5 Great Things About Living in Port Moody

So Let’s Talk About What I Love About The Area.

Port Moody is a great city to call home and also to visit. It’s comprised of some amazing mom and pop shops, local breweries and restaurants. A great place for families, young and old couples, plus your family pet. You really will fall in love with what it has to offer and probably will be blown away on your first visit. A visit that may have you considering relocation to the suburbs.

1. The Neighbourhood: Port Moody is set up into different sections of hoods and areas. There’s Newport Village, Suter Brook Village, Brewers Row (not technically a hood per say) but I like to call it one, Anmore, Heritage Mountain, Moody Centre and more. But these are the ones I venture to on a regular basis. What I love most about these areas is that each one has its own character. I’ll write more about it soon but for a quick example.

• Newport Village has a laid back vibe with Brown’s Restaurant (Great summertime patio), Gallaghers Cafe (Be sure to pick up a stamp card for your coffees, Buy 10 get 1 free), Kin’s Market (Fresh Veggies), St. James Well (The perfect local pub, great food and rotating taps), and The Runners Den (An amazing local shoe store for those avid runners).
• Suter Brook Village has a Thifty Foods (great grocery store, be sure to get a beautiful bouquet of flowers and fresh sushi made on site), Romers Burgers (Great spot to watch the game), Starbucks (There’s another one in Newport Village too), Sango Sushi (best Beef Yaki Soba I’ve had so far in town).
• Moody Centre has a lot to offer too, but my favourite is the Original’s Café Mexicano (placed in a house, cool atmosphere), Taps & Tacos (amazing happy hour, must try is the Korean Pork Taco), and Rosa’s Cucina Italiana restaurant (Prepare to wait for a table, but a must in Port Moody) plus Gabi & Jules Handmade Pies and Baked Goodness (you must stop and get one, even just a slice…absolutely no excuse).
• Brewers Row; please read below at number 3.

2. The Trails: I’ve recently moved to Port Moody from North Vancouver and the trails were a big selling point for me. We have a dog, Sadie @sadiethevizsla (Instagram handle) and we need us some great trails. She has a lot of energy and we need to venture to areas that we can have her off leash and ripping around. We’ve found some great ones so far and there’s even more to find. Check out my Instagram @lucasomccann for some videos on these trails. But to name a few that I recommend you should start with;

• The Shoreline Trail is a great walk that’s 6km from Rocky Point Pier to the Old Orchard Park but it’s a nice easy walking trail. Good for viewing the ocean and taking the dog for a walk. Don’t let your dog off leash here, we did that once with Sadie and she took off into the mud flats and came back with a T-Bone steak and was covered head to toe in mud, plus she stunk for a good while after too.
• Bert Flinn Trail is a great off leash trail system. A small portion of it technically is only off leash but for the most part you can get lost in the trails for a couple of hours if you want and have your dog off leash the whole way. There’s some good mountain biking and running trails too which we explore a few times per week.
• Sasamat Lake is a great place to go running with your dog or exploring with friends. We have had some great runs through this trail system and it’s a good mix of easy and technical terrain. Be sure to go early though as when it’s summer time it will be too busy to really enjoy it on a run but is great for a walk and hike too.
• Admiralty Point is a great trail to explore with your friends, family and dog. A super easy flat trail that encompasses nature and the ocean. You’ll have to make your way into Belcarra Park but it’s well worth the drive. It offers spectacular views of Deep Cove, Mount Seymour, and Burnaby Mountain across the waterways connecting Burrard Inlet with Indian Arm.

3. Brewers Row: I almost put this at number one as It’s easily one of my favourite aspects about Port Moody. I love craft beer, the culture and atmosphere. I love tasting new beers and finding out for myself the ins and outs of each brewery. What’s amazing here in Port Moody is Brewers Row, a one block radius of greatness with 4 Breweries to enjoy. Starting in no particular order other than from left to right when standing at Rocky Point and looking towards them.

• Twin Sails is the smallest of them all but has a great cozy feel to it. Making some great beers and in the summer has a great new patio to take advantage of.  My favourite beer from here is Lush Crush (at this time it’s sold out but I hope they find a way to bring it back, great summer beer).
• Yellow Dog has just recently had a massive renovation and the inside is looking amazing inside. It can easily fit the most people in it, not sure the amount that’s allowed but when full it has a great atmosphere. Sometimes some live music too which just adds to it. The patio is great in the summer too but as many will tell you, the fact that they can’t have dogs on it sucks…even being called Yellow Dog probably doesn’t help, I understand it’s the fact that you have to go through the brewery inside to get outside is a major factor in this but now with the renovation that has just been done I hope this will be fixed. My all time favourite beer here is the Alt Bier, but there are a constant stream of new ones to try as it feels like they have a thousand taps.
• Parkside easily has the best location not that there really is a bad one. But they are right in the middle of the row and have a great patio. When the sun is out it is packed and full. Saddle up and get cozy with a neighbour, be sure to share a table as we are all friends here. When the patio door is open too, the place just feels like one big outdoor space. My favourite beer here right now is the Dim Wit, a dangerously light beer that makes you want more. Tasty and light, fruit forward and refreshing. Great for all occasions!
• Moody Ales is probably one the most underrated ones of the bunch but I’m telling you it’s great. I love the rustic feel it has and how they actually get to know you over time. In fact our dog Sadie has become famous there, reason being is you’ll find her with us on the patio and probably on our lap. Easily the best pet friendly patio of the bunch, at least for us as we can kind of keep her seperated and out of trouble. She’s a puppy and likes to follow her nose or be a brat after we’ve been at brewery for a while. They have a new patio that can fit 70 people and this patio is amazing when the sun is out. They have music playing and always a great food truck outside on weekends. Be sure to get the Risotto Balls at Mr. Arancino (it’s a must…) My favourite beer here is the Sublime Pineapple Hefe and Intrepid Matcha Saison.

4.The People: Well what more can I say about the people other than this whole area seems like a movie. It’s full of good-looking young families and millennials mixed with well aged professional who have some amazing homes that have gained some great value over time. When you are walking around the hood you will see smiles on people’s faces. Pretty much all the time they are friendly, say hi and thank you. I implore you to come out here and experience it for yourself. I seem to always find myself in a conversation with someone new everyday on the trails or at the breweries.

5.Ocean Front: It’s a given that this should be on the list. If you are out here then you’ll experience it yourself. The ocean is your front yard here. Head down to Rocky Point and grab an ice cream from Rocky Point Ice Cream (they even have some for dogs), walk the trails and stare out into the ocean. Maybe rent a paddle board or kayak, probably should just bring your boat as there is a boat launch. In fact there is even a government dock to tie up on. It’s only a 20 minute drive from Deep Cove, trust me I know cause we’ve done it. We even saw bears, seals and eagles along the way and on a sunning day there is nothing better than being on the water.

That’s what Port Moody has to offer and the list could go on. Really this is only my top 5 but your top 5 could be something else and I would still agree. I’m exploring everyday and so should you.

Let’s talk soon.