Vancouver’s Jungle Room Gets Wilder With a Refreshed Bar and Food Menu

Vancouver is a rainforest—but we don’t often think of it that way, thanks to our oft-persistent grey. But there’s one spot in the city that undeniably gives off the rainforest vibe, and that’s the other-worldly Jungle Room.

Lauded often for its gob-stopping design—with its industrial-meets-jungle-cool scheme—the spot also serves up a wild cocktail program and culinary menu, and it’s about to get even wilder with an updated bar and culinary program.

Developed in collaboration with Top Chef Canada season nine runner up Billy Nguyen, the new menu items will still track in the direction of Pan-Asian flavours.

On the new bill of fare is a beef tataki (bonito mayo, onions, pickled mustard seeds, crispy shallots and scallions); pan-seared prawns and laksa bombs with prawn and truffle dumplings in a lobster laksa broth.

“Our goal was to make dishes that match the energy of the space – vibrant and layered with flavour – while honouring the kitchen team’s diverse backgrounds. The dishes are eclectic, playful and reflect the kind of cooking I love to do,” writes Nguyen, who is known for his French-Asian cuisine with British influences.

Pair his share plates with a beverage (or three), which promises to feature “exotic twists, splashes of pop culture and hints of the familiar” from bar lead Mavi Le (whose name you may recognize from Pidgin and Bao Bei) and Tadia Rosen (co-founder of Fruit Forward Queer Wine Social and Bar Sodalite).

Soon-to-be-mixed at the tropically decorated bar will be cocktails such as Skin of a Killer (blueberry, thyme, white rum, Cointreau, cava, edible paint), Go on B’y (butter-washed Tequilana, green apple, Newfoundland partridge berry, neutral citrus, French vermouth), and Ten Diamond Push-Ups (force-carbonated pandan cachaça & pisco, grilled lemongrass cordial, Amaro Chiaro, lemon).

“Our team is focused on more than just serving cocktails,” writes managing partner Emily Vey, who previously headed up the now-shuttered Gastown cocktail bar, The Diamond). “We want people to feel immersed, like they’ve stepped into a different world.”

And indeed they will.

Jungle Room
5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
961 Denman Street