You’ve Gotta Try This in February 2025

Oh hello, February, with your endless supply of unpredictable weather and predictable delicious food events and delicious drinks. There’s still some time left in Hot Chocolate Festival, which has been especially good this year—there are 180 different flavours across 124 locations, go find your favourite.

As you’re sipping that cocoa, browse through the other foodie events happening in B.C. this month.

7 Food and Drink Events in B.C. in February 2025

Get Salty at Al Chile

Make a beeline for the excellent Al Chile, a Mexican community grocery and snackeria on Davie Street, to check out a grand selection of spicy-salty-sour snacks. They have esquites, chicharron and some magnificent sounding Tostilocos: “chips in a bag topped with cucumber, jicama, peanuts, cueritos, sweet chili candies/gummies, clamato, mix of spicy and sour sauces, lime.” Hell yes. This is possibly the best $12 you ever spent, and while you’re there, sign their petition to stay in the hood.

Rediscover your love of Sandbar

I’ll confess, I hadn’t been to Sandbar in a long while, dismissing it as something of a tourist hangout… and it is, but it’s also freaking delicious. I went there on a Dine Out preview; the sushi bar that used to be downstairs (and a chef’s secret hangout for zingingly fresh fish) is now incorporated upstairs. Hoshi is still making all the good stuff, and if you plan ahead (48hrs notice) he’ll make omakase for you. Two of the dishes I tried had me in seafood-ecstasy: the miso-marinated sablefish  was possibly the most buttery, delicate piece of fish I’ve ever eaten, and the old-school Steak Neptune with a plate-licker of a crab topper. Seriously amazing.

Dish Up This Amazing Soup

I’m not usually a soup person. I never order a bowl when I’m out (unless it’s birria, of course), but hear me out, the poblano and corn soup at Alimentaria is souperb. Creamy with a tiny hit of spice from the guajillo chile and crunchy with tortilla strips, this is absolutely brilliant and it’s on their regular menu for just $6.95 for a small bowl or $10.95 for a large bowl.

Get Tickets for Cocktail Week

I’m getting a little ahead of myself, because Vancouver Cocktail Week doesn’t start until March 2, but I suspect many events will start to sell out soon, so do not miss out. There are daily Cinq à Sept Happy Hour events with signature cocktails, seminars providing a deep dive into topics such as amaro, bitters and hangovers (!) and a glamorous gala ball too.

Heed This Dramatic Sashimi PSA

I was not expecting my sashimi at Yaletown’s Sushi Maro to arrive literally in a cloud of smoke—there is no mention of it on the menu—but delightfully, it does. Artfully arranged on a bed of dry ice, it’s so much fun and you better believe that the sashimi is super fresh. They also have a huge selection of vegan sushi… an entire menu, in fact, and a daily Happy Hour from 2-5pm where you can score a BC Roll for $4.75 and a cocktail for $9.

Raise a Glass at Wine Fest

The Wine Fest theme this year is West Coast US wines. Our coastal neighbours down in the Willamette Valley make some of the absolute best Pinot Noir, and if you have the chance to try Lingua Franca in the tasting room, get over there: it’s a marvel of fresh raspberries and bright cherries, so good. There are plenty of B.C. wineries to love on, too, and I can’t wait to go check out Phantom Creek’s line-up at their event at the Blue Water Café. Some events haven’t sold out yet, grab a ticket now.

Get Worth-the-Hype Cowdog Matcha

I finally made it to Oak Street to sip on one of the social media’s hottest drinks, the Cowdog strawberry matcha, and it was just as sensational as the internet makes it out to be. It’s a cold matcha, I had it with oat milk and I think my only complaint would be: bigger please, it was gone too fast! Separately you get grassy, earthy, bright matcha, a gloriously jammy splash of strawberry, mix together for something that brings those two flavours together to make something really exciting and fresh. Top tip: to avoid queues, visit 30-mins or so before they close.