Christina L.
Yelp
Let's face it, Granville Island is a bit of a tourist trap; similar to Pier 39 in San Francisco (with similar quality, overpriced food) and similar to Pike's Place in Seattle (less options for food, and even more of a tourist trap). But coming to Vancouver and not visiting Granville Island would be like visiting Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Come by for the sights, the views of the boats & water, and for the experience, but don't leave having your mind blown by the food.
Most of the food here looks like a mall food court: Chinese food, pizza, sandwiches, etc. where a lot of things are already premade and just sitting in metal containers under heat lamps.
After having eaten way too much the day prior, we wanted something on the lighter side for lunch and stumbled across this soup place. The weather was a bit grey and chilly which made this soup place look even more appealing. They had 3 flavors of soup when I went: salmon chowder, moroccan lamb & couscous, and split pea soup. A small soup will set you back $5 CAD and the large soup is $8 CAD, which is a little on the expensive side for soup. You do get a piece of focaccia bread with each soup, but it's cold bread, and a bit lackluster in texture / taste. It's okay, but nothing I would necessarily say is a "must-eat" bread.
Neither of the soups were overly salty, and they had good flavor. My boyfriend liked the moroccan lamb soup better, and I liked the salmon chowder better (he thought it was too fishy for his taste which seems obvious since it's made with fish). I was glad the salmon chowder wasn't made with heavy cream, so it was still fairly light in texture and healthier than a bisque. I thought they were a bit on the expensive side for a cup / bowl of soup and while it was good, I wouldn't really make a special trip here to get it again.
If you're starving and really feel like you want to eat on Granville Island, then this is a decent choice, but I think you're better off leaving this kind-of-tourist-trap and eat elsewhere.