Journey, Feast, and Live

Updated August 2026

If you know anything about summers in the Pacific Northwest, you know this is the best time of year to be around here. This summer has been one of those. You can find people sitting outside at their favorite spot, kids enjoying the splash pad at the waterfront, and a lot of great restaurants, bars, cafes, and food carts that have landed across Vancouver and the rest of Clark County. As always, some spots come and some go (you can keep up with the departures over on my running list of closings) — but right now the energy is firmly on what’s new.

Here’s what’s opened recently and what’s on my radar for the coming weeks. If you know of somewhere new I’ve missed, drop me a note, and I’ll add it.

Jump to a section:

• New Sit-Down Spots
• Bars & Taprooms
• Fast Casual & Counter Service
• Cafes & Bakeries
• Also New Around Town
• On the Radar (Coming Soon)

New Sit-Down Spots

Javi’s Breakfast Cafe
As Vancouver grows more popular, more Portland-based places are making their way across the bridge — Javi’s Breakfast Cafe is the latest. They’ve opened a spot on East Mill Plain, bringing their famous chilaquiles and a lineup of Mexican-inspired brunch plates. A welcome new name in the morning rotation.

Social Kitchen
Do you like to cook, eat, and learn about new cuisines? Social Kitchen is the place for you. Run by owners Gene and Gretchen Fritz, who have worked decades in the hospitality industry, the space — formerly a pizzeria that went through a few names of its own — has been transformed into an excellent open-kitchen setup. If you like to cook and want a cooking school and dinner-party concept rolled into one, this is the place for you. Guests gather around the teaching kitchen and cook together under Director of Culinary Experience Jerrod Knight. When everything is complete, everyone sits down to enjoy what they made. A great pick for a date or a group looking to do more than just eat.

India Supermarket & Restaurant
The one thing that Vancouver doesn’t have enough of is Indian restaurants. That’s why India Supermarket & Restaurant opening in the strip mall near Vancouver Mall is a great addition to the area. It’s near the Jamba Juice and Crumbl Cookies, so it would be easy to drive past — and that would be a shame to miss. The small storefront with the red neon sign doesn’t hint at what’s inside: a full Indian grocery up front, and a mural of the Taj Mahal greeting you as you head back to the restaurant, which serves dine-in and takeout. I was excited to know there is a place that has something I would use in my cooking: lime leaves. Along with getting some samosas and naan, it is a genuine two-in-one destination if you love cooking with real Indian spices as much as eating the finished dish.

Dadash Grill
One thing that this area doesn’t have enough of is Turkish cuisine; enter Dadash Grill. Small plates have become the trendy way for a group to share a meal, but Dadash Grill does communal dining the traditional Turkish way instead — these dishes aren’t sized for a bite or two each; they’re full, generous, sultan-sized portions meant to satisfy the whole table. Owner Kemran Khalilov had never run a restaurant before this one, but he’s been cooking since he was 12; he’s Turkish by heritage, originally from Russia, and spent decades in Portland before settling in Vancouver a decade ago. He built the menu by taking traditional Turkish dishes and adapting them for a local palate. It’s small and already gaining a following, so call ahead for a reservation. Start with the mixed appetizer platter — pick four cold starters, like stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanoush, hummus, and the genuinely surprising Anatolian salsa (tomatoes, onions, and green peppers with olive oil, warming spices, and pomegranate sauce) — alongside the puffy, sesame-flecked lavash bread, baked fresh and meant for scooping and folding.

Lil Pig Lil Pig
If you know anything about the building Lil Pig Lil Pig now calls home, you know it’s had countless iterations. Over the years it’s housed a Mexican restaurant, a mint tea house, and a couple of Pho spots. Even before the current name, it was a vegan concept — 3 Howls Remedy House — before shifting to meat. Lil Pig Lil Pig comes from that same 3 Howls team, who also own Thirsty Sasquatch and Hungry Sasquatch, and this concept looks like it’s built to stick around. It’s a full-on smokehouse — think pulled pork, porchetta, ribs, and plenty more — with a full-service bar pouring cocktails to complement your food choices. A few things to know before you go: there’s no table service, you order at the counter, and things do sell out, so get there early or be open to trying something different if your first pick is gone.

Bars & Taprooms

Loyal Legion
When I moved to the area in 2019, I saw a sign that said, Beer Hall. I had no idea what the place was. When I walked into the Portland Loyal Legion, I was greeted by a spacious, industrial yet warm beer hall. Fast forward seven years, and the Loyal Legion brand has opened a location in Vancouver. The former spot of Heathen Brewing Feral Public House has been transformed into the exact Portland setup — a wonderful, spacious, warm beer hall, coupled with a great outdoor patio. This will be the go-to place in Vancouver. One of their attractions is that they will be serving Washington beers, with a few collaborations from Oregon breweries too. They are also serving an excellent menu, with your regular bar food, smash burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, along with two different styles of pizza, Detroit and New York style. Not to be missed either right now, on Friday and Saturday nights, they have a DJ setup on the patio, so you can dance the night away.

BarNone
From the team behind Nostra Tavola comes something with a completely different mood. BarNone moved into the old Ben’s Bottle Shop space over at The Mill shopping center and leans all the way into a Spaghetti Western theme — think a moody, saloon-style cocktail den where mezcal and martinis share the menu. If you love a bar with a strong point of view, this is one to seek out.

Tuke’s Public House & Garden (Formerly Tukes Taphouse)
As I’ve been doing this list, it has been about Vancouver, but it is time to break out. We are going to be covering places around Clark County as we can. That starts with Tuke’s Public House & Garden in Battle Ground. The former Tukes Taphouse has new ownership and a new name. Yes, technically a comeback rather than a brand-new spot, but worth mentioning for anyone not familiar with the location. What has changed? They have a new menu with an enhanced selection of pizza, plus charcuterie, desserts, and other sharables. In an article from The Reflector, the focus is on higher-quality, cleaner ingredients across the board — the pizzas now get a sourdough crust, organic pizza sauce, and fresh toppings. That, of course, means you’ll be paying a little more, but that should mean it’ll be worth the money.

The Savvy Sipper
What happens when a former employee turns co-owner and takes over the location she used to work in? It becomes a craft cocktail lounge that Battle Ground probably didn’t know it needed. Say hello to The Savvy Sipper, the new cocktail lounge in the space formerly occupied by Emanar Cellars. In a story from The Reflector, owners Trent and Keary Niarkos opened the lounge with a vision of a cozy place for local residents to relax with loved ones, enjoy specialty cocktails and gourmet bites, and graze in a vintage-themed setting. Their food menu includes standards like sandwiches, salads, charcuterie, and other small plates. They’ll be sourcing their bread fresh from Al & Ernie’s Bakery Café down the street, creating a local partnership that will help all parties for sure.

The Sipp Public House
The former location of Doomsday Pizza has a wonderful new bar called The Sipp Public House in Hazel Dell. The decor alone sets it apart from the previous setup. They have a menu geared toward elevated bar food, like Truffled Gnocchi, Sausage Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms, a Smoked Salmon Board, and something a little cheeky with the Girl Dinner. You’ll need to ask your server about that one.

Fast Casual & Counter Service

In-N-Out Burger
I’m not much of a fast food person nowadays. When I was a kid growing up in Detroit, I was all about a burger and fries. My younger self would definitely be more than overjoyed to see In-N-Out come to the area. OK, who am I kidding? The new In-N-Out is a must-try, even if you aren’t that much into fast food. The company has been expanding into the PNW for a while now, and the new Vancouver location has been greeted with much fanfare. If you want your Double-Double, animal-style anything, go and do it. At this point, with it having been open for a few months now, there shouldn’t be major lines, but even if there are, it’ll be worth it.

Vancouver Station Food Carts
If this area has one thing, it’s food carts. That doesn’t mean we can’t have more of them — and it definitely doesn’t mean we can’t have one of the biggest in the nation. That’s the claim of the Vancouver Station Food Carts, tucked in near Big Al’s in east Vancouver. This is a sprawling pod with room for around 44 carts, said to be one of the largest in the country. It came up through a soft-opening phase earlier this year and is now rolling at full speed. Don’t expect to see all 44 slots taken just yet — this is a work in progress, but it will be interesting to see when it’s firing on all cylinders.

Crispy Cones
Yes, the one from Shark Tank has come to Vancouver. This Idaho-based franchise has brought its Czech-style cone to the Couve. This dessert spot landed in Salmon Creek and is serving its signature grilled chimney cakes — a spiral of warm, crisp dough wrapped into a cone and packed with premium soft serve. Equal parts dessert and Instagram bait. As someone who’s had a few of them while living in Germany, it’ll be interesting to give this one a go.

Hi There Juice Co.
One thing a city needs is a good juice bar. That’s what Hi There Juice Co. is — a good juice bar. I first saw them housed at Kindred in Uptown, but now they have a new home. Currently, they’re located inside Mighty Bowl on W. Eighth St., where they took over the interior bar Mighty Bowl used to use for smoothies, while Mighty Bowl keeps running its own walk-up window right alongside it. They recently announced they’ll be moving to the space that was previously home to UnderBar — their last day at Mighty Bowl is September 25, with the new location opening October 1. You should definitely go get a fresh juice, then give the smoothies a taste, and the açai bowls, plus wellness shots like ginger and turmeric, wherever they’re located. It’ll be worth your time.

Minari Market
There are a lot of concepts around, but one that’s completely unique, at least in this country, is an instant-noodle bar. That’s what you’ll find with Minari Market, located alongside Soft Tea on Main Street downtown. Inside, you’ll find a lot of interesting instant ramen noodle packets and bowls, which you can make yourself right there — this isn’t something I was too familiar with, but it’s something you’d find in Japan. Minari doesn’t just have instant noodles, either; they also carry home goods, snacks, dishware, and so much more. If you want to try something new, this is definitely for you.

Cafes & Bakeries

Kitanda Coffee
The location that housed Starbucks for several years in downtown Vancouver, near the farmers market, has a new tenant: Kitanda. This coffee chain from Seattle serves organic Brazilian coffee, excellent snacks, and the real attraction, the warm, gluten-free pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). You can get one on its own or as a sandwich. They also have a little shop where you can purchase various Brazilian items too. If the pão isn’t of interest — though not sure why it wouldn’t be — they have other delicious things that are very affordable and filling.

85°C Bakery Cafe
The long-awaited Taiwanese bakery powerhouse opened at Skyview Station in Salmon Creek. If you’re wondering where the name comes from, it’s tied to the idea that the perfect brewing temperature for espresso coffee is 85º Celsius. With that out of the way, they aim to provide affordable, tasty baked goods, like pork sung buns, red bean bread, along with cakes, and so much more. You’ll be able to find a pastry you’ll love, along with great coffee.

Also New Around Town

The Culinary Collective
As the area expands, it only made sense for a place that’s part kitchen shop and part community space to open. The Culinary Collective is a home cook’s dream space. They have high-end cookware and the right gadgets to help you grow your cooking skills. They also host cooking classes and different community events, like book signing events for new cookbooks. Run by co-owners Doris Towery and Cathy Baruth, their goal is to create a space where people can connect, not just in the kitchen, but with other people too.

On the Radar (Coming Soon)

Proof – A Whiskey and Cocktail Lounge
There are several places coming to downtown soon. The first is Proof – A Whiskey and Cocktail Lounge. The former home of Sedgwick is slated to become a new entrant into Vancouver’s excellent whiskey and cocktail scene. According to their pages, they’ll have over 1,000 bourbons & whiskeys to try, elevated craft cocktails, wine, beer, & delicious bites. Definitely something for you to try. Another interesting thing: if you think about it right, you might have a nice cocktail Bermuda triangle. Along with that, they’ll be joining the long-running Infirmary and the whiskey bar/speakeasy that Loyal Legion is reportedly building out in its basement. With the space and the location, if they do it right, Proof will be the truth.

Toasted S’mores Bar (former Yogurt Time, Schofield’s Corner)
The location that housed Yogurt Time for many years is about to become a different dessert place. Toasted S’mores Bar will be taking over the location at Schofield’s Corner on Main Street. In an article in The Columbian, owner Russell Sneddon calls the store’s model “experiential retail.” If you aren’t familiar, this is a concept that first had a location open in Portland in 2025, where they served 26,000 customers in the first year. This location will offer three or four classic flavors as well as a rotation of seasonal flavors. Elevated s’mores downtown sounds like a very good time.

Cantong Café
The influx of new things at the Waterfront has slowed. One of the last new restaurants was Shinsen Sushi & Lounge. That’s going to change eventually when Cantong Café opens. The people behind Portland’s H.K. Cafe are said to be tied to it. There isn’t any other real news other than that — even construction doesn’t appear to have started. Other than a “coming soon” sign, when it’ll open is a mystery. Once it opens, it means dim sum will come to the Waterfront. It’ll be in the ground-floor space in the waterfront parking garage at Grant and Columbia.

Lakeshore (Renamed from Silk Nife)
The last entry this time around is something with very limited information. The new restaurant taking over the space from long-time Mexican restaurant Los Potrillos was going to be called Silk Nife, but a recent Reddit post shows a picture indicating the new name will be Lakeshore. According to a post in a Facebook group, it’ll come from the Pearl West Restaurant Group, which is behind several Vancouver restaurants like Margarita Factory and Dosalas, and will be bringing another concept to Felida. If it’s anything like their other brands, it’ll bring a lot of glitz and glamour.