My Vancouver food bucket list for 2026

There’s a specific kind of guilt that comes with living in Metro Vancouver and still having a long list of places you haven’t tried yet. I’ve been here long enough to know that the food scene here is genuinely one of the best things about this city – and yet somehow, life gets in the way. You tell yourself you’ll go next weekend, and then next weekend comes and you’re back on the couch in your comfort zone ordering from somewhere familiar. When I do break the pattern, it’s usually worth it. The soup dumplings at Shanghai River were reason enough to drive to Richmond, and they’ve raised the bar for everything else on this list.

So this is me, putting it in writing. Here’s what’s actually on my list for 2026 – places I keep saving, tabs I keep opening, and spots that have been living rent-free in my head for way too long.

Fryingpan Express (North Vancouver)

Hot chicken is one of those things where, once you have a really good version, nothing else compares. Fryingpan Express has been on my radar for a while now – Nashville -style hot chicken sandwiches on Lonsdale, with five spice levels and a reputation that seems genuinely earned. I need to find out if I’m a medium or a hot kind of person. (My gut says medium. My ego says hot, tears.)

Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe

There are a handful of Vancouver spots that feel like they exist specifically to be photographed on a Saturday morning, and Beaucoup Bakery is one of them. French-Japanese pastries, beautiful croissants, and the kind of coffee that pairs well with doing absolutely nothing else. I want to go on a slow morning where I have nowhere to be and I can eat something flaky without rushing.

Matcha Cafe Maiko (Richmond)

As someone who orders matcha anything without hesitation, I genuinely cannot explain why I haven’t been here yet. Matcha Cafe Maiko uses ceremonial-grade matcha from Uji, Kyoto – and their parfaits and shaved ice look like something you’d find at a specialty cafe in Japan.

If I’m already out in Richmond for this, I’ll make a day of it, Deer One Hotpot is on the same rotation, and an afternoon at PetPls cat cafe wouldn’t hurt either.

Afuri Ramen + Dumpling (Main St)

I’ve heard about Afuri from Instagram – originally from Tokyo, known for their yuzu shio ramen with a light, citrusy broth that’s the opposite of the heavy tonkotsu you get everywhere else. Their Vancouver spot is on Main Street in Mount Pleasant and they make their noodles in house daily. I want to sit down here on a breezy day and let that broth do its thing.

Daan Go Cake Lab (Vancouver + Richmond)

Daan Go has been on my list since they first opened in Richmond and now they have a second BC location in Vancouver on W 7th Ave and I still haven’t gone. The cakes are aggressively beautiful: dessert ramen bowls, cat-shaped tiramisu, croissants with black sesame, ice cream in flavours like Hong Kong milk tea with actual boba inside. I need to go before I convince myself I’m too old to eat something that looks like a cartoon.

BETA5 Chocolates (Strathcona)

Located in an industrial pocket of the city near Main/Science World SkyTrain, BETA5 is the kind of place that makes you feel like you accidentally stumbled into something special. Award-winning chocolates, geometric polygon bars, and the cream puffs that people plan their day around. I’ve been told to pre-order. I’ve been told the ice cream sandwiches in summer are not to be missed.

Vij’s

Some restaurants just feel like a milestone. Vij’s is one of Vancouver’s most celebrated Indian restaurants.

Platform 7 Coffee

I originally saved this one because of the Christmas decor, but I have a feeling the coffee is worth visiting any time of year, and I want to find out. Sometimes a cafe just calls to you and you can’t explain why.

This list is already making me anxious about how much I need to do before December. I’ll be updating the blog as I work through it, and if you’ve been to any of these, please tell me what to order – I need all the help I can get. And if you want the spots that already earned a spot in my regular rotation, here are 5 Vancouver food and coffee places I keep going back to.

Is there a Vancouver spot you think should be on my radar? Drop it in the comments.