More and more Vancouver restaurants are re-opening their kitchens to serve up dishes available for pick-up or delivery as a means to carry on during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Plus, there have been some exciting openings of new ventures boldly stepping into the marketplace, despite how challenging things are right now for the restaurant industry.
This is great news for Vancouver food fans, who can bring home tiki vibes with fresh new cocktail kits, get their hands on some serious burgers, or turn date night at home into something next-level with fresh west coast fare.
Over the last few weeks, Vancouver restaurant owners have approached operations from a number of new models - some are focusing on take-and-make kits, while others are rounding out their offerings with pantry and grocery items to help keep your fridge and cupboards stocked. While many restaurants are on board with existing food carrier companies, others are keeping it in-house, which means they're limited to pick-up, or they're trying out doing their own deliveries.
If you're looking for a few places that have just launched new food takeout or delivery programs - including some new on the scene spots - here are a handful of note.
Fresh Sheet for Thursday, May 14, 2020
Nero Belgian Waffle Bar - Seymour St.
One of Vancouver's favourite sweet snacks is now available for curbside pick-up. Mini waffles can now be ordered in packs of 7 or 21 to be picked-up from Nero’s Seymour location. All the classic flavours are available as well as some new and creative flavours that will rotate every week. Pickup is available from Wednesday through Sunday, from 2 to 7 p.m. Limited quantities of mini waffles will be available for take-out as well.
Pastificio di Luigi
Launched May 1, Pastificio di Luigi is operating out of Pourhouse, offering house-made pasta, take-home pasta and sauces, grocery staples, and specialty Italian items (think canned tomatoes, olive oils, and sliced meats and cheese). The menu for Pastificio di Luigi is lead by Kitchen Table Executive Chef Alessandro Vianello, who oversees all of the restaurants.
Lil Bird Sandwich Co.
A take-out window for sandwiches has moved into Kafka's Coffee at their Main Street location. Here, customers can safely order-up nourishing eats on house-made sourdough bread. To get things started, Lil Bird will be offering four sandwich options and fresh lemonade. For the true little "birds" in your life, aka the kids, there's a Wee Bird Meal, which includes a small sandwich, apple slices, and a cookie.
Honolulu Coffee Vancouver
Photo courtesy Honolulu Coffee
Honolulu Coffee has reopened both of its cafes in downtown Vancouver (888 Nelson) and Kerrisdale (2098 W. 41st Ave.) for five days a week service. Their new ‘Aloha to Go’ offerings feature an array of warm-weather favourites like iced Hawaiian Lattes, açaí bowls, cold brew and fresh-fruit smoothies as well as fresh-baked pastries, cookies and more available by phone for contactless, cashless pickup or delivery through Doordash and Uber Eats.
Dixies BBQ
Dixies has had a roller coaster few months. Last year they closed their Hastings Street restaurant, but continued to offer catering and delivery for their Texas-style eats. Since the COVID-19 crisis, they continued to deliver but focused on things like burgers. Now they've put BBQ back on the menu: their mouthwatering beef brisket and pork ribs have returned and are available in limited quantities for delivery via UberEats and Doordash or direct pick up by ordering online.
BRGR BRGR
Abbotsford's BRGR BRGR has slid into the Vancouver market. Photo: BRGR BRGR/Facebook
A burger joint that launched just a few months ago out in Abbotsford is expanding its reach with the recent addition of take-out and delivery service from a Gastown restaurant. Now BRGR BRGR is firing up their burgers made with fresh, regionally sourced ingredients out of the kitchen of Noodlebox in Gastown (108 West Hastings Street), offering pick-up and delivery (via DoorDash and UberEats).
Bishop's
These were supposed to be the final, celebratory months of dining at veteran Kitsilano restaurant Bishop's - but COVID-19 had other plans for the beloved eatery. Closed since mid-March, this week Bishop's launched an "at-home" menu. Order up date-night or treat-yourself dinners made of dishes like Slow Roasted Fraser Valley Duck Confit and West Coast Seafood Chowder with sides of fresh-baked foccacia and Seasonal Berry Cheesecake for dessert.
Takenaka
Photo: Takenaka/Facebook
This is a brand-new business offering stunning kaiseki bento sets and other beautiful Japanese dishes like chirashi bowls, aburi sushi, and sashimi. Customers can place orders via Uber, Doordash or Fantuan for delivery, or you can order direct from the website and pick-up from their "commercial kitchen located in the heart of nowhere at 1370 East Georgia Street in East Van."
Bells and Whistles
Fraser Street's popular spot for catching a game and enjoying some high-quality brews and grub has just re-opened to offer take-out. Use their online site to pre-order from their menu of brews and ciders along with snacks, burgers, salads, and sides. You can get their delicious soft serve sundaes from their walk-up window, too, for those sunny ice cream kind of days.
Juju's Drink Shack
Cocktail kits. Photo courtesy Juju's Drink Shack
Launched this month out of Published on Main, the concept brings together Tiki-style drinks and a rotating menu of pan-Asian dishes. To get things going, Juju's will help you bring the Tiki vibes to your own home with their six classic cocktail kits, each featuring Flor de Cana rum. Eats include things like coconut prawns and pork belly "bar bites." Orders can be made online for pick-up and delivery on Tock or delivery via DoorDash.
Brewhall
Olympic Village's Brewhall has recently kicked-off their take-out service. The menu includes burgers, bowls, salads, pizzas, and kids' items. Beer, cider, Nütrls, and wine are also available. All takeout food orders receive 30% off from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 20% off from 5 p.m. to close. They've also got some take and make kits for pizzas and burgers, as well as a few grocery staples.
