Until the moment you devour one of Angelina’s fresh berry pannekoeken or their locally famous eggs benedict, you are missing out on seriously amazing shit. Throw Denny’s in the bin and sit yourself down at a patio table at Angelina’s, enjoy the view of the New Westminster Quay, and weep joyfully over the Dutch-inspired breakfast and lunch.
Angelina’s is a small daytime restaurant quite conveniently located across from New Westminster Station, open weekdays 6:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and weekends until 3:30 p.m. It has the nostalgic local diner feel that everybody seems to love and is often very busy. So busy that the only open tables without a waitlist are on the patio overlooking the river. Like any brunch place, Sundays are the craziest, so don’t be dumb like me and show up on Sunday at 2 p.m. starving after a night of drinking — there may be quite a wait for the food.
The menu has greatly expanded since opening and they offer all the standard breakfast fare such as waffles, French toast, omelettes, and oatmeal. But what really stood out as different was the savoury and sweet pannekoeken. A pannekoek is a Dutch pancake that is the happy medium between a pancake and a crepe — it’s every breakfast lover’s dream. Light but flavourful, it’s delicious when served sweet with berries and cream but also savoury with housemade hollandaise sauce and ‘yummy hash’: a mixture of hash browns, various vegetables, and your choice of protein (or mushrooms for vegetarians). You will be fully convinced that you can eat 40 of them in one sitting after a single bite.
Their omelettes, although quite ordinary, are done right: chock full of fresh vegetables and five cheeses to choose from, served with toast and perfectly seasoned baby potatoes. A highly recommended local favourite is the eggs benedict — even rumoured to be the best in Vancouver. I definitely neglected the lunch menu as Angelina’s is notorious for its bragging rights over a damn fine brunch, but a lunch menu does exist and consists of sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, and burgers.
Although maybe not the optimal hotspot for vegans — its menu does not include fake meats, tofu, or vegan pannekoek — Angelina’s Restaurant offers many vegetarian options alongside their bratwurst. The coffee was good but not great, and the service was friendly but not brisk enough for a busy restaurant. Price range is about $15–$20 per person, which I found a bit on the pricier side, but fair for the portions and quality of food.
At the end of the day, Angelina’s is a charming local brunch place with a nice view and homestyle fresh breakfast food, that never fails to receive a thumbs-up in response. Definitely worth a visit — just not on a hungover Sunday.
