[Dine Out Vancouver 2026] My Shortlist of Restaurants to Check Out #DOVF

Dine Out Vancouver, Canada’s largest food and drink celebration, is back for the 24th year! Running from January 21-February 8, 2026, it’s the biggest one yet again. More than 450 restaurants are offering multi-course menus between $25 and $70 (FYI last year most of the restaurants were between $20 and $65), plus two MICHELIN one-star restaurants offering a menu at $110 ($100 last year). Clearly the cost of Dine Out Vancouver has gone up, and we don’t have the GST exemption this year, so frankly I’m becoming even more picky about which restaurants to go to.

As per previous years, I reviewed all prix fixe menus and here are what caught my eyes. This is based on past experiences (Dine Out or otherwise), Google reviews (if it’s a restaurant that I’ve never been), 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 this list based on my own preference (for example, I’m a meat lover and I don’t usually order chicken and cooked salmon at restaurants), so it may not necessarily suit your taste. But hopefully this gives you a place to start.

Last year I had a stand-alone section for restaurants listed in the MICHELIN Guide. I didn’t do it again this year, only because there were very few that interested me. Therefore, I inserted those few restaurants back under my Lunch and Dinner lists below. To make it easier for you, I included a link to the menu, as well as the listed price (of that category). Remember, my recommendations are for that specific menu and specific location(s) only, even though the restaurant may have other locations and menu options. If you have been to any of them, let me know what you think!

For those who want to save even more by going for lunch/brunch

• 75 West Coast Grill ($35 lunch)
• A Bite of Shunde ($25 lunch – and frankly, I’m not sure how much their dinner menu is)
• Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio – Ambleside and False Creek ($40 lunch vs. $70 dinner)
• ARC Restaurant + Bar ($39 for a four-item lunch item, plus they have a $59 bottomless brunch)
• Baci A Taste of Italy ($40 – same as the dinner menu but $10 cheaper, also $5 cheaper than last year)
• Banh Mi Tres Bon ($25 lunch menu quite similar to the otherwise $35 dinner menu)
• Belgard Kitchen ($39 for one drink and two savoury plates)
• Bimini’s Since 1975 ($29.95)
• Birdies Eats + Drink ($35 – similar to the dinner menu but $10 cheaper)
• Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant ($39.95 – $9 cheaper than dinner but it’s a similar menu)
• Bombay Masala Indian Restaurant ($25)
• Bravo Cucina Ristorante Italiano ($40 – same as the dinner menu but $15 cheaper)
• Britannia Brewing – Ladner ($27)
• Bufala – Edgemont, Kerrisdale, River District ($29)
• Cazba Restaurant ($25)
• District Eleven ($35)
• El Santo ($34 for weekend brunch but $30 for weekday lunch – only entrees are different)
• Fable Diner ($25 for weekday lunch or $30 for weekend brunch)
• Fable Diner & Bar ($25 weekday lunch)
• Flying Beaver Bar & Grill ($29)
• Hawksworth Restaurant ($36 lunch) – MICHELIN Recommended
• Honey Salt ($38)
• House of Dosas ($25)
• Jejudo ($30)
• Kaori Izakaya (multiple options under $21.75)
• The Lobby Restaurant & Lounge ($25 – similar to the dinner menu but $24 cheaper)
• Maenam ($45) – MICHELIN Recommended, the lunch menu is very similar to the dinner menu, but it’s $20 cheaper
• Momo Factory ($25)
• Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions ($25 All You Can Eat Hot Dogs & Tater Tots)
• Namiya Sushi House ($30 – compared to a similar dinner menu at $45)
• Nana’s Green Tea ($35)
• Romer’s Burgers – Lynn Valley, River District ($30 – and pretty much like the dinner menu which is $40)
• Saba Foods ($35 brunch as compared to the $50 dinner menu)
• The Mexican Antojitos y Cantina ($25)
• Torafuku ($32) – MICHELIN Recommended, their lunch menu is solid but I think the dinner menu is too pricey.
• Water St. Cafe ($30 for lunch, with only a few items different from the $50 dinner menu)
• Yuu Japanese Tapas ($25)
• Zarak by Afghan Kitchen ($32)

For those looking for budget-friendly and/or interesting dinners

• Afghan Horsemen Restaurant ($40 per person to share a two-people platter)
• Alimentaria Mexicana ($39 for a four-course menu)
• Alouette Bistro ($55 – I love that frog legs are on the menu)
• Bar Corso ($55 for a 7-item share plate menu, some without choices though)
• Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge ($65) – MICHELIN Recommended
• Bells & Whistles Fraser ($32)
• Bimini’s Since 1975 ($29.95)
• Bombay Kitchen + Bar Denman ($25)
• Bombay Masala Indian Restaurant ($25)
• Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar ($70) – MICHELIN Recommended
• Bow and Stern Brentwood ($57)
• Britannia Brewing – Ladner ($42) and Steveston ($38)
• Brix & Mortar ($57)
• Bufala – Edgemont, Kerrisdale, River District ($29)
• Burnaby Mountain Restaurant ($39)
• Cardero’s Restaurant ($55 – I tasted their menu last year, which is similar to this year’s, and the portion size was big!)
• Catch 122 ($49)
• Chambar ($60)
• Chupito ($65)
• Copperpenny Distilling Co. ($39 – the menu doesn’t really have options but I’m simply a fan of Copperpenny)
• Craft Market – English Bay, False Creek ($45)
• Dachi ($65 for 5 courses)
• Daimanya ($39 for an 8-item menu)
• DD Mau – Chinatown ($40)
• District Bar Restaurant ($40 – near stadium so game-day eats?)
• Diva at the Met ($45 – the menu isn’t super interesting but being a prime downtown location? I swear it’s $45 ten years ago!)
• Dockside Restaurant ($49)
• El Guapo ($35)
• Fiorino – Chinatown, North Shore ($39)
• Fishworks ($50)
• Flying Beaver Bar & Grill ($29)
• Four Olives Restaurant ($39)
• Frankie’s Italian Kitchen & Bar ($50)
• Freebird Table & Bar ($68 for a platter for 2)
• Glowbal ($49)
• Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen ($35)
• Hestia Kitchen + Bar ($48)
• Hook Restaurant ($45, plus the $35 one dozen oyster special)
• House of Dosas ($25)
• The Italian Kitchen ($49)
• Kozak Ukrainian Restaurant – Gastown (four courses for $49 – Langley doesn’t have dessert listed)
• Kulinarya Filipino Eatery ($50)
• Kurry Wala Indian Cusine ($30)
• Las Margaritas Restaurante ($29)
• Las Tortas Mexican Gourmet ($30)
• Lavash Seaside Grill ($42)
• Little Mexico Cantina ($30)
• Locus Restaurant & Lounge ($43)
• Los Cuervos Taqueria and Cantina ($36)
• The Mackenzie Room ($70) – MICHELIN Recommended, five-course shared tasting menu – and I can’t say enough good things about The Mackenzie Room
• Max’s Restaurant, Cuisine of the Philippines ($30)
• Milltown Bar & Grill ($35)
• Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions ($25 All You Can Eat Hot Dogs & Tater Tots)
• Oceans 999 ($49)
• Osteria Elio Volpe ($69 for five courses)
• PiDGin ($70) – MICHELIN Recommended, eight-course menu
• Portuguese Club of Vancouver ($45)
• Provence Marinaside ($49)
• Riley’s Fish & Steak ($65) – MICHELIN Recommended
• Rivers Reach Pub ($30)
• Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. – Main Street ($30)
• Sapperton District Taphouse ($35)
• Shaughnessy Restaurant ($48)
• The Shoestring Cafe ($49)
• Sidebar Grill ($49.99)
• Smoke & Bones BBQ ($42.99)
• Stevens Corner Cocktail Bar + Kitchen ($26)
• The Main on Main ($55 for two)
• The Mexican Antojitos y Cantina ($35)
• The Sequel Kitchen & Bar ($45)
• Tocador ($40)
• The Vancouver Fish Company ($69 – whole lobster!)
• The Victor ($70)
• Yuu Japanese Tapas ($25)

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of braised beef short ribs this year! The menus are not too inspiring this year, but I’m seeing quite a number of new restaurants on the list, which is always exciting. Most of my selections are below $50, because I think you are probably better off going for a la carte outside of the Dine Out period if you were to spend $50+ per person. I was turned off by a lot of $60+ menus because some other restaurants are offering a similar menu but at a cheaper price.

I also think that the Dine Out Vancouver website needs a bit more quality control. Some restaurants didn’t have their address listed; some didn’t specify menu prices; one even only had “test” in its listing. It’s confusing and frustrating to go through all the listings.

So what do you think about this year’s offers? Do you plan on doing any Dine Outs?