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Updating the Vancouver Heatmap: Where to Eat Now

by Nikki Bayley
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by Nikki Bayley

If you've been puzzling over where you should eat out, Eater is back to answer that very question with our newest edition of the Heatmap—a guide to what's new, what's hot, and which restaurants are causing most buzz in Van City. 
While the Eater 38 is a resource that covers old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not necessarily a chronicle of the "it" places of the moment. Thus, in no particular order, we offer the Eater Heatmap, which will change every month to continuously highlight where the food nerds are flocking to at the moment.
This long hot summer just keeps on coming bringing sizzling-hot summer openings a-plenty. From ramen to pizzas, British gastro-pub delights to superb Vietnamese and what we hope is the start of a wave of late-night Happy Hours dining and drinking in the city is so much fun right now.
There are six new additions to the list this month - and three who leave.
IN: Mr Red Cafe, Left Bank, Taishoken, La Mezcaleria, Abbey and Boulevard.

OUT: Burger 2.85, Jackalope's Dive, Main Street Brewing.


Heatmap History:
July
Added: The Fat Badger, the Juice Truck, Pizza Fabrika, Pizza Bufala, Crackle Creme and Shirakawa.

Removed: Los Cuervos, Merchant's Oyster Bar, Bon Crepe, Kanaka, Blacktail Florist, Uva

June
Added: My Shanti, Main Street Brewing, Kanaka, Bon Crepe.
Removed: The Roof at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Farmer's Apprentice, Dynasty, Upstairs at Campagnolo.

May
Added: The Farmer's Apprentice, Belgard Kitchen, Uva, Dynasty and Jackalope's Neighbourhood Dive.
Removed: The Fish Counter, Basho Cafe

April
Added The Roof at Hotel Vancouver, Cinara, Basho Cafe, Blacktail Florist, Los Cuervos Taqueria & Cantina
Removed Notturno, Ask For Luigi, Bestie, Mamie Taylor's, Yolk's, Wagon Rouge

March
Added Merchant's Oyster Bar, Burger 2.85, Upstairs at Campagnolo
Removed: Greenhorn, Temper Pastry, Dunlevy Snack Bar

February
Added: Bestie, Temper Pastry, Greenhorn
Removed: Mosaic, Rain or Shine Ice Cream, Craft Beer Market

January

Added: Yolk's, The Fish Counter, Ask for Luigi and the Dunlevy Snack Bar

Removed: Burdock & Co, Good Wolfe, Bambudda and Boneta

December

Added: Rain or Shine Ice Cream, Notturno, Craft Beer Market, Mosaic, Boneta

Removed: Gringo, Cuchillo, Emerald

November

Added: Wagon Rouge, Gringo, Emerald


Got a suggestion for a restaurant you think deserves to be added to next month's Heatmap? Drop us a line or leave a comment or contact our 100% confidential TipLine and stay tuned for the next edition of the Heatmap, dropping the first Thursday of August.
· All Previous Heatmaps [EVAN]

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My Shanti by Vikram Vij

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All hail the unstoppable Vikram Vij! Finally rolling his empire into South Surrey (after months of delay) with the brilliantly-blingy My Shanti. On the menu, a culinary tour around Vikram’s favouite places in India - and beyond. Make the trip to Morgan Crossing to see if the hype is real.
15877 Croydon Drive, The Shops at Morgan Crossing, Surrey, BC V3S 2J6, Canada

Bufala

Copy Link
Single-handedly raising the chances of downtown-dwelling Vancouverites dining in Kerrisdale by a factor of around a billion, Team Wildebeest's new venture teaming Neapolitan-style pizzas with a flat-out excellent cocktail programme was always going to be a slam-dunk. No reservations and packed every night. Good work, fellas.
5395 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 267-7499
(604) 267-7499

The Juice Truck

Copy Link
One of the city's favourite trucks; the talented cold-pressed juice pushers expanded into bricks and mortar a couple of weeks ago delighting the Mount Pleasant cleanse crowd.
28 W 5th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 719-8861
(604) 719-8861

Crackle Creme

Copy Link
Daniel Wong's tiny Crackle Creme (pronounced Crack LE Creme) gourmet dessert bar is already causing a sensation amongst sweet-toothed fans in the city for his delicious crème brûlées. Flavours so far have included everything from cotton candy and durian to vegan pistachio and matcha. The kid's got game. Go see him.
245 Union St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
778.847.8533
778.847.8533

La Mezcaleria

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Oh, snap! Major props to La Mezcaleria for their bold move into a late-night weekend Happy Hour thus immediately making Commercial Drive 100% hotter. Every Friday and Saturday from midnight-1:30a.m. they're pouring local craft beers served Mexican Cantina-style for $3, $4 shots of el Jimador silver and Reposado, $5 glasses of LA Cetto Chenin Blanc from Mexico and Bodega Munoz Garnacha from Spain and souped-up Mexican style gin and tonics with fresh ginger and cucumber plus margaritas for $8.
1622 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y4, Canada
(604) 559-8226
(604) 559-8226

Mr. Red Cafe

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A flurry of the city's foodies have flocked to this new Vietnamese restaurant in Grandview Woodlands and swooned over its authentic cuisine. On Instagram, Vancouver Magazine judge Lee Man declared it the "Vietnamese meal of my life....Such vigor, freshness and delicate flavors." Try the grilled pork bun cha and crab and pork spring rolls.
2234 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 710-9515
(604) 710-9515

Belgard Kitchen

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Now serving one of the best brunches in the city and home to the newly-opened Postmark Brewing, could Vancouver Urban Winery’s Belgard kitchen be any hotter? Under the command of Earl's alum Chef Reuben Major, serving up quick eats like fresh salads, a burger, pizzetti and soup for lunch before swapping over to a small plate menu in the evening Railtown is becoming the place to be.
55 Dunlevy Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 566-9463
(604) 566-9463

Shirakawa

Copy Link
$60 for a 2oz wagyu steak? That's crazy, right? But oh! So, so tempting. Upping the bling-bling dining stakes in Boneta's old space in Gastown, Shirakawa is causing a stir amongst steak aficionados as it is the only place you'll be able to get the premium kuroge wagyu beef in Vancouver. Save up and splurge. But eat slowly...
115 - 12 Water St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-336-6918
604-336-6918

The Abbey

Copy Link
The latest collaboration between chef Andrey Durbach, Chris Stewart and Michel Duroche in the old Wild Rice location has turned industry folk and foodies alike into wild converts. The menu gleefully bounces between Izakaya to French bistro to English gastro pub - think delights like sausage rolls and welsh rarebit tangle with ultra-light chicken karaage and mains like Toulouse sausage and mash and Lancashire hotpot.
117 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 336-7100
(604) 336-7100

Taishoken Ramen

Copy Link
Heat-cheating cold noodles with a dipping sauce (Tsukemen) are the new super-hot thing for ramen fans right now and no one is getting Vancouverites more excited than Taishoken. There have been some grumbles over the not-runny-enough egg but everyone agrees that the broth is the real deal. [Image via Dennis the Foodie]
515 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0J9, Canada
(778) 737-3805
(778) 737-3805

Cinara

Copy Link
This is chef Lucais Syme's (La Pentola) new project serving "modern-style European cuisine with a strong Italian focus". A brace of good reviews and a recent nomination for enRoute's Best New Restaurant keeps Cinara sizzling away on the Heatmap.
350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
604-428-9694

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar

Copy Link
The most-anticipated opening of the summer is finally here with a stellar front and back of house team which has food-loving folk in Vancouver all a-quiver. Go and see what the excitement is all about and score a seat on the pretty little tiled patio.
845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Fat Badger

Copy Link
The city has gone quite mad for the sensation of British gastro-pub food served up by the team behind Espana. Scotch Egg mania and pork pie fever currently rule.
1616 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Pizza Fabrika

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Enjoy the taste of revolutionary pizza in the West End thanks to the awesome pie skills of Fabrika. Funky interior design plus innovative pizzas (try the potato-y delights of Spud, topped with a gooey cauliflower puree or the decadent Flammkuchen with double-smoked bacon and crispy pork crackling) add up to a new neighbourhood favourite.
1680 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-559-1680
604-559-1680

Left Bank

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With a combination of a $5 wine Happy Hour, plus the West End's first laneway patio, Left Bank is pulling in praise that has catapulted it straight onto the Heat Map. On the menu a French-inspired trip around the colonies.
751 Denman St., Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5, Canada
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My Shanti by Vikram Vij

15877 Croydon Drive, The Shops at Morgan Crossing, Surrey, BC V3S 2J6, Canada
All hail the unstoppable Vikram Vij! Finally rolling his empire into South Surrey (after months of delay) with the brilliantly-blingy My Shanti. On the menu, a culinary tour around Vikram’s favouite places in India - and beyond. Make the trip to Morgan Crossing to see if the hype is real.
15877 Croydon Drive, The Shops at Morgan Crossing, Surrey, BC V3S 2J6, Canada

Bufala

5395 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Single-handedly raising the chances of downtown-dwelling Vancouverites dining in Kerrisdale by a factor of around a billion, Team Wildebeest's new venture teaming Neapolitan-style pizzas with a flat-out excellent cocktail programme was always going to be a slam-dunk. No reservations and packed every night. Good work, fellas.
5395 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 267-7499
(604) 267-7499

The Juice Truck

28 W 5th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
One of the city's favourite trucks; the talented cold-pressed juice pushers expanded into bricks and mortar a couple of weeks ago delighting the Mount Pleasant cleanse crowd.
28 W 5th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 719-8861
(604) 719-8861

Crackle Creme

245 Union St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Daniel Wong's tiny Crackle Creme (pronounced Crack LE Creme) gourmet dessert bar is already causing a sensation amongst sweet-toothed fans in the city for his delicious crème brûlées. Flavours so far have included everything from cotton candy and durian to vegan pistachio and matcha. The kid's got game. Go see him.
245 Union St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
778.847.8533
778.847.8533

La Mezcaleria

1622 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y4, Canada
Oh, snap! Major props to La Mezcaleria for their bold move into a late-night weekend Happy Hour thus immediately making Commercial Drive 100% hotter. Every Friday and Saturday from midnight-1:30a.m. they're pouring local craft beers served Mexican Cantina-style for $3, $4 shots of el Jimador silver and Reposado, $5 glasses of LA Cetto Chenin Blanc from Mexico and Bodega Munoz Garnacha from Spain and souped-up Mexican style gin and tonics with fresh ginger and cucumber plus margaritas for $8.
1622 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y4, Canada
(604) 559-8226
(604) 559-8226

Mr. Red Cafe

2234 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
A flurry of the city's foodies have flocked to this new Vietnamese restaurant in Grandview Woodlands and swooned over its authentic cuisine. On Instagram, Vancouver Magazine judge Lee Man declared it the "Vietnamese meal of my life....Such vigor, freshness and delicate flavors." Try the grilled pork bun cha and crab and pork spring rolls.
2234 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 710-9515
(604) 710-9515

Belgard Kitchen

55 Dunlevy Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Now serving one of the best brunches in the city and home to the newly-opened Postmark Brewing, could Vancouver Urban Winery’s Belgard kitchen be any hotter? Under the command of Earl's alum Chef Reuben Major, serving up quick eats like fresh salads, a burger, pizzetti and soup for lunch before swapping over to a small plate menu in the evening Railtown is becoming the place to be.
55 Dunlevy Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 566-9463
(604) 566-9463

Shirakawa

115 - 12 Water St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
$60 for a 2oz wagyu steak? That's crazy, right? But oh! So, so tempting. Upping the bling-bling dining stakes in Boneta's old space in Gastown, Shirakawa is causing a stir amongst steak aficionados as it is the only place you'll be able to get the premium kuroge wagyu beef in Vancouver. Save up and splurge. But eat slowly...
115 - 12 Water St., Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-336-6918
604-336-6918

The Abbey

117 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The latest collaboration between chef Andrey Durbach, Chris Stewart and Michel Duroche in the old Wild Rice location has turned industry folk and foodies alike into wild converts. The menu gleefully bounces between Izakaya to French bistro to English gastro pub - think delights like sausage rolls and welsh rarebit tangle with ultra-light chicken karaage and mains like Toulouse sausage and mash and Lancashire hotpot.
117 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 336-7100
(604) 336-7100

Taishoken Ramen

515 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0J9, Canada
Heat-cheating cold noodles with a dipping sauce (Tsukemen) are the new super-hot thing for ramen fans right now and no one is getting Vancouverites more excited than Taishoken. There have been some grumbles over the not-runny-enough egg but everyone agrees that the broth is the real deal. [Image via Dennis the Foodie]
515 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0J9, Canada
(778) 737-3805
(778) 737-3805

Cinara

350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
This is chef Lucais Syme's (La Pentola) new project serving "modern-style European cuisine with a strong Italian focus". A brace of good reviews and a recent nomination for enRoute's Best New Restaurant keeps Cinara sizzling away on the Heatmap.
350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
604-428-9694

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar

845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The most-anticipated opening of the summer is finally here with a stellar front and back of house team which has food-loving folk in Vancouver all a-quiver. Go and see what the excitement is all about and score a seat on the pretty little tiled patio.
845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Fat Badger

1616 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The city has gone quite mad for the sensation of British gastro-pub food served up by the team behind Espana. Scotch Egg mania and pork pie fever currently rule.
1616 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Pizza Fabrika

1680 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Enjoy the taste of revolutionary pizza in the West End thanks to the awesome pie skills of Fabrika. Funky interior design plus innovative pizzas (try the potato-y delights of Spud, topped with a gooey cauliflower puree or the decadent Flammkuchen with double-smoked bacon and crispy pork crackling) add up to a new neighbourhood favourite.
1680 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-559-1680
604-559-1680

Left Bank

751 Denman St., Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5, Canada
With a combination of a $5 wine Happy Hour, plus the West End's first laneway patio, Left Bank is pulling in praise that has catapulted it straight onto the Heat Map. On the menu a French-inspired trip around the colonies.
751 Denman St., Vancouver, BC V6G 2L5, Canada