The 7 Best Patios in Vancouver

Black and Blue | BCBusiness
The Roof at Black and Blue

When the clouds part in Vancouver, there’s no reason to eat indoors. Here are seven of our favourite sun-soaked spaces to dine or drink

Blue Water Café and Raw Bar
Set on the old cobbled loading docks of Yaletown’s former warehouse district, the refined Blue Water Café patio is punctuated by crisp linen tablecloths and verdant greenery. Blue Water’s executive chef Frank Pabst is renowned for his innovative and sophisticated seafood menus, and dedication to sourcing the best-quality ingredients that meet his exacting standards on ocean sustainability. Order the elaborate seafood tower, featuring a premium selection of shellfish and finfish, and one of bar manager Evelyn Chick’s sensational handcrafted cocktails (bluewatercafe.net).

Dockside Restaurant
Whether you’re tucked into one of the chic custom-built cabanas draped in stylish threads or seated on the modern lounge furniture flanked by crackling double-glazed fireplaces, Dockside’s spectacular patio, with its stunning views of False Creek and Yaletown’s soaring cityscape, is the quintessential summertime spot. Executive chef Simon James McNeil, a recent contestant on Chopped Canada, prepares fresh, seasonal dishes like the Nam Prick seared beef tenderloin tips with chili mango, lime avocado and sesame su choy with Asian steam buns. Pair with a beer from their in-house brewery (docksidevancouver.com).

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Downtown you’ll find an elegant urban oasis above bustling Robson Street on Joe Fortes’s luscious roof garden patio. Stop by the outdoor horseshoe-shaped bar surrounded by summer blooms for a refreshing cocktail, and then sample some of the Ocean Wise seafood from executive chef Wayne Sych’s “vibrant West Coast” menu, like the Santa Fe blackened salmon burger with jalapeno aioli or the sturgeon filet with potato gnocchi, brown butter and caponata (joefortes.ca).

Market by Jean-Georges (pictured, right)
Bright Italian marble tabletops and Dedon ecological fibre chairs grace Market’s polished third-floor terrace. The celebrated restaurant is Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first Canadian venture. Chef de cuisine Montgomery Lau pairs Vongerichten’s mix of French training and Asian influence with the freshest West Coast ingredients to create knockout dishes like the steelhead sashimi with crispy rice and chipotle emulsion and the rice cracker crusted tuna with citrus and sriracha emulsion. Enjoy something from the 100-per-cent Ocean Wise menu washed down with a ginger and lime margarita or a lychee raspberry bellini (marketbyjgvancouver.com).

The Roof at Black and Blue
When the sun goes down the heat rises at The Roof at Black and Blue, a swanky after-dark rooftop haunt with double-sided fireplace walls, fire-pit lounge tables and illuminated cube tables. Whet your whistle with classic cocktails like the Mai Tai or Pimm’s Cup, and slide into a supple leather chair adorned with animal-print cushions and bite into one of executive chef Mark McEwan’s wood-fired Josper Grill specialties, like the 48-hour marinated jerk chicken with roasted pepper and fennel panzanella salad, or the decadently marbled and perfectly seared PEI Blue Ribbon steak with rosemary and lemon zest potato salad (glowbalgroup.com/tag/the-roof). 

C Restaurant
As the founding Ocean Wise restaurant, C continues to showcase the finest sustainable seafood under the direction of executive chef Nicolas Hipperson. The lush patio garden, tended by proprietor Harry Kambolis’s mother, Georgia, also produces herbs incorporated into Hipperson’s exquisite dishes. Catering to two different tastes with two distinct areas—a casual lounge and accompanying fare (salmon burger, fish and chips), and an upscale dining area with an à la carte menu—the patio stretches out onto the seawall, overlooking the False Creek Marina and the parade of passersby (crestaurant.com).

Cardero’s
Perched above the waters of Coal Harbour Marina, the Cardero’s patio looks out at Stanley Park, the Burrard Inlet and the rugged North Shore mountains, and back at the lively urbanity of the seawall. Order one of executive chef Jason Kleinfeld’s most popular share plates—such as the wok squid with ginger, garlic and chilies, or the mussels in a mouthwatering coconut curry sauce—to pair with something from the diverse drink menu featuring plenty of refreshing B.C. whites and delicious summer cocktails like the grapefruit bourbon sour or the signature sangria, available by the glass or pitcher (vancouverdine.com/carderos).