Street Food at The Lunch Lady

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

The little Denman Street legend grew into a 200 seat, golden lit Coquitlam flagship where the pho arrives with a wagyu beef rib standing in it.

A Vietnamese kitchen with a French cooking style in the Beach District, where the pho broth gets the bone-marrow treatment.

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

One of Vancouver's highest-rated Indian spots on The Drive, where street-food snacks flow into proper cocktails and a room that hums.

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

Butter chicken poutine, paneer tacos and spiced cocktails in Surrey's slickest Indian lounge, open until 3am.

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

Surrey's street-suya cult favourite turned proper lounge, where fire-grilled yaji spice and smoky party jollof make every date feel like a party.

Run by the actual Fanny Bay farm, this is Vancouver's only tide-to-table oyster bar, and the marble counter is yours.

The legendary Chennai tiffin institution arrives in North Delta with crispy dosas, a filter coffee ritual, and an unlimited weekend thali that earns the drive.

Ethiopian stews by hand, a live Friday band, and the kind of injera-sharing that requires getting very comfortable very quickly.

Chef Hawksworth's two-storey heritage hall for wood-fired pizza, buttermilk fried chicken, and the share-everything format that actually works.

The sunny tiled downtown room with legendary Belgian waffles, a lavender dark chocolate situation, and a line that is genuinely worth it.