Where to Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Vancouver This November

After Halloween fades, and before the Christmas chaos, the city finally gets a pause—the perfect opportunity for chefs to embrace warmth and imagination. Here are some ways to eat, drink and celebrate your way through this month, from Day of the Dead feasts to haunted teas, radicchio pop-ups and croissant crawls.

Botanist x Arca Día de Muertos at the Fairmont Pacific Rim

The Botanist’s annual Día de Muertos celebration returns for a fourth year, and this time, expect an exceptionally vibrant experience. For 2025, executive chef Hector Laguna is inviting José Luis Hinostroza, the creative mind behind Tulum’s Arca (No. 32 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list), for two nights of modern Mexican magic. The six-course meal will combine Yucatán fire with Pacific Northwest flair, each dish paired with cocktails and wines. On the following night (November 2nd), The Lobby Lounge and RawBar continues the party with live music, Arca-inspired cocktails and ofrenda-inspired decor. 

When: November 1 and 2 

Where: 1038 Canada Place

La Mezcaleria × El Tequileno: Día de los Muertos Dinner

If you prefer your festivities a little closer to home (and heavier on the tequila), then the Day of the Dead at La Mezcaleria on Commercial Drive is a fiesta for you—a colorful, tequila-fused love letter to family, culture and good company. Chef Kevin Angulo is honoring his Abuela by devoting an entire six-course menu that includes dishes like ossobuco mole de olla, turkey roulade in a tortilla ash and roasted squash and white chocolate ganache. The meal is  paired with drinks using El Tequileno’s small-batch spirits. 

When: November 2nd from 5 p.m.

Where: 1622 Commercial Drive

Yes Shef 2025

Now in its fifth year, Yes Shef returns to the Fairmont Pacific Rim to celebrate the women shaping the food and beverage industry in B.C. Presented by WORTH Association, 15 students from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts will work with top female chefs like Kate Siegel and Leah Patitucci (Fairmont Pacific Rim), Stacy Johnston and Minette Lotz (The Restaurant at Polar Grove), Alisha Montgomery (The Keg), and in partnership with Indigenous Tourism British Columbia they will showcase contemporary Indigenous flavours presented in dishes by Stephanie Baryluk of (Nihkhah), and Sarah Meconse Mierau (Tradish’s The Ancestor Cafe). You can also enjoy a variety of drinks made by Stacey Kyle from Lionheart Spirits, Melanie Maclness from Locality Brewing, and Vali Manickam from Plenty Real Brews, in addition to live music, an auction, and “blind-date-with-a-restaurant” raffle. All proceeds will help fund scholarships and leadership programs for women in recreation, tourism and the hospitality industry.

When: November 6 from 6 p.m.

Where: Fairmont Pacific Rim, Star Sapphire ballroom

Women in Wine Take Centre Stage

The Belgard Kitchen dining room will host the women of Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country as they take the mic to talk all things wine. A six-course pairing dinner includes beet salad with Gold Hill Winery’s 2022 Sauvignon, braised short rib risotto with Domaine Artema Winery’s 2022 Gamay Cru and duck confit with cherry jus with Kismet Estate Winery’s 2021 Moksha. 

When: November 5th at 6 p.m.

Where: 55 Dunlevy Ave.

Oyster​‍​‌‍​‍‌ and Beer Master Class: Sip, Shuck, Slurp!

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar is reviving its interactive master class: time to build some skills while enjoying your seafood. The tide-to-table specialists are celebrating an intimate evening of shucking, sipping and slurping in their private Kelp Roomguests can expect a lesson in oyster shucking,platters of fresh oysters directly from the restaurant’s own Vancouver Island farms, and beer pairings from Twin Sails Brewing. 

When: November 19, 6:30 p.m.

Where: 762 Cambie St.

Pasta-Making Experience at Italian Kitchen

The pasta-making session will be every bit the hands-on experience at the Italian Kitchen on the afternoon of November 8, where guests will roll, shape, and sauce their a meal. Each guest receives a glass of Mionetto Prosecco (or a craft non-alcoholic cocktail) before starting to work with the dough under the chefs’ supervision. Subsequently, savour your pasta with a glass of red or white wine and take home an Italian Kitchen apron and a pasta cutter wheel to recreate the same pasta-making at home.

When: November 8, 2 to 5 p.m.

Where: 860 Burrard Street

Haunted Cellar Afternoon Tea

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver transforms its popular afternoon-tea concept from bright to gothic below the hotel. Part frightful, part fancy, it’s like drinking Earl Grey in a Tim Burton film. Enjoy some special treats like: “Midnight Burial” (chocolate mousse), or “I See You” (chocolate cookie with a white chocolate eyeball). Champagne upgrades encouraged but not mandatory.

When: Until November 9, Wednesday to Sunday 

Where: 900 W Georgia St.

Celebrating Jacques Pépin’s 90 Years: A Tribute Dinner

The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts is presenting a one-night dinner at its Blue Hat Bistro to pay tribute to the famous chef Jacques Pépin. Chef Ben and his top culinary students will collaborate to create a menu inspired by the chef’s culinary masterpieces; expect amasterclass in French techniques, starting from black truffle gougères and warm duck salad with Puy lentils, then going to classic Soupe de Poisson and Daube de Bœuf à la Provençale served with brown-butter celeriac purée. For dessert, snack on Crêpes Suzette à l’Ancienne (flambéed with Grand Marnier, of course) and delicate mignardises to finish.

When: November 26, 6 to 9 p.m.

Where: Blue Hat Bistro, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts

 

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Chef Mark Singson Takes Over Bar Tartare

For two weeks, Chef Singson is doing a residency at Bar Tartare. Think beef bistek tartare, calamansi-Thai basil mussels, and tuna adobo that can be paired up with a glass of wine from the bar’s curated list. 

When: October 28 to November 8, 5 p.m.

Where: 54 Alexander Street

Bold Flavours: A Radicchio Pop-Up

The humble bitter lettuce is elevated to high art under chef Andrea Carlson’s deft touch.Look forward to grilled treviso with honey-cider glaze, roasted chioggia with walnut purée, and a radicchio panna cotta accompanied with Sea Cider’s Wild English cider.

When: November 18

Where: 2702 Main Street 

 

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Hawksworth x Hunter Collab

Hawksworth Restaurant teams up with Michael Hunter, known as the “Hunter Chef,” for a one-night collaboration to celebrate the release of his new cookbook (The Hunter Chef in the Wild). Along with David Hawksworth and his kitchen team, Hunter will serve a multi-course menu inspired in Canada’s wild landscapes, from coast to forest, with optional wine pairings selected by sommelier Chris Reilly.

When: November 5, 6 p.m.

Where: 801 West Georgia Street

 

Vancouver Croissant Crawl

The buttery scavenger hunt in the city returns with more than 30 bakeries with limited-edition flavours range. Go for the classics or experience surprises like miso caramel, black sesame, jalapeño-cheddar and tiramisu. Throw on some running shoes and track down many flaky delights. 

When: November 1 to 16 

Where: Various bakeries in Vancouver