Stir Cheat Sheet: 7 food and beverage spots to pair with the Eastside Culture Crawl's array of artwork

From food-truck bites to pints at local breweries, here are Stir’s culinary highlights at the annual event

By Emily Lyth

Food trucks at the Eastside Culture Crawl. Photo by Jodie Ponto

The Eastside Culture Crawl takes place on November 16 and 17 from 5 pm to 10 pm, and on November 18 and 19 from 11 am to 6 pm

FEAST YOUR EYES on the phenomenal displays of art in store at this year’s Eastside Culture Crawl—and then dig into a literal feast at one of the many food and beverage locations nearby.

From restaurants and breweries to food trucks and markets, there are options to satisfy any craving within the Crawl’s boundaries of Columbia Street, 2nd Avenue, Victoria Drive, and the waterfront.

Parker Street Studios, located a few minutes’ walk southwest of Venables Street and Clark Drive, is a central spot for food trucks. Indulge in a sugary snack at Hugs Mini Donuts or a nitro cold brew from Green Coast Coffee, and fill up with comfort food at Mom’s Grilled Cheese or a Vietnamese banh mi at Camion Cafe.

Breweries are perfect community hubs for pausing to chat with a pal about the artwork you’ve seen—and there’s a good chance you’ll strike up a conversation with other Crawlers, too. With a plethora of options nearby, Off the Rail Brewing, Strathcona Brewing, and Luppolo Brewing should be high on your list. The latter, a cozy Italian-inspired spot, is serving up Napoletana-Romana pizzas and other noshes courtesy of Mordimi Bite of Italy. Pair them with a brew on tap, whether it be the honey-tinged wood-smoked malt of the Poco Fumo Smoked Helles Lager, or the Blasfema Smoothie Beer “7 Alive”, a fresh puree of mango, melon, banana, kiwi, pineapple, papaya, and raspberry.

If you’re looking for a snack to go, grab a ready-made California roll or Spam musubi from Fujiya Japanese Foods, or stop by Rise Up Marketplace for some warm, flaky Jamaican patties.

Given the abundance of choices, here are some of Stir’s top picks for when you’re feeling peckish during the Crawl.

Vince Misceo creating La Casa Gelato’s Durian flavour in the early 1990s.

Champagne and Strawberry sorbetto at La Casa Gelato.

#1

La Casa Gelato

1033 Venables Street

Easily recognizable by its iconic pink brick facade, La Casa Gelato is arguably Vancouver’s biggest name in ice cream. The family-run business founded in 1982 holds the Guinness World Record for “Most Commercially Available Flavours”, with an impressive selection of 238 flavours in store at once, and a total roster of 588 gelato, sorbetto, and frozen yogurt varieties created to date. Among their more unique flavours are Death by Mango (a refreshing mango-raspberry swirl), Dom Perignon (classy champagne complete with gold flakes), and Durian (made from the fresh fruit known for its notoriously pungent sulfur smell—when La Casa Gelato first started mixing up batches, the scent was so strong that apparently neighbours would catch a whiff and call 9-1-1 to report a gas leak). But if durian isn’t your cup of tea, not to worry—there are hundreds of other flavours to choose from on this Crawl Fave’s menu.

Fried chicken sandos at DownLow Chicken Shack.

#2

DownLow Chicken Shack

905 Commercial Drive

There’s certainly no shortage of fried chicken restaurants in Vancouver, but DownLow Chicken is serving up some of the freshest, crispiest, most deliciously spiced poultry around. Order it by the piece, in a signature sando, as tenders, or as popcorn nuggets, with a side of mac and cheese or truffle fries. Best of all, they’ve got a variety of creative offerings kept on the downlow as part of a secret menu—take the Waffle Slider for example, which swaps a signature bun for two golden-brown waffles. This month’s feature is the Chicken Adobo Fried Chicken Sando, a decadent collaboration with chef Mark Singson, founder of the Mabuhay YVR Filipino dinner pop-up series. The handheld consists of a bay leaf oil-dunked chicken, Datu Puti vinegar gel, soy mayo, and an adobo spice dust on a sweet pandesal bun, complete with slaw and scallions. Our stomachs are growling already.

Calamachick pita at Chickpea.

Platter with hummus, salad, and chickpea fries at Chickpea.

#3

Chickpea

Food truck at Parker Street Studios

While their Main Street restaurant is now a Riley Park staple, Chickpea first started as a food truck back in 2016, cruising the streets of Vancouver’s downtown core, festivals, and farmer’s markets. Hummus is the crown jewel of the joint’s plant-based Middle Eastern menu devised by chef Itamar Shani. You can devour it in a method of your choosing—pita, salad, rice bowl, hummus plate, or platter—with a creative main. Standouts include the Falafel, an herby, spiced take on the classic crispy-yet-soft fritters, and the Calamachick, deep-fried tempura-battered oyster mushrooms served with tzatziki, meant to mimic calamari. If all else fails, you can always order a $9 container of deliciously creamy take-away hummus to dip your troubles away before heading inside the Parker Street Studios to check out some amazing art.

Krampus Abbey Dubbel at Strange Fellows Brewing.

#4

Strange Fellows Brewing

1345 Clark Drive

Strange Fellows Brewing, a Crawl Fave home to the Charles Clark Gallery, is one of five venues hosting the Out of Control preview exhibition till November 19. It’s also conveniently located within walking distance of several Eastside Culture Crawl locations, including The Portal Studios and Eastside Atelier. After checking out some art, settle in for a pint at the sleek spot known for its sour and barrel-aged beers. On tap right now are brews ranging from Yoshi the Tart, a bright citrus-forward Yuzu Gose grisette with hints of sea salt, to the toffee-coloured Krampus, a Belgian-style Abbey Dubbel with a spicy, malty aroma.

Coconut Korma rice bowl with Chana Kebab (centre) and more, at Indish.

#5

Indish

Food truck at Parker Street Studios

What’s the secret sauce behind Indian cuisine-inspired food truck Indish? It’s sauce (literally). Rich, creamy Butter Sauce, South Indian-style Coconut Korma, and uber-savoury Spinach Curry are lathered onto a rice bowl, paratha wrap, or poutine for on-the-go flavour. With a menu that’s over 80 percent plant based, it’s serving up proteins among the likes of Choley (a simmered medley of chickpeas, onions, and secret spices), and unctuous spiced black chickpea Chana Kebab patties. The bold flavours come in hand-held form, too, whether it be a spiced potato Samosa or a crispy layered Paratha.

Mimosas made from freshly squeezed orange juice at Yolks.

Pork Belly Eggs Benedict at Yolks.

#6

Yolks

1598 E Hastings Street

On November 18 and 19, the Crawl kicks off at 11 am, otherwise known as prime brunch time—and Yolks is the perfect place to indulge. The morning mainstay nails the classics, whether it be a loaded breakfast plate or avocado toast. Plus, it’s got a whole section of the menu devoted to next-level eggs Benedicts. The Pork Belly is a standout, featuring poached eggs, ancho chili-glazed pork belly confit, avocado mayo, spinach, and pickled red onions, all slathered in house-made hollandaise. Jazz things up with a cocktail crafted with freshly squeezed orange juice (a classic mimosa, breakfast sangria, or tequila sunrise, perhaps) before heading over to the nearby Pandora Studios to try your own hand at creating art, with a life-sized community colouring mural led by multidisciplinary visual artist Serena Chu.

Korean Fried Chicken fries at Disco Cheetah.

Korean Fried Chicken rice bowl at Disco Cheetah.

#7

Disco Cheetah

Food truck at Parker Street Studios

Disco Cheetah is serving up fast-casual authentic Korean cuisine from both a brick-and-mortar Davie Street location that opened up shop in 2019, and a food truck that will be on site at Parker Street Studios during the Crawl. The build-your-own-bowl menu starts off with a protein—choose from Korean Fried Chicken thighs dredged in a crispy batter, or gochujang-tomato-tossed Tofu & Cauliflower. From there, decide on a base of rice and veg, salad, or even fries topped with pickled red radish and scallions. To finish it all off, load up on sauces (vegan plum mayo, sweet chili glaze, garlic mayo, chili chili), and add-ons (they’re doling out house-made kimchi and pickles).

Related Articles