North Vancouver/Vancouver – Day 10 of a 12-Day BC Road Trip
Most of Day 10 activities were in North Vancouver. There is so much to do in North Vancouver – outdoor and nature activities, yet still very close to the city. There was no rain today, but it was still cloudy.
Day 10
North Vancouver/Vancouver
We had a late start to the day and picked up takeout from two locations to take with us to North Vancouver. Side Note: If you wake up early and are looking for a good breakfast cafe, I would recommend Cafe Medina. Their breakfast is fantastic, but they do not take reservations and the waitlist can be long. The last time we went, we ordered les boulettes, wood stone flatbread, babaganoush, and 2 waffles with white chocolate pistachio rosewater topping.
First spot – the newly opened Gram Cafe. This cafe is originally from Japan, and they specialize in fluffy pancakes! Since it was still only the cafe’s soft opening, they were limiting their menu to their mini pancakes and cream sandwiches. We ordered the matcha cream and sesame cream options. For the heartier part of the meal, we got takeout from Bao Down in Olympic Village. I ordered two lunch combos, each came with two baos, a side, and a drink. Bao is a steam bun stuffed with meat and vegetables originating from Chinese cuisine. For our four baos, we ordered the Mermaid (tempura shrimp), YVR (ahi tuna), Big Bang (crispy pork), and Fili Chino (chorizo). For our sides, we got the adobo brussel sprouts and the kimchi pork fries. We took our takeout food to Whytecliff Park.
Side Note: We had been to North Vancouver a few weeks before. We tried out a sushi restaurant called Nishiki Sushi. I wouldn’t say it is the best sushi in Vancouver, but is another option for lunch in North Vancouver. My suggestion is to get takeout and walk across the street to have lunch at Millenium Park (which is what we did).
By the time we got to Whytecliff Park, it was already 12:30pm. We eagerly ate our lunch and then took a walk around Whytecliff Park. There is a small island at Whytecliff Park that is only accessible during low tide, so we headed there before the tide came in. The rocks makes it a somewhat difficult journey, but not impossible as long as you are careful. I’d seen pictures of Whytecliff Park before, but I did not expect the rocks to be so large. There’s a nice walking trail along the cliffs with gorgeous water views.
Whytecliff Park
We then headed to our hotel to check-in. If you have time and want to go for an easy hike, Lighthouse Park is located between Whytecliff Park and North Vancouver. Side Note: Here are some pictures of when we hiked Lighthouse Park a few years ago. It is an easy hike that takes about 2 hours round-trip (or 1 hour round-trip if you go directly to Point Atkinson Lighthouse).
We switched hotels from the night before as we wanted to stay in North Vancouver for an evening. This hotel, Seaside Hotel North Vancouver, is right by the water and located in Shipbuilder’s Square. There is a parkade under the hotel, but unfortunately it is not included in the stay. So we had to pay the $32 for overnight parking, which is valid until 4pm the next day.
By the time we settled in, it was almost time for dinner. We had reservations at 5:15pm at Gyu-Kaku on Nelson Street, in downtown Vancouver. Gyu-Kaku is a Japanese BBQ restaurant with happy hour prices between 11:30am-6pm and also 9pm-closing. Side Note: If you have some time before dinner, stop at Prospect Point in Stanley Park. Stanley Park itself is a great place to visit with multiple trails and walks along the water. At Prospect Point, you can get a gorgeous view of the Lions Gate Bridge and the Burrard Inlet. We did not stop by this visit, but we have before. Here’s a photo of the view in the summer:
We were actually 30 minutes late to our reservation. I forgot how bad rush hour traffic can be in Vancouver. Gyu-Kaku had called us a few times asking if we were still coming and they were kind enough to save our table even though we were 30 minutes late. We were seated promptly and I knew exactly what to order. We ordered the Gyu-Kaku salad, cabbage salad, chicken karaage, two orders of rice, and an assortment of meats. There are also dipping sauces for your meat. So good!
After dinner, we headed back to North Vancouver and dropped the car off at the parkade. From the hotel, we went on a self-guided brewery tour in North Vancouver. There are three craft breweries in close proximity to each other near our hotel. First stop was Beere Brewing Company. We shared a flight of 4 beers – a lager, a porter, and two sours. I found one of the sours to be too sour for my liking (can’t remember what it was), but I did like the raspberry lemonade sour ale.
Next stop on the beer tour, Streetcar Brewing! If you are following Google Maps, the brewery seems sort of hidden. You need to look for a door with descending stairs. Once you descend the stairs, the space opens up to a tasting room. We were seated at the games table, which was cool. The games table was essentially a mini arcade machine where we could play Street Fighter II against each other. Really brought back some childhood memories. We shared another flight at Streetcar Brewing. I liked the peach radler and the guava gose. We bought a can of the peach radler to go. Although both breweries so far were good, I preferred the beers and ambience of Streetcar Brewing more than Beere Brewing.
Before going to our last craft brewery, we made a stop at Earnest Ice Cream. We shared a two scoop bowl of ice cream – cookie dough and london fog. Earnest has amazing ice cream and tons of flavours to choose from. They also sell their ice cream in jars, which I will definitely be buying.
Our last brewery, Green Leaf Brewing, is located in Lonsdale Quay Market. The market was closed at this time, but the brewery still open. Green Leaf Brewing was not as busy as the other two breweries we went to. We shared another flight of beer, but picked the hoppier beers this time (with the exception of a wheat beer). They also brew kombucha at Green Leaf Brewing.
After Green Leaf Brewing, we enjoyed the evening view of Downtown Vancouver from Lonsdale Quay and started the walk back to the hotel.
We strolled down the Burrard Dry Dock Pier and wandered Shipbuilder’s Square. There are multiple restaurants and small shops in this area. Beside Burrard Dry Dock Pier is Seaspan, a large marine-related services company. It looked like they were servicing a Canadian Coast Guard vessel during our visit.
At the base of our hotel is Welcome Parlour Ice Cream. We stopped at the store to buy candy before heading up to our room. They also have ice cream.
Complete Day 10 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
9:00am: Have breakfast. Suggestion: Cafe Medina (11 minute walk from EXchange Hotel).
11:00am: Pick up Gram Pancakes (13 minute drive from Cafe Medina). Pick up bao from Bao Down Olympic Village (9 minute drive from Gram Pancakes).
1:00pm: Have lunch at Whytecliff Park (29 minute drive from Bao Down Olympic Village). Wander Whytecliff Park.
3:00pm: Visit Lighthouse Park (21 minute drive from Whytecliff Park).
5:00pm: Stop at Prospect Point in Stanley Park (25 minute drive from Lighthouse Park).
6:00pm: Dinner at Gyu-Kaku on Nelson Street (8 minute drive from Prospect Point). Order before 6pm for Happy Hour prices.
7:00pm: Go on a self-guided brewery tour in North Vancouver (25 minute drive from Gyu-Kaku Nelson to Shipbuilder’s Square). First stop at Beere Brewing (8 minute walk from Shipbuilder’s Square). Second stop Streetcar Brewing (8 minute walk from Beere Brewing). Get ice cream from Earnest Ice Cream (3 minute walk from Streetcar Brewing). Last stop Green Leaf Brewing (4 minute walk from Earnest Ice Cream).
9:00pm: Enjoy the Vancouver Downtown lights from afar. Wander Lonsdale Quay (1 minute walk from Green Leaf Brewing) and Burrard Dry Dock Pier (10 minute walk from Lonsdale Quay).
12-Day BC Road Trip Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 12-Day BC Road Trip Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip in BC!
Travels with Carolyne 