Commercial Drive

Where to begin with describing the Drive? It's brash. It's got opinions. The pedestrians are anything but and will walk into the street as if every day is Car Free Day. Located in Vancouver's east side, the neighbourhood officially known as Grandview-Woodland has been the nexus of a wide variety of different ethnic and cultural groups since its heyday as a Vancouver's counter-culture scene. Since then it has seen waves of first Italian, then Portuguese, Latin American and East Asian immigrants settling and making the neighbourhood home. It's not so much a melting pot and more of a Jackson Pollock painting with each blob of paint be it Chinese, Ethiopian, lesbian, or crust-punk adding its own unique voice and presence to a larger whole.

Error loading image!

Prado Cafe

Address
1938 Commercial Drive
Website
Visit Website

I had to feature at least two coffee shops as they are a cultural staple of "The Drive" and a big part of how people pass the time. Prado is a place to spend a rainy afternoon (of which there are no shortage in Vancouver) as it has big, open windows with tons of natural light, along with bright decor buttressed by the brick of the building. If you feel like putting some time in on your laptop while constantly distracting yourself with the steady flow of attractive people coming through the door, this is the place the place to do it. Note: impeccable quality of coffee is a given on this list and goes without saying.

Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!
Prado Cafe
Error loading image!

La Grotta del Formaggio

Error loading image!