With summer comes patio season, and Vancouver‘s sun-soakers begin to flock to the city’s staples, with favourites being the likes of Joe Fortes and Chill Winston. But one of Vancouver’s best outdoor dining experiences has to be Reflections, the rooftop terrace at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
Tucked up on the fourth floor and surrounded snugly by tall buildings, Reflections immediately feels like a special clubhouse, somehow quiet and intimate without losing the buzz of Vancouver’s energetic downtown. With its cabana-style seating, open kitchen, and mini waterfall, the restaurant is a far cry from the typical Vancouver haunts: it feels more like Miami or Los Angeles. The aesthetic changes each year, with 2016’s focusing on the Pacific Northwest in calming blues and teals. String lights hang from green trees, and clear boxes on the floor show off the rippling water of the pond beneath.
And then there are the drinks—prosecco on tap is a fantastic way to begin a lunch meeting, or a happy hour. Signature cocktails named for parts of Vancouver (try the Wreck Beach Lemonade) are as beautiful as they are delicious, and the tapas-style menu does not disappoint. Consider the Ahi Tuna Poke, incredibly fresh and flavourful, or the soft burrata with compressed watermelon, sundried tomato pesto, and pine nuts. Grilled flat iron steak is juicy, and two types of season-inspired pizza mean there is plenty to choose from (drool over, really).
There are heat lamps and blankets to ensure no one gets cold as nighttime hits, but if a change of scenery is needed, there is always the underground Prohibition cocktail bar also located in the hotel (its “absinthe experience” is the way to go). Truly, though, Reflections is a place where it is easy to post up all evening, long after the sky above has slowly faded from light.
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