Vancouver is literally a city on the rise. In anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Canadian metropolis tucked between the Pacific Ocean and the verdant Coast Range is engaged in a building boom: A new monorail and more than a half-dozen higher-end hotels will open in the next few years. Vancouver's restaurant scene is soaring too; innovative eateries are opening faster than Starbucks locations, and many foodies are hailing the city as the next coming of Montreal, long renowned as Canada's gastronomic epicenter.

Vancouver's cuisine is as diverse as the city itself. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Indian—you name it, you can find it here. Most eateries offer small tables and bar-top dining to accommodate solo diners; a handful of newer establishments also boast communal tables that spark conversation by sitting individuals together like relatives at a family reunion. Whether you're there to expand the city or for some other business, here are six bets for dinner in Vancouver's most vibrant neighborhoods.

Downtown: Yew
791 West Georgia Street
604-689-9333

Located in the lobby of the Four Seasons, the newly renovated Yew is both hip and convenient. In the dimly lit bar area, where well-heeled locals gather after work, raw-bar appetizers are succulent and cocktails are an art form (try the Feng Shui, a blend of Absolut Ruby Red and Soho Lychee). For dinner, solo diners can grab one of 10 seats at the communal table, a slab of hand-hewn maple. Chef Rafael Gonzalez's menu features dishes such as slow-braised lamb shoulder and lobster paella. Celebrity-watchers, take note: Singers Diana Krall and Elvis Costello like this place a lot, and actor Keanu Reeves often eats here too.

Dress: Business/business casual
Prices: Expensive
Reservations: Recommended for table; not necessary for bar
Close to: Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver

Downtown: Italian Kitchen
1037 Alberni Street
604-687-2858

With dark wooden tables and earth-toned walls, this new offering puts a modern spin on traditional Italian cuisine. Downstairs, solo diners are best advised to grab a seat at the bar, where they can watch chef Ryan Gauthier and his fellow line cooks prepare fresh, thin-crust pizzas and pasta pappardelle blanketed with lamb sausage and cabbage. Upstairs, ask for a table with a view of Alberni Street so you can look down on the hipsters passing by. Be sure to sample wines from the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia's equivalent of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Dress: Suits to khakis
Prices: Moderate
Reservations: Recommended; not accepted for bar
Close to: Metropolitan Hotel