serious but unassuming charm.

WANDER | Native Shoes x Store Opening x Gastown

Gastown—Local footwear brand Native Shoes just opened its very first branded retail storefront located right on Water Street near the tail end of last year. The brick-and-mortar shop features its trademark minimalist yet sustainable aesthetic packaged in an interactive and design-driven space.

GATHER | Bauhaus Restaurant x 2nd Anniversary x Gastown

"I'm not going to sell out and open Nightingale."

Gastown—(June 12, 2017) From notorious (and now retired) German schlock filmmaker turned successful restaurateur Uwe Boll (pronounced "OO-vah"), the acclaimed Bauhaus Restaurant celebrated its second anniversary this week while also unveiling brand new co-executive chefs Tim Schulte and David Mueller.

KAFFE | New in Town x Nemesis Coffee x Gastown

Gastown—Nemesis Coffee is Vancouver's latest and hottest new coffee shop located in the ground floor of the new SFU Charles Chang Innovation Centre downtown on West Hastings just around the corner from Victory Square.

GRUB | By the Slice x Joe Pizza x Gastown

Gastown—From chef/owner J.C. Poirier and the Kitchen Table Restaurants team most recently behind the award-winning Ask for Luigi Italian restaurant (also Pourhouse and Pizzeria Farina), the newly opened Joe Pizza aims to be West Cordova's no-nonsense (and very hipster friendly) by the slice neighbourhood pizzeria. So far, it mostly lives up to that hype, especially with its gorgeously lit corner space in the old Rainier Provisions location.

GRUB | Breakfast Club x Jam Cafe x Crosstown

Crosstown—Victoria's wildly popular Jam Cafe has quickly become another Vancouver beacon in its still relatively new Beatty Street location (the original home and location of Café Medina) over the past year. To see for ourselves, we sampled our own breakfast feast.

FEAST | Greasy Spoon Diner Vol. 13 x Chef Jesse Grasso

Gastown—(March 21, 2016) This time around, Chef Jesse Grasso from Supermarine was behind the kitchen serving as the latest local cook chosen to feed diners some of his comfort food favourites for Volume 13 of the monthly Greasy Spoon Diner Supper Series also celebrating its first anniversary of dinners at Save On Meats.

FEAST | Greasy Spoon Diner Vol. 12 x Chef Josh Gale

Gastown—(February 29, 2016) Chef Josh Gale from Wildebeest (previously, the recently shuttered Nicli's Next Door) and TV's MasterChef Canada cooked up a few of his favourite comfort food dishes for Volume 12 of the Greasy Spoon Diner Supper Series last week.

GRUB | Tacoversary x Tacofino Taco Bar x Gastown

Gastown—Tacofino Taco Bar, the latest in Tacofino's line of Mexican meets west coast eateries, is already a reliable fixture in the east end of the downtown's bustling dining scene along with its fast and easy attached Burrito Bar. The taco dispensary and restaurant is celebrating the flagship location's first anniversary (or "Tacoversary") in the historic Blood Alley heritage building after opening early last year.

KAFFE | Buro Coffee x Espresso Bar x Gastown

Gastown—Water Street's latest cafe addition to the historic Vancouver neighbourhood, Buro Coffee, is already bustling with customers thanks to its central location.

FEAST | Fall Menu x PiDGiN x Gastown

Gastown—PiDGiN restaurant and Executive Chef Shin Suzuki launched their new fall menu last week and celebrated with an intimate seven-course pairing dinner featuring seasonal dishes each matched with a special cocktail, sake, or fine wine from bar manager Nelson Navasero and wine consultant Neil Ingram.

WEEKENDER | Brunch x Chambar Restaurant x Crosstown

Crosstown—Brunch at the still relatively new location of the otherwise decade old Chambar Restaurant is an undeniably pleasant experience. Their well-regarded Belgian-focused menu aside, the space is already an inspiring fixture of dining and design in the cross section of downtown aptly known as Crosstown on Beatty Street near the Stadium District.

KAFFE | The Birds & the Beets x Powell Street x Gastown

Gastown—Powell Street's latest hip new cafe and eatery, the amusingly named The Birds & the Beets, is undeniably stylish and creatively inspiring. Its open, and cavernous space is filled with cool, inviting flourishes.

TREAT | First Look x Uyu Ice Cream x Gastown

Gastown—Uyu Ice Cream, Abbott Street's newest ice cream parlour is now open and serving organic soft serve made from fresh ingredients. "Uyu" means "ice cream" in Korean as they're bringing more of Southeast Asia's dessert culture to Vancouver.