If you live in or are planning to visit Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – this post is a necessity. Yes, the rumors are true. Vancouver is a very expensive city. It is especially expensive for tourists as the big ticket items here are hotels, sightseeing activities and restaurants.
We lived in Vancouver for about two years, and being the crazy budget seekers we are, we have a pretty good grasp on how to save big on your food budget. And you don’t even have to sacrifice quality! Vancouver has plenty of tasty and delicious cheap eat options for you to try.
Make sure you travel to Vancouver like a PRO with our ‘Top 5 Must-Have Items‘ for the city with endless views, and endless rain 😉
- J-Pillow Travel Pillow– Our FAVOURITE Travel Pillow
- Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask
- Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella
- Hunter Rain Boots
- Fugetek Selfie Stick
Alright, let’s dive in. Here are our top picks and tools for the best budget restaurants, cheap eats and affordable food in Vancouver:
The Famous Warehouse
This is probably the most popular and well known restaurant in the city – and for good reason. This half restaurant, half bar is always a great party with an attractive and fun staff. There is always a DJ playing themed music like 80’s, 90’s or funk. The ‘grungy’ decor makes you feel strangely comfortable. And the best part – their entire menu is priced at $5.95 per meal.
The Warehouse Group actually has a few restaurants in Vancouver – El Furniture Warehouse on Granville and on West Hastings, The Dime on Granville and Commercial, and The Moose on Nelson. All locations serve up a slightly different menu, but stick to the $5.95 deal.
Our favourite dishes at El Furniture are the chicken wings, west coast fish tacos, braised beef dip au jus, braised beef spaghetti and the sundried tomato pesto penne.
Basil Pasta Bar
There’s no need to break the bank on a nice Italian meal – just visit Basil Pasta Bar in downtown Vancouver or in Kitsilano.
Build your own pasta or choose from a huge variety of signature pasta dishes for a delicious and huge portion of the good stuff! All of the pasta dishes are about $10 and perfect for a dinner out.
The Pawn Shop
It’s definitely a tough decision, but The Pawn Shop on Granville might just be my favourite Vancouver restaurant. It’s slogan “Tacos, Taps and Tequila” just speaks to me. The restaurant is right in the middle of all the action, has a great atmosphere and a super friendly staff.
Price aside, I love this place simply because they have the best nachos in the world! But it’s also a great budget spot with their daily drink specials, a daily happy hour menu including $1.50 tacos and most meals coming in under $12.
Joe’s Grill
This no-frills diner has three locations throughout the city – on Davie Street, Denman Street and Main Street.
Joe’s Grill is very popular for it’s cheap, daily breakfast and lunch specials. Meals start as low as $5.65 and almost all meals are under $10. While you are there, try some of their best dishes – blueberry pancakes, waffle sandwiches and breakfast burritos.
Ramen
Ramen is a big deal in Vancouver – and an absolute must-try when you visit! It is the perfect meal for the city – a great budget deal and something warm and comforting when you need to get out of the rain.
Our absolute favourites (along with many others’ as made apparent by the constant lines) are Ramen Danbo and Ramen Santouka. These restaurants serve up huge bowls of noodles – giving you a full and satisfying meal for under $10.
Ramen Danbo has it all – the perfect thin and soft noodles, the all-day simmered and fatty broth, and great choices for toppings. There are two locations in Vancouver – one in the West End and one in Kitsilano.
Ramen Santouka is another city favourite. They are known for their super flavourful broth and also have two locations – one in the West End and one in Fairview.
Great Wall Mongolian BBQ
If you have never had Mongolian style food – this is the best place to try it. A Mongolian Grill restaurant allows you to create your own stir-fry by picking out your own meats, seafoods, veggies, sauces and noodles. They take your creation and grill it up on a super hot, well seasoned grill – right before your eyes! It’s a vibe.
Restaurants like the Great Wall Mongolian BBQ are great for travel because everyone in your group can get what they want, you can easily adapt for individual diets and dietary restrictions, it’s super filling and it’s cheap – $12 for lunch and $16 for dinner.
La Taqueria
Tacos are a big deal in Vancity. It almost seems like their is a competition for who can make the tastiest and most authentic taco in the city. Of course, there are tons of options for tacos – and they all serve up authentic Mexican street-food style tacos served on two fresh corn tortillas with fresh and spicy shredded meats, and topped with raw onions, cilantro and a lime wedge.
Our favourite taco spot is La Taqueria. They have lots of different meat, seafood and vegetarian options, each one as delicious as the next. With four locations throughout the city, you’ll find one close to where you are visiting. Their tacos start at only $2.50 each. They also have daily deals, happy hour deals and serve up cold Mexican beer.
Looking for more cheap travel tips and hacks? Check out our budget travel series:
‘How to Find Budget Accommodation Anywhere in the World’
‘Things to do for Free While Traveling’
Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria
This is not only the best pizza in Vancouver, but it’s the best pizza I have ever had (and I’ve been to Naples). I came across this gem on Instagram and as soon as I saw it I knew I had fallen in love.
Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizzeria dishes out Brooklyn style slices of pizza – the thin crust, delicately topped, sweet sauce, huge, foldable kind. You get a huge slice for about $4. Perfect for an on-the-go lunch while shopping and sightseeing around Robson Street. Or check out their Main Street or Kingsway locations.
Sushi
You cannot visit Vancouver without going to a sushi restaurant (or two, or ten). This city is known for having the best sushi in the country – most likely due to the high Asian population and the availability of fresh, local fish and seafood. There are seemingly endless options for sushi in Vancouver and you will see a sushi joint on every block.
We like Momo Sushi downtown because it offers amazing quality sushi at a great budget price. Here you’ll find all your favourites and the rolls start as low as $2.95. Try their best dishes – sashimi, dragon roll and octopus.
We have also fallen in love with Bistro Sakana in Yaletown. This is a beautiful and low cost option in an otherwise pricey location. They are not generally a cheap eats place, but their happy hour menu is insane! We found some of the best happy hour deals in the city here on both food and drinks. If you go, promise me you will try their Smoked Saikyo Misozuke (Miso Black Cod).
Peaked Pies
This tasty food stop has held the number one top spot on TripAdvisor’s cheap eats list for a long time. And it’s no surprise because this restaurant caters to the huge Aussie population in Vancouver with it’s Australian style meat (and vegetarian) pies. Try a traditional beef and onion pie, or go exotic with butter chicken or kangaroo filling.
The pies at Peaked Pies start at a great price of only $4.75 – and for a full and satisfying meal, add on mashed potatoes, mushy peas and gravy for only $3.75.
Granville Island Market
You are definetly going to want to check out Granville Island on your trip to Vancouver. This is one of the best landmarks in the city – and totally free to visit!
Granville Island sits right in the middle of it all – just south of the downtown area. The island offers plenty of water activities, restaurants, shopping and great views of the city.
We think the best part of the island is The Granville Island Public Market. This is a huge indoor market featuring stalls filled with local meats, seafood and produce, local artisans and boutiques, and dozens of delicious food options. The market is perfect for travelers because you can choose any type of cuisine and size of meal you would like, and you will find great deals and cheap meals here.
Food Trucks
Vancouver is famous for food trucks – perhaps due to the year-long mild weather, or the fact that rental costs for a physical restaurant are astronomical. Whatever the reason, the city has fabulous food truck options that change up daily. They are perfect for the traveler as you can try out tons of different cuisine and grab a quick and cheap meal on the go.
Check out the Street Food App for Vancouver to get a listing of all the food trucks in the city that day and where they are all located. Most trucks are situated downtown but you can find them spread all throughout the city.
TripAdvisor
The TripAdvisor website is always our first go-to when trying to find budget restaurants in any city we visit around the world. The site allows you to get really specific with what you are looking for. We filter for “cheap eats” to make sure we will find an affordable restaurant.
You can also filter for the type of cuisine you want, what neighbourhood you are in and if you want dine-in, take out or delivery.
Brewhound
Brewhound is an awesome app for Vancouver. Download it and it will show you all the daily deals and happy hour specials going on in the city that day. It lists the restaurants based on your actual location so you will see the closest restaurants to you first. The app is kept up-to-date and has a surprisingly comprehensive listing of most of the restaurants in the city.
If you are visiting Vancouver, make sure to download this app to find the most affordable food deals of the day.
Groupon
The old tried and true – Groupon. Make sure you always check out Groupon for local deals. The site has tons of restaurant deals to choose from that will save you lots of cash. We love it because it allows us to try out pricier restaurants for a bargain price.
If there is a restaurant you really want to try out, check Groupon first and you might find some great savings.
Fellow Vancouverites – what are some of your
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