These are the best restaurants to break up with someone in Vancouver
With Valentine’s Day behind us, it’s time to ask yourself: are things going well with your sweetheart?
If you’re looking for a way to get out of a relationship — and into a delish local restaurant, ice cream parlour, or bar — there are tons of options for you in Vancouver.
The city is teeming with great places to let them down easy, made slightly less unpleasant with a nice meal or treat.
There are a few routes you can take here, but strategy and location are always key.
If you happen to be on the opposite end of the breakup conversation and are looking for a great place in town to let out your feelings, say no more.
Dark Table
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Diners here eat entirely in the dark, so you don’t even have to see each other when you break the bad news! On the upside, tears are invisible with the lights out, along with everything else — so it will spare you both the shame and awkwardness of eye contact. Plus, they can get a head start on never seeing you again.
Address: 2611 4th Avenue West, Vancouver
Phone: 604-739-3275
The Eatery
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How can they pay attention to you dumping them when there’s so much else to look at? This nook in Kitsilano is crammed to the brim with wacky decorations, souvenirs, and one-of-a-kind art pieces, so there’s always something to talk about after you finish your sushi. It’s also a great place for comfort food if anyone happens to feel like eating their feelings.
Address: 3431 West Broadway
Phone: 604-738-5298
Glitch
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If they’ve been playing games with you, go ahead and make the figurative literal: Break up at an arcade bar. Order some zany drinks, then casually drop the mic before you beat them at Mario Kart or ski-ball. Double the satisfaction, twice the fun. Make sure you get a shot of Baby Guinness afterward to soothe the nerves — either for one or both of you.
Address: 2287 West Broadway
Phone: 604-288-4400
Earnest Ice Cream
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Get ahead of the game and prepare to leave with your own solo pints to sob into when you get home. This popular Vancouver ice cream spot has incredible flavours, lots of vegan options, and not very much seating, so you’ll have to be fast. This is a good candidate for in-and-out breakups. Don’t have much to say? Say it over ice cream.
Address: 1829 Quebec Street, Vancouver
Phone: 778-379-0697
Address: 3992 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-428-0697
Address: 1485 Frances Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-428-2933
Address: 127 W 1st Street, North Vancouver
Phone: 604-770-4136
Cactus Club
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One of the best things about Cactus Cub is that it’s always consistent and reliable, but it’s also pretty impersonal, making it a good spot to break up with someone. This way, they don’t need to forever write off a cute local spot because of bad vibes and sad memories – there’s always a different location they can go to instead. This could also be Earls, Browns, or any other nondescript chain restaurant for the same reason.
Address: Multiple locations
Breka Bakery and Café
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This 24-hour bakery in Vancouver has multiple locations, and the fact that it’s open literally all the time means you can do the deed at any time of the day. It also has a massive selection of pastries and sweets, so once you break someone’s heart they’ll at least have plentiful cheesecake to keep them company through the wee hours.
Address: Multiple locations
Mello
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Okay, you may thinking “this is a weird spot for a breakup” but hear us out. Mello’s two Vancouver locations are both extraordinarily contemporary and bright, meaning your news might be softened by the sight of pastel-coloured blobbies and fun terrazzo tabletops. If that doesn’t do the trick, then the brioche-style donuts will (or at least they’ll help). Plus, this destination follows the same logic as Earnest Ice Cream: quick in, quick sweet treat, quick out.
Address: 223 E Pender Street, Vancouver
Address: 4635 Arbutus Street, Vancouver
Jackalopes Neighbourhood Dive
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We love this East Van dive, but it’s also the perfect place to smash someone’s heart into a million pieces. Think about it: strong (cheap) drinks, goth decor, and loud heavy metal music playing over the speakers makes for the perfect setting for the dumpee to be so angry with you afterwards. It’s called catharsis, folks.
Address: 2257 E Hastings Street, Vancouver