In the Metro Vancouver food community, we share our passions with each other: friends, family, and everything in between. On the dining side of the table, we build relationships through food and connection, and the same goes on the kitchen side. However, it might be more appropriate to say that many local restaurants build food around relationships. We love seeing local eateries thrive and open up second locations and sister locations. It’s a sign that the community supports people pursuing their passions! We’ve curated a list of a few restaurants that have expanded their families with new locations and menus, while maintaining the same lineage of warm service and outstanding food. Let’s dig in!
Sister Restaurants
Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto
These two Chinatown hotspots have won awards and Michelin recognition, but despite all the hype, both restaurants have kept their warm, unstuffy vibes. Bao Bei offers upscale, modern Chinese small plates (perfect for sharing), while Kissa Tanto serves Japanese-Italian fusion with a creative, delicious menu well deserving of the acclaim.
Provisions Kitsilano and Thierry
On the cafe side of things, these two complement each other as excellent places for a catch-up over coffee with a friend, or just some quiet time with a book and a pastry. Opened last year, Provisions has become a popular Kitsilano spot with a patio perfect for people-watching, while Thierry’s decadent chocolate treats have made tasty waves at their 3 locations (North Vancouver, Mount Pleasant, and Downtown Vancouver).
Nook and Oddfish
While the OG Nook started as a cozy little corner of the West End, it has since grown into FIVE locations across Metro YVR (when did this happen??). It’s no wonder, as they serve up some of the best Italian comfort food in the area, and from that culinary pedigree, Oddfish has stemmed, quickly becoming one of the best places in the city for fresh seafood.
Miku and Minami
One of the better-known restaurant couplets in Metro Vancouver, Miku and Minami have sushi lovers smitten by their incredibly fresh ingredients and beautiful plating. Miku was the first to arrive on the scene in 2008, with its Coal Harbour location (nothing like dining while watching float planes come in), followed by Miku in Yaletown in 2012 (just steps from the bustling public plaza on Helmcken Street). Both equally delicious, we don’t dare pick a favourite.
Ask for Luigi and Gigi’s
One of the top destinations in the Railtown district, the excellent Italian fare at Ask For Luigi has effectively concluded discussions of, “Is this a new neighbourhood? What is this area? Where are we?” Leave it to great food to pull a new community together. Since opening in 2013, the owners have expanded their vision of perfectly crafted recipes to include Coquitlam at Gigi’s. The Luigi name comes from the owner’s grandfather, while Gigi is the name his closest family members knew him by. A progressing story of shared love and intimacy through a shared table.
Expanded Locations
Myst Asian Bistro
Locations: Burnaby, Vancouver, Langley City
If you’re craving perfectly umami noodles with the tang of Korean kimchi, or stir-fried egg rice with Japanese takoyaki, make any of Myst’s locations your first stop for incredible Taiwanese and Asian fusion. It’s no wonder they’ve grown so quickly with a diverse menu of creative flavour mash-ups, each one carefully curated to bring out the boldest tastes from each culture.
Steamworks Brewing Co.
Locations: Vancouver, Burnaby, Vancouver’s North Shore
From their humble beginnings down the street from Gastown’s Steam Clock, the West Coast brewmasters have grown to be one of the most reliably delicious names in the casual dining space. While their experience as one of Vancouver’s oldest brewing companies speaks to the stellar tap list, their lunch and dinner menus are packed with elevated takes on comfort pub classics.
Tap & Barrel
Locations: Vancouver, Vancouver’s North Shore, Burnaby, Surrey, Langley City
While it’s said you should stick to one thing and focus on doing it well, Tap & Barrel may have taken that philosophy as a challenge with everything they bring to the table. Fresh West Coast seafood, plenty of room for large groups, a spot to watch the game, a solid kids menu, two daily happy hours, the list goes on for why they’ve built a community in so many different locations.
Ancora
Locations: Vancouver, Vancouver’s North Shore
Sustainable West Coast seafood with a Peruvian and Japanese influence, that’s the vision that Ancora has been sticking to since opening its first location on False Creek in 2015, and it hasn’t slowed down since. Now with a second location in West Vancouver’s Ambleside area, there’s twice as much opportunity to savour its waterfront views while feeling the inventive global influence that Metro Vancouver attracts.
Rio Brazilian Steakhouse
Locations: Vancouver, Coquitlam
Have you been on the lookout for Southern Brazilian flavours in Metro Vancouver? For such a specific culinary request, look no further than Rio Steakhouse! Proudly showcasing the Churrascaria BBQ style where perfectly seasoned meats are slowly cooked on skewers and carved at tableside, this is an experience full of vibrant life and tradition and music. They often host colourful Brazilian dancers to add even more flair to the unforgettable experience.
Tacofino
Locations: Vancouver, Burnaby, Tofino
What started as a food truck in Tofino in 2009 has become one of the most iconic taco experiences across the West Coast. Pairing a Baja-inspired menu with fresh local ingredients and seafood, every Tacofino location offers a reliably delicious experience, while still keeping an aesthetic and personality that is entirely its own. If you’re from around here, you definitely know the name, if you’re from out of town, you should absolutely put it on your to-do list.
Feature photo credit: Kissa Tanto
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