Vancouver, with its snowcapped mountains and sleek, squeaky-clean downtown can seem to a new visitor to be lacking in urban grit. Which is exactly why for Sara Harowitz, a Vancouver native, the once blue-collar district of Hastings-Sunrise has so much appeal. Today, the area is a mix of on-trend eateries and boutiques as well as mainstays from its humbler days, and Ms. Harowitz loves the variety. “It’s unpolished, it’s working class, it’s a real Vancouver neighborhood,” says Ms. Harowitz, who edits the online lifestyle journal Basenotes, which explores wellness and female-centric travel, beauty and sustainability.

Image Sara Harowitz, the editor of the online lifestyle journal Basenotes, is a Vancouver native. Credit... Alana Paterson for The New York Times

For the past three years, she has rented the top floor of a cozy house in the area with her long-term boyfriend, a craft brewer. “There are places that are opening that are trendy and design-forward, but it hasn’t lost the Polish sausage place and the local market. It feels like home.” Here are her top Vancouver spots.ᐧ

1. East Cafe

There are trendier java joints in Hastings-Sunrise, but East Cafe, with its homey décor, laid-back baristas and commitment to pulling perfect shots from its vintage turquoise espresso machine, is where Ms. Harowitz prefers to get her caffeine fix. “It’s unpretentious and cozy,” she says. “I love places that are design-forward but I also love a place where I walk in and it just is what it is.”

2401 East Hastings Street, theeastcafe.com