I’ve seen lots of great top patio lists for Vancouver already, but below are some favourites & recommendations. And remember, this is a list for patio first, food second.

Downtown
The Gallery Cafe (at the Vancouver Art Gallery), 750 Hornby Street (best accessed off of Robson & Howe): If you want a truly sunny patio, nothing beats the Gallery Cafe’s huge outdoor licensed patio atop the Vancouver Art Gallery. A great place to catch some rays, people watch, and catch up over a glass of wine. Food is cafe style – sandwiches, salads (with art gallery prices).

False Creek North
Nu Restaurant, 1661 Granville Street (under the Granville St. Bridge): Nu features and all-seasons patio right on the water, with tables, couches, and a great view of False Creek and Granville Island across the water. A great spot for lunch or dinner while enjoying the view is a relaxed setting. And the food here is great.

Coal Harbour
Cardero’s Restaurant, 1583 Coal Harbour Quay: Cardero’s makes many best patio lists because, it’s a nice patio! A big, airy space right in the centre of Coal Harbour. A calming location away from the bustle of downtown Vancouver.

Willow Stream Spa and the  Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby, 1038 Canada Place Way (near Burrard & Cordova) - The newest Fairmont Hotel is beautiful on the inside with a great outdoor patio off the lobby lounge, which features live music daily. Plus, the Willow Stream spa on the 5th floor is just completing construction on an incredible outdoor patio, which will include fire pits, hot tubs, and outdoor treatment – I hear it should be ready later this month.

Gastown
Chill Winston, 3 Alexander Street: Right in the centre of Gastown by the Gassy Jack statue is Chill Winston’s huge patio – perfect for drinks while overlooking the cobblestone roads and Gastown shops. Downsides: it’s a busy patio so there can be waits, and you’ll get your share of people asking for spare change. While it’s shadier, the small patio at Jules can be a good alternative.

Granville Island
Sammy J Peppers, 1517 Anderson St, right inside Granville Island. Remember, what I said about patio first, food second? Sammy J on Granville Island does sport a fantastic patio for those who want the breeze, but not the glaring hot sunlight. It’s a fully covered patio, overlooking the boats and a boardwalk. A good spot for a beer in a slightly less crazy part of Granville Island in the summer. (but if you like crazy, hit up Bridges or the Backstage Lounge)

Main St.
Crave Restaurant, 3941 Main St (near 24th): You’d never guess it from the front of the restaurant, but Crave has a beautiful patio in the back of the restaurant. It’s been nicely lanscaped and feels like a comfy backyard. Food here is good, but inconsistent. Brunch is my favourite meal here.

Burgoo Bistro on Main, 3096 Main St (near 16th): The Main Street Burgoo has a great patio right on Main Street that gets plenty of sun.

Kitsilano
The Boathouse on Kits Beach (formerly the Watermark Restaurant), 1305 Arbutus Street: I’ll miss the prawn spring rolls at the Watermark, but otherwise, I’m sure the Boathouse will fit right into the Kits Beach scene. An incredible view of the city, mountains, and beach.

The Smoking Dog, 1889 W. 1st Ave (@ Cypress): I used to live 50 steps from the Dog and enjoyed the patio regularly. Sun drenched, quiet street, great French bistro food.

Yaletown
The Keg, 1011 Mainland Street: I haven’t been, but everyone I know is raving about the patio at the new Keg in Yaletown.

Glowbal and Afterglow, Yaletown, 1079 Mainland St – Glowbal restaurant was the the first and original restaurant and recently changed their cuisine focus to steaks and satays. Afterglow is at the back of the restaurant and is a lounge/bar. To be honest, I don’t like this restaurant at all. The two times I’ve been there, food was unspectacular for the price and service was insulting. However, I haven’t been back in a while, so I imagine it’s improved. What you do get here is a urban, modern setting and decent food at a marked up price. It’s a nice place for business meetings or for drinks.

Coast, Downtown, 1054 Alberni St (near Burrard) – Coast is all about fresh seafood in a welcoming setting. The first Coast was located in Yaletown, but the restuarant moved to Alberni Street a while back and also opened the adjoining O Lounge next door. The food here is good, but I don’t go often. My most memorable coast experience dates a few years back when the head chef of Coast did a joint dinner with Hidekazu Tojo (of the amazing & famous Tojo’s – for serious Japanese lovers only). Were we treated to a beautiful feast of west coast and Japanese inspired cuisine.

The Italian Kitchen, Downtown, 1037 Alberni St (Across from Coast, near Burrard) – Now the Italian Kitchen I like. Fresh and well cooked modern Italian food. The food here is delicious, fresh, and memorable. The penne arrabbiata is my favourite pasta here – slightly spicy and salty with creamy burrata cheese to balance everything out. This restaurant is famous for their Kobe beef meatballs – they are big and meaty, but a little over-rated in my book.

Trattoria Italian Kitchen, Kitsilano, 1850 W. 4th Ave (b/w Burrard & Cypress) - In Italy, you have restaurants and you have trattorias. Trattorias are known to be more casual and more affordable versus the more upscale ristorante. This is also the idea of Trattoria Italian Kitchen, a more casual, more affordable version of The Italian Kitchen downtown and I enjoy it. The menu is focused on a lot of sharing – so you can share a pasta platter or a meat platter with friends. Get the bruschetta sampler, crispy bread topped with sweet tomatoes & basil, chickpeas, and mushrooms – so satisfying.

Sanafir, Downtown, 1026 Granville Street (near Nelson) -  Sanafir is located in the entertainment district of Granville Street, open late and attracting lots of groups. The ceilings in this place are amazingly high and the food is a blend of North Africa, Middle Eastern, and Asian. The decor is inspired along the same themes and quite fun. It’s a nice room. I’ve only had drinks here, so no comment on the food.

Society, Yaletown, 1257 Hamilton Street (b/w Drake and Davie) - This is the Glowbal Group’s latest restaurant, comfort food and junk food served in a trendy Yaletown setting. Not a bad idea. Grab a seat on the lovely patio and order up a milkshake, onion rings, poutine, mac ‘n cheese, pizza – you get the idea. Satisfying, comforting food that you don’t usually get at an upscale restaurant. More restaurants should serve milkshakes, so for that alone Society gets points for me. I’ve only been for lunch and ate something way too healthy (fresh greens with a cajun grilled salmon), but based on the plates of burgers and shakes at the tables around me, I’ll come back and give it another try.

A final note is that aside from off-hours, these are not quiet restaurants. Think energetic buzz and bustling noise. Great for groups and casual dinners out, but not so much for a romantic time.

So, I give you the Glowbal Group of restaurants – some parts good, some parts average, all worth a try – let me know you think.

The kitchen opens at noon and closes at 7:45pm. I don’t even start thinking about dinner until 8:30pm, so I’ve never made it there for dinner. The restaurant also closes on Mondays and all holiday weekends. Frustrating when I want a burger on Easter weekend, but I get that the owners and staff are taking the break too.

And of course, they have a simple, but quality driven menu featuring burgers, fries, floats, and shakes. Everything is made from scratch and delicious. You have a choice of a steak, turkey, salmon, or veggie patty, cooked to order on a crusty but soft bun, fresh lettuce and tomato, and a perfect amount (ie. not globs like many restaurants do) of  mayo and house sauce. The result is always a pure, juicy, delicious burger that never disappoints.

A burger must come with fries, which are cut and fried to order until light and crispy. While it doesn’t have the crunch of a double fried potato, they taste great and are the best  accompaniment to the  burger.

To drink, pick from a choice of milkshake flavours, which come perfectly mixed and frothy with a dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. You can also get them malted for a different flavour boost.

Moderne Burger is a designed as a classic diner, with booths, bar stools, and a juke box. The restaurant is popular and gets line-ups regularly, so expect to wait, come during off-hours, or order take-out to avoid the busy times.

As one of the best burger joints in Vancouver, it’s a must-visit when you’re in the mood for a real hamburger.

Moderne Burger
2507 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9, Canada
(604) 739-0005

What I like about the studio:

• Small classes. 6 max for mat classes and 4 max for reformer classes. For proper pilates technique, a small class is essential. I attended a 40 person class at a gym once and it drove me nuts watching everyone straining their necks and backs to copy the teacher’s movements.
• My favourite instructors are Danielle and Cinzia. I’ve been working with Danielle for a few years and she’s completely changed the way my body moves, it’s incredible. Danielle and Cinzia both teach classes that focus on form while still being challenging. Like any fitness studio, you need to find the teachers that work for you – the other studio instructors are good, but I find Danielle and Cinzia (along with studio owner Karen) the most experienced and I follow their cues well.

Studio drawbacks:

• It’s not cheap. Mat classes run about $18 and reformer classes around $25. These are standard prices for studios, but you need to have the budget.
• 36 hour cancellation policy. This is understandable given the small size of classes, but it always sucks when my plans change and I can’t cancel the class.
• Some of my fellow classmates have mentioned some classes are not challenging enough. My response is to go see Danielle – she’ll challenge you.

Why Pilates?
Pilates is built upon proper movement and a focus on how the core improves the body’s movement. Yes, you get strong abs, but I’ve also improved my posture, the alignment of my feet and legs…all these things you’d never think of. Pilates is often used as a rehabilitation technique for good reason.

I’ve tried many studios and instructors and am happy at The Movement Studio. AND, it’s right next to Capers on 4th, so the routine is morning class followed by a coffee at Capers. Lovely.

The Movement Studio
2211 W. 4th Ave, suite 207. (Go into the courtyard between Paboom and Vancity and up the stairs)
604-732-9055

While I enjoyed Fuel Restaurant (I had an excellent 7-course tasting and a few Fried Chicken Fridays), when I dropped by Refuel a few weeks ago I found the room full, lively, and smelling of great food from the open kitchen. Plus, the fried chicken is on the menu, so you can have it any day of the week now! Change is good.

Our experience from Visit #1:

• The new room looks great – I’m always impressed  at how some subtle adjustments changes the vibe of a place. They’ve added a few extra tables and removed the wine storage in the room. I think they also changed the tables to casual wood tops and nixed the tablecloths.The walls have some cool moulded plywood action, which makes the room feel natural.
• Great menu selection with lots of snacks to share, starters, and mains with $22 being the highest price point. Off the menu you can still order a Cote de Boeuf or a whole Polderside duck to share. It was hard to decide.
• Our snack to start: spiced pork bits, extra rib and pork pieces tossed in a tangy seasoning. Good and messy
• Ox tongue salad with tender greens and a deliciously creamy ravigote sauce
• Lemon Risotto: creamy with sweet lemon flavour
• Crispy skin lingcod with bacony swiss chard, pearl onions. I also ordered a side of seasonal fingerling potatoes, which came out hot and buttery.
• Service was good, but not overly attentive. Portions were good, but not huge.

Next time: I’ll have to try the burger and fries. The fries are fried in beef tallow, which sounds pretty dreamy to a french fry lover like myself. And a burger and beer is $15.50 everyday between 3-6pm and 9pm-midnight.

Open for lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner daily until midnight, I’ll be adding Refuel to my list of restaurants to frequent.

Refuel Restaurant
1944 W. 4th Ave (b/w Cypress and Maple)
604-288-7905

My visits to Thomas Haas are usually on a Saturday and go something like this:

• Walk in and see huge line up
• Gently push my way through to the display window to find next to nothing left
• Decide if I want to wait in line
• Wait in line and order the amazing hot chocolate
• Stare at the chocolate boxes for sale and consider buying more
• Leave thinking “what a madhouse!”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s always worth it, but I can’t say it’s the most relaxed experience ever.

But today was a great weekday morning. I have a friend visiting from out of town who loves croissants and I took the day off work to take care of some errands. So we woke up early and arrived at Thomas Haas for breakfast. It was busy, but not crazy busy like it is on the weekend. It’s amazing how satisfying a coffee and pain au chocolat can be for breakfast. France is SO going to be my next European trip.

Lately, I’ve been braving the Thomas Haas line-ups to pick up a small box of chocolates as a holiday party hostess gift. They come beautifully wrapped and how can you go wrong with chocolates like pistachio marzipan, salted caramel pecan, earl grey tea, merlot, or balsamic honey? Other great hostess gifts: a package of the excellent hot chocolate mix (read the ingredients – you will find no disgusting chemicals here), chocolate bars, and the famous sparkle cookies.

And, if it’s your responsibility to bring dessert and you’re not in a baking mood, any of the Haas desserts will make you a star.

The cafe is open for breakfast and switches to a daily sandwich selection at 11 am every morning. A great excuse to stop for a light lunch and dessert treat.

The only drawback? They’re closed Sunday and Monday…so wait in line and get your fix.

Thomas Haas Patisserie-Chocolate and Café
2539 W. Broadway, Vancouver (b/w Larch and Trafalgar)
604-736-1848
Open Tuesday-Saturday

Also in North Vancouver:
Unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver
604-924-1847

I’ll be honest, neither of these places would be high on my list of places to recommend to a tourist (although Trafalgars would be higher on the list), but for a local they’re both great places to stop in for a non-pretentious meal and drink.  Here are some thoughts on the two bistros…

The Smoking Dog Bistro, 1889 W. 1st Ave (@ Cypress). Open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch

• The two best things at the Dog – pommes frites and the bolognese, not necessarily together. The pommes frites are some of the best -  super crispy, salty, and addictive. And for a Mediteranean restaurant, the Dog does a great bolognese, it’s my husbands favourite. A hearty meat sauce tossed with angel hair pasta make a satisfying main. If you go late at night I swear the portions get bigger.
• Steak Frites for $19 is a reasonable deal in my book. I head to Dog often when I crave this dish
• A fabulous patio. Big, sunny, and with great people watching – this is definitely an underrated patio. It’s covered and heated in the winter, so it’s in use all year round
• Live jazz two nights a week make for some nice ambiance. They also have a tv playing hockey games, so something for everyone
• Downsides: I find the service a little spotty at times, I have been served some not so fresh salad here, and the tables are very close together in the restaurant.

Trafalgars Bistro, 2603 W. 16th Ave (@Trafalgar)

• I enjoy all the food here – there’s something very comforting about how the food is prepared and tastes. The menu changes, but a couple months ago they had this killer warm salad with vegetables, spinach, and feta – so good.
• The bistro fries on the evening menu are heaven. Huge serving, with truffle oil and cheese.
• Fantastic brunch menu. I love coming here for brunch. They usually  have a scrumptious crepe and french toast on special in addition to their daytime menu. The lamb burger is also a highlight.
• Downsides: The decor is a little dark, with the older wood style, but it’s an otherwise welcoming restaurant. I’m also not a huge fan of Sweet Obsessions next door (although I’m the only one as everyone else I know loves them), so I tend not to do dessert here often.

Terra Breads is a well known source for great artisan breads and available at many grocery stores. There are three retail locations, with two locations also serving up espresso, soup, and sandwiches.

My favourites:

• I went through a serious phase with Terra’s blueberry bread with white chocolate. I think I ate it every day for a month. Crusty bread, sweet & tart blueberries, and smooth white chocolate speckled throughout. So yum.
• Terra Breads makes some of the best granola ever. Mix that with some honey vanilla yogurt and your choice of blueberry or cherry compote and you’ve got a breakfast that keeps you moving.
• There are sandwiches, and there are sandwiches. Terra Breads sandwiches are a great reminder of how important bread is for a sandwich. Good bread makes anything better. My sandwich today is vegetarian focaccia – fresh vegetables and ripe avocado on light and crispy parmesean focaccia. The sandwich menu offers lots of variety, from roasted salmon, to lamb, to turkey, to hummus and cucumber.
• Each day of the week, they make up a fresh soup, which pairs perfectly with any sandwich
• And of course…it’s a bakery. Top off your lunch with one of Terra Bread’s excellent cookies. I have chocolate macaroons today.

The location on 5th & Manitoba is by far the biggest and most relaxed. The Kitsilano location on 4th is small, but the food is still good.

Terra Breads Bakery & Cafe

2380 W. 4th Ave (@ Balsalm) in Kitsilano
Open 7 days a week until 7:30pm

and

53 W. 5th Ave (@ Manitoba) in Mount Pleasant / False Creek
Closed on Sunday. Open until 6pm on weekdays, 5pm on Saturday

I used to live three blocks from the Zakkushi on 4th ave and I still return again and again. The focus of Zakkushi is on their grill, which uses a high quality Japanese charcoal. I don’t know much about the technicalities, but the flavour from this grill is excellent. Smoky, charred, sweet. Mmmmm.

The first Zakkushi to open was on Denman St, then 4th Ave, and now Main St. The menus at each location are similar, but with a few things specific to each location. Looks like the Main St. location also does sushi rolls, which the other two don’t.

Anyway, enough of logistics…the food. Here are my all-time favourites:

• Zaru Tofu: fresh, soft, cold tofu on ice. If you love tofu, order this.
• Takowasa: diced octopus mixed with a wasabi dressing in a mini martini glass. Incredibly flavourful and fresh with that wasabi kick
• Yakitori (grilled items on bamboo sticks) – Asparamaki – tender green asparagus wrapped with fatty bacon and grilled. Harami – tender grilled beef topped with radish and ponzu sauce. Shiso Maki – juicy chicken with shisho leaf (note – shisho is a very strong herb. I like it, but it can be an acquired taste)
• Spinach salad with cripsy fried lotus root on top
• Mentai Kimchi Udon – the menu description reads: pan fried udon with seasoned fish roe and kimchi. Okay, to some this may sound funny. But trust me…it is SO DAMN GOOD. You have to try it.
• Banana Gyoza – deep fried bananas and ice cream for under $4? I’m in for dessert here

I find the prices at Zakkushi very reasonable. You can eat like a king for not much money. My meals for 2 average anywhere b/w $25 to $60. If you find Kingyo or Hapa too expensive for regular visits, go to Zakkushi.

One warning – Zakkushi is not the biggest restaurant.  They do take reservations, so call them if you have your heart set on a certain time.

Zakkushi Charcoal Grill Diner
3 locations (4th & Cypress, Denman & Robson, Main & 25th) – details here

I have been to DB a few more times since my first blog write-up, and this restaurant is just excellent. Yet I was at the restaurant yesterday – a Saturday night – and the place was busy (2/3rds full), but not packed. Given the level of food and service, I was expecting more people!

But let’s talk about why you should go:

• I was at DB for brunch one day and crepes were the feature menu item. I ordered a spinach and mushroom crepe. What I received was the most incredible crepe in Vancouver. Light as a feather crepe, and the most flavour-packed spinach and mushroom filling you can imagine.
• The always excellent Moderne Burger sits a couple doors away from DB. I love Moderne burger, but for a couple dollars more, DB does a pretty good classic burger. Juicy burger, soft parmean bun, good fries. There is also the original DB burger which is totally over the top – sirloin filled with short ribs and truffle ($28). It’s huge!
• Dinner last night…several knockout dishes were served. To start…tarte flambee – thin, crispy flatbread with a lucious bacon and cream topping. Perfectly seasoned caesar salad. A simple yet amazing heriloom tomato salad with white balsamic and goat cheese. Mains…an awesome pheasant tortellini, slow baked halibut with fresh fava beans and a potent meyer lemon cream sauce, and the evening’s feature – pork done three ways (leg, rack, belly).
• Dessert last night…more knockouts. My husband was not sharing any of his black forest sundae. I expect many visits back to DB just to have an espresso and this sundae. My mini madelines were warm, soft, and soooo good. The cherry clafouti? Wow! Plump pitted cherries, tender custard, and drool worthy cherry pit ice cream.
• When I was at DB for dinner a couple weeks ago, I noticed they had some weekday dinner specials. Call the restaurant to enquire, but they seemed like good deals.

I know I’ll be back.

DB Bistro Moderne
2551 West Broadway (@ Larch)
604-739-7115