24 awesome Vancouver food and drink events to check out this February

If January felt particularly long, the good news is February is marginally shorter. We do get a leap year day, which means one extra day of getting a taste of what's cooking in Metro Vancouver. When it comes to what's pouring, it's not just the skies with rain - this month brings us events like the Vancouver International Wine Festival and the Science of Cocktails. You can end your "Veganuary" with some meaty, cheesy poutine during La Poutine Week, have Ice Cream For Breakfast, or take a deep dive into all things wellness.

Check out these delicious food and drink events happening in and around Vancouver this month. And if you've got a tip for a great event, get in touch by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. We'll update the post as we get word about more great food events happening in February.

Before the listings kick in, here's one more bit of tasty news for February: This month we're launching V.I.A.'s new food newsletter, and sign-ups are open now. The Forking Awesome newsletter is your monthly guide to the restaurants that are opening and closing in Vancouver, plus tips about dishes we love, and listings for one-of-a-kind dining experiences across British Columbia, all curated by me, your resident Foodie-in-Chief.

CONTINUING

100th Anniversary of Prohibition at Pourhouse

Throughout 2020, Pourhouse Bar Manager Adam Domet and staff will take guests back a century to a dark time in American history — the advent of Prohibition, which effectively killed the Golden Age of Cocktails. The Pourhouse Prohibition Cocktail Program will celebrate the ensuing popularity in travel to foreign destinations that Prohibition helped spur — far-flung places where American imbibers could get away to enjoy an expertly crafted cocktail without fear of prosecution. Each month, the Pourhouse staff will highlight a different region of the world and its most famous cocktails, continuing this February with a focus on Paris, France and two classic $14 libations that hail from bars located in the City of Light — Le Forum (Citadelle gin, Lilllet Blanc vermouth, aquavit, Grand Marnier, Absinthe) and The Scofflaw (Sazerac Straight rye whiskey, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Bitter Truth EXR liqueur, house-made grenadine).

When: February 2020

Where: Pourhouse - 162 Water St, Vancouver

Dine Out Vancouver

DOV is that glorious time of year when restaurants offer special fixed-price menus and other festival features aimed at keeping things humming after the big holiday rush. In 2019 over 300 restaurants participated in Dine Out Vancouver's special menu offerings, and that number is likely to be around the same for 2020. Additionally, Dine Out Vancouver puts on several days of food and drink programming of all kinds to keep the city buzzing about our incredible culinary scene - think long-table dinners, exciting appearances by visiting chefs, brunches, beer and wine events, a food truck fest, and so much more.

When: Through Feb. 2, 2020

Where: Various locations across Metro Vancouver

Dinner With a View - Vancouver

Dine inside a terrarium-inspired dome in an outdoor setting at this unique dinner experience. Your view is the elegant waterfront vista of Ambleside in West Vancouver. Highly acclaimed Chef Paul Moran has been officially announced as the pop-up restaurant’s Head Chef, set to prepare a delicious three-course blind menu, with meat, fish or vegan options. Book your dome for four to six guests, then select your dinner options (two tiers of costs).

When: Through Feb. 23, 2020 (EXTENDED DATES)

Where: Ambleside Beach - 1200 Argyle Ave, West Vancouver

Cost: Domes are $99-$199 each, dinner is $109 per person (plus taxes, fees, etc). Reserve online

Street Food City 9

One of the many exciting events as part of the vibrant culinary programming offered during Dine Out Vancouver’s festival, Street Food City turns the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza into a pop-up food truck pod. Participating street food vendors, in trucks and carts, will rotate throughout the week. That means you’ll find a different line-up of vendors there daily. All together, 25 food trucks will be rolling in for this fun annual event that is now in its ninth year. Free entry.

When: Jan. 31-Feb. 6 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Where: Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza / šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square

Hot Chocolate Festival

2020 marks the biggest year ever for the Hot Chocolate Festival: There are 44 restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and chocolatiers in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Surrey, and White Rock who will be pouring the sweet stuff during the event. This year's list includes everything from drinks spiked with tequila to ones inspired by anyone from Marie Antoinette to Amy Winehouse. There are completely vegan drinks, and one drink that will set you back a whopping $98. Anything goes when it comes to Hot Chocolate Festival creations.

When: Through Feb. 14

Where: Various locations in Metro Vancouver

Gelato 101 classes at Uno Gelato

The secrets of gelato-making can be easily uncovered at a new series of classes being offered by a Vancouver scoop shop. Uno Gelato launched their 'Gelato 101' workshop this fall as a fun way to get people in their Kitsilano flagship location during the cooler months. Offered weekly on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Gelato 101 is a 90-minute hands-on course that will find you working alongside Uno's gelato masters in their kitchen putting together one gelato and one sorbetto. Plus you'll taste an array of flavours from their menu.

When: Wednesday and Thursday nights though March 2020 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Where: Uno Gelato - 2579 W Broadway, Vancouver

Cost: $50 plus tax. Reserve online by emailing [email protected]

Raincouver Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Taking a cue from our status as "Raincouver," a new afternoon tea service in the heart of the city aims to create sunny smiles with its riff on that rainy theme. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver's afternoon tea, held at their Notch8 restaurant, has become known for their clever and often whimsical themed offerings. Notch8’s Chef de Cuisine Dennis Peckhamhas curated a menu of sweet and savory selections, all playing on the theme of "Raincouver," from the Crab Profiterole with Dungeness crab, green apple, smoked roe and fennel, to the Chocolate Mud Tart served in a dark chocolate pastry shell, filled with chocolate crémeux, chocolate ganache and chocolate “soil.” 

When: Weds. - Sun. from now-April 12, 2020. Seatings at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Where: Notch8 at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - 900 W Georgia St, Vancouver

Cost: $65 for adults and $32.50 for children

FEBRUARY EVENTS

Benny Bonanza at Joe Fortes

Joe Fortes’ fan-favourite Benny Bonanza is returning for the whole month of February - plus a bonus day on March 1. The weekend brunch promotion features the choice of three delicious benedicts, priced at just $12.95 each. The Bennys on offer are the following: Braised Brisket Benedict - slow roasted brisket with caramelized onions on a house made English muffin; Fried Chicken Benedict - crispy chicken with house made hot sauce on corn bread; and Shrimp & Chorizo Benedict - sauteed chorizo sausage and shrimp on a house made English muffin. Benny Bonanza is only available during weekend brunch service,

When: Weekends Feb. 1-March 1, 2020 during brunch service only (11 a.m.– 3:30 p.m.)

Where: Joe Fortes - 777 Thurlow St, Vancouver

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day at Glenburn Soda Fountain

Put on your comfiest pajamas and get ready to head out to take part in one of the sweetest celebrations of the year: Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. To mark the delicious occasion, Glenburn will be serving up special treats, like Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches (featuring Royal City Donuts) and waffle sundaes. They'll have a cereal toppings bar set up, and will have lots of hot chocolate and coffee on hand.  If you do wear your jammies (though they do ask they be "real pjs, please!") you can enter to win free ice cream for a year from Glenburn. 

When: Sat. Feb. 1 from 9 a.m.-noon

Where: Glenburn Soda Fountain - 4090 Hastings St., Burnaby

The Wellness Show 

For more than 25 years the Wellness Show has been bringing new approaches to nutrition, fitness, physical and emotional well-being to help Vancouverites achieve their most holistic, healthiest selves. Wander the aisles of the expo hall to meet and talk with experts and vendors, watch live demos, hear speakers, and engage in hands-on activities, all in the name of wellness.

When: Feb. 1 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Feb. 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Where: Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building

La Poutine Week 2020

The premise is pretty simple: Eat poutine during La Poutine Week and go online and vote for your favourites. There will be a panel of judges who are choosing the best of the best, too, including judges selected in each region. All of the winners will be announced after La Poutine Week concludes (and everyone goes on a juice cleanse, presumably). There are only five spots in B.C. taking part, and of those just three in Vancouver, but that just means there's no excuse for not getting to all of the local ones if you're in Vancouver, Kelowna, or Victoria. See who's taking part HERE.

When: Feb. 1-7, 2020

Where: Three participating Vancouver restaurants + two more within B.C.

East Coast Seafood Boil

The Portside Pub is calling all East Coasters and seafood lovers to not miss the boat to their East Coast Boil. Each ticket includes one free Alexander Keith's, a mountain of fresh East Coast seafood, and a screech-in ceremony. Live music courtesy The Mike Cody Band. Go next level and order lobster as a $15 add-on (limited quantities). 

When: Thu., Feb. 6; arrive by 7 p.m., dinner at 7:15 p.m. sharp

Where: Portside Pub -  7 Alexander St, Vancouver

Cost: $36.99; buy online

Science of Cocktails

It’s one of the city’s most dazzling drinking events: The Science of Cocktails pairs some of Vancouver’s most accomplished mixologists with the wow-factor of physics, chemistry, and biology for an epic open bar night to remember. For its fifth year, Science of Cocktails promises more than 30 cocktail stations, each offering uniquely tested and tasted beverages. Award-wining bartenders will be mixing up their creative concoctions for your sipping pleasure, each served with delicious bites from top Vancouver restaurants, and all paired with engaging demonstrations, alluring science activities, and specialized Science World programming.

When: Thu. Feb. 6, from 8 p.m.-midnight

Where: TELUS World of Science - 1455 Quebec St, Vancouver

Cost: General Tickets $165; buy online

A Big Night at the Oscars at Bells and Whistles

Bells and Whistles will welcome movie fans with the red-carpet treatment when it hosts ‘A Big Night at the Oscars’ on Sunday, February 9 starting at 4:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are $10 per person and include free popcorn, a paparazzi-inspired photo shoot upon arrival and a voting ballot listing the nominees in all 24 major categories from Best Picture to Original Song and even Costume Design. The guest with the most correct guesses will win half the pot, with the remainder donated to the BC Hospitality Foundation.

When: Sun. Feb 9 at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Bells and Whistles - 3296 Fraser St, Vancouver

Full Moon Dinner Series at Burdock & Co

Held on full moon evenings throughout the year, each spiritual feast will feature fare inspired by traditional names for monthly moons, and celebrate our gravitational partner while educating guests about earth-friendly biodynamic farming practices and natural wines. Kicking off on Sunday, February 9, Burdock's celestial dinner series doesn't just pay homage to the full moon - it will also treat guests to fascinating facts about the moon of the month. The multi-course menu will be unique to the corresponding moon, though all will incorporate Chef Andrea Carlson's farm-to-table touch - vegetable-forward dishes using fresh local produce, sustainable meats and seafood. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy each dish with carefully curated wine pairings from the eatery's impressive collection of natural wines. February's focus is the Snow Moon, named for the month's typically wintry weather. 

When: Sun. Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Burdock & Co - 2702 Main St, Vancouver

Cost: $149 (plus tax and gratuity) per person. To reserve, contact [email protected]

Savour the Sun Dinner Series at H Tasting Lounge

Held monthly from February to April, Savour the Sun Vancouver will celebrate seasonally-influenced menus centered around the bounty of the Vancouver seafood scene, while showcasing wines from some of British Columbia’s most prestigious winemakers. Each interactive dining experience will be prepared by H Tasting Lounge’s Chef Shaun Maclean and his culinary team, and attended by a winemaker or winery principal who will share the unique story behind the wine. Kicking off the series on February 9, H Tasting Lounge welcomes Neelam Dhaliwal from Kismet Estate Winery. Since establishing themselves as one of the Okanagan Valley’s premier grape growers after immigrating to Canada in the early 1990s, it was a natural transition for the Dhaliwal family to start producing their own wine, opening Kismet (meaning Destiny) in 2013.

When: Sun. Feb. 9. Reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Where: H Tasting Lounge at Westin Bayshore - 1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver

Cost: $114 plus GST & gratuity. Buy tickets online.

Noodle Mania 7

This 7th annual noodle tasting extravaganza is presented by Vancouver Foodster and Tasting Plates. Each restaurant will be serving up Tasting Bowls or Plates for guests to enjoy and you will have a chance to visit many different types of restaurants throughout the event, meet some new food loving friends, meet the chefs, and learn about each of the participating restaurants. Get a taste of all sorts of noodles from chow mein to spaghetti to pho, pad thai, ramen and more. This event was rescheduled from January.

When: Weds. Feb. 12 from 6-10 p.m.

Where: Begin at Silk Road Tea - 2066 West 4th Ave, Vancouver

Cost: $36-60; purchase online

Mensch's Pop-up: The Brunch Edition

Known for their worth-lining-up-for hand-sliced hot pastrami sandwiches, Mensch. Jewish Delicatessen is sliding into the AM territory with their Brunch Edition pop-up. The mouth-watering menu features some seriously tempting fare, inclduing Hot Pastrami Shakshuka on a Latke, Eggs on Lox, and Bubbe’s Sweet Cheesecake Blintzes with fruit jam, as well as midday eats like their Reuben sandwich, egg salad on challah, and - of course! - their classic Hot Pastrami Sandwich. There will be coffee, juice, beer, wine, and pop available, too. Don't oversleep and miss this one!

When: Sun. Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. (while quantities last)

Where: 577 Great Northern Way (Emily Carr University of Art + Design) - Vancouver

Vancouver Chowder Chowdown 2020

This popular event features 13 B.C. chefs who will present their take on the chowder, using sustainable Ocean Wise-approved seafood, alongside craft beer pairings. As a guest, it's your duty to taste them all, then vote on your favourites, to help come up with 2020's winners. Please note, the Chowder Chowdown is a 19+ event only.

When: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 from 7-11 p.m.

Where: Vancouver Aquarium - 845 Avison Way, Vancouver

Cost:  VIP - $95 + tax, Regular - $79+ tax. Buy tickets online here

Vancouver International Wine Festival

This is the big one for wine fans in Metro Vancouver. Featuring an array of terrific programming, from big tastings to smaller workshops, dinners, and other opportunities to taste and discover, the VIWF is the province's premiere wine event. There is a focus on a different region or country every year; the featured region has its own section in the tasting room and offers thematic seminars and food and wine pairings throughout the week - this year it's France.

When: Feb. 22-March 1, 2020

Where: Various venues

L'Abattoir's No. 1 Gaoler's Mews auction for Dinner 18

No. 1 Gaoler’s Mews is an incredibly special and exclusive dinner that finds L'Abattoir's Lee Cooper welcoming guest chefs for an intimate one-night-only dinner. The night is so special that tickets are sold by auction a month ahead, which means if you want to be at March's dinner, you'll have to mark your calendars for Feb. 24-29 to try to get a seat. Edition No. 18 of the dinner series will take place on Friday, March 20th and will feature a collaboration between Chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard of Le Mousso and Le Petit Mousso in Montreal and Chef Lee Cooper.  Le Mousso was ranked #6 on Canada’s 100 Best in 2019 and Mousseau-Rivard himself was awarded Most Innovative Chef at the same time. 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales go towards the BC Hospitality Foundation.

When: Ticket auction Feb. 24-29; more info HERE

Vegan Week

Here in Vancouver it's pretty easy to live that plant-based life, thanks to restaurants that either specialize in vegan eats or the many that offer vegan-friendly dishes.  Now a few of our popular veg-centric eateries have signed on to take part in the city's inaugural Vegan Week. It's an initiative out of Portland, Oregon that aims to get more people out and trying vegan food available across the city. You'll find Vegan Week offerings at Vancouver's Nuba, Beetbox, Tacofino, and Bandidas Taqueria. Details for the dishes and deals at each restaurant is here.

When: Feb. 24-March 1, 2020

Where: Participating restaurants

National Pancake Day at IHOP

The best things in life are free, and pancakes are pretty amazing…so put them together and you have the annual belly-filling fun that is IHOP’s National Pancake Day. Taking place on Tuesday, February 25, customers dining in between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. can get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes at their local IHOP. While you can absolutely enjoy those pancakes at no cost, National Pancake Day is about giving back; guests can make a voluntary donation to benefit their local Children’s Miracle Network member hospital. 

When: Tues. Feb. 25, 2020 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Where: Participating IHOP locations in Metro Vancouver; use their website to find the one nearest you. 

Free poke bowls at Pokey Okey

The popular Richmond poké restaurant Pokey Okey is opening a second location in Burnaby. In order to celebrate the grand opening, they will be giving away free poké bowls to all guests on Feb. 29 and March 1. Guests will be able to select from either The Red Bowl, The Green Bowl or The Yellow Bowl. Pokey Okey Kingsway’s grand opening and free poké event is sure to draw a crowd; it is recommended that guests arrive early to beat the lineup. 

When: Feb. 29 and March 1

Where: Pokey Okey - 4919 Kingsway, Burnaby