Fishermans Wharf at Steveston Village
Steveston Village is an area in southwest Richmond, BC sitting along the coastline of Vancouver's lower mainland. Located just 10-15 minutes from Vancouver International Airport, as well as roughly 45 minutes from Vancouver's downtown core, Steveston Village is an accessible destination for anybody visiting the Greater Vancouver area.
Late in the 19th century, a gentleman by the name if W.H. Steves bought up the land and began to lay out the plans for Steveston.
Steves had aspirations of creating a town that would rival nearby Vancouver. The town thrived with people coming from all over the world to plant their roots here.
Unfortunately Steveston had a period of suffering due to a steep decline in the salmon fishing industry around 1913, followed by large fires, then the great depression of the 30's.
To add insult to injury, in 1942, Steveston lost half of its Japanese population and business due to the people being interned.
We all like a feel-good story. Despite all of the hardships, Steveston rose again to be what it is today--a pretty amazing place.
The cannery was once dubbed "The Monster Cannery". It was the largest of over a dozen canneries in Steveston alone and the largest in British Columbia.
The cannery operated until the late 1970s canning a variety of different species over its time. By 1976, it was named a national historic site which runs as a museum to the current day.
Fishermans Wharf is home to so many incredible things to do and is only a portion of what Steveston Village has to offer.
Taking a stroll around the marina, up and down the docks you will find boats of all shapes, ages and sizes. While the main theme here is fishing, you will find vessels of all kinds nearby.
Starting along the far right side near the cannery is the best approach, then working your way down towards the pubs.
In this area, there are unique boats to take photos in front of, Coast Guard of Canada boats, plus some nice angles of the cannery.
Hungry?
Have no fear. Steveston has that base completely covered. Between food trucks, restaurants and pubs, you have many options for magnificent food!
Since moving back to the west coast 7 years ago, I formulated my own mantra, or rule if you will:
If you serve fish and chips and can see the ocean from where you serve it, you better have unique batter, homemade tartar sauce and serve it on some paper.
Pajo's does all of the above and not only can you see the ocean, but you're also pretty much sitting on it!
This floating masterpiece is tasty, but it is not my favourite spot for Halibut in the area.
The Seafood Dock Market
Now you have covered the first half of the wharf and are getting into the most epic parts of it all, get ready for a true west coast Canada experience.
This stretch of dock contains roughly a dozen boats selling varieties of seafood on ice. From Salmon to Sea Urchins, you will find all kinds of delicious sea creatures to pack up. On this day, they were really pushing the buckets of prawn for $15.
Here are a series of photos of the stretch of the market.
Wipe up the drool off of your shirt, lets head to the next dock!
Whale Watching Dock
Congratulations! You have made it to the last dock in the marina. Don't be sad though, there is plenty of Steveston Village to go.
Feeling adventurous?
Hop on a whale-watching tour boat and catch some glimpses of our resident orcas and possibly a gigantic humpback. Quite often these tours have some bonus marine life on the way such as:
- harbour seals
- sea lions
- porpoises
- jelly fish
- bald eagles
The boats look like they would be a ton of fun to hit the ocean with!
What Else Does Steveston Offer?
At this point, it is tough to imagine that there is more awesomeness that can be crammed into a small village. The truth is, we have only touched on the waterfront part of the village.
Head back on up that ramp and lets check out some of the restaurants at the top docks!
These restaurants up here have an atmosphere you cannot get many places. There is something so soothing about sitting on the patio here as the sun sets into the early evening.
Personally, I have eaten at most of the restaurants on this stretch and none disappoint. You would think you would have to be an impressive establishment to be able to compete in these parts.
Here is the last stretch leading us into the village itself. You cannot plan a visit down to these parts without seeing the amazing shops Steveston has to offer.
Grab some souvenirs here as it is the best stretch for that. Let's call it "Souvenir Alley".
Let's continue our stroll!
Steveston Village
As is evident, it is a small town setting with big time options. Whether you need to get some seafood packed up for travel, pick up some toys or souvenirs for family, or maybe you still have room for dessert, the village is packed with options for all of the above.
Here we have Dave's Fish and Chips. Dave's has been a staple in Steveston since 1978 and happens to be my favourite place in the lower mainland for fish and chips. Not just any fish and chips, but our treasured Pacific Halibut fish; as we like to call it "White Gold".
Dave's does a great job with everything on the menu so stop in when you visit. When you go, just say Rick sent you. He doesn't know who I am but if I can get enough of you asking about me, I can introduce myself to him and possibly score some referral fish!
There are a few bakeries in Steveston Village but this one is my favourite. Romania's loaves are second to none plus you get the true heritage feeling when visiting this establishment.
Other notables in Steveston Village are the many restaurants, toy stores, museum, water park, community centre, coffee shops and so much more.
Brittania Shipyards is another historic site worth making a visit to.
Feel like a spa day? There are a number of options in the area as well.
In Closing
Steveston Village along with Fisherman's Wharf is a MUST STOP when you are visiting Vancouver. Since it is in Richmond where the airport is located, it may be a good idea to plan to stop in the day your flight is leaving.
This way you are close to the airport early in the day eliminating any chance of Vancouver traffic holding you up. If you can come spend much more time here, plan some other things in and around the Richmond area.
Richmond is known to have some of the best asian food in the world outside of Asia. Plus the diversity of this city has brought so much fusion in cuisines with the likelihood that you will try something that you have never tried before.
Thanks for reading!