Cactus Club Coal Harbour — Vancouver, Canada
The hands-down winner of the Best Use of Former Olympic Site category is Vancouver's new Cactus Club. Located opposite the Olympic cauldron (its torches still lit on special occasions, such as, umm… new restaurant openings), it was designed by Acton Ostry Architects within the shell of a pre-existing wing of the green-roofed convention centre.
Vancouverites are delighted with its current incarnation as another jewel in the crown of chef Rob Feenie (formerly of Lumiere) that blends fine dining and casual fare. Think sushi in delicately wrapped rice paper, prawn ravioli with truffle oil, lamb popsicles (inspired by top Van restaurant Vij's) amid Acton Ostry's elegant design.
Notable features include Poulson lamps, Bocci lighting, inlaid hand-cut Brazilian slate flooring, custom fir fin ceilings and a Warhol original of Wayne Gretzky. A series of terraced and sequenced framed views ensures everyone can dine by the sea - but for the best views, ask for a table by the huge angled windows.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
1085 Canada Place
Vancouver
Canada
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
This cult Los Angeles pop-up restaurant now has a permanent addressChef Brian Baik’s Corridor 109 makes its permanent debut in Melrose Hill. No surprise, it's now one of the hardest tables in town to book
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
How ethical is Google Street View, asks Jon Rafman in CopenhagenIn 'Report a Concern - the Nine Eyes Archives' at Louisiana Museum of Art, Copenhagen, Jon Rafman considers technology's existential implications
-
This Toronto pizzeria hides a sultry bar with serious biteNorth of Brooklyn unveils a fresh, two-level outpost where crisp, light-filled minimalism gives way to a warmer, neon-lit upstairs area
-
Matteo Thun carves a masterful thermal retreat into the Canadian RockiesBasin Glacial Waters, a project two decades in the making, finally surfaces at Lake Louise, blurring the boundaries between architecture and terrain
-
A new café-bar in Vancouver reawakens a modernist landmarkArthur Erickson’s Waterfall Building enters a new chapter with Ellipsis, a day-to-night gastronomic concept designed for conviviality
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurantsPart of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Montreal Navigator: a guide to the city, from modernist marvels to gastronomic gemsMontreal, Quebec’s largest city, is a creative whirlwind, offering up a vibrant mix of arts and design venues, great restaurants, and a crowd-pulling cultural calendar
-
Vancouver restaurant Elio Volpe evokes a sun-drenched Italian beach clubExperience the laid-back feel of coastal Italy in Elio Volpe, a transportive new restaurant designed by Ste. Marie Studio