Best celebrity restaurant sightings and shoutouts in Vancouver of 2022
Vancouver is known as Hollywood North for a reason – there are always plenty of major celebrity sightings here since there’s always something big being filmed.
And if there’s one thing we know about celebs, it’s that they love their food.
Lucky for them, Vancouver is full of fantastic restaurants, cafés, and bars, sure to please even the brightest of stars.
Vancouverites also happen to have eagle eyes when it comes to celeb sightings, so chances are if someone famous is eating at a restaurant here – or just giving it a shoutout and shiny seal of approval – we’re going to know all about it.
From checking out artisan pickle stands to dining at one of the city’s top seafood spots, here are some major celebrity sightings and shoutouts from this past year.
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Stanley Tucci and Cioppino’s
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Stanley Tucci may be best known as an award-winning Hollywood actor, but he’s also earned a reputation as a foodie. Thanks to some personal projects like his documentary series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and books such as The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table, Tucci has emerged as a well-respected culinary personality in his own right.
His memoir Taste: My Life Through Food came out in late 2021 and in its pages is an effusive shoutout to a Vancouver restaurant that is no stranger to the spotlight, Cioppino’s.
Ryan Reynolds and Minerva’s
vancityreynolds/Instagram and Minerva’s
Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds has undoubtedly reached superstardom level 100, but the Canadian actor never stops giving his hometown, and its businesses, major love. Back in March, Reynolds sat down with director and fellow Canadian Shawn Levy to dish on what they love about BC. Reynolds gave a shoutout to handcrafted artisan bagel spot, Benny’s Bagels, saying it was right across from his high school, so he “spent a lot of time” there.
Perhaps the biggest shoutout from the interview, though, was when Reynolds proclaimed Greek spot Minerva’s as his “favourite restaurant in the world.”
Then, later in the year, Reynolds took some time on Twitter to recommend Vancouver restaurants to Sam Cook, a TV presenter from Wales, who took a selfie next to the Gastown steam clock, tweeted out the picture, and asked Reynolds for restaurant recommendations. Among these recos was Ask for Luigi, the Railtown Italian joint.
Kate Winslet at Honey’s Doughnuts
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It’s no secret that 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. “I love Vancouver. I was so happy to be there and so sad to leave,” she told reporters in the 2017 interview, referencing her stay in the city shooting The Mountain Between Us alongside co-star Idris Elba.
Winslet then looks directly at the camera and states that she “pines for Honey’s Doughnuts in Deep Cove.”
The actor has returned to her favourite North Vancouver bakery several times since – the most recent being on Christmas Eve of 2021, a visit that Dished later confirmed with the bakery.
John Cena at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar and Honey’s Doughnuts
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Back in July, John Cena, the WWE star and actor, spent some time in Vancouver and was spotted several times checking out the city’s food scene. First, he hit up Honey’s Doughnuts in Deep Cove (no doubt hearing about its world-famous doughnuts from Kate Winslet!), and then he was spotted dining at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, one of the city’s premier fine dining and raw bar experiences.
Cobie Smulder at Hobbs Pickles
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In October, Cobie Smulders – best known for her role in How I Met Your Mother – was spotted checking out the pickle counter at Granville Island Public Market’s Hobbs Pickles. She even paused to take a picture with staff during her visit.
Jimmy O. Yang at Phnom Penh
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Jimmy O. Yang – the actor and comedian best known for his roles in Silicon Valley and Crazy Rich Asians – was in Vancouver back in May, during which time he checked out some of the city’s best spots. From Phnom Penh – with its “amazing Cambodian, Hu Tieu,” Yang noted – to “smokey mash potatoes on fish roe toast” at Kissa Tanto to “incredible katsu” from Saku, Yang certainly dined well while he was here.
Justin Trudeau at Kozak Ukrainian Eatery
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As part of the prime minister’s visit back in March, Trudeau spent some time at Kozak Ukrainian Eatery – the bakery that makes up one-third of the local family-owned Ukrainian restaurant chain. Photos posted on Kozak’s Instagram show the prime minister trying out some Ukrainian baked goods and meeting with the staff at the Victoria Drive outpost.
“I stopped by earlier to pick up some treats, to thank them and their team for their efforts, and to let them all know that Canada stands with Ukraine. Our support remains steadfast,” he said at the time.
With files from Daily Hive staff