How to Do Brewery and the Beast Right in 2025

 

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We’re not supposed to “play favourites” in this industry, but I’ll bravely admit that Brewery and the Beast is my favourite food event in Vancouver. The all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink food fest is this Sunday, July 27, and it’s the best place to try 50-plus restaurants all at once. I’ve been three years in a row—in 2023, I brought my entire family. This event always sells out, but at the time of writing there are still a few tickets up for grabs… get them while you can.

And if you’ve already gotten a ticket, listen here: I know how to do Brewery and the Beast right. Buckle up, meatheads.

Is Brewery and the Beast Worth It?

The tickets aren’t cheap—entry into Brewery and the Beast in 2025 will set you back $200. For me, an omnivore with a giant appetite and “tank” status when it comes to drinking (according to my older cousin who is a paramedic so he knows what he’s talking about), the ticket is absolutely worth it, especially considering some of the pricier restaurants that are on board. For example, take Published and Boulevard: the sungold lamb at Published is $69, and the charcoal grilled chicken at Boulevard is $50. Those exact dishes won’t be on the menu at Brewery and the Beast, but that gives you an idea of the sort of price point that you’d expect for a single dish at a lot of the participating restaurants. Factor in Brewery and the Beast’s all-you-can-eatability and the value is obvious.

Oh, and there’s the drinks, too… I’m not going to publicly encourage going overboard, but there’s only so many all-you-can-drink opportunities we have in our short lives (please drink water, too). Even for those practising moderation or not drinking at all, I think this event is worth it—you can easily get your money’s worth on the food alone.

That said, it’s not for everyone. If you don’t eat meat, this is not the event for you. If you don’t have a big appetite or you’re a picky little baby, it also probably won’t be your jam… the value comes from the variety, and if you don’t have the stomach for trying new things, it’s probably not worth the $200.

 

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How to Do Brewery and the Beast Right in 2024

Eat a small breakfast. Don’t skip meals, even if you are about to embark on the most serious eating challenge of your life. A little brekkie will do you good (especially if you’re going to be drinking alot, which for the record, I never explicitly encouraged).

Come prepared for the weather. Normally, I’d say wear sunscreen. For the last two years, lovely volunteers have walked around offering sunscreen to red-faced sunburned people (and red-faced people like my sister who have a single cider and turn into a tomato… they meant well!). Last year, it rained buckets—but that didn’t stop people from enjoying the day…but the ones with raincoats definitely enjoyed it more.

Every person for themself. As I mentioned above, I brought my whole family to last year’s food fest… but I didn’t stay with them. There’s too much to see and too many people around to coordinate. Blood may be thicker than water but barbecue sauce is thicker than both—we can be a family again at 5:00pm.

Hit your favourite spots first. Sure, it’s all you can eat, but some spots will run out of food (hey, it’s not their fault everyone loves them). In the next section of this story I’ll take you through the restaurants I’m most excited to hit, and you can bet I’ll be stampeding to those tents first.

Eat while you wait. The biggest hack of all: never stand in a line empty-handed. If the Two Rivers Meats line is hella long (it always is) make sure to grab some food from some of the less busy tents to chew on while you wait. You’re welcome.

Take a mid-feast break. It’s actually really hard to eat and drink non-stop for three hours, so take some breaks to ensure you have the stamina to finish this foodie race.

Walk home. A new tip we discovered last year: take a nice long walk home from Brewery and the Beast. I walked all the way back to Kits last year, and it felt great to get my body moving after consuming a mountain of meat (and, okay, a lot of drinks).

Brewery and the Beast 2025

Sunday July 27
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Concord Pacific Place
Get tickets here.