Travel guidebooks are great, but nothing beats locals for tips on great food for little cash. The smart traveler wants to know where the locals hang, not where the tourism bureau has promotional partnerships.

We were lucky to know a lot of people in Vancouver, long-time residents, who told us the best places to go. We happily pass their tips on to you.

Yaletown on the cheap

The downtown enclave of Yaletown is associated with yuppies, playboys, and gold-diggers. It’s not hard to see why with all the high-end boutiques and pricey restos the line its Modern-styled streets.

But we found a few gems for the budget-minded visitor:

Raw Canvas
1046 Hamilton St.

A total misfit among the swank businesses, this café-art studio is artsy to its organic chai core. Half of it is bar and bistro, while the back is a painting garage where, starting at $45, you get a blank canvas and full access to paints and brushes. Workshops, live music and poetry reading are regular events.

The menu is simple but bold: there’s a surprisingly tasty espresso chai latte made with actual chai spices, not a bag or a syrup. A sandwich of local cured meats and a knockout mustard was as remarkable as the decor. All of it came under $12.

Paige, the charming owner, tells me that all ingredients are bio-dynamic, which is organic squared: they are raised in a closed ecosystem that emulates natural cycles of nutrients: cow poop on pasture breeds worms, which feeds the chickens, whose poop fertilizes the pasture that feeds the cow…

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Rodney’s Oyster House
1228 Hamilton St.

Just a few doors down is a seafood eatery with a definitive nautical feel. From 3-6pm it has “Low Tide Specials”, generous servings of oysters, mussels, clams or salmon for $10 each. At the oyster bar, a staffer tosses the crustaceans like flair bartenders with bottles.

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Shakin’ not Stirred Lounge & Grill
1144 Homer St

The waitresses laugh if you say something they don’t understand, presumably thinking you attempted a joke, even though you were speaking in a foreign tongue to your dinner mates. This shows the somewhat forced level of service.

But no matter, you’re there for the cozy den-like atmosphere and appetizers sold at half-price before 6pm. “Appetizer” is a funny descriptor, as they’re enough to kill, not coax an appetite. I made the mistake of ordering two. I was full after the first.

Highly recommended is the spicy calamari, a half-fried, half-sautéed mess with Thai flavours.

Another gem about town

Medina Café
556 Beatty St

It’s always full, which speaks to the quality of its brunches and waffles. To them, eggs are accessories, not highlights. They’ll throw them poached in a tagine with Moroccan-style meatballs, or [see menu]

It’s not cheap, though: dishes range from $11 to $14, which makes them ideal for sharing among two. You’ll fill the remaining space with their fantastic Belgian waffles, which come with one of several incredible sauces, like lavender chocolate or salted caramel.

Other local-endorsed spots we didn’t try

Blue Water Café – 1095 Hamilton St.
Some good-looking seafood dishes.
Sha Lin Noodle House – 548 West Broadway
Authentic and cheap Chinese.
Gorilla Food – 436 Richards St.
Raw and vegan joint.
Finch’s Tea and Coffee House – 353 West Pender St.
Highly recommended for breakfast and sandwiches.