By Jackie Dives
The Central Valley Greenway is a great way to explore on a bicycle. It’s a relatively flat bike path that runs all the way from Vancouver to New Westminster, and one of our favourite ways to work up an appetite for a day of exploring the amazing food and drink in New Westminster.
Our first stop in New Westminster along the Central Valley Greenway on our bike ride from Vancouver was Old Crow Café for a much-needed caffeine dose, where I ordered a flat white and Dan got an americano.
You can enjoy coffee and breakfast here, watching the trains go by, or grab a croissant to-go and head to the water.
The River Market is a great place to visit, especially every Saturday, where Rain City Games hosts an open board game day where you can crack open a game and try it out. A welcome rest stop.
When you’re ready for lunch you can check out the variety of eats inside the market, or hit up El Santo for a fun time and inspired Mexican cuisine. Alternatively, if you’re up for a good work out, slightly off the bike path, and up a bit of a hill, there’s a tiny spot, Wild Thyme, which has delicious Lebanese food. The aromas will lure you there. We could literally smell the food from two blocks away.
If you’re not up for the ride up the hill, and are planning on taking the easy way back to Vancouver via the New Westminster SkyTrain station, Spud Shack is the way to go for a variety of burgers and a ton of poutine options, both for omnivores and vegetarians.
A New West must for refreshment is Steel & Oak. The beers are delicious, and the staff are super friendly. It’s a bright, clean, and welcoming atmosphere.
I encourage you to sit at the bar and ask the employees about their stories of shot-gunning Guinness. We ordered two flights, which covered all the beers they had on tap. I highly recommend trying their radler option. They mix homemade lemonade with any beer of your choice!
The relatively flat path of the Greeway makes it a great two-way tasting tour on your bicycle, or you can take your bike back on the SkyTrain – for information on when bicycles are allowed on the Skytrain, visit the Translink website.
Want more bikable spots along the Greenway? Check out the Vancouver Olympic Village area.
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