A food lover’s guide to Hastings-Sunrise

We’ve mapped it out for you. Literally.

Whether you call it the East Village or Port Town or the original Hastings-Sunrise, this slice of northeast Vancouver is one of the city’s most delicious up-and-coming ’hoods.Rise and ShinePeople love breakfast in these parts. The former home of Brave Bull’s steakhouse has been reimagined as Yolks (1298 E Hastings St., yolks.ca), the bricks-and-mortar manifestation of the popular food truck. Its choose-your-own-adventure approach to the eggs Benny and good-sized cocktail menu make it the place to kick off your day—or kick a hangover to the curb. A few (okay, 10) blocks east, the Red Wagon (2296 E Hastings St., redwagoncafe.com) helped boost the neighbourhood with diner-inspired comfort food—like pulled pork pancakes or BBQ brisket with eggs—that creates round-the-block lineups on weekend mornings. Just past Nanaimo Street, Roundel Cafe (2465 E Hastings St., roundelcafe.com) has been putting its East Van spin on breakfast classics—think challah French toast and organic-grain pancakes—since 1969. Far Out Coffee PostFuel UpNext, fight the full-belly fatigue with a pick-me-up. The train station decor at Platform 7 (2331 E Hastings St., platform7coffee.ca) may evoke Victorian England, but this is contemporary coffee. Quench your curiosity with a tasting flight of pour-over brews from Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters. A few doors down at East Cafe (2401 E Hastings St., 604-559-6400), stock up on East Van jam, fruit juices from the Okanagan or the house-baked shortbread in addition to coffee in a rustic corner-store setting. Heading north, the Far Out Coffee Post (2173 Dundas St., 604-875-8090) is a retrophile’s dream, combining good espresso with a pinball arcade, record store and vintage clothing pop-up shop. Black Rook BakehouseAfternoon DelightSoak up all that caffeine with meringue-topped fruit tarts from the Black Rook Bakehouse (2474 E Hastings St., blackrookbake.com) or dash across the street to the East Village Bakery (2166 E Hastings St., eastvillagebakery.com) for vegan and gluten-free takes on crostatas, cupcakes and breads. Ugo and Joe’s Lucky Meats (2406 E Hastings St., 604-253-6844) is an institution. Let the staff at this family-run Italian deli build you a sandwich from their extensive selection of salamis and house-made porchetta. Tacofino CommissaryEats Around the WorldCome dinnertime, this corner of East Van offers a cornucopia of cultures to whet your appetite. Another food-truck spinoff, Tacofino Commissary (2327 E Hastings St., tacofino.com), makes tacos that are both local and seasonal in its Omer Arbel-designed space, while Campagnolo Roma (2297 E Hastings St., campagnoloroma.com) makes perhaps the most unheralded Napoli-esque pizzas in town. Perhaps East Van’s best-kept secret, Tamam Fine Palestinian Cuisine (2616 E Hastings St., tamampalestiniancuisine.com) will have you feeling like family, with servers who are happy to introduce you to an array of traditional Middle Eastern dishes like mujaddrah—rice and lentils with caramelized onions—and grilled halloumi cheese with eggplant that go far beyond falafel. Don’t be confused by the coffee shop frontage: Thailicious (2404 E Hastings St., thailicious-delivery.com) has curries and pad Thais that pack a punch. Odd Society SpiritsNightcapNo jaunt through this ’hood would be complete without a stopover in the burgeoning brewery district. Grab a growler or a pint at the Parallel 49 tasting room (1950 Triumph St., parallel49brewing.com), or tip back a cocktail at Odd Society Spirits (1725 Powell St., oddsocietyspirits.com) in a tasting lounge where mad science meets mixology.