Whistler Village

Whistler is a great ski resort area in British Colombia, Canada, just two hours from Vancouver.  However, there are limited budget food options.  Here are some places I tried.

Purebread – a good pop-up bakery near Whistler Village Marketplace.  They have a wide selection of breads and pastries.  The apple blondie bar was OK, and the caramelized banana brownie was very good.  The best was the Crack bar, Purebread’s excellent version of Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack Pie.

Zog’s Dogs – an outdoor hot dog and poutine stand at the base of Whistler Mountain.  Decent, not sure if the gravy on the poutine was home-made or pre-packaged.  Outdoor seating and cash only.

Peaked Pies – Australian meat pies.  Flaky pastry stuffed with various fillings.  The “peaked” version is topped with mashed potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy.

Harajuku Izakaya – bar, restaurant, take-out, and mini Japanese food mart, a block away from the Whistler Conference Center.  Decent, reasonably-priced Japanese food.  I had the udon, which was good, and the chicken karaage, which could have been crispier.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory – a wide selection of candied apples, chocolates, and other sweets

There are some higher end places in Whistler, which I didn’t try.  My advice – ski in Whistler, eat in Vancouver!

Travel tips: Greyhound is an inexpensive way to get to Whistler; much less than some of the other bus services.  Buses depart from Pacific Central Station in Vancouver.  On the return trip, there is a stop downtown at the Fairmont Hotel, which is close to many other downtown hotels.  There is no luggage storage at Pacific Central Station.  A Greyhound agent referred me to the Ivanhoe hostel, a block away from the station, which has left luggage service for $5.  They don’t give out luggage receipts, which I was a little apprehensive about, but I got my luggage back!