L'Abbatoir

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L'Abbatoir Review

Located on the site of Vancouver's first jail, this two-level restaurant with exposed brick walls and classic black-and-white floor tiles has a bold collection of cocktails and an adventurous modern menu. In the glass, choices range from classics like the Hanky Panky (gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet Branca) to more contemporary concoctions like the Meat Hook (Sazerac rye, Italian vermouth, and 10-year-old whiskey). From the restaurant's name—French for "slaughterhouse" (the surrounding neighborhood was once a meat-packing district)—you'd expect a meat-focused menu, and although you'll find veal sweetbreads on toast or milk-poached pork with salsa verde, seafood shines in dishes like potato gnocchi with scallops and chestnuts or pan-fried cod paired with an endive tart. Before plotting your escape into the night, share a dark-chocolate pudding for two.