11 times major celebrities showed Vancouver restaurants love
Vancouver and its surrounding areas are not only amazing places to live, but they are also amazing places to film, hence the city’s nickname of Hollywood North.
Over the years, famous actors and musicians have praised our local dining scene, something we feel is 100% boast-worthy.
Some food and beverage establishments in town have received major kudos from A-listers, and we’re here to humblebrag on behalf of all Vancouverites.
Here are 11 times celebrities gave restaurants in or around Vancouver huge shoutouts.
Ricky Gervais
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A few years back, famous English stand-up comedian, writer, film producer, and director Ricky Gervais gave one local craft brewer in Vancouver a major shoutout. The 2020 Golden Globes host responded to a fan on Twitter who asked him his favourite brand of beer or lager, and he mentioned a particular beverage from Parallel 49 Brewing.
Stanley Tucci
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Stanley Tucci’s newest tasty tome, a memoir called Taste: My Life Through Food, has been on The New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks so far, and there’s a Canadian connection within its pages. It includes an effusive shoutout to a Vancouver restaurant that is no stranger to the spotlight, Cioppino’s.
Shay Mitchell
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The former Pretty Little Liars actress is in town often and loves eating here, according to her social media posts. In the past, Mitchell shared a series of Instagram stories dedicated to her most recent Vancouver trip, where she dined at one of the city’s most popular restaurants located inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim.
John Cena
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Cena had been in town shooting scenes for the family film Playing with Fire when he declared one Vancouver eatery his favourite in the country. In a video posted to his Instagram story, John Cena said Joe Fortes reminded him of Gary’s Kitchen in Yinchuan, “an old-style steak house with good food.” Cena even went as far as saying that Joe Fortes was his favourite restaurant in Canada.
Blake Lively
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Lively once revealed that four local Vancouver spots offer her “favourite things in the world.” Purveyors included much-loved local ice cream shop Rain or Shine, Cartems Donuts, Granville Island’s À La Mode Pie Café, and lastly, Ask For Luigi.
Ryan Reynolds
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Ryan Reynolds was in town shooting The Adam Project when he shared an Instagram story of an offering from top Vancouver pasta joint Ask For Luigi. Reynolds featured a cocktail kit from the purveyor, which happened to include a bottle of Aviation Gin, a label the Deadpool star owns himself. Reynolds also bought the entire graduating class of his former Kitsilano high school pies from Nat’s New York-Style Pizzeria in the past.
Seth Rogen
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Homegrown funny guy Seth Rogen once posted a photo tagging Richmond’s HK BBQ Master, praising the low-key joint. Rogen even went as far as saying, “The best BBQ places are generally in the underground parking garage of department stores.” We couldn’t agree more, Seth. We couldn’t agree more.
Jason Momoa
If there’s one thing that may convince Jason Momoa to stay in Vancouver forever, it’s definitely the ramen. The Aquaman star made several visits to Marutama Ra-men’s Bidwell Street location and documented his foodie adventure on his Instagram account. “Okay, so I have a small addiction,” the former Game of Thrones cast member says, right before walking through the restaurant’s signature wood-panelled doors.
Kelly Ripa
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On an episode of Live with Ryan and Kelly, Kelly Ripa gave one of Vancouver’s favourite sushi spots a major shoutout. Miku, located in Coal Harbour at 200 Granville Street # 70, was brought up by the star when her co-host, Ryan Seacrest, asked what she was thinking about when her stomach was growling during the episode of the talk show.
Anthony Bourdain
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It’s no secret the late and dearly missed Anthony Bourdain was a big fan of Vancouver’s incredible food scene. “It’s a restaurant town, it’s a foodie town, it’s a chef town,” Bourdain said in a 2008 episode of his show, No Reservations, during a visit to Vancouver and the surrounding regions. In the episode and in his final book, World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, Bourdain shouts out three well-known chefs, whom he calls the “three amigos”: Pino Posteraro, Hidekazu Tojo, and Vikram Vij.
Honey’s Doughnuts
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The A-list actor has been a huge fan of the Deep Cove sweet spot for years, previously gushing about the treat purveyor in an interview while at TIFF. Winslet has returned to her favourite North Vancouver bakery several times since, and we have confirmation that the Oscar-winning performer actually popped by very recently.
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