Vancouver Family Restaurants

At the 1,000-seat Floata Restaurant in Chinatown, the dim sum carts start rolling as early as 9 a.m. Grab a table and wait for the women to arrive with their selections of dainty dumplings. First up is steamed buns, hot out of the oven and filled with pork. Then ask for shrimp dumplings and a perennial favorite for kids, sticky rice served inside a green leaf, like a present waiting to be unwrapped.

Stop at the Granville Island Public Market, where, no doubt, the kids will be running from stall to stall, amazed at the bounty of goods. There’s the fish the Northwest is known for, halibut, tuna and every type of salmon available; bins of fruit overflowing with fresh figs, quarts of blueberries, freshly picked gooseberries and yellow golden berries; and the miscellaneous items like French baguettes, assorted pates and sweets such as almond horns, the ends dipped in chocolate.

Overlooking the shores of Third Beach in Stanley Park, Sequoia Grill is Vancouver’s equivalent to Tavern on the Green in New York’s Central Park. Yet, unlike Manhattan, Vancouver is much less formal and you don’t feel uncomfortable walking into the stylish restaurant wearing biking clothes, especially for brunch. Sink your teeth into freshly baked croissants as you wait for your order of Brioche French Toast, Cobb Salad and West Coast Benedict, where the Canadian bacon is substituted with smoked salmon. Hey, when in Rome…

Located on Granville Island, reserve a table on the outdoor patio overlooking False Creek and get ready to dig into seafood just off the boat. Entrees include ahi tuna and the yummy sablefish, a black cod that's marinated in a lime-soy sauce. A kid's menu with pizza is available if your children are afraid to down the oysters on the half-shell. The Belgian chocolate pudding, topped with caramel whipped cream and chopped almonds, is a perfect way to end the meal.