Meet Dine Out’s yummy newcomers
The 18th annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival (January 17 to February 2) is fast approaching, and more than 300 restaurants will be offering highly anticipated, prix fixe dinner menus priced at $15, $25, $35, and $45. It can be overwhelming trying to decide which eateries to book a reservation at during Canada’s largest food-and-drink celebration, but we’ve made it a little easier by rounding up some new and notable spots to check out this year. From tasty plant-based fare to West African–meets–Pacific Northwest flavours, and from hearty Italian food to Japanese bites, here are six restaurants to keep on your radar for Dine Out Vancouver 2020.
(750 Hornby Street, $45)
The Vancouver Art Gallery’s new in-house restaurant made its debut in November 2019, complete with an interior facelift that features a chic and contemporary setting. The focus is on fresh and seasonal ingredients, and guests will find Dine Out dishes like short-rib ravioli, heirloom salads, soy sablefish, and more. Finish off your meal with desserts like crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, or carrot cake.
AMARANTHUS
(112–810 Quayside Drive, New Westminster; $25) This vegetarian and vegan eatery in New West opened in May 2019, and food lovers have been eating there ever since. Its Dine Out dinner menu will feature plant-based creations like fried Brussel sprouts, arugula salad, beet risotto, and cauliflower steak, among others. Sweet tooths will enjoy desserts like vegan chocolate pie, fig cheesecake, and more.
ARIKE RESTAURANT & COCKTAIL BAR
(1725 Davie Street, $25)
When this Nigeria-meets–Pacific Northwest dining spot opened in English Bay last spring, it created a lot of curious chatter. The cuisine is not the usual grub you’d find on any other block in the city, but its menu has attracted fans. Check out its Dine Out offerings, which include: an oxtail boudin taster with cured pork belly, pickled veggies, and spicy agege crouton; fried jollof rice served with suya-beef skewers or marinated prawns; and Milo ice cream with salted caramel and peanut crumb.
BELLS & WHISTLES
(3296 Fraser Street, $25)
It has been serving up no-fuss grub for a few years, but this Fraserhood burger joint is a newcomer to this year’s Dine Out festival. Find satisfying Canadian bites like pretzel buns served with honey mustard, butternut squash soup, and Caesar salad to start. The stars of the show are undoubtedly its popular burgers, with options like the classic burger (with hand-formed beef patty and aged cheddar), veggie burger (quinoa, almond-and-chickpea patty, and feta), crispy chicken burger, and an all-day breakfast burger. You can’t leave without a soft-serve twist cone, made with ice cream from Foothills Creamery.
BUFALA EDGEMONT
(3280 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver; $35)
Kerrisdale pizza joint Bufala’s sister spot on the North Shore has attracted plenty of attention. The spacious but cozy Italian restaurant will be offering a Dine Out menu filled with some of its top dishes, like meatballs, arancini with mushroom risotto, kale Caesar salad, Margherita pizza, finocchiona pizza (made with fennel sausage, caramelized onions, and smoked provolone), and funghi pizza with mushrooms and arugula. Pastas like rigatoni (made with six-hour beef-and-pork bolognese) and spaghetti are also tasty options. For dessert, guests will tuck into Foothills Creamery vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce.
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➧ (854 Denman Street, $35)
There is a lot more to Vancouver’s Japanese cuisine than sushi and sashimi. Izakaya Gon’s is known for its teishoku (set meals), which include various dishes that range from salads to proteins to sweets. Some of the picks available on its Dine Out dinner menu include salmon carpaccio, savoury egg custard, fried oysters, wagyu-beef sukiyaki and steamed rice, and deep-fried skewers. End your meal with desserts like green-tea tiramisu, yuzu sorbet and yuzu jelly, coffee jelly and soft-serve ice cream, and more.