Restaurants in Delta

Chronic Tacos, whose tacos and burritos were voted some of the best in Vancouver in 2011 by readers of Georgia Straight, culls its recipes from the salsa-splattered pages of a family recipe book filled with three generations of Mexican delicacies. Chefs marinate and grill juicy morsels of steak, chicken, and pork several times a day, then tenderly tuck them into preservative-free corn and flour tortillas. To add extra zest, dollops of house-made salsa and sour cream perch atop tacos and, in the event of an emergency, rain from sprinkler systems.

Nestled in a cozy brick building in Kerrisdale, Avenue Grill Restaurant has served a menu’s worth of diverse food since the 1920s. The head chef honed his knack for Mediterranean cooking in Europe—reflected in the eatery's Mediterranean sandwiches, with grilled eggplant and zucchini on focaccia—but also crafts pastas, fresh seafood, and three-egg omelettes. An ample wine selection complements Avenue Grill's sundry dishes, and seasonal specials incorporate only the freshest and most polite ingredients. In the dining room, vases filled with flowers top tables and vibrant paintings of blooming floras and lolling hills adorn the walls.

Eager to share the culinary traditions of both their culture and their family with fellow Vancouverites, Joanna and Nick Cruciat opened Transylvania Flavour in 2004. They have since been lauded by the Globe and Mail for creating “rib-sticking fare” and fostering a “cozy Old World charm” within their homey space. Upholding this dedication to authentic Eastern European eats are the restaurant's chef and European chef consultant, who join their culinary powers and Dracula figurine collections to forge traditional Transylvanian specialties including roasted beets, cabbage rolls, and perogies. Affable servers whisk these homemade masterpieces from the kitchen into the yellow and red dining room, setting steaming bowls and plates to rest on top of crisp white tablecloths.

Starting at 11 a.m. each day and continuing through the early hours of the next morning, The Dunbar Public House keeps mouths happily munching away at globally influenced fare washed down by local brews. Televisions broadcast the day’s sporting events as the wait staff lays down plates of yellowfin-tuna bites with wasabi ginger, or nachos piled with jalapenos and guacamole. A Snake Bite beer cocktail—a mix of lager, cider, and blackcurrant—pairs well with the signature Dunbar burger, housemade from either beef, chicken, or fish and topped with up to seven fixings, such as sauteed mushrooms or swiss cheese. Weekends greet brunch seekers with eggs and Harvey Wall Banger cocktails, which melt away workweek tension caused by stressful jobs or offspring whose names are difficult to pronounce.

At first blush, 9th Avenue Grill’s menu looks pretty standard: there's a denver omelet flecked with canadian bacon; buttermilk pancakes smothered with warm syrup and butter; and a couple burgers stacked with cheese, bacon, and onion. But then you notice the eggs benedict. 9th Avenue calls them Bennys and there are 10 varieties, from a Sicilian recipe with pesto-marinated feta, tender grilled chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes to a low-carb option served sans english muffin with turkey bacon on a bed of spinach. Build your own benedict with ingredients like roasted turkey, artichoke hearts, and havarti, and finally prove city council wrong for denying your proposed pancake tower to heaven.

Steam from freshly prepared falafels wafts through the kosher restaurant Falafel Plus, carrying aromas of organic chickpeas, herbs, and onions. Droplets of water spring from just-rinsed tomatoes and cucumbers as cooks chop them into slices for layering beside the crispy balls in pitas with minted yogourt. Creamy sides of hummus, marinated eggplant, and baba ganush round out entrees of organic chicken shawarma and beef lasagna, available for in-restaurant dining as well as for off-site catered events. When catering events, Falafel Plus can take care of every detail, from arranging flowers to tying the family matriarch's bib.