British Columbia's Restaurants
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide for British Columbia, Canada.
British Columbia's fertile soil and agreeable climates contribute to a strong agricultural and food industry making the province a veritable horn of plenty. From the Okanagan's fruit basket to the West Coast's fruit of the sea, local cuisine lives off the fat of the land for a rich restaurant scene that supports regional food combined with flavourful and diverse cultural influences.
BRITISH COLUMBIA'S HORN OF PLENTY: THE PROVINCIAL LANDSCAPE
A varied landscape and an eclectic population means that every sort of cuisine, chain restaurant and bar is well represented across British Columbia. Regional cuisine from local ingredients are readily found in restaurants throughout the province. From Northern B.C. bison to Nicola Valley venison, such ingredients have gone gourmet in internationally renowned restaurants found in major centres such as Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler.
Another highlight is First Nations' cuisine. Look for bannock, maple sugar pie, cedar plank salmon and meat cooked in clay vessels. Restaurants devoted to First Nations' cuisine includes Quaaout Lodge in the Okanagan, The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre near Whistler, and the Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate.
Perhaps due to the abundance of fruit and vegetables found in B.C., the province may have the largest concentration of vegetarian restaurants in the nation, particularly in Vancouver, Nelson and Victoria.
REGIONAL DELIGHTS
Thompson Okanagan
Canada's banana belt, the Thompson Okanagan is ripe with fruit and vegetable farms and has an established wine industry. While most vineyards offer wine tastings, on-site fine dining is fast becoming de rigeur, supporting seasonally and regional ingredients in the process. Try the Old Vines Restaurant at Quails' Gate specialising in terroir-specific wines and cuisine.
Vancouver, Lower Mainland and Whistler
West Coast cuisine is king in British Columbia, with Vancouver being its throne. Internationally acclaimed chefs and their restaurants are located here, with an emphasis on seafood and regional foods. Restaurants open and close with the changing tide but two mainstays are Bishop's and The Cannery.
A modern metropolis, any kind of restaurant and the best nightclubs are found in Vancouver, from upscale lounges to establishments serving authentic ethnic cuisine like Phnom Penh with over 25 years under its belt. Merely walking down Robson Street, West End's Denman Street or Commercial Drive will render numerous culinary discoveries. Vancouver is also known for its prolific sushi restaurants, the slippery competition making for very reasonable prices compared nationally.
What Vancouver is to sushi, Richmond is to Chinese cuisine. Arguably the best Chinese restaurants in North America are found here, with some 400 of them in a city of less than 200,000 people. Holding strong in the battle is Bamboo Grove, Richmond's oldest Chinese restaurant.
At 176 km (109 mi) from the Vancouver area, Whistler is a world-class resort with even more international eyes on it of late because of the 2010 Olympics. Find everything from high-end nooks to cozy après-ski crannies.
The Islands
Dungeness crab, wild salmon, Qualicum Bay scallops, Salt Spring Island mussels and Duncan's Fairburn Farm buffalo mozzarella are regional delicacies that are treasured among many other gastronomic riches found on Vancouver Island and throughout the surrounding islands. Restaurants here are serious about providing quality cuisine over quantity. While chain restaurants exist, they are few and far between outside of Nanaimo and Victoria.
Victoria has the second most restaurants per capita in North America after San Francisco. Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing fresh cuisine typified by Pacific seafood and the local food movement. While there is enough of a cross section of gourmet and ethnic-influenced restaurants to keep a foodie in culinary heaven for an eternity, Victoria is legendary for its British-inspired afternoon teas. The Tea Lobby at the Fairmont Empress, The Blethering Room and Murchie's are among the upper crust.
Northern British Columbia
Wild seafood, from salmon to crab, and game meat, including bison, venison and moose, are what Northern B.C. is known for in the culinary world. Local restaurants make use of regional ingredients while Canada's ethnic diversity is also expressed through a profusion of varied restaurants in Prince Rupert and Prince George. Look for Ukrainian and Filipino cuisine alongside sushi restaurants and French bistros.
Don't be caught without the catch of the day. The freshest of fresh seafood is available straight off the boat at the Cow Bay Historic Waterfront District in Prince Rupert. Fresher still, visitors can catch their own dinner by chartering a boat here or out of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
British Columbia's Rocky Mountains
B.C.'s Rockies cradle superb ski and snowboard resorts, hot springs and golf courses. With a landscape that is perhaps reminiscent of Germany's own mountain ranges, the town of Kimberly recreates a little Bavaria with fire hydrants in lederhosen, a giant cuckoo clock downtown, and German restaurants lining the downtown platzl. There's more schnitzel, spaetzel and bratwurst here than one can shake a pretzel at.
Radium is also known for its German and Austrian dishes found at restaurants the Old Salzburg and Helna's Stube. Home to the Black Forest Restaurant, nearby Invermere-Windermere, for many years a quiet escape, is awakening from its culinary slumber.
Along with mountain cafes serving great coffee, scratch baking and homemade soups, nearby Panorama Mountain Village has a ski-in-and-out restaurant nearly 2137 m (7,000 ft) up; The Elkhorn features an all-Canadian menu.
In Golden, visitors can eat regional cuisine while enjoying a bird's-eye view at Eagle's Eye, Canada's highest elevation restaurant located at Kicking Horse Resort.
BRITISH COLUMBIA'S HORN OF PLENTY: THE PROVINCIAL LANDSCAPE
A varied landscape and an eclectic population means that every sort of cuisine, chain restaurant and bar is well represented across British Columbia. Regional cuisine from local ingredients are readily found in restaurants throughout the province. From Northern B.C. bison to Nicola Valley venison, such ingredients have gone gourmet in internationally renowned restaurants found in major centres such as Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler.
Another highlight is First Nations' cuisine. Look for bannock, maple sugar pie, cedar plank salmon and meat cooked in clay vessels. Restaurants devoted to First Nations' cuisine includes Quaaout Lodge in the Okanagan, The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre near Whistler, and the Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate.
Perhaps due to the abundance of fruit and vegetables found in B.C., the province may have the largest concentration of vegetarian restaurants in the nation, particularly in Vancouver, Nelson and Victoria.
REGIONAL DELIGHTS
Thompson Okanagan
Canada's banana belt, the Thompson Okanagan is ripe with fruit and vegetable farms and has an established wine industry. While most vineyards offer wine tastings, on-site fine dining is fast becoming de rigeur, supporting seasonally and regional ingredients in the process. Try the Old Vines Restaurant at Quails' Gate specialising in terroir-specific wines and cuisine.
Vancouver, Lower Mainland and Whistler
West Coast cuisine is king in British Columbia, with Vancouver being its throne. Internationally acclaimed chefs and their restaurants are located here, with an emphasis on seafood and regional foods. Restaurants open and close with the changing tide but two mainstays are Bishop's and The Cannery.
A modern metropolis, any kind of restaurant and the best nightclubs are found in Vancouver, from upscale lounges to establishments serving authentic ethnic cuisine like Phnom Penh with over 25 years under its belt. Merely walking down Robson Street, West End's Denman Street or Commercial Drive will render numerous culinary discoveries. Vancouver is also known for its prolific sushi restaurants, the slippery competition making for very reasonable prices compared nationally.
What Vancouver is to sushi, Richmond is to Chinese cuisine. Arguably the best Chinese restaurants in North America are found here, with some 400 of them in a city of less than 200,000 people. Holding strong in the battle is Bamboo Grove, Richmond's oldest Chinese restaurant.
At 176 km (109 mi) from the Vancouver area, Whistler is a world-class resort with even more international eyes on it of late because of the 2010 Olympics. Find everything from high-end nooks to cozy après-ski crannies.
The Islands
Dungeness crab, wild salmon, Qualicum Bay scallops, Salt Spring Island mussels and Duncan's Fairburn Farm buffalo mozzarella are regional delicacies that are treasured among many other gastronomic riches found on Vancouver Island and throughout the surrounding islands. Restaurants here are serious about providing quality cuisine over quantity. While chain restaurants exist, they are few and far between outside of Nanaimo and Victoria.
Victoria has the second most restaurants per capita in North America after San Francisco. Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing fresh cuisine typified by Pacific seafood and the local food movement. While there is enough of a cross section of gourmet and ethnic-influenced restaurants to keep a foodie in culinary heaven for an eternity, Victoria is legendary for its British-inspired afternoon teas. The Tea Lobby at the Fairmont Empress, The Blethering Room and Murchie's are among the upper crust.
Northern British Columbia
Wild seafood, from salmon to crab, and game meat, including bison, venison and moose, are what Northern B.C. is known for in the culinary world. Local restaurants make use of regional ingredients while Canada's ethnic diversity is also expressed through a profusion of varied restaurants in Prince Rupert and Prince George. Look for Ukrainian and Filipino cuisine alongside sushi restaurants and French bistros.
Don't be caught without the catch of the day. The freshest of fresh seafood is available straight off the boat at the Cow Bay Historic Waterfront District in Prince Rupert. Fresher still, visitors can catch their own dinner by chartering a boat here or out of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands).
British Columbia's Rocky Mountains
B.C.'s Rockies cradle superb ski and snowboard resorts, hot springs and golf courses. With a landscape that is perhaps reminiscent of Germany's own mountain ranges, the town of Kimberly recreates a little Bavaria with fire hydrants in lederhosen, a giant cuckoo clock downtown, and German restaurants lining the downtown platzl. There's more schnitzel, spaetzel and bratwurst here than one can shake a pretzel at.
Radium is also known for its German and Austrian dishes found at restaurants the Old Salzburg and Helna's Stube. Home to the Black Forest Restaurant, nearby Invermere-Windermere, for many years a quiet escape, is awakening from its culinary slumber.
Along with mountain cafes serving great coffee, scratch baking and homemade soups, nearby Panorama Mountain Village has a ski-in-and-out restaurant nearly 2137 m (7,000 ft) up; The Elkhorn features an all-Canadian menu.
In Golden, visitors can eat regional cuisine while enjoying a bird's-eye view at Eagle's Eye, Canada's highest elevation restaurant located at Kicking Horse Resort.
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