Summer Arts Guide 2022: Patio season in Vancouver
Options for open-air dining and imbibing have never been more plentiful
Brix & Mortar.
SUMMER MEANS PATIO SEASON, and whether you prefer to sit under an umbrella or in the sun, sip on an umbrella drink or a craft beer, there are more Metro Vancouver spots to dine and imbibe outside than ever, the pandemic having prompted so many restaurants to set up, expand, or beautify their outdoor spaces.
If you’re adamant about having a staggeringly stunning water view while kicking back in an open-air space, you’ve got the giants, mostly chains: Cactus Club English Bay and Coal Harbour; JOEY Shipyards; Earls Ambleside; Beach House Restaurant (a member of the Earls/Fuller group); and Boathouse Kitsilano, for instance. Then there’s the Tap & Barrel family (Convention Centre, Olympic Village, Coal Harbour [TAPShack], and the newly opened company goldmine, Tap & Barrel Bridges on Granville Island).
The Galley Patio & Grill at the Jericho Sailing Centre? You can’t beat the location of this chill second-storey hangout.
Yet more water vistas can be found at Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar; Local Public Eatery Kitsilano; CRAFT Beer Market English Bay; Lift Bar and Grill and Cardero’s, both in Coal Harbour (where you can practically touch the yachts parked adjacent); The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant and Dockside Restaurant, both on Granville Island; and Mahony’s Tavern (False Creek and Convention Centre). Then there’s Provence Marinaside, which adds live jazz on Wednesdays to its ocean-friendly, Southern-French Mediterranean menu.
Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio falls into this category too, with both locations—False Creek and Ambleside—having a breezy patio looking out to the water; the restaurant’s focus is on Peruvian and Japanese-inspired flavours. (Try the sushi pizza with a Pisco-based cocktail.)
There are other upscale spots that have equally inspiring surroundings, like the Tea House at Stanley Park and Seasons in the Park.
While it’s hard to beat gazing out to the water or at looking at lush manicured gardens while you’re enjoying a bowl of poke or a burger, there are the countless other urban patios that are worth snagging a seat at for other reasons. By no means a comprehensive list, here are a few curated picks to consider for the sunny days and warm evenings ahead.
Alimentaria Mexicana
Granville Island
The restaurant tells the story of ingredients that are native to Mexico, with a focus on the nixtamalization of different types of corn sourced directly from farmers in different regions of the nation. The expansive, colourful patio is open year-round, with dishes like tacos, grilled cactus, sopes, tostadas, ceviches, and much more on the menu. But if there’s one thing that screams summer here, it’s the bebidas. You can’t go wrong with a refreshing, classic margarita (you can have it made with Mezcal), a sharp-and-sour paloma (ditto), or a tropical mezcalita (Mezcal, Cointreau, freshly squeezed lime, agave, and passionfruit purée). Many of the cocktails come in pitchers, perfect for sharing while you people-watch under the shade of palm-thatch umbrellas.
Anh and Chi.
Anh and Chi
3388 Main Street
Where do we start? We’re crazy about the delectable Vietnamese food at this restaurant run by the brother-and-sister team of Vincent and Amélie Nguyễn: the crispy spring rolls, crunchy prawn cakes, fresh mango salad with tamarind dressing, noodle soup with veggies from Hannah Brook Farm, signature vermicelli bowl with pickled carrots and daikon and so many Vietnamese herbs… To savour these and other made-with-love dishes out on the streetside patio is a bonus, with its picnic tables, big plants, string lighting, and fire pit. What’s more, Anh and Chi has partnered with Powell Brewery to co-create Fever Grass Beer, “the beer of the summer”, a Gose-style ale infused with lemongrass and Vietnamese coriander. Although resos aren’t necessary, Anh and Chi is still running its Reservation-By-Donation program, with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to rotating charities. Current beneficiaries (you pick which one to direct donations to) are the UN High Commissioner for Refugees—Ukraine Emergency; Contributing to Lives of Inner City Kids; and Mission Possible. (Read Stir’s feature article about the restaurant here.)
Brix & Mortar
Brix & Mortar
1137 Hamilton Street
Situated in a brick 1912 heritage building, Brix & Mortar has a gorgeous glass-covered courtyard patio with ivy climbing the walls, hanging plants, and tall trees, some aglow at night with white lights; it’s almost enough to fool yourself into thinking, just for a moment, you’re in Europe. A second patio features seven-tier glass chandeliers. There’s live music on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Burdock & Co.
Burdock & Co
2702 Main Street
We think chef-owner Andrea Carlson is a genius: a proponent of natural wine and a pioneer of hyperlocal fare, she’s as inventive as a mad scientist; with a lifelong love of drawing, she sketches out her dishes in colour on paper before bringing them to life in the kitchen. Her Mount Pleasant restaurant patio is a beautiful little secret garden, filled with herbs, greens, and pollinator-friendly flowers and trees. The mural on the side of the building, “Keep Vancouver Wet”, is from the 2017 Vancouver Mural Fest by local comic-book artist Johnnie Christmas. The menu is ever changing, given Carlson’s ardent support of local farmers, growers, and foragers, but you’ll always find decadent vegetarian offerings outside of meat-based dishes, and the chef’s famous freshly baked Burdock breads with spreads like aged sake kasu butter.
Chupito.
Chupito
322 West Hastings, at the back
We loved it as soon as it opened last year: Chupito is a teeny, hidden outdoor gem accessed via a downtown alleyway that’s inspired by the warmth and flavours of Mexico’s Sinaloa state. A small, bright yellow shipping container is where chef and bartender work their magic. The food menu leans heavily to seafood and aguachile-based dishes, while the cocktails showcase a grain, herb, or spirit indigenous to Mexico in combination with B.C. ingredients. ¡Salud!
¿CóMO? Taperia
201 East 7th Avenue
Along with the patio is the return of ¿CóMO?’s Happy Hour. Stand at the bar and, with every drink order, be treated to a small bite served from the custom tapas cases imported from Barcelona ; on-tap drink specials include Estrella Damm, El Bandarra Spanish Vermut, and Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Inspired by hot spots in Spain, ¿CóMO? does gin and tonics and bikini sandwiches especially well. It is also serving up Paella Sundays on select dates throughout the summertime; a collaboration with Paella Guys, it’s the ultimate Spanish dining experience.
Di Beppe
8 West Cordova Street
The Italian restaurant with patio seating on Carrall Street has introduced Buona Notte on Monday and Tuesday evenings, where you can learn about Italian natural wines, each week set to a different theme. Daily aperitivo hour runs from 3 to 6 pm; we love the Cynar Spritz.
Do Chay Saigon
1269 Hamilton Street
The Yaletown location of this plant-based Vietnamese restaurant has a comfortable 18-seat patio, where you can order popular items like Uncle Hing’s Wings (made of battered, deep-fried oyster mushrooms with a sweet-and-spicy glaze), green onion pancakes, coconut-milk rice cakes, vegan pho; then there’s “Thang Long” Vermicelli and the Vegan Verm, both served with the resto’s famous “ish” sauce. Happy Hour runs from 3 to 6 pm and from 8:30 pm on. (The original location is at 1392 Kingsway.)
Dock Lunch. Photo by @Vin Van
Dock Lunch
152 East 11th Avenue
Dock Lunch was chef-owner Elizabeth Bryan's home from 2000 to 2014. After hosting so many popular Sunday-dinner parties, friends urged her to open an eatery. It started as a little sandwich window and has slowly grown to include her vintage-inspired living room, then later, with the pandemic, the set up of a small but charming patio nestled by the restaurant’s boulevard garden. There are a couple of sidewalk tables, too. Look for menus on Instagram and expect the kind of elevated home-style cooking you’ll long for on the regular.
Fairmont Pacific Rim x Oakridge x Westbank pop-up patio. Photo by Charlie Dixon
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Following the success of last year’s pop-up patio experience, Fairmont Pacific Rim has partnered with Oakridge and Westbank for its summertime extravaganza in a specifically designed space complete with carved topographic forms, fire pits, lounge areas, and umbrella-topped tables. Fairmont Pacific Rim executive chef Damon Campbell’s food truck will be at centre-stage, serving up bites like ahi tuna poke bowl, crispy Thai chicken wings, and West Coast crab-and-shrimp sandwich with preserved lemon and tarragon crème fraîche on a toasted bun. Award-winning creative beverage director Grant Sceney has come up with a lineup of libations, notably agave-based cocktails like the Sandía Margarita (tequila, Aperol, watermelon, grapefruit, lime, and Tajín) and the Chilosa Margarita (Don Julio Blanco, mezcal, Cointreau, pineapple, lime and firewater), along with a selection of craft beers and local and international wines. Live music happens Thursdays through Sundays.
Farina a Legna
119 2nd Street East, North Vancouver
Wood-fired pizzas, hand-made pastas, and bottled Italian cocktails are topnotch at this North Van eatery, sister restaurant to Main Street’s popular Pizzeria Farina. For some reason the streetside-patio umbrellas might make you want to order an Aperol Spritz…
Hart House Restaurant.
Hart House Restaurant
6664 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
The setting couldn’t be more serene, the patio overlooking idyllic Deer Lake and estate lawns. Set in a Tudor-style home, the restaurant helmed by Spanish-born executive chef Raúl Copete Vazquez has a Mediterranean-inspired menu driven by local ingredients, from seared Fraser Valley duck breast to Lois Lake steelhead to Salt Spring Island mussels and clams. Dishes can be paired with wine from Hart House’s award-winning cellar, and we love that the restaurant is a proud member of OceanWise. The lakeside dining spot offers happy hour Tuesday to Friday; multicourse winemaker dinners; and an ever-changing chef’s prix-fixe menu. On June 19, it’s hosting a Father’s Day Paella Feast with guest chef Isaias Sevilla.
H Tasting Lounge. Photo by Nora Hamade
H Tasting Lounge
1601 Bayshore Avenue
One of the most sumptuous patios in the city, this spot is in the Westin Bayshore Hotel just steps from the seawall. Afternoon tea, happy hour, signature cocktails, local craft beer and cider and small-lot wines are all available at this ultra-comfy space, which also serves a full menu ranging from small share plates to more extravagant meals. Fish and seafood are OceanWise.
Juke Fried Chicken/The Chickadee Room
182 Keefer Street
This season on the shared sunny, heated patio, the bar team led by Sabrine Dhaliwal will be slinging summery, slushy drinks, like the most recent offering: The Coupe de Ville Slushy Lime Margarita.
Jules Bistro.
Jules Bistro
216 Abbott Street
A Gastown staple serving up classic French-bistro food along with thoughtfully selected French and B.C. wine, this casual little gem is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, no small feat given that it survived the pandemic then was affected by the terrible recent Gastown fire. We’ll toast the team with a glass of red and a Croque Monsieur on the street-side patio.
Minami
1118 Mainland Street
The Japanese restaurant in Yaletown specializes in aburi, or flame-seared, sushi; the intimate, peaceful patio is completely private and surrounded by greenery. Japanese beer on tap and creative cocktails round out the experience.
Oddfish Restaurant
1889 West 1st Avenue
“Fish and Veg with a fun and energetic vibe”: this succinct description from the team that also helms Nook and Tavola is one way to sum up the menu at this corner restaurant in Kits—but it doesn’t do it justice. While the offerings change frequently, you might find yourself lured in by finely prepared tuna tataki, potato-wrapped halibut with tomato fondue, or sole piccata or you might get hooked on scallop crudo or whole grilled branzino. While you’re enjoying excellent fare al fresco, ask about the Oddity Wine Club, and thank us later.
Nuba
508 Davie Street and 146 East 3rd Avenue
Both of these locations of the Lebanese restaurant have patios, with the Mount Pleasant one being especially ideal for a mid-bike ride break. Nuba’s hummus remains a locals’ favourite, in its classic form and flavours like herb and jalapeño or pomegranate and sumac. And cheers to the Faculty Brewing x Nuba Turmeric Ale.
Orto Artisan Pasta.
Orto Artisan Pasta
1600 Mackay Avenue, North Vancouver
Sharing a charming actual home with Bad Dog Bread, this Italian restaurant run by legendary local restaurateur Brigitte Rayé (formerly of West Vancouver’s La Régalade and La Cigale in Kitsilano) has one of the loveliest patios in the region. Tables are tucked in amid so many herbs, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees; in peak growing season, you might have trouble seeing other tables through all the blooms, stalks, and greens. Fresh pasta is the menu highlight, along with that aforementioned bread served with caramelized onion butter and freshly made tapenade.
Popina Canteen
Granville Island
Popina Canteen basically is a patio, the shipping-container-turned-kitchen and adjacent dedicated seating area practically sitting on top of the Public Market Dock. The shared project of chef-owners Angus An, Robert Belcham, Hamid Salimian, and Joël Watanabe, it serves the kind of fast food your mom would never frown upon: East Coast lobster roll (filled with the meat of 1¼ -pound whole lobster), for example, crispy free-run chicken sandwich, crispy B.C. cod sandwich, and cheeseburgers made with grass-fed B.C. beef. Open daily.
Pourhouse
162 Water Street
Pourhouse’s temporary patio is back for people to bite into the burgers and sip on supreme cocktails that the Gastown hot spot is known for. Even from the outside, you’ll be able to hear live music on Sunday and Thursday nights.
Red Truck Beer Company
295 East 1st Avenue
You’ve got the great little patio where you can sip on classics like Road Trip Amber Ale or seasonals such as Citra Down Smash IPA , with or without hearty all-day diner fare (burgers, egg dishes, big salads, fries of all kinds, and more). Then you’ve got the Truck Stop Concert Series, now back after two long years. This summer’s remaining dates are July 9, when Drake White headlines, and August 13, featuring Sammy Rae & The Friends. Several other acts will perform live on both dates.
Riley’s Fish + Steak
200 Burrard Street
The latest from the Glowbal Restaurant Group (which also runs Glowbal, Coast, and Trattoria, to name a few) brings the ever-popular-in-America chophouse concept to Vancouver, in swanky, sumptuous style. The focus, as the name implies, is on prime cuts as well as seafood from the west and east coasts. The massive space includes a wine bar that looks to the water and the North Shore mountains; a dedicated oyster bar; and ample outdoor seating to take in happy hour daily and live music Thursday through Saturday evenings by local artists like Patrick Gavigan, Jen Lewin, and Aaron Ross. This is the place to go when your wealthy relatives offer to take you out. (And speaking of Glowbal, its patio set in from Georgia Street underneath what looks like a baleen-whale skeleton is quite the sight in its own right; we love the birdcage tables there and the crispy Brussels sprouts.)
Windfall Cider.
Shipyards Brewery District
North Vancouver
Okay, it’s not single place but several, but we couldn’t pick just one of the plethora of craft breweries and distilleries—along with an urban cidery—giving life to this burgeoning area of Lower Lonsdale, not far from the SeaBus terminal. Just below this stretch of artisan libation stations along Esplanade is the industrial area around Vancouver Drydock, and beyond that, for you to look out at, are Vancouver Harbour and the city skyline. Windfall Cider, which uses 100-percent BC apples for its stellar line of crisp ciders, is one of the newest ventures to call this stretch home, its tasting room and shipping-container-turned-covered-patio offering cider flights and delicious small bites while welcoming pups of all sizes. (You can’t be on the North Shore without loving dogs.) Cerveceria Astilleros folds Mexican flavours into its wide range of beer: think mango, hibiscus, and chipotle, to name a few. Its signature beautiful imported blue-and-white tiles adorn the patio’s sides, and the place also makes a killer margarita. House of Funk was one of the first to move in, the experimental small-batch brewery perpetually blowing us away with its focus on fermentation and creative flare (try the beer-wine hybrids). Copperpenny Distilling Co. serves hand-crafted gin and vodka cocktails in its especially well-decorated and funky digs. Then there’s the new Shaketown Brewing, which specializes in lip-smacking lower-ABV beers. Order us a Pinky Tuscadero at Beere Brewing Co.: it’s the brewery’s classic formula jam-packed with Fraser Valley raspberries. (Fun fact: The father-and-son team behind the brewery actually bears the family name Beere.) And up a block is Northpoint Brewing, its sun-splashed patio complete with picnic tables, artificial turf, and views of the city meeting the sea; rotating taps range from fruited India pale ales to West Coast IPAs to sour ales and much more.
Sopra Sotto
1510 Commercial Drive
Hailing from Turin, Piedmont, Sopra Sotto executive chef Enrico Fratoni turns out fresh pasta and hand-made wood-fired pizzas. Being in a corner location menus tons of patio seating—one space is heated, covered with a green-and-white striped awning and adorned with hanging baskets; another is bedecked with big green umbrellas. No matter where you’re seated, you’ve got a great view of the Drive. Mark June 18 down on your calendar: the restaurant is hosting its Hats Off Day from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, saying hi with fresh calamari cones while Bo Henrik and the Burnaby Heights Boys will be playing live in support of the Canadian Red Cross Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
Slim’s BBQ
2301 Main Street
The Southern-style spot smack-dab in the middle of Mount Pleasant’s mural district has a new brunch menu to go with its recently constructed wooden deck, serving up everything from hooch (in the form of house-made Spiked Sweet Tea, Micheladas, Mt. Pleasant Lemonade with bourbon, and Smoky BBQ Caesars) to plant-based dishes. Ubiquitous in Austin, Texas, breakfast tacos come in two versions: South Congress Vegan has Blue Heron “cheese” and vegan eggs, while Slim's BBQ signature style features slow-cooked barbacoa beef. There’s morning Happy Hour, with deals on mimosas, Picklebacks (a shot of Jameson chased by a shot of pickle juice), and bottomless Kafka’s coffee.
The Drive Canteen
1111 Commercial Drive
Stroll through the convenience store to the new hidden patio out back, tucked away from the traffic. With three bright yellow picnic tables and three high-tops, the patio seats 24; expect barbecue events and community pop-ups all through the summer, to be announced. In the meantime, you can order off of the canteen’s new Best Bites menu with snackables and shareables like Classic Nacho, Al Pastor Nacho, Pork and Leek Sausage Roll, Drive Canteen Crostini with seasonal flavours, and Fully Loaded Dicky’s Dumps. There’s also the new Drive Canteen x Callister Soda Company Peach Soda, made with Okanagan peaches.
The Patio at 1895
1895 Venables
The Cultch launched this streetside, tree-side patio thanks to COVID and, we’re happy to report, has kept it going, the sweet spot open Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 pm. Whether you’re catching a show or not, pop in for a Lonetree Cider, PYUR Vodka Soda, or Hey Yàll Hard Ice Tea, or choose from a list of wine and beer to go with some little nibbles.
The Polygon Outside.
The Polygon Outside
101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver
Launching June 23, the Polygon Gallery is hosting its weekly open-air Deckchair Cinema series in partnership with the City of Vancouver. Screenings, by donation, begin at sundown on the waterfront Cates Deck. Legends Haul, a locally minded grocery delivery service that gained momentum during the pandemic, will operate the concession stand; B.C. beer and wine will be available; and local DJs will kick things off at 7 pm. The Polygon Outside summer programming also includes Kids First, an outdoor expansion of the gallery’s ever-popular children’s program, hosted for eight Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm beginning June 26.
The Victor Restaurant
39 Smithe Street
With ornate fixtures and oak dining tables, the breezy patio has views of downtown Vancouver and of Parq Vancouver’s sixth-floor park and garden. Serving up a contemporary spin on surf and turf, the upscale resto also has its own sushi and raw bar.
Winston
228 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver
Natural wines, excellent coffee, and food from local farms, gardens, and fields are on the adventurous menu at this Lower Lonsdale charmer. Bright yellow patio furniture reflects the welcoming vibe.
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine
2775 West 16th Avenue
Yuwa’s intimate, heated patio overlooks West 16th Avenue and features comfy cushioned chairs, lattice dividers, a huge umbrella for shade, and plenty of greenery. Executive chef and co-owner Masahiro Omori’s seasonal menu is ever-changing, while co-owner Iori Kataoka is a renowned, certified sake sommelier. The team organizes and hosts Women & Whisky, a recurring event focused on whisky education and tasting for women in a welcoming and beginner-friendly atmosphere.
1931 Gallery Bistro.
1931 Gallery Bistro
Vancouver Art Gallery
The urban oasis that is the 1931 Gallery Bistro used to be one of the city’s best-kept secrets, but we’re pretty sure most folks are now hip to the gorgeous, outdoor, licensed hideaway, recently renovated with seating for 120. The patio is weather-dependent, so be sure to hold off for a dry day to catch up with a friend over items like bahn mi croissant, wild-salmon or bison burger, bibimbap bowl, or kale Caesar. Open daily from 10 am to 4 pm.
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