Details
Information
Reviews
Location

Cuisine type

  • Canadian Cuisine,

Dishes

  • Breakfast,
  • Brunch,

Features

  • Wheelchair-accessible Restaurant,
  • Restaurant With Wifi Internet,
  • Restaurant With Terrace,

Languages Spoken

  • English,
Location
651 15th Ave E, Vancouver, BC V5T 2R6
Useful Information

Opening Hours *Holiday hours

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Rates:

  • < $10,

Methods of Payment:

Meet the owner

Ken and Junko Brooks’ one love is their restaurant, The Lion’s Den Café. It is the heart of the commercial strip where Fraser Street meets Kingsway and a dozen small businesses have opened and thrived. But long before the French bistro or the minimalist coffee shop, The Lion’s Den single-handedly served neighbourhood residents. It has since become an institution.

On September 9, 1999, at 9:09 am, Ken, a veteran of the service industry opened the restaurant and named it One Love. Originally from the Bahamas, Ken served home-style Caribbean food.

It was a hit from the very beginning. Friends, family and foodies would come across Vancouver to be in Ken’s famously friendly company. Less than three months later, he had to hire someone to help him in the kitchen. That’s how he met his future wife, Junko Tanabe. Junko’s work ethic and love for cooking made her a force in the kitchen. She’s cooked nearly every plate of food that’s left the kitchen ever since.

You’ll find Ken and Junko in the restaurant seven days a week. Ken greets all the customers like family, calling them “my sister from another mister” or “my brother from another mother.” “This is not a restaurant,” says Junko, “This is a mom-and-pop place. This is my dining room.”

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Appears in 3 Smart Lists

Editor’s Pick
8 best Caribbean restaurants in Vancouver

8 best Caribbean restaurants in Vancouver

The Lion’s Den Café uses its cozy, colorful interior and friendly staff to create a down-to-earth dining experience. The restaurant offers both Caribbean and Japanese dishes. These self-proclaimed “Japaribbean” combos make the Lion’s Den truly unique. Be sure to try out the Jerk & Teriyaki combo for a taste of both styles.

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Vancouver's best jamaican patties

Vancouver's best jamaican patties

Over the years, this Japanese-Caribbean fusion restaurant has gained a strong contingent of regulars, mainly because of its entertaining and hilarious owner. The Lion’s Den is known for eclectic, quirky and laid-back service, and the Jamaican patties are the perfect pick up if you’re on the go in the Fraser-Kingsway area.

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Spice things up at these Caribbean restaurants in Vancouver

Spice things up at these Caribbean restaurants in Vancouver

This quirky café at 15th and Fraser has been a stalwart in that once-deserted block that is now chock-a-block with hip restaurants, cafés, hair salons and shops. Luckily for us, The Lion’s Den wasn’t gentrified out. Offering a unique mix of Caribbean and Japanese cuisines (the husband-wife owners each hail from these regions), service is always friendly and the menu filled with comforts such as jerk chicken, okonomiyaki (savoury Japanese pancake), goat curry and teriyaki chicken. Wherever you’re from, you’ll instantly feel at home at this truly fusion restaurant.

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