Granville Island Brewery is an oasis in the desert- except I like Granville Island a lot more than I like deserts. In other words, on a hot day, when you’re tired of walking and shopping and carrying bags and dodging people, this is an awesome place to kick back in the A.C. and enjoy some good beer and a few snacks.

The brewery’s Taproom is located away from the water at Granville Island and does not have a patio. The interior is quite spacious though, and has some active brewing equipment behind glass where at least some of the beer is made. What’s on tap varies from season to season, but there is invariably something available that will suit your tastes. Additionally, there are limited release beers available here that cannot be purchased elsewhere. You can enjoy some nachos with your beer (we recommend the sampler) or you can conduct some tastings at the bar. Tours of the brewery are also provided daily. Definitely check out the store next door where you can pick up cases of GIB beer and purchase other merch.

Address:

1441 Cartwright Street
Vancouver, BC
604.687.BREW

It’s hard to miss this place, a bright-yellow building that looks to be a converted cannery or wharf warehouse- like many on Granville Island. And it’s a fitting design.

Bridges has served some pretty great seafood for quite a while now. Bridges is a bar, bistro, restaurant and patio. There are few places, in our experience, where one can have some good food while enjoying Vancouver’s priceless weather (which is at a premium).

Bridges has a superb outdoor patio that overlooks False Creek and the yachts moored there. We enjoyed drinks and tapas on the Bridges deck on a sunny afternoon. The combination of tasty alcohol (the sea breezes are very good, I hear), tasty seafood, and the beautiful weather made for a perfect relaxing scenario. The only drawback was that there were many others there doing the same thing- and some of them deemed it necessary to talk our heads off (well- mainly the heads of my hot girlfriends) while the ice in their sea breezes melted.

Bridges offers a variety of menu selections that depend on where you eat. The outdoor menu is very much seafood focused and is divided into small, medium and large portions (my group appreciated this), including items like ceviche, oyster burgers and pasta dishes. There was also Caesar salad on the menu. (Caesar salad seems to be a dish most restaurants cannot escape, and I find it strange). The coffees that followed our meal were also very good- and were the right end to the afternoon as the booze, food and sunshine were making us drowsy- all in all a worthwhile visit.

Smoked salmon with onion and capers pizza.

Address:

On Granville Island (the big yellow building)
Vancouver, BC
604.687.4400