The Cannibal Cafe

Finding great eats on Commercial Drive is easy, with endless options lining the 21-block strip, between 13th Avenue and Venables Street. So when new restaurants come along, it’s important they bring something new to the table. The Cannibal Café did just that when it opened in 2012, but thankfully, and contrary to what their name suggests, it wasn’t human meat.

The punk rock-inspired diner serves up gourmet burgers made from certified BC organic beef, as well as veggie, turkey and salmon patties—all made in-house. General manager Jen Temple thinks what sets The Cannibal Café apart from the rest is that they control the process of all their meats.

“We cut, grind and press our burgers fresh every day and because we control that process, burger’s can be cooked to different degrees.” Jen explains.

Having a variety of options to choose from has definitely added to its popularity.

“We enjoy coming up with creative ideas for specialty burgers or people can build their own,” Jen says. “We even feature a new burger each month to keep the menu exciting. Last month we had the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Burger,” a pizza burger with dry cured pepperoni, sauteed peppers and onions, house-made marinara, provolone cheese and roasted garlic mayonnaise. It sold so well that we ended up adding it to our regular menu and renamed it the Kowabunga burger.”

Another favourite are the milkshakes, which come straight up or in a variety of boozy options. Indulge on Milkshake Mondays, a weekly special that gets you a free milkshake with the purchase of any burger.