Main Street and Mount Pleasant: where to eat along Vancouver's Main Street

Main Street is the spine of Vancouver's east side. Starting near the train station and climbing south through Mount Pleasant and Riley Park, it is lined for kilometres with independent cafés, bakeries, small restaurants, record shops and vintage stores. There are very few chains. If you want a sense of how younger Vancouverites eat and drink, this is a good street to walk.

The stretch most people mean when they say "Main Street" runs from around Broadway up to the high 20s and 30s. Buses run the length of it, and Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station is at the bottom of the hill.

Where to eat in Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant is the older, lower part of Main, around Broadway and Kingsway. It is one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods and has the busiest concentration of places to eat on the street:

• Brunch and coffee in cafés that fill up early on weekends.
• Small dinner restaurants, many with short menus that change with the seasons.
• Pizza, ramen, tacos and dumplings for a casual meal.
• Craft breweries with tasting rooms, a few blocks off Main.

Side streets matter here. Some of the most interesting spots are half a block off the main road, so look down the cross streets as you walk.

What is Brewery Creek in Vancouver?

Brewery Creek is the name for the cluster of craft breweries in Mount Pleasant, around Main Street and the blocks west of it. The name comes from a real creek that once ran down the slope, where several breweries were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The creek is now underground, but brewing came back after BC loosened its liquor rules, and several tasting rooms now sit within walking distance of each other. Many serve snacks, and food trucks sometimes park outside. It is an easy afternoon crawl.

What to eat further up Main Street

As Main climbs past 16th Avenue and into Riley Park, the street gets a little quieter and more residential, but it keeps going with good places:

Stretch	What it is like
Broadway to 12th	Busiest, most bars and restaurants, lively at night
12th to 20th	Cafés, bakeries, brunch, small dinner spots
20th to 33rd	Neighbourhood restaurants, vintage shops, quieter evenings
Near Queen Elizabeth Park	Close to the park and the Nat Bailey Stadium area

Where to eat near Science World and Olympic Village

At the very bottom of Main Street, the street meets the eastern end of False Creek. Science World, the geodesic dome on the water, sits beside the SkyTrain station, and just west of it is the Olympic Village, the neighbourhood built as the athletes' village for the 2010 Winter Games. Today it is a residential area around a public plaza, with restaurants, cafés, a brewpub or two and patios that face the water.

It is a useful place to start or finish a Main Street walk:

• Before or after Science World, with kids, for a casual meal near the water.
• On a seawall walk or bike ride, since the False Creek seawall runs right past the plaza.
• For a sunny afternoon drink on a waterfront patio.

Chinatown is also a short walk north of Main Street-Science World station, so the bottom of Main makes an easy link between the two areas.

Is there a farmers market near Main Street?

Yes. In the colder months, Vancouver Farmers Markets has run a winter market in the Riley Park area near Nat Bailey Stadium, a short walk from upper Main. Summer markets run in other neighbourhoods. Market locations, days and seasons change, so check the current schedule on the Vancouver Farmers Markets site before you go.

Is Main Street good for brunch?

Very good. Main Street rivals Kitsilano for weekend brunch, with a mix of classic diners, egg-and-toast cafés and places serving more creative plates. The best-known spots have lines on Saturday and Sunday mornings and usually do not take reservations for small groups. Go early, go on a weekday, or put your name down and wander the vintage shops while you wait. Coffee lovers will find more independent roasters and cafés per block here than almost anywhere else in the city.

What is Main Street like for vegetarians?

Easy. Main Street has a long run of vegetarian and vegan friendly places, from cafés with plant-based baking to restaurants with whole menus built around vegetables. Most other places on the street have at least a couple of solid meat-free options, and kitchens tend to be used to questions about ingredients. If you have a serious allergy, say so clearly when you order, since small kitchens often share equipment.

How much does a night out on Main Street cost?

Main Street sits in the middle of the Vancouver range. It is generally cheaper than downtown or the waterfront, and more expensive than a food court in Richmond or Burnaby. Casual counter meals and pizza are an affordable dinner; the small chef-run restaurants cost more. Remember that BC menus show prices before tax: 5 percent GST is added to food, and alcohol also carries 10 percent PST. At a sit-down meal, tip 15 to 20 percent on the pre-tax total.

How to spend an afternoon on Main Street

1. Start at the bottom, near Main Street-Science World station, with coffee.
2. Walk up through Mount Pleasant and take a detour west into the Brewery Creek tasting rooms.
3. Keep climbing past 20th Avenue for the vintage shops and a late lunch.
4. Finish with dinner back near Broadway, where it is busiest in the evening.

Main Street changes quickly, with new places opening and old favourites closing every year. Mosey helps you keep track: rate the places you ate at and the dishes you ordered, follow friends to see where they actually went, and keep a list of the spots you still want to try on the street.

More guides to read next:

• Holiday dining in Vancouver: the Christmas Market, festive menus and booking tips
• What is Mosey Gold? How Vancouver diners can spot a place people love
• Eating on the North Shore: Lonsdale Quay, the Shipyards and Lonsdale Avenue

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