Vancouver/Mt Pleasant-South Main

The B-Line bus route #99, which runs along Broadway, connects the area with Kitsilano, UBC and East Van.

• #3 runs up and down Main Street.

The Canada Line follows Cambie Street on its way between downtown and the airport/Richmond with two stations of interest:

• Olympic Village — Connects with the #50 bus to Granville Island.
• King Edward — A few blocks walk to Queen Elizabeth Park and Nat Bailey Stadium.

• Queen Elizabeth Park

  address: 33rd & Cambie
  An old quarry that was converted into a number of gardens and ponds. The top of the park is the highest point in the city of Vancouver and offers views of the entire city.

• Bloedel Floral Conservatory

  address: top of Queen Elizabeth Park
  Tropical plants and birds under the white dome.

Vancouver City HallBuilt on the rise over False Creek, the building has nice grounds and provides a different view into downtown Vancouver and the mountains behind.

• Vancouver Canadians

  address: 4601 Ontario St
  Vancouver's minor league (single A) baseball team.

South Main (sometimes called "SoMa," the parts of Main Street south of 2nd Avenue or so) is rapidly becoming the new bohemian neighbourhood of designer boutiques, Asian religious item stores, and coffee shops. Many local designers have boutiques on Main between Broadway (the equivalent of 9th Ave) south to about 29th Ave where you can buy cutting-edge and handmade clothing for reasonable prices. Between King Edward Ave (the equivalent of 25th) and 29th is a cluster of antique stores, some of which are expensive and not very good, but you can find treasures there if you search.

• Our Community Bikes

  phone: +1 604-879-2453
  address: 3283 Main St
  A community bike shop that offers space for do-it-yourself bike repairs and maintenance, as well as selling refurbished bikes.

One of the best places to look for outdoor equipment in Vancouver is on Broadway in the blocks just east of Cambie Street. The two big shops are Mountain Equipment Co-op and Taiga, but there are numerous other smaller shops in the area if you walk between these two stores.

• Mountain Equipment Co-op

  phone: +1 604-872-7858
  address: 130 West Broadway
  $5 lifetime membership required to purchase goods.

• Taiga

  phone: +1 604-875-6647
  address: 301 West Broadway

Budget

• Hawker's Delight

  phone: +1 604 709-8188
  address: 4127 Main St
  At Main and King Edward Hawker's servers up authentic Malaysian/Singaporean dishes at $4-5. Fast-paced atmosphere (as the name would suggest). Good vegetarian options.

• Heartwood Community Cafe

  address: 317 E Broadway
  Successor to the popular Rhizome Cafe, serves bistro food, organic coffee, and alcoholic drinks. They seek to build community, and offer a meeting room for events.

• Lucy's Eastside Diner

  phone: +1 604 568-1550
  address: 2708 Main Street
  A slightly self-conscious reinvention of the classic burgers-and-pancakes diner. Being open all night long is good. Breakfast 24 hours a day is even better. The friendly and flexible service is great. The milkshakes laced with whisky, rum, and on request, bacon? Priceless. Good range of vegetarian selections. Since there aren't many all-night restaurants, Lucy's can get crowded late at night after clubs close.

• Ro Sushi Japanese Bistro

  phone: +1 604-876-9899
  address: 542 West Broadway
  Mainstream Japanese food, but the wide variety of "boxes" (set meals) are an astonishing amount of food for the economical price.

• Vera's Burger Shack

  phone: +1 604 709-8372
  address: 2922 Main St
  One of a local chain, well known for tasty, made-to-order hamburgers and a casual atmosphere. Vegetarian options and beer also served. Take-out also.

• Whole Vegetarian Restaurant

  phone: +1 604 876-3088
  address: 3068 Main St
  A vegetarian Buddhist Chinese restaurant. Has an incredibly diverse menu. Get the bean curd skin rolls with black bean sauce! It's a good idea to make reservations; it's very popular.

Mid-range

• The Acorn

  phone: +1 604 566-9001
  address: 3995 Main St
  Opened in 2012, this is one of Vancouver's few restaurants to offer high cuisine that is entirely vegetarian, with many vegan and gluten-free options. Open for dinner every night and for weekend brunch. Their bar also serves creative and tasty cocktails. No reservations taken, and vegie foodies have few other options, so expect a wait unless you come soon after they open.

• Kamei Royal

  phone: +1 604 876-3388
  address: 12-601 W Broadway
  This is the Japanese restaurant to which you can bring your homesick Japanese business partners. Excellently prepared, professional-grade sushi, rice dishes, kushiyaki, and cooked-at-the-table sukiyaki. An authentic Japanese atmosphere, from the irasshaimase greeting to the pretty pictures in the bilingual menus to the serene decor. Another branch is on West Georgia in the City Centre.

• Shiro Sushi

  phone: +1 604 874-0027
  address: 3096 Cambie St
  If Toshi is too busy, walking west a half dozen blocks will bring you to another affordable family-run sushi restaurant with friendly service and a packet of Pocky with your bill.

• Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant

  phone: +1 604 872-8822
  address: 3888 Main St
  An excellent Chinese restaurant, the chefs are excellent cooks. Beware there are long lineups and reservations are a must.

• The Foundation

  phone: +1 604 708-0881
  address: 2301 Main St
  A funky vegetarian/vegan restaurant with a hipster feel, the Foundation serves up delicious food for inexpensive prices. Be sure to try their hummus, it's spectacular!

• The Reef Restaurant

  phone: +1 604 874-JERK
  address: 4172 Main St
  Caribbean restaurant with live entertainment some nights.

• Toshi Sushi

  phone: +1 604 874-5173
  address: 181 E 16th Ave
  A small mostly family-run sushi restaurant that serves relatively cheap, good sushi. Avoid the garlic beef, but one must try the tempura. It's a popular spot so it's best to get there before 5PM.

Splurge

• Locus Restaurant

  phone: +1 604 708-4121
  address: 4121 Main St
  Local favourite with a variety of dishes that incorporate local and seasonal ingredients. Will substitute tofu for meat if requested.

• Seasons in the Park

  phone: +1 604 874-8008
  address: 405 West 33rd Ave (at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park)
  If the weather is nice, this restaurant has one of the best views in the city since it is the highest point in Vancouver. Surprisingly, for a restaurant with this good a location, the food and service are excellent and the prices are reasonable. Try the rack of lamb and the stuffed mushrooms. Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin ate here when they had their 1994 summit in Vancouver.

• London Pub

  phone: +1 604-563-5053
  address: 700 Main St
  Imported & craft beers, pub food, but it's not a great place to walk at night, as that section is not far removed from the worst areas of the Eastside.

• Douglas & Windsor Guest Houses

  phone: +1 604-872-3060
  address: 456 West 13th Ave and 325 West 11th Ave
  Two Victorian houses converted to B&Bs. Reviewers indicated the hearty breakfasts are good and the location is convenient but a couple of the rooms could be cleaner. Both guest houses are owned by the same person.

• Holiday Inn - Vancouver Centre

  phone: +1 604-879-0511
  address: 711 West Broadway
  Clean rooms and courteous service, although the decor could be updated.

• Park Inn & Suites on Broadway

  phone: +1 604-872-8661
  address: 898 West Broadway
  Mix of rooms ranging from a standard hotel room to kitchenette to suites. Some rooms have views of downtown and the mountains. High-speed internet and fitness centre on site.