Bleu Door Bakery
Opened in 2011 by Bonnie Brasure, Bleu Door Bakery — inspired by cute bakeries in France — is a charming space featuring an array of sweet and savory food. Using the best ingredients procured from local sources, the baked goods are made from scratch daily in small batches ensuring top quality products. Must-try baked goods include a variety of breads, cookies, croissants, sweet breads, scones and biscuits to name but a few. They also sell brownies – their signature item – in eight delectable flavors. All of these are a chewy brownie with a truffle inside and layered with flavored cream cheese before being covered in Belgian ganache. For those seeking something savory, Bleu Door offers a variety of cold and hot sandwiches and a range of soups.
Bleu Door Bakery, 2413 Main St., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 693 2538
The Grant House
Located on Officers Row in Vancouver’s National Historic Reserve, The Grant House is a restaurant tucked in a historic house named after Ulysses S Grant. Open for lunch and dinner, this restaurant specializes in contemporary American cuisine made with the freshest ingredients the Northwest has to offer. Within a charming interior, outdoor patio or veranda, diners can chose from a host of seasonal dishes, including vegetarian and gluten-free fare. Autumn items to note are the pork loin schnitzel served with roasted potatoes and arugula, Brussel sprouts and mustard demi-glace and the beet risotto topped with goat’a cheese, oven-roasted cauliflower and beets. The restaurant also hosts live musical performances, adding to the festive ambiance.
The Grant House, 1101 Officers Row, Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 906 1101
Hudson’s Bar & Grill
Inside the Heathman Lodge, Hudson’s Bar and Grill serves up Northwest comfort cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus weekend brunch. An inviting and rustic environment, complete with a fireplace, lofty ceilings and native artworks, awaits guests seeking to try delicious seasonal dishes made with the freshest ingredients, including organics, procured from local purveyors. Executive chef Ray Delgado and his team create enticing dishes, such as porcini-crusted scallops with roasted cauliflower, spiced yams, beech mushrooms and bacon vinaigrette and New York steak accompanied by sherry creamed red potatoes, artichoke, tomato and herb salad and port wine sauce. Live music permeates the air several nights a week, adding more to the already great ambiance.
Hudson’s Bar & Grill, Greenwood Dr., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 816 6100
Low Bar
Established in 2012, Low Bar is a downtown bar featuring an array of classic cocktails, local and national craft beers and comfort dishes. Making everything from scratch using the freshest, local and natural ingredients available, Low Bar offers guests a choice of lunch or dinner every day of the week within a casual and eclectic space. With dishes for both carnivores and herbivores, highlights include house-baked biscuits with sausage, vegetarian, or daily gravy accompanied by home fries and the Low Bar burger topped with house pickles, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato and house onions on a freshly baked bun served with Jo-Jo potatoes. They also offer scrumptious baked goods made on-site, including bread pudding and pie.
Low Bar, 809 Washington St., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 718 8378
Niche Wine & Art
In the historic downtown area, Niche Wine and Art is a multifaceted venue featuring wine, tasty New American cuisine, live music, poetry readings and other entertainment. Situated in a rustic building with original concrete walls stained with color, the venue offers more than 130 wines by the bottle and 30 by the glass plus lunch items weekdays and dinner from Monday to Saturday. Guests have an assortment of food to choose from, including seasonal dishes, international cheeses and sweet treats. Past dishes included chicken and dumplings soup; the seasonal salad with rosemary saddleback potatoes and buttermilk blue cheese dressing and the seasonal sandwich with red wine braised cabbage, caramelized leeks, carrots and goat’s cheese.
Niche Wine & Art, 1013 Main St., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 980 8352
Petra House
Following his dream, Issac Dakar opened Petra House, a restaurant specializing in flavorful, traditional Mediterranean cuisine. Petra House has a warm and beautiful interior adorned with rich fabrics and decorative items, making guests feel as though they’ve been transported to another place, where they can participate in not only a culinary experience but a cultural one as well. The menu features family recipes made with the best ingredients, including halal and kosher meats. Notable highlights include the national dish of Jordan called mansaf (served on Saturdays only), which is lamb cooked in a yogurt sauce and served with rice, and mujaddara or lentil and rice casserole with roasted onions served with Petra salad or plain yogurt. For an authentic dining experience, sit at the floor-style seating areas.
Petra House, NE 162nd Ave., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 718 7182
Taste of Sichuan
A newer establishment on Vancouver’s culinary scene, Taste of Sichuan, as the name suggests, features Sichuan cuisine in a friendly environment. Noted for its richness of flavor and spiciness, Sichuan cuisine is also influenced by Indian fare. Dishes are often cooked by steaming, stir-frying, or dry braising. Within a large, warm interior, complete with large windows that allow natural light to flow through, diners can savor a host of delicacies, including authentic items often only found in China. Popular choices are Sichuan bean jelly – strips of Mung Bean jelly served in a garlic-chili sauce – and three kinds of mushrooms with Chinese broccoli.
Taste of Sichuan, 164th Ave., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 503 629 7001
Thai Terrace Restaurant
Specializing in authentic Thai cuisine, Thai Terrace Restaurant is a welcoming place, sure to tickle even the most discerning of taste buds. Within a relaxing environment decorated with rich woods, diners can choose family-style dishes from starters, soups, salads and noodles to house specials and so much more. These are all made with the freshest ingredients available. A delicious meal can begin with vegetable tempura served with sweet and sour sauce and Tom Yum soup followed by the house special of crispy halibut with ginger, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers and a side of Thai fried rice.
Thai Terrace Restaurant, 700 SE Chkalov Dr., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 256 8424
Tommy O’s
Owned by Tommy Owens, the eponymous Tommy O’s is an exotic delight, specializing in the flavors of the Pacific Rim. The popular downtown venue features a warm interior with tropical decor making for a relaxing environment. Procuring the freshest ingredients from local sources when available, the culinary team has created lunch, dinner and weekend brunch menus packed full of flavor. There are also options for vegetarian and gluten-free guests. Notable highlights include the Hawaiian macadamia nut-crusted halibut topped with coconut butter and the paniolo steak, which is a charbroiled eight ounce choice flat iron steak with a Kona coffee rub and finished with an island mojo demi-glace. Sushi, desserts and plenty of libations are also available.
Tommy O’s, 801 Washington St., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 694 5107
Willem’s on Main
Established in 2013 by Chef Willem Paul Klitsie, Willem’s on Main is a neighborhood restaurant featuring rustic cuisine inspired by the bounty of the Northwest. It is located in the heart of historic downtown in a 1930s building and has a warm and eclectic interior, complete with wooden tables in the natural shape of tree stumps, salvaged theatre seating and modern furnishings. The pan-seared Draper Valley chicken breast with prosciutto and mushroom jus and the speatzli with garlic, roasted butternut squash, hazelnuts, white wine and cream are two highlights that have the locals queueing round the block. In addition to dinner, this place is also open for lunch and weekend brunch.
Willem’s on Main, 907 Main St., Vancouver, WA, USA, +1 360 258 0989