Frank Arrives

🏝️ Granville Island

Right next door! Check out the Public Market, artisan shops, and waterfront dining.

🍺 Brewing August

Vancouver's first west-side craft brewery near Granville Island with a laid-back patio. Blonde IPA, Hazy IPAs, and food from Las Autenticas. Dog-friendly patio, trivia Wednesdays, comedy Thursdays.

🥖 Ba Le Banh Mi

Family-owned Vietnamese deli making bánh mì since 1987. Try the Cold Cut Special with fresh baguettes. Vegetarian and vegan options available. Three locations across Vancouver.

🍜 Ramen Danbo

Fukuoka-style Hakata tonkotsu ramen. Daily-made broth with customizable spice and noodle firmness. Vegan menu with plant-based broth available.

🥖 Obahnmi on Broadway

Vietnamese bánh mì with customizable sandwiches, spring rolls, and Vietnamese coffee. Deluxe Classic with housemade pâté and Lemongrass Chicken with red curry paste. Vegetarian, vegan, and halal options. Mon-Thu: 11am-4pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-5pm; Closed Sunday.

🍜 Jinya Ramen Bar - Vancouver West

Ramen chain with slow-cooked broths and handmade noodles. Try the Tonkotsu Black Ramen with black garlic oil or the Creamy Vegan Ramen. This location has a full bar.

🇸🇪 IKEA Restaurant - Richmond

Swedish restaurant with meatballs, plant balls, and salmon. Swedish Bistro has hot dogs and cinnamon buns. IKEA Family members get free coffee/tea Mon-Fri and weekly deals. Breakfast 9:30-11am. Meatless Mondays ($2 off), Wednesday kids eat free.

🌱 M!LA Plant-Based

Plant-based restaurant in Chinatown, from the Virtuous Pie team. Try the Aburi Lox Oshi, Dan Dan Noodles, Karaage Bao, or Peanut Butter Cup Pie. Full bar with cocktails.

🍔 Juicy Joe's Burgers

Kitsilano smash burger joint using Canadian grass-fed beef. Try the Classic Smash Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheeseburger, or Mushroom & Blue Burger. The Parmesan Truffle Fries and poutine are great. Wed-Sun: 5pm-1am; Closed Mon-Tue.

🍕 Via Tevere Pizzeria Napoletana

Certified Neapolitan pizzeria (AVPN). Wood-fired 12" pizzas—try the Margherita, Prosciutto e Funghi, or Tricolore. Housemade Tiramisu and Graffe con Nutella. Victoria Drive: Walk-ins only, closed Mondays. Main Street: Reservations available.

🍕 Ignite Pizzeria

Local pizzeria with stone-fired pizza cooked at 800 degrees. Three-day dough fermentation. Try the Funghi Supreme with truffle oil or Montreal Smoked Meat Pizza. Vegan options and pizza by the slice available.

🌱 MeeT Restaurant

Vegan comfort food with three locations. Try the MeeT Burger with crispy onion rings, Cheezy TeeM Poutine with cashew miso gravy, or Butter Chikkin. Weekend brunch at Yaletown location.

🥙 Afra on Main

Family-owned Middle Eastern grocery and deli. Try the homemade hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, dolmades, falafel, and baklava. Persian sangak bread. Benches outside. Mon-Sat: 10am-8pm; Sun: 10am-7pm.

🫓 Indian Roti Kitchen

Vancouver's first East Indian roti shop with huge roti wraps. One roti feeds two people! Try the Butter Chicken Roti, Chicken Korma, or Palak Paneer. Spice levels 1-6. Tue-Sun: 12pm-9pm; Closed Monday.

☕ Oide Coffee

Japanese-inspired specialty coffee near Granville Island. Espresso and matcha drinks.

☕ Nemesis Coffee

Multiple locations with excellent coffee and pastries from Dope Bakehouse.

☕ Prototype Coffee

Micro-roastery with roast-to-order coffee and waffle donuts.

☕ Revolver Coffee

Multi-roaster café in Gastown with rotating beans from top North American roasters.

☕ Pallet Coffee Roasters

Coffee roastery in a converted 1923 steel foundry with original Douglas Fir beams and exposed concrete. Has a refurbished 1930s Probat roaster.

☕ 49th Parallel Coffee

Downtown location paired with Lucky's Doughnuts. Doughnuts made throughout the day, plus savory brunch menu.

🥾 Dog Mountain

Easy 5km round trip from Mount Seymour parking lot with views of North Vancouver, Lions Gate Bridge, downtown skyline, Mount Baker, and Fraser Valley. Moderate difficulty—slippery roots and rocky sections despite minimal elevation gain.

🥾 St. Marks Summit

10.5km round trip with 567m elevation gain. North Shore views of Howe Sound, its islands, Tantalus Range glaciers, and the Lions. First half is well-maintained gravel, second half is technical with steep switchbacks. Go July-November. 4-5 hours return.

🥾 Tunnel Bluffs

11.5km with 470m elevation gain to clifftop viewpoint overlooking Howe Sound. Access via Sunset Drive trailhead in Lions Bay (old Tunnel Point trailhead closed). Limited parking—arrive early or on weekdays. 4 hours return.

🥾 Lynn Canyon Park

Free suspension bridge alternative to Capilano! Built in 1912, spanning 50 meters across the canyon. Trails through temperate rainforest, including Twin Falls Loop and Thirty Foot Pool swimming hole. Less crowded than Capilano.

🎨 Vancouver Art Gallery

National Historic Site in a former 1906 courthouse. Currently featuring "Enemy Alien: Tamio Wakayama" (Oct 3, 2025 – Feb 22, 2026)—first major retrospective with 300+ photographs across five decades of social justice movements. Canada's most significant Emily Carr collection. Free First Friday Nights 4-8pm.

🏛️ Museum of Anthropology at UBC

Arthur Erickson building overlooking mountains and ocean. Has Bill Reid's "The Raven and the First Men" yellow cedar sculpture and tons of his work. Great Hall with 15-meter glass walls and totem poles. Reopened June 2024 after seismic upgrades. Half-price Thursday evenings after 5pm.

🚴 Seawall around False Creek

9km paved loop with great city views. Start from Granville Island and cycle past Science World, Olympic Village, and Yaletown.

🚴 Kitsilano to UBC

Beach route through Jericho, Locarno, and Spanish Banks to UBC campus. Visit the Museum of Anthropology and botanical gardens.

🚴 Stanley Park Seawall

9km loop around Stanley Park. Counter-clockwise only for cyclists. Views of mountains, ocean, and downtown.

🏔️ Peyto Lake

Bright turquoise from glacial sediment. Looks like a wolf head from above. 10-15 minute wheelchair-accessible walk from Bow Summit parking.

Best times: Best before 9am or after 4pm to avoid crowds. Colors most vibrant late June-early September when the sun's higher.

💦 Athabasca Falls

The Parkway's most powerful waterfall. Not the tallest (23m), but massive volume as the river squeezes through a limestone gorge. Fed by Columbia Icefield. Wheelchair-accessible paved pathway.

Best times: Go before 8am or after 7pm to avoid crowds. Strongest flow in late May-June from snowmelt.

❄️ Columbia Icefield / Athabasca Glacier

The Rockies' biggest icefield. Ice Explorer tours take you onto 10,000-year-old glacier. Includes Glacier Skywalk—glass-floored platform 280m above Sunwapta Valley.

Season: May 3-October 13, 2025. Adult $116, Youth $76. Book advance at banffjaspercollection.com. 20% off after 3:30pm.

💙 Bow Lake

Turquoise glacial lake with Crowfoot Glacier backdrop. Right off the highway with shoreline access at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.

Best times: Sunrise for mirror reflections, sunset for golden light. Skip midday if it's windy.

💦 Sunwapta Falls

Upper Falls: 100m wheelchair-accessible walk, 18.5m powerful drop through narrow gorge. Lower Falls: 1.3km downstream, less crowded, narrow canyon with three smaller cascades.

Best times: Before 8am or after 7pm is quietest. Biggest flow in May-June from glacier melt.

🏞️ Mistaya Canyon

Limestone canyon with narrow twisting gorge carved by Mistaya River. Multiple cascades through carved limestone. Wooden footbridge with views straight down into the gorge. 25-40 minute round trip.

Best times: Go before 9am or after 7pm. Gets packed midday.

🦌 What to Look For

• Bighorn Sheep: Sandy coat, white rump, massive curved horns on rams. Often at Tangle Falls, Medicine Lake, higher viewpoints.
• Mountain Goats: White coats, short black horns, beards. Best at Kerkeslin Goat Lick (38km south of Jasper).
• Elk: Most commonly seen. Tan body, dark neck, creamy rump. DANGEROUS during calving (May-June) and rutting (Aug-Sept) seasons.
• Grizzly Bears: Large shoulder hump, dish-shaped face. Bow Valley Parkway in spring/early summer.
• Black Bears: Straight face profile, larger ears, no shoulder hump. Various colors despite name.

⏰ Best Viewing Times

Best at dawn and dusk when animals are feeding. Don't bother at midday. Summer sunrise 5:30-7am, sunset around 9:30-9:40pm.

Spring (Apr-Jun): Bears out foraging. Fall (Sep-Oct): Elk rutting season, bighorn sheep battles. Summer: Grizzlies head to high country.