Best spots for a parents' night out in Vancouver

Making time for a night out with your significant other can be difficult once children appear on the scene, especially when your world revolves around diapers, laundry, and night feedings. However, if you’re able to find a sitter, a kid-free night out is a great way to break-up the week and keep the romance alive.

When it comes to where to find the best spots for a parents’ night out in Vancouver, we turned to local foodies and new parent Dennis Pang to curate his list of his picks for the perfect date night venue.

We asked Pang what he and his wife, May, look for when selecting where to have a kid-free night out. He explains:

We tend to pick places that we know that have good food, drinks, service, and aren’t too out of the way. Also, it’s great when restaurants have early happy hours or are able to accommodate early dinner reservations. We usually keep our date nights rather short now and end up going home pretty early because we need to put our baby to sleep. As new parents, we certainly don’t have as many date nights as we did before. So we always cherish those rare nights when we get a few hours to ourselves to enjoy a hot meal.

The best spots for a parents’ night out in Vancouver

Selected by Dennis Pang of Pangcouver. 

Linh Café

“Linh Café is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in town. They are open for brunch and dinner, and feature traditional French and modern Vietnamese cuisine. Some of my favourite items include the Pho Bo (Northern Vietnam style pho, easily one of the best in the city), Argentinian spot prawns, and Toulouse Breakfast.”

Address: 2836 West 4th Avenue, Kitsilano
Phone: 604-559-4668
Twitter: @LinhCafeVan

Bao Down Gastropub + Raw Bar

“Bao Down has made quite a name for themselves in the city in a relatively short amount of time. They started their first location in Gastown as a quick-service restaurant serving baos, but recently opened up a 70-seat gastropub in Olympic Village. Their new location is open for brunch/lunch and dinner, and I’ve very quickly fallen in love with their food. They also have $1.50-a-shuck local B.C. oysters, offered on Sunday to Wednesday evenings.”

Address: 115 West 2nd Avenue, Olympic Village
Twitter: @baodowngastro

Cafe de L’Orangerie

“Tucked away on a quiet side street in South Granville is Cafe de L’Orangerie, best known for their Japanese-style spaghetti. If you don’t know what Japanese-style spaghetti is, then you’d better get in there to see what you’re missing out on. My favourite dishes are the Pork Cutlet Curry and Masago de Creamy Spaghetti. Don’t forget to ask for a fried egg on top!”

Address: 1320 West 73rd Avenue, Marpole
Phone: 604-266-0066
Twitter: @cafeorangerie

PiDGiN

“Located in Gastown, PiDGiN is one of my go-to spots when I want to enjoy a solid meal and even better cocktails. They have a great daily happy hour, their pork belly rice bowl is comforting and delicious, and their Capo Negroni (negroni with a coffee ice ball) will ruin negronis for you forever.”

Address: 350 Carrall Street
Phone: 604-620-9400
Twitter:@pidginvancouver

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

“With a strong emphasis on fresh and responsibly sourced seafood, Executive Chef Frank Pabst leads a talented kitchen team, making Blue Water Cafe one of premier seafood restaurants in the city. Every February, they also feature their Unsung Heroes menu in collaboration with Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program.”

Address: 1095 Hamilton Street
Phone: 604-688-8078
Twitter: @bluewatercafe

Joe Fortes

“With one of the best rooftop patios and my favourite daily happy hour in the city, Joe Fortes has been a staple in Vancouver’s fine dining scene for many decades. Their happy hour runs from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. daily (at the bar only) and features Buck-a-Shuck oysters and half-priced appetizers. I can’t get enough of their lobster rolls.”

Address: 777 Thurlow Street
Phone: 604-669-1940
Twitter: @JoeFortesVan

Keep up with Dennis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and check out his blog Pangcouver that he co-authors with his wife May.