Wait—August, already? Time to drink boozy milkshakes on secret patios, eat long-table dinners in kaleidoscopic flower fields (we’ve actually got two for you to choose from) and travel down the rabbit hole for an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea.
Athiana Acres x Anh and Chi Long Table Dinner
Dine on a five-course meal cooked up by powerhouse Vietnamese resto Anh and Chi while sitting among the stunning flower fields of regenerative/organic farm Athiana Acres. Plant-based and seafood options are available, and all dishes will highlight seasonal farm-fresh produce. Field of dreams? We think so.
WHEN: August 17
WHERE: 12800 No.2 Road, Richmond
Please Beverage Co.’s Anniversary
To celebrate its one-year anniversary, Mount Pleasant distillery/all-natural cocktail hot-spot Please is throwing a party with a celebrity guest: How I Met Your Mother/Marvel Universe star (and Vancouver native) Cobie Smulders will be meeting fans and signing autographs from 6 p.m. onwards, so go grab a Raspberry Gin Negroni and party it up.
WHEN: August 8
WHERE: 222 West 5th Ave.
Five Sails’ Alice in Wonderland Tea
Travel down the rabbit hole with an afternoon tea featuring Alice-inspired bites like the Spade (dark chocolate mousse and blackberry compote), Treasure Map (ham and cheese pastry) and Curious Oysters as well as as fresh truffle brioche, candied lemon scones and more.
WHEN: August 3–September 29, weekends only
WHERE: 999 Canada Pl.
Kitchen Table Restaurants’ Summer Like An Italian
Craving an aperol spritz with a side of la dolce vita? Enter to win a trip to Milan with Kitchen Table Restaurants’ annual Summer Like An Italian campaign. Pick up a “passport,” collect stamps from participating restaurants, then submit yours to win myriad prizes, including a trip for two to Milan.
WHEN: Until September 21
WHERE: Ask for Luigi, Bacaro, Carlino, Di Beppe, Farina a Legna, Giovane Caffè, Mercato di Luigi, MONZO, Motoretta, Pizzeria Farina, Pourhouse, Caffè Super Veloce
Red Wagon Cafe’s Burger Menu Launch
Until now, Hastings-Sunrise has been lacking a really great burger spot. (Sorry A&W, we said it.) Enter Red Wagon, which quietly started serving dinner recently and is firmly launching its new evening burger menu now, complete with boozy milkshakes. If you need us this summer, we’ll be sitting out on its secret back patio (you’re welcome) with a Smash Burger and bourbon-laced Salted Caramel Shake.
WHEN: All August long
WHERE: 2128 E. Hastings
Café Medina’s Summer Crush Beer Dinner
Fellow beer lovers, this one’s for us. Twin Sails Brewing and Café Medina are teaming up for a hops-filled, five-course beer pairing dinner featuring craft brews alongside fresh-shucked oysters, locally sourced halibut, grilled SunGold lamb sirloin and more.
WHEN: August 29
WHERE: 780 Richards St.
White Spot Pirate Pak Day
Finally—that one special day of the year when everybody, young and old, can order what they really want: a Pirate Pak, complete with chocolate coin. Your purchase will also help out your community: $2 from the sale of every pak will be donated to Zajac Ranch, a fully accessible summer camp for children on the shores of Stave Lake, B,C.
WHEN: August 14
WHERE: All participating White Spot locations
Feast in the Flower Fields x Bar Bravo Dinner
Did you know that the Vancouver Farmers Market has a charity? The Fresh to Families Fund provides coupons to low-income community members to purchase from B.C. farmer’s market vendors, and this summer you can help support by attending a long-table dinner at River and Sea Flowers on Westham Island. Fraserhood’s all-star Bar Bravo will cook the family-style meal and feature market vendors such as Merci Boulangerie, Cropthorne organic vegetable and Scout Vineyard natural wines.
When: August 17
Where: 4362 Tamboline Rd., Delta
Botanist x Birdsong Dinner
Chef Chris Bleidorn of San Francisco’s two-Michelin-starred Birdsong—known for its epic tasting menu experiences—will be in town cooking eight courses (with wine/cocktail pairings, of course) alongside Botanist’s Chef Hector Laguna. A few menu highlights to start salivating over: sea urchin cream puff with savoury butterscotch filling and grilled black lamb with black garlic mole.
WHEN: August 21
WHERE: 1038 Canada Pl.
Hawksworth Pop-Up at Steeps in Whistler
Get up to Whistler while the weather’s at its best to experience a full-service outdoor dining experience like no other at Steeps Grill and Wine Bar. Chef David Hawksworth will feed you salmon gravlax, duo of beef, Okanagan peach rum baba, and more, and you’ll even receive a ticket to the Summer Alpine Experience, which includes access to PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola rides and hiking trails galore—the perfect way to work up an appetite.
WHEN: August 8
WHERE: 4853 Springs Ln.
Bar Susu’s “Come As You Are”
The Okanagan’s fairly new Apara Winery—their first vines were planted in 2022—touches down at Bar Susu for a one-night-only takeover. Enjoy an evening of DJ’d music and fine pours from winemakers Nav and Andreas, whose Apara is one of the only queer and women of colour-led wineries in BC.
WHEN: August 1
WHERE: 209 E. 6th Ave
