One of Vancouver’s more dubious claims to fame is the White Spot chain of restaurants, founded in 1918 by Minnesota-born peanut vendor and baseball devotee Nat Bailey.
Many of us remember sitting in the back seat of our parents’ car, a slightly sagging metal food tray extending — just — from window to window, devouring hamburgers gloopy with a tomato-mayonnaise sauce that has made the White Spot famous, and fries floating in vinegar (or ketchup).
The White Spot was sold to General Foods a while back, and the larger restaurants haven’t fared that well. But the tradition lives, and may be best appreciated at the small White Spot Triple-os that dot the city. They serve good breakfasts, but are known more for their excellent classic burgers with fries, milKshakes, and sodas. (Outlets include 805 Thurlow Street, Downtown, 604-609-7000; also 566 Granville Street, Downtown, 604-633-1006; and 1881 Cornwall Street, Kitsilano, 604-738-3888. Also at Science World, Central Vancouver; at General Motors Place, Downtown; and on a few of the larger BC Ferries ships.)
Hamburger Mary’s (1202 Davie Street, West End, 604-687-1293), a diner with patio, has been serving classic hamburgers and chicken burgers (like the Louisiana-style chicken niozza) at this location for, well, forever. A neighbor claims it’s expensive, but ten bucks for a gourmet-ish burger doesn’t seem out of line. Alternatively, cross the Burrard Street Bridge and you’ll find Vera’s Burger Shack (1935
Cornwall Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-228-8372; also Dundarave Pier, West Vancouver) among a cluster of trendy, late-evening eateries along Cornwall Avenue near Cypress Street. Vera’s is celebrated for its meat, onion rings, and sinful, weight-inducing add-ons.
A lot of fuss has been made over Moderne Burger (2507 West Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-739-0005). In part, it’s due to the fact that owner Peter Kokinis is a collector of diner-abilia: a neon clock from a vanished but once-popular Vancouver diner called the Aristocratic; a 1940s U-Select-It chocolate bar dispenser; two 1950s Multi-Mixer milkshake makers; and a Swami serviette dispenser that reads your fortune for a penny. The premises itself is a thing of beauty, and the burgers are exceptional, too. Everything, meat included, is fresh daily.
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