Robson Street
Robson Street
4
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Vancouver's premier shopping boulevard is lined with restaurants serving food from all over the world.
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The area
Neighbourhood: Robson Street
Robson Street is a shopper's paradise. Whether a window shopper or a serious trendsetter, a fashionista or a dabbler, the crowd of independent boutiques, quirky one-off shops, and well-known luxury brands on Robson Street have something to cater for every itch in your wallet. As a result, it draws a diverse crowd, and the people-watching along this famous walking thoroughfare is a primary attraction. In between the clothing shops both high-street and budget-friendly are a number of cafes to lay down your load, as well as numerous specialty stores ranging in their wares from music, to art, to city souvenirs. Known as "Vancouver's Runway," if a new trend is on the rise, you'd spot it here first.
How to get there
- Stadium–Chinatown • 5 min walk
- Vancouver City Centre • 8 min walk
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Restaurants
2,903 within 5 kms
Attractions
667 within 10 kms
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,599 reviews
Excellent
568
Very good
692
Average
290
Poor
36
Terrible
13
MisterCheeky
Shrewsbury, UK1,665 contributions
Aug 2021
While staying overnight downtown my wife and I decided to walk along Robson street around 9:30am. We noted that the vast majority of shops did not open until 10am. I understand that it is a weekday, however, 10am seems a bit late to open. Given the numerous food establishments on Robson, it may make sense to open later and catch some of the evening dining crowd.
What stood out was the large number of For Lease signs and numerous closed businesses. It would be easy to blame Covid for this and that may have had some impact. However, I imagine that the rent being charged here is prohibitively expensive as well which does not help small businesses much.
The overall feel of Robson is that of a tired, retail environment that is merely existing on its past popularity. There is about two to three blocks of businesses that may be worthy of a visit, outside of that it is a mish-mash of cheap take-out food and Canada souvenir shops that look like they were transported here from Water Street.
Really disappointing.
What stood out was the large number of For Lease signs and numerous closed businesses. It would be easy to blame Covid for this and that may have had some impact. However, I imagine that the rent being charged here is prohibitively expensive as well which does not help small businesses much.
The overall feel of Robson is that of a tired, retail environment that is merely existing on its past popularity. There is about two to three blocks of businesses that may be worthy of a visit, outside of that it is a mish-mash of cheap take-out food and Canada souvenir shops that look like they were transported here from Water Street.
Really disappointing.
Written August 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rick S
East Amherst, NY977 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Robson street/shopping/dinning Vancouver's premier shopping boulevard is lined with restaurants serving food from all over the world mostly Asia but I have to admit I had a pretty good plate of pasta there.
First Vancouver is a thriving exciting city with block after block of shops and eateries. And if you put all the good ones on Robson Street, you’d have a shopping experience of supreme proportion. Unfortunately, the good ones that are there are sparse as are the good restaurants. The boarded up and for lease establishment sprinkled in just make the good stores that more even that spread out. I know that retiling isn’t what it used to be and I should consider myself fortunate that any retailing at all has survived. But Robson is no major shopping Mecca worthy of being called a tourist attraction. The block in back of the Vancouver Art gallery is an interesting people watching location complete with tables benches and food vendors, but for the rest of the street is not quite so appetizing. The Budget friendly stores are either cheap souvenir stores or dollar store wanna be’s that are located in every major city in North America.
I went, I say and that was that I added to the other mystified folks, no one carrying purchases form any store much less the high-end stores that did exist. Unless I’m missing something, Robson Street isn’t missing shoppers it’s missing buyers. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House and Zippadellie’s Spaghetti Joint had good food as I imagined a few others did also but with a great big Vancouver to explore none caught my attention.
A funny story the yellow cab I hailed on the waterfront for a lift to Robson told me he wasn’t from Vancouver and if I could direct him, he would try to get me there. The six or so blocks grew as the meter flipped, I realized the line of crap he feed me turned into a bigger fare and a two block walk back to Robson Street. Be wary if a cab driver doesn’t know where one of the main throughfares in the city is, this was the second time in that many days I heard the same story fortunately I knew my way around enough for there to be only minor damage, subtracted from their tips of course.
First Vancouver is a thriving exciting city with block after block of shops and eateries. And if you put all the good ones on Robson Street, you’d have a shopping experience of supreme proportion. Unfortunately, the good ones that are there are sparse as are the good restaurants. The boarded up and for lease establishment sprinkled in just make the good stores that more even that spread out. I know that retiling isn’t what it used to be and I should consider myself fortunate that any retailing at all has survived. But Robson is no major shopping Mecca worthy of being called a tourist attraction. The block in back of the Vancouver Art gallery is an interesting people watching location complete with tables benches and food vendors, but for the rest of the street is not quite so appetizing. The Budget friendly stores are either cheap souvenir stores or dollar store wanna be’s that are located in every major city in North America.
I went, I say and that was that I added to the other mystified folks, no one carrying purchases form any store much less the high-end stores that did exist. Unless I’m missing something, Robson Street isn’t missing shoppers it’s missing buyers. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House and Zippadellie’s Spaghetti Joint had good food as I imagined a few others did also but with a great big Vancouver to explore none caught my attention.
A funny story the yellow cab I hailed on the waterfront for a lift to Robson told me he wasn’t from Vancouver and if I could direct him, he would try to get me there. The six or so blocks grew as the meter flipped, I realized the line of crap he feed me turned into a bigger fare and a two block walk back to Robson Street. Be wary if a cab driver doesn’t know where one of the main throughfares in the city is, this was the second time in that many days I heard the same story fortunately I knew my way around enough for there to be only minor damage, subtracted from their tips of course.
Written July 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
on_the_go_98765
Tucson20,581 contributions
Aug 2021
Robson Street is just about the longest street in Vancouver; it stretches from the beginning of Stanley Park, through the West End and Downtown neighborhoods, and terminates at False Creek. Chances are pretty good that any Vancouver urban adventurer will walk some stretch of Robson's 1.5 miles of sidewalk.
It has been 2 years since we last visited Vancouver (Covidus Interruptus) but August 9th Canada threw out the welcome mat. And we came. Although that was not an easy feat in itself. Highlights include CF Center (700 block of Robson) Nordstrom's in particular, Whole Foods, some super-great ethnic eateries, and the beautiful public library (architecturally outstanding).
Our hotel was on Robson (Rosedale on Robson) and I am certain we did actually walk those 1.5 miles often. Everything is relative: for the full extent of the bottomless pit of the most pitiful of our species, a walk down Hastings near Chinatown and Gas Town will put things into perspective. But, does Robson have unsavory stretches? Yes indeedy! No doubt about it. Although, in all honesty, it seemed a whole lot worse in 2019.
queen elizabeth theater, vancouver
It has been 2 years since we last visited Vancouver (Covidus Interruptus) but August 9th Canada threw out the welcome mat. And we came. Although that was not an easy feat in itself. Highlights include CF Center (700 block of Robson) Nordstrom's in particular, Whole Foods, some super-great ethnic eateries, and the beautiful public library (architecturally outstanding).
Our hotel was on Robson (Rosedale on Robson) and I am certain we did actually walk those 1.5 miles often. Everything is relative: for the full extent of the bottomless pit of the most pitiful of our species, a walk down Hastings near Chinatown and Gas Town will put things into perspective. But, does Robson have unsavory stretches? Yes indeedy! No doubt about it. Although, in all honesty, it seemed a whole lot worse in 2019.
queen elizabeth theater, vancouver
Written September 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FlyAtNight
Brooklin, Canada3,635 contributions
Sept 2020
We stayed at a hotel on Robson Street during the first part of our trip to British Columbia. Robson Street was a great place to explore. There are so many restaurants and stores to visit. We ate most of our meals at Japanese and Korean restaurants, and every one of them were first class. Stanley Park is just minutes away.
Written October 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marcia K
Palo Alto, CA732 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Great place for people watching, shopping and eating. We walked several blocks of Robson and loved just window shopping. Very good place to hang out. There’s some open cafes where you can sit and watch people and their dogs walk by.
Written April 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SB01
Sonning Common, UK894 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Long road full of places to eat and small shops. I’m perplexed this is considered a tourist attraction or thing to do. It’s not at all scenic and the further you go from Stanley Park the more insalubrious it becomes. Like much of the west coast cannabis has been decriminalised and it’s done nothing to make the centre of cities places you would wish to visit.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia50,924 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Robson street is a long street and one of the main streets in downtown Vancouver. There are many types of shops, supermarkets, fashion, alcohol and others. Our hotel was on this street and it proved to be a very convenient location. It was easy to walk to various venues as well as to catch public transport.
Written January 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amyc82
San Pedro, CA13 contributions
Robson Street was right around the corner from our hotel, the Sutton Place on Burrard Street. There are many name brand stores...bebe, American Eagle Outfitters, Roots, Banana Republic, Zara, etc. If you are into those stores, it is a great place for shopping, but as we have most of those back home, I preferred Yaletown and Granville Street for more unique shops. Lush is a great soap/skincare store that is originally from Canada, but have branched out to the US. They can be found on Robson, and their fragrant and colorful soaps are pretty neat. If you hate crowds of tourists, I would definitely avoid Robson on nights/weekends, the sidewalks are swarming with them! Also, it seemed like Robson was the street to cruise with windows down and radios blaring at nighttime. There are some great restaurants as well. We dined at CinCin (Italian cuisine) one night. I had seen it on one of Giada De Laurentiis or Rachael Ray's shows, and it looked good. The rooftop patio makes for a great ambiance. Their food was excellent as well and they had some tasty, unique pasta dishes. Expect to pay $30-40 per person. Mondo Gelato is a great dessert spot, they have many flavors and the quality is excellent. We had breakfast at Cafe Crepe two days. The place was tiny, with only one/two waiters at most. Expect to wait for a seat most mornings, and then wait 10 minutes for someone to wait on you. You may have to ask for coffee a few times as well. But the crepes are worth the wait! If you don't have to do the sit-down thing for breakfast, you may as well order the crepes from the street-side window. It would save you the slow service! Those were pretty much the highlights of Robson.
Written May 31, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jay C
Bend, OR187 contributions
Aug 2014 • Solo
This is like reviewing the Lions Gate Bridge. It's a street with shops on on it. The same shops that exist on every shopping street or mall in North America and possibly the world.
The frikkin ocean is 5 minutes away, the mountains are 30. Go somewhere and do something, shopping is not a holiday or vacation.
The frikkin ocean is 5 minutes away, the mountains are 30. Go somewhere and do something, shopping is not a holiday or vacation.
Written March 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Larry J
Vancouver, Canada17 contributions
Jun 2013 • Friends
Well it's a street that has alot of empty stores...Davie has the same amount of stores but much cheaper same brand tooo and no empty stores .....so....that's why they call Robson "ROB>>>>>>>SON" to expensive also this is not Asia to many of them restaurants, not enough of good restaurants to eat out of... My advise stay away from there....we ended up leaving...going to Davie street to eat....and I am being nice on the rating....rude people very rude....store clerks were the rudest.....
Written June 29, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a shop who sells the brand Woolrich ? Especially sneakers!
Written September 26, 2018
No, this maar is not on the Robson Street Commercial Association website. Also on the company website there is no store in Vancouver.
Written September 27, 2018
besurottobot
Mexico City, Mexico
A que hora cierran y que días? En robson street
Written August 10, 2015
Para averiguar todo lo que necesites te sugiero la página web oficial de la calle Robson que es el nombre de la calle y punto ca
Suerte
Written August 10, 2015
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