When you’re trying to think of somewhere to go eat, institutions and centres aren’t the first places that come to mind. That’s why there are a number of unexpected eateries peppered throughout the city that have only become known through word of mouth (or, rather, word of Internet).

The unfortunate recent closure of UBC’s upscale Perch restaurant in the new Nest building after only six months of operation is an example of how not to run a hard-to-find establishment. Though many of the examples below may not be well advertised, they’ve bucked intuitive thinking by managing to thrive.

Although these places are housed within buildings belonging to companies, organizations, or institutions, they are all open to the public.

Ambiance and décor aren’t the strong points of most of these places. But if you’re on a budget (who isn’t in Vancouver?), many of them have subsidized or very reasonable prices. Whether you’re seeking French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, pan-Asian, or West Coast cuisine, there’s plenty to pick from.

Adesso Bistro

This one’s off the beaten track. Literally. While it’s not notable for a restaurant to be housed within a hotel, this one is smack-dab in the middle of the residential zone west of Denman, on the ground floor of the Buchan Hotel (1906 Haro Street). Adesso’s modern menu covers all the Italian bases: pasta (with gluten-free options), pizza, salads, and specialties such as Ligurian seafood stew, braised rabbit, and red-wine-braised beef. Visit during warmer weather to truly enjoy neighbourhood dining on the tranquil patio.

Café salade de fruits

Just off the lobby of the Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver (1551 West 7th Avenue), this bustling spot packs people into its cozy, casual space thanks to its gratifying, affordably priced lunch, brunch, and dinner menus. Dishes include salade de saumon fumé (smoked salmon salad), escargots à l’aïl (garlic snails), cuisse de canard confit (duck confit), and pistachio sablefish. It’s a great place to dust off your high-school français while relishing generous servings of moules (mussels) and some of the most addictive frites in town.

The Centre Café

Located in the Vancouver school board building (1580 West Broadway) next to its 10th Avenue entrance, this airy lunch-hour cafeteria boasts a salad bar with three daily offerings (such as artichoke, chickpea, or sunomono salad); a daily warm entrée such as salmon burger, chicken cordon bleu, or spinach pie; a daily soup (the Thai curry chicken soup is killer); and panini and classic sandwiches. Nothing is priced over $10. Extremely efficient staff keep the line moving when it gets busy.

eh! Restaurant

This casual, counter-service Canadian restaurant is located on the second floor of 1050 Alberni Street, next to the Canadian College of English Language. Accordingly, it mostly caters to ESL students. Despite hit-and-miss offerings, it’s most notable for its cheap prices for salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta dishes (plus a coffee bar)—almost everything is priced under $10.

Friday Night Supper (Perogy Night in Vancouver)

Ravenous diners descend upon this popular event held on the first Friday of every month at the Ukrainian Orthodox Centre (underneath Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral at 154 East 10th Avenue). Besides potato and cheddar-cheese perogies—also known as varenyky or pyrohy—there are holubtsi (cabbage rolls), borscht, kovbasa (ham sausage), and sauerkraut. All foods are prepared by volunteers and are available as takeout, either freshly cooked or frozen, to tide you over until the next month’s event. Go early (5 p.m. to 8 p.m.).

Fujiya Takeout

Cloistered from pedestrian view near the end of a row of street-level shops at the base of Bentall Tower 1 (112–1050 West Pender Street), this compact, weekday Fujiya operation (far smaller than their Clark Street grocery store) draws long lunch-hour lineups of Coal Harbour business zombies. It’s no wonder. With competitively priced items such as sushi and bento boxes, the coolers are ransacked to almost empty after lunch. A selection of Japanese snacks will satiate your Glico jones.

The Galley Patio and Grill

Perched on the second floor of the Jericho Sailing Centre (1300 Discovery Street), this casual dining spot (open since 1990) offers a visual buffet of the seascape from Bowen and Vancouver islands to downtown Vancouver. The menu is equally expansive, wandering from the likes of Thai noodle chicken salad and Mexican pulled pork on griddled sourdough to classic beach faves such as fish and chips and wild B.C. salmon burgers. The patio? A must-do when Summercouver pays a visit.

Grounds for Appeal

When you’re hankering for Indian curry, do you yell “Let’s go to a cappuccino bar!”? No? This unassuming, nondescript café, housed in the Law Society of B.C. lobby (845 Cambie Street), will convert you. In addition to sandwiches, pastries, and a coffee menu that includes matcha, there’s a variety of Indian dishes (yes, there is a South Asian staff) such as butter-chicken curry, aloo paneer, dal, and lamb curry, served with naan and rice, with prices ranging from $7.50 to $9.50.

H-Mart Downtown

Although H-Mart Downtown (200–590 Robson Street) has a café on the ground floor, on the second floor, if you walk past the cashiers toward the Robson Street windows, you’ll discover a plentiful Asian food court. Zac-Zac offers Japanese curries, while Zac Baran serves various donburi. E-Mo Noodle House covers classic Chinese stir-fry and Wang Ga Ma serves up Korean soup and noodles. Masarang, H-Mart’s deli counter, offers Korean fare such as tteokbokki (spicy rice-cake stew) and soondae (Korean sausage with vermicelli). For lunch on the go, your best bet is Masarang’s reasonably priced Japanese and Korean bento boxes or its premade sushi rolls. What’s more, almost all dishes are less than $10.

Hi Genki

Intended as a dining room for residents of the New Sakura-so and Nikkei Home seniors’ residences (located at 6680 Southoaks Crescent in Burnaby, next to the National Nikkei Heritage Centre), this informal Japanese restaurant situated in a lobby found a following through word of mouth for its reasonably priced homestyle menu. It’s run by the aforementioned Fujiya company. Sorry, folks, sushi isn’t served here. But generous servings of comfort foods include tempura, korokke (croquettes), Japanese curry, and donburi, with prices from about $8 to $12. Timewise, factor in lineups and full houses, which can slow service.

IK2GO

Tucked inside the Burrard Building lobby (1049 Alberni Street), this is the counter-service offshoot of Glowbal Group’s Italian Kitchen restaurant around the corner. It’s perfect for the on-the-run crowd to grab nicely priced, quality Italian fare for breakfast or lunch takeout. (Seating isn’t available.) Snatch the likes of cauliflower alla Siciliana, panini, prosciutto croissants, baked timballo with lamb sausage and macaroni, pizza slices, or tiramisu. Even better, place an order online the day before to accelerate the already speedy process.

La Piazza Dario Ristorante Italiano

This fine-dining best-kept secret is housed in the Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre (3075 Slocan Street). With a rustic yet elegant dining room, this family-run restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) embodies the secrets of longevity, having operated since 1977. Entrées cover variations upon the Italian culinary canon, such as salmone La Piazza (wild salmon fillet with white wine, capers, and black olives), scaloppine al portobello (veal medallions in mushroom sauce), linguine ai gamberoni (sautéed prawns in a garlic, cherry tomato, and white wine sauce), and even gluten-free quinoa pasta.

Law Courts Inn

Secluded on the fifth floor of the Vancouver Law Courts (800 Smithe Street), this restaurant remains little known outside the law community. Open to the public for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), it features outdoor patios and overlooks a pond and gardens, with a picturesque view of the downtownscape. While the not-for-profit restaurant, operated by the Lawyers’ Inn Society, had slid in quality during the past few years, it is undergoing a revitalization project. In January, new management took over, which included a new executive chef, Jack Eng. The plateware and current menu—which covers everything from chicken-and-Brie burgers and mac and cheese with meatballs to pan-seared salmon with sweet-peas quinoa pilaf and puttanesca sauce—have room for improvement, and there are some dated folding dividers marring an otherwise amazing and well-lit dining space with great potential. One to watch for good things to come.

Red Pagoda

Even though this weekday-only Vietnamese restaurant is hidden at the back of a high-rise at 1130 West Pender Street and faces an alleyway plaza, it has garnered a loyal following from the Coal Harbour business district. Chalk that up to its affordably priced, tasty dishes like charbroiled lemongrass chicken vermicelli noodle bowls, yellow curry with rice, sate peanut pho, and Vietnamese shaking beef (bo luc lac) with salad. Be warned: expect lineups at lunch hour.

Toko Foods

While Toko Foods (223 West 7th Avenue) manufactures Asian noodles and specializes in Chinese tea, it also runs a casual restaurant on their premises, isolated within the Mount Pleasant industrial district. Most dishes run within the $8 to $12 range (seafood being the exception). Chinese dishes—lettuce wraps, bean curd, wonton, chow mein, seafood hot pot, fried rice, tan tan noodles, and more—are the bulk of the pan-Asian menu. Sprinkled among them are items from Japan (gyoza, ramen, teriyaki), Korea (kimchi), Thailand (tom yum koong, Thai chicken with cashews), Singapore (fried rice vermicelli), and Malaysia (curry, laksa) to round things out.