The Old District of Gastown

Gastown is named after a steamboat captain and seaman from Yorkshire, “Gassy” Jack Deighton who landed in Vancouver in 1867 to set up the first saloon in the area. He got his nickname because of his love for talking a lot (i.e. “gassing”).

Gastown is a place to visit if you’re in the area and want a quick stroll, are looking for a great restaurant or want to find a good gift shop for souvenirs. Along Water Street, the district’s main thoroughfare, are quaint shops including great places to shop and excellent places to eat.

Near the entrance to Gastown is Waterfront Station. The station is Vancouver’s main transportation terminus from where you can catch the SkyTrain to almost anywhere, or take the 15-minute SeaBus trip across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver.

One of the main attractions in Gastown, apart from the cute shops, restaurants and coffee shops, is the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre. It’s between Waterfront Station and Gastown. From the top you can see Vancouver for miles on a clear day, 360 degrees around.

Also in Gastown is Vancouver’s famous steam clock. Tourists love this attraction and crowd around it for photo ops. Built in 1977, the clock is one of only a few steam clocks in the world. It’s kind of cool, especially when it whistles and blows out steam.

As well, Gastown has a number of quality art galleries. This includes the Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery which is less than a block away from the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. Representing BC’s local Indigenous cultures, they both are well worth a visit.

My favourite places to eat…

Gastown Restaurants

• L’Abattoir – one of the best restaurants in Gastown, located at 217 Carrall Street in a 19th century brick building that once housed Vancouver’s first jail.
• Pidgin – a popular, trendy and casual restaurant offering Pan Asian cuisine at 350 Carrall Street.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory – it isn’t a fancy restaurant by any means, but the place has good and quite reasonably-priced pasta. Meals also come with free bread. It’s also a good place if taking the kids.
• Top of Vancouver – located just one floor away from the Vancouver Lookout observation deck, it has the best 360-degree views of the city from its revolving restaurant.
• Wildebeest – at 120 West Hastings Street, Wildebeest is a casual restaurant offering a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary “whole-animal cookery” style of menu.

Favourite Pubs…

Gastown Pubs and Bars

• The Blarney Stone – a fairly good pub with a great layout at 216 Carrall Street that becomes party central at St. Patrick’s time.
• Guilt & Co. – one of our favourite bars that features live music every day downstairs at 1 Alexander Street.
• Steamworks – a popular pub at the edge of Gastown just a one-minute walk from Waterfront Station.