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“Defined by the interplay between landscape and structure, Vancouver’s skyline is framed by mountains and shaped by Art Deco landmarks, mid-century buildings, and contemporary high-rises by world-renowned architects. In our home city, nature and architecture exist in constant dialogue – an enduring influence on how we approach thoughtful, enduring design.” – Monos
Pepino’s occupies a space on Commercial Drive that served spaghetti for over 60 years. Under new ownership the Italian coast murals remain, the walls are still mirrored, and the food is even better.
Made world-famous by Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Thanh (the Lunch Lady) opened her first restaurant outside Saigon in Vancouver. Don’t forget to reserve.
The sibling restaurant to Michelin-starred St. Lawrence. More relaxed, with marble tabletops, scalloped light fixtures, and a kitchen that leans into the warmth of Québec’s casse-croûtes over fine dining formality.
Wood-fired sourdough pizza on Gore Ave, with friendly staff, a sun-soaked patio, and a natural wine list that never misses.
Seasonal ingredients and high quality fish at their finest. Sit at the counter where you can watch Chef Hil Nguy perfect his craft.
A nod to the classic, standing room-only tapas bars of Barcelona and Madrid. The bar keeps a sharp focus on premium gins, sherry on tap, and an always-changing Spanish wine list.
A vinyl listening bar in the basement of French brasserie June. Velvet curtains, moody lighting, cocktails, and snacks from the kitchen upstairs – crispy frog legs, beef tartare, the June Burger.
A community space in Chinatown rooted in design, music, and a globally inspired menu developed by a group of friends with roots from Kenya to the Philippines to Czechia.
A love letter to the tawdry allure of 1970s Hong Kong nightlife – plush pink drapery, floral carpet, dark wood panelling, a velvet-headboard Honeymoon Suite booth, and inventive cocktails.
A Mount Pleasant institution and the definitive Vancouver brewery experience, with beers rooted in classic European and West Coast styles.
Known for its antique-furnished rooms, attentive service, and the Bacchus restaurant below – refined, but never at the expense of warm hospitality.
The 1939 château-style landmark with its iconic green copper roof. Heritage-listed and architecturally significant in its own right; staying here is part of the city’s architectural story.
Rent through Airbnb at Main Space or Da Vinci, two live-work loft-style apartment buildings that reflect this neighbourhood’s industrial character.
A 1912 heritage building draped in Virginia creeper on English Bay. Unpretentious, well-located, and with a bar that’s been a neighbourhood institution for decades.
The only hotel on Granville Island, steps from the Public Market. A good base for a city that rewards exploring on foot and by water – the False Creek ferries are right outside.
Three Neighbour stores – women, men, and objects – can be found in Gastown. Consistently one of the most tightly edited retail operations in the city, with a strong international brand roster and an eye for the unfussy and enduring.
A carefully edited selection of contemporary furniture, design objects, and art and architecture books.
Stocked with independent streetwear brands, zines, homewares, and accessories, and visited by skateboarders, climbers, menswear enthusiasts, and curious passersby alike.
A menswear shop that curates with a focus on classic and contemporary clothing made with quality fabrics and high craftsmanship.
Designed by Arthur Erickson in 1976, the MOA houses one of the world’s finest collections of Indigenous art and material culture.
The city’s dedicated architecture tour operation, running guided walks through Vancouver’s most significant modernist buildings and neighbourhoods.
Housed in a 1906 neoclassical courthouse designed by Francis Rattenbury – imposing columns, lion sculptures, and geometric grandeur. The collection anchors one end of Robson Square, and the building itself is as much the draw as what’s inside.
Bing Thom’s 1997 cylindrical concert hall at UBC, celebrated for its extraordinary acoustics and its vine-covered exterior. Best paired with the Museum of Anthropology for a UBC architecture half-day.
A streamlined Art Deco civic landmark built in 1936 in Mount Pleasant – deliberately located outside the downtown core as a statement of civic independence.
Moshe Safdie’s 1995 Colosseum-inspired oval is one of the most photographed buildings in the city – a bold piece of civic symbolism that manages to be both monumental and surprisingly humane at street level.
The 1930 Art Deco skyscraper on Burrard Street, covered in intricate terra cotta ornamentation depicting sea creatures, ships, and marine life. One of the finest Art Deco buildings in Canada.
Bjarke Ingels Group’s 2021 residential tower, widening dramatically as it rises from a triangular base constrained by the Granville Bridge ramp. A contemporary landmark that demonstrates what can happen when architectural ambition meets an impossible site.
