Granville Island Market Walking Tour
Granville Island Market Walking Tour
Granville Island's Public Market is Vancouver's most famous food market, for good reason. Home to over 100 vendors, this packed-to-the-rafters market offers the best, fresh seafood, produce, meats, sweets, and European specialty foods in the city.
Located on Granville Island, a small island on False Creek facing downtown Vancouver, the Public Market--along with the entire island--receives over 10 million visitors a year.
Both the island and the market are popular tourist destinations, but they're equally loved--and patronized--by locals.
Whether you're a chef, an amateur chef or just an every-day food lover, the market is an oasis of epicurean delight--and a great place to eat lunch or pick up dinner.
Granville Island Market is open 7 days a week, from 9 am - 7 pm.
Map to Granville Island
See also: Five Favourite Foods at the Granville Island Market
Step Throughthe Main Entrance - Sunlight Farms Produce
When you step through the market's main entrance the first thing you notice is the amazing sights and smells of Sunlight Farms fresh produce. Piled high in a gorgeous array of colors, this is just one of many fresh produce vendors inside the market.
Produce is often locally grown, so availability depends on the season. But then that's half the fun: seeing what's new for that time of year.
Tip: Make sure to bring cash to the market (though there is an ATM there)--many vendors, including Sunlight Farms, are cash-only.
Stuart's Bakery - Pastries and Breads
When you've passed Sunlight Farms, take the first right and you'll find yourself in front of Stuart's Bakery.
With fresh bread, pastries, cakes and tarts, this bakery has something for the sweet-tooth in everyone. Chocoholic? Try the New York Chocolate Cheesecake. (But bring water--it is rich.) Love French Pastries? The eclairs are the best in the region.
More Stuart's Bakery - Sweets
This is just another picture from Stuart's Bakery because, well, yum!
A la Mode Pot Pies
Continue straight from the bakery, past the specialty tea shops and herb vendors, and you'll eventually arrive at A la Mode, a pie vendor with sweet and savory pies on hand.
This lunch or dinner favourite--which can be eaten in the seating area just in front or outdoors on a sunny day--has an array of homemade pot pies, including Clam Chowder Pot Pie, the veggie Mushroom Pot Pie, and the very English Shepherd's Pie.
Stock Market Soups
With your back to A la Mode you'll find The Stock Market on your left. This little soup vendor has hot soup-of-the-days as well as a wall of pre-packaged soups and sauces to take home.
Zara's Italian Deli
Take the first left after The Stock Market and you'll eventually find Zara's Italian Deli on your left.
This Italian specialty foods shop is much more than a deli: there are fabulous pastas to take home and prepare, 15 types of olives--including provolone-stuffed, Sicillian, and Spicy Morrocan--feta-stuffed peppers and marinated artichoke hearts.
Oyama Sausage - Sausage, Pate, and Cheeses
From Zara's, continue along the aisle then turn right at Dussa's Ham and Cheese. There, in front of you, is my personal favourite: Oyama Sausage.
This locally-owned gem has the look of an old-world sausage shop full of hand-made sausages of all kinds, from prosciutto-style meats to chorizos. But it's the wide range of pâtés and terrines--the Terrine Landaise is sublime--that make this must-stop shopping for me.
If you've never had a terrine before, you must try it. Thicker and more crumbly that the smooth pâtés, terraines are so old-world French they seem like a true delicacy in Vancouver.
Tip: Buy French bread to go with your pâté at La Baguette, the French bakery outside the market and across the street from Oyama Sausage.
Walk straight forward from Oyama Sausages pâtés and you'll find yourself at the back of the market and in front of Longliner Seafood.
Of the many fresh seafood vendors, I like this one the best. They have a nice selection of fresh, seasonal fish and often the best prices in the market. Plus, they're very gracious with untalented cooks, like myself. The first time I bought--and cooked--sablefish, they gave me great tips on preparing it with citrus fruits.
Take all your goodies--except the raw ones you bought to prepare at home--and eat. Walk from Long Line Seafood through the food court--in case you haven't got enough to eat, you'll find prepared Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Sushi, crepes and more in this section--and have a seat at one of the indoor tables facing the water or, if it's a beautiful day, take your bounty outside.
And enjoy.
Granville Island's Public Market is Vancouver's most famous food market, for good reason. Home to over 100 vendors, this packed-to-the-rafters market offers the best, fresh seafood, produce, meats, sweets, and European specialty foods in the city.
Located on Granville Island, a small island on False Creek facing downtown Vancouver, the Public Market--along with the entire island--receives over 10 million visitors a year.
Both the island and the market are popular tourist destinations, but they're equally loved--and patronized--by locals.
Whether you're a chef, an amateur chef or just an every-day food lover, the market is an oasis of epicurean delight--and a great place to eat lunch or pick up dinner.
Granville Island Market is open 7 days a week, from 9 am - 7 pm.
Map to Granville Island
See also: Five Favourite Foods at the Granville Island Market
Step Throughthe Main Entrance - Sunlight Farms Produce
When you step through the market's main entrance the first thing you notice is the amazing sights and smells of Sunlight Farms fresh produce. Piled high in a gorgeous array of colors, this is just one of many fresh produce vendors inside the market.
Produce is often locally grown, so availability depends on the season. But then that's half the fun: seeing what's new for that time of year.
Tip: Make sure to bring cash to the market (though there is an ATM there)--many vendors, including Sunlight Farms, are cash-only.
Stuart's Bakery - Pastries and Breads
When you've passed Sunlight Farms, take the first right and you'll find yourself in front of Stuart's Bakery.
With fresh bread, pastries, cakes and tarts, this bakery has something for the sweet-tooth in everyone. Chocoholic? Try the New York Chocolate Cheesecake. (But bring water--it is rich.) Love French Pastries? The eclairs are the best in the region.
More Stuart's Bakery - Sweets
This is just another picture from Stuart's Bakery because, well, yum!
A la Mode Pot Pies
Continue straight from the bakery, past the specialty tea shops and herb vendors, and you'll eventually arrive at A la Mode, a pie vendor with sweet and savory pies on hand.
This lunch or dinner favourite--which can be eaten in the seating area just in front or outdoors on a sunny day--has an array of homemade pot pies, including Clam Chowder Pot Pie, the veggie Mushroom Pot Pie, and the very English Shepherd's Pie.
Stock Market Soups
With your back to A la Mode you'll find The Stock Market on your left. This little soup vendor has hot soup-of-the-days as well as a wall of pre-packaged soups and sauces to take home.
Zara's Italian Deli
Take the first left after The Stock Market and you'll eventually find Zara's Italian Deli on your left.
This Italian specialty foods shop is much more than a deli: there are fabulous pastas to take home and prepare, 15 types of olives--including provolone-stuffed, Sicillian, and Spicy Morrocan--feta-stuffed peppers and marinated artichoke hearts.
Oyama Sausage - Sausage, Pate, and Cheeses
From Zara's, continue along the aisle then turn right at Dussa's Ham and Cheese. There, in front of you, is my personal favourite: Oyama Sausage.
This locally-owned gem has the look of an old-world sausage shop full of hand-made sausages of all kinds, from prosciutto-style meats to chorizos. But it's the wide range of pâtés and terrines--the Terrine Landaise is sublime--that make this must-stop shopping for me.
If you've never had a terrine before, you must try it. Thicker and more crumbly that the smooth pâtés, terraines are so old-world French they seem like a true delicacy in Vancouver.
Tip: Buy French bread to go with your pâté at La Baguette, the French bakery outside the market and across the street from Oyama Sausage.
Walk straight forward from Oyama Sausages pâtés and you'll find yourself at the back of the market and in front of Longliner Seafood.
Of the many fresh seafood vendors, I like this one the best. They have a nice selection of fresh, seasonal fish and often the best prices in the market. Plus, they're very gracious with untalented cooks, like myself. The first time I bought--and cooked--sablefish, they gave me great tips on preparing it with citrus fruits.
Take all your goodies--except the raw ones you bought to prepare at home--and eat. Walk from Long Line Seafood through the food court--in case you haven't got enough to eat, you'll find prepared Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Sushi, crepes and more in this section--and have a seat at one of the indoor tables facing the water or, if it's a beautiful day, take your bounty outside.
And enjoy.