Vancouver Christmas Market — Honest Thoughts
Christmas — the most wonderful time of the year (besides Summertime, obviously). At least my ice-cream wasn’t too quick to melt though…
In this blog post, I’m going to walk you through my thoughts on Vancouver’s version of a European Winter Wonderland, otherwise known as The Vancouver Christmas Market, and whether or not it lived up to it’s expectations.
Let’s start with the admission… We bought our tickets two nights before we went, about two weeks prior to Christmas. For adults, it was $20.00 per person, kids 5 and under (from what I remember) were free. They also had a Seasons Pass for around $35.00 per person. I feel like these prices were reasonable, as these markets carry great quality vendors, products, and handmade goods. Plus, they tend to fill up really fast, so it’s nice to have a spot guaranteed.
Next, the food. We went to a total of 6 food vendors, and all, except one were satisfying to the taste.
We started out with soft, salted pretzels for the kids, which were delicious and not overly pricey. 10/10 recommend if you are looking for a snack for your children (or yourself) that doesn’t quite fall into the dessert category. However, they did have sweeter pretzels as well (for those who want something sweet, but not too sweet).
Next, my husband went on a search for traditional German schnitzel. While he did find some schnitzel, he was extremely disappointed in the presentation, quality, and price of it. First of all, the meal didn’t even look remotely inviting. It literally looked like a frozen tv dinner and apparently it tasted like one too. Sorry to say it, but I’m not here to sugar coat sh*t, that’s simply just the truth. I think what was most disappointing about this vendor though, is that they were very misleading with their advertisement, not to mention ridiculously expensive. Their signs showcased photos of Authentic German food, but I’m convinced they just stocked up on as many discounted frozen “schnitzels” they could find at Super Store, then decided throw them in the microwave and re-sell them for $20.00 per piece. No, I’m not kidding. Including taxes and tips, my husband paid upward of $30.00 for a tiny piece of breaded pork with a tbsp of what looked like boxed mashed potatoes and gravy. He didn’t even finish the food, it was that distasteful. -10/10 do NOT recommend.
Okay, on to better things… After the first (and thankfully the last) awful meal of the night, my husband went searching for something to cleanse his palate. That’s when he discovered the brat worst, or should I say, brat best? The great thing about this vendor, is that they showcased the actual roasting, so people could see the what they were ordering, without it being masked by annoying signs and false advertising. The only downfall, was that the line was 20 minutes long. However, according to my husband, the taste made it well worth the wait. I never did ask him to rate it out of 10 though, so I’ll have to update that at a later time.
“Tornado Potatoes” were to follow, requested by my youngest daughter. Another long line, but worth the wait. She enjoyed every bite and probably would have eaten another one in the same sitting. It’s a 10 for me.
Next — traditional Spanish CHURROS, because how can you not? I ordered some old fashioned cinnamon sugar ones with whipped cream and ate them before my camera could even catch a glimpse. I have zero regrets. Other add ons they had were caramel drizzle, chocolate drizzle, white chocolate drizzle, and marshmallow cream, which all sounded SO good, despite my wanting to keep it simple. 10/10
Last, but certainly not least was a cinnamon roll pancake, which basically tasted like the warm center of a tasty, sticky cinnamon roll, wrapped in pancake batter. And if you think that sounds delightful, imagine that topped with French Vanilla ice-cream from Island Farms. It’s one of those things you don’t stop to think about, you just say YES. 10/10 recommend.
Aaand just when I thought we had enough food, my eyes became fixated on some of the finest fruit I’ve ever seen… Only, the fruit was actually too good to eat. Which is honestly probably a good thing, considering how full we were. Seriously though, what I thought for a split second was a fruit stand, was actually a colourful array of soaps carved to look like fresh produce. They had replicas of everything from grapes, to berries, apples, pears, mangos, lemons, melons, and more. And not only did these soaps look like fruit, they smelled like fruit. They were all so beautiful, it made it difficult deciding what to get, so we let kids choose which ones they wanted to bring home. They decided on grapes, which I thought was a nice choice. I’ll definitely be ordering more in the New Year though. Photographed below is just a fraction of what we got to choose from.
Out of all the vendors (besides the food), The Art of Soap was without a doubt my favourite. Other vendors we saw, carried items such as glass blown Christmas ornaments, wooden toys, incense burners, and hand woven mittens and scarves. Of course there was more, but you would have to see for yourself.
To wrap up this post, would I say this market is worth while? YES, I think it’s definitely worth checking out. The admission is what you would expect and the navigation was simple, yet beautiful. The cheerful and lit up atmosphere certainly felt like a Winter Wonderland (the snowfall obviously helped). The products were unique and of excellent quality, and vendors were (mostly) lovely and authentic, as long as you don’t order the schnitzel.