8 Great Spots to Grab Brunch This Weekend

1. Livia

1399 Commercial Dr.

Brunch Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Though the Commercial Drive hub is the ideal spot to grab a perfectly laminated custard and seasonal fruit-topped danish to-go, we’re partial to cozying up on the patio with one of their signature brunch dishes (and a tastes-like-summer bellini made with housemade peach puree). Top of the list is the totally shareable Classico, which comes with ultra-light whipped ricotta, poached eggs, house-marinated and pickled veggies and your choice of a baguette or sourdough toast. But is it really a choice once you know the sourdough is toasted in butter?

READ MORE: We’re Obsessed with Livia’s Breakfast Sandwich

2. Homer St. Cafe and Bar

898 Homer St.

Brunch Hours: Saturday, Sunday and Holidays, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

This downtown staple might be known for its epic rotisserie chicken, but you should not sleep on its brunch offerings. Yes, you can order the best Cobb salad in the city, but its take on the Hawaiian classic loco moco (with Spam, garlic fried rice, a fried egg and luxurious chicken gravy) is the ultimate hangover helper. Looking for something lighter? The smoked salmon atop potato pancakes with dilly crème fraîche and a soft egg feels oh-so-West Coast.

3. Greenhorn Cafe

994 Nicola St.

Brunch Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Greenhorn Cafe is the brunch restaurant for West End locals. The creative selection of house-made biscuit Benedicts ranges from roasted mushroom (with herbed ricotta in addition to hollandaise) to smoked ham hock (with confit onion and blue cheese). But the best-kept secret is the open-faced vegan tuna salad on sourdough: she’s topped with pickled onions and capers, and she’s light enough that you can totally manage to walk the seawall after you’ve settled up.

4. Mercato di Luigi

580 E 12th Ave. or  213 E Georgia St.

Brunch Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mercato di Luigi may be small, but it is mighty. The Italian grocery-cum-brunch resto serves up one of the top breakfast sandwiches in the city, with scrambled eggs, prosciutto cotto, caciocavallo cheese, arugula and pesto mayo, all on a cornetto—but we’re here for the daily pasta. The hand-cut linguine carbonara with a soft egg feels the most brunch-adjacent, but you can’t miss with any of the inventive specials either (like, say, a smoked burrata situation).   

5. The Birds and the Beets

55 Powell St.

Brunch Hours: Daily,  8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Gastown’s counter service brunch go-to is known for its incredible coffees and delicious-anytime sandwiches (we’re partial to the tofu banh mi), but when craving brunch, we order the ricotta and jam toast every single time. A cloud of ricotta marries with a generous dollop of made-in-house seasonal preserves and becomes a salty-sweet addictive treat. Hot tip: on a sunny day, you cannot beat pairing it with an Arnold Palmer slush.

READ MORE: Inside the Charming Strathcona Home of the Birds and the Beets’ Sean Cunningham and Matt Senecal-Junkeer

6. Zarak by Afghan Kitchen

2102 Main St.

Brunch Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mount Pleasant’s Zarak bridges the flavours of Afghani and West Coast cuisine with its brunch fare. Take its chicken and waffle, where the star ingredient is marinated overnight with chutney and cumin, and is served upon a house-made waffle and topped with cardamom maple syrup, mango chutney and buttermilk aioli. Or the cumin fried rice that’s bursting with oyster mushrooms, leeks and herbs and is topped with a fried egg, chili oil and earthy sesame aioli.

7. Riley’s

200 Burrard St.

Brunch Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

No Vancouver brunch list is complete without a spot for fresh shucked oysters and Riley’s knocks it out of the park with its selection of East and West Coast bivalves. The space feels celebratory, too, so it’s worth indulging in items like the crab omelette with dill hollandaise and salmon roe, or the lobster benedict, where the shellfish comes served as a light-as-air croquette and is topped with avocado cream.

READ MORE: Riley’s Corporate Executive Chef Dennis Peckham on His Fave Meals in the City

8. Botanist

1038 Canada Pl.

Brunch Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Weekend brunch at Botanist feels no less like an event than its impeccable dinner service. You’re presented with two- or three-course options and each dish showcases the best of local and seasonal produce. If it’s on the menu, take the burrata salad, which comes with smoked beets, radishes, white balsamic and a briny olive crumb. Or the fermented chili torched salmon, which elevates the beloved B.C. fish with mojo de ajo (a Mexican garlic and olive oil sauce). When at Botanist, go for the third course: our 2025 Pastry Chef of the Year Kate Siegel wows with sweet finishes like caramelized croissant bread pudding with pumpkin seed crumble and kabocha squash ice cream.