The Indigenous Restaurateur Carving Space for Suppressed Culture in Vancouver

Article by Kristin Conard | Photos Credit Destination Vancouver: Kindred & Scout | Published November 27, 2025

Vancouver is one of Canada’s most diverse cities, and its restaurant scene reflects that. Yet to taste the city’s original flavors, the foods of its First Peoples, there is only one destination: Salmon n’Bannock. Tucked in the Fairview neighborhood, south of Granville Island, this cozy, 30-seat restaurant opened in 2010 by Inez Cook, is Vancouver’s only Indigenous-owned and operated restaurant.

From food to the décor and an all-Indigenous team, every detail is about honoring Indigenous culture. But it’s not just about recognizing the past, though the recipes are very much rooted in traditional ingredients, it’s about showcasing a “living culture,” as Cook told me. “We’re not a theme.”

According to their website, the original restaurant (now joined by a second location at the Vancouver airport) “is situated on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.” 

Rather than focus solely on the food traditions of those nations, Cook takes a broader approach. As Cook explained, “in Canada, there’s over 600 First Nations and in British Columbia, there’s over 200 nations. My restaurant isn’t from my [specific] community; it’s like an urban Indigenous gathering space where we are uplifting and amplifying Indigenous culture from across our lands.”

How Salmon n’ Bannock came to be

Cook was not a chef by training, she worked as a flight attendant, but she had long wanted to open a restaurant; it just came down to what kind. The inspiration to open an Indigenous restaurant was crystallized during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. “What I like to do when I travel is try food from that land,” Cook said.

There wasn’t an Indigenous restaurant in Vancouver for people to try. A friend had a restaurant that needed a sublet around the same time she had the idea, and Salmon n’ Bannock was born.

Thanks to her world travels and as she puts it, her “really banging palate,” Cook was perfectly positioned to open a restaurant that was both authentic and welcoming.

What to expect from the menu

The menu highlights traditional ingredients like salmon and bison but with modern flavors. If you’ve never been before, Cook recommends the “Land and Sea” tasting menu. It includes four courses; one is the Indigenous charcuterie board that features salmon mousse and candied salmon. You get a choice of entree with options like sablefish smoked with white buffalo sage and bison pot roast. 

Though their slogan is “we got game”, the kitchen also offers vegetarian options.

And, of course, there’s the bannock. Bannock is a traditional Indigenous flatbread, made a little bit differently everywhere you get it. At Salmon n’ Bannock, the signature bannock is baked and resembles an American biscuit; it pairs delightfully with the cedar jelly or pemmican mousse.

When it comes to drinks, there’s a selection of wines and beers, many from local or Indigenous purveyors as well as tasty boozy creations. A stand out is an ice cream sundae layered with sage blueberries and maple whiskey.

How Salmon n’ Bannock changed Cook’s life

Opening the restaurant helped Cook connect with her own Indigenous heritage; she’s a member of the Nuxalk Nation, but she didn’t know that when she opened the restaurant. Cook was adopted by a white family at the age of one; it was a part of the “Sixties Scoop” where tens of thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families. 

She has since written two children’s books (the Sixties Scoop series), to share her story and shed light on the trauma of this practice that impacted so many lives. Copies are available at the restaurant.

When she first opened Salmon n’ Bannock, Cook said, “I didn’t feel that I was Indigenous and I wanted [the restaurant] to be authentic, so I hired an Indigenous team.” 

Once her restaurant was open, people from her nation came to the restaurant and that was how she was able to reunite with her relatives she didn’t know she had. “I got reconnected with my community after that,” Cook said. “It was kind of the first time I felt good in my own skin. I’d been yearning for culture in my whole life, and it’s always been within.”

Challenges and opportunities

With Salmon n’ Bannock as Vancouver’s only Indigenous restaurant, Cook feels the weight of representation. “We have one chance to impress people,” she said. “With Indigenous cuisine, they try and they hate it, they’re not trying it again.” The restaurant has to be an ambassador of sorts for the entirety of Indigenous cuisine. But on the flip side, with that level of pressure, the menu is dialed in, and the dishes are delicious.

Cook confirmed there’s also an element of racism to overcome. She gave an example about how she, and other Indigenous people, get followed around at the supermarket. “People just feel so empowered in their ignorance. The voice of ugly is so loud.”

Working to help combat pervasive racism like that can feel overwhelming and words like reconciliation can get tossed around without any real action. But Cook feels by dining at her Indigenous restaurant, it’s one small (and easy) action that anyone can do to help make things better in the future.

On the Salmon n’ Bannock menu, diners will find “fun facts” about Indigenous culture, from the number of languages spoken across the country (70+) to important days in the calendar, like the Day of Truth and Reconciliation (aka Orange Shirt Day) on September 30. For many guests, these small details become a gateway to deeper understanding.

A welcoming space

Above all, Cook wanted Salmon n’ Bannock to feel like a safe, welcoming space for everyone. In carving out a place for Indigenous cuisine in Vancouver, Cook has also carved out space for her own identity, community, and voice. Salmon n’ Bannock is more than a restaurant; it’s a testament to the resilience of Indigenous culture and its future.