The city’s Greek community, while modest in size, has a strong presence. Maybe that’s because it got offto a heady start when mem¬bers of the Pantages family, builders of those fabulous Art Deco vaudeville houses around North America early in the 20th century, made the city their home. By the 1920s and ‘305, Greek cafés and markets flourished; by the ‘505, Greeks had made Kitsilano, particularly the Broadway corridor, their territory Restaurants, meeting places such as billiard halls, and food stores remain.
Although it’s suffered several fires, Parthenon Importers (3080 West Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-733-4191) has risen phoenix-like and remains a popular market for all foods Greek. Here, you’ll find twenty vane-ties of olives (including feta-stuffed), nut-rich baklava and Easter-style panettone, inexpensive tins of oil-soaked dolmades, and pastas and cheeses.
Broadway and 4th Avenue offer a good selection of Greek eateries.
Simpatico Ristorante (2222 West 4th Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-733-6824) has been here so long people go back out of sheer habit. More to my liking is “Zagat-rated” Ouzeri (3189 West Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-739-9378), at a bright corner location. Also popular is the casual Kalamata Greek Taverna (478 West Broadway, Central Vancouver, 604-872-7050).
But Greek restaurants can, in my view, be overpriced. Fans of the cuisine like me have been looking eastward for less expensive fare. I suggest The Main Café (4210 Main Street, East Vancouver, 604-709-8555). This largish restaurant serves up a hip yet authentic atmosphere, classic dishes, and prices that put some west-side eateries to shame. A similar place for relatively cheap Greek fare is Tsolias Taverna (2217 East Hastings Street, East Vancouver, 604-251-6010).
Greek restaurants in the West End are also known, in part, for their modest prices and popularity — particularly Takis Taverna (1106 Davie Street, 604-682-1336) and Stepho’s Greek Taverna (1124 Davie Street, 604-683-2555).
Suburban Ladner is the perfect little village for an evening stroll, and the Greek eatery comes highly recommended: Taverna Gorgona (4857 Elliott Street, Ladner, 604-946-9111).
While there are several Greek churches around town, including a small historic cathedral just off Main Street, the largest gathering place is St. George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the Hellenic Community Centre (4500 Arbutus Street, Westside, 604-266-7148). A few years back, when the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church visited Vancouver, the Greek community asked city council to break with policy and rename adjacent Valley Drive after him. Some city councilors balked at the idea. A compromise was struck. Look for the yellow street sign on what remains Valley Drive: “Patriarch Bartholomew Way.”
|
