Vancouver is a curious city. Throughout most of the year, the wet and grey atmosphere tends to cause us city folks to have our heads down, headphones in and slightly annoyed expressions on our faces. Usually, we look busy, tired and stressed.
Something wonderful happens to this city as the summer months roll in, though: the seemingly eternal rain has succeeded in providing lush vegetation, fresh air and fairly clean streets. The people change, too. Perhaps most us are simply vitamin D-deficient and just needed a little sun to cheer us up. Whatever the cause, people begin to smile a lot more in the summer, and go outside for some fun summer activities.
One of these summer activities is, of course, enjoying the company of friends, food and beverages on patios. Everything is just better in the sun: food tastes better, bad service isn’t so annoying and strangers begin to seem not so strange after all.
While Vancouver may lack the sprawling cafe fronts of Paris, or the prolific rooftop patios of New York, we do boast some pretty awesome spots to relax and enjoy some nourishment. Not all patios are created equally, though. While you will find many patios in Vancouver, here is a list of a few good places to relax on after the semester comes to a close.
The Keg Yaletown
(1011 Mainland Street)
There is no shortage of patios lining Mainland Street in Yaletown, and while any one of these one patios will suffice for an usual patio outing, there is a hidden gem amongst them: The Keg’s rooftop patio. Lined with tweed-like benches, decorated with bamboo and enclosed with glass, this patio is classy without being snobbish.
Rooftop patios also have a different feel; since you are not able to look at any scenery, the focus is on the food, the companionship, and the glorious sun. Also, as an ex-Keg employee, I can attest to the unbeatable quality of the food for the price. There really isn’t another place where you can get immaculate service and a $20 steak dinner that is that fucking delicious.
Chill Winston
(3 Alexander Street)
While any patio will be packed on a sunny day, you may have to wait a quite a while to get on this one during the summer months. We showed up at 2:00 p.m. on an overcast Wednesday, and still had to wait to get a table. Regardless, this patio is awesome.
Located in Gastown, this patio reaches a wide radius out onto the street, and has tables with umbrellas or direct sun. It’s also a great place to people watch since there are numerous tourists with their cameras around their necks, marvelling at the sights of Vancouver.
The service is also fantastic. My friend and I aren’t really the types to have drinks in the middle of the day, so we asked the server if it would be possible to have some sort of fruity, virgin concoction whipped up for us; moments later she delivered us with a perfectly refreshing beverage. The best part of this place? The truffles. Each truffle is handcrafted and a chocolate lover’s delight. Even if this patio was terrible (and it wasn’t), I would go back just to get another piece of chocolate decadence.
Havana
(1212 Commercial Drive)
Although this patio looks like a basic run-of-the-mill spot, this is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver. Serving up nuevo Latino cuisine and Cuban cocktails, Havana has a wicked menu and an even better cocktail list. There is a great selection of sangria, mojitos, wine and beer. I would highly recommend the champagne sangria. Be careful though, because pitchers of this stuff can sneak up on you, and you can end up a little more intoxicated than intended (it definitely happened to me).
Havana is nestled right next to Grandview Park, so there are always more than a few interesting characters to watch. The day that I visited Havana, there was a man casually walking around the neighbourhood on stilts, waving at the passersby and honking cars. Drums circles and guitar players also spotted the park, so music softly played as we enjoyed the evening.
This restaurant also offers something unusual: a gallery and a theatre. On most days of the week, there is either an improv show, standup comedy or a theatrical production. Havana’s really has it all: fantastic food, great service, a wicked atmosphere and deliciously consumable entertainment.
Falconetti’s
(1812 Commercial Drive)
The official patio here is tiny — it literally has five tables on a very small balcony — but the entire upstairs has a patio-like feel. With large glass balcony doors and skylights, it actually feels like you are outside in the sun. And hey, at least you can forego the nasty sunburn if you don’t get a table on the actual patio.
The food is the usual pub style fare, but the drink selection is decent with lots of local brewery options. The servers and bartenders are also awesome, and there is usually live music playing in the evening. This place is great if you just want to enjoy a drink with a friend in a no-hassle, laid-back environment.
49th Parallel Cafe (2902 Main Street)
Looking for a place that serves a perfect latte and scrumptious donuts? Look no further because 49th Parallel has you covered. With a large selection of tea and gourmet coffee, 49th Parallel Cafe will definitely serve all your caffeine-addicted needs.
While this patio isn’t fantastic with its dozen or so picnic-style bench tables, it is a great place to sit and read a book, or finally finish that literary masterpiece you have been working on. Not the literary type? No problem — with the cute designs decorating most of the drinks, you can upload pictures to Instagram to show the world how awesome your food is.
Lift
(333 Menchions Mews)
All right, let me preface this review by stating: any restaurant that sets their tables with wine glasses and white linens is going to be a fair bit pricer than, say, a greasy spoon diner. The fact that Lift uses iPads for their menus is also a dead give-away that you are not at Bon’s Off Broadway. Compared to restaurants like Cactus Club, however, it really isn’t too much more, and if you have a few extra dollars to spare, it really is worth it.
Located in Coal Harbour, Lift is set right on the water, and is a wonderfully relaxing experience. With the smells of the ocean wafting by, the lights glittering off Lions Gate Bridge and the mountains in the distance, this patio is stunning. As long as you eschew the vintage bottle of wine, the bill shouldn’t be too astronomical.
Vancouver Art Gallery
(750 Hornby Street)
Due to our student status, getting a membership at the Vancouver Art Gallery is quite reasonably priced at $45 for the year. While our gallery is no Louvre, it still has some fascinating exhibits that make it worth the visit. Another reason to go? It has a secluded patio, covered in potted plants, shrubbery and chickadees flittering by. The food is quite good, too; it changes often and always has a lot of fresh fruit and salads.
It’s also a fantastic place to people watch with punk rockers sitting on the steps, activists yelling and lots of pretty people walking by. Inspired by the art (and maybe a little wine), my friends and I grabbed sketchbooks and pretended were were artists. I don’t think we fooled anyone, though.
