We recently enjoyed visiting the super walkable city of Vancouver, Washington, and exploring the waterfront, parks, and Fort Vancouver. We also loved checking out a variety of local eateries and breweries.

I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed having these foodie experiences during COVID – I’m so happy we can start safely returning to some of our favorite activities now that we’re vaccinated and the weather is making it easier to enjoy dining al fresco!

We bounced around to several spots I had on my list and ended up making note of many more we weren’t able to squeeze into such a short weekend. If you’re looking for recommendations on places to eat or drink in Vancouver, Washington, here are my thoughts on the ones we ended up checking out.

Breakfast

We only had time for one sit-down breakfast, and I think we made the absolute correct decision in choosing to have that moment at Syrup Trap. This spot specializes in liége waffles. What are they?

Liége waffles (pronounced LEE-AGE) are yeast-leavened dough waffles featuring chunks of Belgian pearl sugar which caramelize on the outside when baked. Maple syrup is not needed but can be added.

https://syruptrap.square.site/

There were a variety of savory and sweet topping options, and we went for one of each – the Swanson Sammy (waffle sandwich with havarti, sausage, fried egg, and bacon) for Brian, and the Second Breakfast (prosciutto, brie, D’Anjou pear) for me. YUM!

The outdoor seating was lovely. Highly recommend!

Other spots:
If you are looking for a quick stop, I had a great latte at Compass Coffee one morning, and we enjoyed the apple filling-stuffed apple fritter at the Donut Nook just outside of town.

Lunch/Dinner/Dessert

After a long morning of walking around we opted for a late lunch at Nom Nom Restaurant and Grill. This spot also has a nice outdoor space with big umbrellas to fend off the sun.

We ordered the highly recommended Nem Kao as well as the crab fried rice – SO. GOOD. Did we need both of these things? No – the portions are huge. We ended up taking the leftovers to our AirBnB and enjoying them again for dinner. If you can only get one thing, get the Nem Kao. You won’t regret it.

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Other spots:
We had to check out Ice Cream Renaissance, the local ice cream shop. I love that they have ‘Officer’s Row’ samplers where you can pick 3, 5 or 7 golf ball sized servings to taste different flavors. I opted for some of their current specials – the churro, Skor, and chocolate potato chip – and Brian tried their non-dairy flavors and a slice of cherry pie to go. All tasty!

Drinks

The one thing Vancouver does not lack is local breweries – I counted 10 within a brief walking distance of our AirBnB!

While we did check out a couple breweries, I was most intrigued by The Grocery Cocktail and Social, a cute cocktail spot with indoor and outdoor seating. We would have preferred to have been outside but all of the seats were taken – this was a popular place!

We grabbed a relatively isolated spot inside where we could see the bar and enjoyed a spicy paloma, an old fashioned, and lamb corndogs. The corndogs were very tasty although nothing like a regular corndog (good for me, a little disappointing for Brian). If you’re looking for some apps and drinks, I’d definitely recommend checking this place out.

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We tried several breweries during our weekend and my favorite was Trap Door Brewing, which was a short walk from our AirBnB. This spot has shaded outdoor seating and food trucks – win-win!

We shared a beer sampler from the brewery and an AMAZING bowl of nachos from one of the food trucks. Delicious. The staff seemed a little out of sorts/the service wasn’t exceptional, but the drinks/food/atmosphere made up for it.

Other spots:
We briefly popped in Loowit Brewing Company but were bummed to learn they weren’t doing samplers. We were not super impressed with the drinks we picked or the scorching hot patio, but Brian was excited they were giving away old bottle labels as free stickers.

We also popped in Heathen Brewing Feral Public House, which was ok – it was a little too busy/rushed for our weekend vibe and the beer sampler selection was overwhelming. On a positive note, their Herbery Fries (fries tossed in fresh rosemary, parsley, asiago cheese, and truffle salt) served with bleu cheese fondue were exceptional.

It was an awesome weekend getaway filled with amazing foods, and I hope we can stop at a few of the other places on my list the next time we’re in the area!