Vancouver's Best Brunch

The kitchen at this enduringly popular vegetarian restaurant has clearly established great links with organic suppliers in BC, hence the name-checks on the menu. These ingredients are put to very good use on an imaginative list of dishes. At brunch, this includes buffalo yogurt with Spruce Cone honey and Fraser Valley hazelnuts and fried oyster mushroom with espelette, a savoury waffle, koji gravy, cayenne, and pickles. 

Glide through the elegant lobby and up the sweeping staircase of the Fairmont Pacific Rim to arrive at Botanist, where dressing up is de rigueur. Headed by the passionate Chef Hector Laguna, the kitchen takes great pride in sourcing the best local product, whether it's wild, locally caught seafood or produce from the Fraser Valley. Every dish on this menu is delightful; at brunch, expect brioche French toast, a slow-roasted onion Benedict, or a burrata salad with smoked beets and radishes.

The clink of glasses, the hissing steam of the cappuccino maker, even the shuffling back and forth to the counter by loyal patrons...Café Medina hums with activity all day long. Mornings are especially great here—it's when egg dishes take center stage. The heady smell of freshly made Belgian waffles may have you trying to jump the (long) line outside, but ask nicely and they'll share a few of the hand-sized waffles while you wait.

Pasta is the order of the day, and at brunch it comes with an egg (think campanelle, with pesto verde, mint ricotta and poached egg). Brunch traditionalists can go for a frittata with english pea and Taleggio. Dishes are as generous in size as they are in flavor—many plates are large enough for two. If you can take finish your pasta and take on dessert, take a bow.

Equal parts trendy and quirky, with chairs doubling as wall hangings, Homer St. Cafe delivers on its promise of comfort food done really well. The rotisserie chicken is the draw, brined in their signature sauce overnight to render tender, flavorful meat. At brunch, find it in a cobb salad. Sausage, gravy and biscuits, smoked salmon with dill crème fraîche, and a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich all make appearances. 

With views of Vancouver Harbor, it could coast on its looks alone, but this reliable spot instead offers high-quality dishes without the sticker shock. Sustainability is paramount; the menu proudly indicates when the selection is Ocean Wise-approved. Who says brunch is all eggs? This kitchen deliciously fuses elements of French and Italian cuisine into the well-known Japanese canon. 

hef/co-owner Francisco Higareda prepares traditional pan-regional Mexican fare just as his mother, Ophelia, did. A trio of tacos rewards diners with delectable ingredients piled high atop locally made tortillas. At brunch, expect additions like chilaquiles and eggs divorciados and motuleños. End things with that ultimate classic—tres leches cake.

They may occupy a corner location, but this well-run establishment deserves center stage. Service is accommodating and friendly, and the menu is loaded with items that will please many diners, including a few brunch offerings every single day.
Among these are eggs Benedict zhuzhed up with prosciutto, patatas bravas with poached eggs, and avocado toast.

Riley's Fish & Steak lures guests with stunning views and a polished nautically informed interior that pours on the glamour. Don't let the high rollers and spendy tourists turn you off; the staff's warmth and the kitchen's precise techniques will charm you in no time. Dishes that may seem tried-and-true are far from ho-hum. Take the brunch staple chocolate bread pudding French toast, for example, or lobster eggs Benedict. 

The setting here is lively and comfortable, with exposed red brick walls, wood furnishings and two varnished wood counters seating a handful of diners facing the open kitchen. During daytime hours, the team turns out hollandaise-slicked eggs Benedict (and variations), Johnny cakes topped with pulled pork and tomato jam and thickly sliced challah French toast plated with caramelized apples and whipped mascarpone. 

Chef Bardia Ilbeiggi helms this restaurant where natural lights pours in and paintings by local Iranian artist Golnaz Kianipour mesmerize. Delara's dishes deliver the essence of fresh, flavorful Persian cooking—tartness from dried limes, yogurt, and berries; freshness from herbs; richness from nuts and seeds; and aromas from spices. Served in a deep bowl, hearty aush bobs with barley and legumes. Served with bread, it could be a meal alone, but don't stop there.