Holiday dining in Vancouver: the Christmas Market, festive menus and booking tips

December is one of the busiest months of the year for Vancouver restaurants. Office parties, family gatherings, visiting relatives and festive menus fill dining rooms, and the city's Christmas market brings German-style food and mulled wine to the waterfront. It is a great time to eat out, as long as you plan a little.

When is the Vancouver Christmas Market?

The Vancouver Christmas Market is a German-style market held at Jack Poole Plaza, beside the Olympic Cauldron on the downtown waterfront, near the Vancouver Convention Centre. It usually runs from mid or late November to Christmas Eve. Dates, hours and ticketing change each year; the market has used timed entry tickets in recent seasons, so check the official site and book ahead for weekends.

What food is at the Christmas market?

Expect a mix of German and European holiday classics and local twists:

• Bratwurst and sausages in a bun with mustard and sauerkraut.
• Pretzels, giant and soft.
• Potato pancakes and fried treats.
• Raclette, melted cheese scraped over potatoes or bread.
• Gingerbread, stollen and roasted nuts.
• Glühwein, hot spiced mulled wine, often served in a souvenir mug, plus non-alcoholic punch for kids.

The market is busiest on weekend evenings. Weekday afternoons are calmer.

How early should you book a restaurant in December?

Earlier than you think. For a Friday or Saturday in December, especially for a group, book three to four weeks ahead, and earlier for private rooms. Weeknights in the first half of December fill with office parties. The quietest nights are often early in the week and the days right after Christmas. Many restaurants switch to set menus for groups and require deposits for large tables in December.

What is a festive set menu?

Many Vancouver restaurants offer special holiday menus in December, usually a fixed number of courses at a set price, sometimes with wine pairings. They are designed for groups and celebrations and make the evening predictable for the kitchen and for you. Check what is included, whether there are vegetarian or allergy-friendly options, and whether the regular menu is still available.

Are Vancouver restaurants open on Christmas Day?

Some are, but many close. Hotel restaurants, some Chinese restaurants and certain fine dining rooms are among the most likely to be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, often with special menus and reservations required. Many independent restaurants close for a few days over the holidays, and some take a longer break into early January. Always confirm holiday hours before you go.

What about New Year's Eve dining in Vancouver?

New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year. Many restaurants offer set menus, sometimes with two seatings: an early one and a later one that runs past midnight. Book well ahead, and plan transport home. TransLink has offered free or extended service on New Year's Eve in some years, but check the details each year.

What do Canadians eat over the holidays?

Holiday menus in Vancouver mix traditions from many places, but a few Canadian favourites turn up again and again:

• Roast turkey dinner, with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, the most common Christmas dinner.
• Tourtière, a spiced meat pie from Quebec, often eaten on Christmas Eve.
• Butter tarts, small pastry tarts with a sweet, runny filling.
• Nanaimo bars, the layered BC treat, often in holiday tins.
• Shortbread and gingerbread from bakeries and markets.
• Eggnog, sold in grocery stores from late fall, and sometimes on café menus as an eggnog latte.

Many families in Vancouver also mark the season with their own traditions, from Chinese hot pot to Filipino noche buena dishes and Italian Christmas Eve seafood, so restaurant menus in December can be just as varied as the city.

Where can you find holiday food outside the city centre?

Place	What to expect
Granville Island	Market stalls with holiday baking, cheese and gifts
Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards	Seasonal events and a waterfront skating rink
Richmond and Burnaby	Chinese bakeries with festive cakes
Surrey	Sweet shops busy with holiday gift boxes
Neighbourhood bakeries	Mince tarts, stollen, panettone and Yule logs

Tipping and tax over the holidays

BC menu prices do not include tax: food carries 5 percent GST and alcohol also carries 10 percent PST. Tip 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax amount for table service. Holiday group bookings often include an automatic gratuity, so check the bill before tipping again. Many people tip a little extra in December, when restaurant staff are working their hardest weeks of the year.

How do you make holiday dining less stressful?

1. Book early and confirm the week before.
2. Ask about set menus, deposits and cancellation rules.
3. Collect dietary needs for your group in advance.
4. Plan transport, since taxis are scarce on busy December nights.
5. Consider lunch, which is often easier to book than dinner.

On Mosey you can rate the places you celebrated at and the dishes you ordered, see where friends went for their holiday dinners, and keep a list of festive spots to book early next year.

More guides to read next:

• Commercial Drive food guide: where to eat on Vancouver's most eclectic street
• Vancouver craft breweries: Brewery Creek, Yeast Van and where to eat between pints
• Date night in Vancouver: how to pick a restaurant that gets it right

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.