Not only does June hold the first day of summer, it’s also when North America’s largest vegan expo lands in town, when Japan Market serves up okonomiyaki and mochi galore, when Commercial Drive plays host to Italian Days and when the Fairmont Waterfront launches an epic rooftop garden dinner series. Read on for 10 top food events of the month.
Planted Expo
Vegan or vegan-curious? North America’s largest plant-based event is taking over the Vancouver Convention Centre for two days with a stacked daily speaker series and over 180 participating food and lifestyle businesses and brands. Come hungry and bring a bag—there will be samples galore.
WHEN: June 1 and 2
WHERE: 1055 Canada Pl.
Fairmont Waterfront’s Rooftop Garden Dinner Series
A green jewel in the heart of downtown, the Fairmont Waterfront boasts a gorgeous rooftop garden, complete with pollinator bee colony and verdant planters filled with herbs and veggies. Get the rare opportunity to dine within it during the new Garden Dinner Series; the first evening features Quails Gate Winery’s Bill Sanford and dishes featuring the bounty of the garden.
WHEN: June 20
WHERE: 900 Canada Pl. Way
Japan Market
Craving Japanese snacks? Us too, always. Find your faves at this two-day summer outdoor market with over 80 vendors serving up okonomiyaki, mochi donuts, shaved ice, sushi tacos, chicken karaage, grilled yakitori skewers and so much more, alongside cultural performances such as sword fighting and taiko drumming.
WHEN: June 8 and 9
WHERE: Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza
Dinner Through the Decades at Notch8
What was it like dining in the ’60s, or even the ’30s, at the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver? Find out with its celebratory 85th anniversary menu, dishing up three courses’ worth of nostalgic delicacies. Try the Panorama Roof, a salad with candied bacon bits and lettuce heart, the Timber Club, a tenderloin of beef minute served with gratin Dauphinois and french beans, and so much more.
WHEN: June 1 onwards
WHERE: 900 W Georgia.
Deer + Almond x Published on Main
Winnipeg comes to town this month, in the form of Chef Mandel Hitzer of Deer and Almond, which ranks No. 39 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list. He’ll moonlight in executive chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s kitchen to create an a la carte fresh sheet alongside Published’s regular (ahem, Michelin-starred) menu.
WHEN: June 10 and 11
WHERE: 3593 Main St.
The Sandbar’s Seafood Boil
Sunday night is seafood night at the elevated, nautically inspired Sandbar dining room in Granville Island. Bring a date and devour a pound of mussels and clams, jumbo prawns, two lobster tails, Old Bay Broth, andouille sausage, potatoes and local corn on the cob—it’s a feast you won’t soon forget.
WHEN: Every Sunday in June
WHERE: 1535 Johnston St.
Botanist’s Taschen Author Dinner
Up the grand staircase at Fairmont Pacific Rim, just before you enter Botanist, you’ll see a luxurious space bedecked in beautiful books—the Taschen Lounge. That’s where author/editor Jessica Hundley will speak (editor of The Secret Teachings of All Ages, author for publications like Vogue and Rolling Stone) before moving into Botanist to join you for a three-course dinner.
WHEN: June 19
WHERE: 1038 Canada Pl.
Italian Day on the Drive
This annual Little Italy street party is always a delicious time. This year’s theme is “Storia” (Story), focusing on storytelling through the generations, and snack highlights include a Pepino’s Spaghetti House pop-up—featuring Big Pauly Pepperoni pizza slices, Porchetta Sandwiches, Chinotto and Vanilla Gelato Floats and more (including merch)—as well as DL Chicken’s Fried Chicken Skewers with pesto mayo and pizza dust.
WHEN: June 9
WHERE: 14 blocks of Commercial Drive
Brewery and the Beast
Meat, meat, and more meat—plus beer (and zero-proof bevs) galore. That’s what you’ll get at this aptly named annual “All You Can Enjoy” event, which will take over Concord Pacific Plaza with open-air BBQs and 55-plus restaurant teams for one afternoon. Participants include newcomers like Elio Volpe and Jungle Room, as well as veterans such as Michelin-starred Published on Main.
WHEN: 811 Carrall Street
WHERE: June 2
Glowbal’s “Buy Up Before The Time Is Up” Packages
On a budget, but still like nice things? We feel you. Glowbal is selling pre-purchased vouchers for $130 for two people to dine on a special set menu (valued at $230; yes, it includes steak). They’re redeemable Sunday and Monday nights through September, but you can only buy them for a few days this month.
WHEN: Available for purchase June 26–30
WHERE: 590 W. Georgia
