Is It Finally Patio Season? The Drive Canteen Says Yes

The Drive Canteen is Vancouver’s mainstay for not just hard-to-find snacks and treats, but also, they stock a killer locally-made food selection that you can usually only track-down through online orders (think Dicky’s Dumps and and Chaotic Good Cookies). Plus, being that they’re owned by Doug Stephen and Lindsay Mann who are behind DL Chicken Shack and Vinnie’s Sub Shop—it should be no surprise that they make a ton of their own eats. From pizza-flavoured corn nuts to Two Rivers “glizzies” (a.k.a., hot dogs), Drive Canteen is here to fulfill your inner child. Oh, yeah, and they’ll refurbish your fresh kicks, too.

With springtime sunshine just around the corner (if we all agree on this, maybe we can convince the weather to shift in our favour), Drive Canteen revealed a fresh new patio and some tasty treats to go along with it. The patio is right in back of the store. Walk past the selection of frozen food on your right (and remember to grab a pizzapartyworldwide ‘za on your way out) and the array of zero-proof drinks on your left and you’ll arrive at the hidden oasis. 

“But what will I eat on this new patio?” you may ask. Besides the aforementioned glizzie, or ever-popular screamers already available at the front counter, Drive Canteen has released a menu of perfect bites that are aiming to capture all the best parts of your fave foods in one, well, perfect bite.

That perfect bites menu contains nachos, sausage rolls, chicken liver parfait crostinis and dumplings—all dressed to the nines and ideal for sharing.

Take the al pastor nacho (pictured below, and my personal fave). They’re served hot and crispy, like the ideal corner nacho, but with the right ratio of al pastor, cheese, crema, pico, and green onions—like the centre nacho of your dreams. Served up like this, don’t have to hope you get the best chip, because they’re all up to par. In other words, it truly felt like a perfect bite.

To go along with these stellar snacks, Drive Canteen partnered up with local Callister Soda Company to create a new Peach Soda. This craft soda is based on the concept of a peach Crush, but without all the not-so-great additives. It’s sweet, yes, but not in an added-sugar kind of way—it tastes like you’re biting into a super ripe Okanagan peach right at the height of summer. It’s refreshing and light on its own, but also mixes very well with something bubbly, for the easiest DIY Bellini.

The Drive Canteen
Address: 1111 Commercial Drive