The best family restaurants in Vancouver Top 13

Sashimiya opened in 2020, tucked away on the bottom of Hornby Street. The ultra-casual, entirely sustainable, grab-and-go sushi and sashimi shop is sushi master chef Taka Omi’s first solo spot after leaving the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s RawBar. Fish can be sliced to order for https://www.eatingvancouver.ca/ sashimi from the chillers, and a host of Japanese grocery goodies are on offer too. There are no seats, so take your exquisitely made party trays, platters, and bentos down to the waterfront to enjoy picnic-style, or order for delivery.

In groups it’s an easy choice for the seafood tower (one of my must eat Vancouver foods) with dungeness crab, clams, mussels and scallops and more. This downtown restaurant is all about the freshest, most sustainable seafood delivered daily. For me, choosing where to eat downtown is about experiencing global cuisines made with local ingredients. A whole fried fish served tempura style with a daikon soy dipping sauce. Yes, this is often for business lunches and special occasion dinners so prepare to shell out –  but the 28 day aged steaks are worth every penny, especially their plump porterhouse.

The Acorn RestaurantArrow

Signature dishes include the tender tomahawk steak, juicy charred octopus, and an impressive sushi platter. With a rooftop terrace perfect for private events, The Victor provides an unforgettable experience for up to 100 guests. It’s a fantastic choice for hosting a cocktail reception or a sophisticated dinner party in a stunning setting. Famous for its contemporary take on Japanese cuisine, Miku Restaurant – Vancouver in Coal Harbour offers a sleek and elegant setting for private dining.

Pre-pandemic, the queue for a table might have included luminaries such as ex-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau or Harrison Ford, but now you can make a reservation and skip the wait. Reflections recently re-opened after a lengthy renovation to upgrade to a fully retractable roof — take that, Raincouver — plus comfy patio-style furniture, fairy light-strung trees, and plenty of leafy plants. More than a decade ago, exploring the culinary delights of the city has been like a global food tour. Chefs from around the world apply culinary traditions to exceptional produce from the Lower Mainland and superb seafood from the cold, clean waters around Vancouver Island, creating a unique style of West Coast cuisine. Situated in Canada’s most ethnically diverse province and home to nearly 200 languages, the City of Glass is a melting pot of cultures and traditions—and the best restaurants in Vancouver capture those nuances well. This ranks as one of (if not the) best city for Chinese cuisine outside of China, and restaurants devoted to menus from around the globe pepper every nook of the city, from street corners to hotel lobbies.

For one of the best family restaurants in Vancouver for plant-based fare – try Chickpea in East Vancouver

The delicious petit cadeaux menu contains a variety of handmade dumplings, wontons, and pot stickers. Locals hit the petit plat chinois for dan-dan noodles, crispy pork belly or wok fried squid. A great option besides renting a car is using a car share service like Modo or Evo. These services allow you to rent a car and pay based on the time it’s used (i.e., pay for 30 minutes, two hours, or the full day, depending on how long you drive for). Free Wi-Fi, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows, the views of downtown Van don’t get much better than this. The Mosaic Bar and Grill serves some truly amazing food, and if you fancy something a bit stronger, the Grain Tasting Bar has some awesome signature cocktails.

If you’ve been to more than five of these, you’re officially local.

Aside from this, the authentic selection of Mexican eats is always satisfying, and the atmosphere is always top-notch, too. French food has a reputation for being heavy, but at St. Lawrence, everything is perfectly paced and portioned. At first, you’ll think the courses are too small — but by the end of the night, as each dish quietly wrecks you in succession, you’ll understand why we say “yes chef”. Whether you’re chasing the city’s most popular spots or craving a flavour-forward neighbourhood gem, this tried-and-true list has you covered. The new Hall of Fame inductees are Michel Jacob, chef and founder of Le Crocodile, and Cioppino’s; the long-running Italian restaurant closed at the end of 2024.

• The name pays homage to Mott Street in NYC’s Chinatown, and the restaurant is a celebration of Hong Kong’s culinary traditions with a modern touch.
• Located in the iconic Sutton Place Hotel, Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar has been racking up awards due to the inventive cuisine of executive chef Alex Chen.
• Located in an old wood-frame building on the corner of Alexander and Gore Street, Ask For Luigi offers a fabulously Italian-focused lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch menu with an array of tantalizing dishes.
• This sophisticated Vancouver restaurant is perfect for a special date night, and we highly recommend booking a table here if you’re searching for elevated birthday ideas in Vancouver.
• You won’t want to miss the happy hour, where you’ll enjoy a menu that brings together BC’s best wineries and distilleries, as well as beer made at BREWHALL, Tap & Barrel • Shipyards own award-winning craft brewery.

Tuck into a juicy Canadian pork collar or try the caramel miso sablefish. The restaurant also runs a daily lunch special combo, like a beer and burger or a tuna nicoise and wine, and offers a six-course tasting menu for $140 per head. The drinks menu features craft ales and IPAs and a unique sake selection.

Behold Ubuntu Canteen, with its in-house heirloom grain bakery and bread subscription program, the city’s best bone broth, and thoughtfully cheffy sandwiches, such as sake kasu pork with gochujang aioli and white kimchi. Evening service brings herbivore and omnivore tasting menus, allowing the team to flex with an ever-changing menu of superb local ingredients. Since opening in summer 2017 under the experienced hand of Montreal’s Toqué alum chef J.C. Poirier, St Lawrence has been one of the city’s toughest reservations to score.