One might expect the first true high-rise restaurant in Clark County to be perched atop a high-rise in Downtown Vancouver. That is certainly reasonable since Downtown Vancouver is the only place in Clark County that has high-rises at all. Well, until now that is. Ilani has completed and opened their 15 story hotel atop which sits Bella Vista restaurant. The high perch rises above the surrounding terrain taking advantage of the breathtaking views of the mighty Cascades including Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mount Hood. Ilani is in fact the tallest non-industrial building in all of Clark County. At 185′ it is significantly taller than the 15 story Smith Tower or the 165′ tall 805 Broadway office tower. Only the giant grain silos and elevators at Terminal Two are taller.
Vancouver only has one restaurant Downtown that is up high and that is the Witness Tree Lounge on the 8th floor of the Indigo Hotel, they are opening a defacto 9th floor rooftop area soon. Well that’s nowhere near the ‘elevated’ experience of the Ilani Hotel. Rumors are floating about that the new Springs Living Tower on the Waterfront under construction now, will have a 12th floor restaurant. That may be true but I’m guessing that will be private for the residents of the tower. We shall see. The only other up-high experience in Downtown is the AC Marriott Hotel Ballroom on the 7th floor which is setup to have dinner parties.
Now I’m sure Portlanders are snickering as they have the City Grill restaurant on the 30th floor of the US Bancorp building. But I’d argue, and have little trouble convincing all but the most stubborn Rose City residents, that the Waterfront is a way better neighborhood than Burnside and SW 5th these days. The trip from the car to the lobby of the US Bancorp building will likely be somewhat unpleasant me thinks, so stop snickering already 😉
With thousands of new urban apartments coming to market over the next few years, Vancouver is poised to have more than enough local urban population to support even more restaurants and such. I would imagine that one of the half dozen high-rises under construction or in the immediate pipeline will have a restaurant on an upper floor. But I am fairly certain the Cowlitz Tribe is safe from having their record tall ‘high-rise dining’ spot toppled anytime soon.
Ah the Couv Life; it is good. And it’s a short drive up I-5 to visit Ilani.
The 'Couv' Life 