5 places to spend an afternoon in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant

Looking for a neighbourhood that’s easy to explore on foot? Mount Pleasant has become one of Vancouver’s go-to destinations for great food, independent shops and craft breweries.

Whether you’re stopping for ice cream, browsing local boutiques or ending the day with a pint, these five businesses offer a great introduction to one of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.

Mount Pleasant is one of Vancouver’s most charming and trendiest neighbourhoods, for good reason. 

Tucked between False Creek and South Main, Mount Pleasant is where Vancouver’s fashionable and hip crowd go for an afternoon of brewery hopping and boutique shopping. With a relatively relaxed atmosphere, it often feels like Downtown Vancouver’s more laid-back counterpart. 

In Mount Pleasant, you can find locally founded ice cream shops, award-winning bars and restaurants, and a vintage shop on every block. 

Here are five standout local businesses in Mount Pleasant that are worth spending an afternoon at.

Earnest Ice Cream

• Location: 1829 Quebec St.

Situated just inside the northern border of Mount Pleasant at the intersection of East 2nd Avenue and Quebec Street, Earnest Ice Cream has been one of the city’s most recognizable ice cream shops since 2012. After 14 years, the line for a scoop still piles down the block even to this day. Earnest carries over 14 delicious flavours of ice cream, available in mason jar pints, scoops, or ice cream sandwiches. Can’t make it to a dedicated shop? You can pick up a pint at a variety of grocery stores around the city.

Check out Earnest Ice Cream’s menu here.

8th & Main

• Location: 2403 Main Street

Looking to shop until you drop? Then 8th & Main on the corner of Main Street and East 8th Avenue is the spot. With endless racks of fashion-forward tops, dresses, and bottoms, it’s the perfect activity for a rainy afternoon – which there are plenty in the Rainy City. At 8th and Main, you can find brands like Levi’s, Vero Moda, Noisy May, JJXX, and Baggu. If buying new isn’t in the budget, the store also carries a wide selection of secondhand and vintage items.

Urban Source

• Location: 3126 Main St.

Urban Source has been encouraging craftiness and creativity for over 30 years. Located just inside the southern border of Mount Pleasant on East 16th Avenue, Urban Source offers a wide range of manufacturing discards that can be repurposed into new artsy projects, whether you’re looking to make collages, greeting cards, or jewellery. Some of the materials the store stocks include fabric, Cricut transfer foil, cardstock, vintage buttons and stickers, and film.

Mount Pleasant Vintage

• Location: 67 West 6th Ave.

Despite the name, Mount Pleasant Vintage is not a vintage clothing store. Instead, it’s a cocktail bar and wood fired grill in the heart of Vancouver’s hippest neighbourhood. In April, it was included in North America’s 100 Best Bars in spot 91. Mount Pleasant Vintage is also a fantastic place for a late night snack, as it’s open until 1 a.m. five days a week and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The stacked menu offers all day snacks, craft cocktails, slushies, beer and cider, wine, small plates, large plates, personal plates, and desserts. 

Check out Mount Pleasant Vintage’s menus here.

33 Acres Brewing

• Locations:
  • 33A / 15 W 8th Ave.
  • 33B / 25 W 8th Ave. 

While 33 Acres Brewing doesn’t literally take up 33 acres of land between its two neighbouring locations, it’s one of Vancouver’s most unique breweries. Opened in 2013 by founder Joshua Michnik, 33 Acres is an award-winning microbrewery that values both quality beers and experimentation. On its beer menu are six signature beers, a signature cider, and two experimental beers. 

Check out 33 Acres’ beer selection here.