Post #392869 by twitch on Wed, Jul 9, 2008 6:56 PM

This may be a little late, but while in Van, try and check out Commercial Drive. A new restaraunt has opened up called Me & Julio, and - while I haven't eaten there (like I can afford to eat out?!), the theme is all bamboo and grass, at least from the outside & the patio. The Drive also has probably the widest array of world-cuisine establishments in such a short stretch - Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Ethiopian, Greek, Vietnamese, etc. along with the usual pubs and small corner-markets. And of course there's cheap pizza everywhere.
(Take advantage, though; with the skyrocketing leases around here they may have all been replaced by trendy clothing stores and franchised food by next time (four small stores have closed in the past month or so :()!)
There's even a large Value Village a couple blocks up Hastings at the northern end of the drive.