Railtown Japantown Archives

Our hood guides provide local perspective and insight into Vancouver's many neighbourhoods with insider details on what to eat, drink, see and do. Explore all Vancouver neighbourhoods.

Visit the Railtown Japantown Hood Guide
Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

Inside the Imminent Japanese Cafe, ‘Harken’

It's been a long time coming, but the new cafe aims to start serving coffee and shojin ryori-style vegan food around June 1st.

View From Your Window / Railtown Japantown

The View From Your Window #216

We love posting photos like this that reveal the views through the windows of our readers. We hope you'll consider sharing yours!

Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

Take a Sneak Peek Inside Pallet Coffee’s Beautiful New Roastery in Railtown

After several months in the making the new facility is on track to officially open to the public this Monday, November 4th.

You Need To Try This

Is This Vancouver’s Most Underrated Restaurant?

Dosanko, the quietly excellent yoshuku-style restaurant on the edge of Japantown, is back open for dinner service.

Picking Grapes

Picking Grapes With Cody Dodds of Powell Street’s Mackenzie Room

8 Places

This week we put our Picking Grapes questions to the Wine Director at one of Vancouver's best restaurants.

Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

Basement ‘Boogie Van’ Ready to Rock in Railtown

Take a look inside Chef Stu Irving's new 50 seat hideaway in Railtown and watch out for the levitating skeleton king...

TBT / Railtown Japantown

Long Before St. Lawrence Came Along, There Was a Little Butcher Shop…

Long before 269 Powell St. was home to its current tenant, it was Big Lou's, which closed under strained circumstances.

Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

Pallet Coffee Roasters Set to Expand

The local coffee company is moving its roasting operations to Railtown and growing its commissary in Hastings-Sunrise.

Opening Soon

A Look Inside Japantown’s Harken Coffee

The upcoming, Japanese-inspired coffee house and shojin ryori-style restaurant is coming together at 338 Powell Street.

Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

Basement Lounge ‘Boogie Van’ Opening Soon

Cuchillo owner/chef Stu Irving is building a new 50 seat lounge (inspired by his old, souped-up 1980s van) under his restaurant.

How To Cook Vancouver / Railtown Japantown

Railtown’s St. Lawrence Does a Rice Pudding So Good We Tried to Make It at Home

In the latest edition of How to Cook Vancouver, Maciel gives us a road map to recreating one of Vancouver's best desserts.

The New Breed / Railtown Japantown

The GM at One of Canada’s Best Restaurants Dishes on Ambition, Mentors and More

Scout recently met with the dancer at heart to pick her brain on the trajectory of her career and all things hospitality.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

You Need To Try This Pina Borracha in Railtown

It'd be a 'stiff' drink if it weren't for all the char-speckled juice. Pair it with Stu Irving's wild prawn tacos with sunflower sprout chimichurri.

Definitive Records / Railtown Japantown

These Are the Records That Define the Musical Tastes of One of Vancouver’s Top Chefs

The Mackenzie Room's kitchen maestro is concise yet poetic when describing the vastly different records that impacted his life.

TBT / Railtown Japantown

Five Years Ago This Week, the Launch of Belgard Kitchen Was Imminent in Railtown

I was able to tour the final stages of the restaurant's construction a couple of weeks before its launch in April 2014.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

You Need To Try This Sakura Onigiri in Japantown

This fleeting treat is loaded with chunks of lobster, pickled beets, pickled cherry blossoms and flecks of shisho that cling to the rice.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

Whenever Pasta Appears on the Menu at The Mackenzie Room, Pounce On It

You can't really see them in all their plump glory hiding under a blanket of spring greens and petals, but they're truly beautiful things.

Restaurant Porn / Railtown Japantown

The Spanish Restaurant Where Japan Meets Brasil

Spanish design firm Masquespacio created this beautifully colourful and tropical Japanese-meets-Brasilian sushi spot in Valencia.

View From Your Window / Railtown Japantown

The View From Your Window #172

We love posting photos like this that reveal the views through the windows of our readers. We hope you'll consider sharing yours!

TBT / Railtown Japantown

A Look Back at the Start of Ask For Luigi, Which Turns Five This Week

The room was littered with cardboard, unfilled menus, fresh bus pans and other bits of service detritus, but it looked very promising...

Opening Soon / Railtown Japantown

‘Harken’ Opening Soon on Powell Street

The Japanese-inspired 16 seat cafe and roastery will pair chef Kris Barnholden with Aubade Coffee maestro Eldric Stuart.

Heads Up / Railtown Japantown

Hit Railtown This Weekend for a Small But Mighty Design Show

Kate Duncan’s Address is “an assembly of designer/makers, deeply dedicated to their craft presenting expertise and exceptional work.”

1,000 Cool Things About Vancouver / Railtown Japantown

Our Favourite Event of the Summer? The Powell Street Festival

The annual festival in and around Oppenheimer Park offers up full plates of Japanese-Canadian arts, culture, and fabulous food.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

You Need To Try Powell Brewery’s Entirely Different ‘Rising Sun’ Jasmine Black Rice & Yuzu Lager

This crisp and palate-cleansing beer is the perfect thirst-quencher for summertime picnics, BBQs or plain ol' day-drinking.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

You Need To Try This Bubbling Bowl of Cheese-Capped Curry Rice With Pork at Dosanko

We love this unassuming Japantown eatery for its genuinely warm service and the delicious homestyle dishes it turns out, like this one.

You Need To Try This / Railtown Japantown

You Need to Try the Perfect Drink for Pretending the Weather Doesn’t Suck

What rain? The pre-batched Aperitivo Spritz at Railtown's award-winning Ask For Luigi is summertime in a bottle.

Restaurant Porn / Railtown Japantown

Why Doesn’t Vancouver Have a Fish & Chips Joint That’s This Good Looking?

Everyone has expectations of what a good food and chips shop should be, but what if those expectations were messed with a little?

Restaurant Porn / Railtown Japantown

Why this Abandoned 19th Century Mansion-Turned-Restaurant Would Suit Railtown

Valuing architectural history can sometimes mean incorporating ruins into new constructions, like this modern eatery in Mexico.