From the best place to buy a bridal gown to the city's top spots for a burger or brews, over the past few weeks, Vancouver Is Awesome readers had the chance to cast their votes in our annual readers' choice awards.
Showcasing the most awesome businesses and services the city has to offer, V.I.A.'s Stars of Vancouver is our chance to put the spotlight on everything that makes our city shine.
This year, V.I.A.'s Stars of Vancouver had a record number of votes cast in a broad range of categories. You let us know your favourite neighbourhood (Kitsilano), your go-to for Greek food (The Greek), and where you like to stroll on a rainy day (Granville Island). You've given us the scoop on who's got the best scoops (Earnest Ice Cream) and super spin classes (Spin Studio) and so many more, from wellness to public art to pet care.
All of these were nominated and voted on by our readers, so this truly reflects what locals love most in Vancouver. Thank you so much for taking the time to cast your ballots.
We hope you can continue to support these truly awesome Vancouver businesses.
Lindsay William-Ross
Editor-in-Chief, Vancouver Is Awesome
2024 WINNERS
EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ART GALLERY
1. Vancouver Art Gallery
2. Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
3. Hill's Native Art Gallery
DANCE STUDIO
1. Harbour Dance Centre
2. iDance Vancouver
3. Goh Ballet
NEIGHBOURHOOD
1. Kitsilano
2. Commercial Drive
3. Yaletown
PERFORMING ART VENUE
1. Queen Elizabeth Theatre
2. The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
3. Pal Studio Theatre
TOURIST ATTRACTION
1. Stanley Park
2. Granville Island
3. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
PUBLIC ART
1. Vancouver Olympic Cauldron
2. A-maze-ing Laughter
3. The #Kitswing Mural
BEST TV SERIES
1. Poker Face
2. Riverdale
3. Ted Lasso / Succession (tie)
FOOD & DRINK
BAKERY
1. Purebread
2. Breka Bakery & Café
3. COBS Bread
BRUNCH
1. Medina Cafe
2. Yolks
3. Jam Cafe
BURGER
1. Burger Heaven
2. Romer's Burger Bar
3. Vera's Burger Shack
CHINESE RESTAURANT
1. Peaceful Restaurant
2. Sandy La Chinese Restaurant
3. Szechuan Chili Restaurant
COFFEE SHOP
1.JJ Bean Coffee Roasters
2. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters
3. Bean Around the World Coffees
CRAFT BREWERY
1. Yellow Dog Brewing
2. 33 Acres Brewing Company
3. Granville Island Brewing
DESSERT
1. Thierry Chocolates
2. True Confections
3. Thomas Haas
FINE DINING
1. Five Sails Restaurant
2. Hawksworth Restaurant
3. Seasons in the Park
FOOD DELIVERY SERVICE
1. DoorDash
2. Uber Eats
3. SkipTheDishes
FOOD TRUCK
1. Japadog
2. Chickpea
3. Tacofino
GREEK RESTAURANT
1. The Greek by Anatoli
2. Stepho's Souvlaki Greek Taverna
3. Maria's Taverna
ICE CREAM/GELATO
1. Earnest Ice Cream
2. Rain or Shine Ice Cream
3. Dolce Amore
INDIAN/ SOUTH ASIAN RESTAURANT
1. Sula Indian Restaurant
2. Vij's
3. Agra Tandoori Restaurant
ITALIAN RESTAURANT
1. Ask for Luigi
2. Pepino's
3. Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill
JAPANESE RESTAURANT
1. Applause Sushi
2. Miku
3. Minami
KOREAN BBQ RESTAURANT
1. Kook Korean BBQ
2. Chosun Korean BBQ
3. SURA Korean BBQ
LATE NIGHT EATS
1. Denny's
2. Lucy's Eastside Diner
3. McDonald's
MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT
1. East is East
2. Nuba
3. Jamjar Canteen
NEWER RESTAURANT
1. Alimentaria Mexicana and Chupito (tied)
2. Giovane Caffè
PATIO
1. Joe Fortes
2. Tap & Barrel
3. Mahony's Tavern
PIZZA
1. Via Tevere Pizzeria
2. Pizza Garden
3. La Ruota Pizzeria
SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
1. Joe Fortes
2. Rodney's Oyster House
3. Blue Water Cafe
SPANISH/ TAPA RESTAURANT
1. Bodega on Main and Como Taperia (tied)
2. España Restaurant
SPORTS BAR
1. Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill
2. Boston Pizza
3. Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery
MEXICAN RESTAURANT
1. Tacofino
2. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop
3. Sal y Limon
THAI RESTAURANT
1. Bob Likes Thai Food
2. Thai Away
3. Sala Thai
VEGAN RESTAURANT
1. MeeT
2. Chickpea
3. Chau
VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
1. Heirloom
2. MeeT
3. Chickpea
LIFESTYLE & SERVICES
APPAREL
1. Lululemon Athletica
2. Aritzia
3. Eddie Bauer
ARTS & CRAFT SUPPLIES
1. Michaels
2. Opus Art Supplies
3. Urban Source
AUTO REPAIR
1. M & N Auto Repairs
2. Tremblay Motors
3. Canadian Tire
BABY/CHILDREN'S STORE
1. West Coast Kids
2. Babes on Fourth
3. Toys"R"Us
BARBERSHOP
1. Big Bro's Barbershop
2. TopGun Barber
3. The Barbershop
BIKE SHOP
1. Reckless Bike Stores
2. West Point Cycles
3. Ride on Bike Shop
BRIDAL STORE
1. Bisou Bridal
2. Luxx Nova Bridal Boutique
3. Everly Bridal
BUTCHER
1. Columbus Meat Market
2. Windsor Meats
3. Rio Friendly Meats
CAR DEALER
1. Brian Jessel BMW
2. Open Road
3. Regency Toyota
CAR SHARE
1. Evo Car Share
2. Zerocar
3. Modo
CAR WASH
1. Shine Auto Wash
2. Shell
3. M & J Car Wash
CATERER
1. Emelle's Catering
2. Savoury City Catering
3. The Lazy Gourmet
CHARITY
1. BC SPCA
2. BC Children's Hospital Foundation
3. Terry Fox
CONTINUING STUDIES INSTITUTION
1. BCIT
2. Langara College
3. UBC
COOKING CLASSES
1. Dirty Apron
2. Vancouver Community College
3. The Gourmet Warehouse
DRY CLEANER
1. Fletchers Fabricare Dry Cleaners
2. Busy Bee Gold
3. A Star
EYEWEAR STORE
1. Hi-Care Vision Centre
2. Bailey Nelson
3. Della Optique
FLORIST
1. The Flower Factory
2. Queen Bee
3. Celsia Florist
FUNERAL HOME
1. Kearney Funeral Services
2. Mount Pleasant Universal Funeral Home
3. Amherst Funeral and Cremation Services
FURNITURE AND DECOR STORE
1. Ikea
2. Structube
3. Parliament Interiors
GARDEN STORE
1. Hunters Garden Centre
2. Southlands Nursery
3. Figaro's Garden
GIFT SHOP
1. Giving Gifts
2. Pacific Arts Market
3. Make Vancouver
GROCERY STORE
1. T&T
2. Safeway
3. Save On Foods
HAIR SALON
1. East Vanity Parlour
2. Chura Hair Salon
3. Suki's
HARDWARE STORE
1. Rona
2. Home Hardware
3. Home Depot
HEARING CLINIC
1. NexGen Hearing
2. Connect Hearing
2. Vancouver Hearing Centre
HOME APPLIANCE STORE
1. Trail Appliances
2. Home Depot
3. Forum Home Appliances
HOME RENOVATIONS
1. Home Depot
2. Garage Door Depot
3. Lower Coast Building Group
INSURANCE
1. BCAA David
2. Jack Chow Insurance
3. Westland Insurance
JEWELERS
1. Tiffany & Co.
2. Birks
3. Blue Ruby
KITCHENWARE STORE
1. Ming Wo
2. The Gourmet Warehouse
3. Forum Home Appliances
LANDSCAPING
1. Hyland Landscapes
2. Elemental Garden
3. Sprout Landscapes
LASER AND SKIN CLINIC
1. Arbutus Laser Centre
2. Skin Technique
3. Arion Skin Laser Clinic
LAWYER
1. Russell G. Lew
2. Krista Simon
3. Taylor and Blair LLP
LIQUOR/ WINE STORE
1. BC Liquor Stores
2. Legacy Liquor Store
3. Liberty Wine Merchants
MEAL KIT DELIVERY
1. Fresh Prep
2. HelloFresh
3. Goodfood
MORTGAGE BROKER
1. Birgit Christina Holm
2. Silver Hill Mortgage Corp.
3. Pinsky Mortgages
NAIL SALON
1. Joyride Beauty
2. Pure Nail Bar
3. Modern Nails
OIL CHANGE
1. Mr. Lube Bryce
2. Mobil 1 Lube Express (Langley)
3. Jiffy Lube
PET STORE
1. Bosley's
2. PetSmart
3. Tisol
PLUMBER
1. Papa Plumbing Heating & Draining
2. Canada West
3. MIlani Plumbing
PRE SCHOOL DAYCARE
1. Pebbles and Piaget
2. Little People's Community Preschool
3. Kiddy Junction Academy
PRIVATE SCHOOL
1. Crofton House
2. York House School
3. St. George's School
REALTOR
1. Rod Chow
2. Michelle Yu
3. Paul Toffoli
ROOF SERVICE
1. Marine Roofing (Burnaby)
2. Robinson Roofing (PoCo)
3. EnviroClean Industries
SENIORS CARE SUPPORT SERVICES
1. Qualicare
2. Nurse Next Door
3. Sunrise Senior Living
SENIORS RESIDENCE
1. Sunrise Senior Living
2. Blenheim Manor
3. Louis Brier
SHOE STORE
1. Gravitypope
2. Browns
3. Private & Co.
SHOPPING CENTRE
1. CF Pacific Centre
2. City Square
3. Kingsgate Mall
SPA
1. Spa Utopia
2. Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Pacific Rim
3. Sabai Thai Spa
SPECIALTY GROCERY STORE
1. T&T
2. Greens Market
3. Whole Foods Market
TOY STORE
1. Toys“R”Us
2. The Granville Island Toy Company
3. Kaboodles Toy Store
TRAVEL AGENCY
1. Travel Best Bets
2. Expedia Cruises Center
3. Canada Revealed
VETERINARIAN
1. Atlas Animal Hospital
2. Yaletown Pet Hospital
3. West Boulevard Veterinary Clinic
VINTAGE/ CONSIGNMENT STORE
1. Value Village
2. Front and Company
3. Turnabout
WEDDING VENUE
1. Brock House Restaurant
2. Heritage Hall
3. Stanley Park
HEALTH & WELLNESS
ACUPUNCTURE
1. Jenny Abel Acupuncture
2. Acupoint Wellness Centre
3. Main Acupuncture Clinic
FITNESS STORE
1. Fitness Town
2. PowerBlock
3. Peloton
CHIROPRACTOR
1. Dr. Bradley Yee - C.A.R.E. Clinic
2. Kingsway Spine & Muscle
3. The Powerhouse Chiropractic
DENTIST
1. Dr. Harry Sangha Dentistry
2. Broadway Dental
3. Kingsgate Dental
DENTURE CLINIC
1. Northwest Denture Clinic
2. Inspire Dental Group
3. Kerrisdale Denture Clinic
FERTILITY CLINIC
1. Dr. Elena Fenske
2. Olive Fertility Centre
3. Grace Fertility Centre
GROUP FITNESS STUDIO
1. Rumble Boxing Studio
2. Studeo
3. Pure Barre
HEALTH & FITNESS CENTRE
1. YMCA
2. Anytime Fitness
3. Fitness World
HEALTH & WELLNESS STORE
1. Body Energy Club
2. Finlandia Natural Pharmacy
3. Alive Health Centre
LASER EYE CLINIC
1. Pacific Laser Eye Centre
2. Lasik MD
3. BoydVision Centre
MASSAGE THERAPY
1. Nicole Scott
2. Spa Utopia
3. Evolve Vancouver RMT
NATUROPATHIC CLINIC
1. Dr. Vanessa Lindsay
2. Vancouver Naturopathic Clinic
3. Cross Roads Clinics
NUTRITIONIST
1. Adrienne Ngai
2. Jordan Bruce Nutrition
3. Nourish
OPTOMETRIST
1. Hi-Care Vision Centre
2. Della Optique
3. Mount Pleasant Optometry Centre
PERSONAL TRAINER
1. Precision Athletics
2. Kalev Fitness Solution
3. Turnfit Personal Trainers
PHYSIOTHERAPIST
1. Tall Tree Integrated Health
2. Total Therapy
3. Kelvin Physiotherapy Clinic
SPIN STUDIO
1. Spin Society
2. Cadence Cycling and Movement Fitness Studio
3. Method Indoor Cycling
YOGA STUDIO
1. YYOGA
2. Oxygen Yoga & Fitness
3. Open Door Yoga
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
URBAN HIKE
1. The Seawall
2. Stanley Park
3. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
BEACH
1. Kitsilano Beach
2. Stanley Park
3. Spanish Banks Beach
PUBLIC GARDEN
1. Queen Elizabeth Park
2. VanDusen Botanical Garden
3. Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden
OFF-LEASH DOG PARK
1. Spanish Banks Beach Park
2. Trout Lake Park
3. Queen Elizabeth Park
BIKE TRAIL
1. Stanley Park
2. Arbutus Greenway Park
3. The Seawall
RUNNING TRAIL
1. The Seawall
2. Stanley Park
3. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
PLACES
BEST OUTDOOR PLACE ON A RAINY DAY
1. Granville Island
2. Stanley Park
3. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE
1. Stanley Park
2. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
3. The Seawall
FAMILY OUTING
1. Pacific National Exhibition
2. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
3. Science World
DOG WALK
1. The Seawall
2. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
3. Spanish Banks
STAYCATIONS
BEST HOTEL
1. The Westin Bayshore
2. Sylvia Hotel
3. Stanley Park
FAVOURITE SKI HILL
1. Mount Seymour
2. Cypress Mountain
3. Whistler Blackcomb
