VanFoodies.com

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Dine Out Vancouver is back and reimagined! Running from February 5 to March 7, 2021, 366 restaurants are offering prix fixe menus for dine-in or take-out priced between $15 and $54. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the past year has been tough for the restaurant industry. I was glad to see the return of the iconic food festival, while it’s made some adjustments to accommodate the current situation. For one, the festival has been extended to run for 31 days, to allow more opportunities for diners to participate while restaurants are offering lower capacity and limited seating. Also, there’s flexibility in how each restaurant prices their menu so it’s no longer just the 3-4 price points in the past.

Even though the festival is well underway, restaurants are still open for reservations and there’s always room to accept take-out orders. I took the time to review the menus and here are what caught my eyes, based on past experiences (Dine Out or not) as well as menu attractiveness (e.g. value for the money, choice of ingredients, creativity in the menu, enough options for two people, etc.). Also keep in mind that I curated the list based on my preference (as you know, I’m a meat lover and I’m biased against chicken and salmon), my way of thinking, so it may not all suit your taste. But hopefully this gives you a place to start.

Because the prices vary a lot this year, I can’t break them down by price point like previous years. Instead, I organized my list into Lunch, Dinner, Take Out, and Special Offer. And my recommendations are for that specific menu only, even though the restaurant may offer other menu options, after weighing in my preference and my perceived value of the menus. I’ve also included links to the menu to make it easier for you.

Lunch

• Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio – False Creek (the lunch menu is the same price as Ambleside but 3 courses instead of 2)
• Ask For Luigi (the lunch menu is the same as dinner but cheaper, also available for take-out)
• Banana Leaf (Broadway, Davie, Denman, Kitsilano, Robson)
• Bombay Kitchen + Bar South Granville (all you can eat!)
• Dockside Restaurant
• Fanny Bay Oyster Bar (same menu as dinner; you only get 2 courses but it’s also $10 cheaper)
• Frying Pan Kitchen & Bar
• Fufu Cafe
• Gyoza Bar
• Hundy (same as dinner menu but I like the extra dessert option)
• Izakaya Gon’s
• Kinton Ramen
• Maenam (2 courses only, but even if you add a dessert it’s cheaper than dinner, which is the same menu)
• Miku Restaurant (saves $10 vs. dinner menu)
• Popina Canteen
• Potluck Hawker Eatery
• Social
• The Rise Eatery
• Water Street Cafe
• Yuu Japanese Tapas

Dinner

• Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio – Ambleside (the dinner menu is cheaper than the False Creek location but equally attractive)
• AnnaLena
• Atlas Steak + Fish Burnaby and Langley (also available for take-out)
• Banana Leaf (Broadway, Davie, Denman, Kitsilano, Robson)
• Bells & Whistles Dunbar and Fraser
• Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant
• Bombay Kitchen + Bar Commercial Drive
• Bombay Kitchen + Bar South Granville (all you can eat!)
• Brewhall
• Brix & Mortar
• Britannia Brewing Company
• Bridges Restaurant, Bistro + Bar
• Burnaby Mountain Restaurant
• Cafe One
• CAVU Kitchen Bar
• Chambar Restaurant
• Coast Restaurant
• Cuchillo
• C|Prime Italian Steak & Wine
• Fable Diner
• Fishworks
• Flying Beaver Bar & Grill
• Forage ($38 for 4 courses)
• Fufu Cafe
• Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen
• Harbour Oyster + Bar (seafood boil sounds fun!)
• Jamjar Canteen
• Kinton Ramen
• The Lobby Restaurant & Lounge
• Luppolo Brewing Company
• Nuba Gastown, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Yaletown
• Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar
• Pier 7 Restaurant + Bar
• Popina Canteen
• Provence Marinaside
• Riverway Restaurant
• Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro
• Say Mercy! (4 courses)
• The Shoestring Cafe
• Social
• The Flying Pig: Gastown, Olympic Village, Yaletown
• The Mackenzie Room ($54 for a 5-course family style tasting menu – they are one of our favourite restaurants)
• Time & Place
• Torafuku
• West Oak Restaurant

Take Out

• AnnaLena (you can get their special menus for take-out at a cheaper price)
• Ask For Luigi (the lunch menu is the same as dinner but cheaper)
• Atlas Steak + Fish Burnaby and Langley (the take-out version on OpenTable is $75 for 2 people, or if you order via Uber Eats it’s $95 for 2 including a bottle of wine)
• Bovine Rice Bowls
• Brewhall
• C|Prime Italian Steak & Wine
• Davie Dosa Company
• East is East, Chai Lounge Broadway, Main Street
• Ember Indian Restaurant
• Nuba Gastown, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Yaletown
• Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company Kitsilano, Main Street (take-home pizza kit!)
• Say Mercy! (4 courses)
• Storm Crow Alehouse (almost the same menu as dinner/lunch, but $10 cheaper and you’ll get a $10 voucher for next visit)
• Street Auntie Aperitivo House
• The Mackenzie Room ($54 for 5-course family style tasting menu – they are one of our favourite restaurants)
• Time & Place

Special Offer

• Granville Room (2 for 1 appetizers)
• Laduree ($30 afternoon tea)
• Sprezzatura

After going through the menus, I was shocked at some of the price tags! I certainly understand that restaurants are struggling to survive these days, but to offer a 3-course dinner menu at $54 per person when in the past it was only $45, I thought it’s a bit unfair to diners. I don’t think I could get past that regardless of how much I may have wanted to support those restaurants. It may be better off to visit those restaurants another time, ordering their a la carte menu.

Have you tried any Dine Out Vancouver menus yet? What do you think? It’s still not too late to make some bookings or if you don’t feel comfortable dining out, order some take-outs and continue to support our local restaurants!