Set within the most culturally diverse province in Canada, Vancouver embraces its culinary heritage and is, therefore, one of the most multicultural cities when it comes to world cuisine, particularly Chinese cuisine beyond China. Vancouver is a place presided over by delicacies of the best restaurants that reveal the depth of the cultural heritage within the new restaurants at every corner including a swanky hotel lobby and a busy corner in the street.
It is supported by a moderate climate, and the vicinity to farms, thus the Okanagan Wine Valley makes its contribution to the local taste as well. With a handful of star-studded buildings now included in the new Michelin Guide, the top restaurants in Vancouver are not only sophisticated but also provide the casual Pacific Northwest feel, in turn, making the meal luxurious and yet effortlessly charming.
1. Published on Main
Published on Main, one of the finest restaurants in Vancouver, is a Michelin-starred establishment. It is headed by Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson and it provides excellent fine dining experience with the use of seasonal ingredients that are locally produced and foraged.
Their specialities are wild nettle gomae, roasted halibut, fresh cheese agnolotti and lamb saddle rolled up with merguez. Visitors have the choice of either a tasting menu with 11 courses or a sumptuous a la carte menu. Every meal is complemented by the curated wine and cocktail list curated by Jayton Paul, the 2022 Michelin Sommelier of the Year. And whether it is in the opulent solarium or the tiny back room, the restaurant serves up an unbeatable, award-winning flavor adventure.
2. AnnaLena
On Vancouver Island in Kitsilano, AnnaLena is a Michelin-starred restaurant with a fun interior design; there are toys and curios collected on the walls as well as a very serious multicultural cuisine in a very vibrant residential neighbourhood.The gastronomic journey presents an experience of sublime taste where lavish dishes include oysters with shaved foie gras, hickory-cured tuna, dry-aged duck breast, and spiced pear. Having been placed as Restaurant of the Year in 2023 and 2024 by Vancouver Magazine, AnnaLena is breaking yet again new ground in culinary creativity with an even more sensorial and fantastical yet meticulously balanced food experience
3. The Acorn
A warm treasure on South Main, The Acorn spins seasonal ingredients to new heights. This eatery has a veggie-leaning menu of dishes that are a hit with vegans and vegetarians, but that is also adored by the avid meat-eater. Seasonal updates are made in the menu, with highlights including the heroic beer-battered halloumi, morels served on a mushroom velout, and zucchini in a kelp and stinging nettle glaze. Using only the freshest ingredients, The Acorn creates cocktails and a wine list with exclusive biodynamic wines, making it a perfect place to go when seeking innovative and plant-based fare in Vancouver.
4. St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence is located in Japantown and is renowned as one of the best restaurants in Vancouver Canada, featuring an unforgettable fine dining experience with a tinge of French-Canadian hospitality. Chef JC Poirier’s culinary skills are exquisite but not ostentatious and come in the form of grilled duck Fraser valley, a very delicious lamb-trio and scallop crudo.
The natural motif, blue-painted wainscoting and the touches of Quebecois give the restaurant a cozy, rustic atmosphere. The food can be complemented with an all-French wine list or can be combined with a classic Labatt 50 to make it relaxing. Adding a casual touch to fine dining, St. Lawrence marks a new concept in simple, good food with a relaxed service experience in the heart of Vancouver.
5. Kissa Tanto
Nestled on the top floor of an old vintage pulse building in Chinatown, Kissa Tanta boasts among the best restaurants in Vancouver Canada, with a distinct fine dining in a fresh mix of Japanese and Italian flavors. In honor of 1960s jazz cafes in Japan, it consists of pink vinyl banquettes, Murakami-style ceramic tiles and Italian modernism-inspired furniture.
The fabric is dark art-deco lighting combined with the glossy and low hanging ceiling, which creates a cosy, trendy-retro feeling that does not distract customers enjoying the gourmet prepared food.Infusing a sense of nostalgia and innovation into the world of food, Kissa Tanto offers an experience that is truly impossible to forget as style and substance come together in the core of the food scene in Vancouver.
6. Bao Bei
Bao Bei is located right in the heart of Chinatown in Vancouver Canada and it is one of the best restaurants in Vancouver Canada because it adds a futuristic element to Chinese cuisine by providing the visual adventure that comes with refined food. Its spirited atmosphere and its well-made cocktails are a just addition to an awesome time.Hand-made potstickers, chickpea tofu with roasted walnut sauce, and Kick-Ass House-Fried Rice (with turmeric-marinated rockfish and salted egg yolk-dusted fish chicharron) are signature dishes. Located at the heart of Vancouver, Bao Bei has a new, refreshing approach to the dynamic and diverse food experience of the city.
7. Bar Gobo: A Wine Lover’s Retreat
Bar Gobo is a small culinary adventure and among the best eateries in Vancouver Canada, with an exclusive fine dining experience based on hyper-local, seasonal foods. Developed by culinary innovator Andrea Carlson and wine aficionado Peter Van de Reep, the menu changes with the seasons to reflect the availability of local regional ingredients.
The carefully crafted wine list is focused on natural and skin-contact wines, available in crystal wine glasses, engineered via Coravin to maintain tasteful quality. The wine is the focal point, whereas cocktails are made masterfully. Because there is minimal seating, a reservation is recommended, but there’s a bar to accommodate walk-in customers, and have a comfortable yet classy dining out experience.
8. Burdock & Co.
Burdock & Co. with its chef-owner Andrea Carlson is the restaurant that has become one of the best in Vancouver Canada, and has been known to provide a real fine dining experience with its overall sustainability-based concept at its core. It is based in Mount Pleasant and promotes ethical sourcing, showcasing produce of local farmers, foragers, and fishers.
Even the seasonal botanical vegetable menu, (a series of state-of-the-art Moon Menu creations), such as braised burdock stuffed with mushrooms, nettle, and ricotta ravioli, and BBQ-glazed black coda with fermented spruce tip syrup, find their way into the menu. Combining creativity with references to the British Columbia food culture, Burdock & Co. proposes a controversial culinary experience, which is rather appealing to the socially responsible representatives and the supporters of trends in food.
9. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar is a highlight within the Sutton Place Hotel and a must-visit place to treat yourself to West Coast seafood and a refined fine dining experience. Chefs Alex Chen and Roger Ma head the kitchen, and the menu includes dishes such as charcoal-grilled sablefish, housemade rigatoni with herb pesto and creamy burrata, and classic steak frites.
Pastry chef Kenta Takahashi impresses with items like a salted sesame praline bar or rhubarb crumble. Visitors will also get their vibe filled with a cocktail hour with tasty treats such as the chorizo-stuffed peppers, lemongrass chicken wings, accompanied by a well-polished vesper glac or espresso martini to the center.
10. Savio Volpe
Savio Volpe is a highly-rated, rustic Italian-style restaurant and an excellent local osteria that is loved by the local community and regarded as one of the best restaurants in Vancouver. The menu features house-made pasta, wood-grilled meat, veggie, and fish, all done with locally grown ingredients, and is all served in a family style.
Visitors can complement their culinary experience by choosing wines on the all-Italian wine list, designed by Kristi Linneboe, Sommelier of the Year, 2024, Vancouver Magazine. The warm ambience, quality dedication and decadent house-made gelato would make Savio Volpe a restaurant you cannot miss, especially for someone who loves fine Italian cuisine as part of Vancouver’s coveted fine dining experience.
