These were Vancouver's most buzzed-about restaurant openings in 2019

If you’re a foodie living in or around Vancouver, then you know it was a big year for those of us that like to indulge in new food and beverages.

The year, 2019 brought some serious game-changers to the playing field for grub — both well-known chains and local creations like nothing else we’ve seen before.

Some were groundbreaking and precedent-setting — like Vancouver’s first all-soufflé pancake spot and a huge new magical cat cafe — while others were just simply delicious in their own right.

There were dozens of openings over the past 12 months, but these were some of the biggest on our (and our readers’) radar for 2019.

• See also: 
  • Biggest celebrity sightings in Vancouver restaurants this year
  • Here are all the best BC breweries that opened in 2019
  • CRAFT Beer Market confirms it’s opening a huge new Vancouver location
  • Legendary Vancouver restaurant to open a second location soon

Tsujiri – Richmond

Iconic Japanese matcha brand Tsujiri opened the doors to its first BC location in Richmond this year. Known for using green tea leaves from Uji in Kyoto in all its signature treats, this eatery saw big lines on opening day. We think Tsujiri will see continued success with new locations in the area in 2020.

Address: 4777 Mcclelland Road #1535, Richmond

Facebook | Instagram

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken

Popeyes has undoubtedly one of the most buzzed-about chains to touch down in BC. The American chicken brand opened its first location in Port Coquitlam right at the end of 2018, which was followed by several other locations in Surrey and Abbotsford.

Address: #110 – 2190 Hawkins Street, Port Coquitlam

Address: 14380 64 Avenue, Surrey

Address: 1750 152 Street, Surrey

Address: 34261 Marshall Road #101, Abbotsford

Instagram

Catoro Cafe

Folks had been waiting to get a glimpse of Vancouver’s magical new cat cafe for a while before it finally opened its doors in 2019. The space consists of a cafe side and a cat-cuddling side – AKA the “Cat Forest” – and you need an appointment for the latter.

Address: 666 E Broadway, Vancouver

Instagram

Privé

The mother of karaoke joints opened this year in Vancouver. Privé now occupies a whopping 9,000 sq. ft. of space and serves as an adult playground with 12 karaoke rooms, table tennis, foosball, electronic darts, arcade games, and a 2,000-sq-ft sprawling patio.

Address: 200 – 1001 W Broadway, Vancouver

Instagram

Fufú Café

Vancouver’s first all-soufflé pancake spot Fufú Café opened on West Broadway this year. While there are several Metro Vancouver locations for famous Japanese pancake brand Gram Cafe in the works, this was the first time Vancouver had seen and tasted the concept, so there was a ton of buzz.

Address: 1266 West Broadway, Vancouver
Phone: 604-734-2818

Facebook | Instagram

Colony – Granville Street

Blueprint opened a 15,000-sq-ft Colony Entertainment District on Granville Strip earlier this year. The entertainment, lifestyle, and events-management company based out of BC transformed the former location of Caprice Nightclub into the largest Colony location to date.

Address: 967 Granville Street, Vancouver

Instagram

Hotel Belmont

This snazzy new boutique hotel opened in spring 2019 and offers Vancouverites and visitors a place to party, eat, and sleep if they book a room. Located right in the middle of the Granville Strip, this spot was highly anticipated and a much-needed breath of fresh air for the downtown party district.

Address: 654 Nelson Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-605-4333

Facebook | Instagram

Stanley Park Brewing Restaurant and Brewpub

This year the old Fish House location in Vancouver’s Stanley Park got a makeover thanks to the new Stanley Park Brewing Restaurant and Brewpub, which took over the 10,600-sq-ft restaurant and opened its doors in July. People were excited for this prime location to be available for all their eating and beer-drinking needs.

Address: 8901 Stanley Park Drive, Vancouver

Instagram

Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar

Another prime location that got a new concept this year was the Beach Bay Café in English Bay, which became Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar in June. Still owned and operated by the Viaggio Hospitality Group (Cibo, UVA, and Ancora), the seaside/beachy vibes are still very much there, but now there’s a thoughtful menu of food and beverages to match the relaxing atmosphere.

Address: 1193 Denman Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-685-7337

Instagram

• See also: 
  • Biggest celebrity sightings in Vancouver restaurants this year
  • Here are all the best BC breweries that opened in 2019
  • CRAFT Beer Market confirms it’s opening a huge new Vancouver location
  • Legendary Vancouver restaurant to open a second location soon