Brunch and Dinner at Loreto

Canada's first proper mezcaleria on The Drive, where house-pressed tortillas and small-batch mezcal flights have an excellent working relationship.

Michelin-listed Main Street kitchen where Peru meets Tokyo and Canton: alpaca tartare, arroz con pato, and a pisco bar that hums until close.

The Chupito team turned a pop up into a permanent cantina on Seymour Street, cocktail led, loud in the way you want a Tuesday to be.

Dark brick, low light and west-coast Mexican cooking in Edgemont Village, run by the children of the cafe that stood 100 metres away.

Oaxacan tacos, ceviche and margaritas that actually taste of lime, on a patio at White Rock's quieter East Beach end.

A Kits patio institution since 1994, where BC's biggest tequila list and mango margaritas handle the conversation.

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

A stylish two-level Moody Centre taqueria, globally-inspired tacos and a rotating list of BC craft beer.

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

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

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.

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

Downtown's chocolaterie-patisserie on Alberni: thick drinking chocolate, a macaron case that looks like jewellery, and cheap enough to be completely spontaneous.