With Canada Day coming up, now is the time to start thinking about places to toast this fine nation on July 1—ideally, on a sunny patio with a few share plates and some ice-cold beverages over a laid-back lunch.

Here are a few spots around town where you can incorporate a leisurely midday meal into celebrations of our home and native land.

Island time

Roving stilt walkers, glass-blowing demonstrations, bike-decorating, ocean-kayak demos, and free live music as part of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival… The July 1 lineup on Granville Island is as varied and colourful as the seasonal produce available at the public market. Plan for lunch either before or after the 1:30 p.m. Canada Day parade. You can’t go wrong at Bridges Bistro (1696 Duranleau Street) when it comes to surrounding scenic views, with a wooden deck the size of a football field overlooking False Creek. Savour a hot seafood caesar salad, smoked-salmon pizza, or fish tacos with pineapple salsa while you watch the boats and birds come and go.

With panoramic water, city, and mountain views, Dockside Restaurant (1253 Johnston Street) offers such diverse lunch dishes as pork and shrimp bánh mi, zucchini-ribbon “un-pasta”, duck-confit pizza, and crab-and-shrimp cakes with mango salsa.

The place to be

The Port of Vancouver’s Canada Day at Canada Place event is the biggest national birthday party outside of Ottawa. Extreme pogo demos, pickup street-hockey games, and live music are just some of the highlights, while the North Point at Canada Place transforms into a family-friendly licensed-lounge area presented by Steam Whistle Brewing.

Pop into Tap and Barrel (1055 Canada Place), with its breathtaking views of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore mountains, for a spicy tuna-sashimi salad, Maui Wowie pizza, truffle-mushroom craft-beer mac ’n’ cheese, or the truly Canadian pulled-bacon poutine.

The Irish-themed Mahony and Sons (1055 Canada Place) has similarly striking surroundings, with lunch offerings including bangers and mash, Guinness-battered Alaskan cod, Mediterranean veggie burger, miso-maple salmon, and Pacific Coast chowder loaded with salmon, cod loin, prawns, and Salt Spring Island mussels sautéed to order and simmered in a lemon-fennel cream broth.

Stroll down to nearby Gastown for ostrich tartare, bouillabaisse, a bison burger, or a selection of charcuterie boards at Chill Winston (3 Alexander Street), which has the neighbourhood’s biggest patio, perfect for people-watching. Share some shiitake-and-yam rolls, gomaae, and tuna poke at Ono Raw Bar (221 Carrall Street), or settle in at Tacofino (Blood Alley Square) for tacos filled with pork, lamb, chicken, Pacific cod, squash, and cauliflower, or collard greens, potato, and mushroom.

Kits classic

Founded in 1935, the Kitsilano Showboat is impossible not to love, a source of free entertainment this year ranging from Polynesian dance to concert bands, all set against the spectacular backdrop of ocean and mountains. Canada Day festivities begin at 3:05 p.m., giving you plenty of time for lunch alfresco.

Across the street is Local Public Eatery (2210 Cornwall Avenue), home to a Tijuana caesar salad, potato-and-cheese perogies, pulled-pork terrine, banana pancakes, and other dishes. You can’t beat the location of the Boathouse Restaurant at Kits Beach, right in the park (1305 Arbutus Street). The brunch menu is available every day, featuring dishes like crab-cake Bennys and crab-and-shrimp omelette. Lunch items include blackened tilapia with key-lime shrimp, grilled-sockeye burger, and Shanghai-style noodle bowl. The very kid-friendly Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. (1876 West 1st Avenue) features exceptional artisan flatbreads like fennel sausage and blue cheese, fig and Brie, and smoked bacon and spring greens, as well as fresh pasta, salads, soup, and sandwiches.

East side spirit

Several free, family-friendly celebrations are taking place at community centres throughout East Vancouver, including Renfrew, Kensington, Hastings, and Sunset. Britannia is hosting afternoon festivities at Victoria Park, giving you the perfect excuse to stop in for lunch on the Drive. There’s more than raw and baked mollusks at Merchant’s Oyster Bar (1590 Commercial Drive): think crispy halibut cheeks, scallop ceviche, and a big burger with double-smoked bacon. To go with its impressive selection of ales, St. Augustine’s (2360 Commercial Drive) offers dishes like Gorgonzola, prosciutto, and apple pizza; P49 Gypsy Tears–braised beef sliders; bacon-wrapped meatloaf; and wheat-ale-and-cheddar chowder. With a view of Grandview Park, BierCraft Tap and Tapas (1191 Commercial Drive) serves up butternut-squash bisque, tofu “stix”, sambal prawns, and several versions of mussels, among other items, for lunch.