The international terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has launched a new full-service West Coast dining experience in the form of Lift Bar & Grill, a sister location to the iconic Lift Bar & Grill in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.

With windows onto the airport’s 114,000-litre aquarium and extensive use of wood finishes, Lift Bar & Grill highlights West Coast design – and executive chef Soojin Park’s menu selections showcase West Coast seafood certified by the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program.

“We try to support local suppliers,” Park said at the restaurant’s media launch yesterday. “People have a wonderful time in Vancouver, and we want them to have one last great meal before they leave.”

Park trained as a chef in Toronto and has appeared on the Food Network series Made to Order. She was sous chef at Vancouver’s La Brasserie before becoming executive chef at Lift Bar & Grill in 2010.

In addition to entrée-sized dishes, the Lift Bar & Grill menu offers an extensive share plates section, allowing passengers to share with the other travellers in their party and customize the size of their meal.

“People don’t want to have a big, heavy meal before they get on a flight,” said Bob Lindsay, owner of Lift Bar & Grill. “People seem to be really enjoying the shared concept.”

Lift Bar & Grill is part of an extensive expansion of the food and beverage options at YVR in partnership with SSP Canada. Five additional restaurants occupying a total of more than 14,000 square feet are planned through 2019, with Pajos’ Fish & Chips, Bánh Shop and Freshii slated to open by the end of this year.

“Last year, 22.3 million passengers came through this airport,” said Scott Norriss, vice-president, commercial development, Vancouver Airport Authority, noting the figure is a two million passenger increase over 2015. “We need to offer them the variety and quality of food that Lift offers.”

Sixty-two per cent of passengers purchase food and beverage at YVR, and the airport has the top concession sales per enplaned passenger in North America according to Airport Revenue News.

Like all restaurants at YVR, Lift Bar & Grill participates in the Food on the Fly program, so passengers can order meals to go in special packaging to take onboard their flight.

Lift Bar & Grill is located past security in the international departures terminal. For more information, visit YVR.ca.

This post originally appeared on PAXNewsWest.com in 2017.