Welcome to Deep Cove
Although it’s only a 20-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, Deep Cove feels like a little world unto itself. Perhaps it’s the way Mount Seymour looks down on the village, or the way Gallant Avenue, the area’s main commercial strip, slopes down to Indian Arm. Just before land’s end, you’ll find one of Vancouver’s best-kept dining secrets, the Arms Reach Bistro. On sunny days, diners can while away an afternoon on the restaurant’s patio (shaded by cheerful yellow umbrellas) simultaneously enjoying the views of the Arm and adjacent Panorama Park, and simple, well-prepared dishes. The dining room is instantly endearing with its floor-to-ceiling windows, and warm, grained wood tables.

Favourites Done Right
The menu reads like a best-of list for casual West Coast cuisine, showcasing quality ingredients with hints at Italian and Asian influences. You’ll find lots of familiar dishes such as carrot and ginger soup, steamed mussels, and wild salmon, but each finished with the restaurant’s distinctive twists, such as salmon finished with a blood-orange beurre blanc, rather than lemon. The most popular items on the menu include the seared beef carpaccio, the CBC curry butter chicken, and Erick’s Chosty Caesar. (Chosty is Deep Cove slang for big and great – the opposite of “chintzy.”) Arms Reach Bistro also has a full brunch menu with eggs benny, frittatas, and the Fruit Bomb yogurt parfait on offer.

For Any Occasion
Arms Reach Bistro is a great place to take that special someone for a romantic dinner, or for after you’ve worked up an appetite hiking or kayaking. Casual or formal, local or tourist – everyone is welcomed. The restaurant enjoys a strong local following, and after a few visits, you may well be a regular too. It’s not that far, and it’s a nice little place to be.