Hey gang, Heading to Vancouver next weekend (21st to 24th). Aside from Alibi, any places I should visit? I'm staying at the Coast Coal Harbour. Probably won't have time for huge trips across town, though I may be in Coquitlam for a bit. Bottle shop and restaurant recs appreciated (preferably places without line-ups or that I would have had to make a reservation for months ago). Oh, and any seasonals or new releases an Ontario boy might be interested in. Brian
You're super close to Tap & Barrel's new location beside the olympic torch - they have a pretty decent selection of BC beers on tap, though the food isn't great. You're also pretty close to the Burrard Skytrain station, which means a few stops to being 100m from St Augustines - second only to the alibi room in my opinion. Speaking of the Alibi- definitely worth the trip, but you'll likely be waiting for a table. If it's 45 minutes or longer, feel free to pop down the street to Portside for a beer while you wait. Later on Friday and Saturdays it can be a bit of a club style place, but during the week it's much quieter and more pub like. Restaurant wise, can you give us an idea of what kind of price range? Any styles you're looking to try / avoid? Bottle shop wise, it's usually worth the trip to brewery creek at main and 15th. As for specific beers to recommend there are almost too many new releases to keep up with these days (first world problems, I know!) but again, any specific favourite styles? Anything you really don't like?
Fair question. Mid-upscale ($100-$200 all in) for a date with the wife and decent places for a fun meal with a small group of friends (6 people or so). Any cuisine will do (besides Korean, everyone is always trying to get me to go to Korean restaurants and I hate the stuff!). Traditional styles. I'm a sucker for a good saison (Driftwood Farmhand remains one of my favourites) and well-made pilsners or hoppy lagers. I'll bite on I/IPAs but they should be special; single varietals usually pique my interest.
OK, awesome. Traditional beer styles aren't really my favourite, so I'll leave those to somebody a bit more informed - but I think I can help with the food. For dinner with your wife, I'll suggest a couple of the classics in case you've not tried them. Tojos for what is some of the best sushi in town, or Vij's for fantastic Indian food (Lamb Popsicles. They sound silly, but they are no joke, get them). Vij's don't take reservations, mind you, so there will be a wait, but they bring out snacks periodically and you can order drinks while you are there. In gastown, L'Abbatior (western) or Chambar (belgian) are also great date places and a short walk to other spots afterwards (wife not into beer but loves cocktails? check out Diamond). As for a fun group place, theres a newish restaurant also in gastown which I've really been enjoying called TUC Craft Kitchen. Low to mid range prices, but quality a fair bit higher than usual. There's also a hapa izakaya very close to your hotel too, which is a great place for a bunch of japanese tapas style dishes to share. In a similar vein, Guu in gastown would also be fun for that. Speaking of gastown, fan of proper italian style pizza cooked in a scorching hot brick oven for very short times? Nicli Antica is very good for that. And if you don't mind a bit of a bus ride out to kitsilano, The Oakwood is fantastic and a lot of fun, and just across from Darbys - a bar which used to be a bit of a dive that has very successfully transitioned into a solid place for some good craft beer. Small but pretty solid bottle shop attached, too.
Bestie Curry Wurst is a pretty cool new place: http://bestie.ca/ Lots of new/smaller places that are starting to carry local craft beer. Although Alibi and St Augs have the most taps you'll find some fresh local gems all around town.
Ouuuu curry wurst, sweet. Thanks. I take it from the silence that there are no decent private stores in Coquitlam?
St John's Liquor and the Burrard Public House's liquor store have a decent selection, mainly local stuff. Both are in Port Moody, right next to Coquitlam.
Great! Food wise none of us have been disappointed yet, but recommend leaving enough room for order of doughnut holes and an order of ice cream to share amongst your group. They do a demon brunch too... chicken and waffles the likes I've never seen outside of Portland. Enjoy!
Having a good time, hit up more places than I figured I would. Impressed with 33 Acres (despite the silly beer names and skinny jeans). Impressive brewery and the beers a well made. Went to their release yesterday; beer was good, sausage platter was disappointing. Frankly I can't see the light of day between the lists at Alibi and St. Augustine's. I preferred the latter actually. That may admittedly have been down to the presence of food. Alibi partakes in the criminal practice of closing down their kitchen after (the equally criminal meal of) brunch on Sunday. Inexcusable for a place so busy. They also seemed to be out of a significant portion of their offerings. The group loved TUC. Tremendous value. Don't eat lunch beforehand though. Exciting things going on here and a bit of evidence that breweries are getting out of the I/PA trap.
Hey! I love their brunch! St. Augustine's definitely has a more diverse menu of food, although Alibi tends to focus more on the organic/local supply - meaning they are constrained by what's available seasonally from the growers/producers. Maybe it's just me, but I find St. Augustine's to be a little pricier on average. I always end up spending more there than at Alibi Room when having a couple beers.
Rogue restaurant is getting lots of good beers in lately (and have added full pints) and they have a new location near Canada place
Make sure you get yourself a Sartori Harvest this week. It's hitting Vancouver today still and outlying areas over the rest of the week.
