What You Need to Know About a Trip to Steveston

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Calling Card

Fish—alongside sea urchins, spot prawns, and squid—dominate the waterside neighborhood of Steveston, officially part of the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. Boats clock double duty as market stalls, lining Fisherman’s Wharf to sell as-fresh-as-it-gets Pacific treasures. Steps from the boardwalk, multiple outfits dish the obvious fish and chips, plus prawn tacos and tuna tartare. 

New Directions 

With industrial touches, calming neutral colors, and sea-inspired decor, newcomer Steveston Waterfront Hotel mirrors the neighborhood’s relaxed vibe. Ditching a lobby in favor of online check-in, the new concept is less hotel and more individual, apartment-like suites. The waterfront name delivers; rooms open to a paved greenway and boats moored in the harbor just beyond. 

Historical Record

Finding something that isn’t a historical callback in the working fishing village is a challenge. From refreshingly spotty cell coverage to nineteenth-century buildings, it must be what a bygone Ballard felt like. Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site preserves a whole cross section of town, its free museum offering a peek into life inside a stilt house and a boatbuilding barn still used for restorations. 

Fishy Business

Steveston was into tinned fish long before sardine cans were cute; the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site showcases the smelly, scaly work of canning. Museum-goers can feel the rocking of a model fishing vessel, read oral histories from onetime cannery workers, flip through vintage can designs, and see actual herring scales caked onto the rafters. 

Alternative Eats

The ube cakes, delightfully crispy Filipino fried chicken sandwiches, and sweet, tomato-laced mac side at Win Win Chick-N are a welcome diversion from Steveston’s ubiquitous seafood. Buttered buns go well with a walk along the harbor boardwalk or sunset views from nearby Garry Point. Cannery Café, which cameoed in fairy-tale TV series Once Upon a Time, dishes brunch.

Spy Games 

At the point where the Fraser River empties into the Gulf of Georgia, wildlife sightings come with the territory. Whale-watching tours sail visitors toward humpbacks, resident orcas, sea lions, and porpoises; a two-mile scenic walking route from the heart of town to heritage site London Farm is good for bird-watching. 

Rise and Shine

A different section of Richmond boasts famed night markets, but Steveston shines in the morning. The early bird gets the fish, literally, from wharf market vendors who sail up around 8am. If you want to leave the fresh catch for someone else, restaurant Breakfast Table specializes in Asian fusion and the sea, notably in a smoked steelhead egg roll omelet.