Vancouver restaurants that you’ll see on TV
Watching television shows about food is a great way to work up an appetite. Luckily for Vancouverites, many of the tempting diners, cafés and restaurants celebrated on the small screen are close to home. So stop drooling on the remote and head out to one of these as-seen-on-TV eateries for a meal to remember.
Argo Cafe
1836 Ontario St, Vancouver, BC V5T 2W6"Downtown food, at an East Van price" is the motto at this cool café, where guests enjoy affordable, high-quality comfort food prepared with style. In business since 1954, this Vancouver destination was singled out for its diner-meets-decadence appeal on the first season of Food Network Canada's You Gotta Eat Here! Program. Breakfast is served daily from 7:00 to 11:00 am, lunch from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. and snacks and salads on Thursday and Friday evenings from 5:00 to 10:00 pm.
El Camino's
3250 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5V 3M5You don't need to travel too far to enjoy the flavours of Latin America, just head to El Camino’s on Main Street right here in Vancouver. In the second season of You Gotta Eat Here!, host John Catucci couldn't get enough of their prawn arepas, and you won't be able to either. Come for $5 tacos on Taco Tuesdays or $6 Cuba Libres on Revolution Wednesdays, and don't forget the churros for dessert.
Save On Meats
43 Hastings St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1G4Featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, this long-running Vancouver business is part-butcher shop, part-deli and all awesome. Save On Meats' giant neon pig sign has been beckoning Vancouverites to partake in their meaty goodness for decades. Whether you're ordering an all-day breakfast, a legendary S.O.M burger, or a plate of chicken and waffles, you'll eat well here.
Vij's Rangoli
1488 11th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6H 1L1Culinary bad-boy Anthony Bourdain drops by to visit his good friend – Vancouver’s very own celebrity chef Vikram Vij – in a 2008 episode of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations. A casual market and café, Rangoli offers affordable takeout and take-home dishes inspired by Vij’s signature Indian cuisine. Local ingredients, house-made yogurt, cheeses, ghee, and spice blends are utilized to achieve amazing quality and amazing convenience.
Tojo's Restaurant
1133 Broadway W, Vancouver, BC V6H 1G1Another good friend of Anthony Bourdain, chef Hidekazu Tojo is a Vancouver treasure who deftly prepares the city's finest and most imaginative sushi and other Japanese cuisine for lucky locals and visiting celebrities. Bourdain happily indulged in some of Tojo's delicacies on an episode of No Reservations, but if you'd like to dine at this popular spot, reservations are indeed recommended.
Tomahawk Barbecue
1550 Philip Ave, North Vancouver, BC V7P 2V8The oldest family-run restaurant in Canada, North Vancouver's beloved Tomahawk has been dishing out big breakfasts and burgers since 1926. This kitschy diner is loaded with character, from the retro stools lining the counter to the signed celebrity photos lining the walls. Both You Gotta Eat Here! and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives have featured The Tomahawk, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a Vancouver-area local who hasn't at least heard of the restaurant's famed Skookum Chief burger: a beef burger topped with Yukon-style bacon, a free-run egg and a wiener, among other things.
Black+Blue
1032 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A3Food show fans may recognize this upscale Vancouver steakhouse from the season finale of Top Chef: Texas. While the finalists on that program spent their time at Black + Blue sweating it out to see who'd be named Top Chef, you can relax and enjoy a perfectly prepared dinner of Atlantic lobster tail or New York strip. If you feel like sharing, try the rib-eye tasting plate for a sumptuous selection of American wagyu, USDA prime and Japanese wagyu served medium rare with red wine jus.
Salt Tasting Room Ltd
248 Georgia St E, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis was lucky enough to check out this cool Gastown eatery in an episode of Food Network's Giada's Weekend Getaways. Specializing in savoury small-batch cured meats, artisanal cheeses and fine wines, Salt offers Vancouverites a unique tapas-style dining experience. You assemble your own tasting plate from a rotating menu of 10 meats, 10 cheeses, and 10 condiments featured on the restaurant's chalkboard. Three meat or cheese items along with three condiments will cost you $16. Can't make up your mind? You can always let their experts choose for you.
Sweet Cherubim
1105 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3X3Television chef Rachel Ray once paid a visit to Commercial Drive's Sweet Cherubim on an episode of her Food Network program, $40 A Day. This popular restaurant, bakery and vegetarian/vegan food store in East Vancouver has been serving wholesome, satisfying favourites at affordable prices since 1980. Treat yourself to a piece of cake, a hearty serving of lasagna or one of their healthy and flavourful smoothies. You won't be disappointed.
Japadog (Food Truck)
530 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7The unique Japanese-style hot dogs at Japadog have been celebrated on Food Network Canada's Eat Street and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Starting with a single food cart in 2005, this Vancouver success story has since expanded to include six Lower Mainland mobile locations, a Robson Street brick-and-mortar restaurant and two stands in California. The signature Terimayo dog features teriyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed. Pork cutlet dogs, Kobe beef dogs, salmon dogs and even a deep-fried bun filled with ice cream can all be found on the inventive and extensive menu.
