Botanist

Botanist is the signature restaurant inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, serving modern Canadian cuisine with Pacific Northwest ingredients in a stunning plant-filled dining room. This is a special occasion restaurant, not an everyday family lunch spot, and it's best suited for families with older kids who can handle a longer, more formal dining experience.

The space is gorgeous. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the dining room with natural light, and the plant installations throughout give the room a garden conservatory feel. The outdoor terrace is the real draw for families, with views across Coal Harbour where floatplanes regularly take off and land. Kids who are into planes or boats will be entertained between courses.

The food is refined but not fussy. Think seared halibut, duck breast, and seasonal vegetable dishes that change regularly. There's no kids' menu, but the kitchen is accommodating and can prepare simpler dishes. The brunch service tends to be the most family-friendly window, with items like ricotta pancakes and eggs that are more approachable for younger palates.

This is a high-end meal and priced accordingly. A family of 4 will spend $180-$280 CAD depending on what you order. It's the kind of place you visit to celebrate a birthday or mark a special trip to Vancouver, not a Tuesday night dinner.