Five great grills in New West

There’s just something so mouthwatering about throwing meat and veggies on a grill. Whether you’re going for a southern-style barbecue or tantalizing Thai food, these five spots in New West are worth giving a go. 

Re-Up BBQ & Highlight by Re-Up BBQ

If you’re looking for slow-cooked ribs, slaw, or sausage, these two stops are for you. Re-Up BBQ is on the first floor of River Market, and the team smokes meat daily. It’s common for people to order their food to go so they can enjoy it outside by the Quay. There are set meals for two to six people, or if you’d like them to cater, you can order in advance. Re-Up also sells biscuits and house smoked bacon for you to take home and make yourself. 

Highlight Cafe by Re-Up BBQ is in Uptown New West, with more of a focus on brunch and lunch meals, incorporating its barbecue into classic dishes like eggs Benny. If you can’t commit to one brunch/lunch choice, give the three-way biscuit sliders a try: each toasted buttermilk biscuit comes with pulled pork, beef brisket, and fried chicken. 

Epic Grill Silogs

This Filipino grill specializes in silogs, which are often served as a breakfast meal in the Philippines. A typical silog includes garlic fried rice, egg, and a protein like fish or longganisa, a kind of sausage. The great thing about silogs is you can get them with almost anything now: spam, squid, or even chicken wings. 

By the way, if you’d like to make dessert a part of your breakfast, give the individual cakes or silvannas—a frozen Filipino cookie sandwich—a go. 

Longtail 

From the brilliant mind of chef Angus An—who also runs Freebird and Fat Mao Noodles, both of which are in Vancouver—Longtail does meat, veggies, and tofu on the grill. Like the other selections in this piece, everything is made to order, and the kitchen is open enough that you’ll be able to watch flames kissing the food. 

I’ve had almost everything here and have never been disappointed, but if you don’t know where to start, grab an order of roti with peanut sauce, and follow that up with some pad Thai chicken or pad see-ew beef. 

IT Burger/IT Char Burger

This is probably one of the best-worst kept secrets in New Westminster: tucked away inside Royal Square Mall is IT Burger (usually referred to online as IT Char Burger) a Korean burger and barbecue stop. Nearly everything at IT Char is made at the shop, and there is no social media presence or website dedicated to it, with the exception of a Yelp and Zomato page: IT Char’s exceptional reputation is spread through word of mouth.

The burgers are grilled while you wait, which can be about 10 minutes—but it’s absolutely worth it. While its namesake burger is a safe and delicious choice, the double spicy Korean is another must-try.