Midrange
Art Gallery Cafe
A convenient place for grabbing a glass of wine or quick bite to eat before wandering through the Vancouver Art Gallery or doing other activities downtown. Cafeteria style. Large outdoor patio; great for watching the activity around Robson Square.
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Vancouver
A restaurant where culinary arts students make and serve the food. The menu aims for the high-end of Pacific Northwest cuisine, but prices are quite reasonable, reflecting that the staff are still in training.
Italian Kitchen
Corporate sibling of Yaletown's Glowbal. Valet parking most hours the restaurant is open. Reservations recommended.
Kalypso Restaurant & Ouzeria
This restaurant has a very pleasant second-floor patio above busy Robson St, which is a treat on a warm day. Well-done Greek food with a respectable vegetarian selection.
Elbow Room
A restaurant that is famous for abusing its customers--in a good way. Expect to line up to get in on weekends. Open for breakfast and lunch.
Okada Sushi
A fine sushi restaurant. Given the ambience and the Japanese heard among chefs, servers, and diners alike, you'll imagine yourself in Tokyo. An extensive list of specials, plus a range of sashimi, sushi, maki rolls, and small dishes. Sit at the 10-person counter for a dazzling view of the chefs in action.
Shabusen Yakiniku House
A Japanese and Korean BBQ House specializing in a large all-you-can-eat menu. Fun part of eating here is that you can order raw meat and cook it yourself on the grill installed at the table. There is another location in South Granville.
Sanafir
Morocco meets Granville St and serves tapas. Draws from North African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean. and Indian. Corporate sibling of Yaletown's Glowbal. Valet parking Thursday-Saturday nights.
Kamei Royal
This is the Japanese restaurant to which you can bring your homesick Japanese business partners. Excellently prepared, professional-grade sushi, rice dishes, kushiyaki, and cooked-at-the-table sukiyaki. An authentic Japanese atmosphere, from the irasshaimase greeting to the pretty pictures in the bilingual menus to the serene decor. Tucked above a Tiffany's store on the second floor, you look out over the crowds on Georgia and Burrard, or inside at the chefs in the glass-walled kitchen. Another branch is on W Broadway in Kits.
Plus Alpha
"Plus Alpha" is a Japanese term meaning "a little extra", and this compact fusion of polished Japanese with trendy Yaletown provides a little extra interest, a little extra style, a little extra fun. New interpretations of contemporary Japanese standards such as Pumpkin Croquette and "Pimp My Tofu". Lychee martinis in a futuristic glass. A good place to get a dinner with that "plus alpha".
Thai House Restaurant
Thai and Thai fusion food. Has received awards for Best Thai and Best Asian. A local chain with locations Downtown Robson, Kitsilano and Richmond. Dine in, take out, or free delivery.
Top end
Coast
Fresh seafood from coastal regions throughout the world. Try the Chef' s Community Table, where the chef prepares the food for up to 14 diners right at the table.
Joe Forte's Seafood & Chop House
Open daily for lunch and dinner; reservations strongly recommended. Usually mentioned amongst the top 5 restaurants in Vancouver, here you will find great food and great service. In the lavishly decorated open space, you may even catch a glimpse of a celebrity as you savour the oysters that are a specialty here.
Miku
Japanese restaurant that specializes in aburi seared on the outside while raw inside. There's also a small bar at the entrance.
Hy's Encore
The most amazing service in Vancouver. Classy steak house that has been serving Vancouver for some fifty years. Charcoal steaks are the house specialty, but the menu also includes local cuisine like Pacific Salmon and Ahi Tuna. The servers do an incredible job and the food is excellent.
The different parts of the City Centre have diverse characteristics. The central business district has, as you would expect, a high number of coffee shops and lunch places, the West End has a wide variety of restaurants, Yaletown has a number of high end restaurants and Chinatown has many Chinese restaurants. Some of the best Japanese food outside of Japan is in Vancouver and its Cantonese and Korean offerings are also reputable.
Caffè Artigiano
Excellent coffee shop featuring "latte art," but it's still great. IntelligentsiA coffee available. Great espresso. This small chain has a total of four locations in this district, plus other locations in the Lower Mainland and Calgary.