H Tasting Lounge

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Your Vessel to the Pacific Northwest

H Tasting Lounge sits on the lobby level of The Westin Bayshore, steps from Vancouver's iconic seawall and facing the Coal Harbour Marina. The setting is hard to beat: a Hollywood-era art deco interior designed by Liv Interiors — recognized by the Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia with a Food & Beverage Award of Excellence, Peoples' Choice Award, and Award of Merit, and featured in Gray Magazine — paired with a patio that opens onto unobstructed water views. It is a room that earns its atmosphere without trying too hard.

The Food: Local Ingredients, Global Instincts

The kitchen, led by Chef Ivan Lau, operates squarely within the Pacific Northwestern tradition: ingredients sourced from local artisans, menus that shift with the seasons, and a persistent focus on British Columbian seafood. Share plates are the format, and simplicity is the discipline — fresh oysters with cocktail sauce and shallot mignonette, albacore tuna tataki with yuzu nuoc cham, jumbo tiger prawn cocktail, fried prawn and crab toast on brioche. Vegetables get equal attention: charred shishito peppers with miso tofu ranch, Persian cucumber goma-ae, a green goddess iceberg salad built with care. The kitchen also hosts occasional wine dinners — Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country producers have appeared for multi-course pairings — that underscore how seriously the team takes the table as a whole.

Weekend afternoon tea adds a cross-cultural dimension: Tealeaves loose-leaf selections, Asian- and European-inspired delicacies, and signature cotton candy bonsai trees make it a genuinely distinct experience in the city.

The Bar: Precision in Every Pour

The cocktail program, called "Flight of Fancy," is where H Tasting Lounge has built much of its identity. The bar team treats every variable — glassware, serving temperature, ice cut — as a deliberate choice. The results are drinks with clear personalities: Galicia Coast brings together Tanqueray 10, conservas-washed vodka, Spanish dry vermut, fino sherry, paprika, and brine; SUPERCONTINENTAL layers Flor de Caña 12-year rum with house-made fernet, maple cornsilk, and Capilano River water finished with red cedar mist over volcanic rocks. Spirit-free options — Mano Po with acid-adjusted guava, hibiscus tea, and calamansi; Safe Escape with mango, pandan coconut cream, and aloe vera — are built with the same care as the rest of the list.

The wine list earned H Tasting Lounge a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2025, a recognition that reflects the breadth and thoughtfulness of selections spanning BC's Okanagan Valley, Burgundy, Champagne, Côtes de Provence, and beyond — chosen, in the lounge's own words, by leading sommeliers for pairing with the food rather than for its own sake.

The Atmosphere

Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 5 pm, with finger food and seasonal sips from $6 — a genuine invitation rather than a promotional afterthought. The lounge is open seven days a week from 11:30 am to midnight, accommodating everything from a weekday lunch on the patio to a late cocktail after a walk along the seawall. Complimentary self-parking is available for guests. Whether the draw is the Canadian coastal cooking, the bar program, or simply that view of the marina, H Tasting Lounge delivers on its promise without overstating it.