New Vancouver Patios 2015

Get plenty of vitamin D with your meal at these hot new Vancouver patios

Snag a seat in the sun this summer at one of these new Vancouver patios

Contributor Catherine Roscoe Barr’s stunningly thorough list (87 Vancouver Patios: A Neighbourhood Guide) provided the perfect blueprint for dining in the summer sun last year – but 2015 provides a slew of new options to fill up your al fresco social calendar. And with later operating hours now possible (for businesses that get the city’s stamp of approval), there’s more time in the day to enjoy the outdoors over a hearty meal or a chilled glass of white.

Click through for some of Vancouver’s newest patios

Mahony and Sons

Mahony and Sons has long been an Irish-themed staple on the UBC campus and, more recently, along Coal Harbour’s waterfront, but 2015 sees patio season officially open for business at its Stamps Landing location. The waterfront views were formerly the centerpiece of Monk McQueen’s offering but – with sunny yellow umbrellas and an expansive outdoor space that can literally accommodate hundreds – the feel is now social and decidedly more jovial in spirit.

601 Stamps Landing, Vancouver

The Flying Pig Olympic Village

The Flying Pig took wings with two major additions in recent years: one in Gastown and the other at a third location just shy of Olympic Village. An intimate patio at the latter allows diners to enjoy a meal in the open air. As was the case with their other incarnations, it didn’t take long for diners in the area to realize the venue’s happy hour provides for great eats at affordable prices.

127 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Credit: Paul Duchart

Chambar

Chambar’s award-winning Belgian cuisine shuffled its way down Beatty Street late last summer and added on a sizeable patio, running along the public pathway that leads pedestrians from the Stadium Skytrain station down to Keefer Street. The outdoor space highlights a number of important changes, including an 84-person private dining space, a rooftop patio for private events and even a carbon neutral mandate more local businesses should strive to emulate.

568 Beatty Street, Vancouver

Tacofino

The offerings at Tacofino keep rolling out. The Burrito Bar (with its Cordova storefront) birthed the Taco Bar (which is entered off Blood Alley) and now comes an outdoor space in time for summer. The new patio seats 16 diners and was created by local designer Shiloh Sukkau who helped create the ultra-cool indoor space as well. A brand new sit-down lunch menu also launched in April and is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

15 West Cordova (but enter through Blood Alley), Vancouver

The Greek by Anatoli

Traditional Greek fare gets a modern makeover at this new downtown spot. Having formerly housed Good Wolfe, Anatoli’s new locale – which joins its sister property, a longtime North Shore favourite – boasts many Mediterranean favourites on its menu, including souvlaki, tender calamari and grilled halloumi. The fresh watermelon mojito seems like the perfect glass to hoist for a sunny toast on the cobblestone walks of Yaletown.

1043 Mainland, Vancouver

Steel Toad

As the new community of “False Creek South” takes hold around it, Steel Toad seems to have already found its footing along busy 2nd Avenue. Hide from the traffic with a seat on its interior courtyard patio, designed to seat about 40 diners. Brunch skillets are a weekend favourite and few beer fans can complain about their homemade brews – served on tap, of course – with production just a few feet away and visible thanks to the space’s hugely open, airy design.

97 East 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Malt and Marrow

Yaletown’s sceney sidewalks provide plenty of patio options when the sun shines down, and Malt and Marrow was sure to include plans for one in its design. Opened in late April by Tony Chan (beloved for his Kelowna eatery The Great Wall), the spot has a high-end gastropub feel and a menu full of inventive eats, like a beef jerky appetizer, and nine beers on tap.

1269 Hamilton, Vancouver

WildTale Coastal Grill

Yaletown bid farewell to mainstay Glowbal Grill at the end of 2014, and in its place comes WildTale Coastal Grill. From the team behind The Flying Pig, the self-described “nod to coastal living” takes over 1079 Mainland with a menu that features fresh seafood aplenty. Order up a prawn cocktail, Quadra Island honey mussels and a pan-seared Haida Gwaii halibut for the ultimate al fresco ocean feast.

1079 Mainland, Vancouver

BONUS – Six Acres

We know it’s not new, but since it wasn’t on our original list, we wanted to include Six Acres. Named for the size of an early plot of land that grew up to be the city’s beloved Gastown, this pub and restaurant serves comfort food on share plates in the heart of the downtown’s most historic neighbourhood. A small patio allows diners to enjoy favourites like the gorgonzola hot pot and grilled beef short ribs in the su. Plus, the watering hole and café is just steps from the famed statue of Gassy Jack, Vancouver’s very first saloon owner, so the drinks are served with side of history.

203 Carrall Street, Vancouver