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Nettle picking Photo via Wildebeest

Where to Eat Nettles Right Now in Vancouver

by Nikki Bayley
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by Nikki Bayley
Nettle picking Photo via Wildebeest

Nettles are springing up on menus across the city right now with chefs putting their gloves on to grab the first greens of the season which are treasured for their grassy, nutty flavours. Nettles are renowned for their healthy properties; they're great to eat if you're anaemic, nettles have four times the amount of iron than spinach and seven times more calcium. If you've never tried them before - don't worry, the cooking process neutralizes the plant's sting. In no particular order, here are the Vancouver restaurants where you can eat and drink nettles right now.

Have we missed anyone out? Let us know on our 24-hour nettle-watch line or leave a comment or you contact our 100% confidential Tipline



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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

1. The Acorn

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3995 Main St, Vancouver
BC V5V 3P3, Canada
(604) 566-9001
(604) 566-9001
Visit Website
All-vegetarian restaurant Acorn, an Eater 38 favourite, are naturally using nettles on their menu. Look out for a stinging Nettle Coulis which makes regular appearances on their ‘harvest’ fresh sheet.

2. Burdock & Co.

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2702 Main St, Vancouver
BC V5T 3E8, Canada
(604) 879-0077
(604) 879-0077
Visit Website
Chef Andrea Carlson is renowned for her locavore cuisine and love of seasonally-reflective cooking. Based in Pemberton, Namasthé Tea created a custom blend, Gobo Lemon Green which Chef Carlson pairs with a halibut dish of rich burdock tea broth, hops shoots and fried burdock. Also on the menu, a Ricotta Nettle Gnudi with Walnuts.

3. Aphrodite's Organic Café & Pie Shop

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3598 W 4th Ave, Vancouver
BC V6R 1N8, Canada
(604) 733-8308
(604) 733-8308
Visit Website
Come for the amazing pies and gluten-free cuisine and stay for the Green Goddess nettle tea, a custom blend from Namasthé with matcha genmaicha, nettles, tulsi and wild ginger.

4. The Farmer’s Apprentice

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1529 W 6th Ave, Vancouver
BC V6J 1R1, Canada
(604) 620-2070
(604) 620-2070
Visit Website
Chef David Gunawan is using stinging nettles in a pesto over at Farmer’s Apprentice. Expect to see other uses of nettles from this innovative and exciting chef.

5. Edible Canada at the Market

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1596 Johnston St., Vancouver
BC V6H 3R9, Canada
(604) 682-6681
(604) 682-6681
Visit Website
Head to Granville Island to check out Edible Canada’s Cauliflower and Blackburn Rotolo with fiddleheads, wild onions, radish, nettle and hazlenut pesto.

6. La Pentola Della Quercia

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350 Davie St., Vancouver
BC V6B 1R2, Canada
(604) 642-0557
(604) 642-0557
Visit Website
La Pentola is featuring a nettle risotto, Chef Lucais Syme is a big nettle fan, “...this wild and interesting superfood has a subtle but deep flavour that I think our guests will really enjoy.”

7. Cibo Trattoria

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900 Seymour St, Vancouver
BC V6B 3L9, Canada
(604) 602-9570
(604) 602-9570
Visit Website
Chef Faizal Kassam is currently using nettles in house-made fazzoletti dish which features stinging nettles, cream, gorgonzola and house made bresaola. We’re thinking it’s worth seeing what the innovative cocktail crew next door at Uva under Lauren Mote’s watchful eye can mix up to pair with this.

8. forage

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120-1300 Robson, Vancouver
BC V6E 1C5, Canada
(604) 661-1400
(604) 661-1400
Visit Website
Forage are going stinging nettle crazy with a line-caught halibut, stinging nettle gnudi, roasted sunchoke and hazelnut purée on the menu. R&B is making a nettle beer for them and on April 24 you can feast on a special all-nettle four-course dinner.

9. The Blackbird Public House & Oyster Bar

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905 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver
BC V6C 2E8, Canada
(604) 899-4456
(604) 899-4456
Visit Website
Take a sneak peek at Blackbird’s nettle dish which will launch on April 6 along with the rest of their spring menu. Pesto d’Urtica - the Latin name for nettles - features seared pacific scallops with Cumberland sausage (made in-house from pork from Gelderman Farms in the Fraser Valley), fresh pasta, stinging nettle pesto and bacon.

10. Cinara

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350 West Pender Street, Vancouver
BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
604-428-9694
Visit Website
Cinara - La Pentola's Lucais Syme’s new restaurant features a nettle dish of soft coarse grain polenta, poached egg, nettles and pecorino.

11. Wildebeest

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120 W Hastings St, Vancouver
BC V6B 1G8, Canada
(604) 687-6880
(604) 687-6880
Visit Website
Right now you can try a fresh chorizo sausage, white bean cassoulet with a stinging nettle pesto at Wildebeest but they often make it to the Fresh Sheet in another preparation. Operations Manager Nick Miller talks nettles: “Due to the cooler temperatures here on the mainland, our supply is primarily coming from Vancouver Island. As the weather gets warmer, we'll be getting our nettles from Paul Healey and his team over at Hannah Brook Farm, often times they grow wild around the boundaries of his property."

12. Mamie Taylor's

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251 E Georgia St, Vancouver
BC, Canada
(604) 620-8818
(604) 620-8818
Visit Website
Try nettles in comfort food-style cooking over at Mamie Taylor’s in Chinatown. Chef Tobias serves nettles in his Stinging Nettle Perogies.

13. Campagnolo Roma

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2297 E Hastings St, Vancouver
BC V5L 1V3, Canada
(604) 569-0456
(604) 569-0456
Visit Website
Chef de Cuisine Joachim Hayward at Campagnolo ROMA is making a stinging nettle bruschetta with yogurt and radish using a cannellini bean and yoghurt hummus. The nettles are marinated in chilli flakes, EVOO lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic confit and spread on top.
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1. The Acorn

3995 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P3, Canada
All-vegetarian restaurant Acorn, an Eater 38 favourite, are naturally using nettles on their menu. Look out for a stinging Nettle Coulis which makes regular appearances on their ‘harvest’ fresh sheet.
3995 Main St, Vancouver
BC V5V 3P3, Canada
(604) 566-9001
Visit Website

2. Burdock & Co.

2702 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3E8, Canada
Chef Andrea Carlson is renowned for her locavore cuisine and love of seasonally-reflective cooking. Based in Pemberton, Namasthé Tea created a custom blend, Gobo Lemon Green which Chef Carlson pairs with a halibut dish of rich burdock tea broth, hops shoots and fried burdock. Also on the menu, a Ricotta Nettle Gnudi with Walnuts.
2702 Main St, Vancouver
BC V5T 3E8, Canada
(604) 879-0077
Visit Website

3. Aphrodite's Organic Café & Pie Shop

3598 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6R 1N8, Canada
Come for the amazing pies and gluten-free cuisine and stay for the Green Goddess nettle tea, a custom blend from Namasthé with matcha genmaicha, nettles, tulsi and wild ginger.
3598 W 4th Ave, Vancouver
BC V6R 1N8, Canada
(604) 733-8308
Visit Website

4. The Farmer’s Apprentice

1529 W 6th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1R1, Canada
Chef David Gunawan is using stinging nettles in a pesto over at Farmer’s Apprentice. Expect to see other uses of nettles from this innovative and exciting chef.
1529 W 6th Ave, Vancouver
BC V6J 1R1, Canada
(604) 620-2070
Visit Website

5. Edible Canada at the Market

1596 Johnston St., Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9, Canada
Head to Granville Island to check out Edible Canada’s Cauliflower and Blackburn Rotolo with fiddleheads, wild onions, radish, nettle and hazlenut pesto.
1596 Johnston St., Vancouver
BC V6H 3R9, Canada
(604) 682-6681
Visit Website

6. La Pentola Della Quercia

350 Davie St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1R2, Canada
La Pentola is featuring a nettle risotto, Chef Lucais Syme is a big nettle fan, “...this wild and interesting superfood has a subtle but deep flavour that I think our guests will really enjoy.”
350 Davie St., Vancouver
BC V6B 1R2, Canada
(604) 642-0557
Visit Website

7. Cibo Trattoria

900 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3L9, Canada
Chef Faizal Kassam is currently using nettles in house-made fazzoletti dish which features stinging nettles, cream, gorgonzola and house made bresaola. We’re thinking it’s worth seeing what the innovative cocktail crew next door at Uva under Lauren Mote’s watchful eye can mix up to pair with this.
900 Seymour St, Vancouver
BC V6B 3L9, Canada
(604) 602-9570
Visit Website

8. forage

120-1300 Robson, Vancouver, BC V6E 1C5, Canada
Forage are going stinging nettle crazy with a line-caught halibut, stinging nettle gnudi, roasted sunchoke and hazelnut purée on the menu. R&B is making a nettle beer for them and on April 24 you can feast on a special all-nettle four-course dinner.
120-1300 Robson, Vancouver
BC V6E 1C5, Canada
(604) 661-1400
Visit Website

9. The Blackbird Public House & Oyster Bar

905 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2E8, Canada
Take a sneak peek at Blackbird’s nettle dish which will launch on April 6 along with the rest of their spring menu. Pesto d’Urtica - the Latin name for nettles - features seared pacific scallops with Cumberland sausage (made in-house from pork from Gelderman Farms in the Fraser Valley), fresh pasta, stinging nettle pesto and bacon.
905 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver
BC V6C 2E8, Canada
(604) 899-4456
Visit Website

10. Cinara

350 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B, Canada
Cinara - La Pentola's Lucais Syme’s new restaurant features a nettle dish of soft coarse grain polenta, poached egg, nettles and pecorino.
350 West Pender Street, Vancouver
BC V6B, Canada
604-428-9694
Visit Website

11. Wildebeest

120 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G8, Canada
Right now you can try a fresh chorizo sausage, white bean cassoulet with a stinging nettle pesto at Wildebeest but they often make it to the Fresh Sheet in another preparation. Operations Manager Nick Miller talks nettles: “Due to the cooler temperatures here on the mainland, our supply is primarily coming from Vancouver Island. As the weather gets warmer, we'll be getting our nettles from Paul Healey and his team over at Hannah Brook Farm, often times they grow wild around the boundaries of his property."
120 W Hastings St, Vancouver
BC V6B 1G8, Canada
(604) 687-6880
Visit Website

12. Mamie Taylor's

251 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Try nettles in comfort food-style cooking over at Mamie Taylor’s in Chinatown. Chef Tobias serves nettles in his Stinging Nettle Perogies.
251 E Georgia St, Vancouver
BC, Canada
(604) 620-8818
Visit Website

13. Campagnolo Roma

2297 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V3, Canada
Chef de Cuisine Joachim Hayward at Campagnolo ROMA is making a stinging nettle bruschetta with yogurt and radish using a cannellini bean and yoghurt hummus. The nettles are marinated in chilli flakes, EVOO lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic confit and spread on top.
2297 E Hastings St, Vancouver
BC V5L 1V3, Canada
(604) 569-0456
Visit Website