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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.
Sizzling hot summer openings are popping up faster in the city than a mallet-targets in a whack-a-mole game. Vikram Vij's My Shanti is still making Surrey off-the-charts hot, but a mini-wave of pizzerias, a British gastro-pub and a gourmet dessert spot are making dining in the city so much fun right now too.
There are six new additions to the list this month - and six who leave.
IN: The Fat Badger, the Juice Truck, Pizza Fabrika, Pizza Bufala, Crackle Creme and Shirakawa.

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


Heatmap History:
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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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

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

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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.
5395 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 267-7499
(604) 267-7499

Main Street Brewing Company

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With impeccable timing throwing open their doors for Vancouver Craft Beer Week, Main St Brewing’s spacious tasting bar, airy 20 ft ceilings and views over the brewing floor is making hop-heads very happy indeed.
261 E 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 0B8, Canada

The Juice Truck

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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

Jackalope's Neighbourhood Dive

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Winning fans with their Southern-inspired comfort food and craft beer, Jackalope opened just a few weeks ago and are already scoring good word with Yelpsters and beyond for their great service, tasty food and pinball machines. Welcome to the Heatmap.
2257 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V3, Canada
(604) 568-6674
(604) 568-6674

Crackle Creme

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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

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

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$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

Cinara

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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 keeps Cinara sizzling away on the Heatmap.
350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
604-428-9694

Burger 2.85

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One no-name burger van. Two items. Queues down the block and a Globe & Mail review from restaurant critic Alexandra Gill. It's a $2.85 burger and incredibly, you can believe the hype. It's fantastic: all crisp lettuce, juicy patty and a judicious slick of Teriyaki sauce. Months after they launched we are all still obsessed.
500 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada

The Fat Badger

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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
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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.
5395 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 267-7499
(604) 267-7499

Main Street Brewing Company

261 E 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 0B8, Canada
With impeccable timing throwing open their doors for Vancouver Craft Beer Week, Main St Brewing’s spacious tasting bar, airy 20 ft ceilings and views over the brewing floor is making hop-heads very happy indeed.
261 E 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 0B8, Canada

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

Jackalope's Neighbourhood Dive

2257 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V3, Canada
Winning fans with their Southern-inspired comfort food and craft beer, Jackalope opened just a few weeks ago and are already scoring good word with Yelpsters and beyond for their great service, tasty food and pinball machines. Welcome to the Heatmap.
2257 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V3, Canada
(604) 568-6674
(604) 568-6674

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

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

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 keeps Cinara sizzling away on the Heatmap.
350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
604-428-9694

Burger 2.85

500 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
One no-name burger van. Two items. Queues down the block and a Globe & Mail review from restaurant critic Alexandra Gill. It's a $2.85 burger and incredibly, you can believe the hype. It's fantastic: all crisp lettuce, juicy patty and a judicious slick of Teriyaki sauce. Months after they launched we are all still obsessed.
500 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, 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