The Sun Peaks village has a good range of restaurants. Bars aren’t as prolific in
Sun Peaks and the “nightlife” is rather sedate.
We found that the service at the Sun Peaks restaurants and bars to be highly variable. The locals are incredibly friendly and in our experience, the local staff provided fantastic service. However Sun Peaks also employs lots of very young visiting staff, and we found some sub-standard service at a couple of establishments.
Sun Peaks Restaurants
There are at least 10 restaurants in Sun Peaks, several cafes (see below), and a few bars that also double as restaurants. The Sun Peaks restaurants are diverse and range from family friendly and casual fare to more formal dining. Sun Peaks has much more dining variety than with the
Big White restaurants where it’s largely just grills.
A must-do Sun Peaks restaurant is Powder Hounds (in the Fireside Lodge). OK so we’re a little biased when it comes to the name, but Powder Hounds is absolutely fabulous! Don’t go out for appies (après ski appetizers) elsewhere beforehand, because you’ll want to make it to the gorgeous desserts. The multi-cultural menu includes lots of German and Austrian cuisine such as wiener schnitzels and Kartoffelauflauf (potato casserole), Canadian fare, and a few Asian inspired dishes. The eclectic décor that includes wooden logs and old snowboards is fantastic, and the service is super friendly.
The Cahilty Creek Kitchen and Taproom is great for appies, casual fare, and North American classics. It’s located slopeside in the Cahilty Lodge. Unfortunately it’s not really overlooking the slopes but it’s got a really nice vibe and very good service.
The Voyageur Bistro is another dining highlight of Sun Peaks. It’s located in the Kookaburra Lodge just a little up from the main strip. The bar and dining area has interesting Canadian memorabilia adorning the walls, and the matching Canadian menu is really interesting and ranges from their renowned poutine, to bison to burgers and exquisite ravioli.
The Black Garlic Bistro also has a really eclectic menu which is Asian and Indian fusion, with lots of healthy dishes, many of which have a healthy dose of black garlic (high in anti-oxidants and great for warding off colds)!
Mantles Restaurant & Lounge (located in the lower lobby of the
Sun Peaks Grand Hotel) is an obvious choice for dinner and drinks. The ambience is a cross between upscale and very family friendly and casual, with mid-range prices. The food menu is as long as the drinks menu so there’s pretty much something for everyone. If you want some adults-only time, you can dine on tapas and sip wine in the lounge adjacent to the dining room in front of the fire.
Sun Peaks Cafes
Sun Peaks has several cafes where you can grab a coffee and breakfast on the run (or slide) to the slopes. Considering the ski in ski out village, these cafes are also easily accessible for a pit stop for lunch or a snack. Sun Peaks has lots of inexpensive options for daytime dining.
The Vertical Café does a good coffee but the service can be so slow that the staff are almost horizontal! The village also has a pizza by the slice shop and a bakery.
At the base of the main lifts is a day lodge with Café Soleil that serves Starbucks coffee and basic breakfasts or deli sandwiches.
Sun Peaks Bars & Nightlife
Considering the amazing family friendliness of Sun Peaks, it’s not surprising that the nightlife is very sedate and not a patch on the
Whistler nightlife or the Tremblant partying. Après ski in the afternoon can include some minor drinking festivities, but in the evenings most people go out for dinner and then retreat to their accommodation.
If you are keen for a self-made party it’s easy to do a bar crawl in Sun Peaks because the village is so compact and most of the bars are in a straight line from each other. Or considering the bars are mostly upscale and a cross between a bar and restaurant, rather than calling it a “pub crawl” you might want to call it “progressive tasting”!
Start at the base of the mountain at Masa’s Bar & Grill which sometimes has live music. Wander to the adjacent Bottom’s Bar and Grill, which is a classic type pub, and enjoy the happy hour specials.
Mantles is good for a grown up chilled out drink, or saunter further along the village to Morrissey’s Public House. This pub was pretty quiet for après when we visited.