We’ve visited Vancouver together as a family a couple of times recently and wanted to share our thoughts on just a few of the many available options.

The Flying Pig (Yaletown)

There are a couple of locations for The Flying Pig and we ate at the location in Yaletown, which was about an easy 10-15 minute walk from our hotel. Reservations were easily taken on Opentable. I wasn’t fully sure how kid-friendly the restaurant was, since I didn’t see a kids menu on their website, but they did have some kid menus available to us when we arrived (along with crayons to doodle on the menu). We arrived at 5pm and were able to order from the happy hour menu, which is where we spent most of our appetite.

On the plus side, when we arrived at that time on a weekday, the restaurant was fairly empty. That meant faster and dedicated service for us. In fact, we found staff members here to be incredibly friendly and we’d absolutely consider coming back if we were in the area. The happy hour menu here is pretty good quality and much better than the standard bar food fare. We enjoyed everything we tried, but were most impressed with the short rib and the mussels. Thankfully, the truffle oil on the fries wasn’t overpowering, which I find to be a common problem with truffle oil. Note the kids meal seems to be on the smaller side but it was good quality. I think it might not fill my kids if that was the only thing they were eating.

We topped it all off with a dessert: Margaret’s Maple Sugar Pie. We got it thinking the kids would also want some, but they both were too full and refused, so Jenn and I enjoyed it all by ourselves. It was a good end to the dining experience, but we were stuffed and didn’t truly need it.

The Sandbar

Located on Granville Island, The Sandbar is a popular dining option near the Aquabus docking point. Advanced reservations are recommended, but easily made on Open Table. Being that this restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived for dinner, service wasn’t the most attentive but servers still wore smiles on their faces when helping us. We dined up on the top floor in the outdoors section. While it was nice to be outside, you’d think there would be a breeze since you’re right by the water. But the way the building is structured, there actually isn’t any way for the breeze to reach you. So there are large fans blowing wind all over. At times, it felt a bit like dining in a wind tunnel. I would suggest opting for a seat indoors if you’re coming here in the summer.

For dinner, Jenn and I shared oysters, sashimi, and the sablefish. Both the oysters and sashimi were fresh and I would get them again. The sablefish was delicious and a highlight of our dinner here. The calamari was fine, but a tad on the salty side. The real treat here were the kids meals, which were large portions. Char loved her grilled salmon, which is something I make for her often at home.

After dinner, we shared some chocolate cake. Once again, the only assistance we received from the kids was Char eating the strawberry on top. I thought the cake was fine and the raspberry sauce helped cut into the richness of the chocolate, but again we were stuffed after this one.

Joey Burrard

Joey is a chain restaurant, but aside from Jenn who has been to a different location, it was the first time at the chain for all of us. We made a reservation for the tail end of happy hour, which meant we were able to get in one massive order from the happy hour menu. They have a lot of options available in their happy hour menu and it’s available every day of the week between 2PM and 5PM, making it an excellent choice for that ever-elusive weekend happy hour. Service was quite good and everyone loved the food here. The only problem was finding enough real estate on the table to place all the tables as much of it came out all around the same time. We ended the night with some s’mores ice cream pie and aside from us being stuffed, it was the perfect end to the evening. This restaurant is definitely worth a try.

Tap & Barrel

Tap & Barrel is a small chain within British Columbia and we visited the location by the Convention Centre near Canada Place. While the name immediately brings to mind thoughts of plenty of drinks on tap, I’d say they also offer excellent value kids meals. Perhaps it’s something to make sure the kids have something to do while the parents are drinking, but our kids certainly didn’t go hungry here. The food itself is good, though not necessarily all that memorable. And service itself was a little slow, but we did come here before the typical lunch crowd showed up, so it met my expectations coming in. If you’re looking for a spot to hang out either before or after your cruise, this is a perfectly reasonable choice. The restaurant did seem to be very accommodating that we had plenty of luggage in tow and carved out some room for us. The location is right by where the seaplanes take off, so you could do some plane spotting here if you’re into that.

Japadog

If you’re in the mood for some quick service hot dogs with a little flair, seek out Japadog, which has locations found all throughout Vancouver. In our case, Alex really needed a pick-me-up walking off our flight into Vancouver and once we stepped outside (and before we got to the light rail station), we found one that couldn’t be more conveniently located. I can’t say I’ve had a hot dog while in Japan, but the unique flavors are pretty good and it hit the spot for Alex. There are also plain options if you don’t want to be fancy.

Passione

Right next to our hotel was Passione, a gelato shop. We stopped by here after walking around the park. The lines weren’t too long and they moved fast. The flavors were good–not quite as good as in Italy, but pretty close. If you happen to be by the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver, you would be remiss if you didn’t stop in and get a cone.

For more ideas on planning your own Vancouver experience (including hotel and sightseeing recommendations), please check out the following posts:

• Trip Introduction: Fun in the Pacific Northwest
• Trip Introduction: Cruising the Last Frontier

Where do you like to eat in Vancouver with your family?