Best Cheap Eats in Vancouver’s West End

Richie Mogwai September 28, 2009

If you live in Vancouver’s plush West End, which used to be the enclave of the city’s rich and famous, you may want to economize on some aspects of your budget to make up for the cost of your condo or apartment. After all, you’re probably paying an arm and a leg for that sprawling or little place of yours.

The best way of doing this is to economize on your food expenses by frequenting the cheap eats, which, fortunately, can be found even in the West End area.

If you’re new to Vancouver or just visiting, these cheap places to eat can help you as well, budget wise, unless you have way too deep pockets. But even for the taste alone, many of these cheap eats are worth going gaga over. Don’t you just love it? This can be the first time you wouldn’t have to scrutinize the bill, unless you’re wondering why it’s so small.

Before you rush to eat, however, Vancouver’s West End area needs to be laid out perfectly for you. When you say West End, it’s that neighborhood in Vancouver that is adjacent to Stanley Park, west of Burrard Street, east of Denman Street and south of West Georgia Street.

Of course, it’s always a good idea to start from the peripheral of the area, only to swoop in. And what’s near Burrard and Smithe streets? Japadog! No one makes street hotdogs any more as well as these guys do, and neatly, too. But be warned, the line-up at this hotdog stand can be quite long.

Especially recommended is their kurobota or fatty pork sausage, which is worth fighting for with a seagull or a black hawk that might swoop in unannounced. If you’re here just to grab a bite before you head for the airport via the spanking new Canada Line Sky Train, be careful, you might just miss your flight! And don’t forget to try one or two of those special sauces, they are what makes Japadog’s sausages and hotdogs truly delightful, simply a part of this on-the-fly food establishment’s secret or not-so-secret recipe.

Having fun yet? Next stop would be Stepho’s Greek Taverna, at Davie and Robson streets. The calamari dinner here is never second best, never soggy and truly flavorful. Even the Greek salad is so well done, you’ll definitely be back for more. And of course, at the end of your meal, you might think someone forgot to punch in an order or two in your tab. Isn’t that sweet?

Now we head to the Denman area, and you thought you’re having fun already! Lahmajeen, lahmajeen is what you’re likely to hear from satisfied patrons of the Babylon Café. One time, the owner had to take out the machine that flattened the dough for maintenance, and guess what, there was such a huge uproar for two weeks. Of course, the vegetable lahmajeen is back by popular demand, along with the wraps, which have made this café famous.

It’s time to wind down this West End cheap eats search with the Kadoya Japanese Restaurant at 1063 Davie Street. And in case you’re wondering what’s a Japanese restaurant doing in the cheap eats directory, here’s why. Japanese restaurants are always expensive, right? And that’s usually because food preps such as sashimi or sushi are labor intensive, and need to be absolutely fresh, with having to second-guess a big no-no.

So that’s why Kadoya is on the list. The Japanese delights here are certainly not the cheapest, but they should easily be the most cost-effective in the Japanese restaurant hierarchy. There’s really no need to perform a complicated cost-benefit ratio, just follow your taste buds and try the princess roll!

And this concludes a quick roundup of the most incredible cheap eats at Vancouver’s West End. If you have anything to add, just don’t hesitate to leave a comment or two. It’s all good!