Restaurant recommendations very near Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver.

[Wink87]

We are staying a day before and after our cruise at the Pan Pacific. Hubby has mobility issues so I'm looking for restaurant recommendations either inside the hotel or very near the hotel. Ty!

[YVRteacher]

There is a Tap and Barrel and a Cactus Club just west of the Pan Pacific.  Both have a wide variety of menu items, great food and service and outdoor patios.  You can make reservations at both restaurants to avoid the long lines.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, Wink87 said:

We are staying a day before and after our cruise at the Pan Pacific. Hubby has mobility issues so I'm looking for restaurant recommendations either inside the hotel or very near the hotel. Ty!

 

The hotel's restaurant is very good with an excellent breakfast buffet,  A lighter menu is available in their Lounge area.  An upscale restaurant within the hotel is called 5 Sails.  I have not tried it and it may not even be open.

 

The Fairmont Waterfront's hotel restaurant is a good hotel restaurant.  It's right across the street with a subterranean connection between the two hotels.  

 

East of the hotel, there is a pub type restaurant that has harbor views that I enjoyed.  I can't remember it's name, however.  The hotel's Concierge will be able to offer additional suggestions, I am sure.  

[martincath]

In TheBeforeTimes I'd have recommended Five Sails inside the PP hotel if what you're looking for is fine dining OP - but they've been taken over by a local chain of fine-dining-lite restos and all top staff were replaced (it used to be a husband and wife Chef/FoH team so phenomenally consistent in both food and service quality). These days for the price it would be much safer to go elsewhere - Glowbal Group are just too inconsistent in their staff retention, quality goes up and down all the time. The Coal Harbour bar in the PP is well worth being in at sunset for the views though!

 

Across the street in the Fairmont Waterfront, as mentioned above, ARC offers more reliable fairly high-end cuisine - but far and away the best resto on the street is just a couple of blocks down in the other even-fancier Fairmont, the Pacific Rim. Botanist here is about as good as it gets in Vancouver, definitely top tier cuisine.

 

If your tastes run to simpler food, all the prior advice stands up just fine - the pub RKA is thinking of is likely Steamworks, one of the oldest brewpubs in the city. Caveat - it's an odd-shaped space in a historic building, with several steps between levels on the main floor, so might be more hassle than its worth for DH - the outdoor covered tables that popped up during Covid are still there, on nice flat ground, but can't be reserved... this is common to most patios in Vancouver, first-come, first-served rather than bookable.

 

West of the hotel, just following the Seawall takes you past a couple of cafes and an Irish bar (as a Brit, I think Mahony's hits the 'Twee Oirish Craic' a bit too hard, but a lot of folks like it) - outside seating here is covered as it's on the lower level below the convention centre west. There's also an elevator to the upper level if you want to hit up Cactus or Tap - the patio of the latter is huge but open, on a nice day it's extremely popular so the advice to try booking in advance is good!

[Wink87]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The hotel's restaurant is very good with an excellent breakfast buffet,  A lighter menu is available in their Lounge area.  An upscale restaurant within the hotel is called 5 Sails.  I have not tried it and it may not even be open.

 

The Fairmont Waterfront's hotel restaurant is a good hotel restaurant.  It's right across the street with a subterranean connection between the two hotels.  

 

East of the hotel, there is a pub type restaurant that has harbor views that I enjoyed.  I can't remember it's name, however.  The hotel's Concierge will be able to offer additional suggestions, I am sure.  

Ty so much!

[Wink87]

3 hours ago, martincath said:

In TheBeforeTimes I'd have recommended Five Sails inside the PP hotel if what you're looking for is fine dining OP - but they've been taken over by a local chain of fine-dining-lite restos and all top staff were replaced (it used to be a husband and wife Chef/FoH team so phenomenally consistent in both food and service quality). These days for the price it would be much safer to go elsewhere - Glowbal Group are just too inconsistent in their staff retention, quality goes up and down all the time. The Coal Harbour bar in the PP is well worth being in at sunset for the views though!

 

Across the street in the Fairmont Waterfront, as mentioned above, ARC offers more reliable fairly high-end cuisine - but far and away the best resto on the street is just a couple of blocks down in the other even-fancier Fairmont, the Pacific Rim. Botanist here is about as good as it gets in Vancouver, definitely top tier cuisine.

 

If your tastes run to simpler food, all the prior advice stands up just fine - the pub RKA is thinking of is likely Steamworks, one of the oldest brewpubs in the city. Caveat - it's an odd-shaped space in a historic building, with several steps between levels on the main floor, so might be more hassle than its worth for DH - the outdoor covered tables that popped up during Covid are still there, on nice flat ground, but can't be reserved... this is common to most patios in Vancouver, first-come, first-served rather than bookable.

 

West of the hotel, just following the Seawall takes you past a couple of cafes and an Irish bar (as a Brit, I think Mahony's hits the 'Twee Oirish Craic' a bit too hard, but a lot of folks like it) - outside seating here is covered as it's on the lower level below the convention centre west. There's also an elevator to the upper level if you want to hit up Cactus or Tap - the patio of the latter is huge but open, on a nice day it's extremely popular so the advice to try booking in advance is good!

We are treating ourselves to a panoramic room at the hotel but we are not wanting to spend a lot on food. Just want good food! Really appreciate your thoughts.

[Wink87]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

There is a Tap and Barrel and a Cactus Club just west of the Pan Pacific.  Both have a wide variety of menu items, great food and service and outdoor patios.  You can make reservations at both restaurants to avoid the long lines.

I'll check them out. Ty!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Call me crazy, but when I am in BC and want fast and casual I love A&W Root Beer. There is one practically across the street from the Fairmont Waterfront. Besides A&W on tap they have great burgers, a great Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and great fries. It a journey back in my childhood to eat at an A&W.

[Yo Adrienne]

17 hours ago, martincath said:

In TheBeforeTimes I'd have recommended Five Sails inside the PP hotel if what you're looking for is fine dining OP - but they've been taken over by a local chain of fine-dining-lite restos and all top staff were replaced (it used to be a husband and wife Chef/FoH team so phenomenally consistent in both food and service quality). These days for the price it would be much safer to go elsewhere - Glowbal Group are just too inconsistent in their staff retention, quality goes up and down all the time. The Coal Harbour bar in the PP is well worth being in at sunset for the views though!

 

 

Is this (at least partially) why the Pan Pacific no longer has their Sunday brunch buffet...?  We went to it back in 2019 (pre-covid) when we stayed there before our cruise and it was truly amazing.  

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, martincath said:

the pub RKA is thinking of is likely Steamworks, one of the oldest brewpubs

 

Yes!  That's the one.  Your description of its interior makes me certain that it is the one I remember (along with looking at its location on Google Maps).  Thank you for jogging my memory!  

 

I added their web site to my favorites.  Hopefully, I won't forget its name again.  

[martincath]

17 hours ago, scottca075 said:

Call me crazy, but when I am in BC and want fast and casual I love A&W Root Beer. There is one practically across the street from the Fairmont Waterfront. Besides A&W on tap they have great burgers, a great Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and great fries. It a journey back in my childhood to eat at an A&W.

I'll join you in the crazy then Scott, as I also love A&W root beer - the Diet stuff was nightmarishly hard to find during Covids first year in cans or bottles,  so I've been buying gallons of it whenever I see it on a shelf since! Whenever the Granny burger makes a comeback I usually also pop in for a draft frosty mug and a couple of burgers - I'm not much of a fastfood burger guy but I agree that A&W makes the best in the category.

7 hours ago, Yo Adrienne said:

Is this (at least partially) why the Pan Pacific no longer has their Sunday brunch buffet...?  We went to it back in 2019 (pre-covid) when we stayed there before our cruise and it was truly amazing.  

I'd guess that lack of buffet has more to do with Covid protocols killing buffets entirely, and even with rules now relaxed the sheer waste of an 'AYCE' with food prices climbing like they are will mean there will have to be strong demand, and willingness for customers to pay quite a lot more than they used to, to bring back any really good buffet meals?

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Yes!  That's the one.  Your description of its interior makes me certain that it is the one I remember (along with looking at its location on Google Maps).  Thank you for jogging my memory!  

 

I added their web site to my favorites.  Hopefully, I won't forget its name again.  

Glad to help - their website's a bit clunky and poorly prioritized in searches, so more often than not a Google brings up Steamworks Bathhouse a bit further east which offers a very different vibe indeed so bookmarking the right one will keep you straight;-)

[Wink87]

On 7/17/2022 at 12:16 AM, scottca075 said:

Call me crazy, but when I am in BC and want fast and casual I love A&W Root Beer. There is one practically across the street from the Fairmont Waterfront. Besides A&W on tap they have great burgers, a great Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and great fries. It a journey back in my childhood to eat at an A&W.

Now that sounds good!

[oakridger]

On 7/17/2022 at 12:16 AM, scottca075 said:

Call me crazy, but when I am in BC and want fast and casual I love A&W Root Beer. There is one practically across the street from the Fairmont Waterfront. Besides A&W on tap they have great burgers, a great Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and great fries. It a journey back in my childhood to eat at an A&W.

 

Can you tell us where exactly the A&W is?  I googled and there were not any A&W showing near the Fairmont Waterfront.  I see Timmy's and McDonalds in the understreet food court.

 

Thanks!

~Nancy

[KeepCalmBearOn]

43 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Can you tell us where exactly the A&W is?  I googled and there were not any A&W showing near the Fairmont Waterfront.  I see Timmy's and McDonalds in the understreet food court.

 

The one I am talking about is in the Canada Pacific building at 601 West Cordova. Next door is Chronic Tacos, which cracks me up since I know the founders who are Newport Beach surf rats and seeing Chronic in Vancouver is mind blowing.

[oakridger]

Ah ha!  Found it.  Thanks @scottca075

 

I see a root beer float in my future!

 

~Nancy