Welcome to the 2nd annual Awesome Awards, where we crown your best hidden gems and local favourite spots around town.
Similar to our Best of the City Awards, the esteemed judging panel is made up of all of you, our faithful readers. Over the past couple months we took in your votes online, as well as in the mail, and tallied them up.
Below, you'll find the winners that you voted for as well as some that you didn't; all are worthy of checking out if you haven't yet already.
Get out there this summer and enjoy all the awesomeness your city has to offer!
BEST MURAL
1. Kits Wings: Burrard Street and West 4th Ave
1. The Present is a Gift by Drew Young: 2539/2549 Main Street Belvedere Court
2. Fierce Lion at Spin Society: 229 Kingsway
2. The Evening by Fintan Magee: 333 East 11th Ave, North-facing wall of 15-storey condominium, The Duke
MOST UNDERRATED PLACE TO TAKE VISITORS
1. Queen Elizabeth Park
2. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
3. Spanish Banks Beach Park
BEST CITY PARK
1. Stanley Park
2. Queen Elizabeth Park
3. Dude Chilling Park
3. New Brighton Park
BEST BREWERY TASTING ROOM
1. Granville Island Brewery
2. 33 Acres Brewing Company
3. Parallel 49 Brewing Company
BEST GROCERY DELIVERY SERVICE
1. Spud.ca
2. Save-On-Foods
3. InstaCart
BEST BURGER
1. White Spot
2. Vera’s Burger
3. Romer’s Burger Bar
BEST VEGAN FOOD
1. Meet Restaurants
2. Chickpea
3. The Acorn Restaurant
BEST DOG PARK
1. Spanish Banks Beach Park
2. Charleson Park
3. Kitsilano Beach
BEST BUS ROUTES
1. Route 99 — Commercial-Broadway/UBC (B-Line)
2. Route 25 — Brentwood Station/UBC
3. Route 20 — Victoria / Downtown
BEST VANCOUVER CELEBRITY
1. Ryan Reynolds
2. Seth Rogen
3. Michael Bublé
BEST BOOKSTORE
1. Indigo (Chapters)
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Book Warehouse
BEST THRIFT STORE OR VINTAGE SHOP
1. Value Village
2. Salvation Army
3. Mintage/Mintage Mall
BEST HAPPY HOUR
1. Earls Kitchen + Bar Restaurants
2. Cactus Club Cafe Restaurant
3. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
BEST PIZZA
1. Via Tevere Pizzeria
2. AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza Joint
3. Pizza Garden
BEST DIM SUM
1. Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant
2. Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant
3. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant
BEST SUSHI
1. Miku Vancouver
2. Minami Restaurant
3. Toshi Sushi
BEST LATE NIGHT SPOT
1. Seasons in the Park
2. Cactus Club
3. English Bay
3. Stanley Park
BEST LOCAL TIK TOKER
1. Kris Collins @kallmekris
2. Ben Kielensinki @benkielesinski
3. Yoleenda Dong @yoleendadong
BEST SPOT FOR INSTAGRAM PICTURES
1. Stanley Park
2. Queen Elizabeth Park
3. English Bay
BEST BOOK ABOUT VANCOUVER
1. City of Glass by Douglas Coupland
2. Vancouver After Dark: The Wild History of a City’s Nightlife by Aaron Chapman
3. Legends of Vancouver by E. Pauline Johnson
3. Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
3. Vancouver Exposed : Searching for the City’s Hidden History by Eve Lazarus
BEST BAKERY
1. Breka Bakery & Cafe
2. Purebread
3. Beaucoup Bakery
3. COBS Bread Bakery
BEST DAYTRIP DESTINATION
1. Whistler
2. Squamish
3. Bowen Island
BEST LOCAL BEER
1. Granville Island Brewing
2. Parallel 49 Brewing Company
3. 33 Acres Brewing Company
BEST LOCAL CLOTHING BRAND
1. Lululemon
2. Aritzia
3. Kit and Ace
3. Oak and Fort
BEST LOCAL COFFEE SHOP
1. JJ Bean Coffee Roaster
2. Revolver Coffee
3. Caffe Artigiano
3. Starbucks
BEST FRIED CHICKEN
1. The Downlow Chicken Shack
2. KFC
3. Juke Fried Chicken
BEST STREET
1. Main Street
2. Commercial Drive
3. Robson Street
BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD
1. Kitsilano
2. Mount Pleasant
3. West End
BEST BEACH
1. Spanish Banks Beach
2. Kitsilano Beach
3. Jericho Beach
BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY
1. Whistler
2. Victoria
3. Sunshine Coast
BEST PATIO
1. Dockside Restaurant
2. Cactus Club
3. Tap & Barrel
BEST TACO
1. Tacofino Restaurants
2. Sal y Limon
3. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop
BEST BIKE SHOP
1. Simon’s Bike Shop
2. R.A.D. Cycles
3. Reckless Bike Stores
3. West Point Cycles
BEST CAMPING SPOT
1. Porteau Cove Provincial Park
2. Alice Lake Provincial Park
3. Golden Ears Provincial Park
BEST GYM/WORKOUT SPOT
1. Core Community
2. YMCA
3. Equinox
3. Fitness World
3. Gold’s Gym
