Dine Out Vancouver 2018 - Tips from your local Cloverdale Real Estate Specialists

I almost forgot to blog about Dine Out Vancouver this year. There may still be a chance to reserve one of your favourite restaurants or try one of the ones I recommend below. You have 1 week left, be sure to check out some of my favourites. Here is last years blog with a few new ones and a couple restaurants that aren't participating this year. Francesco's Ristorante Italia , Lombardo's Restaurant and Mangia e Scappa don't seem to be participating, but I kept my reviews in for you to read. 

Dine Out Vancouver 2018 started January 19th and runs until February 4th. 

Dine Out Vancouver 2018 boasts 17 days of culinary excitement with delicious meals at fabulous restaurants for great prices!!!
The catch is that you must make your reservations sooner rather than later. 

My husband and I are really big foodies, over the years we have made it out to quite a few of the restaurants that take part in Dine Out Vancouver 2018. Some of the restaurants we have been to, but not always during Dine Out Vancouver 2018. As you can see we obviously love Italian food...in fact that is probably our go to, especially when we don't know what or where we want to go. In such cases, we will often opt to head to one of our favourites. There are a few more restaurants that we love that do not participate in Dine Out Vancouver 2018 but we will leave those for another blog. 

In all honesty not everyone in the list is a favourite or even one we would frequent again or at least not often. I will give them all a mini reivew for your reference and then let you decide. If you click on any of the restaurants, you will be taken to their website to decide for yourselves. Even if you don't like the Dine Out Vancouver 2018 menu options, most restaurants will still offer their regular menu. We have often went in during Dine Out Vancouver but decided we preferred something else on the restaurant's main menu. Either way you can't go wrong. 

Italian
-CinCin Ristorante & Bar - one of our favourite Italian restaurants, the service, the food, the ambiance...all Top Notch!
-Cafe Il Nido - quaint little place tucked away with a nice courtyard patio in the summer, delicious food and great service
-Poor Italian Restaurant  - excellent place to take the family, our girls love this restaurant
Francesco's Ristorante Italia - one of our go to places over the years, food is always delicious
-Federico's Supper Club - usually a stop during the Italian Cultural festival in the summer on Commercial Drive
-Frankie's Italian Kitchen & Bar - not really one of our favourites, food was ok...more of a chain style restaurant, lacks the ambiance of a finer Italian restaurant
-La Terrazza - visited them for the 1st time during Dine out last year and very nice restaurant, not our favourite but still good food
Lombardo's Restaurant - delicious pizza and another great stop during the Italian Cultural Festival 
Mangia e Scappa - Fort Langley - they don't have a website, only real italian restaurant that we have in Langley, pizza is pretty good done in a stone oven

Steak and Seafood
-Black + Blue - we have been for dinner and then my husband has been for functions. Wasn't the best experience in a large group, but we did enjoy our dinner the few times we had been before. Wagyu steaks and macaroni sticks are delicious!
-The Boathouse Restaurant - been to a few locations, excellent place to take the family for a seafood dinner...we have been a few times...which is funny because my husband does not eat seafood...he usually finds something else on the menu. 
-Chop Steakhouse & Bar - Richmond restaurant near the airport right off the highway, been there a couple times and a decent restaurant. Nothing exceptional to boast about, but good nonetheless
-The Keg Steakhouse & Bar - we have been to a few, usually because there was either nowhere else to go or because friends suggested it....always found Keg restaurants to be a little over-rated (again my opinion, would rather spend that kind of money in a fine Italian restaurant or non-chain style restaurant)
-Joe Fortes Seafood and Steakhouse - great ambience and delicious food..although not a big fan of theri lobster infused oil for dipping bread

Casual Fine Dining 
-Dockside Restaurant - great place to grab a bite to eat before a show or after a stroll through Granville Island...if you book ahead or go early try to get a seat near the window...the views are stunning. 

Asian cuisine
-Hapa Izakaya any of their locations are good and it is one of my husband's go to places with his colleagues for lunch downtown. They offer great tapas style Japanese dishes as well as delicious entrees. Never had a bad meal there. Their "Kalbi" beef short ribs are delicious and usually one of our favourites and my husband loves their Ishi-Yaki stone bowl dishes.

Casual
-Dunn's Famous Restaurant's known for their Montreal Smoked Meat sandwiches...although the best outside of Montreal we have found is "Estrella's" in Langley
-Cactus Club Coal Harbour has some great views of the North Shore Mountains and Stanley Park, when we want something we know we head to Cactus Club..in Langley that is usually our go to place for a chain restaurant.
-Moxie's Grill & Bar - they are part of Dine Out...but in all honesty we have not been to a Moxie's in years...Food is ok, usually a place we go for a quick bite before dropping our daughter off at the airport when she's heading back to school...but  haven't even done that in a while. 
-The Old Spaghetti Factory - ok, so they are part of Dine Out Vancouver....used to be a favourite when we were kids...(kids do not have any taste...) it's a family style restaurant so maybe great if you don't want to take your kids to a nice restaurant. Every few years we give them a try...but only to be disappointed each time. They are supposed to be Italian...but I couldn't bring myself to include them in that category...just seemed wrong. Sorry Old Spaghetti Factory...but its true.
-Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. - Delicious flat bread and they even offer pizza making parties. How fun is that! Love too that they support local by keeping their ingredients local and organic. 
-Romer's - My husband has been to a few of their locations (hazzard of working downtown Vancouver, he gets to visit a lot of amazing restaurants and I insist he take me every once in a while to some place new) Their burgers are delicious! I believe I had the Magic Mushroom burger...I mean how can you go wrong when you put Boursin cheese on it...yum!
-Tap & Barrel any location...I have been to the North Shore and Olympic village locations. Lots of fun, vibrant atmosphere, great place to grab a bite wih friends. The pretzel with cheese sauce is a great starter to share with friends and family.
-The Flying Pig - We have been to the Olympic Village and Yaletown locations and enjoyed happy hour and dinner there a few times. 

Mexican
-Las Margaritas Restaurante y Cantina - Unfortunately, the last couple times the food was just ok. But whenever we are in Kits, I always insist on stopping by and picking up a tub of their delicious Salsa and large bag of tortilla chips to go! 

Not only are there great deals at many of your favourite restaurants but many hotels are offering special pricing during this time too. I never realized they also have some great events during Dine Out Vancouver 2018 and wish I had time to check them out. Events like Brunch crawls, Craft beer and Taco Tours (not for us because we don't drink beer...but what a great idea with Craft beer being such a craze right now), Secret Soiree sounds like fun and so many more....definitely going to plan to check the events out for next year.

For more details on the participating restaurants, events and hotels visit the following link:

Dine Out Vancouver 2018