Vancouver Secrets:
The Five Best Places to Eat Breakfast – In No Particular Order

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do is to go out for breakfast. I love enjoying this meal with friends and family perhaps because it seems like there’s no reason to rush away. We don’t have to be back at work or getting home early to get up for work or school. There’s something satisfying about eating this meal – at least there is for me – out of the house.

So here’s my guide to my favorite places to eat breakfast in Vancouver and just why I love them.

1. The Sunshine Diner

How can you resist a diner that has a life-size Elvis outside? Or black and white tiles and red leather booths throughout? Or vintage cartoons – black and white Popeye, Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner – on the flat screen TV? Or jukebox music playing all the time? When you throw in great service, terrific food and pancakes that always come with a whipped cream smiley face, this diner can’t be beat.

2. The Elbow Room

The Elbow Room is a hoot. Yes, it has terrific food. But the service is one of the reasons locals either love or hate The Elbow Room. Their schtick is to insult their customers and they’re darn good at it. The tables are very close together so generally you’re having lunch not only with your breakfast companion but with the people at the table next to you which is usually fun. The meals are huge and you have to order light because if you don’t finish your meal, you’ll be making a donation to the owners’ favorite charity which serves meals to HIV/AIDS patients.

3. Deli-O

Deli-O is my local hangout. I eat breakfast almost every day that I go to work in the morning and the staff – Sue and Sharina are sweethearts. The food is good and reasonably priced and you never know just who you’ll find yourself sitting next to because the restaurant is right next to the Sheraton Wall Centre. I’ve had breakfast with Jean Claude Van Damme and Randy Couture. I’ve had breakfast with the Russian Olympic hockey team and the Swiss alpine team. It’s not big, the menu isn’t extensive, but it’s definitely a great place to go.

4. Any of the dozens of Tim Hortons

You may not have the ubiqitous Tim Hortons but if you’ve visited almost anywhere in Canada you’ve definitely seen these coffee shops. They’re everywhere. They serve donuts and coffee and muffins and soup and sandwiches. It’s fast food – and when I say fast, I mean fast - and very reasonable. They have drive-throughs on main thoroughfares and dozens of small shops almost everywhere else in almost every Canadian town or city. Canadians of a certain age also love Tim Hortons because Tim Horton was a great hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Very Canadian.

5. Bridges on Granville Island

Bridges on Granville Island is really more a brunch place but if it’s sunny and warm, go on over to Granville Island, sit on the patio, order their Caesar salad with fresh shrimp, and watch the boats and the sun play on the water. Add a glass of white wine or a beer to your brunch and I guarantee you’ll feel like you’re on vacation, even if you live like I do only five minutes away. It’s the most expensive place on this list but it’s worth it.

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