The Naam (map, website, 2724 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-738-7151) is one of Vancouver’s oldest vegetarian and natural foods restaurants – my aunt worked there in the 70’s. Open 24 hours, the Naam has great live music in the evenings and is also popular for breakfast and lunch. The dishes are varied with a selection of Enchilada platters, quesadillas, soups, salads, rice bowls, veggie burgers, and noodles.
Pictured below is the enchilada platter I ordered, which is presented in a totally appetizing way that reminds me of a purposeful chaos or even a cacophony of delectable ingredients. Prices at the Naam are quite reasonable with most dishes in the $9 to $15 range.
Enchilada platter from the Naam vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Tempeh Reuben veggie burger platter from the Naam restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada.
Interior of the Naam vegetarian restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada (open 24 hours).
17,448 views - Posted Thursday, November 4th, 2010
The Templeton (web site, map, 1087 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-4612) is one of my favorite places to visit on the Granville Street strip downtown, for healthy nourishing food. The decor is retro with the original furnishings of a 1950’s diner, including juke box controls at every table, swivel bar stools, and lots of stainless steel. The modernized menu is packed with vegetarian options as well as some non-vegetarian choices for those into something a little more meaty.
This area of Granville Street is a colorful mixture of new, high-end restaurants, older greasy spoon places, night clubs with pounding beats, and a couple of remaining sex shops left over from seedier days. The street is in transition with the sidewalk widening almost complete, making it a safer place to walk at night (along with the sometimes rowdy crowds of night-clubbers). It’s only a five minute walk from the upscale Yaletown shopping and restaurant district to the east, and about the same distance to Burrard Street to the west and beyond that the West End residential neighborhood.
Some of my favorite items to order at the Templeton are the Macaroni and Cheese (around $10, served with fresh tomato salsa, three kinds of cheese, and an organic green salad), and the Med Quesadilla (also around $10, made with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, green olives, aged white cheddar, fresh tomato salsa and sour cream). On my last visit however, I had already eaten something substantial earlier in the evening, so opted for the ultra healthy and “good for you” Dinner Salad (around $6.50, pictured below).
The Templeton is one of the few dining spots that is open with full service food late at night in the downtown area. I was there a little after 10:00pm on a Sunday night and they did Last Call for food at around 10:30pm. That’s pretty good for a Sunday. If it’s late and you’re hungry, it’s worth a shot – why not give them a call (604-685-4612) to find out if they’re open? =)
For more photos (and info about their breakfasts) please view Part 3, Part 2, or Part 1.
Dinner Salad from the Templeton on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.
Cafe Crepe (map, 796 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-806-0834) is a restaurant that serves freshly made French style crepes, sandwiches, and Foot Long hot dogs.
The crepes are made in front of you, by smartly dressed chefs, at round grills at the restaurant’s front window. They are made sweet (try chocolate, or apple and cinnamon) or savory (pick from ham, cheese, or a bunch of other ingredients such as mushroom or spinach). Crepes (such as the ones pictured below) cost in the range of $5 to $8 depending on the ingredients. I really like the rich Emmenthal cheese and spongy crepe batter. For the Foot Long hot dog (pictured below, around $5) be sure to try their French mustard and maybe even mayo if you’re a fan.
There are two locations of Cafe Crepe very near to each other on Granville Street downtown. The smaller one (796 Granville, Cafe Crepe “express”) is located next to Future Shop just north of Granville and Robson. The larger one, further down Granville near the Commodore Ballroom (map, 874 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-806-084), has more sit-down tables and even a private room for parties in the back.
Sometimes they get pretty busy and there might be a bit of a wait, especially if you want to eat-in. Take out orders are usually quite fast.
The other locations of Cafe Crepe in Vancouver are:
