A guide to local favorites in Mount Pleasant Vancouver, B.C.
Main Street, between East First and 33rd avenues, is generally the focal point of Mount Pleasant. While a lot of the grit has been smoothed out, it’s still beloved for its unconventional spirit. That hasn’t escaped the attention of property developers, notably the team behind the 21-story condo tower called the Independent (with no discernible trace of irony). Long story short: Things are changing fast, so visit soon.
Meet your local
Eagranie’s a born-and-raised Vancouverite, aside from the five years she lived in Ontario. She’s married to an Australian, which mostly means eating a lot of Vegemite and spending a month each year in Tasmania.
eagranieyuh eagranieyuhWant to get in touch? Email bytheway@washpost.com
Where I live:
Kerrisdale, a sleepy little neighborhood on the west side of Vancouver. I grew up here, then headed out to East Van. I moved back to Kerrisdale a few years ago; it felt weird at first, but now it feels like home again.
Best way to get around the city:
The Canada Line. It was built for the 2010 Olympics, and it means you can get from downtown Vancouver (mountain views) to downtown Richmond (amazing Chinese food) in about 30 minutes.
Don’t leave without having:
A ride across False Creek on the Aquabus or the False Creek Ferry. It’s an easy way to get out of the downtown core, and a big loop on the water will give you a view of the city that most people don’t see.
But the local favorite is really:
A doughnut at Lee’s Donuts, on Granville Island. It’s been deep-frying dough since 1979, and although there are fancy doughnut shops all over the city, none come close to this OG.
If I moved, I’d most miss:
The food. You can get pretty much anything here, and especially regional Asian and Southeast Asian specialties.
Mount Pleasant
Urban Source
Upcycled, recycled, repurposed: Whatever you want to call it, this is a crafter’s paradise. You never know what you’ll find — vintage postcards, encyclopedic line drawings, petri dishes or wisps of gold leaf alongside vintage-print wrapping paper, ribbons and stamps. Just as good as the thrill of treasure hunting is knowing that everything was diverted from landfill.
Urban Source, 3126 Main St. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 3G7
Chicha
Chicha opened just as the hype about Peruvian food threatened to spoil us all with pisco and ceviche. While the hype’s died down, the food is still on point. Plantain chips come hot from the fryer, served with a trio of aioli — incorporating Peruvian mint and peppers — that will have you thinking about mayonnaise in a totally new way. Local seafood is highlighted in spot-on ceviche. Service can be surly; consider it part of the charm.
Chicha, 136 E. Broadway. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1A1
Purebread
The bakery case at Purebread must be reinforced by industrial steel, because most mornings it should buckle under the weight of so many carbs. What started as the owners’ side gig baking bread for farmers markets has become five bakeries across Whistler and Vancouver and a loyal following for savory brioches, triple-layer coconut cake and lemon-chevre brownies (don’t knock ’em until you try ’em).
Purebread, 5 E. Fifth Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1G7
Bird on a Wire
Bird on a Wire Creations boasts that more than 200 local artists are represented in the compact shop. Pick up something uniquely B.C. here, including salt-speckled chocolate, beeswax candles, earrings and ceramics. If you’re the planning type, sign up for a weekend workshop to make adult cross-stitches, flower wreaths or any number of adorable felted creatures.
Bird on a Wire, 2535 Main St. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 3E5
Regional Assembly of Text
This teeny stationery shop has a well-curated selection of greeting cards, notebooks and ephemera. The first Thursday of every month, the Letter Writing Club meets in the evening to put pen to paper — or even clack out words on vintage typewriters. Don’t miss the “lowercase reading room,” a converted cubby that’s now home to zines and self-published books.
Regional Assembly of Text, 3934 Main St. Vancouver, B.C. V5V 3P2
Brassneck Brewery
Craft doesn’t always mean good, even if it comes with the best intentions. At Brassneck, the beer is every bit as good as the principles behind it — thanks to owner and brewer Nigel Springthorpe, the godfather of Vancouver’s craft beer industry. Have a drink in the tasting room or fill up a growler for later. There’s no kitchen, but you’re welcome to bring outside food or visit the food trucks often parked outside.
Brassneck Brewery, 2148 Main St. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 3C5
Chutney Villa
Yes, there’s butter chicken (on the lunch buffet menu), but you’re better off sampling the South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes here. Specialties include kothu roti, a dish of chopped roti (bread) with spices and meat, and biryani, a South Indian mixed-rice dish. The vegetable curries are especially nice. As the name suggests, the house-made chutneys are the real draw here.
Chutney Villa, 147 E. Broadway. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1W1
Eagranie Yuh
Eagranie’s a born-and-raised Vancouverite, aside from the five years she lived in Ontario. She’s married to an Australian, which mostly means eating a lot of Vegemite and spending a month each year in Tasmania.
@eagranieyuh @eagranieyuhJackie Dives
Jackie is a photographer whose work has been published in Canadian Geographic, the Walrus, Bloomberg Business, the Globe and Mail and Maclean’s Magazine. Whenever she returns from an assignment abroad, the first thing she does is ride her bike around the Stanley Park Seawall: She says it’s Vancouver’s best asset.
@jackiedivesphoto
