Eaters Gotta Eat: Riley's Executive Chef Dennis Peckham on His Fave Meals in the City

Chef Dennis Peckham

With bucket-list restaurants like Napa’s French Laundry and Chicago’s Alinea on Chef Dennis Peckham’s resume, we feel lucky that he’s firmly landed at Glowbal Restaurant Group. Appointed their corporate executive chef four years ago, he oversees all things culinary for Glowbal, Black and Blue, The Roof, Five Sails, Coast, Italian Kitchen and Riley’s Fish and Steak. A varied portfolio indeed, but when he’s dining out, the chef tends to hit a core group of favourite eateries, many of which hold nostalgia. “When I worked for Thomas Keller, it was always drilled into our heads that if you can tap into someone’s childhood memories with a dish, you’re winning,” he says. Find some of his, and more, below.

Photo: Eric Milic Photography

L’Abattoir

217 Carrall St.
“One of my favourite restaurants, and it has been for years,” says Peckham, who’s ordering the baked Pacific oysters with black truffle and whipped garlic butter, every single time. “They also used to have this sweetbreads on toast dish, which they still run as a feature from time to time; I think it is one of the best dishes in the city.”

Photo: AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza Joint

AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza Joint

325 East Broadway
For comfort food, AJ’s Detroit Red Top deep dish pizza with white cheddar and Grana Padano is his “treat” of choice. “Two people can barely finish it. Good thing it also reheats amazingly well.”

Little open face sandwiches.

Como Taperia

201 E 7th Ave.
“The Bikini sandwich. I could crush like 10 of them!” This delicious little play on a grilled cheese sandwich has manchego, serrano ham and truffle.

Coquitlam Grill

635 Barnet Hwy #108, Coquitlam
“I can’t find anything wrong with this place,” says Peckham of his go-to for his Sunday, post-dog-walk breakfasts. “It’s in a little strip mall next to a Tim Hortons. The food is delicious, the service amazing. It’s also pretty nostalgic for me; my dad used to take us on road trips and there’s this diner in small-town Vantage, Washington—this is as close to that as I’ve ever found to it.” His order? “I keep it simple: eggs, pork sausage, shredded hashbrowns, sourdough toast and coffee. The odd time I’ll get straight-up pancakes and a side of eggs.”

Mama Said Pizza

3135 Murray St., Port Moody
This PoMo pizzeria, from the same owners of Twin Sails Brewing, does a devilishly good fermented sourdough pizza crust. “I order The Mama [with mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, pesto and arugula]. I love that they brush the outside with hot honey and toasted sesame sesame. I’m a Hawaiian pizza guy too. People debate it, I don’t care to debate it. Hey, whatever you like you like.”

Mott 32

1161 West Georgia St.
“I’d recommend anything on that menu. The soup dumplings are a favourite, the peking duck is legendary, and they do a black truffle lettuce cup, which is a vegan dish that’s awesome.”

Cioffi’s Meat Market and Deli

4156 Hastings St., Burnaby
“I find it relaxing to make pasta at home and I love making bolognese sauce for it. Cioffi’s in North Burnaby sells all their ground meat at 25 percent after 4 p.m.—they grind it daily—so I use that. And my choice of eggs for the fresh pasta? The organic ones from Costco. They tend to be the most consistent and they have a beautiful yellow colour of yolk.”

Taps and Tacos

91 Moody St., Port Moody
According to Peckham, this Baja California-type taco joint near Rocky Point Park is the place to pre-order then pick up a park picnic. “A buddy of mine owns it and I’ve been going for years. If you drink, they have takeaway beverages as well. Their barbacoa is outstanding, the birria taco and el pastor, too.”

Hannah Brook Farm

Burnaby and Maple Ridge
This veggie farm is a staple at the Trout Lake Farmer’s Market, but Peckham prefers to hit the fields himself. “I’ve known the owner for years so I’ll just shoot him a text and head to the farm. They give me a basket and scissors, then I’ll walk through and chop what I need; he weighs it, I e-transfer him, then head home.” Doesn’t get fresher than that.

Photo: Tanya Goehring

Annalena

1809 West 1st Ave.
“Mikey Robbins to me is just an extraordinary chef and great guy. I’ve known him for so long. Because it is a tasting menu only, I don’t go all that frequently, but the meals I’ve had there are excellent.”

Photo: Riley’s Fish & Steak

Riley’s Fish and Steak

200 Burrard St.
Back on his home turf, Peckham and his team are in the thick of recipe testing for a new Riley’s Fish and Steak in Toronto (due to open in 2026). “One item we’re now serving in Vancouver on Sundays is a hot seafood platter for two, with seven different types of seafood. Coming up, we’re planning a two-pound lobster pot pie served tableside. We’ll have it in a copper pot, with the poached lobster, sauce and veggies; puff pastry on top, baked golden brown. We’ll take it to the table right away, cut it and French-serve all the garnishes tableside.” Excuse me? We’d like it immediately. Like us, you can keep an eye out for it as a test feature on the Vancouver menu in the coming weeks.