We always get asked about what to see and do in our neighbourhood, so it seems like it is time to put together a little guide on where to eat, drink, shop, and visit!
Food
The Arbor – 3941 Main St – “Relaxed eatery serving gourmet vegetarian & vegan comfort dishes in a chic, modern space.”. We LOVE the Arbor. The food is fantastic, and on a nice day, they have perhaps the best patio on Main Street (it’s hidden in the back!). We can’t recommend it enough.
https://www.thearborrestaurant.ca/
Published – 3593 Main St. – “Upscale restaurant presenting innovative, carefully sourced cuisine amid retro-chic surroundings.” This is one of Rob’s favourite restaurants, which is dangerous since it’s literally on our block! Rated as one of Canada’s top restaurants, and recently awarded a Michelin star, it can be a bit tough to get a reservation, but you can try for bar seating. Your night won’t come cheap, but you’ll love every minute of it!
https://publishedonmain.com/
Ahn and Chi – 3388 Main St – “Simple, long-time eatery with Vietnamese staples such as pho, with vegetarian & gluten-free options.”. Fantastic spot with a great cocktail menu. Be prepared for a lineup, but it’s worth it.
https://anhandchi.com/
Barney’s On Main – 2526 Main St –“ Easygoing, brick-lined stop with large beer list & cocktails plus comfort food & a weekend brunch.”. I go to Barney’s practically every single weekend for brunch. On Sunday’s they have $6 pints of mimosas. How can anyone turn that down? It’s a nice laid back spot you can spend hours in.
https://www.barneysonmain.com/
El Camino’s – 3250 Main St – “Chill hot spot with Latin American street food & happy hours, plus weekend brunch & outdoor seating.”. Great spot for any meal of the day (brunch is only on weekends). I’d venture to say they also have the best margarita on Main, which is saying something!
http://www.elcaminos.ca/
General Public – 3289 Main St. – “This playful eatery showcasing eccentric artwork features Japanese fare, creative sushi & cocktails.”. We love it here, plus they’ve got giant mason jar mojitos!
https://thegeneralpublic.ca/
Sun Sui Wah – 3888 Main St. – “Classy Chinese dining room known for its dim sum, roasted squab & Alaskan King Crab.”
http://www.sunsuiwah.ca/
Autostrada Osteria – 4811 Main St – One of Rob’s absolute favourite spots. Excellent Italian Cuisine. Not to be missed!
https://www.autostradahospitality.ca/main-st
Sushi Mania – 3851 Main St. – One of our favourite quick and easy places on Main Street. Affordable and tasty with fantastic service!
https://sushimania.ca/
Liberty Bakery – 3699 Main St. – “Quaint coffee shop & cafe serving house-baked pastries plus soups & sandwiches in art-filled digs.”. We LOVE Liberty. We’ve been going there for as long as we’ve been on Main street. I’m pretty sure I could eat 100 of their Totoro cookies. There’s always good music playing, and they are situated right at the parklet on 21st and Main. Great staff, great owners.
https://www.liberty-bakery.com/
Foglifter – 3590 Main St. – “Foglifter Coffee Roasters is a small-batch specialty coffee roasting company based in Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada.”. Foglifter may seem like it is new the the hood, but these are the same great people that were running the old Bean Around The World (in the same location’s previous building) years ago. They’ve even kept a bunch of the same menu items! You’ll often see us frantically running across the street to top up through the day.
https://www.fogliftercoffee.com/
Drinks
Hero’s Welcome – 3917 Main St. – “Hero’s Welcome is a community-focused pub which for over 70 years has been home to the Local 298 Taurus Club. Hero’s Welcome seeks to capture the energy of the post-war Canadian Veteran’s Club and bring it into a modern setting.”. This right here is one of my favourite spots in all of Vancouver. We all used to go here back when it was the Local 298, so we are so happy to see it get a second life again. It’s a fantastic large space with pool, foosball, pinball, skee-ball, and other arcade classics. The beer is great, and the staff are amazing. They also do many weekly events such as karaoke on Wednesdays, trivia on Tuesdays, and live jazz on Sundays. Ben has also been known to DJ there on occasion, so keep an eye out for that too!
https://heros-welcome.com/
Shameful Tiki Room – 4362 Main St. – “Lively haunt with a tropical vibe offering Polynesian-inspired food, exotic cocktails & live music.”. Shameful Tiki isn’t just one of the best bars in Vancouver, it is one of the finest tiki bars in the world. I’ve been to tiki bars all over the world, and this one truly is amongst the best. The drinks, the atmosphere, and the staff are all top shelf. Juices and syrups are made fresh in house, and the drinks are made and measured properly to give you some of the best examples of these classic cocktails.
https://shamefultikiroom.com/vancouver/
Hyde – 2960 Main St. – Easily, without question, the coldest beer on Main street. Good tunes, great food, and great staff. This bar is owner operated, so chances are you’ll be served by one of the three wonderful owners!
https://www.instagram.com/hyderestaurant/
Pinky’s – 2420 Main St. – One of the newest additions to Main Street, Pinky’s brings a casual while still classy vibe to our street. Great vibe, great staff, and they’ve got a jukebox (which I may or may not play The Boys Are Back in Town on too many times in a night). They’re open late, and Monday night is all night happy hour! They also have, in my option, the best french fries on Main street, without question!
https://www.instagram.com/pinkysonmain
The Lido – 518 E Broadway – “Unpretentious watering hole in a retro-chic setting offering cozy outdoor seating.”. We LOVE The Lido. It’s a great vibe, and they often have great live music and DJs. This is a bit off Main street, but well worth the short walk.
http://thelido.net/
Hail Mary’s – 670 E Broadway – Great cocktails, great vibes, and great service! A religion-themed bar that is built for sinnin’ in! This is right by The Lido, so if you’re out that way, this is unmissable! They also have probably the most photographed washrooms (your choice of heaven or hell) in all of Mount Pleasant!
https://www.hailmaryrestaurant.com/
Breweries – There are a TON of breweries in and around Main Street, so you can spend a whole afternoon popping in and checking them all out! Make sure not to miss 33 Acres, Brassneck, Main Street Brewing, R&B Brewery, and Electric Bicycle.
Simply Delicious – Very casual Japanese fare, but the real gem here is the second floor covered patio that overlooks Main Street, and their absolutely insane weekend happy hour (11am-6pm). Pretty tough to top the deals here!
https://sdeatery.com/
Shopping
Main is a great area to shop all kinds of great independent businesses. The bulk of them are situated between 16th avenue and 29th avenue. There’s too many great spots to recommend, so I would say take a stroll up and down both sides of the street and get lost in our neighborhood!
Record stores
Vancouver is blessed with a large number of independent record stores. If you’re coming to our neighborhood to see us, be sure to also check out our friends at Red Cat up the street (8 blocks south of here). Making it over to Commercial Drive? Make sure you hit Audiopile! Going to Kitsilano? Go check out Zulu! Hanging out downtown? Don’t miss Beat Street!
Shows
This is a big one we get asked all the time, and sadly it has been a lot tougher to give a concrete central directory on what to see while you’re in town. Venues all use different ticketing sites, so that becomes quite fractured, and many of the local papers that used to cover these things don’t exist anymore. Luckily, there is a great Instagram page that is a wealth of information on what’s happening around the city this week! Check it out here https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinvan/ . If you come by the shop, we’ll be happy to tell you if we know of anything happening while you’re here too!
Visit
Queen Elizabeth Park – If you’re reading this page, you’ve probably already read about places to go in Vancouver, and I’m sure that Stanley Park was at the top of that list. We love Stanley Park, but we can’t emphasize enough how wonderful Queen Elizabeth Park is. There are beautiful gardens, the Bloedel Conservator (which is housed in a 60’s geodesic dome), and probably the absolute best views of the city. It makes for a great afternoon, and it’s only about a 25 minute walk from here. You can have a picnic in one of the many open grassy areas, or you can go to the wonderful restaurant at the top of the hill, Seasons in The Park. There are panoramic views of the city from just about any seat there. Absolutely do not miss this park!
Mount Pleasant Park / John Rogers Park / Dude Chilling Park – Three great city parks just off Main street and near different breweries and restaurants. Spend a nice lazy afternoon in the sun enjoying the many nearby parks! Grab a six pack and watch the sun set and pet every dog that walks by you!