Canada Adventures: Granville Island
Welcome back to Day 2 of our Canada Adventures!
On the first day, we explored Downtown Vancouver, and we will be doing more exploring this time! Our main focus is Granville Island - a peninsula with shops, markets, eateries, and cultural attractions - although we were able to fit in some more Canadian delights, such as poutine and the Seawall Water Walk.
Join us now, outside of the Coast Coal Harbour Vancouver Hotel situated in the downtown area. It’s a rainy day today, so grab an umbrella, and let’s go walk to brunch! It’s a 10-minute walk to Breka Cafe , and then we will be on our way to Granville Island!
Fun Fact: Vancouver is nicknamed Raincouver due to all the rain it gets - 169 days of rain per year! Because of the rain, the greenery here is very lush and beautiful.
12:30 PM - Breka Cafe
As we shared in this Vancouver coffee shops post, Breka Cafe is open 24 hours and has multiple locations, the one on Bute Street being closest to our hotel. Breka has a huge selection of baked goods - mostly sweets, but also some savories, including panini sandwiches, making it a one-stop shop to get brunch and coffee.
Po went for the Mediterranean Panini, while I opted for the Spinach & Artichoke Pocket. They ask if you want it warmed, and if you do, they press it in a grill!
Po also couldn’t help getting a cheeky start-of-the-day Tiramisu, while I got a Chocolate-Dipped Almond Cookie to-go for a treat later in the day. With our hot lattes and sandwiches, we warmed up in no time. (That cookie turned out to be one of the best things I ate this whole trip!)
After brunch, we walked from Breka to the Aquatic Centre Ferry Dock, about a 20-minute walk. We like to walk whenever we can, as this gives us more opportunities to take in the surrounding scenery. Luckily, the rain had also turned into a very light drizzle by the time we headed out the door, so it was a very pleasant walk!
1:45 PM - Granville Island
We reached the dock at 1:30, with less than a 15 minute wait before hopping aboard the little ferry to take us to Granville Island. If you don’t do boats, you can also go to the island by car. However, we love to take a boat whenever we can! There are two options: Aquabus and False Creek Ferries, and they both operate all along False Creek.
For us, the False Creek Ferry arrived first and cost $7 CAD round trip per person. Yes, it is only a 5 minute ride each way, but you also get to see the surrounding city and Granville Island up ahead as you sail across False Creek. It’s a lovely view, even in the rain!
Despite Granville Island being called an island, it is actually a peninsula that connects to Vancouver! Here on Granville Island, you can experience lots of shops and eateries, including the well-known Public Market - our first stop after stepping off the boat.
The Public Market is an indoor market with restaurants, gourmet food stalls, fresh produce, and artisan boutiques. It is a treasure trove for foodies! My tip, when you visit, is to plan for trying lots of food, especially if you are someone who enjoys browsing and can easily spend a whole day here.
Since we just had brunch, we weren’t hungry enough to get anything. We also didn’t stay long enough to experience dinner. However, there were so many delicious-looking things, such as freshly baked breads and pastries, massive potpies, and even vegetarian Vietnamese noodles!
Outside of the Public Market, we strolled all around the area, breathing in the fresh air and taking it easy. We stopped at Paper-Ya to buy a postcard to send home to ourselves. (This is something I try to do whenever I travel!) We also stopped at a souvenir shop to find an ornament for a travel keepsake.
At this point, we had burned enough energy to need another caffeine fix! So we went back to the Public Market and got coffees from Petit Ami. If you go to the back of Blue Parrot, there is a seating area downstairs and upstairs. We grabbed a window table and enjoyed a nice view while sipping coffees and writing on my postcard. (There is a post office on the island, so I was able to mail my postcard!)
There’s also a famous donut place called Lee’s Donuts - so famously good that you will have to wait in a long line early in the day! There was no line at this hour, but mostly everything was sold out as well. And I wasn’t feeling the small selection that they had leftover, as I only wanted to try a true Canadian honey-dipped donut!
4:00 PM - Poutine Time!
Since I didn’t get a snack at the Public Market, I figured it was a good time to try Canada’s national dish, poutine! I love fries, cheese curds, and gravy, so I knew I would love poutine. The only problem is finding a vegetarian version, which turned out not to be a problem at all, as there were quite a few places that offered them! Here’s what I found with a quick research:
La Belle Patate - Serves Quebecois poutine as well as Montreal smoked meat sandwiches. There is an extensive menu with more than 40 varieties of poutine, including vegetarian options.
MeeT - Plant-based restaurant that has vegetarian poutine on the menu, in addition to many other vegan dishes.
Mean Poutine - A fast-casual eatery that looks to have ONE vegetarian option!
La Belle Patate was on the path we were taking to walk back to our hotel, so that became our First Canadian Poutine.
I ordered the Classic Vegetarian Poutine, and the verdict? It’s exactly what you expect it to be! Fries topped with squeaky cheese curds and savory brown gravy, making the fries soggy. (I like soggy fries, don’t judge heh. 🌝) It’s a savory, potato-y dish loaded with calories in the best way possible, and I was all for it.
Note that we did take this to-go, so I didn’t have it completely fresh out of the fryer, but I still enjoyed it no less! They come in 3 sizes - small, medium, and large - and a small ($9 CAD) is a proper-sized snack when you’re feeling hungry and dinner is still a few hours away.
6:45 PM - Seawall Water Walk
After a break and poutine snack in the hotel room, we ventured out to explore more of the downtown area. If you walk towards the harbour, you will discover the Seawall Water Walk, which is a scenic 13.7 mile pathway that goes from the waterfront at Coal Harbour, around Stanley Park and False Creek, past Granville Island, and ends at Kitsilano Beach Park.
On this pathway, you can see gorgeous views of the city, the water, and the mountains - as well as yachts and boats of all shapes and sizes (if that’s your thing). There are clearly marked sections for walkers / joggers (closest to the water) and for cyclists / inline skaters (inside path).
It was a very serene walk - not originally intended on our bucket list of places to see - and I am glad we experienced it. Highly recommend! We didn’t make it to Stanley Park, though, as we decided to veer off on Denman Street to find some dinner.
7:30 PM - Kin’s Food & Bistro
We happened across Kin’s Food & Bistro, an Asian-fusion restaurant that specializes in Hong Kong style cuisine. The menu consisted of lots of small, shareable plates as well as big entrees. Small plates are great, because you can try more things, so that’s what we did!
Po ordered the Lollipop Lamb (comes with a minimum order of 2 pieces), Curry Fishballs, and Beef Bulgogi Gyoza. I went for the Golden Crispy Tofu and Soy Sauce Chow Mein to share with Po.
The chow mein was pretty pricey at $19.80 CAD, considering it’s just noodles with a bit of vegetables, but we both agreed it was absolutely delicious! Of all the dishes that would be our favorite! Well, Kin, ya did it good.
This belly-warming meal was the ending to another adventurous day in Vancouver. Despite all the walking we did today, we walked back through the city streets to take in the evening city sights before calling it a night, though the Seawall Water Walk would have also been beautiful.
Vancouver is already proving to be a haven of delicious foods - too much to try in a few days! What foods will we try and not try next time? Stay tuned to find out!
Helpful Travel Links
Breka Cafe - 24-hour bakery and cafe with a lot of sweet and savory options (multiple locations)
Aquabus and False Creek Ferries - boat options on False Creek that take you to and from Granville Island
Granville Island - a vibrant cultural hub with shops and eateries
The Public Market - indoor market located in Granville Island filled with a HUGE assortment of eateries, produce stalls, and local artisans
Paper-Ya - specialty shop located in Granville Island offering unique paper products and stationery
Lee’s Donuts - located in Granville Island since 1979, they supposedly have incredible honey-dipped donuts
La Belle Patate - quick-service eatery with over 40 poutine options as well as smoked meat sandwiches and steamies
Seawall Water Walk - the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront pathway for walking, cycling, jogging, and inline skating
Kin’s Food & Bistro - Asian-fusion restaurant serving Hong Kong-style, Cantonese cuisine
This travel blog is part of a bigger project to create my first ever printed travel zine / picture book. While I work on the illustrated book, I share my process and all the initial sketches with my Wonderscouts on Patreon. If you would like to get a behind-the-scenes look on this project and support the making of this book, please consider joining us on this adventure! You will also get access to The Secret Shop, where you can shop exclusive Penny & Po goodies like the ones below!
