Where to Take a Visiting Colleague to Eat in Downtown Vancouver

🌎 Food Tour At a Glance

☕ Cafes:	Nemesis Coffee, Brazilliant, lovelarte, Bahar Bakery & Coffee
🍲 Eats:	Japadog, New Town Bakery, JINYA Ramen Bar, Jerusalem Shawarma, La Belle Patate, Jollibee
⭐ Highlight:	Getting the official stamp of approval on local Pão de Queijo from a Brazilian native!

Happy Friday! This past work week was different from our usual routine. We had a colleague visiting the Vancouver office all the way from our Melbourne, Australia office! He is originally from Brazil, and the main anchor for his big North American trip was heading to the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE to catch the opening match of the World Cup before traveling to LA, Philadelphia, New York, and Miami to watch Brazil in action.

Naturally, I took it upon myself to curate a jam-packed food itinerary for his week in the city. While I did not manage to snap a photo of literally everything we ate, the culinary journey was too much fun not to write about.

Monday: A Classic Vancouver Welcome

After he arrived on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, we kicked off the work week bright and early on Monday with a breakfast meet-up at one of Vancouver's absolute finest: Nemesis Coffee. I ordered my usual comforting go-to, an unsweetened matcha latte with oat milk, paired with a perfectly flaky, golden butter croissant.

The perfect Monday fuel at Nemesis Coffee.

For lunch, we walked along Robson Street while I brainstormed options, and the moment I spotted the iconic Japadog store, I knew we had to stop. He was completely amused and fascinated by the concept. He actually shared with me that Brazil has its own legendary hot dog culture filled with heavy, creative toppings!

Funnily enough, later in the week he sent me a message saying that he and his wife ended up going right back to Japadog. A friend of his wife's had messaged her saying, "Oh you are in Vancouver, you should try Japadog!" and he was able to proudly say, "I literally just had lunch there today!"

A Vancouver staple: The loaded avocado hot dog from Japadog

Tuesday: Cozy Rainy-Day Comforts

Tuesday brought a bit of typical West Coast drizzle, but that was not about to stop us. For a morning snack, I grabbed some warm steamed buns from New Town Bakery. It brought back fond memories because these buns are our staple corporate comfort food whenever our team celebrates a Lunar New Year "brinner." Later on, we headed to JINYA Ramen Bar for lunch. The ramen I tried there was so incredibly good that it absolutely deserves its own separate review post.

Wednesday: A Taste of Home and Beyond

On Wednesday morning, we took a purposeful walk over to Brazilliant café & catering inc. on Seymour Street. I was on a mission. I desperately wanted him to give his expert evaluation on whether our local version of Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) lived up to the real deal back home. To my absolute delight, it got his official stamp of approval!

Authentic and approved: Crispy, chewy Pão de Queijo from Brazilliant

During our chats, he mentioned that Brazil actually hosts a massive Lebanese diaspora. Inspired by that connection, we decided to introduce him to some Middle Eastern flavours for lunch and brought him to Jerusalem Shawarma for a vibrant, spiced meal.

Thursday: Pastries, Real Poutine, and Football Fever

Thursday morning started with a sweet treat as I picked up some of the incredible pistachio rolls from my absolute favourite local spot, Bahar Bakery & Cafe.

For our company-paid team lunch, we knew we had to introduce him to a true, authentic Canadian icon: Québécois poutine. We ordered delivery from none other than the best in town, La Belle Patate. He loved it and even noted that it was miles ahead of the fries and gravy he had tried the previous evening at Five Guys!

That afternoon, the real excitement kicked off. We headed over to the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE. It was the very first day of the World Cup, and the atmosphere was electric.

Friday: Warm Traditions and Global Cravings

For his final day in the office, we wrapped up our mornings at lovelarte. It is a sentimental spot for me, as a former colleague and I used to love grabbing our coffees there and would frequently hold our team 1:1 meetings at their cozy tables.

To finish the week, lunch was a mandatory destination. Our fellow Filipino colleagues over in the Melbourne office had explicitly demanded and requested that I absolutely must take him to Jollibee. We placed our orders, and he ended up absolutely falling in love with the iconic, sweet Peach Mango Pie!

It was a whirlwind week of cross-cultural sharing, full bellies, and great company. Showing someone around your city through food reminds you just how lucky we are to have such a diverse culinary landscape right here in Vancouver.

If you had to pick just one meal to represent your city to an international visitor, what would it be? Let me know your top picks in the comments below!