A national newspaper columnist argued recently that breakfast or brunch is an overrated social institution — putting a serious dent in your Sunday morning, and adding ill-needed pounds in the form of Belgian waffles and eggs benedict. Maybe that’s why the crowds that inevitably cluster on the sidewalks outside Sophie’s Cosmic Café (2095 West 4th Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-732-6810) and Joe’s Grill (2061 4th Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-736-6588; also 1031 Davie Street, West End, 604-682-3683) lean to the youthful. Adding support is the fact that Joe’s classic bacon and eggs plate is deemed “best comfort food” in town by the West Ender.
Infamous is the Elbow Room Café (560 Davie Street, Downtown South, 604-685-3628). This is one of those places where good-natured abuse comes with the twelve-inch pancakes and bottomless cups of coffee (guaranteed to be served with a grudge).
You can’t do better for brunch (or any meal, actually) than the Tomato Fresh Food Café (3305 Cambie Street, Central Vancouver, 604-874-6020). Known for its healthy produce and intelligent menu, this diner-like space has an almost cult following. A genuine retro diner with a good reputation is The Templeton (1087 Granville Street, Down-town, 604-685-4612). While the Big Ass breakfast is recommended for people about to run the Vancouver Marathon, the restaurant serves meals well into the evening for less ambitious types. In a budget neighborhood, funky Slickety Jim’s Chat and Chew (2513 Main Street, East Vancouver, 604-873-6760) is home to a cheap “roadhouse breakfast” (eggs, potatoes, and toast).
The Tomahawk Barbeque (1550 Philip Avenue, North Vancouver, 604-988-2612) has been around for decades, though not as long as the Capilano Indians of this North Shore. I remember when the Tomahawk was a rustic log cabin serving excellent hamburgers (and paper fortunes); it has long since relocated and “repositioned” itself, as they say, and is now widely known for its heady, old-fashioned breakfasts.
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