Behind the Name: Vancouver's The Sandbar

How this historic Granville Island restaurant got its name

It should come as no surprise that British Columbia is known well for its year-round availability of fresh seafood. With that in mind, it should also come as no surprise that there are many seafood-focused eateries in Vancouver to enjoy tasty preparations of sustainable ocean bounty.

The city's iconic Granville Island is home to one of the most well-known seafood restaurants, The Sandbar. This seafood restaurant has been happily operating since 2000 and in 2018 it got an extensive facelift which saw no life breathed into the space and the addition of the Hoshi Sushi Bar.

The restaurant may have been established two decades ago, but the building the restaurant resides in dates all the way back to the 1920s. It was originally a paint warehouse and throughout the years, it was converted to various things including a disco, Mulvaney's, before it eventually became The Sandbar.

Years ago, locals knew Granville Island as being the "greatest sandbar" in the area. As such, the restaurant's name is a homage to this island trademark.

The Sandbar is open for dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays and lunch and dinner service Wednesdays to Sundays.