Vancouver Magazine
Care to travel the world, one plate at time? Visit Kamloops.
Flaky, Fluffy and Freaking Delicious: Vancouver’s Top Fry Bread and Bannock
The Best Gelato in Canada Was Made in a Hotel Room (and You Can Get it Now in Kitsilano)
Wine Collab of the Week: The Best Bottle to Welcome a Vancouver Spring
Naked Malt Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Celebrates Versatility and Spirit
A $13 Wine You Can Age in Your Cellar
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (March 20-26)
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (March 13-19)
Looking for a Hobby? Here’s 8 Places in Vancouver You Can Pick Up a New Skill
What It’s Like to Get Lost on a Run With a Pro Trail Runner
8 Things to Do in Abbotsford (Even If It’s Pouring Rain)
Explore the Rockies by Rail with Rocky Mountaineer
4 Fashion Designers From African Fashion Week Vancouver to Put on Your Radar
The Future of Beauty: How One Medical Aesthetics Clinic is Changing the Game
Before Hibernation Season Ends: A Round-Up of the Coziest Shopping Picks
If there’s one ’hood that encapsulates Vancouver, it’s Kits. You have the beach, you have the aging hippies, you have the chockablock commerce of Broadway and of West 4th, and you have our most privileged citizens in their waterfront manses on Point Grey Road. The beauty of this neighbourhood is that it all works. Sure, parking’s always a problem, and during fireworks nights the population swells beyond control, but day-to-day it’s tough to beat wandering to Kits Pool for a morning swim, meandering through the farmers’ market or having dinner at Nook before ending with a stroll at the beach.
Haida Now
While the Museum of Vancouver has called its Vanier Park location home since 1968, the collection itself dates back to 1894. With exhibits featuring some of Vancouver’s 19,000 20th-century neon signs and new additions like Haida Now: A Visual Feast of Innovation and Tradition with 450-plus works of Haida art, the MOV is the place to learn everything about our fair city.
Transit to Reconnect Kits
The 99 B-Line—the busiest bus route in North America—will finally get a breather when the Millennium Line Broadway extension becomes a reality, creating a quicker connection between Kits and the rest of the city. The project is years from completion, but the line, slated to terminate at Arbutus, will bring new people to Kits—and land assemblies are already in the works. A freshly proposed Arbutus Greenway also includes edible landscaping, long community tables for al fresco dining, flexible spaces for pop-up activities, public art, exercise equipment and more.
Pacific Boarder
1793 W 4th Ave.
Hawking boards since the 1970s, this West 4th original is your hub for everything from skateboarding to surfing. Yes, they have the largest wall of snowboards in Vancouver, but this is also the spot for Roxy, Vans and RVCA shorts, bathing suits and sundresses.
Buddha Barn
2179 W 4th Ave.
This bright and modern dispensary is a non-profit that focuses on pain management. Membership isn’t required for cannabis-infused bath bombs or other lotions and topicals, however cannabis flowers, edibles, etc. require ID and a $10 membership.
Livingspace
1706 W 1st Ave.
Established in 1988, Livingspace joined the neighbourhood in 2011 with its breathtaking showroom by designer Omer Arbel. Explore curated spaces and shop for high-end Minotti, Moooi and Ligne Roset furnishings—all beneath Arbel’s own Bocci studio on the top floor.
Fable
1944 W 4th Ave.
Top Chef notable Trevor Bird packs ’em in with a concise seasonal menu that keeps it real on the price point: gnocchi gussied up with parmesan-crusted chicken in cashew-tomato sauce is a reasonable $22, and a lovely pan-seared ling cod is $25. While some entrees skirt the $30 mark, the place never feels pricey, just casual, jocular and relaxed. And the fairly priced wine list favours interesting over obscure.
The Naam
2724 W 4th Ave.
Its quirky decor and homey vibe make it undeniably Kitsilano. Serving up humble, hits-the-spot vegetarian and vegan fare since 1968, the Naam is one of the establishments that helped West 4th earn the hippie moniker Rainbow Road. It’s open 24/7, so dig into veggie burgers and dragon bowls at any hour.
Best Local Gem
Thomas Haas
2539 W Broadway
“World-class pastries within reach. Thomas is one of the nicest men you will ever meet: he will serve you coffee, refill your pastry, and greet everyone in the room before you can even say hello.”
Best Bookstore
Kidsbooks
2557 W Broadway
“I love taking my son Aidan to bookstores, and this is one of his faves. A bookstore dedicated to kids? Come on!”