Beyond Bread – 3686 West 4th Ave / 604-733-3931
If I had to choose quickly in a hostage situation, I’d say this was the best bread bakery in town.
Bâtard Bakery – 3958 Fraser Street / 604-506-3958
Everything is great, here. I love the seasonal fruit flan, and their multigrain loaf is the seedy elven forest bread of all my lifelong hopes and dreams.
Beaucoup Bakery – 2150 Fir Street / 604-732-4222
I think these are the finest croissants (and croissant-brethren) to be found in Vancouver.
Butter – 4907 Mackenzie Street / 604-221-4333
The best pies to be bought, that I know of. And probably the best cookies, too.
Coco et Olive – 3707 Main Street / (604) 568-7447
This place meets all the criteria for a good drawing/working café: roomy tables, lots of natural light, and relative quiet. Plus, the coffee is good, and they have excellent pastries.
Elysian Coffee – 590 West Broadway
This place does really nice coffee, and has a pleasing selection of baked things. They also have the best tucked away outdoor seating, for days when you want to sit under the burning daystar and draw.
Sweet Obsession – 2611 W 16th Ave / 604-739-0555 ext 2
A large selection of formal desserts, and cookies and pastries and whatnot. They’ve been around a long time, now, and they know what they’re about.
Lucky’s Donuts – 2902 Main Street / 604-872-4901
I didn’t even think I liked donuts that much, but apparently I was wrong. I’m mostly into the simpler ones – plain glazed, and whatever fruit jelly they have in season, but they make a whole rotating variety of flavours.
Lemonade Gluten Free Bakery – 3385 Cambie Street / 604-873-9993
I would never lead you to a gluten free bakery unless it was significantly better than most normal bakeries. You all know how seriously I take my pastries. I particularly like the cookies – but you’d be safe with anything.
Terra Breads – multiple locations
This is the local Old Reliable of fancy bread products. My favourites are the fruit and nut loaf, and the walnut bread.
Shiro -3096 Cambie Street / (604) 874-0027
Shiro is my favourite place to eat, period. I particularly like the beni don.
Sal Y Limon – Unit #5, 701 Kingsway Street / (604)-677-4247
I would perform dangerous trials of courage for these tacos – especially the lamb and cilantro.
Marché St. George – 4393 St. George / (604) 565 5107
This place carries an incredible selection of pleasing things to stock your larder with. They also do amazing lunches and pastries, if you feel like sitting down, and they make a fine, fine coffee. Altogether, it’s one of the nicest spots in town.
Chilliwack River Valley Honey – Granville Island Public Market / (604) 823 7400
Vancouver has some really nice local honeys, but this company is my very favourite. I particularly love the mountain, fireweed and thistle varieties. You can find their stuff in fancy grocery stores, but they have the best selection at their Granville Island nook.
Oyama Sausage – Granville Island Public Market / 604 327 7407
I’m not much of a carnivore, but you can’t make a fully rounded fantasy meal without fine rustic meats, and this is the place for them. They have stuff like elk pepperoni and wild boar bacon that will make you feel like a god damn dusty adventurer.
Amethyst Creations – 2746 West 4th Ave / (604) 736-7015
This is the platonic ideal of shiny store. It has the most appealing mixture of impressive displays and tucked away boxes which you can rifle through for treasure.
The Crystal Ark – 1496 Cartwright St (Granville Island) /(604) 681 8900
Even if you’re not a strange hoarder of shinies, you can go here just to look at the giant display crystals.
Thomas Haas – 2539 West Broadway / (604) 736 1844
This place has reliably excellent chocolate, plus a full range of cakes and pastries and fancy confections. I like the pâte de fruit.
Hagensborg Chocolates – various local grocery stores and markets
I like the single origin “Boar” bars, and the truffle bars, and the pig mascot is my favourite thing ever.
marianchurchland.com 