DODGY & DELICIOUS DINING

The savvy gay knows that sometimes the coolest places are where you’d least expect them.

Most of Vancouver ’s best restaurants are exactly where you’d expect to find them – trendy Yaletown, posh South Granville or bustling Kitsilano. But the savvy gay knows that sometimes the coolest places are where you’d least expect them.

Gastown’s Blood Alley doesn’t sound like the most obvious (or safe) spot for a restaurant, but Salt Tasting Room has made it a dining destination. At first glance down the alley you may see nothing but a few rats and dumpsters, but look up for the salt-shaker flag in the sky, and you will find Salt. Serving little more than the simple pleasures of bread, cheese, charcuterie and wine in a modern and minimal room, Salt became an instant hit amongst Vancouver’s fiercest foodies. And with a Spanish-style tapas parlor in the works next door, you may find yourself braving Blood Alley more often than you’d expect.

Campagnolo sits on a less-than-trendy strip of Main St. surrounded by desolate deserted buildings, backpacker hostels and the Ivanhoe Hotel – infamous for its cheap beer and even cheaper clientele. In contrast, Campagnolo is simple and stylish, serving up delicious rustic Italian fare in a chic modern room highlighted by exposed concrete walls and old-growth fir beams. It’s an odd fit for this neighborhood, yet thanks to its understated elegance it doesn’t stand out. In fact, like Salt, if you aren’t paying attention you could easily pass it by.

Call them hidden gems, call them diamonds in the rough, but definitely call them for reservations (actually, Campagnolo doesn’t take reservations, but that ending was way too cool to not use).