The Best Hangover Foods in Vancouver

Aw, are you feeling a little rough this morning, champ? Whether you had a few too many at a fancy wine bar or in your friend’s unfinished basement, hangovers are the great equalizer… and there’s a whole city of hangover-worthy foods right outside. Read on for the Vanmag editors’ top picks—and the best restaurants to go to—when you’re feeling like the dog’s breakfast

Pulled Pork Pancake from Lucy’s Eastside Diner

Is the picture above not enough to convince you? The pulled pork pancake from Lucy’s (open 24 hours, score) is exactly as awesome as it looks and sounds. It’s got everything: big fluffy pancakes, chunky hashbrowns, savoury pork, sweet syrup and a perfect sunnyside-up egg on top. I love that you can rotate through these various flavours and textures, which for me, is a big win when it comes to hungover dining (especially if you’re a little queasy). It’s beautiful, hearty and indulgent: ideal for bringing you back from the dead.—Alyssa Hirose, associate editor

Holubtsi Cabbage Rolls from Kozak Ukrainian Eatery

For me, a solid hangover meal needs to be all about comfort, and as a child of an Eastern European (Slovak) mom, just about anything on the menu at Kozak Ukrainian Eatery fits the bill for me. The cabbage rolls are bathed in a sweet tomato sauce, the borscht—made with a variety of beets and topped with a dollop of their own rich sour cream—is a steaming sweet hug in a bowl. And if I’m really feeling rough, I’ll cheat on my gluten-intolerant self and order up a side of nalysnyky: sweet cottage cheese-filled crepes. It’s all a nostalgic, incredibly tasty stand-in for the cooking I grew up with—and the perfect cure for a rough morning. —Anicka Quin, editorial director

Channa Masala Roti from Indian Roti Kitchen

Indian Roti Kitchen’s roti wraps are perfect for many occasions. Scarfing while watching White Lotus after a very cold adult-rec-league soccer game. Replenishing your vitals after a three-layover flight home. Bringing home as an apology meal after you scratched the car. But no reason is more urgent than a hangover. It’s hearty, it’s saucy, it’s dangerously spicy: it’s Indian comfort food at its absolute finest (at least according to me, a very non-Indian person). Each soft, handmade roti is wrapped around your choice of rich filling (channa masala is my go-to, but fellow superfans love the eggplant bhartha and classic butter chicken) and folded into a pleasing rectangle. It is enough food for two meals but if I’m feeling particularly weathered it is not unusual for me to eat the whole thing, for medical reasons. There are maybe one or two tables in the small Cambie Village storefront, but Indian Roti Kitchen is a takeout joint at heart, so put on your sweats and pick up the phone, and wait to be restored. —Stacey McLachlan, editor at large

Reuben Sandwich from Solly’s

When I’m hungover I’m looking for something carb-laden and savoury—extra points are given if I can eat it with my hands. The Reuben sandwich from Solly’s is my go-to reviver. With rye bread that is just toasted enough, a mountain of juicy, house-cured corned beef with Russian dressing, sauerkraut and melty-as-all-hell Swiss cheese. Served with a pickle (it’s vegetables, it’s health) and a side of kettle chips, this sandwich breaths greasy life back into my once-dead body. Although, yes, it’s available on UberEats, the best way to eat this ‘wich is to sit outside at Solly’s and let that cool autumn breeze cancel out any nausea while they whip it up. Then people-watch while you inhale it. It’s a pretty perfect anti-hangover solution if you ask me.—Dani Wright, assistant editor (on leave)

Ham and Cheese Torta from Duffin’s

I’m about to put you all on to one of the greatest secrets I’ve learned in my 30-something years on this planet. I’ve unfortunately experienced that headache-inducing height of too-muchery a few times in my life, and along with a heaping chocolate milkshake (it’s like chugging a giant Tums), a torta from Duffin’s is the one weird trick Big Advil does not want you to know about. It’s tasty even without its medical-grade hangover relief status, and includes the spicy kick of jalapeños—only further convincing me of the validity of the “sweat it out” method as a hangover cure. If you ever over-indulged in a few too many adult bevies, get thee to your nearest (and only) Duffin’s, Vancouver’s iconic all-in-one diner, for a torta de jamon y queso (and don’t forget the milkshake if you want to go full Kerri-method). You can thank me later. —Kerri Donaldson, assistant editor