East of Main

East of Main is a tapas /​cocktail bar in Chinatown, more specifically it is located across the street from Phnom Penh and Caffe Brixton, around the corner from The Union, and The Parker. Within this 100m radius are some delicious treats… And when we first saw East of Main boarded up, cardboard boxes everywhere, chairs staking, and shelves empty restaurant erecting… we knew something good was forthcoming… I had to spy inside!
Now East of Main has been open awhile, the bar is fully stocked and the place is gorgeous and filled with origami cranes floating up top. We came here specifically for lunch (we were not overflow traffic from Phnom Penh as so many others have discovered this place)…
Chickpea Kale Salad sm 4 | lg 6: feta, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, walnuts with added Egyptian spiced albacore tuna seared rare (+5). The kale didn’t have that raw green hard to swallow taste. It was well massaged and rested. The salad was light, bold and lightly acidic. The Egyptian spiced tuna tasted of cardamom and a similar mix to creole. If tuna isn’t your thing, perhaps option for shawarma chicken or harissa spiced snapper (+4). This salad is something I’ve mapped in my mind to replicate at home for lunch…
Harissa Spiced Pacific Red Snapper Pita Wraps 8.50: all pitas come with lemon yogurt, garlic tahini, hummus, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. The snapper was deeply marinated with sweet paprika, cumin, coriander and sherry vinegar for that acidic fire. A generous portion and something different from the usual ham and cheese sammy.
So how was the food you asked? Definitely double tap worthy!

I tried Chinatown’s hidden bar and eatery’s new tapas menu, inspired by Mediterranean cuisine and Spanish living with some exotic yet inviting flavours. I enjoyed a very refreshing and tasty Monsieur Palmer cocktail with bourbon, lemon, and black tea syrup.
First, I sucked down a very basic yet still delicious raw spot prawn. Their take on Albacore tuna tataki did not disappoint as well. Other highlights were an amusing raw zucchini (below), a saucy Pacific red snapper, decadent eggplant moussaka, and flavourful lamb tagine, among many intriguing dishes.

Excellent tapas style dining and any profits go to help local children in theatre and arts programs.

Mmmm a hidden gem. I don’t drink but I do enjoy their lunches. East of Main is quiet and the service is good.
I’ve been to EOM at least 4 times and every item I’ve order has been great. Even though a lot of times I have no idea what I’m ordering (due to my lack of knowledge for Mediterranean food) but the result is rewarding!
I’ve had their pasta, duck confit sandwich w/​soup, cocca (flatbread) and Torta. The presentation is awesome and I could tell that they use quality ingredients. As for flavors, mmmm they dance in my mouth. The tastes kind of take me away as if I’m at a fine dining restaurant. The price is I think is reasonable, anywhere from $ 7.50+.
Totally recommended! =)

Really a top-​notch establishment. It’s pricey but you get the superlative selections and experience to go with it. I’ve been to other places in the same bracket that deliver wimpy portions or indifferent service; this is not one of those.
The cocktails are great, and the bartender (and owner) really knows his stuff, producing some classically styled drinks with fun and very tasty new twists on them.
The menu has a good variety of dishes, usually with one nice big main if you don’t feel like doing the whole tapas thing. It changes occasionally too to keep up with the owner’s imagination and what’s in season. Servers are faultlessly friendly. Atmosphere is cozy without being a cave. Definitely give this one a look for great casual dinner.

East of Main is our go-​to place for meeting friends for dinner. It’s one of the quieter places in Strathcona, cozy enough to allow for good conversation.
The menu is inspired by traditional Catalan tapas (personally one of my favourite world cuisines), with tortas and patatas bravas prominently featured. Everything I’ve had there is delicious. The wine list features a lovely tempranillo, alongside local fare.
And it’s great to know that East of Main’s proceeds go to Project Limelight, a non-​profit theatre program for kids.

I was really impressed with East of Main.
A friend of mine and I decided to meet here and accidentally chose the day they’re not open, so keep your eyes peeled when you head there.
Once we discovered when they were open we decided to try again.
We shared the charcuterie platter and both had a few different drinks. All in all I was really impressed.
The service was fast, the servers were great and knowledgeable, the place was clean and really neatly decorated.
I’ll be back for sure.

Friendly and art-​oriented space tucked away on Est Georgia in Chinatown.
I popped in to grab soup to go, and was amazed! Mushroom-​potato-​bacon chowder and fresh herbed foccaccia bread for 9 dollars?! Just what the doctor ordered.
Competition for clientele might be fierce with the Brixton just across the block, but EoM is also liscenced and open till midnight almost every night of the week.
Hope they stick around! Great place for a coffee, lunch, or late night libation.

Although I know tapas is generally expensive, I tend to rail against cruel reality. That’s why East of Main only gets 4 stars.
Everything else — delectable. Good service. NIce atmosphere. Amazing classic bar drinks (according to my friends, I am sadly a teetotaler these days).
If it was just a little tiny bit more economical it would get a 5 from me.

A Mediterranean shop in the middle of Chinatown? Really? Wow this is bold.
Free parking is available in some loading zones around the area, but you do have to look around, and probably need to walk a block or 2.
The inside was very clean and trendy, with the exposed air ducts. Unlike most other «trendy» places though, the pipes and walls were painted light grey and white, which gave the place a MUCH better appearance. I’m not a fan of dim places. The music being played were classic «doo-​wop» songs from artists such as The Rainbows and The Four Seasons.
The server was quite friendly, and professional.
The menus were given to us on clipboards. We thought it consisted of several sheets, but nope, the food is only on the 1^st page. The page underneath discusses the expensive paintings (displayed all over the walls) on sale. The cheapest one I saw was 4 digits, so hopefully you have deep pockets.
The menu here is quite limited, at 3 entrees and maybe 10 tapas items. There are also soups, flatbreads, and charcuteries available. We went for the tapas.
Spanish torta ($ 7) — kind of like a quiche. 3 slices, maybe 3 cm thick at the outer edge.
Moroccan Kefta ($ 9) — meatballs with a poached egg on the side. The waiter told us to mush up the egg and mix it all over the meatballs. Worked pretty beautifully. Quite good. 5 meatballs in total.
Hummus with flatbread ($ 5) — bread is curiously perforated along these parallel lines, which meant the hummus oozes all over your hands when dipping. Hummus itself is nice and sour. Flatbread refills are available, but can’t remember if they were free.
Patatas bravas ($ 7) — roasted potato slices with tomatoey sauce. A bit heavy but decent taste.
The food and experience here is decent, but it’s a bit on the expensive side. The food alone was $ 40 for 3 people, and I left hungry. Phnom Penh across the street was looking pretty tempting when I stepped out.
If you’re looking for smaller portions, this place is actually a pretty classy spot in the middle of the ‘hood.

We only had two appies here, the cauliflower and cheese plate. Both were nice.
My husband had a cocktail of Whiskey and Orange and something else, which was to heavy on the orange, but he still enjoyed it.
The atmosphere is really nice, and the staff are kind as well. Love the origami! I thought the menu seemed a bit limited for a gluten free vegetarian (which I am). Drinks also seemed a big expensive, but they all sounded nice.
The main reason why I fell in love with this place is that they donate all their profits to Project Limelight, a free theater program for children — and that is super cool!
I suspect they still make money somehow through their salaries, but I thought this was such a cool concept and they should be celebrated for that!

nifty looking place, love the origami up top, great food ideas, beer selection wasn’t bad even though the 1 beer I wanted they didn’t have.
some of the drink prices, u get singles whereas doubles are offered just a block or so away.

Situated in arguably the best food area of Chinatown (what, with Phnom Penh just across the street, and basically everything on Union & Keefer streets), East of Main café is a friendly little place that’s great for getting your drink on — with all class, no pretention — and feel good about it too: all proceeds go to support Project Limelight, a non-​profit theatre arts program for East Van kids.
We were immediately greeted by Andrew, the lovely and charming man behind the bar. Since we came to the restaurant on a whim after dinner at Phnom Penh, we stuck to drinks and dessert.
Best. Decision. Ever.
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On the table, in the glass, and down the hatch!
Backyard — Bourbon, Tuaca, Mint, Rhubarb Bitters
The Gurkha — Garam Masala Whiskey, Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon, Rosewater, Bitters
Adeline –Gin, Elderflower, Ginger Liqueur, Green Chartreuse, Egg White, Celery Bitters, Lemon, Orange Flower
Devil’s Food Cake — Cream cheese icing, unicorn dust and magic. I have no idea, but it was amaaaaaazing.
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Ever-​friendly, hospitable, and accommodating, because it was a friend’s birthday, Andrew brought out the perfectly sliced piece of cake (covered in cocoa dust!) with sparklers that sent me into a fit of giggles and appreciation. Nothing like ending off a Thursday night of faux-​bauchery like sparklers. Indoors.
Capping the night off with a shot of bourbon — holy hell, 129 proof?! –and a bourbon sour, East of Main Café really knows how to show a girl a good time.
To sum it all up: GO.

When I think of East of Main, words like ‘darling’ and ‘charming’ come to mind. It’s a rare thing – craft cocktails and a thoughtfully prepared food on the fringes of Chinatown without fuss or pretension. I should say I’ve only seen and tried a minimal amount of East of Main’s food offerings – they are good – especially the chocolate mousse-​conoction the owner offered on the house to us as we were celebrating a birthday.
At a time when it’s getting harder to find fresh and well crafted cocktails in Vancouver for under $ 12, the $ 9 cocktails on East of Main’s menu should be a welcome treat. One drink, the backyard, was a up-​scaling of a mint julep; with mint and rhubarb alongside the bourbon. The bar was stocked with an enviable bourbon collection – though they aren’t selling themselves as a ‘bourbon bar’, fans of the drink of the Bluegrass would be nudged to look no further.
The interior is small and friendly – not overly decorated – and a seat by the window might be a lovely setting to end a date night (after a movie at Tinseltown perhaps?) or, as we did, huddle around the larger high-​top table for a larger gathering of friends. Either way, the service is cheery and the offerings are a nice combination of comfort and creative, making East of Main a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

I’ve recently seen a lot of pictures of the food from East of Main Café, a new restaurant that opened up in Chinatown, across from Phnom Penh. Darn it, Instagram. After talking about hanging out throughout the entire summer, Jeff, Kevin, as well as his cousin and I finally came here for lunch before the new school semester was to start.
The café primarily serves sandwiches and quiches for lunch, and tapas and charcuterie sets during dinner time.
Kevin and I both ordered the roast beef and blue sandwich ($ 9). I liked the bun a lot, as it seemed quite fresh. The roast beef, along with the blue cheese dressing and arugula was delicious upon the first few bites. However, since it also had roasted shallot demi, horseradish aioli, and garlic butter, the flavours quickly became a bit overwhelming and complicated, and not necessarily in a good way. Still, the roast beef was tender and it was a decent sandwich.
Phoebe, compared to us, has a smaller appetite, so she ordered the roast beef sandwich from the kid’s menu ($ 6). It looked a tad boring with it’s whole grain sliced bread, but I didn’t try it so I cannot say for myself. It was also quite small and underwhelming. Jeff ordered the pastrami sandwich ($ 9), with fennel-​sauerkraut, gruyère, and caramelized onion-​grainy dijon. We traded half of our sandwiches… which wasn’t such a good deal on my part. Although the generous amount of pastrami was good, the edges of the rye were hard and seemingly stale. Also, as I was finishing the half of my sandwich, all I could taste was the dijon.
Overall it was quite a disappointing lunch trip at East of Main. None of us (except for maybe Phoebe) were satiated, so we ended up going across the street and sharing butter beef and wings at Phnom Penh. We were also disappointed that we had paid $ 9 for sandwiches that weren’t particularly filling, but I think some of the proceeds of the café goes to the Project Limelight Society.

Chinatown has really become the trendy area that I’ve always wished it would turn into.
Among all the Asian grocery stores and cheap souvenir shops, you’ll find a modern restaurant/​lounge called East of Main. The space was cozy, but did not feel cramped at all. I loved the photographs on the side wall which featured colorful glimpses of Chinatown.
My husband and I sat at the bar to have a few cocktails and tapas. Turns out the bartender called in sick so no one else was available to mix drinks until 8:00PM. No matter, we decided to try their beers specials. My favorite was a watermelon beer called Seedspitter, which was light and refreshing as expected. Since we were in a rush, we only tried a few tapas and my favorite was the Patatas Bravas. It felt like a very simple dish with roasted fingerling potatos and garlic aioli, but went really well with our beers.
I’ll make a point to come back and try their cocktails and other items on the menu.

Amazing cocktails, friendly, attentive servers and terrific food! Try anything. Try everything. We has the lemon cocas, roasted cauliflower, charcuterie, tortilla espanol, patatas bravas and the fabulous lasagna (on special for 5 dollars!!!). We enjoyed everything and there was something special about each dish, from the smoky hot sauce on the patatas to the amazing curry roasted cauliflower. Presentation is carefully considered and was enjoyed as part of the experience. The moist delectable brownies with raspberry coulis were a perfect end to the meal. I want to give a special mention to the bar tender who creates original cocktails and is one of the best in the city. What a wonderful place. Come now and come often.

After a failed attempt at Phnom Penh, we decided to go across the street to try East of Main.
The room is inviting, with its high ceilings, a large mirror that mimics a window, and a beautiful hanging display of paper cranes as the center piece. We sat the bar on brushed silver bar chairs, and a wood bar. There’s a certain raw but cozy feel to the space.
We started off with cocktails– the Hummingbird– Pimms, tequila, coriander strawberry syrup, lavender and lime. Served over ice, the tequila and strawberry together created a unique flavour. Next, the Adeline cocktail. Gin, elderflower, ginger liqueur, green chartreuse, egg white, celery bitters, lemon and orange flower. I absolutely loved this one. The egg white foam was light, and it was an overall drink with complex sweet flavours.
Taking advantage of their 2 for 1 tapas on Mondays from 5−7pm, we got a Spanish torta, with eggs, potato, scallions and cheese, and a Moroccan kefta– lamb meatballs with a tomato sauce and a poached egg. How could I say no to poached egg?! Both were quite good, the torta was quite cheesy, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The lamb meatballs were also juicy, and the perfectly poached egg surrounded it with deliciousness.
Their menu also features flat bread and charcuterie, including a seafood one which has scallop ceviche! I’ll definitely be back to try out other cocktails as well as their food!

Finding a restaurant that has honestly good food is what I’m always searching for but seldom find. East of Main delivers with well thought out dishes that have quality ingredients; clearly the chef knows good food.
Once I went for lunch and had the roast beef sandwich with blue cheese. It was a good choice. For dinner another time, I had the lamb shank, and I’d order that again.
The location is on the edge of Chinatown on East Georgia & Main, so it has an interesting mix of people. It fits into the block nicely and feels natural in the neighbourhood.
Most everything is made from scratch, so it’s hard to go wrong. The bonus is that all of the proceeds from the restaurant go to a great local cause.

Fantastic concept of good food, great prices and ambiance with all profits to help fund Project Limelight theatre for children wanting to performing (
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This new eatery is located in Chinatown on E. Georgia across from Phnom Penh; a tastefully designed room with super high ceiling and contemporary furnishings of well-​loved wooden tables, cozy leather chairs, reclaimed wooden floors and clean finished concrete pillars.
The menu is a Eastern Mediterranean delicious feast of fancy nouvelle inspired tapas dishes and mains: White Gazpacho shots, Roasted Cauliflower, Moroccan Kefta, Scallop Ceviche, Roasted Eastern style Lamb, Braised Black Cod, crusted Almonds & Tuscan white bean dip with Egyptian flatbread. The chef is from Savoury City Catering
The space above the restaurant is a studio for LimeLight. Here is a description from their website: Project Limelight, a free theatre program for kids who are driven to perform. No experience necessary! Project Limelight is about inspiring children to look inside themselves and discover their inner strengths, explore their hidden talents, develop confidence and form lasting friendships.
Supporting Theater for kids is a win win and for that founders Donalda & Maureen get 5 stars