Chocolate & Pastries at Thierry

Hand-churned small-batch since 1997 in Port Moody, with banana fudge, espresso flake, and a doggie scoop for the third wheel.

The only place on earth with 238 flavours of gelato under one roof, which turns dessert into a genuinely fun decision-making adventure.

Lantern-lit West End izakaya where the sake list rewards bravery and stone-grilled beef keeps arriving until you've forgotten your plans.

Robson St Korean with tabletop grills, banchan aplenty, and the universal icebreaker of shouting 'is that done yet?'

Seventeen seats, one sitting, Edo-style nigiri piece by piece, and your phone face-down all night. Michelin-recommended and books out fast.

Fukuoka-style tonkotsu you customize on a little order sheet, plus a queue that counts as your best first-date warmup.

The only dinner where eating with your hands from the same plate is not just allowed, it's the whole point.

A tiny Queensbury Village brunch room where the eggs benedict lands on house-made savoury bread pudding instead of an English muffin.

Six or eight tables, Ethiopian art, and a tradition called gursha where you hand-feed each other, which is romantic on purpose.

French technique and Gastown cobblestones, with an atrium, award-winning cocktails, and a bar that doesn't rush you out.

A dim, jazz-soaked 1960s Tokyo cafe in Chinatown, where tajarin with uni is just how dinner starts.

The plant-filled Main Street room that makes a first date feel like it's going well before a word is spoken.

Climb the Robson staircase into a golden room where a six-foot wood grill has been perfuming everything since noon.

The Fraser St bistro that locals call FauxBo, guard jealously, and can't stop recommending despite the notoriously tough reservation.