Cafés

One place wins hands-down on the Vancouver [1] breakfast front: Dulin’s Village Café (1905 Main St., 360/737-9907, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. daily), with great home fries, omelettes, and whole-wheat pancakes. It’s also popular at lunch with the downtown crowd.

Travelers can relax with an espresso and croissant at Java House (210 W. Evergreen Blvd., 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Sat., closed Sun., 360/737-2925) or Paradise Café (1304 Main St., 360/696-1612, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat., closed Sun.). Paradise also has a deli with fresh sandwiches.

Tommy O’s Aloha Café (210 W. Evergreen Blvd., 360/694-5107, 6 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 8 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat.), at the Vancouver Market Place, has interesting and healthy lunches like stir-fry with tofu, teriyaki burgers, and spicy chicken or beef bento, as well as soups and sandwiches.

If you can handle the suited throngs that line up at Rosemary Cafe (1003 Main St., Vancouver, 360/737-7611) during workday lunch hour, your patience will be rewarded. This homey café in downtown Vancouver [1] slaps together some of the best sandwiches the city has to offer. My fave is the super grilled cheese sandwich with multiple types of cheeses on parmesan artisan bread. Rosemary also mixes remarkably fresh salads and homemade soups—I haven’t tried it, but I heard the lady next to me raving about the beer cheese soup.