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“It's a foodie town”: Anthony Bourdain's favourite Vancouver restaurants

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“It's a foodie town”: Anthony Bourdain's favourite Vancouver restaurants

With the recent release of Tony — Toronto director Matt Johnson's film starring Dominic Sessa, about Anthony Bourdain's time in Provincetown, Massachusetts — we've been reflecting on the late, beloved chef and author. Specifically, on the time Bourdain spent dining around Vancouver.

It's no secret that Bourdain, who is dearly missed, was a huge admirer of Vancouver's incredible food scene.

“It's a restaurant town, it's a foodie town, it's a chef town,” Bourdain remarked in a 2008 episode of No Reservations while visiting Vancouver and the surrounding areas.

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That televised trip aired more than a decade ago, but the late TV host's final book, World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, hit shelves last year and once again shines a spotlight on Vancouver's dining landscape.

The book — co-written and completed by Bourdain's longtime assistant Laurie Woolever — recounts the chef's experiences in our city from that very 2008 episode.

In both the episode and World Travel, Bourdain gives a shout-out to three chefs he nicknamed the “three amigos”: Pino Posteraro, Hidekazu Tojo, and Vikram Vij.

Bourdain visited all three chefs' restaurants, which remain in operation today: the now-closed Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill, Tojo's Restaurant, and Vij's.

Beyond those local staples, Bourdain also made a point of stopping by Japadog, of course.

He memorably described the iconic Vancouver food stand as serving an “indigenous, mutant form of wiener,” adding that it was “where the elite meet to eat.”

You can read more about Bourdain's heartwarming Vancouver dining experiences in World Travel.

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