Tatsu Japanese Bistro: Sashimi and Bento Boxes

Tatsu is a tiny Japanese bistro located on “The Drive” in Vancouver. We stopped by one weekend for lunch and managed to squish into a table near the window.

Downlow Chicken Shack: Big Wings and Not-So-Secret Menu

I remember when the Downlow Chicken Shack first opened up… I must have went there at least twice only to be disappointed that they were sold out by the time I got to the door. Fast forward a bit over a year and I can finally say that I’ve tried DL and I understand why it’s always so busy.

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria: Pizza on the Drive

Anyone remember back in the day when pizzas were called “pizza pies”? I mean, there’s that old Dean Martin song, That’s Amore… “When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s amore.” In any case, we were hankering for a nice pizza one weekend but we couldn’t decide where to get it from. We were looking for an actual sit-down restaurant where you could not only get a pizza but you could also get some pasta and other stuff… and I guess we’re a bit picky with our pizzas.

Varadero Cafe: Cuban Food on the Drive

Ever since our visit to Pambiche in Portland a couple of years ago, we’ve been searching for a good Cuban restaurant in Vancouver. The problem is that the extent of most Cuban dishes here is usually just a Cuban sandwich. Sure, there’s a few good Latin restaurants here… but nothing that is decidedly as good as the food that we had at Pambiche.

BierCraft Tap and Tapas (Commercial Drive): Belgian Mussels and Frites

During our July staycation, we were getting a hankering for some quality mussels and we headed down to our old stomping grounds on Commercial Drive only to be disappointed that our destination (Carthage Cafe) was closed despite their hours saying they should have been open. After a hurried Google search, we headed 7 blocks north to BierCraft Tap and Tapas because their menu said they offered mussels.

Absinthe Bistro: French Food on The Drive

I have a habit of picking French bistros for my birthday dinner. This time around, I opted for Absinthe Bistro which is a smallish restaurant tucked away on the bustling Commercial Drive.

The Cannibal Cafe – Bacon Bad Burger

The Cannibal Cafe’s been on my list of places to visit on The Drive for a while… mainly for the thick milkshakes that I’ve heard about.

Kin Kao Thai Kitchen – Minimalistic Thai Food on The Drive

Kin Kao Thai Kitchen is a tiny, minimalistic restaurant located on Commercial Drive. This is also mirrored by their limited menu offerings (they have 8 main dishes, all priced at $12). Due to the size of the restaurant, you can hear the food being furiously cooked in woks in the kitchen.

Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen and Sushi Bar – Oshi Sushi and Yuzu Ice Cream

When I think about “The Drive”, I immediately think of Italian food. I guess that’s because growing up in the neighbourhood, you couldn’t walk a block down Commercial Drive without smelling the aroma of pizza or seeing the green, white, and red flag of Italy proudly waving from the stores.

La Grotta Del Fromaggio – The Cave of Cheese

Located next to Fratelli Bakery on The Drive is La Grotta Del Fromaggio… or the The Cave of Cheese.

Havana Restaurant & Gallery – Brunch

A lot has changed along The Drive over the last quarter century.  I recall back in the 80’s that there was still fairly noticeable remnants of “Little Italy” even despite the influx of Asian and other cultures.  We found ourselves in our old stomping grounds in early February after dropping off some donations to the nearby SPCA and noticed that many of the old shops have been replaced with an eclectic collection of restaurants.  While there were still a few old shops that we remembered, The Drive has seem to undergone a bit of gentrification… if you told me 25 years ago that there was going to be a fish and chips food truck parked in front of Grandview Park, I wouldn’t have believed you.

The Reef (Commercial Dr) – Bajan Fried Chicken

It’s been a very long time since we’ve been down The Drive.  Seeing as how it was December 27th, we were trying to avoid the hordes of shoppers at the various malls and stores looking for Boxing Week sales.