Food Vancouver - Food Vancouver Select Guide: 20 Best Seafood Restaurants

Whether you’re looking for lobster, salmon, halibut or just fish and chips, Vancouver offers the best in dining for seafood lovers. There’s no shortage of restaurants with gorgeous scenery, drop-dead views and heaping platters of the freshest catch of the day. Not sure which restaurant to pick? No problem. The Food Vancouver Select Guide just made things easier with its list of Top 20 Seafood Restaurants. All you have to do is book your table and grab the nearest menu.

Well-established on the culinary scene, Blue Water Cafe offers innovative West Coast creations. For sushi and sashimi lovers Blue Water Café offers an incredible raw bar providing an “East meets West’ type of decor. Blue Water Cafe is a nifty brick and beam style heritage conversion located in the heart of a very-happening Yaletown.

Offering seafood lovers the best from BC waters, there are 6 water-front locations to choose from: English Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Richmond, White Rock, New Westminster and Port Moody. Boathouse Restaurants is committed to healthy food using quality ingredients. Great food, superb views – wherever you are in the Lower Mainland there’s a Boathouse Restaurant close by.

Enjoy incredible seafood creations amid awesome views from the restaurant patio. With its emphasis on wild caught seafood C offers diners a varied menu. Taste your favorites from lobster, scallops, trout and salmon. Located in the downtown area C offers you a view of the False Creek marinas and the Burrard Bridge. Be sure to add C to your list of restaurants.

In its new downtown location at 1054 Alberni, like its name, COAST truly celebrates Vancouver’s incredible coastal lifestyle. Offering you a beautiful array of seafood platters – oysters ‘fresh from the sea’, crab, lobster, shrimp – all prepared with an eye to perfection. COAST is beautifully designed, energetic and vibrant – plan on spending an exciting evening at COAST with your friends.

Located on Granville Island Dockside has floor to ceiling windows and is part of the Granville Island Hotel. Depending on your group size you can choose from the restaurant, restaurant bar, patio or lounge for your perfect dining experience.

Located on Marine Drive in West Vancouver, Dundarave Fish Market also has a heated outdoor patio. No time to dine in? Not to worry – there’s a wonderful selection of items to go. Top marks go to the crab and shrimp cakes topped off with the ‘house’ red curry aioli. Choose from chowders, ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook seafood all precisely portioned for your individual needs.

Located at 4675 Arbutus on the west side, Finest at Sea is not just a dine-in restaurant but also a seafood shop for chefs who love to cook at home. Finest at Sea has the best selection of seafood so it’s no wonder they are major providers to the city’s top restaurants. With an emphasis on environmentally friendly catch Finest at Sea offers a huge selection of deli foods – from individually packaged salmon and halibut to spices, rubs, crab cakes and chowder. Not sure how to prepare a particular dish? The extremely helpful owner and staff will share recipes, cooking techniques and suggestions for serving.

Nestled in the forests of Stanley Park, many diners have called The Fish House Restaurant an oasis in an urban setting. Featuring great seafood dishes like their signature Flaming Prawns, the Fish House is also popular for it fresh-shucked oysters and array of dazzling seafood. Choose from 3 distinctive rooms some with patios overlooking beautiful Stanley Park.

Located near Granville Island at 1505 West 1st Ave, this ‘restaurant’ is just a little shack with only 2 tables. But don’t let the rustic setting fool you – Go Fish makes mouth-watering fish and chips, which people come from miles away to enjoy. Pick up your order the next time you’re out shopping on Granville Island.

The Teahouse is located on Stanley Park’s Ferguson Point. The spectacular view is complemented with local and cross-cultural fare to tempt all palates.

Named after Joe Fortes – a giant of a bartender who a hundred years ago was English Bay’s first lifeguard – this seafood and chop house brings you a piece of Vancouver’s history. Legendary for its array of fish dishes Joe Fortes also has a lovely setting – and is a favorite with tourists to the city.

Chef Tojo has received numerous awards for his seafood creations. Located on West Broadway this restaurant is a must for locals and visitors alike.

It’s been voted the ‘best fish and chips’ place in Vancouver. Mr. Pickwick's offers 14 different styles of fish and chips from around the world for you to choose from – try their fresh cod, salmon or halibut as well as oysters and calamari.

For strollers along the Steveston Wharf, Pajos is an important stop for tasty fish and chips served from a little shack. Enjoy the briny scenery as you sit at rustic picnic tables and watch the fishing boats come in to dock.

This is the place for flavorful and healthy food cooked in the traditional Mediterranean style. Located in Yaletown, Provence specializes in raw oysters and fresh local seafood with top marks going to the bouillabaisse. It’s a great place to get together with friends.

Located on the West Vancouver hillside, The Salmon offers its diners a spectacular view while dining. A top specialty is the alder-grilled salmon. The Salmon House focuses on a uniquely ‘BC’ theme using ingredients grown and produced by local growers.

A popular hotspot located on Granville Island, Sandbar is famous for its incredibly varied menu. For starters, try the Wok Squid stir-fried with chillies, ginger, garlic and cilantro. It’s guaranteed to get your appetite going. For mussel lovers the curry-flavored mussels can’t be beat.

The best dim sum in town – its Alaskan king crab specialty gets rave reviews from faithful patrons. With locations in Vancouver and Richmond Sun Sui Wah prides itself on its signature dishes including geoduck, rock cod, spot prawns, oysters and lobster.

Located on Granville Island, Tony’s cafe is popular with locals and visitors alike for its fish and chips and clam chowder dishes.

The British Columbian themed design is flawless, from the lofty ceilings to the sandstone fireplace. Other features are a "raw bar", communal table, two open kitchens, private dining area and an extensive wine list.

So the next time you think Seafood – don’t be overwhelmed by the restaurant choices before you – we hope our list has narrowed down your choices.

Images supplied in order of appearance by COAST Restaurant, Blue Water Cafe, Boathouse Restaurants

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Food Vancouver Select Guide: 20 Best Seafood Restaurants