The “Only” Café has seen it all. Opened in 1912, it has sadly seen its once-prime location (20 East Hastings Street, Downtown, 604-681-6546) evolve into the least desirable in the city, and it has no doubt changed hands a number of times. But this Arborite-counter and wooden-booth eatery still serves excellent, fresh seafood — from half-orders of fried oysters with chips and coleslaw, to sizable plat¬ters of halibut, snapper, ling-cod, or salmon (fried in lemon butter, if you wish). The value is exceptional — if you can overlook the spirals of barbed wire in the window and doorway.
On the other hand, if you’re flush, the decidedly upscale Blue Water Café & Raw Bar (1095 Hamilton Street, Yaletown, 604-688-8078, www.bluewatercafe.net) operates in a luscious brick-and-beam room, with several bars and a nice patio. Innovative dishes may include smoked wild sockeye salmon; cornmeal-crusted rockfish; or miso¬marinated sablefish. Huge choice of wines.
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