The Best Restaurants in Gastown

Gastown is where it all began for Vancouver.

As the city’s original settlement site and the first downtown core, this Vancouver neighborhood has seen it all. Nowadays, Gastown is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike when it comes to food. Gastown restaurants are in a league of their own offering tasty meals for all palettes.

There are so many places to eat in Gastown that knowing where to go can be hard. So, if you’re looking for the best restaurants in Gastown, look no further. This comprehensive guide includes not only the best Gastown restaurants but the best cafes, bars, and more.

Looking for more things to do in Vancouver and nearby? Check out my Vancouver travel guides which are full of information on the best things to do in Vancouver, the best Vancouver restaurants, and detailed guides for each of the main neighborhoods.

Skip to these Gastown places to eat and drink:

• Best Gastown Restaurants
• Best Gastown Bars
• Best Coffee Shops & Brunch in Gastown
• Best Lunch in Gastown
• Live music in Gastown

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Best Restaurants in Gastown Vancouver

Some of the best Vancouver restaurants we’ve been to have been restaurants in Gastown. You’re in for a treat! There are so many good restaurants in Gastown for dinner and below are some of the best.

As you’ll see from these Gastown restaurants Vancouver, you’ve got a lot of choice, and there are more popping up fairly regularly.

St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence is our favorite restaurant in Vancouver. It serves Quebecois food and it’s absolutely delicious. We’ve been here a number of times now and are always impressed with both the menu and the service.

The restaurant isn’t huge but it feels homey and each table feels a bit private and there’s always a good atmosphere.

St Lawrence’s menu changes regularly with special menus created to honour certain Quebecois celebrations or with the season. For a special dinner in Gastown, you should go here it’s undoubtedly some of the best food in Gastown.

Whatever you do you must get the Oreilles de Crisse which are fried pork rinds with maple and Montréal spices. They’re like pork scratchings if you’re from the UK but SO much better!

• Location: 269 Powell Street

Di Beppe

Di Beppe is an Italian cafe and restaurant in Gastown serving up fresh pasta dishes, espresso and tasty wine. It’s a fun environment and they hold regular events such as Italian natural wine evenings. Great for a catch-up with friends!

• Location: 8 W Cordova Street

Tacofino Gastown

Where do I even begin with Tacofino? This has to be our most-visited restaurant in Vancouver although we’re more regular visitors of either Tacofino Yaletown or Tacofino in Kitsilano.

When it comes to Mexican restaurants in Gastown this maybe isn’t the most authentic but Tacofino’s burritos and tacos are full of flavor, will fill you up, and are the best I’ve come across (and we eat a lot of burritos & tacos!).

Make sure to get one of their margaritas too and if you’re dining with friends, a plate of nachos to share always goes down well.

• Location: 15 W Cordova Street

MeeT

MeeT is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant that does delicious comfort food. At this Vancouver Gastown restaurant, you can find burgers, brunches, breakfasts, and more on the menu. It’s all meat-free and totally delicious!

It’s one of my favorite places to go for brunch that’ll easily leave you full until dinner.

• Location: 12 Water Street

Jules Bistro

This Gastown French restaurant is great.

We had an awesome experience when dining at Jules Bistro and discovered our favorite wine ever! We sat at the bar and had a friendly conversation with the barman while enjoying classic French dishes of moules frites and steak frites.

Highly recommend for classic French cuisine!

• Location: 216 Abott Street

PiDGiN Restaurant

PiDGiN restaurant in Gastown does French-influenced takes on Asian cuisine and serves craft cocktails.

Both the service and the food come recommended and there’s also a tasting menu for those of you who (like me) want to try a bit of everything!

• Location: 250 Carrall Street

Pourhouse Gastown

Pourhouse is a great destination for both dinner and cocktails. Cocktails are handcrafted by the bartender and are of high quality. For food, you’ll find some pub classics such as burgers, mac and cheese and fish and chips.

• Location: 162 Water Street.

L’Abbatoir

L’Abbatoir is known for its French-influenced West Coast fare and award-winning wine program and cocktails. The dining room has recently redone a refit but remains the stylish space it’s always been.

Whatever your choice, you’re sure to enjoy this locals’ favorite Gastown restaurant.

• Location: 217 Carrall Street

Nuba

Nuba is another local chain restaurant with a Gastown location. Nuba serves middle eastern cuisines and their sharing plates are great for dinner out with friends.

You can opt for a veggie one or one with meat. If you or your friends are vegetarian this is a great option for vegetarian restaurants in Gastown!

• Location: 207 W Hastings

Robba da Matti Gastown

If you’re looking for Italian restaurants in Gastown, I’d recommend Robba da Matti. Robba da Matti serves up some great pasta dishes in this bright and lively dining space. I recommend going for the date night menu option where you get 2 antipasti, 2 pasta, 2 desserts, and a bottle of wine!

• Location: 12 Powell Street

Cuchillo

For more great Gastown eats, head to Cuchillo. This Latin American and Mexican restaurant in Gastown has delicious cocktails and mezcals. Cuchillo also does dishes such as ceviche and tacos and gets great reviews!

• Location: 261 Powell Street

Best Bars in Gastown

With sports bars, Gastown happy hour bars, and even some live music, Gastown is the place to be whatever the time of day!

Local Public Eatery

Local Gastown is a great place to catch up with friends and have a few beers. There’s a huge Gastown patio area and you can get your typical pub food to soak up the booze! This is a great option if you’re looking for Gastown restaurants with patios.

• Location: 3 Alexander Street

Six Acres

Six Acres is a gastro pub with sharing plates inspired by Europe. There are mini burgers, risotto, fries and more. Come for happy hour to get great deals on drinks and food!

They also do a pretty good Sunday Roast in Vancouver!

• Location: 203 Carrall Street

Alibi Room

With more than 50 beers on tap, the Alibi Room is ideal for beer lovers. However, you can also get cocktails and local BC wines too. If you’re searching for a Gastown cocktail bar, this is a good pick.

• Location: 157 Alexander Street

Steamworks Brewpub

Right next to the train station is Steamworks Brewpub. This Gastown brewery is absolutely massive with both an upstairs and downstairs. It gets super busy and can be very loud but if you’re with a big group this place can be a whole lot of fun. I would recommend making a reservation though!

They serve Steamworks beer (of course) but there are plenty of other options on the menu too.

• Location: 375 Water Street

Best Coffee Shops in Gastown & Best Brunch in Gastown

Gastown is home to some of the coziest coffee shops in Vancouver and there are a lot of different options to choose from.

Revolver Coffee

Nemesis Coffee in Gastown, Vancouver was opened by 7 friends who all had experience in different parts of the Vancouver coffee scene. The result is a beautiful, minimalist space with great coffee. There are hanging plants and old-school hip-hop playing from the record player. You can guarantee your coffee is going to be well made here and it’s the place to go for some gourmet coffee in Vancouver.

Nelson the Seagull

Nelson the Seagull is known for its delicious sourdough bread and its avocado and poached egg brunches. But you know what goes well with breakfast food? Coffee! Enjoy brunch and coffee in this beautiful building with a cozy atmosphere.

• Location: 315 Carrall Street

Timbertrain Coffee Roasters

This Gastown staple has your back for all your coffee needs. Whether it’s a simple latte you want or something fancier like a nitro cold brew in the summer.  

Timertrain Coffee Roasters (as the name suggests) roast their own beans so they offer a chance for you to try something new. This Gastown cafe is inside a heritage building so it’s beautiful too.

• Location: 311 W Cordova Street

Prado Coffee

The owner is well known for his love and appreciation for serving great coffee. He was the first winner of the World Latte Art Championships and has won the Canadian Barista awards several times. I’ve always enjoyed the coffee I’ve had at Prado!

• Location: 100 W Hastings

Birds and the Beets

It doesn’t get much prettier than the interior of The Birds & The Beets in Gastown. The interior is beautiful and filled with flower arrangements that you can buy and the smell of freshly baked goods and coffee. I mean, what more could you want? 

• Location: 55 Powell Street

Nemesis

Nemesis Coffee in Gastown, Vancouver was opened by 7 friends who all had experience in different parts of the Vancouver coffee scene. The result is a beautiful, minimalist space with great coffee.

There are hanging plants and old-school hip-hop playing from the record player. You can guarantee your coffee is going to be well made here and it’s the place to go for some gourmet coffee in Gastown.

• Location: 302 W Hastings

Purebread

Both a breakfast and an afternoon pick-me-up spot, Purebread is cake and pastry heaven. The counters are always lined with tasty treats and the hardest part is picking what to go for.

Everything is good so there are no bad decisions!

• Location: 159 W Hastings

The Twisted Fork Gastown

The Twisted Fork in Gastown is a super popular brunch destination and one of the best restaurants Gastown has to offer you for breakfast foods.

There are all the brunch classics including bennys and you can also get some alcohol if you partied a bit hard the previous night.

• Location: 213 Carrall Street

Jam Cafe

Jam Cafe is perhaps one of the most famous Vancouver brunch restaurants. I’ve never been past and not seen a line.

If you’re going, expect to spend a long time in line but once you’re in you’ll get to enjoy ultimate breakfast foods including burritos, hashbrowns, pancakes and French toast.

• Location: 556 Beatty Street

Deacon’s Corner

Looking for something a bit greasy that’ll fill you up to (& probably past) lunch? Deacon’s Corner is the place to go. You can get pulled pork pancakes, chicken and biscuits, bennys and chicken and waffles amongst other items.

• Location: 101 Main Street

Best Lunch in Gastown

Though many of the Gastown restaurants and cafes above would be suitable for lunch, in my view, there’s only one real option for lunch in Gastown…

Meat and Bread

Meat and Bread is the place to go for a sandwich in Gastown. It serves just a limited menu with occasional specials with the star of the show being the porchetta sandwich.

It’s so good and you have to try it at least once I definitely think it’s one of the best Gastown Vancouver restaurants for lunch!

If you’re visiting around Canadian Thanksgiving (October) be sure to try the Turducken!

• Location: 370 Cambie Street

Live music in Gastown or for a night out

Gastown is a lively place when the sun goes down. Here are some options if you want to continue the fun after dinner.

Guilt and Company

Guilt and Co. is the place to go for live music in Vancouver. They have regular shows and you can get drinks while listing to some great local and visiting artists.

• Location: 1 Alexander Street

El Furniture Warehouse Hastings

The Warehouse Group is a chain of restaurants and bars that serve super cheap food (around $5 a meal), and drinks and offer dancing. It’s the type of place you’re likely to find people dancing on the tables and it can be a fun night out.

• Location: 303 Columbia Street

Calabash Bistro

The Calabash Bistro has DJs and dancing from 10:30 pm to 2 am every Friday and Saturday night! If you’re feeling the need to dance, you’ll satisfy that need here!

• Location: 428 Carrall Street

Back and Forth

Back and Forth is a table tennis/ping pong bar where you can get cheap drinks and book a table to play ping pong with your friends. They also have some fun games such as truth or dare jenga. We’ve been here a few times with friends and always have a great time.

• Location: 303 Columbia Street

Final thoughts on the best restaurants Gastown Vancouver BC

Gastown is one of my favorite places for a slightly fancier meal like those you’ll find at St Lawrence and Joules.

As you can see from this list of Gastown Vancouver restaurants, there’s a lot of choice and you can eat cuisines from all over the world.

Despite the fact that Gastown is also home to some more chain-like restaurants such as the Old Spaghetti Factory Gastown, there are plenty of independent restaurants (as well as independent Gastown shops), that’ll give you a dinner to remember (hopefully for all the right reasons!).

If you’re looking for more of Vancouver’s best restaurants, be sure to check out these guides to the best Yaletown restaurants Vancouver, as well as where to eat on Granville Island and the best restaurants in Vancouver’s West End. I’ve also got guides to the best Main Street restaurants as well as where to eat in Kisilano.

Last Updated on August 17, 2023 by Hannah