Food & beverage manager Cara Bell and general manager Gaetan Bottier invite you to enjoy the good times at Sylvia’s Restaurant & Lounge. *(click photo to enlarge)*

SYLVIA’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Dining And Entertainment With A View

The West End’s celebrated Sylvia Hotel holds a special place in the hearts of Vancouver history buffs and locals and visitors who appreciate comfortable, casual dining with a million-dollar ocean view.

Long before revolving high-rise restaurants were all the rage, the Sylvia introduced scenic dining in 1936. Playing up the fact that it was the tallest building in the West End, offering a spectacular view, they called the new restaurant Dine In The Sky.

In 1954 the Sylvia opened the first cocktail bar in Vancouver, The Tilting Room, which became a local hot-spot for the city’s growing nightlife scene. In those days it was illegal for people to be able to look into a bar and see folks drinking, so the lounge windows facing Beach Avenue were boarded up, and upper-level windows overlooking Gilford were covered up by curtains.

In 1960 The Sylvia was purchased by North Shore builder Norman Sawers, whose daughter, Jill Davies, now operates the hotel. It was Sawers who converted Dine In The Sky back to hotel rooms in 1962. By then the curtains were off the main floor lounge and we were ready to enjoy fine dining and live music with an iconic Vancouver view — at Sylvia’s Restaurant & Lounge.

The kitchen, under the supervision of executive chef Chris Andraza, offers brunch, lunch, and an early dinner in the beautiful Bistro, sunny patio, and casual ocean view Lounge. Every seat provides an amazing view of English Bay.

Breakfast is available at 8 a.m. every day. The very popular brunch on Saturdays and Sundays is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The all-day dining and dessert menu offers a selection of traditional favorites and creative modern cuisine from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except when the brunch menu is in effect.

Traditional favorites? Well, the Sunday night prime rib dinners, Northwest Seafood Chowder, chicken pot pie, and Sylvia Burger have been sustaining regulars for what seems like, and may well be generations.

And what’s a restaurant lounge without live music by popular local entertainers? Pretty quiet, we would guess, but you won’t find out at the Sylvia, where the roof-raising live music nights, cancelled during the height of the pandemic, return this month with entertainment every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

And talk about popular local entertainers — this month’s featured artists include Bobby Bacchus (Wed. Nov. 3); The Hot Mammas (Thur. Nov. 4); Angela Verbrugge (Sun. Nov 7); the Weaver Werth Band (Wed. Nov. 10) and Bob Richardson (Thur. Nov. 11). Check the restaurant page on the Sylvia’s website for scheduling updates.