25 Must-Try Things to Eat and Drink in 2026

Year after year, our editors try to hit as many spots as possible—high or low, front-street entrance or hidden speakeasy, breathtaking view or windowless (but just as deserving!) eatery—to find out where all the best dishes in the city are currently being served. We are the home of the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, after all: it’s our sworn duty to eat, and eat well. If you’re already done working your way through 2025’s bucket list of must-eat dishes, we’re ready for you with another 25 things we think you’ll want to eat and drink as we round the corner into 2026.

Food styling by Lawren Moneta. Fashion Styling by Kristin Morawski.
Jewellery from Melanie Auld and Pamela Card.

25 Things to Taste Right Now in Vancouver

Vipera cocktail from Folietta; French toast from Meo. Photo by Mark Gibbon.

1. Vipera Cocktail, Folietta

This bright, red-hued cocktail decorated with black sea salt is striking—and, yes, that’s definitely meant as a double entendre. Folietta’s Vipera cocktail ($18) is made with pineapple, mezcal, tamarind, lime and firewater: the perfect amount of bite. folietta.com

2. French Toast, Meo

When you think of French toast, a savoury appetizer isn’t what usually comes to mind, but Meo gives us the unexpected. Torched foie gras mi-cuit, house jam and fresh chives top the cocktail bar’s French toast ($32)—this treat is rich with a hint of sweetness and is a lovely bundle to eat in one bite (or savour in two). meochinatown.com

3. Tuna Tataki with Kelp Noodles, Fanny Bay Oyster Bar

Move over zucchini noodles—there’s a new gluten-free pasta in town. One of our favourite seafood joints sets their fresh, juicy and tender tuna tataki ($21) on a bed of bouncy, salty kelp “linguine” that’ll give you a shot of sea-harvested vitamins, minerals and protein. We recommend going all Lady and the Tramp with a fellow seafood lover on this one. fannybayoysters.com

4. Grilled Lamb Skewers, Elem

Adorned with crispy puffed buckwheat and pickled radishes hand cut into flowers, the marbled lamb skewers ($38) at Elem are too pretty to eat—almost. Created with cured lamb belly, they are confit for 16 hours before being pressed overnight and subtly lacquered with a sticky sweet medjool date glaze. There’s a good reason that chef Vish Mayeker’s inspired dish, served atop a bed of zesty ginger labneh, has become a must-try at the buzzy eatery. elemvancouver.com

Malted milk chocolate ice cream from Rain or Shine; matcha bar from Hype Chocolate; ube foam latte from Nami. Photo by Clinton Hussey.

5. Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, Rain or Shine

Rain or Shine is an ice cream institution in Vancouver at this point—and one that never fails to churn out unique, flavourful scoops. But we can’t deny that the classic malted milk chocolate ($4.50 for a single), packed with homemade honeycomb, has a soft spot in our hearts. (It’s indeed a “keeper,” as the menu says.) With a sweet milk-chocolatey base, just the right amount of honey drizzle and a satisfying malt crunch, this iconic ice cream is an absolute crowd pleaser. rainorshineicecream.com

6. Matcha Bar, Hype Chocolate

If Nick Lachey turned up and asked us to settle down with just one chocolate bar for the rest of our lives, this matcha bar ($13) would certainly be in our top picks. Earthy matcha meets just a hint of vanilla in a delicately balanced creamy chocolate bar. Sure, Hype does tons of fun limited-edition bars that are worth stocking up on (the multicoloured, multi-flavoured banana split bar, anyone?), but this mainstay is definitely relationship material, if you know what we mean. hypechocolate.com

7. Ube Foam Latte, Namì

“Hidden gem” is somewhat of an overused term on social media, but Namì’s unexpected location in RBC Place downtown holds some lovely surprises—one being its ube foam latte ($7.50). A classic Vietnamese coffee topped with coconut cream and a cloud of ube milk foam, it’s not only a beautiful shade of purple, it’s also a well-balanced drink. It’s sweet and creamy with some nuttiness and plenty of ube flavour. namivietnamese.com

8. Tofu Penaeng Curry, Zab Zaab

At Zab Zaab, tofu takes a turn in the spotlight with their panaeng curry ($20)—a velvety, sunset-coloured sauce that clings like silk to every golden cube. Fragrant with makrut lime and roasted peanuts, it balances lush creaminess with a slow, creeping heat. Crowned with fresh Thai basil and a scatter of crisp veggies for snap, the dish is a technicolour reminder that comfort food can still thrill. zabzaabthai.com

9. Mantu Dumplings, Zarak

Zarak’s hand-wrapped mantu dumplings ($21) have become a favourite comfort food. Stuffed with cumin-spiced beef, they’re served with lentils, Afghan char masala (the signature spice blend of owner Hassib Sarwari’s mom) and homemade chaka, a garlic-infused yogurt. Sarwari promises they pass the “Afghan Test” with his mom and grandmother, with guests (like us) raving that they are the best dumplings they’ve ever had. zarakvancouver.com

Love Buzz from Strathcona Beer Co.; The Italian sub from Jo’s Italian Deli; breakfast sandwich from Mercato di Luigi; tomato spiced sauce from Tocha. Photo by Mark Gibbon.

10. Love Buzz Imperial Pear Elderflower Sour, Strathcona Beer Co.

The wildly colourful can for Strathcona Beer Co.’s latest edition of its rotating Love Buzz sour line is as delightful as the brew inside (priced at $16 for a four-pack): made with a generous pour of pear juice and elderflower tea, it’s unapologetically fruit-forward, but a touch of lactose gives the high-proof beer (10 percent ABV!) a pleasingly creamy quality that balances the tart finish. Raise a glass to toast the brewery’s big win for Best Fruit Beer at the 2025 Canadian Craft Beer Awards. strathconabeer.com

11. The Italian, Jo’s Italian Deli

Consider this a jailbreak from bagged-lunch purgatory. Jo’s Italian sandwich (from $10) proves the humble sandwich can headline a meal. It’s a proper sub: thinly sliced deli meats layered with crisp shredded lettuce, juicy tomato and sharp onion, then finished with parmesan, a swipe of mayo and Jo’s zesty house vinaigrette. All of it tucks into lightly toasted ciabatta that holds the stack without collapsing and tastes better than anything you’d make at home—because you didn’t. jositaliandeli.com

12. The Breakfast Sandwich, Mercato di Luigi

From the powerhouse behind Italian restaurant Ask for Luigi comes Mercato di Luigi—and the Carolina Street location serves up coffee, fresh pasta and a breakfast sandwich ($10) that’s a balance of buttery and crunchy, containing fluffy scrambled eggs, fresh prosciutto cotto, caciocavallo cheese, arugula, pesto and mayo, all stacked within a crispy cornetto. Bring out the napkins because you’ll be licking your fingers when you’re done with this one. mercatodiluigi.com

13. Original Tomato Spiced Sauce, Tocha

Eggs? Check. Chicken? Check. Potatoes? Enthusiastic check. Anything savoury you can think of, you can probably put Tocha’s Original tomato spiced sauce ($12) on it. And we say you should. If you like spicy—both the heat and the flavour—then one bottle of this versatile tomato curry sauce with an umami finish is for you. It’ll last you a while, too (even if you use it a lot, like we do). Our favourite meal to use this spicy condiment: breakfast. It has just the right kick to get your day started. tochafoods.com

14. Snapper Ceviche, Oddfish

Any seafood resto’s going to have a ceviche somewhere on the menu—but none quite like Oddfish’s snapper ceviche ($26). Some sort of magic is at play with the Peruvian-inspired marinade (leche de tigre): somehow bright, spicy and creamy and infusing fresh snapper and side-stripe shrimp (and sweet potatoes—gotta get that veg) with a citrusy heat that’s second to none. oddfishrestaurant.com

15. Raspberry Doughnut, Neate Donuts

When Cartems closed last year, it left a hole in the doughnut scene here in Vancouver—pun very much intended—and Neate has stepped in to fill it, delivering boxes of colourful treats to most JJ Bean locations around the city, at whatever time they get around to it each day. (Does our frequent encounter of an empty case and “the doughnuts are on their way!” sign in the door make us want them more?) While seasonal flavours and fillings like mango coconut and passion fruit curd are must-tries themselves, start with a quintessential raspberry glazed ($18 for six). Pretty in pink, it looks like a cartoon doughnut and hits that perfect not-too-cakey, not-too-fried middle ground, thanks to a long-forgotten family recipe from the grandparents (“Gumpy and Granny”) of the founders. neatedonuts.com

16. Mumbai Mule, Peya

Swirls of pink falsa foam topped with flakes of crackling blue pop rocks are contained in a cooling copper vessel in Peya’s Mumbai mule ($19). The drink is a riot of flavours and textures as electric as the city it’s named for: Ketel One veers off course immediately with Odd Society cassis, lending a dark berry richness that plays beautifully against tropical guava. Then comes the unexpected: a whisper of Szechuan spice tingling at the edges, lime cutting through with sharp acidity and ginger adding that signature mule zing. peya.ca

Raspberry doughnut from Neate Donuts; black sesame cookie from Saan Saan; bottle oat milk latte from Prototype; banana danish from Dope Bakehouse; matcha slush from Birds and the Beets. Photo by Mark Gibbon.

17. Black Sesame Caramel GF Cookie, Saan Saan

That Saan Saan even exists—an entirely gluten-free Hong Kong-style café—feels like a dream. Is it possible for the gluten-challenged to have such delicious treats without worry? Thankfully, the cute little boîte on Main Street is fully planted in reality, and its black sesame caramel cookie ($5) is just one of the perfectly executed baked goods. A little savoury with toasty black sesame paste, soft and chewy thanks to sweet caramel and just enough of a crispy edge to keep it interesting—this is the perfect afternoon cookie to pair with a cup of their specialty yin yeung (half coffee, half tea and evaporated milk, all delightful). saansaan.ca

18. Bottled Oat Milk Latte, Prototype

A daily coffee to-go is nothing new, but the micro-roasters at Prototype have reinvented the ritual. The cold oat milk latte (from $6.50) comes in a recyclable glass bottle, filled with creamy, oaty “milk” and featuring a near-floral note of locally roasted espresso that eases one into the day. prototypecoffee.ca

19. Banana Danish, Dope Bakehouse

There are some desserts worth ruining an outfit over, and the banana danish ($9) by Dope Bakehouse (the bakery behind Nemesis Coffee) is one of them. Banana pastry cream, banana caramel, tonka ganache and banana and passion fruit confit all fit into in a flaky danish crust that absolutely falls apart at first bite. This pastry deserves to be eaten with both hands and caution thrown to the wind (but first, marvel at the beauty of the whipped daisy design). nemesis.coffee

20. Matcha Slush, Birds and the Beets

Matcha slushies are one of our top drink trends of the year, but there’s a secret ingredient that separates this one from the rest: coconut water. The flavour pairing of coconut and matcha was something we didn’t realize we were missing; earthy yet tropical, the matcha slush (small, $7; large, $9) is a perfectly balanced drink on the sweet-to-bitter scale. Plus, it’s a gorgeous shade of green (so it’s a great contender for your main grid). birdsandbeets.ca

21. Aburi Salmon Nori Taco, Fairmont Pacific Rim

Though the vibe of the sleek, marble-clad lobby of the Fairmont Pacific Rim may be pure sophistication, you’ll somehow still find plenty of finger food on the menu—a high-low mix that is really Vancouver in a nutshell. But even the more casual dishes are executed with some of the best seafood in town by Lobby Lounge’s chefs: the aburi salmon nori taco ($11) offers a perfectly seared piece of salmon folded inside crisp, well-seasoned seaweed along with fresh avocado, sushi rice and an artful drizzle of miso aioli. Casual elegance at its finest. lobbyloungerawbar.com

22. Jwipo, Nui

Sweet, salty and completely addictive, jwipo ($13) is a popular Korean dried filefish street food snack that Nui has kicked up a notch. It’s grilled with kombu butter paired with gojuchi mayo and served warm, so the texture is soft and chewy. The more you chew, the sweeter it gets—and the more you eat, the more you’ll want. nuivancouver.com

23. Apple, Five Sails

An apple a day—at Five Sails—would be so divine, it might border on forbidden. This spot’s famous apple ($18) dessert is a marvel of temperature control and precision, made with a sable Breton base, vanilla mousse and filled with fresh apple—all sitting in a pool of luscious vanilla chantilly cream. Heavenly, if you ask us. glowbalgroup.com/five-sails

Photo by Juno Kim

24. Pasta for Rachel, June

It’s viral for a reason. Not only does June’s signature rectangular ravioli sheet—Pasta for Rachel ($40), named after chef Connor Sperling’s wife—beg for Instagram documentation, it also hits all the carb-tastic comfort-food notes you crave from a pasta dish. Each little pocket is packed with compté cheese and black pepper; the pasta perfectly tender, the dollop of Normandy butter on top the indulgent finishing touch. juneoncambie.com

25. Laab Wings, Song (by Kin Kao)

Colonel Sanders gets a run for his money with the deep-fried, bite-sized laab wings ($22) at Song. These “wingettes” are tossed in the spot’s spicy, tangy Northern Thai house spice and garnished with fried-up curry leaves. Finger-licking good if flavour, heat and spice are major staples in your diet. songyvr.com

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