Reflections is a chic rooftop patio at Hotel Georgia, it is definitely one of the nicer rooftop patios in Vancouver.
The time I went it was packed with the work crowd sneaking off early to start their weekend binge. I went around 3PM on Friday and, by 4PM it was packed.
Don’t let the picture fool you, I snapped it when I arrived and this is only half of the patio, the other half is uncovered.
Didn’t get to try the food but, the drinks were good. Standard sky-high hotel cocktail prices $12. This particular drink is the Hotel Georgia, Plymouth Gin, Lemon Juice, Orgeat Syrup, Orange Blossom Water, Egg White, Nutmeg. I just came from the gym and one drink was all I could enjoy otherwise I’d fall out of my seat.
Atmosphere is relaxing, almost like I’m on a Vegas vacation sipping cocktails under the sun. Also like Vegas, it is a meat market. The girls are hot and there are plenty of men.
What I love about Summer? Patio and beach hopping while sipping on my favourite summer drinks, mojito’s and sangria’s. To help you get into the swing of patio season, I’ve come up with a list of my favourite patio’s in Vancouver. They are my faves because of their fun vibe, view and of course the patio itself.
I love Kits in the Summer. Every time I am in Kits on a sunny day I wished I still live here. The vibe is so fun and vibrant.
Local Public Eatery patio, situated right across Kitsilano beach is a popular place for sun worshipers and locals. It’s fun and I believe they still have sangria’ specials.
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Another Ktisilano patio is right on the beach, The Boathouse.
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Speaking of beaches, Cactus Club English Bayis very popular for beach go-ers for a quick bite. Although, I would rather just sit in the sand.
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Patio’s in Granville Island will give you an undisturbed view of Vancouver’s harbor. A very popular tourist destination.
Dockside
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Bridges
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Chill Winston, is still one of my go to patio’s. The vibe is fun and the patio is street level and, people watching is one of my favourite pastimes. The largest patio in Gastown
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The Keefer with a pool in the middle of the rooftop lounge
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The Keg in Yaletown rooftop patio and lounge is chic and full of Yaletown yuppies.
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Another restaurant for good seafood and has a gorgeous rooftop garden patio is Joe Fortes
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Hidden patio at Gotham’s Steakhouse
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Reflections rooftop lounge patio on the 4th floor of Hotel Georgia is one of the more swank patio’s downtown. Reminds me of Las Vegas, you can check out my review. Reflections has corporate atmosphere that turns into a meat market for brokers later in the evening. Quickly becoming a hotspot
Food Persuasion
Market Shangri-La rooftop patio is another swank patio although not as big as Reflections.
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Havana’s on Commercial drive has such a fun and vibrant atmosphere.
The Mill, situated on the Coal Harbour’s seawall is a very popular spot for tourists and locals. The only negative, I found was their limited drink menu . How can you not have mojito’s or sangria’s if you have a patio??? Although the vibe and view compensates their lack of drink selections.
Thierry not because it’s the nicest patio but because they serve dessert. As far as dessert places goes, Theirry has the nicest patio. Check out my review of Thierry
Beachside Forno, in North Vancouver. Overlooking the harbour.
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Finally, Art Gallery garden patio
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I know there are many others, if you have any other patio’s you want to suggest add it in the comment section and I will include it in this post.
Upscale and modern Japanese Tapas Bar at the Shangri-la. The space is very spacious and modern, reminds me of Tao in New York. Definitely would not mind lounging here for a couple of hours. On a Wednesday night this place was pretty empty.
Now the food…
Keep in mind it is a tapas bar so the dishes are fairly smaller and meant to be shared. Dishes range from $12 – 23 per dish.
Toro Tower, it was nicely seared but, maybe we were just too used to toro sushimi. I don’t think I have ever eaten any toro that was as fatty as this. My friend’s piece was 80% fat. 3/5
Toro tower
Kiwi Tuna Rolls, you could barely taste the mango sauce but, it was decent. Nothing out of the ordinary. As one of the more creative rolls being offered this was barely mundane. 3/5
kiwi tuna roll
Sake Porkbelly with Ponzu Chilli Sauce. Porkbelly is THE ingredient of the season. To be fair we had high expectations. This was a major let down. The meat was ridiculously overcooked to the point that my jaws began to ache.
The meat was stringy. Out of the 6 pieces of porkbelly only one was not overcooked. Aside from the doneness the flavour of the dish was good, so I’m throwing in an extra 1/2 point 1.5/5
sake porkbelly with ponzu chilli sauce
Rock shrimp with wasabi mayo, we agreed this is far better than the regular shrimp tempura. We debated for a while whether it is better than KFC popcorn chicken – now that is good! 3.5/5
Rock shrimp with wasabi mayo
Black Cod, the fish had a chewy texture. The sauce on the other had been what saved it. The mango sauce, I could drink that 3.5/5
Creme brûlée lemongrass and chamomile infusedand sugar cookies, well I liked the sugar cookie. Yet AGAIN! Another dish that was overdone. The texture was lumpy, which meant the eggs and the cream began to cook. 2/5
There is one plus the service was impeccable. My friend went out to feed the parking meter. He was attentive, informative and always kept our table cleaned and refolded napkins when needed.
We were so disappointed with our meal we went across the street to a bustling Coast Restaurant and drowned our sorrows away with some fine wine and oysters.
On a warm lazy Summer Sunday afternoon, we chilled on Cadero’s patio, overlooking Coal Harbour Marina and the North Shore mountains. With a cold and refreshing pitcher of Sangria and a plate full of mussels I was in heaven.
This is a tourist hotspot so come here early or be prepared to wait, especially for a patio seat but, it’s worth it.
Cadero’s Dining Promotions (Ongoing):
Mussel Mania – Every Weekday 3 – 6pm. $10 for a Granville Island brew and mussels
Celebrated Chocolatier-Pâtissier Thierry Busset, opens a she-she foo-foo pastry shop on Alberni St Downtown. I’ve been complaining there is just not enough bakeries in Downtown. Walking in, I was giddy with sweet goodness. Every product was so deliciously presented.
I expected the prices were going to be steep, especially situated on Alberni and Georgia. The prices were even more expensive than my favorite pastry cafe, Thomas Haas which compares to $5.95 vs here $6.95.
I didn’t get a chance to try out the chocolates but, it is a promise that I will.
My friend, Gary has tried every Tiramisu in town and rated this a 8.5/10! The high marks is almost unheard of from him.
Raspberry and Blueberry Tart
Citrus Madeleines, were light. I gobbled up the entire bag within a day.
Forgot what these cakes were called but they were rum based. Not my favorite, although it may just be my preference. They sure looked pretty, that and the rum was what sold it.
Patio season is coming to an end before it does it is absolutely crucial to visit Mahoney and Sons. Their large wrap around patio is at the convention centre and has undisturbed views of coal harbor marina. It is has been my favorite patio spot in Vancouver this summer.
Mahoney Patio
Now the Food..
All the burgers and sandwiches comes with a choice of fries or salad.
Mushroom burger with truffle and aioli, was scrumptious, I am not huge a fan of burgers but, shucks! Add truffle and aioli and, its mouth watering. 4/5
Veggie Sandwich– the ciabatta bread was warm and crunch. The roasted veggie was nicely grilled and fresh. 3.5 /5
Grilled Veggie Sandwich
Salmon Burger– This is my favourite. The portion of the salmon was very decent, it was nice and fresh. There was no need to hide the fish in sauce like some other restaurants, when the quality fo the fish is sub-par. This was perfect. 4/5
Salmon Burger
Irish burger and Gamin bacon – A juicy burger, made with fresh ingredients. If you want a regular meaty burger, this is it.
Irish Burger
Mango Coconut Sundae, with pineapples and gingered pecans. The coconut flavor was very the mango was too strong. I could much on the gingered pecans and I’ll be set, they were delicious.
Mango Sundae
Chocolate sundae, mixed with strawberries, cashew and caramel sauce.
chocolate sundae
Irish Rose, reminded me of a strawberry mojito, it is a bit watered down for my taste.
We were seated in the dining section for a late lunch. Sadly, other than us there was one other patron. The room was nice and spacious. The service was friendly and, the food was simple and good dishes. It reminded me of home cooked Italian dinners.
Bolognaise pasta – it was very good, and the sauce was not overly salty as with many pasta dishes.
We both enjoyed the seafood risotto, with prawns, scallop and, the risotto was perfectly cooked and the then creamy tomato based sauce was rich and flavorful.
Overall, the price was very pretty decent for portion and the quality. Actually, it may be the best value Italian food you can find downtown Vancouver, even without our discount. We ended using a Frankie’s promotional flyer at a $20 discount.
I would absolutely recommend this restaurant for lunch.
