The 12 Best Restaurants in Vancouver for Romance Right Now

At sophisticated and intimate Yuwa, you’re likely to find quiet jazz and dramatic white orchid arrangements setting the tone for romance. Chef and co-owner Masahiro Omori offers ever-changing à la carte regional Japanese dishes and a kaiseki menu, focussing on what’s freshest. You might find teapot-style soup with British Columbia pine mushrooms, Pacific cod, prawns, mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), and yurine (lily bulbs) in a clear kelp and bonito flake broth. Or dazzle your date with a dish that releases smoke when the glass cloche is dramatically removed. Co-owner Iori Kataoka, a certified advanced sake professional, can advise on pairings from Yuwa’s award-winning artisan sake and wine collection.

Bells & Whistles is the spot for a low-key twist on romance. The casual burger joint goes beyond the usual with a gluten-free fryer and options such as tuna poke and an arugula, quinoa, and chickpea salad, drizzled with lemon-tahini dressing. And if you can’t afford an engagement ring just yet, share the 14 carrot chi-mond sundae (with carrot cake, chai caramel and vanilla soft serve) for dessert instead.

Chefs transform ingredients that are “hooked, hunted, and harvested” from across British Columbia into innovative, exquisitely plated dishes at one of Vancouver’s best restaurants, sure to leave you starry-eyed. Vegan options include king oysters — the mushrooms, not the seafood — served with a pan-roasted beet steak. Hint at your desire to become a couple by ordering the duo of lamb belly and rack of lamb, served with tomato fondue and puffed grains. Botanist’s delectable desserts include apple honey mille-feuille with pink lady apples poached in Riesling.

Servers will grant all your dinner wishes at this seafood paradise, nested inside the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver hotel. Opt for the seafood selection for two with king crab, lobster, scallop ceviche, jumbo prawns, and oysters or a steak cooked to perfection under the 1,200-degree broiler. Save room for outrageous desserts such as a hot whiskey cake or crème brûlée doughnuts, served with a cloud of housemade maple cotton candy. There’s live music on Wednesdays.

This classic osteria transforms local ingredients into handmade deliciousness, such as wood-fired rosemary chicken and cappelletti with squash and pumpkin seed. Meaning “clever fox”, Savio Volpe is an ideal romantic dinner choice when you want a warm and convivial atmosphere surrounded by others loving their food and company. If you just want to concentrate on each other, dine alla famiglia to remove the challenge of choosing from the menu.

Torafuku’s menu of ever-changing, pan-Asian dishes is centred on shareable plates that are innovative and affordable. You could warm things up with steak Diane, served with a creamy shiitake sauce and a housemade Japanese milk bun or select the multi-course tasting menu to stretch out your evening. Torafuku is known for its innovative cocktails, such as the guava blossom with 10-year-old whiskey, tequila, and guava chrysanthemum syrup. Or try the restaurant’s new bottled cocktails and take home both the aloha, spiked with coconut-infused vodka, (Hawaiian for “love”) and the cloud 9, made from chrysanthemum-infused gin .

Feel like you’ve jetted to Marrakech at this Moroccan hideaway in Gastown (and the soon-to-open second location in Yaletown). Its name means “a place where people meet and enjoy the whole experience,” a good descriptor for the ideal lifelong relationship. Bookend your meal with traditional Moroccan tea, served in a delicate silver pot, and impress your dining companion with the rack of lamb that’s flambéed tableside. The menu is halal with lots of vegan and gluten-free options.

Live jazz and blues will have you grooving together at this buzzy club, which serves house-made dishes from Frankie’s Italian Kitchen & Bar. Share an antipasto platter, then go all Lady and the Tramp with the spaghetti and meatballs, or split an old-world pepperoni pie. Be sure to save room for the especially decadent tiramisu, best devoured with two spoons.

Harbour and mountain vistas from ARC’s two-storey windows set the mood, particularly at sunset. ARC offers West Coast-inspired cuisine such as squid and Asian-flavoured sablefish, plus classic comforts in both the dining room and lounge. At dessert time, don’t forget the tradition of kissing your companion (or buying another round of drinks) if you drop your fruit or coconut macaroon into your molten Belgian chocolate fondue. ARC can also prepare a romantic picnic lunch for you featuring artisanal foods from the Granville Island Public Market. Or make a night of it, and zip up the elevator to one of Fairmont Waterfront’s luxe rooms after dinner, then return to ARC in the morning for its bottomless brunch, bookable through OpenTable.

Owned by Afghan siblings who immigrated to Canada via India, the cuisine here is trans-Himalayan, spotlighting regional favourites such as boulani, or grilled and stuffed wholewheat roti, and an array of spiced rice-and-veggie bowls. The rich cuisine captures the essence of the small dhaba eateries dotting the Silk Road in Turkey, Iran, Tibet, India, and Mongolia. Both locations aim to have a light carbon footprint and use local and organic ingredients as much as possible.

Owned by Afghan siblings who immigrated to Canada via India, the cuisine here is trans-Himalayan, spotlighting regional favourites such as boulani, or grilled and stuffed wholewheat roti, and an array of spiced rice-and-veggie bowls. The rich cuisine captures the essence of the small dhaba eateries dotting the Silk Road in Turkey, Iran, Tibet, India, and Mongolia. Both locations aim to have a light carbon footprint and use local and organic ingredients as much as possible.

Take a virtual trip to France’s cobblestone streets and nibble on shareable dishes within this bistro’s Paris-like setting. Choose from traditional dishes with some West Coast flair, such as mussels with frites or confit made with duck from the Fraser Valley. At lunch, there’s a three-course table d’hôte and dinner has a tasting menu, featuring hearty stalwarts like beef bourguignon and seared scallops, in addition to the à la carte selections.