A food tour is the kind of experience that changes the way you see a city and lets you know its real essence. Gastown is Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood, and the streets you'll walk through tell the storey of a city that burned to the ground in 1886 and came back hungrier than ever. Your guide knows every kitchen worth knowing here, and they'll take you inside the spots that locals actually eat at; the ones that have earned their place over decades, not just a good review…
The food is the point, and it earns its reputation. A slow-roasted pork sandwich that's been in the oven since the night before, carved to order on ciabatta with house salsa verde. One of the most replicated sandwiches in Canada, and the original is right here in Gastown. A dessert bar that started at the Whistler Farmers' Market, got baked in a high school classroom, and grew into eight locations across BC. You'll try the Crack Bar: shortbread, salted caramel, dark chocolate. The name is accurate. Scotch eggs seasoned in-house, served in a pub that's been in the same building since 1910. And our Secret Dish, which nobody finds out about until the guide orders it.
Morning guests on the 10am tour get a menu built for the hour: Vancouver's most beloved hand-made donut, fried fresh and glazed by hand every day since 1979, and a fermented veggie toast on sourdough baked that morning, topped with hummus and pickled vegetables made entirely in-house. Afternoon guests on the 12pm and 4pm tours add a chicken taco from one of Gastown's most consistent kitchens, and house-made artisan chocolate from a small local producer who makes every piece on site. Quality drinks are included at select stops.