{"id":575272,"date":"2026-04-01T14:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575272\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:15:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:15:23","slug":"eat-streets-north-vans-lower-lonsdale-remade-into-foodie-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/575272\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat Streets: North Van’s Lower Lonsdale remade into foodie destination"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The makeover of the district’s derelict industrial shipyards is part of the magic of a blossoming food destination<\/p>\n

Published Apr 01, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n

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Article content\"Eat<\/p>\n

Exploring the restaurants that bring Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods to life.<\/p>\n

Lolo Lane, a tiny alleyway off East First and Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, feels like the threshold between two worlds: the ordinary and the magical.<\/p>\n

Inside Cream Pony, the colourful, bright space local residents gather at terrazzo tables to share doughnuts, fried chicken, sweet tea and talk.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe knew our friends would come when we opened four years ago,\u201d said Alix Finn. \u201cWhat we didn\u2019t know was how many new friends we would make.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cream Pony was the dream of Finn\u2019s mother, Erin Smith, who began baking doughnuts in her North Shore kitchen during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Smith, who grew up in North Van, dreamed of opening the kind of spot she went to growing up in the neighbourhood: something funky, intimate and nostalgic, that wouldn\u2019t just serve food. It would be a community gathering place.<\/p>\n

\"AlixAlix Finn (left) and Erin Smith at Cream Pony in North Vancouver. Photo by Cane and Co.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had the vision,\u201d said Finn. \u201cShe opened in 2021 and there were lineups out the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith was working from 4 a.m. every day just to keep up. They were so successful that Finn quit her teaching job and joined her mother behind the counter. The duo opened a second location in March on Main Street.<\/p>\n

Cream Pony serves brioche doughnuts, buttermilk fried chicken, and dreams. \u201cPeople in North Vancouver are participating in this dream,\u201d said Finn. \u201cIt\u2019s a hopeful experience for everyone. They share their dreams with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

They knew that opening a small restaurant in the Lower Lonsdale area was a gamble. The area has boomed since the redevelopment of the Shipyards<\/a> district, which over the past decade has transformed the area into a destination for residents and tourists.<\/p>\n

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Many new restaurants are part of established groups and chains: Tap and Barrel, Joey\u2019s, Nook, Earnest Ice Cream, Lee\u2019s Donuts, and Browns Social House have all crossed the water and set up shop among long-time popular spots like Fishworks<\/a>, which opened in 2009, old-time favourite J\u00e4gerhof Restaurant<\/a>, and the OG, Greek restaurant Anatoli Souvlaki.<\/a><\/p>\n

While densification may have driven rents, for Finn and Smith, the makeover of the area derelict industrial shipyards to hip destination zone is part of the magic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome the growth. It\u2019s done great things for our business,\u201d said Finn.<\/p>\n

\"BrothersBrothers Iani (with toddler Maelle) and Alexi Makris at Anatoli Souvlaki restaurant at 5 Lonsdale Ave. in North Vancouver. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO \/PNG<\/p>\n

Iani Makris, who owns Anatoli Souvlaki with his brother Alexi, couldn\u2019t agree more. The restaurant has grown to 130 seats since 1984 when their parents Thomas and Helen opened its doors with just a few tables.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother has been talking about Lower Lonsdale as the place to be for restaurants for decades,\u201d said Makris. \u201cIt finally came to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not so long ago, the picture was different.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my family opened Anatoli\u2019s, there was nothing down there,\u201d said Makris, who joined the family business as a dishwasher, became sous chef and finally, with Alexi, bought his parents out, and expanded with locations in Yaletown and Gastown.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn 1993, Lower Lonsdale was the least desirable neighbourhood in North Vancouver,\u201d said former mayor Darrell Mussatto. \u201cIt just wasn\u2019t nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer mayor Darrell Mussatto at the Shipyards area in North Vancouver. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO \/PNG<\/p>\n

The shipyards that occupied the waterfront had closed, and left behind derelict abandoned buildings just as North Vancouver was becoming an attractive place to raise families. Lonsdale Quay market opened in 1986, the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier opened in 2010, but something vital was missing.<\/p>\n

The city didn\u2019t have a centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cShipbuilding was on its way out and we started looking at that area,\u201d said Mussatto, who served for 25 years in municipal government, including 13 years as mayor before stepping down in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to change the zoning first,\u201d said Mussatto.<\/p>\n

A proposal for a 30-storey tower was tossed out after community outcry, and gentler density, with lower heights was introduced. A Friday Night market at the quay proved wildly popular.<\/p>\n

Current Mayor Linda Buchanan said it was important to honour the waterfront\u2019s maritime tradition, and preserve its history, which they did by anchoring the Museum of North Vancouver in the Shipyards, but they needed businesses that would be open after 6 p.m. That meant restaurants.<\/p>\n

In 2019, Buchanan supported zoning changes to establish the Shipyards brewery district<\/a> in the industrial area east of St. Georges Avenue, along East Esplanade and First Street, which has thrived, as have the big upscale casual dining options on the waterfront like Joeys, King Taps and Tap and Barrel where guests enjoy spectacular views.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s is about gathering and social connections, but it\u2019s also about jobs and boosting our local economy. We envision that bringing a $10 million boost,\u201d said Buchanan.<\/p>\n

\"NorthNorth Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan at the Shipyards area in North Vancouver. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO \/PNG<\/p>\n

The Shipyards redevelopment has won several awards<\/a>, including the Excellence on the Waterfront award and a B.C. Economic Development Award, and become a destination for foodies with its wide array of options.<\/p>\n

For the Makris family, retaining the cosy family ambience, complete with old photos on the wall and a fireplace, and the dedication to fresh Greek food has been a key to maintaining their success in a location that now competes with the heavy hitters serving elevated pub food that occupy the prime waterfront locations in the Shipyards.<\/p>\n

Anatoli\u2019s draws their fair share of tourists (they have a 50-seat patio in summer), but still has a core group of community members for whom it is home. It\u2019s not unusual for regulars to order its famous avgolemono soup when they are in hospital, said Iani.<\/p>\n

Summers are booming, and the Shipyards Christmas market brings some 10,000 people to the area daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel blessed to be here,\u201d said Makris. \u201cMy mother was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"IaniIani Makris works with the flame in the kitchen of Anatoli Souvlaki in North Vancouver. He and his brother co-own the restaurant on Lower Lonsdale. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO \/PNGEat Streets: What to know about this stretch of Lonsdale Avenue<\/p>\n

Location: Lonsdale Avenue from Carrie Cates Ct. at the waterfront to Third Street.<\/p>\n

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Number of restaurants and food options: 55 (more if you explore the streets east and west of Lonsdale Avenue)<\/p>\n

What are the options for parking?<\/p>\n

The area has several parking lots, including underground parking at Lonsdale Quay at 123 Carrie Cates Court, and plentiful paid street parking. But the area is designed to be walkable and is easily accessible by transit.<\/p>\n

What are Metro Vancouver\u2019s Eat Streets?<\/p>\n

This article is part one of a series highlighting Metro Vancouver\u2019s must-visit Eat Streets<\/a>. With the goal of celebrating \u2014 and maybe even introducing you to \u2014 stretches of community around the region that have a notable concentration of local food businesses. Know of a great Eat Street in your community? Let us know where. Email us at artslife@vancouversun.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read about more of Metro Vancouver\u2019s Eat Streets:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Eat Streets: A United Nations of cuisine on Vancouver\u2019s Victoria Drive<\/a>
\u2022 Eat Streets: Langley City\u2019s one-way a hub of local food<\/a>
\u2022 Eat Streets: Delta and Surrey unite over food on this stretch of Scott Road<\/a>
\u2022 Eat Streets: Comfort food served Hong Kong-style at Richmond\u2019s Empire Centre<\/a>
\u2022 Eat Streets: There\u2019s now a world of flavours on Vancouver\u2019s Commercial Drive<\/a><\/p>\n

Bookmark THIS PAGE<\/a> to read the latest instalment every Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Then and now: Lower Lonsdale in pictures\"1906:1906: Utilities are installed on Lonsdale Avenue from the ferry wharf. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver\"1913:1913: Lonsdale Avenue, between Esplanade and 1st Street. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver\"1918:1918: A Model T. Ford pick up truck is parked on the 100 block Lonsdale Avenue, which included McDowell\u2019s Drug Store, Chas. Cartlidge Produce, North Vancouver Meat Market, Barraclough\u2019s Grocery and G.F. Goodwin Greengrocer. The St. Alice Hotel can be seen in the distance. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver\"1925:1925: The foot of Lonsdale Avenue, below Esplanade, featured the Sugar Bowl Restaurant, North Vancouver Cartage Co. Try Me Shoe Shop, Alexander Smith Real Estate and Anderson\u2019s Pharmacy. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver\"1938:1938: The south end of Lonsdale in North Vancouver at the terminal of the North Vancouver ferry, which crossed over to downtown Vancouver. THE PROVINCE\"1946:1946: Streetcars 150 and 155, Capilano and Lonsdale lines, at foot of Lonsdale Avenue. Also seen are the Burrard Dry Dock offices and the Sugar Bowl restaurant sign. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver\"1975:1975: Looking down Lower Lonsdale from 3rd\u00a0Street in North Vancouver. Photo by Ross Kenward \/The Province\"1978:1978: Looking north up Lonsdale Avenue. Several cars are parked in a parking lot, with signs for Delo\u2019s Place and the Mayflower Restaurant seen in the background. Photo by MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver<\/p>\n

dryan@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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