5 Best Restaurants in Cambie Corridor, Vancouver

A perennial favorite with locals for special occasions, this restaurant boasts spectacular views overlooking the city and mountains from its perch at the highest point in Queen Elizabeth Park. Service is excellent in the white-tablecloth dining room, and the menu showcases regional West Coast cuisine. Weekend brunch and Sunday night Prime Rib dinner are popular. Valet parking is available for lunch and dinner. Once in the park, follow the signs to the top of the hill to the restaurant.

Hidekazu Tojo is a sushi-making legend in Vancouver, with thousands of special preparations stored in his creative mind. The first to introduce omakase (chef's choice) to Vancouver, he is also the creator of the "Inside out" Tojo Roll, now universally known as the "California Roll." In this bright, modern, high-ceilinged space, complete with a separate sake lounge, the prime perch is at the sushi bar, a ringside seat for watching the creation of edible art. The best way to experience Tojo's creativity is to order omakase. The chef will keep offering you wildly adventurous fare, both raw and cooked, until you're full. Budget a minimum of C$80 per person (before drinks) for five courses. Tabs topping C$120 per person for six courses or more are routine. Cocktail hour runs from 4 to 6 Monday to Saturday.

Long lauded as Vancouver's most innovative Indian restaurant, this dining destination, run by genial proprietor Vikram Vij and his ex-wife Meeru Dhalwala, uses local ingredients to create exciting takes on South Asian cuisine. Dishes such as lamb "popsicles" in a creamy curry or British Columbia rainbow trout in coconut masala served with a wheat berry pilaf are far from traditional—but are beautifully executed. Vikram frequently circulates through the room, which is decorated with nods to India's diverse cultures, greeting guests and suggesting dishes or cocktail pairings. Expect to sip chai or an aperitif in the lounge while waiting for a table if you walk in, or make a reservation—they're now accepted. In the summer, head to the rooftop patio for pre-dinner snacks and a collection of inventive tropical cocktails.

Authentic Northern Chinese dishes are the specialty at this friendly storefront restaurant. Particularly good are the hand-pulled noodles that the cooks knead and stretch in the open kitchen and the popular spicy dan-dan noodles. Vegetarians have plenty of options, including many of the dumplings. Dim sum dishes are also on offer, and the helpful staff is happy to guide you to more authentic Mandarin fare. There is another West Side location at 2394 West 4th Ave. in Kitsilano.

There are always lines out the door at this popular local family-run ice-cream parlor, one of three in the city (the others are on West 4th Avenue in Kits and at UBC—there is also a food truck at English Bay). The dairy products used to create the company's signature Philadelphia-style ice cream, using only 100 percent dairy and no eggs, are locally sourced from a farm in Abbotsford. Perfect for a pitstop—rain or shine.