Line-ups. Ugh. As a local I never want to wait in them, but as a tourist, it’s even worse. Unless you know you’ll be back visiting a city, you want to do as much as you can in the given time frame.
No one wants to waste their time on something not worth waiting for, so here are a few local take-out haunts I’d happily line up for. All of the following restaurants almost always have a line-up, as well as limited seating. But the line-ups move relatively quickly – making them bearable.
To be fair, I’m taking food carts and food trucks off this list and sticking to the brick-and-mortar establishments.
Go Fish
It’s a classic and an honest local favourite on toursity Granville Island. It serves some of the city’s beloved fish ‘n’ chips and fish tacos. Line ups in the summer can exceed an hour, so to avoid that, I recommend going on a rainy or grey day... Which isn’t hard once fall hits. 1505 West 1st
HK BBQ Master
So it’s not in Vancouver, but worth the drive from any surrounding suburb. It’s arguably the best Chinese barbecue pork in the Lower Mainland. I hate saying anything is “The Best” since it’s relative and tastes are personal, but this is no doubt one of my top three favourites. Your first time visiting will be one of many, and the line-up is really fast! 4651 No. 3 Rd., Richmond
The Fish Counter
Fish ‘n’ chip fan and want to avoid Go Fish line-ups? This rivals it. The line ups at peak hours are shorter, but I’m not sure for how much longer. Co-owner and chef Robert Clark offers some of the freshest and good quality fish ‘n’ chips and fish tacos on corn tortillas, made by the owner and chef of the now closed Dona Cata. Half of The Fish Counter is a retail store and I recommend snacking on the delicious smoked sablefish and signature crab and baby shrimp cakes while you wait for your order. 3825 Main
La Grotta Del Formaggio
It’s an institution on Commercial Drive. It’s respectfully “the Italian Subway”, so it’s hard to go wrong when you’re customizing your own sandwich. Options include American and Italian ingredients and you can ask for the sandwich to be pressed (panini). It’s deli-style, simple, unpretentious, and affordable. 1791 Commercial
Bella Gelateria
I can handle 15 minutes line-ups, but one hour for gelato? Yes, it happens here and sometimes longer on a hot summer day. Well thank goodness owner and gelato maestro James Coleridge is opening his second location in Yaletown. I took a sneak peek at the 80-seat space and it’s gorgeous. Half of the store will be serving Neapolitan style pizza, which hopefully will hold to the same standards as his award-winning gelato. Waterfront location: 1001 West Cordova | Yaletown location: 1089 Marinaside
Follow Mijune’s adventures this week in Montreal and Quebec City at #FMFinMontreal and #FMFinQuebecCity. She will also be at the Chowzter Awards, Mistura (Latin America’s biggest food festival) and San Pellegrino’s Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in Lima, Peru #FMFinPeru.
Find out more about Mijune at FollowMeFoodie.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @followmefoodie.
