What can I say? One Starbucks is like every other? No, not actually. While the general branding is the same, I love how each location really reflects and captures the heart of the neighbourhood. The flagship Yaletown location does just that.

Yaletown is host to a number of Starbucks shops, and they are very, very good. Not because the coffee necessarily tastes better or because the decor is more attractive. The people who staff the places are terrific- if a little aloof. Here, unlike many rural locations, one can order his grande no-whip Tazo Chai Blended Crème Frappucino caramel affogado style and no one will bat an eyelash. Elsewhere, there will be confusion, there will be panic, there will be the occasional tear and perhaps a free gift certificate because of the wait. Not here. So order away, be complex, give these ultra-professional folks a run for their money. They can handle it.

Note: The current skytrain construction around Davie and Hamilton has rendered the patio a construction zone. Stay inside.

Address:

Corner of Davie and Hamilton
Vancouver, BCÂ

The Yaletown Brewing Company is an awesome, fun place. I choose these less-than-original descriptors as there is nothing particularly original about the brewing company, but it is definitely an awesome and fun place. It’s loud and friendly -  you might say boisterous- the beer is great and it pairs well with the food. There is a huge outdoor patio that is just about always full in the Summer- if you are lucky, you’ll get a seat.

YBC’s menu is a few steps up from your standard pub fare. There are some classics available, like steak, meatloaf (nice!), and all that, but there are also some internationally flavoured selections. Nothing is too out of the ordinary, but the quality solid. There are pizzas as well- actually a substantial part of the menu- and they are good- although some are on the dry side. I very happily stuffed my face with an Italian chorizo pizza while my fellow pub-goers looked on somewhat jealously.

It should come as no surprise that the beer is plentiful and the main feature at the Yaletown Brewing Company. We each had a beer flight and were able to sample the season’s draughts. This was an excellent deal ($12) and it will leave you, even if you’re a well-upholstered individual, at least a bit hammered. If you’re not in the mood for that, there’s almost certainly an ale, hefeweizen, or pale ale that will suit your tastes.

Address:

1111 Mainland St., Vancouver
Vancouver, BC
(604) 688-0064

The Urban Buffet is on the corner of Nelson and Homer. It looks a little creepy on the outside. On the inside the huge old building is glowing with neon lights and the glare off of deep fried this and that. However, once we were quickly seated and we dove in for our first round of eating, the nervousness subsided.

Vancouver’s Urban Buffet offers a strange selection of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and American cuisine. Basically it’s a lot of fried food, some sushi, and the required jello and roast beef. Granted, for $8.99 for a huge meal, I couldn’t have asked for more, and I left feeling perfectly disgusting.

Most of the food sort of tasted the same. Actually, it all tasted exactly the same. From the fried chicken balls to the cake to the soft serve ice cream, there was a distinct flavour running through it all. Hold on, I’m not saying it was bad. I only had one thing that I really couldn’t stomach (avoid the weird bready dessert ‘treats’). It’s actually kind of pleasant. The spring rolls and fatty noodles and broccoli were tasty, plentiful, and, best of all, the booze (not included in the price of admission) is dirt cheap!

Sure, for 8.99 you could go to Glowbal and have half a martini, but how fun is that? If you are in the mood for a disgusting all you can eat sort of experience, and have value in mind over taste, then head down to Yaletown’s finest (and only) buffet.

Address:

996 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC
604-630-1188

Tucked away in Yaletown is the very tiny O-Cha tea bar. Should the selection of tea and coffees provided there become even slightly larger (it already serves over thirty types of tea), it will almost certainly burst at the seams and have to move.

The small size of this unassuming coffee/tea/sandwich bar does not at all detract from its overall appeal. O-Cha struck me as a place to quietly enjoy a hot drink or food while contemplating the health benefits and phonetics of substances like rooiboos tea. I enjoyed a fantastic coffee while observing busy Yaletownies scurry about on their lunch breaks in the rain.

On the food side (this is Vancouver EATS out after all), O-Cha offers light fare, such as grilled paninis (onions optional for those who must return to work), sandwiches and convenient, semi-instant thai food by Thai on the Fly or something catchy like that. The paninis are very good, and the coffee, even though this is a tea bar, is phenomenal.

All in all, this is a quiet escape in the midst of busy Yaletown. You will surely find your five minutes of zen here.

Address:

1116 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC
604-633-3929

Nester’s Market may seem like another overpriced Yaletown grocery store — and in a sense it is. It’s located underneath another big concrete and glass overpriced condo building and exists primarily for the busy Yaletownites who opt for convenience first and foremost.

Surprisingly, Nestor’s has incredible sales and their meat section is relatively cheap. To top things off, it really is ‘Where the Locals Shop!” as their slogan says. The staff is friendly, they get to know you, and you always end up running into the same people over and over again. It makes Vancouver feel like a small town.

However, the best part of Nester’s (oddly enough it’s almost the best kept secret) is that there is a small cafe inside with big windows looking out onto the busy city streets. It offers fabulous fresh coffee (sometimes it’s free!) and a great selection of premade items, from breakfast bagels to curries to decadent desserts. While the prices are a bit higher than packaged food of the same variety, they are extremely reasonable when you compare it to eating out. They’ll heat the food up for you and you can walk right over to the little self service cafe and watch the world go by.

I’d recommend the Oat Fudge Bars, they are the same ones they sell at Starbucks, but cheaper and fresher, and their Indian pre-made stuff is da bomb.

Address:

990 Seymour St. (In Nester’s Market)
Vancouver, BC
604-682-3071

“Milestones?” you ask. “But isn’t it a chain?” Yes, it is- but they do a better job of it here in Yaletown than elsewhere. Abandon whatever conceptions of this place you had prior to visiting the Hamilton St. location (such as those established in the airport), as they’re not entirely accurate.

Now bear in mind this is still Milestone’s, not Lumiere, but it’s a good experience for those looking to enjoy some good appys, a few drinks, or a casual meal.

The interior is kind of dark, but in a good way with a sleek, private and calm feel. The service there is very good, and very knowledgeable in the way of wines. We were happy to find that our server could give us the run down on a number of wines produced in BC. With a bottle of Chardonnay as a start, we ordered something involving tuna and a spring roll- two items that I no longer believe are on the menu.

The food was delicious and satisfying, but not overly memorable. It was something to pick at over conversation and fill the hunger void in a semi-sophisticated way. We did enjoy our wine, and the atmosphere was conducive to our discussion, relaxing, and ultimately our mild inebriation. I will look back fondly on Milestone’s as it suited the occasion (or lack thereof) well.

One last word of advice, if you are there do indulge in a bellini or six, ask for the ‘Fish Bowl’ bellini. It feels like five or six or seven bellinis for the price of two. Share with friends!

Address:

1109 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 684-9111

We have a tradition of eating a super greasy brunch each day on the weekend. Usually we hit up Denny’s because we are clearly uncreative and like love handles, but my favourite place to go is Melriches in Yaletown.

Anything with the word ‘Yaletown’ in it sort of automatically cancels out the possibility of it being cheap, but with Melriches it’s not the case. While it’s no hole in the wall dive, it’s a simple breakfast haunt with free wifi, good food (including ALL DAY breakfast), simple service, and owners who don’t care if you hang out all day.

Melriches is located at 1043 Mainland Street, right beside Section 3, and is usually packed early. They’ve got lots of spots to sit, from cozy booths to people-watching-window-stools, and it’s all seat yourself. Nothing is overpriced, the portions are big, and you can bring in your laptop and access their free wifi hotspot, though I never see anyone using it.

Another great thing about Melriches is the service, or lack there of. You pay at the cash and have your food brought out to you, but there aren’t any annoying servers hovering over you or trying to get you buy your bazillionth latte in order to just stay put.

There’s another Melriches in Vancouver, on Davie street, and it’s just as good. It attracts a differnt clientele and definitely feels more like a coffee shop than the Yaletown one.

I say, order a coffee (Melrich’s coffee comes from local roaster Bean Around the World), a big omelette, grab the paper, and watch the locals see and be seen. If you are going to eat out, you might as well make it a lazy brunch, the kind of meal that can really last all day.

All in all, Melriches is worth the trip out. It’s best in the morning when it’s jam packed and everyone is hopping on caffiene, but it’s still damn good on a quiet rainy day when you can curl up undisturbed with your laptop and a muffin.

Address:

1043 Mainland (beside Section 3)
Vancouver, BC

One of the most disappointing things about living in Yaletown is the lack of great casual places to grab a bite. Sure there are a select few, but I need selection damnit! While there’s no shortage of ‘fabulous’ hot-spots where you can fill stomach and empty your wallet, most of them feel somewhat the same, and are packed with the same hummer loving set day in and day out.

Recently a new place opened, called Diner, right in the heart of Yaletown (1269 Hamilton). It’s lofty, airy, modern, and homey all at the same time, and is the perfect answer to Yaletown’s glaring lack of casual restaurants.

The first thing to note is the coffee. I enjoy a fine cup of java every now and then, and whatever the heck they serve at Diner is some of the best. They serve it up bodum style, and it’s enough to keep you going from day until night if need be. Why didn’t I discover this stuff during college?

Diner is known for, oddly enough, both their desserts and their meatloaf. While after a heaping portion of their meatloaf I’ll doubt you’ll still have room for anything else, but it’s worth coming back time and time again, because everything on the menu is damn good. I also especially dig their breakfast. Try the big hungry man breakfast and it comes with eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, toast, and yes, a waffle too.

Diner’s décor is nothing too special, but you don’t want it to be. And the service is bad, just as it should be. Expect to wait far too long, be ignored far too often, and not have your order exactly how you requested it. This is a ‘diner’ after all .. You’ve got to throw your expectations out the window and expect a little side of moodiness with whatever you order.

There are no apologies here. The menu is written haphazardly on the wall on huge chalkboards and mirrors, and the design is somewhat minimalist. Lots of hardwood and chrome. It’s Yaletown’s tongue and cheek approach to truck stop and I dig it.

Address:

1269 Hamilton
Vancouver, BC
604-444-4855

Note: As of 2007 Diner is now closed. Tear.

I used to live in Kingston Ontario, where there was a fabulous bakery, Pan Chancho, mere minutes from my house. I got quite accustomed to fresh baked bread, pain au chocolat, and brioche almost every morning. While it may not have been good for my waistline or wallet, it was certainly a treat, and something that I expected to find a replica of in Vancouver.

While Vancouver has it’s Cobb’s & Terras, I’ve yet to discover a quaint little bakery to hole up in and drown my Atkins’ sorrows with buns and breads and brioche.

Yaletown’s Boulangerie la Parisienne, at the corner of Helmcken and Mainland, is a quasi answer. Sure their pastries are the same ones you can get at Nesters and nothing is really freshly made, but if you sort of squint your eyes and are in a really good mood, the place almost feels like an authentic bakery in Paris. I said almost …

The building is small, but in warmer weather they open the garage-like doors and let the stools spill out onto a small patio. It’s ideal for people watching, and it’s easy to sit in peace and quiet and not feel compelled to look good or make small talk with the baristas. They always seem kind of moody, which they should if this was Paris right?

Despite the fact that nothing is baked in-house, the pastries are pretty darn good and they have a big, old, espresso machine that pumps out fairly tasty java. Avoid the paninis like the plague .. they all seem kind of old and chewy. But, overall, if you are in the area and sick of Starbucks Scones, then it’s worth a try.

Address:

1076 Mainland Avenue
Vancouver, BC