North of the Fraser
– Part 1

No matter the weather, we found a surprising amount of things to do, places to visit, and incredible food all around Burnaby and New Westminster. From chicken and waffles to freshly created bibimbap, books and vinyl records to neon lights and arcade games, there is something for everyone.  

Here are all the things we did, ate, and experienced. Ready? Let’s do this:

First Stop: Steamworks Brewing Co – Brewery and Taproom

This is a fun and thriving local spot with a huge selection of beers, including non-alcoholic options. Plenty of tabletop games on hand to keep the evening going. Open noon to midnight with food trucks out front regularly.

Ready for dinner, we headed over to Birdies Eats & Drinks. 

The menu is California-inspired with fresh, light and bright food that fills you. Designed for how people want to eat today — healthy-ish, flavour-driven food with some indulgent options. They encourage sharing. We kicked off with Korean-style spare ribs (yum), then moved on to a pizza to share and a crispy chicken burger (warm-spicy, very good), and… HOLD. THE. PHONE – Tiramasu? Oh yes please.

Located in Burnaby’s Brentwood neighbourhood, The Amazing Brentwood (TAB) features world-class shops, restaurants, public plazas, entertainment, and 6,000+ new homes. It’s huge with lots to do. The food court is a foodie’s dream with everything from bubble waffles to kebabs, fresh sushi and curry.

The Rec Room at TAB is full of fun and engaging activities including virtual reality, bowling, axe throwing, ping pong and pool tables, as well as over 90 arcade games. There are two restaurants and a bar inside as well ready for late-night snacks or after-dinner cocktails. This is a regular spot for my daughter and I as we battle it out on the Mario Kart game and try our luck at the claw machine to get a huge unicorn stuffy.

This weekend, we are staying at the Element Vancouver Metrotown. Its a great spot to stay, right in the heart of Burnaby and with all the amenities you could possibly want. Bubble Tea and a Trattoria restaurant in the building, a pool, gym, and rooms with all the things you’d need for a business trip or family stay.

The Gray Olive Cafeteria serves up seasonal comfort food with an exciting twist. Think mom’s home cooking infused with a little culinary magic. I had the chicken and waffles, which came out hot and fresh. Very tasty! The lemon ricotta pancakes were fantastic too, as was the coffee.

The Heights shopping district is an eclectic mix of businesses owned by friendly merchants who are deeply tied to their community. I loved the local bookstore, Companion Books (new, used and rare), and we stopped by a bakery, where the staff were very friendly and even offered us cookies!

Our next stop was Burnaby Mountain Park. There are lots of trails to explore and even on a rainy day, the view is fantastic. Between banks of fog, you can see right across to North Van!

The park is also home to the Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods) sculptures created by Ainu sculptor Nuburi Toko and his son Shusei Toko between 1989 and 1990 to commemorate twenty-five years of goodwill between Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan and sister city Burnaby, BC.

It was time for lunch, so we stopped in at Mintara on Burnaby Mountain. We enjoyed beautifully plated food — it would be a lovely place for a wedding or fancy dinner.

Our first brewery stop of the day was Dageraad Brewing. Dageraad is an award-winning, small-batch artisan brewery bringing their love of Belgian beer culture to BC. I’ve never seen so many awards on display! They really know their stuff. The dark ale was a winner for me.

Next, we drove 20 minutes to New Westminster for our next brewery stop: Another Beer Co.

This brewery is all about presenting creativity and variety in its beer lineup. Every time you visit, there will always be another beer on tap because the brewery will always be changing things up and introducing new beers. It’s so cool to be introduced to all of these local breweries. Each one has a completely different vibe and such a welcoming ambiance. I’m no expert on ales, lagers, and craft beer, but I always find something I like and the staff are always keen to help me out.

Open 2pm – 11pm, Capital City Classic Arcade is a free-play, old-school video arcade with your favourite arcade games from back in the day plus a few you may have never seen before. This was SO FUN! We played Tron, Ms PacMan, PaperBoy, OutRun, and all the other classics from my youth. What an absolute gem of a place.

For dinner, we headed down the street to the Sapperton District Taphouse. This is a relaxed, comfortable taphouse offering many craft beers from local breweries and classic pub plates. Pub vibes, great poutine, sports on the TVs — can’t really ask for anything more.

Angelina’s Dutch Corner is located right on the New Westminister Quay on the banks of the Fraser River. I’ve never had a pannenkoek, but it was fabulous. It’s a large, thin pancake and mine came with lots of fresh mixed berries, a compote, and whipped cream. Of course, I ate the whole thing and had eyes on my wife’s bacon.

We shopped at the River Market, ate, grabbed coffee, wandered around the local vendors’ stalls, and took a look at the circus school on the top floor. This place has everything!

The Howe Sound Taphouse & Kitchen – New West marks the expansion of an iconic brewery with deep roots dating back over two decades in Squamish, BC. Lovely staff, great pizza.

Steel & Oak Brewing can be accessed by walking along the riverfront boardwalk from the Quay on foot or by bike if you choose. Using a mixture of North American and German brewing styles, techniques and ingredients, Steel & Oak explores new beer styles while constantly refining and perfecting the classics. Once again I found my way to the dark ale, which was fantastic. We played Go Fish while we sat and reflected on the weekend and talked about our favourite memories. Another spot to revisit next time.