Vancouver Magazine May/June 2026

Contents

Culture

PERSONAL SPACE

Old Faithful owner Walter Manning welcomes us to his well-curated workspace.

SHOP HOP

Where to find the most spectacular spectacles.

SO FUN CITY

Parentless Club hosts a Mother’s Day party for those who need it most.

MADE IN VANCOUVER

Ceramicist Tanvi Arora left an interior design career to get her hands dirty instead.

Vancouver Art Gallery’s co-CEOs share their

AT ISSUE

Vancouver’s e-scooter boom is sending too many people to the ER.

Gold-Medal Eats

Our annual Restaurant Awards honours both the best new restaurants and all-time favourites, and celebrates the talented folks who make these dining experiences so special.

37 TH ANNUAL

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Hope you’re hungry: our annual celebration of the best restaurants and chefs in Vancouver is back for a 37th year, and with more than 50 categories, we’ve got plenty of options to feast on. Between our judging panels’ top picks, our editorial faves and our Readers’ Choice winners, we’ve got a recommendation for every neighbourhood and cuisine you might be craving. Get those reservations booked.

63

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

B.C. has produced a bevy of Top Chef Canada stars over the years—and whether they won their season or came mighty close, they’ve moved on to great things.

85

LOCAL GETAWAYS

We’ve got your summer travel plans covered: pack a bag and head to Mayne Island, the Sunshine Coast or Sooke.

98 MEET CUTE

Dating columnist Kerri Donaldson rocks the boat.

An, Maenam; Patrick

Telus; Victoria Emslie, Nicola Wealth; Peter Jackman, Terminal City Club; Carol Lee, Vancouver Chinatown Foundation; Carol Liao, UBC Peter Allard School of Law; Matt McClenaghan, Edgar Developments; Jennifer Murtagh, Maturn; Gary Pooni, Pooni Group; Greg Zayadi, Rennie Group

sales representation

vice - president , sales Anna Lee

media specialists Brianne Harper, Mira Hershcovitch, Cathy Huynh, Sheri Stubel mail sales@canadawide.com

production / administration group vp , education and administration Jane Griffiths

manager Emily Heffring

of circulation Tracy McRitchie

assistant and event producer Julie Fisher

and office manager Julia Jarman

manager Kim McLane

Jayawardena

support technician Ina Bowerbank customer service Kelly Kalirai

ANY QUESTIONS?

My four-year-old daughter has hit a stage where she’s starting to actively question the world around her. “How is corn yummy?” she asked me on the playground the other day; on the walk home later, she sent me into an existential spiral with an innocent request to know: “What are your insides called?” They’re always queries that are probably better answered by scientists or philosophers than by me and my useless communications degree (no offence, SFU, but I did once take a class called “Television”). But figuring out an answer to “how do flowers smell?” is a piece of cake in comparison to the even-

tougher questions our Restaurant Awards judges need to tackle each year.

I don’t envy the endless dilemmas our panel has to work through over the six-month judging process. What’s the line between “upscale contemporary” and “upscale”? Should omakase restaurants be judged in their own distinct category this year? Which revered food industry professionals are ready to be inducted into our Hall of Fame? Which hot new restaurant really changed the game? Which chefs have exceeded expectations? And, most importantly: which of the hundreds and hundreds of amazing restaurants in our city deserve to take home the gold medal in their category this year?

Thank goodness food editor and ringleader Kristi Alexandra was on hand to do the heavy lifting and keep the process on track every step of the way, because the discussions, debate and dining out could have easily continued forever. How lucky are we, though, that the biggest issue with Vancouver’s dining scene is that it’s too robust and filled with too much talent? Not a bad problem to have at all.

Unlike my daughter’s query about internal anatomy, the (delicious) answers to the judges’ biggest questions and more can be found in our 37th annual Restaurant Awards (starting on page 29), alongside the results of our latest Readers’ Choice competition and some essential editorial recommendations. With more than 50 categories and hundreds of winners and highly recommended runners-up on the list this year, one more tricky question has been created, though—one that you’re going to have to find the answer to: where are you going for dinner next?

STACEY McLACHLAN

editor - in - chief

Coming Up Next Issue

How to Be Happy

We’re here to bring the cheer this summer, with expert advice for embracing nature, building community that lasts, finding serotonin-boosting bites, relaxing in luxury and cultivating gratitude in special spaces all over the city.

Happy Birthday to the Nat This year marks 75 years of Nat Bailey Stadium, and over the decades the ballpark has evolved into so much more than a spot for watching the game: as writer Sara Harowitz argues, it’s a cultural hub and community centre, too.

to download a map of Restaurnt Award winners right onto your phone, so you never have to ask “where’s good to eat around here?” again. You’re welcome.

Hand-engraved 18K gold necklace with silk-like finish. Experience its infinite styling possibilities.

CULTURE

Light Me Up

An washi-paper Asano lamp (Chochin Lamp 01 Donguri) set on a side table complements the &Tradition Formakami JH5 pendant lamp, designed by Jaime Hayon, hanging from the ceiling. “I love the Japanese influence from a Spanish designer,” Manning says.

Modern Heirlooms

At Old Faithful Shop and in his Strathcona studio, Walter Manning honours heritage while curating a distinctly modern aesthetic.

by

Walter Manning’s lifestyle store—Old Faithful Shop—has made its home in Gastown for 16 years (a second location in Kitsilano opened up in 2022), but according to him, the call of running a general store is something that reaches back much further than a decade and a half. It’s more ancient than all that.

“I’ve got general store owners on both sides of the family,” Newfoundland-born Manning says at his home office—a two-storey carriage house in Strathcona that does triple duty as a studio, kitchen and entertaining hub. “On my mother’s side, my grandmother had a general store. She also had a club at one point—a bar. Everybody would come to her for provisions, and then my grandfather on my dad’s side had a general store as well. It’s kind of a lineage thing.”

Growing up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Manning would summer back in Newfoundland, watching pallets of beer, provisions and other goods coming in and out of his grandfather’s store, aptly named Walter Manning and Sons. (Manning is the fifth of his name.) Just like his family before him, Manning curates his shop with items that seem like they could be passed down through generations—in his case, handmade clay vases, sturdy but sleekly designed Scandinavian furniture, heirloom wall hangings made with rice straw. “I like things that have a timeless quality to them, that are made well, maybe with natural materials,” he says.

This carriage home studio was often used in the past to take photos of the wares he sells over at Old Faithful, but these days he’s doing more cooking and entertaining in the space, thanks to the small kitchen area. The meals he shares with friends are made with the bounty he finds at the farmers market (though

he also uses the kitchen to create video content of the food items that can be found at his shop).

As he feeds his guests, his kids are often “ripping around at a set up table outside,” he says. Whether those kids will take on the long-standing, blood-embedded tradition of running a lifestyle store remains to be seen—for now, they just get to bask in the glory of a well-curated space that spans eras and design sensibilities. Lucky them.

Street Art Above the Brasilia two-seater sofa hangs a framed image of Vancouver’s Chinatown from yesteryear, a new-to-him acquisition from photographer Fred Herzog’s estate photography collection that sold at the Equinox Gallery last April. “When you see the photo, you know where that is in Chinatown, and the clothes are different, but there’s very similar scenes still in Chinatown right now,” Manning says. “We spend a lot of time in Chinatown. So, when I saw it, I [had] to have it just as a cool, nice memory piece.”

1 Knot Uncommon A Yokozuna knot wall hanging by Takubo made with rice straw was also sourced from Manning’s shop, and is an emblem of “strong bonds.” Natural fibres accent almost everything in the place—including a set of Japanese short brooms.

2 Perfect Bound Stacks of Japanese magazines lie on surfaces around the home office, sourced from Manning and his family’s travels. “A lot of these Japanese magazines that I really love I used to sell, but sometimes Japanese magazines can be so random. Like, ‘We’re gonna do a whole magazine on the subject of bread.’”

3 Travelling Tapestry A Japanese moon phases tapestry calendar hangs in the space, which was gifted to Manning by one of his employees.

4 Prints Charming Framed poster prints of playgrounds on Naoshima Island hang on the walls; the images are a collaboration between the Copenhagen-based Poster Club and Manning’s partner, Jennilee Marigomen.

Fruit Forward

A perfectly curated bowl of pears and grapes sits on the dining table, an homage to Manning’s current obsession with farmers markets. “Last summer, I just fell in love with the farmers market... I would get vegetables or fruits or things that I would never have bought because I wouldn’t know what to do with it, so it forced me to figure it out.”

Eye Spy

If you like your spectacles to be a spectacle, these Vancouver optical shops are sure to catch your eye. by

Caroline Mitchell

exhibitoptical.com

jBook a styling appointment for some expert help navigating the wide selection of frames targeted at “collectors and creatives.” For something truly unique, explore the store’s wealth of vintage frames.

These retro-inspired rainbow-tortoise Fellow Earthlings frames Exhibit’s extremely colourful shop quite well.

GO FOR THE ESSENTIAL FRAMES j

The Optical Boutique 2265 W 41st Ave., theopticalboutique.com

You’ll be in good hands with ultra-stylish owner-optician Sue Randhawa. She stocks brands you won’t find elsewhere and is thrilled to help clients discover the right funky frames to suit their style.

Indie and design-centric labels are Randha

Kits Cafe and Eyewear 1500 Yew St., kits.ca

If you’re working with a budget and also need a hit of caffeine while you shop for your next set of specs, the B.C.-founded eyewear e-commerce behemoth has a brickand-mortar shop by Kits Beach that doubles as a coffee shop.

The chunky, acetate Volaris frames ($58) are a classic shape, and a bestseller—we love the

Frankly 3994 Fraser St., franklyglasses.com

Toronto-based Frankly opened its Vancouver outpost two years ago, offering a curated collection of premium glasses and sunglasses from niche brands in a modern East Van space.

As if an oversized peach frame weren’t ferociously femme enough, the Oscar Mamooi-designed Medulla ($575) also features a festive baby-pink frill.

nicheeyewearboutique.com

In a gallery-like setting, you’ll find a thorough mix of options from iconic fashion houses (Celine, Gucci) and boutique labels (British cult-fave Kirk and Kirk).

Blake Kuwahara glasses are actually designed by an optometrist—albeit one with excellent style, as these architectural Ellwood frames prove ($770).

Lost a Parent? Join the Club

Co-founded by two motherless daughters, Vancouver’s Parentless Club offers workshops, “Motherless Day” gatherings and darkly funny online support for anyone navigating life after losing a parent.

by Kerri Donaldson

In Disney movies, when a parent dies, it happens neatly and quickly between songs to inspire the hero(ine) on to their adventure. But real life skips the orchestral swell and gives you a grief that sucker-punches you over and over—all while you’re expected to continue with your everyday laundry and emails.

“Grief can be messy and weird and unexpected,” says Nikki Lewis, who lost her mom at 18 and co-founded the Parentless Club with Amanda Katz in Toronto before bringing it to Vancouver. “It can hit you on a random afternoon. We’re here for the big moments, the milestones and every day in between.”

Death is something we collectively do not talk about, even though it’s something that will eventually impact us all. “It still feels like this taboo topic that people tiptoe around or avoid,” says Lewis. “But it’s not a problem to solve: it’s an ongoing relationship we have with ourselves and the people we lost.”

The Parentless Club is all about that relationship. The community is, as Lewis puts it, “for folks who are navigating life after the loss of a parent... so they can really feel seen and heard.” The name is intentionally blunt. “We always say we’re the club no one wants to be part of,” she says. “But if you are in it, you shouldn’t have to feel alone.”

Lewis and Katz, former summer-camp pals who both lost their mothers earlier than they expected, went looking for support and mostly found groups that felt, as Lewis puts it, “very heavy, like sitting in a circle being forced to share.” So they built the thing they both wished had existed: a space that treats grief honestly but still makes room for dark humour, levity and tiny moments of joy.

On Instagram, the club leans into that balance, sharing crowd-sourced “best things to say to someone who is grieving,” a “Dear Someone Else’s Mom” series for the advice you no longer get at

home and painfully relatable memes (which, let’s face it, are doing serious heavy lifting for millennial and Gen Z mental health).

Their flagship event is Motherless Day, “the pity party you actually want to go to,” held each May at a different Vancouver venue (for 2026, La Fabrique St. George). Instead of white-knuckling it through card aisles and brunch menus, guests collage in custom journals, build bouquets of dried flowers, do breathwork and intention setting, get live typewriter poems, eat very good pastries and leave with “pity party favours” from

local wellness partners. Some arrive with a friend; others show up solo and end up deep in conversation with someone who understands oddly specific math like, I’ve now lived more years without my mom than with her. “They didn’t know anything else about each other,” says Lewis. “That one line was enough.”

Mainly geared toward 20to 40-somethings, the club has a simple goal. “No one should or will have to go through grief alone,” says Lewis. “We might not be with the parents we’ve lost, but at least now we have each other, and that’s more than we had before.”

PLANTING THE SEED

Twig Fertility brings a new standard of patient-centric fertility care to Vancouver.

One in six couples in Canada experiences fertility challenges, according to research from the Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society. At the same time, Statistics Canada data shows that B.C. has the lowest fertility rate in the country.

“Family building can be quite an emotional journey,” says Dr. Alice Buwembo, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist with Twig Fertility Vancouver. “Every month can feel quite significant.”

Several factors contribute to a declining birth rate, including a high cost of living and people choosing to have fewer kids later in life. But accessible fertility treatment also plays an important role.

“Before Twig Fertility, access to fertility care in Vancouver was limited, which increased wait times, adding extra stress,” says Buwembo. “Now that Twig is open, patients don’t have to wait to start building their family. We’re ready to support them from day one.”

A NEW BRANCH OF CARE

This spring, Twig Fertility opened its Vancouver clinic, bringing its first clinic to the West Coast. The clinic offers a full spectrum of fertility care, from in vitro fertilization (IVF) to egg and sperm preservation, to support every path to parenthood. Care plans are personalized around patients’ needs and goals, no matter where they are in their journey.

“From the patient experience to the lab experience, our mission is to combine expertise with compassionate care,” she says, adding that fertility treatments can be anxiety-provoking. “We want to create an environment that makes people feel at ease.”

Though all fertility clinics will have reproductive specialists, what sets Twig apart is its thoughtful, convenient patient experience combined with innovative technology.

Twig reimagined every aspect of the clinical experience to be more personal and more comfortable for patients. Clinics are tech-enabled at every stage of the journey

for a more integrated, convenient approach to care, and are designed to be modern, inviting and comfortable without feeling clinical.

“We are using state-of-the-art technologies to try to really help optimize patients’ outcomes when it comes to their fertility care,” says Buwembo. These technologies include AI-driven insights into the developmental potential of an embryo or egg and time-lapse incubator imaging, where patients can view how their embryos are developing in real time.

“Changing as new technology or infrastructure comes out is something we value at Twig,” says Buwembo, adding that they want to ensure patients receive the best standard of care. “Our goal is to help people reach their fertility goals as best we can. We don’t want to stay stagnant. We want to continue growing.”

With Twig’s leading reproductive specialists, cutting-edge lab technology and compassionate care model, patients seeking fertility treatment will feel supported and seen as they embark on their journey with clarity, confidence and a clear path forward.

Twig Fertility in Vancouver is now open, waitlist-free, and accepting new patients. To learn more, visit twigfertility.com.

Connect on: @twigfertility | @Twig Fertility | @twigfertility | @Twig Fertility

It’s May! Let’s Play!

Here are all the ways. by

Kerri Donaldson

IMPRESSIVE FEET: BMO VANCOUVER MARATHON

WHEN May 3

WHERE City-wide route COST Free to watch

Fun can be lots of things. Running, allegedly. And sure: endorphins, fresh air, a good cause... I get it. But fun can also mean cheering from the sidelines while you shamelessly eat a finish-line croissant.

LICENCE TO THRILL: VSO POPS’ THE MUSIC OF JAMES BOND

WHEN May 8 to 9

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $32

Licence to thrill, sure. Licence to actually do espionage after? Absolutely not. You’re going for ramen.

HITCHCOCK AND CHILL: SILENT MOVIE

MONDAYS PRESENTS THE LODGER

WHEN May 25

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $29

Old Hollywood suspense plus live Wurlitzer organ is a pairing Vancouver should try more often, honestly.

CUTTING EDGE: STARS ON ICE CANADA

WHEN May 12

WHERE Rogers Arena COST From $84

Elite skaters committing elegant physics crimes in sequins. You’ll whisper “that’s not allowed” at least once.

SPACE JAM: NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON’S THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

WHEN May 4

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $157

If you’ve ever looked up and thought, “Wow, I am but a crumb,” Neil is here to validate that, scientifically.

WORDS WITH FRIENDS: AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS

WHEN May 13

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre COST From $94

A night of comedy for people who read... and who also have a complicated relationship with their relatives.

ON POINTE: BALLET

BC’S UNITY

WHEN May 7 to 9

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $19

You’ll leave inspired, emotionally hydrated and briefly convinced that you too are a dancer... then you’ll throw out your back sneezing in the Uber home.

FOLK AROUND AND FIND OUT: ICHIKO AOBA

WHEN May 18

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $54

A night that feels like getting gently emotionally rebalanced by a lullaby.

DRIFT MODE: CORPOREAL IMAGO’S DRIFT

WHEN May 21 to 23 (Talkback May 22)

WHERE Scotiabank Dance Centre COST From $29

A contemporary dance reset for your nervous system. You’ll leave feeling taller somehow.

KID ISLAND: VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

WHEN May 25 to 31

WHERE Granville Island (and surrounding venues) COST From $15

Kinda like Jurassic Park but instead of an island full of dinosaurs, it’s children.

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!: MAMMA MIA! THE MUSICAL

WHEN May 26 to 31

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre COST From $171

The ABBA singalong you swear you won’t do... until you absolutely do. Your seat neighbours may not be thrilled. The ticket price might also trigger an involuntary “Mamma mia.”

THIS CIDER HOUSE RULES: DRAG BINGO X THE CIDER HOUSE

WHEN May 27

WHERE The Cider House COST $14.82

Kits gets campy, loud and slightly competitive (as all bingo should be). Expect prizes, chaos and big “B” energy.

FLOATS YOUR BOAT: VESSI 500 CHAMPIONSHIP (DRAGON BOAT BC)

WHEN May 30

WHERE Olympic Village/False Creek

COST Free to watch

Fast boats, loud cheering and you thinking you should really join in next year, knowing full well you won’t.

GET YOUR KICKS: FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

WHEN June 11 to July 19

WHERE BC Place (plus official fan programming at the PNE)

COST Mix of ticketed and free

Yes, it’s real: Vancouver’s hosting seven matches at BC Place, and the FIFA Fan Festival is set for key dates at the PNE. Downtown is about to become a very loud group chat.

BLUES CLUES: BONNIE RAITT (WITH JON CLEARY)

WHEN June 16

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre COST From $260

A masterclass in staying cool for decades without trying to win the internet.

SERVING FIERCE: THE REAL SUNDAY DAY DRAG BRUNCH

WHEN May 31

WHERE Taylight Local Craft Beer and Kitchen COST From $23

Lip sync plus brunch, with a strong chance you leave with new friends from the washroom line. Also, bingo afterward. A perfect day, in my humble opinion.

JAZZED: LA LA LAND IN CONCERT

WHEN June 20

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $138

Live-to-film romanticism for people who also appreciate excellent logistics: full orchestra, choir, jazz ensemble and that score doing the absolute most.

HEARTSTRINGS

SECTION: VSO PRESENTS MAHLER’S THIRD SYMPHONY

WHEN May 29 to 30

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $32

Need a “stare out the window and reconsider everything” soundtrack, with an orchestra? Lou Bega had five mambos. Mahler only needed three symphonies.

CORNUCOPIA OF KIDS: VSO KIDS CONCERTS’ THE UNICORN’S BIRTHDAY

WHEN June 7

WHERE Orpheum Theatre COST From $20

A family outing where kids are delighted and adults get to feel cultured about it.

THE PLAYLIST

What Vancouver Canadians outfielder and 2023 Toronto Blue Jays ninth-round pick Sam Shaw is listening to, streaming and watching before first pitch.

THE ON-REPEAT SONG

“KIDS” BY MGMT

“With a bit of sunshine, it’s just a good vibe.”

THE BONUS TRACK

“LOVE GOT YOU” BY JUST RIGHT

INTERNET FAMOUS: ALEX WARREN

WHEN June 14

WHERE Rogers Arena COST From $196

Proof that the algorithm does sometimes lead to a fun night out.

“I’ve kind of been getting into house music, which is new for me. Second baseman and outfielder JR Freethy makes music as Just Right and this song is a banger.”

THE COMFORT WATCH CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

“Larry David is just so funny to me. I feel like people my age don’t talk about it enough, but it’s one of my favourite shows ever. I love that each episode starts with something small and then somehow everything circles back into one big joke.”

THE SOCIAL FOLLOWS fit and funny content

“I like @santacruzmedicinals for health content that’s actually funny. And @malibufitmaxx. Some of his videos are just fun to watch. They boost the mood a bit.”

WE LOVE LOCAL

Clay Day

Designer Tanvi Arora traded concepts for craft—and found a slower, more intentional creative practice. by Stacey

McLachlan

Some of us cut down on screen time picking up a book. Tanvi Arora picked up some clay. “I wanted to reconnect with making something physical after years of computer-based design and concept-driven work,” says the Vancouver-based artist behind Tav Ceramics, who began her career in interior design, where she’d spend hours in front of a computer creating CAD drawings instead of doing the hands-on work she craved. “Clay gave me a slower, more grounded process and I became interested in how small, functional objects shape everyday rituals.”

Ceramicist Tanvi Arora’s favourite Vancouver brands and shops.

ORIGINS origins.work

“Origins’ wood wall sculptures feel architectural and grounding at the same time. I love how the material is the focus— grain, shadow and form do most of the talking.”

NEIGHBOUR

93 W Cordova St., shopneighbour.com

“I appreciate their focus on quality and longevity. Even browsing here is inspiring because everything feels intentional and well-styled.”

Her pieces are minimal and restrained and have a global influence, thanks to her multicultural upbringing in South Asia and the Middle East. Crackled raku vessels, delicate bronzeblack platters and smoke-fired vases have an ancient, earthy energy—these are objets with a calm, grounding presence.

Arora continues to challenge herself with new ways to fire, and new types of forms, too: her Nox table lamp, for instance, has been a popular addition to her product line. Whatever she crafts, it’s an extension of how Arora “moves through the world,” she says. “Each piece is made with intention, with an understanding that it will enter someone’s daily life and occupy a space for years to come.” tavceramics.com

PARLIAMENT

2703 Main St., parliamentinteriors.com

“This is a beautifully curated store with a mix of furniture, lighting, textiles and objects. Everything feels elevated, and going there feels more like wandering through a stylish, collected space than a traditional shop.”

RUBEENA RATCLIFFE rubeenaratcliffe.ca

“I’m really drawn to the collage-y nature of her work. The shapes feel almost random and strewn but they come together in a way that feels incredibly intentional. Her colour language is impeccable—there’s such a strong sense of harmony and tension in the palette that makes the compositions feel perfectly resolved.”

The Art of Shopping

As interim co-CEOs of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Sirish Rao and Eva Respini know a thing or two about curating a meaningful collection—so who better to ask about great local buys and favourite finds? At the gallery right now, you’ll find That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature, and Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change, spotlighting work from more than 30 contemporary artists examining the intersection of sustainability and art-making; here, you’ll find stylish sneakers, a thought-provoking read and a rug as pretty as a picture.

1. Elizabeth McIntosh

Print

E.R.: Elizabeth McIntosh is one of Vancouver’s most exciting painters. She shows with Catriona Jeffries Gallery, but I bought a colourful, graphic print by her from the Vancouver Art Gallery store, which has a great selection of artist editions at reasonable prices. $600, shop. vanartgallery.bc.ca

2. The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard

S.R.: I am re-reading one of my favourite books, Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space. It is a lyrical, deep exploration

of the idea of home. From the role of the cellar to the potential of the attic, he shows us how our spaces shape our thoughts, memories and dreams. One of the best places to stumble upon treasures like this is Nooroongji Books on Granville Island. Run by the visionary Jennifer Kim, they specialize in language, philosophy, art and home. $26, nooroongji.ca

3. Loewe x On Cloud Cloudsolo Sneakers

E.R.: Loewe x On Cloud collaboration sneakers are my obsession. I have a few pairs in different

colours and wear them constantly. The bright blue pair is my favourite and I always get compliments when I wear them. I grew up in Switzerland, so I’ve long loved the On brand, and when I visit I try to pick up a pair there, where they’re more affordable. $950, holtrenfrew.ca

4. The Indian Pantry Malvani Masala

Spice Mix

S.R.: Whenever I miss my birthplace in Southern India, I reach for the Malvani Masala from Indian Pantry, created by Chef Tushar (of Kavita fame). Use it to make a

curry, and you’ll immediately be transported to the beachside kitchens of South India—how can you go wrong with fennel, cumin, caraway, cinnamon, turmeric and star anise? $10, theindian pantry.ca

5. Vintage Omega Geneve Dynamic Watch S.R. I wear my father’s Omega Geneve Dynamic every day. It’s going strong since he bought it in 1969, and keeps him close to me. It’s a timeless design. You need to care for these old pieces though—and Norbert Zerbes, a.k.a. the German Watchmak-

er, is an artisan from another era, tucked away in the Yaletown shops on Homer Street. He’s the caretaker of time. Resale price varies, omega.ca

6. Fluance RT81 Elite High-Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

E.R.: I treasure my turntable. It is from Fluance and the sound is warm and full, and the walnut finish adds a mid-century touch. $350, bestbuy.ca

7. MDT Mobilier Halte Coffee Table

E.R.: I have an electric green coffee table that lifts my spirits every time

I look at it. The colour is unapologetic and energetic. It is designed by Montreal-based studio MDT Mobilier and is available online through Simons Maison. $875, simons.ca

8. Persian Carpet

S.R.: Our family time is anchored by a Shiraz carpet beautifully woven by the Qashqai tribe in Iran. We bought it years ago at the legendary East India Carpets, which is about to close after 75 years. I can look at it forever, and new patterns emerge. $6,300, eastindia carpets.com

Rolling Trouble

Vancouver’s e-scooter boom is sending more people to the ER. Can this two-wheeled chaos be tamed?

by Graham Templeton

The e-scooter rider glides through Vancouver’s streets on a platform little wider than a balance beam, standing bolt upright with the same distribution of mass as a bowling pin. They navigate roadways meant for vehicles that weigh two hundred times as much as theirs. They are also, often, drunk.

Defiant, the e-scooter rider arches their back into the wind as if to deny any fear of oncoming traffic. That traffic, as it turns out, is the far more anxious side of the equation.

“The increased risk arises from the pure physics of the e-scooter itself,” says Brandon Yau, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health. “As a clinician, and as a person moving through the city, I’ve definitely seen the reasons to be concerned.”

So have most Canadians. As reported by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canada saw a 32 percent increase in e-scooter related injuries between the 2023 and 2024 reporting periods, reaching almost 1,000 total injuries. For riders five to 17 years old, that increase in injuries was 61 percent.

Yes, that’s riders as young as five years old—while

Scoot Safer Wear a helmet if you’re travelling on two wheels: e-scooter injuries are up 32 percent in Canada yearover-year.

technically against B.C. regulations, it’s still relatively easy for a person under 16 to acquire and ride an e-scooter through Vancouver streets. Shared e-scooters may require a credit card, but privately owned scooters respond to anyone who boards them.

It’s all putting drivers, more than e-scooter riders themselves, ill at ease. One recent study from the University of Illinois shows that e-scooter riders can have incredibly relaxed attitudes about their own safety on the road—and that’s especially true of those who have little experience with driving an

automobile themselves. Drivers, meanwhile, are increasingly white-knuckling their way down small or even main roads, actively worried about the increasing number of stiff, vulnerable bodies vertical-planking their way through the streets.

“The upright stance is sort of an awkward position,” says Yau. “There is some evidence that because of their smaller wheel size, e-scooters are inherently less stable than vehicles with larger wheels.”

In terms of pure injuries, the global data is conflicted. There’s one high-profile paper from the Journal of Safety

Research showing that e-scooters are as much as 10 times less likely to cause hospitalization than similarly powered e-bikes. On the other hand, there’s an even more recent paper from Scientific Reports showing fewer, lesser injuries for bikes and concluding that riding an e-scooter “very likely poses a higher risk for injuries than cycling.”

Still, the research is clear on one issue. No matter where you look, it’s apparent that the easy step-on nature of an e-scooter is perfect for one quintessentially Canadian demographic: the drunk. Virtually all research that

has looked for an association between alcohol and e-scooters has found one; according to one study from 2024, powered scooter injuries had the highest association with alcohol use out of all methods of transportation.

Another study from 2022 found that “compared with patients in bicycle accidents, facial fracture patients injured in e-scooter accidents are younger, are more likely under the influence of alcohol, and sustain more severe craniofacial skeleton fractures.”

Kelowna was the first B.C. municipality to introduce e-scooter rental services,

where UBC Okanagan professor of civil engineering and Kelowna city councillor Gordon Lovegrove saw the problems firsthand. “People were using them for partying, stunting, doubling- or tripling-up,” Lovegrove says. “People were using them in ways that we never saw coming. And then, the emergency room doctors started screaming.

“It was an absolute gong show, initially... Blindsided is probably not too strong a word.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Beyond the surface level, both global and local examples can actually provide some hope that the situation can be, and will be, improved.

For one thing, it’s notable that the worrying 32 percent increase in injuries was Canada-wide, while in B.C. alone that figure was a comparatively low 5 percent.

Why would B.C. see such a better outcome? “My hypothesis,” says Yau, “is that B.C. is a bit lower because we were earlier to adopt this technology than other places. B.C. is just ahead of the curve.”

In that way of thinking, B.C. passed through its own e-scooter growing pains before there was much detailed record-keeping. A wave of increased injuries could be unavoidable as more e-scooters hit the roads, but it could also be finite in magnitude as experience rises among riders and riding infrastructure expands in communities.

If true, we would expect to see that as evident in areas

with early adoption. Indeed, while Kelowna doctors did sound the alarm initially, Lovegrove says that fever pitch then died down as e-scooters got wider and more diverse adoption. “It’s amazing what happened, overnight,” he says. “I’ve seen people in suits riding scooters, kids, parents... even my church pastor uses one.”

The key, Lovegrove believes, has been the simple impact of continued familiarity over time, and the adaptation of municipal regulations to the new normal. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” he says.

“We have to come to grips with this, to reduce the risk.”

Thankfully, the often-dour body of transportation injury research does seem to agree, even suggesting some paths forward. On the one hand, Canadians have absolutely no appetite for enforcement of e-scooter regulations via the police—but, on the other, research shows that regulation can play an important role.

Restrictions on minimum ages, maximum speeds or maximum e-scooter weights can have a big impact, but only if they can be enforced; the majority of methods of control apply to the scooter itself, making privately owned scooters much harder to restrict than rented ones. Beyond fraudulent direct shipping from countries like China, most Vancouverites are aware of how easily a single drive down to Seattle can circumnavigate an import tariff or mild restriction.

Given the proliferation of privately owned scooters, the

more impactful regulations could likely be those focused on the sort of community infrastructure that naturally applies to all e-scooters, all the time.

One major study tried to correlate rider attitudes with injuries, finding that city riding infrastructure, in particular separated bike lanes, can have a major impact on awareness of the road. This finding was mirrored in the experiences of Kelowna and Vancouver; both Yau and Lovegrove note that keeping e-scooters in bike lanes would reduce conflict with motor vehicles, one of the primary determinants of serious injury for scooter riders.

“Ensuring these devices are only capable of travelling at the speeds outlined in the provincial guidelines—a maximum speed capability of 25 kilometres per hour—is critically important,” Yau says. Wave of injuries or no, e-scooters and all other so-called “micromobility” vehicles are here to stay— especially since B.C. seems to have crested its own wave already. In all likelihood, the only way for drivers to limit their anxieties about e-scooters is to resign themselves to the simple flow of time. It takes time for drivers to adjust to e-scooter riders, just as it takes time for those e-scooter riders themselves to adjust to the road.

That makes the real question not whether e-scooters will ever become safe but when, and how many scooting church pastors might take a tumble along the way.

What Happens to Coins That Get Tossed into Fountains?

Forget about whether or not your dreams come true when you make a fountain wish: where does your money go?

There are many benefits to living in a primarily cash-free society (bills are filthy, the old men depicted on those bills are actually not very hot, et cetera). But one

by Stacey McLachlan illustration by Ane Arzelus

thing we did not consider when we traded in our coins for cards was that our opportunities to have our wish granted by a magic fountain would be diminished. Is this why fascism has returned? Not enough people flicking quarters into water features with a wish for world peace in their hearts? It certainly can’t have helped! Tossing a coin into a fountain to make a wish used to be a common occurrence, arguably the reason anyone would build a fountain at all. As far as I can tell, in post-war North America, it was the main source of entertainment before news blooper compilations existed. Were wishes the real reason so many people back then were able to buy a house for, like, $40,000 on a single income? Should millennials have stopped spending money on avocado toast and started throwing that money into Queen Elizabeth Park’s Dancing Waters fountain ( “The Bellagio of the North”—Fountains Quarterly)? We’ll never know because I don’t have any coins on hand to go wish for a time machine so I could check.

low that it isn’t even reported. Commercial or private properties with fountains often donate tossed coins to charity, or put the increasingly sparse payment toward maintaining the fountain, but the odd coin that does make its way into a city fountain is just considered trash. “Coins are often corroded and rusted due to the chemicals used in the fountain water. Our service teams that maintain the fountains don’t sift through debris and may periodically vacuum coins up,” said a representative for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, suspiciously not mentioning how many body-swap incidents have been initiated at the Aquarium’s orca fountain by an ill-timed wish during a lightning storm over the years.

Got a question for Know-It-All? stacey.mclachlan@ vanmag.com

Though the parks board operates 24 decorative fountains, at least one of which involves a steampunk crab sculpture that is just begging to be pelted with loonies, the current amount of money collected by the city from those fountains is so

So to the hopeful reader who asked what happens to coins that get tossed into fountains, the answer is: the rare coins that wind up in these waters are either thrown in the garbage or, perhaps, in a best-case scenario, a mercifully un-rusted quarter is pocketed by someone from the cleaning crew who is hankering for a vending machine treat. Either way, an uninspiring fate for a piece of legal tender infused with someone’s deepest hopes and dreams, but maybe an appropriate metaphor for these demoralizing times.

Find your “we talked for hours” spot.

Reservations for any occasion

RESTAURANT AWARDS The 37th Annual

BY THE EDITORS

In the following pages, you’ll find convincing evidence that Vancouver is the world’s most delicious city. We’re celebrating a smorgasbord of spots—from nextlevel omakase bars to diners serving gourmet comfort food—all ready to deliver your next great meal.

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

★ DYNASTY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

108–777 W Broadway

dynasty-restaurant.ca

The lobby of the West Broadway office building that houses Dynasty Seafood Restaurant is a time warp into prime ’80s architecture, with faux marble so vividly green you’ll think you’ve landed onto a local production of Wicked.

Step into the restaurant and you are greeted by a tastefully appointed (though brightly lit) space, buzzing with diners and featuring a glorious view of downtown Vancouver set against the North Shore mountains.

The room dates to 1992, when the vaunted Hong Kong East Ocean Group opened two locations in Vancouver (the other being the recently shuttered Victoria Restaurant). When East Ocean ownership returned to Hong Kong, local management took over and, after some fits and starts, Alfred Yeung bought the business in 2009 with a focus on maintaining the highest standards of Hong Kong Cantonese style cuisine and service.

Dynasty Seafood specializes in banquet-style dishes, and there is always an air of celebration in the room. The flavours and presentation are amped up just so, while adhering to the strict Cantonese ideals of freshness, restraint and refinement. Chef Cao Can Hui is the rare Vancouver chef who trained in-house with the original chef, Sam Leung, under a gruelling mentorship process that is on the wane in most classic kitchens (including traditional formal French and Italian restaurants).

Cao’s dishes have a sense of a joyful exuberance, backed with superlative “wok hei,” that elusive aliveness that only comes from vigorous cooking over powerful gas burners. The most photo-friendly dish, Typhoon Shelter Dungeness crab with a jaw-dropping tower of spicy sticky rice, has gone viral on Instagram. Equal care and craftsmanship are given to vegetarian dishes, with a bowling ball-sized stuffed Napa cabbage, filled with Buddha Feast (mushrooms and black moss) and ceremoniously served tableside like an auspicious present. In response to modern tastes, food allergies and preferences are also taken seriously. With enough advance notice, they will even remove soy sauce for a truly gluten-free meal.

Dim sum chef Garley Leung handcrafts his dishes every day. Classic Cantonese techniques are married with lively flourishes, flaky BBQ pork pastries arrive scented with lemon, steamed black mushroom dumplings are given a back note of truffle and black pepper pork pastries are redolent with floral heat.

Dynasty Seafood draws a direct line back to the powerhouse 1990s Hong Kong restaurants that brought confidence and intensity to Vancouver Chinese restaurants, qualities that still drive excellence today. Hong Kong-trained management teams and chefs made Vancouver home, setting the scene for restaurants like Dynasty to be born. Along the way, the Cantonese penchant for fresh live seafood and seasonal ingredients created a uniquely local style of Chinese cuisine.

The superb cooking and service standards at Dynasty Seafood have not gone unnoticed, with Michelin recommendations three years running, multiple awards from—ahem—Vancouver magazine and the 2025 award for Best Chinese Restaurant in the World by the Chinese Restaurant Awards.

And now it has won our 2026 Restaurant of the Year title. So, why now?

Perhaps no other city in the world welcomes and respects various food traditions like Vancouver does, weaving top-notch restaurants into our local dining culture. Dynasty Seafood has become a true reflection of that. Look around the dining room on any given evening and you’ll see a multi-generational Chinese family celebrating a birthday, a table of golfing buddies enjoying their annual king crab blow-out or a group of serious oenophiles who have brought their own stemware and vintages, knowing the staff will provide the right mix of formality and ease to the meal.

As that original cohort of Hong Kong-trained chefs age out, this golden era of Vancouver Cantonese may be slowly ending. And though the spirit of home and belonging endures, let’s celebrate and appreciate restaurants like Dynasty Seafood while we can.

And that beautiful dining room view? Well, it’s under the constant threat of being lost to property redevelopment. You can’t get much more Vancouver than that.

BEST KOREAN

★ ZOOMAK

52 Alexander St. zoomakyvr.com

★ Nui 4811 Main St. nuivancouver.com

★ Kook 211A–2800 E 1st Ave. kookbbq.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Sumi

5628 Victoria Dr. @sumivancouver Keumsan 8363 Granville St. linktr.ee/ keumsanrestaurant

Korean food in Vancouver tends to split into two moods: the night-out version (ssam, cocktails, group energy) and the reset version (broth, rice, quiet joy). This year’s winners cover both. Zoomak takes the top spot by pairing “good authentic Korean cuisine with vibes and cocktails,” with judges calling out highlights like the seafood soup and pork belly ssam. Silver winner Nui lands for doing something less expected and more comforting. A judge loved that it’s “not your standard Korean cuisine,” swapping the usual BBQand-heat playbook for subtler comfort, especially in the pork bone broth with rice, the kind of dish they said they could eat weekly. Bronze winner Kook is the full K-BBQ commitment option: grills at the table, everyone suddenly invested in timing and the inevitable “one more thing” because you’re already here.

CHEF OF THE YEAR

★ ROGER MA Boulevard

845

Passion is a funny thing. In our cultural expressions we prefer it in its most unbridled form: the artist throwing paint on a canvas, the rockstar whipping a TV out a hotel window... the perfectionist chef screaming at their team. The reality is that passion is also rooted in expression within the lines—in creating magic between the guardrails.

For a young Roger Ma growing up in Vancouver, his passion began when he would hang out with buddy Pete Ho (yes, that Pete Ho, of Sumibiyaki Arashi), cooking for their pals and raising just a bit of hell on Marpole’s mean streets. When it came time to choose a vocation, he would again be guided by passion—he had been studying fine art at Langara with his sights set on Emily Carr when, during a spell visiting Ho in Japan, the draw of food saw him scrap art school for cooking school. He studied by day and worked his ass off by night across environments from Umberto Menghi’s Yaletown hot spot Circolo (see page 48 for Menghi’s Hall of Fame induction!) to the fry station at Brew House in GM Place (now called Rogers Arena) just to soak up some experience—and, presumably, a large amount of grease. That combo of skill, work ethic and passion paid off to such a degree that he landed a plum gig at the Four Seasons Whistler without even graduating.

It was the sort of high-end posting that most young chefs would kill for, but while Ma flourished, that desire to continue pushing himself never quieted; instead, it propelled him to New York, where Thomas Haas set him up with a stage at Daniel Boulud’s legendary Daniel. Compared to the stability of Whistler, Boulud’s empire was controlled mayhem: battalions of chefs, huge volume, insanely high expectations, catering crazy high-profile events. Ma loved it so much he stayed for six years.

But the pull of Vancouver and family was strong, so when he heard about a bold new restaurant planned for the Sutton Place Hotel, he quickly hopped on board. He was drawn by the ambition of the venture, the desire to meld high-volume with high-end, and the idea of bringing exceptional seafood to a coastal city oddly lacking in options. His experience in large rooms proved invaluable: working with Alex Chen (our 2018 Chef of the Year), he helped propel Boulevard to the top, winning Restaurant of the Year in 2020 and dominating the upscale and seafood categories. But, accolades aside, Ma thrived in his ability to craft memorable dishes with a sense of place (his quail with Chinese five spice remains legendary), while also playing mentor to his large staff. There are up to 60 people in Boulevard’s back of house, and Ma prides himself in shepherding them in the same way he had been guided through the crucible of Daniel, with everyone raising their level, whether it’s breakfast service for hotel guests or a note-perfect multi-course tasting menu. He beams when describing his chef de cuisine Jay Park’s recent win at the Canadian Culinary Championship (Ma characteristically omitting that he won the same event back in 2020). “It’s not about my story here,” expresses Ma, always sticking to his team-first mantra. But to borrow from ancient texts, sometimes the greatest chef is the one who eschews greatness. In the case of Roger Ma, it makes him our Chef of the Year.

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN

DELARA

2272 W 4th Ave. delararestaurant.ca

ZARAK

2102 Main St. zarakvancouver.com

Yasma 550 Denman St. yasma.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Tamam 2616 E Hastings St. tamam.ca

Saba

2881 Granville St. sabafoods.ca

Vancouver loves Middle Eastern dining for the same reasons it loves a long dinner with friends: warmth, abundance, spice and a room that makes you stay a little longer than planned. This year comes with a twist: two gold winners. Delara remains the benchmark for elevated Middle Eastern dining, praised as “the standard bar for the intersection of service, decor and technique” and “the first place” one of our judges would take someone to understand what high-end Middle Eastern cuisine looks like. Zarak shares the gold for taking bigger swings, with one judge noting that it “ascends to the top” by trusting diners to follow them into more experimental territory, helped along by a “great” cocktail program and a menu that pushes past the usual falafeland-hummus comfort zone.

Silver winner Yasma is Denman doing Denman: lively, generous, satisfying and easy to love without turning dinner into a three-hour project.

BEST WINE BARS

Dear Gus | 2040 Quebec St., deargus.com; Bar Tartare | 54 Alexander St., bartartareyvr.ca

There are plenty of great spots to grab a glass of wine around here (see Vancouver International Wine Fest’s rundown of the best wine lists in the city on page 58), but seeking out a wine bar, specifically, delivers a different experience: one of lingering and discovering something surprising. And in the case of Dear Gus (pictured) and Bar Tartare, some of the city’s best small plates, too. The bottles at both are freshly curated daily and poured by-the-glass for optimum experimentation: at Mount Pleasant’s Gus, quaffing herbaceous Greek dafni or mineral-y reds sourced from the Canary Islands in the intimate, European-chic tasting room while throwing back oysters; in Gastown, industry cool-kids fill up Bar Tartare’s sidewalk patio for sharable snacks from the week’s rotating chef, sipping whatever natural rosé pairs best with their vibe.

BEST NEW

★ ELEM 2110 Main St. elemvancouver.com

★ Kavita 250 W 3rd Ave. restaurantkavita.com

Chez Céline 4298 Fraser St. chezcelinerestaurant.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

June 3305 Cambie St. juneoncambie.com

Sumibiyaki Arashi 363 E Broadway sumibiyakiarashi.com

By the time you read this story, Elem will have been operating for a year and a half—longer than the full lifespan of some restaurants in this precarious industry. But when chef Vish Mayekar launched his highly anticipated, highly ambitious, highly high-end Main Street room (teaming up with Zarak owneroperator Hassib Sarwari) in November 2024, it was just after the deadline for our 2025 awards judging. And so, here it is: the oldest of our newest restaurants, finally getting its flowers as our Best New Restaurant winner. Judges praised the globally inspired menu, influenced by Mayekar’s own penchant for South Asian flavours as well as the team’s cultures and travels. “Cooking is inspired and skillful,” read one judge comment that complimented the whole grilled fish with adobo and green coconuts. “Everything is technical and lush,” said another. Pastas are always “unique and delicious”—no surprise given Mayekar’s past experience in the Pepino’s kitchen. The design of the restaurant is as meticulous as the food, segmented into areas aesthetically influenced by wood, water and wind. Though bar manager Winnie Sun has recently departed, her impact will no doubt continue to be felt in the innovative cocktail program she spearheaded: the compelling mango rasmalai, for instance, features saffron clarified milk. Modern Indian restaurant Kavita, led by chef Tushar Tondvalkar, is our silver winner for 2026, and had our judges buzzing from the moment it opened in October. “Incredible ambiance and room, friendly staff, great cocktails,” said one. “The food was sublime and the creative use of ingredients nose to tail was truly next level.” The use of foraged and hyper-local ingredients gives a profound sense of place to the food. From mushrooms to pine needles to local fish and proteins, the net effect is not fusion, but instead a way to experience our best ingredients in a new light. Over on Fraser Street, in the space formerly occupied by Say Mercy (RIP), you’ll find bronze medallist Chez Céline, the latest project from the team behind winning Québécois room St. Lawrence. The buzzy, warm Céline also focuses on French cuisine, with what our judges called a “confident, modern touch” in a polished-yet-relaxed atmosphere that’s equally suited for date nights or lingering dinners with friends. Standout dishes include a killer beef tartare and a gorgeous pork chop.

BEST JAPANESE

SUSHI HIL

3330 Main St. sushihil.com

Yuwa 2775 W 16th Ave. yuwa.ca

Kishimoto 2054 Commercial Dr. kishimoto restaurant.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Oku Izakaya 2 Water St. okuizakayabar.com

Dosanko 100–566 Powell St. dosankorestaurant.ca

Where other spots across the country may boast the best beef (Alberta, we’re looking at you) or maple-tinged anything, Vancouver is where you come for some of the world’s best sushi—so you know you’ve got a good thing going when you’ve been voted best by both the critics and the people at large, and Sushi Hil deserves this gold. The restaurant occupies that rare niche that is less expensive than the city’s more pricey omakase offerings, but chef Hilary Nguy keeps it authentic with a classic approach to the cornerstones: beautifully selected and cut sashimi embellished with just the right lifts of spiced vinegars and fresh herbs that highlight the inherent sweet cleanness of top-notch seafood. “The room small and the focus is dialled-in,” wrote one judge. “It’s a fun and lively room—the number-one place I’d send an out-of-towner to.” Silver winner Yuwa is known for pushing the envelope with both sake and wine (which is why you’ll find co-owner and sommelier Iori Kataoka earning this year’s Sommelier of the Year spot—see page 54), but the institution is a supremely sleek Japanese restaurant “with a sense of Armani quiet luxury that draws a monied west-side clientele,” said one judge. Service at the Kitsilano restaurant is engaged and sharp, with standout dishes including their oden (with a deep broth, long-simmered pieces of daikon and a surprise of grilled bluefin tuna), Spanish mackeral “that did not shy away from the metallic tang of oily fish,” and a luscious black sesame pudding glazed with sweet sticky honey. Commercial Drive’s Kishimoto stays on the list with its bronze; the restaurant is revered for its freshness, vibrancy and simple dedication to making it all from scratch: “Sauces and seasonings are built from the ground up, not just poured from a bottle,” wrote one judge.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Just by virtue of being meatless, our reigning Best Vegetarian champion was a shoo-in for earning a green star at some point, given that a plant-forward menu does a lot to cut down on the environmental impact of the food industry.

But Shira Blustein and Matt Gostelow— owner and chef of The Acorn, respectively—have done so much more than just offer a gold standard of plantbased dining (though their legume dish with a porcini paté and wild mushroom gelée is an unforgettably luscious bite). The restaurant—a 14-year stalwart in fine dining perched up in the heights of Mount Pleasant—takes a proactive approach to minimizing its footprint and using sustainable practices that bring the kitchen as close as possible to zero waste status. Where others employ a “nose to tail” ethos, The Acorn applies a “seed to stalk” philosophy, using trimmings, pits, cores and stems to re-incorporate into other dishes. Those offshoots, of course, already come from sustainably sourced ingredients—the restaurant exclusively uses local, organic and seasonal vegetables and herbs. So local, in fact, that the spot has its very own onsite garden for harvesting edible blossoms and herbs. And when certain vegetables are in season, the chefs maximize their utility by fermenting and pickling those ingredients so that they can be used in their dishes year round. And, speaking of re-using, it’s not just food that’s upcycled here—the building itself was constructed using recycled and off-cut lumber. Now that’s a strong foundation for a green star. ★ THE ACORN 3995 Main St. theacornrestaurant.ca

BEST FRENCH

It’s a vibe, Chez Céline: and a golden spot you can’t help wanting to go back to again and again. J-C Poirier and Margaux Herder’s ode to Quebec’s casse-croûtes “is what you want in your neighbourhood,” said one judge, adding that it’s “comfortable and cozy while being subtly refined, and damn delicious.” Don’t miss “one of the best tartares in the city,” bright with herbs and excellently salty with anchovies. Feature dishes always deliver—case in point is an incredible fennel salad with preserved lemon, grapefruit and smashed Castelvetrano olives. Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie takes home silver for chef Rob Feenie’s elegant, elevated French cuisine that follows the seasons—like a melt-in-your-mouth bluefin tuna tartare, paired with a coconut lime leaf broth with just a hint of jalapeno and die-cut daikon. “It’s fresh, modern and all about good ingredients done right,” raved a judge. And in bronze is L’Abattoir ’s French with Pac-Rim flavours, excellently executed under the guidance of chef Jasper Cruickshank. Go for the nuoc cham pork jowl confit, with its “clean sharpness of herbal heat, balanced against the sweet char of the meat.”

BEST INFORMAL CONTEMPORARY

For a long time, Hawksworth at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia has been the place to go if you want to impress a dinner date or a business connection with a stunning room and similarly stunning menu (the grilled venison loin with dark chocolate jus is something legendary chef David Hawksworth does with style), but his upscale-casual offshoot Nightingale has caught the attention of our judges, earning the gold spot for Best Informal Contemporary. Standouts on the menu are “a perfect ham and pineapple pizza” made with guanciale, pineapple and habanero and a spaghetti and manila clam pasta that has set a new standard for classic vongole. Paired with excellent and intuitive service, Nightingale is “a big, popular restaurant that does everything right.” Taking home silver is the Michelin Bib Gourmand cocktail and snack haunt Good Thief. A vibey Vietnamese street-food ambiance is met with consistently good and creative dishes (crunchy on the outside, sumptuous on the inside frog legs are a snack you’ll come back to—trust us), plus a rotating menu makes it new and fun to visit regularly. Bronze winner Nero Tondo debuts with outstanding fanfare. “Some rooms just have mojo,” wrote one judge of their experience at the Railtown eatery. “Vibe, service and just the sheer delight that all the staff had was worth the trip alone.”

BEST WHISTLER

For those of us who live in Vancouver, a trip to Whistler achieves the feeling of being a world away—but on a single tank of gas. Once you’re there, pristine slopes, a European-like village and world-class cuisine awaits, and to find that, locals and tourists alike flock to three-time gold winner Wild Blue

The elegantly designed room is “like sitting courtside at a championship game but for dining,” wrote one judge, who noted that the play is to order the perfectly cooked sablefish and house-made linguine to create a “forever memory with someone special.” Silver champ Il Caminetto continues to fit into Whistler’s regal feel, with first-class service and a lobster saffron linguine that’s to dine for. Red Door Bistro in the town’s Creekside area (known as “old Whistler” to some) sidles into our bronze spot for its upscale and intimate French vibe, where the country game terrine (a prosciutto-wrapped wild boar, venison, green peppercorn and herbed terrine with grainy mustard) pairs perfectly with their antique negroni.

BEST SEAFOOD

845 Burrard St. boulevardvancouver.ca

bravovancouver.com

108–777 W Broadway dynasty-restaurant.ca

Though it’s been hidden behind construction scaffolding most of the year, Oddfish, our gold winner for Best Seafood, is still constantly packed: it’s an elevated-casual gem drawing both the Kits crowd and tourists with its pasta vongole, crispy calamari and ocean-fresh ceviche. The catch-of-the-day fresh sheet showcases a rotating selection of treasures; the staff sport punchy Hawaiian shirts. It’s beach-chic dining at its best. In Yaletown, silver medallist Blue Water Cafe celebrated its 25th anniversary this past summer, but the years haven’t slowed things down a tick: the team and chef Frank Pabst are still knocking it out of the park with their iconic seafood towers and melt-in-yourmouth sablefish, all delivered with flawless service. Our Best Fine Dining champion (and home to our 2026 Chef of the Year), Boulevard, also earns accolades in this category as our bronze winner for dishes like an incomparable smoked steelhead crudo. “Another classic with consistent good food and service,” said one judge.

BEST LATIN AMERICAN

Suyo continues to reign as queen of the Latin American hot spots in Vancouver, once again taking home gold as it has every year since it became eligible in 2023. “Suyo is a wonder of a place that almost single-handedly raised the idea of fine dining in the Latin America genre in Vancouver,” said one judge. Its drinks program is, dare we say it, nearly unmatched in the city—we’d happily pop in for happy hour just for a creative cocktail like the Reef: Gray Whale gin, vermouth, pear, aloe vera, tomato water and, yes, ocean foam. But the draw of the menu is what keeps you well past cocktail hour, with bright Peruvian fare like ceviche, as beautiful as it is flavourful (the steelhead trout tartare is layered with with avocado and tangy nikkei leche de tigre— and a few lovely flower petals). Silver winner Chupito feels like the kind of tucked-away spot you’d rave about if you discovered it while travelling. Now in its permanent digs on Yukon Street, it still brings its back-alley warmth to the table with elevated Mexican fare like pulpo colimense: tender sautéed octopus with capers and olives, and charred lemon and jalapeno. The cocktails hit here, too—the Xochimilco is a feast for the senses, with its temperature contrasts and icy clarified milk punch, spiced with mezcal, Averna, cream sherry and spent coffee topped with a hot horchata foam. Cuchillo takes home bronze for its great value and modern Latin American: don’t pass on the roasted beet salad with coriander chilli cinnamon, paired with whipped ricotta, navel oranges, pistachios and local honey.

BEST CHAIN

★ NOOK nookrestaurants.com

★ Joey joeyrestaurants.com

★ Sula sulaindian restaurant.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Big Way Hot Pot bigwayhotpot.com

Crab Hot Lau crabhotlau.ca

*Cactus Club Cafe entered into the Hall of Fame in 2024 and is no longer eligible for this category

Nook brings home a hat trick with its third gold in as many years for a chain that, despite expanding with its most ambitious restaurant yet in Coal Harbour, “continues to effortlessly blend the uniqueness of a stand-alone with the consistency of a chain better than anyone,” noted one judge. And while stalwart items like the rigatoni boscaiola—a flavour bomb of a dish with mushrooms, prosciutto and sundried tomato—are fan favourites for good reason, “lean into the specials,” advised another judge, “especially in late summer when Milan [Djordjevich]’s Stoney Paradise Farm tomatoes are in.” Joey nabs silver this year for its “ridiculously consistent food and service” and the kind of menu that can please a crowd, executed at the highest level. (Go for the soul-warming blackened chicken—paired with the warm potato salad, it’s a dish that’s made for a crisp night.) Sula takes home bronze again this year for its elevated North Indian and Mangalorean seafood cuisine, where every dish pairs classic techniques with fresh and local produce (a must have: the marvai gassi—Salt Spring Island mussels in a rich broth of caramelized onions, citrus, tamarind and coconut).

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BEST INDIAN

KAVITA

250 W 3rd Ave. restaurantkavita.com

Vij’s 3106 Cambie St. vijs.ca

Peya

2101 E Hastings St. peya.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Sula (Commercial Drive)

1128 Commercial Dr. sulaindian restaurant.com

Tasty Indian Bistro

1261 Hamilton St. tastybistro.ca

Here’s a secret: our gold winner, Kavita, opened near Olympic Village a single day after the cut-off to be considered for the 2026 Restaurant Awards, but our discerning panel of judges fought for chef Tushar Tondvalkar’s new concept to be put on the list of contenders. And, oh, are we ever glad they did. The food here is something special, with fresh, whole spices—roasted and ground in-house—that transform locally sourced or foraged ingredients into bright, lively dishes packed with flavour. “The cooking is off the charts,” raved one judge. Though the tasting menu changes daily, depending on the proteins and produce that roll into the kitchen, standouts include the spiced chickpea purée served on a crisped bit of deer lichen, eggplant with spiced yogurt and a lush orange-pine sorbet. Joining the round-up of Best Indian with silver is Vij’s, which continues to be a legend for good reason: West Coast ingredients run through a rich lens of Indian flavours, plus “there is an aliveness that cannot be duplicated” in dishes such as the lamb rogan josh, which hits deeply with warm spices and heat, the Goan-style halibut and the lush, rich, slowcooked dahl makkhani. Over in East Vancouver, newcomer Peya enters the list seated at bronze with its French-Indian delights: a must-try here is the rabbit kebab, which arrives sitting on a bed of bright green pistou.

BEST BAKERY

Mishmish | 3485 Fraser St., mishmish.ca; Beaucoup | multiple locations, beaucoupbakery.com

A big part of being a Vancouverite is loving a good, cool coffee shop, especially one that’s also quietly holding you hostage with fresh-baked treats. (Anything can be a co-working space if you’ve got the right attitude and a suspicious number of refills.) At Mishmish (pictured), the Middle Eastern bakery-café on Fraser, that “just one coffee” plan tends to collapse somewhere between a sesame ka’ak bagel and a halva cornflake cookie (paired perfectly with your halva latte or the life-choice-in-the-best-way that is the candy bar latte). Over at Beaucoup, the French pastry darling with Kits and downtown outposts, the display case is basically a dare, with buttery, caramelized kouign amann leading the charge. Different neighbourhood energy, same outcome: you came for caffeine and left with a pastry box you’ll “share at home.” Sure.

BEST ITALIAN

★ SAVIO VOLPE

615 Kingsway saviovolpe.com

★ La Quercia

3689 W 4th Ave. laquercia.ca

★ Elio Volpe 540 W 17th Ave. eliovolpe.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

CinCin 1154 Robson St. cincin.net

Giardino

1328 Hornby St. umberto.com/giardino

An Italian dinner is never just dinner and it’s definitely never just one bottle. Also, filling up on bread is the culinary equivalent of quitting during the warm-up. Gold winner Savio Volpe stays “vibrant and alive” a decade in, with a room that does everything so well you stop trying to isolate the one perfect thing and just enjoy the whole night. Judges loved that the menu “blends the standbys with new ideas,” the wine list “pushes the boundaries just enough” and the service stays “always on point.” Silver winner La Quercia is where you take out-of-towners when you want to look tasteful, informed and a touch smug; one judge praised it as “the only restaurant I’d be comfortable taking an actual Italian to,” with chef Adam Pegg’s focus, devotion and a “crazy dense wine list.” Bronze winner Elio Volpe wins on vibe and follow-through: yes, it’s charming, but, as one judge put it, a dish lands and reminds you it’s not just atmosphere, it’s “undeniable energy.” ★ SONG (BY KIN KAO) 317 E Broadway songyvr.com ★ Maenam 1938 W 4th Ave. maenam.ca ★ Silom

BEST THAI

3913 Knight St. silomthaicuisine.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Zab Bite

4197 Fraser St. zabbite.ca

Unchai

2351 Burrard St. unchai.ca

It’s a new champion in the top spot on the podium for 2026: our perennial silver winner, Song (by Kin Kao), nabs gold for its complex flavours delivered in a room that feels like it’s made for casual hangouts and celebrations alike. “The green curry beef shank is one of the deepest and most satisfying curries I’ve had at a Thai restaurant,” raved one judge. “Unforgettable.” And don’t even think about skipping the pomelo salad—it’s on our “25 Things to Eat in 2025” list for good reason: “Totally addictive, super fresh, crunchy and refreshing,” said the same judge. In a rare tie, both Maenam and Silom take home silver this year. Longtime favourite Maenam, exceptionally led by our 2025 Chef of the Year, Angus An, practically invented thoughtful, regional Thai cuisine in the city and creates a chef’s tasting menu that’s one delight after another. It’s a feast, from the smallest of bites—a miang cupcake of Hokkaido scallop, crushed peanut, toasted coconut, young ginger, bird’s eye chili and miang sauce—to the powerhouse dishes that celebrate regional flavours married with local ingredients (the white gati curry, for example, is a southern-style rich white coconut curry with smoked local sablefish, black tiger prawn, betel leaf and Thai eggplant). Silom, meanwhile, is a white and bright little casual spot on Knight that does a brisk business in just a handful of seats and earns its flowers for “the combination of exquisitely clean and delicious food and enthusiastic service that was so passionate about uncommon Thai flavours,” said one judge. The tom kha soup is an incredible dish of coconut, lime, chicken and mushrooms that’s both a flavour sensation and a hug on a cool night.

BEST VIETNAMESE

CRAB HOT LAU

Various locations crabhotlau.ca

Lunch Lady 1046 Commercial Dr. thelunchlady.com

Madame Danh

4288 Fraser St. madamedanh.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Bonjour Vietnam 3944 Fraser St. bonjourvietnam bistro.com

Anh and Chi 3388 Main St. anhandchi.com

For the third year running, Crab Hot Lau snags the top spot in our Best Vietnamese category. It’s particularly impressive that owner/chef Cherry Pham has remained so consistently excellent in a year that saw two additional openings of her Kingsway family-run spot (one at UBC and another on South Granville). Wherever you find a table, the authentic Northern Vietnamese cuisine is bold and satisfying, served in a bustling, no-frills atmosphere. Highlights include the rice field crab hot pot (with its complex, downright-addictive broth) made with noodles imported from Pham’s hometown, beef carpaccio salad and meaty crab spring rolls. “This place feels genuinely soulful,” said one judge.

Commercial Drive’s Lunch Lady scoops up the silver for 2026, praised as much for its food (crispy prawn fritters, bone marrow pho) as for its great vibe—fun, energetic and full of colour. New hot spot Madame Danh has made a strong first impression, nabbing bronze this year: it’s absolutely one to watch. Judges celebrated the kitchen’s modern, innovative take on Vietnamese cuisine, “still preserving deeply authentic flavours” with dishes like charred octopus and grilled pork jowl on rice.

BEST PRIVATE ROOM

Folietta | 1480 Nanaimo St., folietta.com; L’Abattoir | 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca

BEST FINE DINING

BOULEVARD

845 Burrard St. boulevardvancouver.ca

★ Five Sails

999 Canada Pl. glowbalgroup .com/five-sails

★

Hawksworth

801 W Georgia St. hawksworth restaurant.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Botanist

1038 Canada Pl. botanist restaurant.com

Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie 909 Burrard St. lecrocodile restaurant.com

Gold winner Boulevard is home base for our Chef of the Year Roger Ma (page 32), and there’s no better person to entrust with a meal to honour a special occasion. “Nobody comes close to the haute cuisine that he is capable of,” said one judge. The words “perfect” and “perfection” popped up again and again in the judges’ notes on Ma’s menu, whether to describe a mushroom rotolo showered with Italian white truffles, a side of slow-roasted halibut stuffed with lobster or the mixed shellfish platter with the tasting trio of sauces. Pastry chef Kenta Takahashi (our 2024 Pastry Chef of the Year) whips up works of art as a complementary finishing touch, playing with lightness, creaminess and intense tropical fruit flavours. The experience at silver winner Five Sails can feel like a bit of throwback—the white tablecloths, the beautiful surroundings, the glorious view of the Burrard Inlet—but Top Chef Canada darling Alex Kim balances out the old school vibes with a fresh, downright fun approach to flavours. The trompe l’oeil oyster shell is a delight, but his talents go beyond optical illusion: scallops, duck and lobster prawn bisque showcase an attention to detail and deep appreciation for ingredients. Another longstanding downtown room, Hawksworth , takes the bronze this year. Though celebrated chef David Hawksworth is attempting to cultivate a more casual vibe—these days, you’re more likely to catch him in a denim apron, not crisp chef whites—there’s no denying the softly lit, art-filled room, precisely plated dishes and impeccable service create prime conditions for a special experience.

The perfect private dining room should feel as vibey as the restaurant itself, and both of this year’s winners find that balance of creating a buzzy space that’s just for you and a dozen of your closest friends. Folietta’s private room is tucked at the back of the restaurant and up a short flight of stairs, a warm and welcoming space that could easily be your cool Zia’s dining room (your Nonna seems less likely to have quite as funky an art collection). Be sure to go for a round of Vipera cocktails. Part of the adventure of booking L’Abattoir ’s private space (pictured) is your arrival: it’s on the second floor (past a bustling kitchen) of its own building, accessed across a courtyard from the restaurant, a rare Vancouver space with original brick walls and old-growth beams. It’s also a private room that’s made for many, many friends: it can host up to 50 seated or 70 standing.

BEST MEDITERRANEAN

★ SELENE

360 Penticton St. seleneagn.com

★

Nammos

3980 Fraser St. nammos.ca

★

Como Taperia

201 E 7th Ave. comotaperia.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Casa Molina 2211 Manitoba St. casamolina.ca

España

1118 Denman St. espanarestaurant.ca

A surge in openings over the last few years led to the launch of this new category—and, no surprises, it was instantly a competitive one. The darling of Hastings–Sunrise, Selene, wins top honours for the finesse and care it takes on creating a fine-dining destination for Greek cuisine in the city. “In a realm where Greek food falls often into a standardized set of dishes (souvlaki, moussaka, kleftiko, et ceterea), Selene offers a thoughtful yet paralleled twist on traditional,” noted one judge. Don’t overlook the oyster mushroom souvlaki—with pickles, tarragon vinegar and walnut skordalia—it’s even better than the classic. Sister restaurant Nammos takes home silver: its attention to fine-source ingredients brings elevated focus to classic Greek dishes. It’s all made for sharing here—all the better to revel in warm Greek hospitality around ample plates of tender lamb with gigante beans, crispy calamari with beautifully spiced yogurt and a lovely Greek salad with barrel-aged feta. Bronze goes to the always-lively Como Taperia , where the excellent house vermut flows on tap and the tortilla (don’t skimp on the Manchego cream sauce) is made for long nights and great conversation with friends.

BEST AFRICAN & DIASPORA

MOLTAQA 1002 Mainland St. moltaqarestaurant.ca

Kilimanjaro 789 Kingsway kilisnackhouse.com

Baby Dhal Roti 2707 Commercial Dr. babydhalroti.com HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Jambo Grill 3219 Kingsway jambogrill.ca Fassil 736 E Broadway fassil.ca

Moving from its roots on West Hastings, Moltaqa has found its tempo in Yaletown, where the cozy restaurant brimming with comforting spices and indulgent fare can be enjoyed leisurely—if you can find parking. “Every dish has really improved since that era and some dishes now are at a whole new level, such as the chicken pastilla and flambé rack of lamb,” wrote one judge, and we’re inclined to agree. The restaurant decor and ambiance greatly reflect Moroccan culture—silver and brassware with the flame of tealights flickering out; patterned, geometric Moroccan rugs; velvet accents and Moroccan music permeate the environment.

Secondary only to the food is the theatrics and entertainment you’ll find at the African restaurant: with live flambéed dishes brought straight to your table, and belly dancing on the weekends. Taking home silver in the diverse African and Diaspora category is East African Ismaili restaurant

Kilimanjaro, a hybrid restaurant and marketplace in Fraserhood featuring daily rotating menu items like crispy samosas, mogo and kebabs that boast a distinctly fresh feel—“even in dishes like curry that would normally take a long time to cook.”

Like its silver companion, bronze winner Baby Dhal Roti offers up home-style plates full of flavour and slow-cooked love, but with bold, Caribbean spices.

BEST CHINESE

DYNASTY 108–777 W Broadway dynasty-restaurant.ca

Mott 32 1161 W Georgia St. mott32.com

Seaport City 2425 Cambie St. seaportcity restaurant.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Landmark Hotpot 4023 Cambie St. landmarkhotpot.com

Chinatown BBQ 130 E Pender St. chinatownbbq.com

If you’ve peeped the Restaurant of the Year write-up already (and you are reading this issue cover-to-cover, riiiiight?), you know that this has been yet another year of excellence for the eternally great Dynasty. Which means it’s probably not a surprise to reveal that the room has clinched gold in the Best Chinese category for the third year in a row. Dynasty continues to be a reliable (and extremely delicious) choice for impressing guests; the grand dining room comfortably hosts family celebrations, business dinners, groups lingering over wine or whisky tastings and joyful dim sum feasts alike. Our judges all had their favourite dishes— some hyped up the order-in-advance smoked shredded chicken with sugar cane; others lauded the king crab with baked cheesy Portuguese-style fried rice or the black pepper pork pastries— but they all agreed that executive chef Cao Can Hui and dim sum head chef Garley Leung are both at the top of their games. Downtown, silver winner Mott 32 delivers an upscale take on Chinese fare in a sumptuous dining room that’s ideal for special occasions. (“The service is dialled,” praised one judge.) It’s a spot famous for its applewood-roasted, 42-day-aged Peking duck, but the dumplings are knockouts, too: hot and sour XLB are delicate-skinned, with a rich pungent soup filling. Our bronze winner, Seaport City, is well regarded by the Chinese community—especially those who split their time between Hong Kong and Vancouver—and beloved for chuichow-style braised dishes. The tofu and duck in particular are “among the best you’ll ever have,” promised one judge.

HALL OF FAME

CACTUS CLUB CAFE

UMBERTO MENGHI Giardino

1328 Hornby St. umberto.com/giardino

Long before burrata became a personality trait and “nonna-style” was a menu cliché, Umberto Menghi was teaching this city how to eat Italian properly—with restraint, reverence and a deep respect for ingredients. Arriving from Tuscany via Rome, London and Paris, he opened Il Giardino in 1979 and promptly set a new standard for fine dining in Vancouver: polished without being pretentious, classical without being stiff. It became the restaurant where deals were closed, anniversaries celebrated and chefs quietly took notes.

But Menghi’s real legacy isn’t just a room or a recipe—it’s a world view. Through cookbooks, television (remember The Elegant Appetite?) and decades of mentorship, he insisted that hospitality is a discipline, not a vibe. His influence radiates outward: in the chefs he trained (Michel Jacob, Pino Posteraro, John Bishop), the diners he educated and the idea that Vancouver could hold its own on the international culinary stage without losing its soul.

When Italy awarded Menghi the Order of the Star of Italy back in 2020 for promoting Italian culture abroad, it felt less like a personal honour than an overdue acknowledgement of what so many Giardino diners already knew. And now comes our own overdue acknowledgement, with a 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards Hall of Fame induction.

Eagle-eyed readers may recall that we celebrated Tojo’s legacy in 2021: that strange year where lockdowns brought our planned Restaurant Awards judging program (among other things) to a halt and our valiant then-food editor bravely soldiered on to present what awards we could on Instagram Live. (We salute you, Neal McLennan.) With fewer new restaurants to celebrate in that edition, we leaned in to honouring some of the all-star chefs and restaurants who had laid the foundation for what would prove to be a resilient industry—and, yes, that included Hidekazu Tojo and his legendary, eponymous high-end Japanese room.

But this year, as we debated about which legends to induct into the Hall of Fame for the 37th edition of these awards, it felt wrong to not consider the great Chef Tojo’s restaurant for a second moment in the spotlight—to deny ourselves the opportunity to properly pay our respects at the big awards ceremony that he deserves. After all, here’s a room that put Vancouver on the culinary map. It’s not just that Tojo’s was the birthplace of the California roll, the dish that made sushi accessible to a whole new audience of timid Westerners and is arguably responsible for the widespread adoption of Japanese food in North America. It’s that the restaurant set the standards here so high for Japanese cuisine that a world-class roster of competitors rose up to match, inarguably setting the scene for omakase to become the epitome of Vancouver fine dining.

Watching the recent moving documentary The Chef and the Daruma—about Chef Tojo’s journey from Japan to Vancouver and back to Japan again—only cemented what a vital role he has played in the evolution of our city, and how the man behind the restaurant has climbed to success with humbleness, warmth and determination. So let us properly welcome to the Hall of Fame, with all the grandeur it deserves, the forever-great Tojo’s.

BEST CASUAL

ARGO CAFE

1836 Ontario St. argocafe.ca

Fat Mao

Multiple locations fatmaonoodles.com

Northern Cafe 1640 E Kent Ave. S northerncafe andgrill.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Red Wagon 2128 E Hastings St. redwagoncafe.ca

Chinatown BBQ 130 E Pender St. chinatownbbq.com

In Vancouver, “casual” is a lie we tell ourselves. It starts as “just a quick bite,” then several coffees later you’ve fully moved into your booth and you’re speaking to the server like you share a mortgage. Gold winner Argo Cafe earns it by doing the neighbourhood-diner thing with real care: judges called it “just about the perfect neighbourhood diner,” with “love, generosity” and food that lands: duck confit pancakes, fried chicken and waffles, slow-simmered soups that taste like someone actually waited. Silver winner Fat Mao keeps things loud in the best way, with vibrant bowls, clean heat and the right sour notes, plus “no compromises on ‘funkiness’ either.” Bronze winner Northern Cafe is the South Van pilgrimage that pays you back immediately, especially if you’re there at 8 a.m. for wontons and the breakfast bunwich.

CHEF WITH HEART

The Claudio Ranallo Memorial Award for Chef with Heart honours a chef who embodies the spirit of Claudio Ranallo—the late chef and owner of La Piazza Dario—by giving back to the community with care and working tirelessly behind the scenes without asking for accolades.

CHEF TJ CONWI Ono Vancouver

When Vancouver’s Filipino community was reeling from the tragedy of the Lapu Lapu Day Festival in 2025, chef TJ Conwi wasted no time in rolling up his sleeves and getting to work at cooking meals for the families of the victims. But really, it was no surprise: the longtime chef of Filipino heritage has made a habit of dedicating his impressive culinary skills to giving back. He’s the perfect fit for the first-ever Chef with Heart award.

Conwi came up in the kitchen of Vancouver’s exclusive Arbutus Club in the early aughts and later sharpened his craft as executive chef at Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites (even catering for Oprah herself at one point), but he was finding the work unfulfilling. In 2018, a switch in direction to running his own catering and consulting business, Ono Vancouver, gave him the freedom to launch new projects that would truly fill him up. With the proceeds from Ono, he started ReRoot, a food rescue operation that turns surplus food into pre-made frozen meals, and LunchLAB, a school program that mentors budding chefs as they prepare nourishing meals for their peers. Today, he continues to run those programs, while also donating his time to mentor up-and-coming chefs in the industry. Conwi encourages others to give back, too: his charitable collaborative dinner series, A Night of Too Many Chefs, enlists several chefs across Vancouver to provide gourmetcalibre meals for those in need. “We call it dignity in the bowl,” he says.

BEST OMAKASE BEST VICTORIA

★

SUSHI HYUN 795 Jervis St. @sushihyun_vancouver

Sumibiyaki Arashi 363 E Broadway sumibiyakiarashi.com

Okeya Kyujiro 1038 Mainland St. okeya.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Tetsu 775 Denman St. tetsusushibar.com

Masayoshi 4376 Fraser St. masayoshi.ca

The new crop of omakase restaurants now dotting the city places this category firmly away from simply being part of Best Japanese. The experience of omakase is a deeply personal one: roughly translating to “you decide,” the diner entrusts the chef to handcraft and deliver several small bites curated specifically to them—and that distinct personalization was impossible for our editors and judges alike to ignore. With seatings so small that it might take months to get a reservation, you’re spoiled when you do because “the chef is literally touching just about every piece of food that you are consuming,” wrote one judge. So it’s fitting that downtown newcomer Sushi Hyun is taking home gold in this brand-new category, as chef Juhyun Lee prepared “some of the most refined, elegant yet deeply alive flavours” that one judge said they’d had all year. In fact, “startling delicious bites” were mentioned, including a creamy, luscious, three-hour slow baked tamago that capped the meal. Similarly, judges felt the same about silver winner Sumibiyaki Arashi, a yakitori omakase experience in Mount Pleasant, for “not just cooking the best chicken skewers of your life, but through painstaking prep, refracting and redefining how you see what has become an everyday and industrial ingredient.” Bronze winner Okeya Kyujiro offered up the kind of effort “really unseen across any restaurant in any category,” said one judge; it was “mind-blowing food in an immersive setting that goes way beyond showmanship,” said another. It was a tightly packed top three in this new category: the city is lucky to have them to choose from (and debate over).

MARILENA 1525 Douglas St. marilenacafe.com

Rabbit Rabbit 658 Herald St. rabbitrabbit winebar.com

Cafe Malabar 407 Swift St. cafemalabar.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Ugly Duckling 543 Fisgard St. uglyduckling restaurant.ca

Chobap 610 Courtney St. chobapsushibar.com

Certainly the chicest room in town, gold winner Marilena remains the place for a fancy night out (“especially if you’re not paying,” joked one judge). From precise and playful raw bar dishes (alongside equally skilled cocktails) at the bar, through the deep dive into stunningly prepared mains and Victoria’s richest wine program, the standard has been set, very high, by Top Table’s first Victoria outpost. One judge described Marilena’s A5 wagyu sashimi as “mind-blowing.” Silver winner Rabbit Rabbit is a gem, too. Local ingredients are thoughtfully touched with Asian sensibilities, on a small-plates menu that would feel equally at home in London, U.K. The scallion milk buns with caramelized onion butter are worth a trip down the rabbit hole alone. The pure, fresh authenticity of bronze medallist Cafe Malabar is evident in every aromatic bite of their Keralan dishes, ingrained naturally from head chefs Kiran Kolathodan and Karma Tenpa’s youth in Southern India.

BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

BEST ROOMS FOR RUBBING ELBOWS

Bacchus | 845 Hornby St., wedgewoodhotel.com; Giardino | 1328 Hornby St., umberto.com

Good bartenders focus on bulk satisfaction, efficiently slinging vodka tonics to bars full of thirsty hellions; the really good ones migrate to elevating the experience, labouring over optimal balance, glassware and garnish for perfect cocktails crafted for the rarefied few; and the great ones... well, they’re somehow able to do both. And Riley Maggs is a great bartender.

His good days came while he was working on campus at Edmonton’s University of Alberta, servicing waves of thirsty sorts leaning hard into our neighbouring province’s 18-year-old drinking age. And while the money was great, his hunger to push the limits of what’s been done before drove him to reach for new horizons. That thirst drove him ultimately to the coast, and once here he apprenticed at all the stations of the mixology cross: the vibey Diamond, the intimate L’Abattoir and the quiet excellence of Botanist. Each stop sharpened his skills and expanded his conception of not just how to make drinks but also how to serve patrons. But it wasn’t until he landed at the legendary Keefer Bar that all these elements fell into place. It wasn’t just the talent at Keefer, although the level is off the charts here (2012 Bartender of the Year Dani Tatarin is an alum; 2019 Bartender of the Year Amber Bruce is beverage director). It was the approach to the drinking experience that felt like home: dialled-in but not fancy; freewheeling but focused; and, above all, a defining lack of pretention in every aspect of the bar. In Maggs’s mind, it was the perfect job and one that he never wanted to leave.

But the problem with perfect jobs is it that no one else ever wants to leave either, so even for a talent like Maggs, finding room for growth was a trick. When general manager and partner Keenan Hood—the legend most responsible for the Keefer’s DNA—approached him about joining a new restaurant venture, he was ready to take the leap of faith. The result—June on Cambie—has been one of the buzziest openings in recent history, and a big reason it’s so flipping hard to get a reservation is the bar program created by Maggs and bar manager and BOTY-alum Satoshi Yonemori. It’s a wonderful mix of technical skill (their take on a Clover Club melds grappa, gin, genmaicha, lemon, raspberry, horseradish, honey and egg white), reverence for the classics (there are four proper martinis and none of them feature espresso) and an undeniable warm-heartedness (said martini is $7 during happy hour). Maggs has been able to transport that sophisticated yet approachable essence from The Keefer to Cambie Street. Throw in the moody Lala listening bar in the basement and it has a fair bit of the Keefer’s swagger too—no small feat for the west side. Maggs has created a small, controlled explosion of vibe tucked seditiously into a serious restaurant, and patrons can’t get enough. And that’s why he’s our newest Bartender of the Year.

Some restaurants are about the food; others are about who you might run into between the bread basket and dessert. This year’s winners understand that dining is as much a social sport as it is a culinary one. Bacchus (pictured) remains the city’s most reliable power-lunch and late-night rendezvous, where politicos, visiting celebs and well-heeled locals cut deals while settled comfortably in lush leather booths. And then there’s Giardino, with its Tuscan vibes and lush secret courtyard; this spot draws the West Van set into town for red-wine-soaked dinners and hot gossip, comfortably hosted by servers who have been around so long they feel like family. It’s two very different vibes, but both institutions remind us that sometimes the best seat in the house is the one where you’ve got an eye on everyone else.

SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR

IORI KATAOKA

In 2026, there are a dozen ways to become a sommelier: you can go the traditional route of very pricey wine classes; you can be mentored by an existing pro; or you can lock yourself in a room with a blindfold, a few bottles and The Oxford Companion to Wine. Many somms do all three. But there’s no amount of studying and tasting and shadowing that can make you a great sommelier if you don’t have that trait endemic to even the most accomplished sommelier: an insatiable desire to learn.

For Iori Kataoka, that desire awoke not from a magical epiphany after a glass of Richebourg but from a practical reality: she was running a Japanese restaurant downtown and the then-available sake selection in Vancouver left a lot to be desired. To ensure her guests had an excellent experience, she would have to expand the wine selection. So, she sought out classes and experts to help her figure out a path forward. First, it was famed educators James Cluer, MW, and Lynn Coulthard who helped her understand the basics, but soon what was supposed to be a practical understanding morphed into passion. By the time she teamed up with fellow wine lover Chef Yoshi to open

Zest in 2005, she had fully been bitten by the wine bug. In those early days, their combined enthusiasm sometimes outpaced their reality—bottles were stored haphazardly in a warm kitchen before she dragged a cooler from her home to safeguard them— but each year they expanded not only their selection but also the city’s understanding of how to pair wine with Japanese cuisine. By the time Chef Yoshi and Kataoka parted ways—he to open Stem in Burnaby, she to create Yuwa—her wine list was unquestionably the best in any Japanese restaurant in town. And yet the drive to learn and to expand never stopped. Each year she’d submit the list to the Vancouver International Wine Festival and each year she’d expand it based on the judge’s recommendations: adding a region here, something with some bottle age there (she was given the platinum award, the highest available, last year). Fantastically, her path has recently come full circle—the sommelier who started her journey because there wasn’t sufficient great sake in town now has one of the coolest, cultiest sake lists in North America. Whereas her vacations used to take her to the great wine regions of Europe, she now travels frequently to Japan to meet and cultivate the new generation of cult sake producers.

The end result is a masterclass in cross-cultural fusion: diehard oenophiles who have migrated to sake under her tutelage on the one hand, and classical Japanese diners who now go gaga for riesling on the other. It’s a community of trust she’s created through her passion and expertise, but it’s still just one snapshot on a journey that, for Kataoka, will never end.

BEST UPSCALE CONTEMPORARY

L’ABATTOIR

217 Carrall St. labattoir.ca

Elem 2110 Main St. elemvancouver.com

Kissa Tanto

263 E Pender St. kissatanto.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

AnnaLena 1809 W 1st Ave. annalena.ca

Botanist 1038 Canada Pl. botanist restaurant.com

When gold winner L’Abattoir lost founder and acclaimed chef Lee Cooper last year, the fate of the French-ish Gastown spot was unclear. But new exec chef Jasper Cruickshank has proved that he’s more than capable of dazzling diners, too—could L’Ab have another future Chef of the Year on their hands? Under Cruickshank’s watch, L’Abattoir remains sharply focused on local flavours, brought forward with unerring French technique. The deftly grilled saddle of lamb is richly gamey, and a Fizzy Lemonade parfait of local berries sorbet, vanilla cremuex and fresh lemon soda tastes like summer in a glass. “L’Abattoir has the ambience and service where you can make those forever memories,” declared one judge. Newcomer Elem takes home the silver in this category, welcoming diners to experience its beautifully plated global cuisine in a sleek, modern space. The service is so attentive it borders on intense, but server eagerness is softened with the delivery of artful dishes like chef Vish Mayekar’s signature lamb kebabs, delicately decorated with radish flowers. And working with a whole different style of fusion is our outstanding bronze winner, Japanese-Italian spot Kissa Tanto. “If you ever wonder if modern dining has anything genuinely substantive to say, a meal at Kissa Tanto is an emphatic yes,” said one judge. Every dish at Kissa has chef Joël Watanabe’s unmistakable POV: deeply sophisticated use of the best local ingredients, run through with dark Italian glamour and Japanese attention to detail.

BEST PATIOS

Reflections the Garden Terrace | 801 W Georgia St., 4th floor, rosewoodhotels.com; Tap and Barrel Bridges | 1696 Duranleau St., tapandbarrel.com

JUDGES

★ Anicka Quin is the VP of content at Canada Wide Media. An award-winning editor, writer and content strategist, she’s been championing Vancouver’s dining scene for over 20 years at Vancouver magazine and beyond.

★ Bruce Jung is an entrepreneur and discerning food enthusiast. With his passion for exceptional flavours, exemplary service and memorable dining atmospheres, he has been a dedicated supporter of the hospitality industry for over 30 years.

★ Craig Ryomoto is the CEO and co-founder of Umamii, a Vancouver-born food discovery community that personalizes the restaurant experience. He combines his passion for food, travel and tech to create intuitive software that brings people together over food.

★ Hussain Askari is a sommelier and marketing consultant who specializes in fine wines from around the world. His extensive travel and time abroad has expanded his horizons, enriching his passion for food, beverage and hospitality.

★ Jacob Sweetapple is an award-winning bartender and managing partner at Notion Concepts, where he aims to elevate drinking culture around the world through innovative beverage ideation and education.

★ Jason Yamasaki is the group sommelier for Joey Restaurants, creating the wine lists and training programs across North America. He also helps shape Top Drop Canada as a platform for impactful events and professional development.

★ Jenice Yu is the Sea-E-O of EatFish.ca, a BC Restaurant Hall of Fame inductee, president of Les Dames d’Escoffier BC, a judge for the Chinese Restaurant Awards and Canada’s 100 Best and a member of Divers Catch Society.

★ Lee Man is a founding judge for the Chinese Restaurant Awards and a longtime contributor to Vancouver, Montecristo and other magazines.

★ Mijune Pak is an international food and travel personality, Food Network Canada entertainer, judge on Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Canada and host of Michelin Vancouver.

★ Neal McLennan is Vancouver magazine’s wine and spirits editor, and a freelance food and travel writer for the Globe and Mail, Western Living and other publications.

★ Rick D’Aurizio has been part of the food scene for nearly four decades, working hands-on in every aspect of the industry. He’s supported Vancouver’s restaurant community as a trusted supplier for more than 25 years.

★ Ryan Benn is the CEO and group publisher of Alive Publishing Group and Canada Wide Media, as well as the author of the cookbook Nourish. A passionate home chef and true foodie, he is driven by great food, storytelling and building community.

★ Sylvia Potvin is the owner of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, Vancouver’s premier professional culinary education training centre.

★ Treve Ring is a wine writer, editor, judge, speaker and traveller. When not tasting at the Trevehouse, she’ll be found on a plane or in a vineyard.

★ Trudy Tran is a Vancouver-based creative and visual storyteller, focused on food, lifestyle and culture. Her YouTube series, Munchies to Michelin, highlights Vancouver’s vibrant culinary scene.

Vancouver patio season is our civic religion: we’ll sit through sideways rain for a sliver of sun, then toast our “excellent life decisions” like we didn’t just dry our jeans under a Dyson moments earlier. That’s the power of a great patio. Reflections the Garden Terrace (pictured) is the downtown fantasy version of that devotion: a leafy inner-courtyard escape tucked on Hotel Georgia’s fourth floor, hovering just above the city hustle. Tap and Barrel Bridges is the opposite in the best way: two storeys of peak Granville Island waterfront people-watching and big False Creek views that make a weeknight catch-up feel like a mini vacation. Bonus: strong boat-owner cosplay potential, especially if you’re willing to call a water taxi “nautical.”

PREMIER CREW

Even the most dazzling dish or decadent dessert can be elevated by a great dining experience. These five front-of-house all-stars help turn a night out into a night to remember: meet our 2026 Premier Crew winners.

★ HANNA FLODSTRÖM

Reservations manager, Elisa

Known for being dedicated to creating memorable experiences at Elisa, Hanna is “long unsung and shows unreal levels of hospitality to each and every guest.”—judge Hussain Askari

★ HASSIB SARWARI

Partner, operations, Elem

“Hassib’s approach to hospitality comes with a personal touch. He’s professional, genuinely warm, humble and calm, making customers feel at ease. He deeply values his guests and ensures everyone feels seen, cared for and well looked after.”

—judge Mijune Pak

★ AMANDA HANLON

Server, Sylvia’s Restaurant and Lounge

“Amanda was out-of-this-world good. Remembered everyone at a nine-person table’s name. Friendly but not overly so, while quietly doing a bang-up job—don’t dare tell her you’re fine to keep your appetizer plate as it’s an affront to her doing her job professionally.”

—judge Neal McLennan

★ NICK BERTOIA

Wine director, Wentworth Hospitality

“Nick has a good sense of seasonal creativity; I like how he has intention behind every plate and glass. He understands how to let great ingredients do what they are meant to do.”

—judge Rick D’Aurizio

★ MOON HU Co-owner, Sushi Hil

“Moon is the heart of the restaurant—without her, there’s no Hil. She’s kind and always smiling, making every guest feel at home. The service feels personal and welcoming, never stiff or pretentious, and her energy is positive.”

—judge Mijune Pak

B.C.’S BEST WINE LISTS

Winemakers get enough attention at the Vancouver International Wine Festival—but what about the spots that bring those great bottles directly to the table? The annual Wine Program Excellence Awards at VIWF celebrate the best of the best of the best in Western Canadian wine programs, selected by an independent panel of Canadian sommeliers and industry professionals. Here are the B.C. rooms that earned top marks in the WPEA’s 2026 competition.

BEST WINE PROGRAM IN AN UPSCALE RESTAURANT

The convergence of fine dining and fine wine.

★ ELISA, Vancouver

★ Blue Water Cafe, Vancouver

★ Marilena, Victoria

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Hawksworth, Vancouver

Wild Blue, Whistler

BEST WINE PROGRAM IN A CONTEMPORARY RESTAURANT

Chill and relaxed, while always being intentional and exciting.

★ NIGHTINGALE, Vancouver

★ L’Abattoir, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Elio Volpe, Vancouver

Wind Cries Mary, Victoria

BEST FOR A GLASS

…Or maybe two.

★ DACHI, Vancouver

★ The Courtney Room, Victoria

★ The Stable House, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Dear Gus, Vancouver

Chulo, Penticton

BEST FOOD AND WINE PAIRING

A world-class collaboration between kitchen and somm.

★ MOTT 32, Vancouver

★ AnnaLena, Vancouver

★ L’Abattoir, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTION

Delara, Vancouver

BEST WINE SERVICE

Excellent storytelling and advice, tableside.

★ ANNALENA, Vancouver

★ Kissa Tanto, Vancouver

★ L’Abattoir, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Mott 32, Vancouver

Burdock and Co, Vancouver

WINE PROGRAM EXCELLENCE OF THE YEAR

Unparalleled service, selection and pairing.

★ ELISA, Vancouver

★ Blue Water Cafe, Vancouver

★ Nightingale, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTION

Mott 32, Vancouver

BEST MICRO WINE LIST

Think mini lists, verbal pairings, rotating wines and chalkboard specials.

★ BURDOCK AND CO, Vancouver

★ Yuwa, Vancouver

★ Bistro Lapin Perdu, Naramata

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Delara, Vancouver

Caffè La Tana, Vancouver

BEST BOUTIQUE WINE LIST

Tightly edited and distinctly expressive.

★ ANNALENA, Vancouver

★ The Stable House, Vancouver

★ Dear Gus, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Wind Cries Mary, Victoria

Savio Volpe, Vancouver

BEST PREMIER WINE LIST

Balance meets breadth.

★ NIGHTINGALE, Vancouver

★ L’Abattoir, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Dachi, Vancouver

Waterfront Wines, Kelowna

BEST GRAND WINE LIST

Deep cellars, global reach and coveted vintages.

★ BLUE WATER CAFE, Vancouver

★ Elisa, Vancouver

★ Marilena, Victoria

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Hawksworth, Vancouver

Mott 32, Vancouver

BEST B.C. WINE LIST

A celebration of our backyard.

★ WATERFRONT WINES, Kelowna

★ Sonora Resort, Sonora Island

★ The Arbutus Room, Brentwood Bay

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Wildlight, Vancouver

15 Park Bistro, Osoyoos

OTHER REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Best Italian: CinCin, Vancouver

Best French: L’Abattoir, Vancouver

Best Sake: Yuwa, Vancouver

Best Spain: Bar Oso, Whistler

BEST WINE PROGRAM FOR DISCOVERY

Inviting guests off the beaten path with uncommon grapes and rare regions.

★ DACHI, Vancouver

★ Botanist, Vancouver

★ Niwa, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Dear Gus, Vancouver

The Acorn, Vancouver

BEST WINE PROGRAM IN A WINE BAR OR LOUNGE

Flexible, creative programs thriving outside traditional dining spaces.

★ DEAR GUS, Vancouver

★ Boulevard, Vancouver

★ Bacchus, Vancouver

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

H Tasting Lounge, Vancouver

Bar Oso, Whistler

BEST VALUE WINE PROGRAM

A great deal and a great glass.

★ H TASTING LOUNGE, Vancouver

★ The Arbutus Room, Brentwood Bay

★ Pizzeria Tratto, Penticton

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Boom and Batten, Victoria Delara, Vancouver

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READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Our judges cover a lot of ground over the course of a year, but there’s only so much eating one supergroup of foodies can do. So we turn to you, our brilliant readers, to help fill in the gaps. With your help, we’ve identified neighbourhood faves, beloved brunch spots and more. The people have spoken!

BEST DOWNTOWN ★ NIGHTINGALE

1017 W Hastings St. hawknightingale.com

The upscale-casual Nightingale (sister to the legendary Hawksworth) has an ambitious West Coast menu featuring the best the Pacific has to offer, from its decadent rigatoni all’arrabbiata served with a dollop of whipped ricotta to handmade pizzas and zippy raw plates.

BEST KERRISDALE ★ MINERVA’S

2411 W 41st Ave. minervas.ca

Family-run Greek spot Minerva’s has been a staple of Kerrisdale since 1975, and has built a loyal fanbase along the way (including Ryan Reynolds). Classic dishes like moussaka and souvlaki are balanced and flavourful, served in generous portions.

BEST FRASERHOOD ★ SAVIO VOLPE

615 Kingsway saviovolpe.com

If there’s one thing to know about our readers, they’re consistent—and so, too, apparently is Savio Volpe, once again the reigning champ of Best Fraserhood with its handmade pastas, tangy, fresh salads and expertly curated wine list.

BEST GASTOWN

L’ABATTOIR

217 Carrall St. labattoir.ca

Set neatly in Gastown’s most walkable square of brick-lain ground, L’Abattoir remains the neighbourhood’s favourite dining experience—where chef Jasper Cruickshank sharpens the French sensibilities of the restaurant with the introduction of decadent dishes like the baked Pacific oyster (topped with whipped garlic butter and black truffle) and Parisian gnocchi.

BEST HASTINGS–SUNRISE ★ DACHI

2297 E Hastings St. dachivancouver.com

Dachi snags the victory in our Reader’s Choice roundup for a third time. No surprise: innovative small plates (soy braised beef shank; roasted Hokkaido sweet potato with charred onion mole) and natural wine by-the-glass are a winning combo in this intimate, casual-chic room.

BEST KITSILANO

COCKNEY KINGS

1934 Cornwall Ave. cockneykings.ca

Fish and chips are a staple of most beach boardwalks, so it’s appropriate that Kits has crowned this authentic chippie on Cornwall Avenue as its champ. Snag some crispy cod from the takeout counter to pair with your next beach day.

BEST WEST END

★ MAXINE’S

1325 Burrard St. maxinescafebar.com

When it comes to cozy favourites, Maxine’s café and bar has once again snagged the Best West End vote from our readers. From its truffle omelette at brunch (think: fine herbs and black truffle wrapped up in a La Sauvagine cheese sauce) to its succulent braised pork cheeks for dinner, Maxine’s delivers both comfort and sumptuousness.

BEST CHINATOWN

★ PHNOM PENH

244 E Georgia St. @phnompenh.restaurant

Our Best Chinatown winner is a neighbourhood institution that turns first-timers into regulars. The saltpepper-sugar wings are the move, and the beef luc lac seals the deal.

BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD

WILDCARD

★ NORTHERN CAFE

1640 E Kent Ave. S northerncafeandgrill.com

When we say that this spot is a “hidden gem,” we mean it: find this cozy diner tucked away in a South Vancouver lumberyard, serving up Chinese comfort food favourites alongside Canadian classics.

BEST COCKTAIL BAR

★ THE KEEFER BAR

135 Keefer St. thekeeferbar.com

Chinatown’s apothecary-inspired classic wins for its moody, expertly built cocktails in warm candlelight. Fair warning: “one drink” rarely stays the plan, and on Saturdays the lineup might have you bonding with the firepit crowd out front.

LUNCH LADY

1046 Commercial Dr. thelunchlady.com

Lunch Lady is a popular-vote winner in back-to-back years for a reason.

Slurpable Vietnamese bowls are built on deeply balanced broth and generous toppings. It’s the kind of lunch that becomes your whole afternoon.

BEST SUSHI

★ SUSHI HIL

3330 Main St. sushihil.com

This intimate eatery from chef Hilary Nguy on Main Street’s “Michelin Mile” serves up unparalleled cuts of sashimi, nigiri and makimono (and don’t even get us started on the spot’s perfect, petite pot of creamy chawanmushi).

BEST PLANT-BASED

★ THE ACORN

3995 Main St. theacornrestaurant.ca

Chef Matt Gostelow consistently dazzles the tastebuds of vegetarians and omnivores alike with their creative, innovative and sumptuous veggiefocused dishes: the beer-battered halloumi with minty yogurt and smashed peas is an all-time fave.

BEST YALETOWN ★ ELISA

1109 Hamilton St. elisasteak.com

This Yaletown room is a readers’ favourite for flame-grilled cuts, a serious wine list and a room that makes even a Tuesday steak dinner feel like a rare occasion.

BEST STEAKHOUSE ★ ELISA

1109 Hamilton St. elisasteak.com

The double win (see above) says it all: when Vancouver wants steak, it wants Elisa. And for good reason too. It’s dialled-in, wood-fired and consistently worth dressing up for (higher stakes, better steak).

BEST MOUNT PLEASANT ★ ANH AND CHI

3388 Main St. anhandchi.com

Our readers deemed this spot worth the lineup for modern Vietnamese that hits big on flavour. Bonus: you can turn dinner into a full night out with sister bar Good Thief right next door.

BEST BRUNCH

★ NORTHERN CAFE

1640 E Kent Ave. S northerncafeandgrill.com

Unpretentious dishes make up the brunch menu at Northern Cafe, but if we had to pick just one, we’d come back for the breakfast poutine: smokey sausage, fried onions and cheese curds smothered in béarnaise sauce atop tater tots? Count us in.

BEST PIZZA

★ VIA TEVERE

1190 Victoria Dr. and 3240 Main St. viateverepizzeria.com

Via Tevere does what it’s always done best: classic Neapolitan pizza, expertly blistered in a wood-fired oven. The margherita is all balance and restraint, while the Quattro Formaggi is a rich, bubbling love letter to cheese. BEST COMMERCIAL DRIVE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

B.C. has put enough contestants through the Top Chef Canada kitchen that they could form their own cooking competition show at this point. In the meantime, here’s how our homegrown alumni have used the show as a springboard to even more delicious things.

By Darcy Matheson

TOP CHEF

Canada has seen dozens of competitors from B.C. come through its famed kitchens in its 12 seasons on air and, while we might be a bit biased (okay, a lot biased), we think the abundance of fresh Pacific seafood and produce available on the West Coast might give these folks a distinct advantage over their landlocked competitors.

Mijune Pak, one of the show’s judges and a fellow Vancouverite, believes there’s also a correlation between the diversity of our city (“We’re so well known for our Asian food and Chinese food”) and the success of the coastal chefs.

“They’re very well versed in a lot of different cuisines. They’ve also done a lot of stages and have worked in kitchens globally,” she says.

With two Vancouver competitors that absolutely slayed in the past season alone, Vancouver magazine decided to catch up with some of the most memorable B.C. chefs from the country’s favourite culinary competition to see what they’ve gotten up to after the cameras stopped rolling, and what they really thought of the experience.

Season 2

TREVOR BIRD (VANCOUVER)

Runner-up on his season and then clinching third spot on Top Chef Canada All-Stars, Bird went on to open Fable Diner and start a family in 2016. After spending 25 years in the restaurant industry (“I wore the late nights and grind culture as a badge of honour,” he says), he has pivoted to running a business as a coach and educator—helping people “make sense of inner conflict.” Though he hasn’t stayed in touch with his fellow competitors on Top Chef, he calls the show experience genuinely life-changing. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it,” he says.

Season 3

MATT STOWE (VANCOUVER)

Stowe won his season, returned as a judge on several subsequent seasons and guest judged on season 22 of the U.S. version of Top Chef. The executive chef of the Joey Restaurant Group for the past seven years, Stowe, who now lives in the Fraser Valley, is about to open the group’s 36th location, in San Diego. He creates all new menu items and steers the brand’s culinary trajectory as it expands across North America. Stowe looks back fondly on the show, saying being completely cut off from the world (“No phones, no internet, no books, nothing”) felt freeing because it allowed him to fully focus on the creativity of his dishes. Would he go back on All-Stars? “I’d love to,” he says.

Season 6

MARK SINGSON (VANCOUVER)

Singson was the runner-up on his season. “The one who didn’t take the cake,” he muses. He says it was a great experience, adding that he still keeps in touch with a few chefs in his cohort.

Since filming, he’s been doing pop-ups, private dinners, events, “personal cheffing abroad” and lots of eating. He credits travelling for work for re-inspiring his creativity and love of Filipino cuisine. As for what’s to come, Singson is re-launching his Filipino-inspired Mabuhay curated dinner series and some “cheeky collabs” in Vancouver and other cities, so stay tuned. “The work never stops,” he says.

Season 7

PAUL MORAN (TOFINO)

Season 7 saw a trio of talented B.C. chefs, with Moran, the king of foraging (he regularly trotted out foraged ingredients from Tofino throughout taping), clinching the title in a nailbiter finale. Since his win, Moran says a highlight has been opening Sixty Forty in Saanich, a 47acre organic farm, event space and catering hub where farm partners grow large swaths of fresh produce. This spring he’s opening phase one of a luxury beachfront accommodation, Ancient Dunes, in Haida Gwaii—a dream in the making for 12 years. Moran, who “used every penny” of his show winnings to help buy the land for the project, says he has no regrets about going on Top Chef Canada. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat,” he says.

Season 7

PHIL SCARFONE (VANCOUVER)

The runner-up to Paul Moran, Scarfone calls Top Chef Canada the toughest mental and physical competition he’s ever endured. But it also showed him what he was capable of “when fear of failure gets overridden by adrenaline.”

Since leaving his head chef role at Nightingale, Scarfone has been the culinary director for the Banda Volpi hospitality group for the past six years—crediting the opening of Elio Volpe in 2024 as a highlight (“It has been a massive success!”). He’s also currently starting a side hustle crafting a “beautiful” collagen-rich bone broth. Is he game for an All-Stars appearance? “Absolutely. I’m always up for a challenge.”

Season 7

DENNIS PECKHAM (PORT MOODY)

Part of a trifecta of B.C. chefs on his season, Peckham made it through five episodes, a place he’s proud of given the “outstanding” competition. Like Moran, he’d do the show again “in a heartbeat”:

Season 9

ANDREA ALRIDGE (VANCOUVER)

Alridge, then chef de cuisine at CinCin in Vancouver, placed third in the finale of the 2021 season. She says filming during the pandemic brought a lot of the competitors together, and she calls her experience “enlightening, terrifying and positive all at once.”

Since the show, she became the head chef at Osteria Savio Volpe and is now the executive chef at stylish Janevca Kitchen and Lounge in the Rosemead House Hotel in Esquimalt, which

Season 10 VISH MAYEKAR (VANCOUVER)

Mayekar, who made it into the top five, calls the competition one of the most challenging yet fulfilling things he has done in his life, and he still keeps in touch with most of the competitors, including Dez Lo. (“She’s still celebrating how she beat me!” he laughs.)

After the show, Mayekar led Caffè La Tana and Pepino’s Spaghetti House (the same year La Tana took gold for Best Italian at Vanmag’s Restaurant Awards). He was part of the opening team at Elio Volpe, and in 2024 opened his “dream project,” Elem on Main Street, landing a spot on the Canada’s 100 Best list. If the timing was Top : “I would love to go back and try to give another shot at

Season 10 DESEREE “DEZ” LO (VANCOUVER)

The runner-up on her season and a fan favourite with her red lipstick and humour, Lo says she felt like a “headless chicken trying to keep my calm” during taping—but she’d do it again: “There are cameras in your face all the time, and [you are] duking it out with some of the best chefs in the country. I mean, no pressure!” She returned as a guest judge in season 11. Lo says being on the show opened doors, including cooking spots on morning TV shows, media interviews, brand collabs and recipe development. She’s started a catering company, did a PechaKucha talk (where she got a standing ovation) and just filmed a travelling food documentary with Hudson Yang that will air later this year. “Going on was one of the best things I have ever done for my

Season 11

CHANTHY YEN (VANCOUVER)

Yen, who blew away the judges with his Cambodian-style congee, took home the top prize on season 11. He calls the achievement life-changing and “a great win for B.C. and for 2SLGBTQ+ BIPOC communities.”

Since clinching the title, Yen (whose other claim to fame is having been the personal chef of former prime minister Justin Trudeau) has been busy. He is the culinary director of Kitchen Table Group, and just opened Touk, a stylish downtown Vancouver restaurant focused on contemporary Cambodian eats, as executive chef and co-owner. And this spring sees the opening of Mee Bar, a Cambodian noodle bar with charcoal-grilled proteins at the Time Out Market in Oakridge Mall.

Season 12 KATY

CHEUNG (VANCOUVER)

Standing out with her dishes from Canton and Hong Kong, Cheung finished in third place. She calls Top Chef Canada “one hell of a ride,” adding that all of the chefs were incredibly supportive and kind to each other. She keeps in touch with each of the chefs in her cohort. “I love them all!” she says.

Since wrapping, the chef de cuisine at Burdock and Co has done a few solo pop-ups and chef collaboration dinners in Vancouver. This year she’s hoping to travel and do more collabs with chefs from different cities. “Keep your ears perked as I may be doing something with a fellow chef from my season,” she teases.

Season 12 ALEX KIM (VANCOUVER)

Edged out in the finale by Toronto-based chef (and Matty Matheson’s right-hand man) Coulson Armstrong, Kim says being on the show was intense, humbling and incredibly rewarding. “Every challenge forced me to cook with instinct while staying true to who I am as a chef,” he says.

The culinary director at Five Sails, Kim been spending more time developing new dishes and collaborating with other chefs since filming, including a World Chef Exchange dinner with Taejun Eom, chef-owner of Michelin-starred Solbam in Seoul. He’s travelled in Peru and eaten in a few of the best restaurants on the world. Kim calls the show taping a bonding experience and still checks in with fellow competitors to cheer on their projects. “It’s a small culinary world, and that Top Chef connection definitely lasts,” he says.

POINTS 96 inspired by the LEGENDARY SUPER TUSCAN WINES of Italy.

“ The wine begins with bright aromas of cherry, cola, mocha and spice. The palate is polished and layered with flavours of cherry, chocolate and vanilla, mingled with sagebrush. This wine can be enjoyed now, which reflects the gentleness of the Italian ganimede fermenters or can be aged up to 10 years.”

JOHN SCHREINER

john schreiner on wine

CHEF ALEX KIM

CULINARY DIRECTOR

VANCOUVER MAGAZINE AWARDS JUDGED DIVISION FINALISTS FOR BEST FINE DINING

Widely recognized as one of Vancouver’s premier dining destinations, Five Sails is helmed by the acclaimed Chef Alex Kim. At the heart of the experience is his seasonal tasting menu, thoughtfully crafted and deeply informed by the terroir of British Columbia. Each course reflects the region’s remarkable bounty and a refined expression of Canadian culinary craftsmanship.

NAMED TOP 10 BEST FINE DINING IN CANADA BY TRIPADVISOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW

The mothership aims to please.

Experience the timeless lore of classic French & warmhearted Québécois cuisine at Michelin-starred St. Lawrence, set in the storied heart of Vancouver’s Gastown.

stlawrencerestaurant.com

tous savants bonvivants

The sister’s such a tease.

Come witness the edgy charm of Montréal, the effortless elegance of Paris and the communal warmth of Québec’s casse-croûtes inside a beaming, beautiful room on the corner of Fraser & 27th.

chezcelinerestaurant.com

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Mayne The Event

Slow down on one of the most charming Southern Gulf Islands.

By Darcy Matheson

PLANNING FOR A LAIDBACK LONG WEEKEND

at a friend’s mid-century cabin on Mayne Island is a strange exercise in time management. There are great places to eat and shop and explore on this sleepy-yet-scenic Gulf Island, but thanks to what locals refer to as “island time,” you’ve got an extremely limited window in which to visit or you’re simply out of luck.

That’s how I find myself on a Saturday morning racing from the Village Bay ferry dock to the famed Mayne Island Thrift Store and “Store Next Door.” Open just three hours once a week, it’s totally worth planning a visit to the volunteer-run shop for its crammed aisles of vintage finds, including housewares, clothes, books and puzzles (a musthave for this slow-mo island visit). I pick up a few vintage board games for $1 each and wolf plates so gloriously weird they simply cannot be left behind (and are a steal at $2).

Just across the street, we duck into the Saturday market to browse artisanal gifts and pick up freshly baked cookies on the recommendation of one of the makers. And then one last stop: the Farm Gate Store, where lunch practically assembles itself. We grab veggie sandwiches on house-baked whole-grain bread with organic grilled peppers and Salt Spring Island Romelia cheese, topped with local shoots.

Back at the cabin—in all its cedar and glass and preserved-1960s glory—we settle into what a slow island weekend demands: staring dreamily at the Strait of Georgia, picking away at a 1,000-piece puzzle, and daily trips to the waterfront barrel sauna, pausing only to take reviving cold plunges into the Pacific.

With a population of only around 1,300 year-round residents, Mayne Island offers the kind of magic that is increasingly rare in travel: an experience that has not been smoothed for the benefit of tourists. Considered quiet even in comparison to its Southern Gulf Island neighbours, there’s no pressure to hit everything on a bucket list. Because there isn’t one.

Taking one last beach walk before catching the ferry home after a weekend of relaxing and exploring (there are, if you’re in the mood, quite a few things to do; find them on the facing page), I feel genuinely rested, versus needing another vacation. Chalk it up to that magical island time.

The Mayne Stops

shop

The Saturday market runs May through October in the Agricultural Hall, showcasing unique housewares, pottery, handmade soaps and candles, jewellery and (seriously) exceptional baked goods. 430 Fernhill Rd.

EAT

Give Pizza Chance serves up imaginative ’zas out of a trailer in Miners Bay. Try the Elvis Lives, with smoked ham, pineapple (naturally!), banana peppers and smoky BBQ sauce. It’s open 3 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays. 419 Fernhill Rd.

EXPLORE

With quiet coves, sheltered beaches and uncrowded trails, Mayne is perfect for cycling, kayaking, hiking and bird watching. The 4.7-kilometre Mount Parke Loop is the most popular hike, where you’ll be rewarded at the summit with stunning panoramic views of Active Pass and the surrounding Gulf Islands.

Built in Dinner Bay Park to commemorate the early Japanese settlers who lived on the island and were interned during the Second World War, the Japanese Memorial Garden

is a beautifully manicured stroll adorned with ornamental flowers, trees and ponds.

STAY

Accommodations aren’t plentiful, so book well in advance. Mayne Island Resort (494 Arbutus Dr.) offers rooms, villas and family-friendly cottages (some that are dog-friendly) with unobstructed water views starting at $209. Tent camping is also possible during summer and short-term rentals are available through VRBO and Airbnb.

FARM STANDS

Farm stands, where local purveyors sell everything from fresh-cut flowers to preserves and produce from the end of their driveway, are a mainstay here. Many are unmanned and operate on the honour system, so bring cash. The Briary (639 Horton Bay Rd.) offers gourmet preserves that change seasonally, like rose jelly, strawberry-kiwi jam and garlic scapes infused in white balsamic vinegar. It’s a perfect stop on your way back to the ferry for loading up on extremely charming presents.

Stock up on seasonal organic veggies and local blooms at Hardscrabble Farm (45 Hardscrabble Rd.). At Silver Moon Hollow (509 Fernhill Rd.), it’s an eclectic mix of seasonal plants and planters, spice blends, art cards and hand-knit toques.

DRINK

After a day of exploring, dive into a flight of hand-crafted brews and a cheeky charcuterie board at the outdoor tasting room at Mayne Island Brewing Co. (open Friday through Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.). Set in a wooded lot, the award-winning brewery (which supplies select restaurants in Vancouver and Victoria) produces seasonally crafted batches of ales and lagers. Must-tries include the Mayne Island Forager, a Belgian-style saison and the cocoa-infused Old Mayner brown lager. 490 Fernhill Rd.

GETTING HERE

BC Ferries provides year-round service to Mayne, but reservations are recommended. Seair seaplane flights from Richmond and Vancouver are available to Miners Bay.

Watching for wild

Scenic views, quiet luxury and an ensemble of hospitality pros make the newly renovated Sooke Harbour House a retreat for the senses.

By Kristi Alexandra

“I THINK I JUST SAW A WHALE!” exclaims my mom over the phone from her top-floor balcony.

The funny thing is, we’re both staring at the same patch of ocean—from separate balconies and separate rooms at the same resort—but I’ve yet to see one, as much as I’ve been yearning to spot an orca leaping out of the water.

Two days before, we’d landed at Victoria Harbour via helicopter, where a van picked us up and shuttled us over to a quieter part of the Island: Sooke, home to the legendary (and legendarily revitalized) Sooke Harbour House.

The town is a one-hour drive from downtown Vic, passing through Saanich and Langford. We asked our driver, Levi, if we could make a pit stop for a bottle of wine enroute. He asked us, casually, what we like—I’m partial to a sweet B.C. white and my mom is into a dry but juicy red—as if those notes would determine which liquor store close to Sooke we should stop at. Not so. Levi asked the question because, in addition to being our driver for that day, he is also Sooke Harbour House’s restaurant manager, and he’s got a quick line to the resort’s wine cellar.

Newly re-opened, the spot, now owned by Krystal Growth Partners and Vancouver-based Catalog Hospitality Group—the team behind Fred’s Restaurants, Sechelt Inn and Café Crema—has had a revival. It’s been open for just five months post-reno when I visit, after a nearly five-year closure between 2020 and 2025.

Levi and the hotel’s rooms division manager, Antoine, are both longtime employees of the luxury Pacific coastal resort—they stayed along for the ride when the property underwent a $14-million upgrade under its previous owners and then was sold to Krystal Growth Partners and Catalog.

The 28-room resort is a mansion of sorts, boasting large-format waterfront suites with decks. Winding corridors, butler’s staircases, hidden enclaves and gables that point every which way on the ocean-facing, 33,000 square-foot build remind me of what I think the house in The Secret Garden probably felt like: preserved heritage woodwork, English manor-style stacked storeys.

On the main level, just beyond the front doors, an entertaining room separates two different dining spaces: the casual Garden Café and Bar, where one can snag appies and cocktails in front of a roaring fireplace, and the more elegant Sooke Harbour House Restaurant dining room, with its heritage hardwood floors and 180-degree view of ocean and the Whiffin Spit, where locals and visitors go on nature strolls and walk their dogs. From this particular corner of Sooke, it feels like you’re at the edge of the world—nothing between your spot in the universe and infinite sea and sky.

Each of the palatial-feeling rooms is bespoke in design. The three-storey hotel boasts lofted suites on the top floor, each with their own aesthetic touches (think: stained glass, or polished branches running up the walls to mimic a tree).

Me? I’m staying in the Victor Newman Deluxe Suite on the second floor: a breezy, spacious room designed in collaboration with local Kwakwaka’wakw artist Victor Newman, featuring a double-sided fireplace (fire logs for which you can snag at the front

GETTING HERE

VIA HELIJET

Anyone flying commercial in coach with a toddler will know all too well the specific hell of being a parent in public—but I was relieved when my four-year-old kid was lulled into quiet snores, wedged between me and my own mom as we crossed the Georgia Strait via helicopter, getting an aerial view of Stanley Park and several small, rocky islands on our way to Vancouver Island. The comfort, views and 35-minute trip from shore-to-shore is worth the ticket price (and kids under 13 fly free with the purchase of an accompanying adult ticket). $499 from Vancouver Harbour to Victoria Harbour

Other spots in Sooke to watch for wilderness

Sooke Potholes

Provincial Park

Locals use the millions-ofyears-old cavernous polished rock pools carved into bedrock as swimming holes during summer months, but the park also boasts hiking trails along the Sooke River. Access via Sooke River Rd.

Sooke Harbour Boardwalk at Ed MacGregor Park

Walk a 1,100-foot wooden boardwalk along the Sooke shoreline with woodland walking trails, access to a public pier and oceanfront green space (the last of which is host to many of the town’s local festivals and events). 6761 Sooke Rd.

Sheringham Point Lighthouse

It’s 100 years old, and it can be reached by a short walk from the parking lot or by strolling its 3.4-kilometre trail. 1 Sheringham Point Rd., Shirley

Mount Manuel Quimper

Catch views from this mountain in the Sooke Hills via its summit hikes (coastal panoramas come into sight once you get to the top). Trailhead at Harbourview Rd.

desk) and original carvings, including a carved formline baseboard that wraps the bottom of a mirror set in place beside an oversized inset soaker tub.

That tub, by the way, faces the double sliding doors to the patio, which overlooks the Juan de Fuca Strait (where one could—allegedly—spot orcas playing in the waters).

It’s not lost on me, the quiet luxury of being able to savour a coffee while I look out the window in search of seals and loons. Other times of the year, one might watch for storms with a glass of wine in hand.

But in here, I’m not sure if the luxury comes in gazing outside at the creations of nature, or gazing inside at the creations of humans. You could spend an entire long weekend here and not have to set foot outside the property once—food, wine, scenery, nature, stargazing and local art are all part of the program at Sooke Harbour House.

Upcoming plans for the three-acre property include an outdoor spa, but, for now, the resort—like most things on the Island—remains a remote-ish escape from the city. It feels like a secret I’m in on—especially given that I’ve been allowed a peek at the basement wine cellar, which doubles as a private dining area. B.C. wines (among others) line the stone walls, and I spot a couple of the bottles Levi had handpicked for my mom and me the night before.

We’re here in November, but by summer, I imagine this place will be buzzing with locals and tourists alike, people dining on the outside patios and enjoying sips of wine from their double-wide balconies overlooking the ocean, hoping to spot orcas playfully jumping across the edge of the world.

For now, I’ll just enjoy the quiet beauty of this place.

THE COASTAL

“PALETTE” CLEANSE

Mushroom foraging, a region-spanning studio crawl and a harbour-view spa stay turn the Sunshine Coast into a weekend that scrubs the city life right out of your system.

By Kerri Donaldson

hydro reset

BY THE TIME I’M TWO CIDERS DEEP

at a picnic table in an apple orchard that looks suspiciously like a Mumford and Sons music video, trying to keep blue cheese from sliding off my pizza while a bluegrass band covers Taylor Swift and a flock of sheep stares from next door, it hits me: this so-called “art crawl” on the Sunshine Coast has quietly turned into a full reset.

Most people come here for the scenery. The Sunshine Coast stretches roughly 180 kilometres from Howe Sound to Desolation Sound, a boat- or plane-access strip of mainland with island energy: rainforest, sculpted shoreline, mountains at every angle. It sits on the traditional territories of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, shíshálh, Tla’amin, Klahoose and Homalco Nations, whose histories shape the land you are here to hike, paddle and, as I learn, studio-hop through. The nature is a given. What this weekend reveals is the other thing the Sunshine Coast has in wild abundance: artists. The more art studios I step into, the more I start quietly auditioning myself for a different kind of life.

FOREST CRAWL: MUSHROOMS AND A QUIETER BRAIN

The trip starts in the car lineup at Horseshoe Bay. Forty minutes later the city skyline is gone and Howe Sound has taken over: green islands, low cloud and the occasional seal-shaped piece of driftwood that is never, tragically, a seal-shaped seal.

The town of Gibsons is the Sunshine Coast’s unofficial front door, a steep town pouring down to a harbour lined with cafés, taprooms, galleries and the yellow facade of Molly’s Reach (a treat for anyone, including my mother, who remembers the 1970s and ’80s CBC drama series The Beachcombers)

My first mission: meet a man named Shaggy Jack in the woods. Métis forager Jody “Shaggy Jack” Franklin teaches people how to safely identify and harvest wild mushrooms, working from knowledge passed down from his father rather than vague “forest vibes.” With a floor-dusting dreadlock and full forest-gnome beard, he looks exactly like central casting’s idea of a mushroom guide.

Soon I am in a coniferous forest near Roberts Creek, walking slower than I ever do in the city, eyes glued to moss and salal. I call out maybe-chanterelles while Shaggy Jack talks habitat, etiquette and why he shares his knowledge instead of guarding “secret spots” the way some foragers do. Turns out there are politics in mushroom hunting.

When we finally spot a lobster mushroom, it’s like finding a last-minute BC Ferries reservation on a long weekend—a small miracle. I’m not sure if the rush is from the find or from spending hours focused on one square metre of forest floor instead of my inbox. Either way, I leave with a sizeable bag of fungi, dirt under my nails and a brain that feels noticeably quieter. For the first time in a long time, my day has nothing to do with deadlines and everything to do with the forest deciding whether or not to share.

That night I carry on past Sechelt and Halfmoon Bay to Painted Boat Resort Spa and Marina in Madeira Park, where villas step down toward a quiet marina framed by Douglas fir and arbutus. Inside, there is a full kitchen, gas fireplace, deep tub and a balcony over the harbour. Somewhere in the dark, coyotes yip and someone barbecues salmon on a neighbouring deck.

Is this my life now? With a glass of red on the balcony, I start plotting a coastal career pivot, ceramics maybe, despite never having touched a wheel. It’s the classic city fantasy: cash out of the nine-to-five, move to a small town, make beautiful things. The coastal air is intoxicating enough that it feels almost reasonable.

Dinner is at the Lagoon Restaurant on the dock, where the menu leans West Coast comfort. Pan-seared lingcod with risotto and grilled asparagus lives up to the front-desk’s must-try hype at check-in, and a pound of mussels in curry broth with fries is exactly the kind of “I have earned this” order that pairs with a day of forest bathing and low-stakes life planning.

STUDIO CRAWL: SHEDS, KILNS AND PURPLE BANNERS

Every October, the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl turns the shoreline into one long, three-day open studio. More than 180 venues from Langdale to Earls Cove and Egmont open their doors for a self-guided tour that feels part gallery hop, part sanctioned snooping through people’s very charming sheds.

Map downloaded from the Coast Cultural Alliance, I start in Sechelt and head north: potters in Halfmoon Bay, painters in Roberts Creek, carvers and printmakers down side roads. There is no fixed route, just clusters of studios strung along Highway 101, each one a little window into how someone traded a commute for a kiln or an easel. With every driveway I turn down, the fantasy in my head gets more specific: what if I wrote in the mornings, threw mugs in the afternoons and only opened my laptop to post studio hours?

creative coast

APPLE A DAY

In Gibsons Landing, artist Coralie Swaney welcomes visitors into her basement-level Smiling Seagull Studio, where acrylic and polymer-clay pieces mix vintage dishware, art history and her childhood pet sheep into scenes that land somewhere between storybook and fever dream. Elsewhere there are fibre artists, sculptors, photographers, Indigenous carvers and mixed-media experimenters; the Coast Cultural Alliance directory lists dozens of Purple Banner studios and galleries from Langdale and Gibsons to Powell River and Lund.

The Sunshine Coast has one of the highest per-capita populations of artists and crafters in Canada, and it shows. The Crawl feels less like a pop-up and more like a reveal of an ecosystem that was already humming along, studios tucked behind cedar hedges and down gravel driveways, work inseparable from the place it is made. The same group runs the Purple Banner Tour year-round, with each participating studio marked by a tall purple flag.

Between clusters, snack breaks are built in: farmers market lunches in Sechelt, espresso and “for later” pastries at the general store in Halfmoon Bay, then pints and deep-fried pickles on Tapworks Brewing Company’s rooftop patio in Gibsons, harbour view and DJ optional. Is this tourism, or is it a weekend of trying on other people’s lives for size?

To keep the weekend firmly in retreat territory, I spend my last morning in Painted Boat’s Spa Serenity Garden. Tucked behind fencing and trees, the outdoor hydrotherapy loop is part Scandinavian spa, part secret forest pool: hot pool with a waterfall, warm salt-water float pool, sauna, glacial rain shower and a fireside nook for herbal tea. Two hours of rotating between hot and cold and my laptop neck finally gives up. For a brief moment, the only timeline I care about is how long I can stretch this out before returning to a desk.

ORCHARD CRAWL: CIDER FLIGHTS AND FERRY CALLS

On the drive south I make one last artful detour at the Bricker Cider Company in Sechelt, a family-run cidery on a three-acre orchard. Flights of core and seasonal ciders arrive with thin-crust pizza and build-your-own charcuterie from on-site kitchen The Shed. Kids run laps, dogs flop under benches, a bluegrass band tunes up under string lights. This is the picnic-table, pizza-balancing, sheep-next-door moment; Mumford-core in the best possible way and the final nudge in the “what if I just stayed” daydream.

FERRY-DAY GIBSONS HIT LIST

The BC Ferries Langdale terminal is about a 10-minute drive from Gibsons, so, yes, you can sneak in one last lap.

Got 60 to 90 minutes?

Starlet Vintage

Curated vintage and at least one “this is either iconic or a cry for help” dress. 459 Marine Dr.

Reasons to Live Books and Records VHS, vinyl, books and T-shirts that will emotionally blackmail you into buying them. 104–272 Molly’s Ln.

Got 30 to 60 minutes?

Lunitas Mexican Eatery Waterfront tacos and a salt-rimmed margarita, a.k.a. the pre-ferry reset. 645 School Rd.

Got 15 to 30 minutes?

Pick one stop. Set an alarm for “leave for Langdale.” Do not become a ferry-line sprinter.

No Buoys in Sight

I go solo to the Maritime Museum looking for romance. Instead I get rosé and a troubling glimpse into the minds of perverted sailors. by Kerri Donaldson

The night before Valentine’s Day, I do something bold and deeply un-Vancouver: I show up on time and alone.

Tickets to the Museum Mate MeetCute at the Maritime Museum, organized by What the Frock Productions, are $35 each, and it’s sold out, which either means Vancouver is ready for love, or we all just want to be in a museum after hours like classy little raccoons (or Ben Stiller). The promise: wine and cider, trivia, crafts, drag and a private tour featuring “graphic, R-rated artifacts.” Translation: a singles event with plausible deniability. If you don’t meet anyone, you went for culture. If you do meet someone, you bonded over your pursuit of the arts. Either way, you sound hot and literate.

Check-in is easy. No name tags, bless, because nothing kills desire like “HELLO MY NAME IS KERRI” in Arial Bold. Inside, the room looks like a nautical Valentine’s Day party. Purple up-lights. Pink balloons. Chairs in a big circle, like a beginners’ improv class or a group therapy session (with the same amount of nervous, polite energy). A long table at the front, draped in shiny pink metallic cloth and dressed with rope and little relics like we’re about to summon love in a maritimey-themed séance.

Most people arrive in pairs or trios of women, though there are a few lone wolves like me. Everyone is shy but willing—Vancouver’s dating scene summed up in one sentence. I grab a local rosé at the bar and commit to it for the night. It’s steady, supportive and never once asks what I do for work. A perfect date. Which is good because there are only two men here, both clearly intimidated by the overabundance of women and looking like

they’d rather walk the plank than strike up a conversation. Early on, I meet the hosts: Phyllis Hull, drag queen and our maître d’ for the evening, and museum curator Ermen Dellicarpini. If I’m going to fall in love with anyone, it’s Ermen. She’s funny, warm and so knowledgeable I briefly consider becoming the kind of person who reads plaques for pleasure. I’m not sure how she feels about me, though, after I ruin the night’s big surprise finale five minutes into our conversation: spotting the museum’s full-sized ship, the St. Roch, I joke, “We’re obviously doing Titanic pics on the boat, right?” Her face falls. It turns out I am right, and the grand reveal of the exclusive opportunity to do an “I’m the king of the world!” photoshoot is deflated. Is this why I’m single? I slink away instead of unpacking that. This is a museum, not therapy, after all (despite what the chairs may have you believe).

Thankfully, I don’t have to put my foot in my mouth again, since safe, non-surprise-ruining conversation starters are provided via prompt cards and a quick icebreaker. I’m not the only one who appreciates the crutch. Vancouverites are friendly but allergic to initiating: we need structure to thrive. Remove it and we find ourselves ducking into the bathroom on repeat to recover from the mental gymnastics of saying, “So... how do you know the museum?” We don’t need to be too entertaining, though, because there’s already a lot happening “centre stage” (the floor in the middle of our chair circle). The gals and I gather ’round for a drag performance, a violin set by Zella Bones and, later, surprise burlesque (also Zella Bones). The crowd watches with that polite, faraway smile that says, “I support this,” and also, “When do we get to the boat stuff?” Then comes the tipping point, literally. Nobody brought cash (myself included, amateur hour), so we all sit there looking even more haunted than the wartime-era boat ghosts who are no doubt roaming the museum (and gift shop).

Luckily, one woman had just returned from England and heroically produces a crisp £20, basically tipping on behalf of the entire room as we all apologize silently to Zella and Phyllis with our eyes.

After the show, we briefly orphan our drinks and take a museum tour, complete with trivia and prizes (tickets to other museums) handed out with full Oprah energy. Then, we reunite with our bevys and the chair circle—this time, the long table takes centre stage, serving up the promised “graphic, R-rated artifacts.” Everyone crowds around the table, taking photos and whispering like we’re at a symposium titled “Horny Maritime History: An Inquiry.”

Ermen lays out a selection of sperm whale teeth, each of which has been engraved by long-ago seamen who were as artistically talented as they were perverted. One piece, entitled “The Bicycle,” stops the room cold. Because what’s carved into this tooth isn’t really a bike so much as it is a giant penis. I’ll let you guess what the wheels are in this contraption. A Victorian woman is riding it with calm determination, like she’s late for work. We all agree that the line-work is meticulous.

The tooth pornography collection may have sent the room’s phallus tally through the roof, but by that point, the only penises left are archival. The two men have already bailed. Now I am essentially at an extremely dweeby bachelorette party (and having a great time, to be clear). I don’t really blame the boys for jumping ship. Between the drag, rosé and nonstop playlist of Sabrina Carpenter, the vibe skews heavily Galentine’s. Yes, this makes the night feel warmer and less like a meat market, but the only thing most of us will take home is a sailor ornament from the craft corner.

And so, the night ends without the chance to say “ahoy matey” to a cabin boy and sail off into the sunset. But I’m not ready to go down with this ship. Because, boat puns aside, this is the only way love happens: you show up, you talk to strangers. Sometimes it’s a graceful dive. Sometimes it’s a full belly flop. Either way, hope floats— you just have to be willing to swallow a bit of water first.

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