Vancouver's Best
Cheap Eats

From high end to hole in the wall, we scoured the city for great food at bargain prices. here are the winners

By Murray Bancroft, Chris Gonzalez, Rosel Kim, Fiona Morrow and Masaji Takei

SOME FOLKS CAN DROP HUNDREDS on dinner every night of the week without breaking the bank. If you’re one of those lucky ones, stop reading right now and head on down to your favourite glitzy, award-winning restaurant. For the rest of us, finding comfortable spots that offer excellent food at bargain prices is fun and fulfilling. We asked our team of culinary experts to scout for the best dining deals in town. Some of their choices turned out to be right under our noses; others were well off the beaten track. Here’s what they agreed on:

SO.CIAL CUSTOM BUTCHER SHOP
332 Water St., Gastown, 604-669-4488
It’s all too easy to get your hands on a lame sandwich. No such danger lurks at Sean Cousins’ laid-back addendum to his upscale (and excessively punctuated) restaurant So.Cial. Sliced-to-order, house-cured charcuterie and roasts are piled high on soft focaccia rolls, while marinated and roasted peppers, dripping in their sweet juices, add a seductive bite. Sizing is generous—small $4.50; medium $6.50; large $9—with the top of the scale able to feed a family of four. A bag of house-made potato chips are thrown in for good measure. Takeaway, eat atthe counter, or head for the bar for a glass of rosé.—F.M.

SUSHI ZERO ONE
559 W. Pender St., Downtown, 604-605-1625
Step through the noren hanging in this door, sandwiched between dollar-pizza and donair joints, and you’ll hear something not heard in most of our Japanese restaurants. Yup, that’s native Japanese—Kazu and his staff all come from the motherland. Which in itself doesn’t mean much, except when the owner tells you that his is a small selection, done well, and that he guarantees the top quality of his fish—said with a Japanese modesty that exudes personal commitment. The chirashi don ($6.50) is a fresh assortment of sashimi on rice, garnished with radish sprouts, marinated shiitake mushrooms, chopped pickled vegetables and grated ginger. On the wall, with postings for ESL schools and eyelash perms, are certain menu items in Japanese only. Take a gamble and you could end up with the delightfully slippery tororo (grated mountain potato) with salmon eggs and ikura yamakake don ($10).—M.T.

CAFÉ PRESTO PANINI
859 Hornby St., Downtown, 604-684-4445
Red-checkered tablecloths? Check. Cheap chianti? Git it. Mustachioed owner? Sure. This downtown eatery delivers authentic Italian home cooking, despite the clichéd (but somewhat winsome) setting. Over 15 pasta-and-sauce combinations ring in at under $10, but the real show stoppers are the signature panini ($8.95): go for the classic, loaded with capicollo and salami, the chicken pesto, or the veggie-friendly Sicilian (grilled eggplant, tomato and mozzarella), all available to go. The dessert menu is only one item long (tiramisu, $4.95), but it’s a doozy—save room. Closed Sundays.—C.G.

GO FISH
1505 W. First Ave., Granville Island, 604-730-5040
Straight off the boat and into the fryer: you won’t find better fish and chips in the city. The halibut dipped in light batter and served in a basket with well-crisped fries and Asian-inspired slaw is dangerously addictive (one piece, $9; two, $13). Waistline-saving tactics include opting for lighter (but no less delicious) options like grilled salmon, tuna, or oysters on salad greens ($10), or better still, the fish tacones wrapped in tastily char-grilled tortillas ($5). Order two—you’ll find room. Daily soups ($5) are always a good bet. The biggest challenge is finding it, tucked into Fisherman’s Wharf on the seawall, just west of Granville Island. If you’re driving, go north on Fir. Expect a serious lineup (especially on sunny days) and don’t bother dressing up—this is simply fine seafood in the most unpretentious of surroundings, with a million-dollar view thrown in for free. Note: it closes at 6:30.—F.M.

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