Main Street (part of the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood) is known for its radiant hipster-y vibes, colourful murals, and string of great food spots.
With so many options along this popular street, you might be wondering which ones are the best and worth eating at?
Below we’ve compiled the 13 best Main Street restaurants and Mount Pleasant restaurants in Vancouver, that you’ve got to eat at and what to order at each.
1. Published on Main
With a traditional 18th-century English coffee house inspiration, Published on Main is a popular and award-winning (rated #1 by 100 Canada Best Restaurants and Michelin 1 Star) dining spot for couples and groups.
Their menu highlights locally sourced produce and therefore changes with the seasons.
When you visit Published, you have to start your meal with their Bee Pollen Milk Buns.
These Japanese-style buns are so soft and fluffy that they literally melt in your mouth, and the whipped butter makes a perfect pairing.
If you see Duck on the menu here, you can order it blindfolded. While the pairings could change every now and then, the hero of the dish always comes cooked perfectly, succulent, and drool-worthy.
If you were never a fan of creamed kale, prepare to be converted!
An unforgettable finish to your meal will be the Chocolate Panna Cotta. Served with a light and mildly sweet peanut butter semifreddo and refreshing banana sorbet, this dessert is legit delish!
What to order: Bee Pollen Milk Buns, Duck, Chocolate Panna Cotta
Address: 3593 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N4
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2. Savio Volpe
Rustic interiors, fresh ingredients, handmade pasta, and food prepared over a wood-fired grill and rotisserie – this is Savio Volpe, the Italian restaurant that you’d want to boast about to all your out-of-town friends.
The Rocana Pork Chop comes soaked in all the smokiness from the wood fire grill, and for the money you pay, every bite you take of the pork chop makes every penny worth it.
The Meatballs from their From the Skillet & Stewing Pot menu make you want to keep digging in to savor some of the best meatballs you’ve ever had in your life!
The best way to end your night at Savio Volpe is with the house-made Gelato. Ask for the day’s special and experience the rich and unique taste of the mouth-wateringly delicious dessert.
What to order: Rocana Pork Chop, Meatballs, Flat iron steak, Cappelletti, Gelato
Address: 615 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5T 3K5
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🍕 Foodie? Check out these top-rated Vancouver food tours!
3. Como Taperia
Como Taperia, as the name implies, is a tapas bar and restaurant in Vancouver.
They serve their tapas directly from the custom tapas cases imported from Barcelona, and their menu features playfully modern dishes, inspired by the classics, and everything’s made to order.
Even for your drinks, you can enjoy everything Spanish here at Como Taperia.
You can start your tapas dinner with the Anchovy Stuffed Olives.
Even if you are not a big fan of anchovies or olives, this dish, which rather looks simple, will make you want to have a second plate of the same.
Eggplant, Spiced Honey, Rosemary – if that doesn’t sound like an appetizing dish to you, you should try it before coming to conclusions.
This is a fried eggplant dish with spiced honey and rosemary; trust us, this dish is addictive!
What to order: Anchovy Stuffed Olives, “Eggplant, Spiced Honey, Rosemary”
Address: 201 E 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5T 0B4
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4. Sun Sui Wah
When Seth Rogen took David Chang for a food crawl around Vancouver for the famed chef’s Vancouver episode, one of the places they visited was Sun Sui Wah on Mount Pleasant.
To no surprise since the food here is consistently good, sooo good that some dishes might even make you want to cry out of happiness of how good they are.
The place is known for its Cantonese cuisine, dim sum, and seafood. Try their mouth-watering Sui Mai pork nuggets and Har Gow shrimp dumplings.
Need more recommendations?
Their BBQ Pork buns or deep-fried crab with leg house specialties.
What to order: Siu Mai, Steamed Crystal Prawn Dumplings, Baked BBQ Pork Pastry
Location: 3888 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5V 3N9
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5. Sawasdee Thai Restaurant
Serving authentic Thai cuisine since 1986, Sawasdee Thai Restaurant is a family-owned establishment that has a reputation for introducing authentic Thai taste to the residents of Vancouver.
The chef’s recommendation (ours too!) is the Crying Tiger Beef. You get a plate full of sliced marinated beef, grilled to perfection, and delightfully tender.
The herb vinaigrette serves as the ideal dipping sauce for the beef. If you’d like to add a bit of spice, order their Hot Sauce to go with your beef.
What’s the point in having Thai food if you don’t order Pad Thai!?
Choose between tamarind sauce and tomato sauce to go with the tofu, prawns, and egg, and watch well-balanced layers of flavors uncover in your mouth.
Do try their Chicken or Prawn Cashew Nuts stir fry too. We loved it and so will you!
What to order: Crying Tiger Beef, Pad Thai, Chicken/Prawn Cashew Nuts
Address: 4250 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P9
6. Anh and Chi
If you want to get a taste of authentic, family-style recipes of Vietnamese food, go to Anh and Chi.
It’s an award-winning restaurant (Micheline Bib Gourmand), well-noted for its delicious rice, noodles, soups, vermicelli and um – their bathroom.
Try their crispy Chả Giò and Chả Giò Chay spring rolls that combine pork or black mushroom and jicama, and carrot, taro and bean thread vermicelli.
Some of their best soups include Bún Bò Huế with sliced beef brisket, Vietnamese ham, pork hock and thick vermicelli in a spicy broth.
Combine with a dish of Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crêpe) with pork, prawn, bean sprouts and mung bean in crisp rice flour, coconut milk, and turmeric crêpe.
What to order: Chả Giò Chay spring rolls, Bún Bò Huế, Bánh Xèo
Address: 3388 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5V 3M7
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7. Sushi Hil
Sushi Hil is the brainchild of sushi master Hilary Nguy, which offers Japanese cuisine with a special focus on sushi and sashimi.
Known for its simplicity, sophistication, and flavour, the food here has already acquired quite a fan base, and the space is bright and welcoming with limited seating and a sushi bar.
Chawanmushi would be the ideal dish to start your memorable Japanese meal at Sushi Hil.
This savoury Japanese egg custard is a classic dish that can be perfected only with the best ingredients and the right techniques, and Chef Hil has mastered this art.
If you like fatty tuna, you shouldn’t miss the Nagasaki Bluefin Tasting. With 8 pieces of fresh and fatty tuna in different variations, which just melt in your mouth, this plate of food feeds not just your tummy, but your mind and soul as well.
What to order: Chawanmushi, Nagasaki Bluefin Tasting, Oyster Motoyaki, Garden Set
Address: 3330 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3M7
8. Maizal RMF
Vancouver’s diverse taco scene would not feel the same whether you omit Maizal RMF from the list of great taco places.
In fact, here they serve some of the best taco in the city. Anything you order–tacos, tortillas, tortas, quesadillas, burritos, or churros–is delicious and made from scratch at their premises.
The meat is slow-cooked, and as you might find out yourself, it’s very flavourful.
Try the Chipotle Chicken one with grilled chicken thighs, mixed bell peppers, onions, Monterey cheese, and chipotle sauce.
With fried tofu, beans, cotija cheese, salsa verde, and sour cream, the Tofu Verde taco is one more must-have option.
Get churros for dessert. It’s worth every bite.
What to order: Chipotle Chicken, Tofu Verde taco, churros
Address: 2815 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5T 3G1
9. The Acorn
Known as one of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in the city, The Acorn serves the most creative meals prepared from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
This award-winning restaurant caters to vegans and gluten-free diners but also makes sure that even the most loyal meat eaters leave completely satisfied.
The Kale Salad at The Acorn is special!
The kale has a nice bite to it even after being covered by the Caesar dressing. The croutons add a delicious crunch to the salad, and there is just enough cheese to tie everything together.
The Beer Battered Halloumi, which looks like fish & chips (without the chips!), steals the show no matter what you order.
The cheese is rich, perfectly salty, crispy on the outside, and tastes divine.
What to order: Kale Salad, Beer Battered Halloumi
Address: 3995 Main Street, Vancouver, BC
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10. Toshi Sushi
Don’t let Toshi Sushi’s small and unassuming location put you off. The sushi here has the same fresh, melt-in-your-mouth quality that you’ll find at higher-end Japanese restaurants in Vancouver.
Eventhough Toshi doesn’t get the same buzz on social media as other sushi spots, you’ll find a line out its door regularly. The wait is manageable, or you can order takeaway if you prefer.
Loyal customers highly recommend their box roll, sakura scallop or spicy agedashi tofu.
For something a bit different, order the nasu dengaku (baked eggplant) or gin tara saikyo yaki (miso-marinated grilled cod).
Be sure to check out the specials menu as it changes frequently and often features standouts such as saba sushi.
Address: 181 E 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC Canada V5T 4R2
11. East is East
If you want to food-travel the Silk Road in the middle of Vancouver, head to East is East.
They serve some of the most delicious Middle Eastern, Indian, and vegetarian meals around.
This vibrant restaurant is run by two siblings of Afghan descent, is packed with buoyant ambient and live music, and fulfills all eligibility criteria to take someone on a date.
You want to try any of their Eastern Roti Roll meals, which combine brown lentil rice or Afghan rice which is basmati rice with raisins and carrots, plus are served with a green salad and dhal soup.
The names of the rolls are equally enticing. Like Bombay Mashala with cauliflower and potato in tangy tomato coconut curry sauce.
Or Afghan Nomad with roasted lamb in ginger, onion, garlic, and five-spice curry with eggplant.
Combine your roll with a Chai cocktail, which authentically mixes eastern teas with liquor, plus cinnamon or nutmeg.
What to order: Eastern Roti Roll meals, Chai cocktail
Address: 4433 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5V 3R2
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12. Chickpea
Replenish yourself with more delectable vegan dishes at Chickpea.
This restaurant started out as a place where you can grab some authentic hummus mixing chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, and spices.
Under chef Itamar Shani, the menu grew abundant with other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, however.
Try their falafel, which may well be the finest falafel you’ll ever have, or perhaps their chickpea fries.
Portions are big enough so you can always share.
What to order: falafel, chickpea fries
Address: 4298 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5V 3P9
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13. Hawkers Delight Deli
It seems there’s hardly a time when the queues are short at Hawkers Delight, your perfect spot to get some delicious Malaysian-Singaporean treats for little money.
This Mount Pleasant gem is a must-check on your bucket list for the neighbourhood.
It can get crowded inside, however, it’s always cozy and you’ll love it here, especially if you like flavoursome and pretty spicy food.
Order a comforting dish of Mee Goreng or Vegetable Curry with rice. Don’t miss their specialty portion of Hainanese boneless chicken either.
The pieces of chicken are succulent, and served with well-prepared rice and savory sauces.
What to order: Mee Goreng, Vegetable Curry, Hainanese boneless chicken
Address: 4127 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5V 3P6
Order Online: DoorDash
There you have it – the best Main Street restaurants and Mount Pleasant restaurants in Vancouver! If you’re looking for more great food spots, check out our picks of the best restaurants in Vancouver.
How We Create Our “Best” Lists
All Noms Magazine’s “best” lists are created using multiple factors and signals to help readers find the best restaurants, things to do, and places to stay at. Some of these factors and signs include personal experiences, correspondence with locals, and compiling experiences from review sites.
Each list is also created to be balanced (in terms of price, cuisine type, ambiance, and more) as possible. This means that the lists are not specifically created in ranking order. You should be comfortable picking from any of the spots on the list and generally have a good time. But of course, YMMV (your mileage may vary) and everyone may have different experiences/palates.