Looking for family dining recommendations in Vancouver
 

Hi,

I'm looking for some dining recommendations in central Vancouver, as i'll be there with my wife and 10 month old son at the start of June.

We're staying in the Fairmont (West Georgia Street) and don't plan to have a car for that part of the trip, so within walking distance would be ideal.

As for what kind of food - anything really. Obviously don't want the very fancy places, but a decent bit of steak is always a pre-requisite for us on trips to Canada.

Will have four nights too, so do let me know! Also, any recommendations for Sunday bruch would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

How far would you walk?
 

There's a number of places close by but could also be fairly expensive (maybe somewhat cheaper than the U.K.). If you could walk... 10-15 minutes, it'll give you a lot more choices.

plenty within a 2-3 block radius
 

the little one would like a red robin, you might enjoy a steak at the keg, and the little one could come along (quietly:))

too much to choose from..

We'd be happy to walk 10-15 mins (so long as it's not raining).

As for price, yep the C$ has gained a lot against the Pound of late, but it's still going to be cheap compared to the UK.

As I mentioned, we're not interested in the really fancy restaurants but I doubt (unless YVR has got way more expensive in the last couple of years) that price will be an issue.

Oh - and the little one is very well behaved. I suspect it's because we aim to keep him engaged rather than just letting him trash the place when we go out...

I Love Milestones http://www.milestonesrestaurants.com
Old Spaghetti Factory is a fun family place. http://oldspaghettifactory.ca/location_vancouver.html

Granville Island Keg
1499 Anderson Street
Vancouver, Greater Vancouver
(604) 685-4735

>a decent bit of steak is always a pre-requisite for us on trips to Canada.

I'll no doubt be slagged mercilessly for suggesting it, but a good middle-of-the-road place to go for a steak is The Keg. My English relatives always enjoy it there. They're not Morton's, but you'll get an nice slice of meat & they're family-friendly. The nearest one to your hotel is at the corner of Dusmuir and Hornby Streets.

http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/

Another suggestion would be to try some good Chinese food if you're in Vancouver. A popular location for us is Hon's on Robson. They're on Robson Street between Jervis and Broughton:

http://www.shinnova.com/hons_on_robson/

(Click "map and coupon" for a discount coupon.)

>any recommendations for Sunday bruch would be appreciated.

Give Milestone's a try. Again, very middle-of-the-road and family friendly. The nearest one to your hotel is also on Robson street, between Thurlow and Bute Streets. There's also one down on English bay that will have great views. at Denman and Davie Streets:

http://www.milestonesrestaurants.com/

Another "Family Friendly" location for Brunch is White Spot. The two locations nearest to your hotel are at Georgia & Seymour streets, or Georgia & Cardero streets.

The one @ Cardero is down by Stanley Park, which tends to be on most must-see lists.

http://www.whitespot.com/

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

Given you are willing to walk, I'd recommend the Hamilton Street Grill on 1000-block Hamilton Street. About 8-10 blocks away from the Hotel Vancouver (walk south on Thurlow/Burrard to Nelson, east on Nelson, right on Hamilton). The ginger bread pudding is a must-have here. Hanger steak seems ot be hit 'n miss. Always been great as part of the chef's salad (a bargain and delicious). Talk to the chef and owner Neil Wyles.

I'd personally avoid The Keg. Food and service quality is not very good these days. Service has been appalling at the Alberni St. location (1 block from the Hotel Vancouver). Milestone's is a chain operated by Cara which runs airline catering for Air Canada. Brunch offering last time I went there (English Bay/Denman St. location in April) was particularly bad.

White Spot is a local institution but service at many of the branches is simply and consistently appalling. The only good ones I can vouch for are at the bottom of Oak Street (a bit far away) and at Cambie @ 13th Avenue (not much nearer). The appalling ones include West Broadway, Kingsway@Knight, Oakridge, Park Royal, North Van Lonsdale & SE Marine Drive.

>I'd recommend the Hamilton Street Grill

You'd take a 10-month old to the Hamilton Street Grill? Doesn't strike me as a good fit :)

>I'd personally avoid The Keg. Food and service quality is not very good these days.

I've been at the Keg twice in the last month and both times the food and service were excellent.

>Milestone's is a chain operated by Cara which runs airline catering for Air Canada. Brunch offering last time I went there (English Bay/Denman St. location in April) was particularly bad.

A month ago I had OUTSTANDING eggs benny at Milestone's

Your mileage may vary.

:)

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver

Never too busy. There are also quiet nooks in the restaurant as well as a heated outdoor patio (or former loading dock).


So it seems. Inconsistent to say the least where there is no pride of ownership and there's often not much pride in these chain restaurants (I'll throw in Earl's among them). A friend of mine who graduated from Dubrelle (culinary institute) was appalled when he saw that one of the cooks at the Granville Islanfd Keg was probably the worst and least motivated student in his class.

Had to think about this one a bit so maybe I'll just leech off everyone else and comment on their suggestions :)

Keg: Haven't been there in a few years but personally I think it's a good suggestion if you want a steak and have a choice of a variety of cuts and options. It's a steak chain for the masses and it fills that need well IMO. Not sure if they serve prime grade or AAA grade though. I'm guessing a meal for two would end up being about $75-$90 tax and tip incl.

Just in case they extend it or you're in town by then, Morton's has a promo for two surf & turf meals for $109 per this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555420 but it's ending May 31. Another option if you want a nice prime grade steak is Gotham Steakhouse [easily $150-$175 for two]. Not sure if I'd consider them family restaurants, though I'd guessing they'd be accomodating.
http://www.gothamsteakhouse.com/

Milestones: Haven't been to the downtown one in a few years but go for brunch (favourite dish is the prime rib hash) at a more local one every other month or so. It's another chain restaurant but they do a bit of menu development there so their food is kind of interesting. They have a couple of steaks (AAA grade I think) on their menu. I had a steak there a couple of years back and it was ok; nothing special. Yes, I've had the odd bad dish (artichoke appie dip was cold/frozen) but they'll make it up by not charging you for the dish (standard). [$50 for two?]

Cactus Club: Also on Robson Street. Usually has nice looking waitresses. Yes, that's the first thing out of my mouth. Another chain restaurant. Kind of a funkier Milestones but pretty much the same genre. [$45 for two?]
http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/

Red Robin: Definitely a family oriented chain but I'd somewhat equate it to TGI Friday's. [$30-$35 for two?]

Hon's: Tasty, cheap Chinese food. I wouldn't consider it a "standard" Chinese restaurant though. More of a cafeteria atmosphere (loud, big open floor plan, tables close to each other, etc) though they do serve you at the table. I usually order a plate of potstickers and a bowl of won ton noodles instead of regular dishes. [$20-$25 for two?]

Kirin (on Alberni): Excellent chinese food. A couple of my friends had their wedding reception at this location. I and other friends had our wedding receptions at different locations. It's kind of tough to get good variety when eating chinese for two but it's probably your best restaurant Chinese option in the downtown core. [$30-$40 for two?]
http://www.kirinrestaurant.com/

Whitespot: Another chain. I consider them pretty standard family dining. They're trying to be more sophisticated but I don't think they want to stray too far from the traditional homesy type food they serve. I only go to Whitespot every few months for breakfast/brunch. [$35 for two?]

There are a couple of Japanese "tapas" places on the Denman end of Robson: Guu with Garlic, Gyoza King, and Hapa Izakaya. Wouldn't really consider them family restaurants but it's kind of a different spin on what one would typically expect from a Japanese restaurant (ie sushi). [$50-$60 for two?]

Above the street level on Robson are a number of restaurants who's names elude me since I haven't been to them or haven't been to them in a while.

There are a lot of restaurants on Denman that are within walking distance. The wifey and I typically walk from Granville & Robson, down Robson to Denman, Denman to the beach and back for an evening walk every so often. There's a couple of gelato places on Denman that you can get dessert at after dinner.
http://www.mondogelato.com/

Probably at the limit to where you'd want to walk is Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's located a few blocks up from Davie after you reach the beach on Denman. The food is equivalent to Milestones IMO but the delivery to more fun (opera singing wait staff). [$45-$50 for two?]
http://www.macgrillbc.com/

If you want a "nice" hamburger, Vera's Burgershack and Fat Burger are also located at Denman. [$20-$25 for two?]
http://www.verasburgershack.com/ and http://www.fatburger.net/home/

For lunch, you might want to try Caffe Artigiano on Pender if in the neighbourhood. I ate there while on a course downtown at the recommendation of friends. I wouldn't consider it a destination but the food (and coffee of course) is good.
http://www.caffeartigiano.com/index.html

Hamilton Street Grill - never been. Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown? It'll be a bit of a walk but it's an ok place. Lots of other restaurants in Gastown but I haven't tried many there.

I think all the restaurants listed are "safe" bets because they've been around for a while. Depending on what you are looking for, some may or may not appeal to you. I don't think any of them will make you highly recommend them to friends that visit Vancouver though.

Thanks for all this. I wonder if there's a lot in here that is relative... We've eaten in the likes of the Keg, Earls etc elsewhere in Canada and were very impressed. Food is of a good quality, great choice, decent service (at least in my book).

Anyway, there's plenty here for us to go on - should keep stomachs full during our stay.

I agree with the recommendations of Guu and Romano's Macaroni grill as more interesting eateries. Kirin is an excellent Szechuan restaurant. I also like Tropika on Robson for a Asian fusion taste.

Although a little bit of a walk, there are a lot of local eateries on Davie and Denman Street as well.

It' Szechuan? I always thought it was Cantonese. Certainly has a strong Cantonese flavour if it isn't.

SUpposed to be Malaysia/SIngapore. Banana Leaf on Broadway (at least 2 branches) does a much better job.

The Kirin on Alberni (downtown) is Szechuan. However, they do have some dishes that cater to the Japanese (chili crab) and Cantonese palates. The Kirin in City Square is Cantonese.

The Banana Leaf is also good. I didn't bring it up since I thought the OP wanted suggestions for downtown.

Ciao Tony -- I'm quite fond of Cardero's, in fact I have been there on each of my last three visits to YVR and will do so again in about three weeks. It's primarily seafood and is located a very pleasant walk (enjoy the yachts and seaplanes) along the waterfront from the Fairmont in the direction of the Westin/Stanley Park.
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13F