Vancouver restaurants offer a lot of incredible cuisine, and many big-name celebrities have their go-to spots whenever they’re in the city.
From Michelin-starred dining to Italian restaurants and amazing Asian food, there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to restaurants in downtown Vancouver.
Since the B.C. city is also a hub for celebrities, certain restaurants in the area have seen their fair share of stars stop by for a meal.
If you’ve ever wanted to dine like a star, here are 14 Vancouver restaurants where you might just run into one of your favourite stars.
Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 1133 Hamilton St., Vancouver, BC
Why You Need To Go: Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill in Yaletown is a hotspot for celebrities. One of the restaurant’s recent celebrity sightings was when Drake stopped by while on tour in 2023. The Toronto rapper has eaten there multiple times over the years, ordering dishes like the chickpea pizza with mushrooms and penne with spot prawns.
Chef Posteraro told Narcity Jason Momoa “loved bluefin tuna and linguine with sea urchin” when he dined there.
Stanley Tucci loves the restaurant so much, that he even wrote about it in his book, My Life Through Food.
“I know also that my first stop will be my favourite restaurant, Cioppino’s in Yaletown, run by chef Pino Posteraro and his brother Celestino,” Tucci wrote.
Bono, George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston have also dined at the Vancouver restaurant.
Vij’s
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Indian
Address: 3106 Cambie St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver is a popular spot for Indian cuisine.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stopped by the restaurant for dinner in February 2024 during a three-day visit to B.C.
The couple was joined by Canadian singer Michael Bublé and his wife Luisana Lopilato.
According to the chef, Vikram Vij, the royal couple ordered the naan, paneer, curry and the chef’s signature lamb popsicles. Vij also noted that the food was a bit spicy for Harry, but not for Meghan.
“I think for [Harry], the food was a little spicier,” Vij told CTV News Vancouver. “He actually himself said, ‘Do you know I’m a ginger? Which means when I eat spicy food, I get red?'”
“And she had the goat meat, which is the spiciest dish on the menu. She loved it.”
Vij has also cooked for Prince William and Kate Middleton during their visit to Vancouver in 2016.
Minerva’s Restaurant
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Greek
Address: 2411 W 41st Ave, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Minerva’s Restaurant is a family-owned pizzeria that serves traditional Greek dishes like calamari, souvlaki, moussaka and Greek salad.
It also happens to be Ryan Reynolds’ favourite restaurant in the world.
During a Netflix interview, the Vancouver-born actor raved about the restaurant which is in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood and close to where he grew up.
Honey Doughnuts & Goodies
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Doughnuts and pastries
Address: 4373 Gallant Ave., North Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: This doughnut shop, which serves homemade breakfast, lunch and dessert items is loved by many celebrities.
The shop has received visits from Titanic star Kate Winslet and actor John Cena.
The shop’s owner told Narcity Cena ordered breakfast and assorted doughnuts when he stopped by in July 2022.
More recently, former One Direction singer Harry Styles dropped by with his girlfriend Taylor Russell in November 2023.
La Terrazza
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 1088 Cambie St., Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Drake loves Italian food so it was no surprise when he showed up for dinner at a popular Italian restaurant in Vancouver.
Drizzy was in town for his tour in August when he dined at La Terrazza.
“An absolute privilege to welcome Drake to our restaurant [La Terrazza] for an exclusive dinner event,” the restaurant posted on Instagram along with the photo.
Zarak by Afghan Kitchen
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Afghan
Address: 2102 Main St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Zarak by Afghan Kitchen shares Afghan heritage through its dishes by using generational recipes and traditional ingredients with a modern technique.
Several cast members of The Last of Us were spotted dining at this Vancouver restaurant in January 2024, including Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced and Young Mazino.
“WE LOVED IT!! Incredibly delicious food and cocktails…with fantastic service and a beautiful ambience. We will no doubt be coming back often! THANK YOU!” the show’s executive producer Jacqueline Lesko wrote under the photo the restaurant posted on Instagram.
Phnom Penh Restaurant
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Cambodian and Vietnamese
Address: 244 E Georgia St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Phnom Penh is a restaurant that serves Cambodian-Vietnamese dishes with specialties like butter beef.
Seth Rogen raved about the restaurant’s Cambodian wings when giving recommendations to Chrissy Teigen over X.
Love Hard actor Jimmy O. Yang also gave the restaurant a shout-out in an Instagram post sharing Vancouver recommendations after a visit to the city.
Fat Mao Noodles
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Thai
Address: 217 E Georgia St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go:Sam Smith was in Canada for their Gloria Tour in August 2023 when they dined at Fat Mao Noodles, a spot specializing in Thai soup noodles.
Smith ordered the Kaho Soi Chicken Curry and expressed online just how much they loved the food.
“FAT MAO IS THE ONE. I LOVE VANCOUVER,” Smith wrote on Instagram.
JJANG Korean BBQ & Social House
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Korean BBQ
Address: 5668 Hollybridge Way #115, Richmond
Why You Need To Go: This Korean BBQ joint offers a variety of dishes like meats for grilling, soups and Korean-style fried chicken.
The place got a visit from Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard in August 2023 when he was back in his home city.
Restaurant staff were excited to see the star and shared a photo they took with him outside.
Lee’s Donuts
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Doughnut shop
Address: 1689 Johnston St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: This iconic donut shop is located inside the public market of Granville Island. It’s another favourite of Seth Rogen’s who gave it a shout-out during an episode of the Netflix documentary Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
In the episode, Rogen and chef David Chang stop by the shop and the actor explains he grew up going to Lee’s.
So there’s a chance you might bump into Rogen at the doughnut shop during his next visit!
Ask For Luigi Restaurant
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 305 Alexander St, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: While Minerva’s restaurant is Ryan Reynolds’ favourite spot in the city, one of Blake Lively’s favourite restaurants is Ask For Luigi, which is also located in Vancouver.
Lively and Reynolds have spent a lot of time in the city so it’s no surprise that Lively has a few go-to spots.
In an Instagram story in 2022, Lively shared four of her favourite things in the entire world, all of which come from Vancouver. Ask For Luigi was one of them.
Wak Wak Burger
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Asian-style hamburgers
Address: 511 Granville St.
Why You Need To Go: Wak Wak Burger is a food truck that is known for its Asian-style hamburgers.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife actor Finn Wolfhard stopped by the truck twice in 2023 and ordered the same combo both times: an Okonomi burger combo which comes with an Okonomi burger, fries and a pop.
Maenam
Price: 💸💸💸
Cuisine: Thai
Address: 1938 W 4th Ave, Vancouver
Why You Need To Go: Maenam is a Michelin-recommended restaurant in Vancouver that serves traditional Thai dishes with a contemporary twist.
The spot is loved by celebs like Kate Winslet, Owen Wilson and Seth Rogen.
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