Vancouver’s 7 most critically acclaimed restaurants

by Catherine Dunwoody

Vancouver’s ever-changing dining scene offers a deliciously diverse mix of long-standing establishments and trendy newcomers. Craig Stanghetta, the award-winning restaurant designer behind Savio Valope and Bao Bei, explains: “It’s a competing mix of stalwarts, icons and the vanguard. I have no idea where it's really going to go, but I think this mix in such close proximity – and in a market of this scale – makes everyone better. The cutting-edge needs to compete with the tried-and-true, while the keepers of the kingdom can't rest on their laurels for fear of being usurped. It's the Wild West!”

Celebrated by some of the best publications and critics at home and abroad, these seven buzz-worthy restaurants in Vancouver earn their esteemed reputations by delivering outstanding dishes and exceptional service. [Image courtesy of Savio Volpe. Photo Credit: Tristin Leffler]

Consistently rated the city’s top French restaurant by Vancouver Magazine, the Zagat guide and many other acclaimed publications, Le Crocodile sets a high standard when it comes to fine dining. Chef and owner Michel Jacob’s quiet downtown restaurant is indeed a city-loved institution. The elegant eatery has been in business for more than 30 years; some of the staff have been there since day one, and generations of families visit repeatedly to enjoy special celebratory dinners. Many a business deal has been made over lunch in the formal dining room too. The menu showcases classic French cuisine – such as lobster Thermidor, duck confit, and Provencal style lamb shank - and an impressive Old World wine list wows the likes of celebrities such as Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, as well as us mere mortals of course.

Chef David Hawksworth’s namesake restaurant at the esteemed Rosewood Hotel Georgia illustrates modern fine dining at its best. You won’t find any white-gloved snobbery here. Rather, the glamorous-chic atmosphere is paired with warm and professional service. The five-time winner of Best Upscale Restaurant at Vancouver Magazine’s annual Restaurant Awards, the restaurant delivers contemporary West Coast cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner highlights include pan-roasted sablefish, brown butter crusted lamb loin and wild salmon with lobster agnolotti. Can’t get a reservation? Enjoy a meal in the adjoining bar, and definitely paired with a swishy cocktail or a glass of vino from the world-class wine list.

What happens when you merge classic Italian cooking with Japanese culinary traditions? Discover for yourself at Kissa Tanto, a new Chinatown hotspot that recently earned the coveted number one spot on enRoute Magazine’s list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2016. Industry and media buzz has been going strong about the innovative menu and equally impressive dining room décor, with its pink banquettes and oh-so-chic Tokyo jazz club vibe. Chef Joël Watanabe (of Bao Bei fame) is the talent in this kitchen – so you know you’re in very good hands.

What award hasn’t this talented Japanese chef and restaurateur won? Celebrated chef Hidekazu Tojo opened his first Vancouver restaurant back in 1988, later moving to a much larger space down the street in 2007. Tojo’s has been applauded on NBC’s Today Show, the Wall Street Journal, Vancouver Magazine and was inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2006. Japanese fare – sashimi, sushi, nigiri, tempura and more – is expertly prepared with high quality ingredients. When you want to experience elevated sushi of the mind-blowing variety, this is the place.

A relative newcomer on the Vancouver dining scene, this modern Italian eatery in Mount Pleasant opened in 2016 and earned a place on enRoute Magazine’s legendary list of Best New Restaurants in Canada that same year. The talented team of designer Craig Stanghetta, Paul Grunberg (formerly of L’Abattoir), and chef Mark Perrier have come up with a very good thing indeed. Locals and visitors have been been salivating over the rustic pasta dishes since the day it opened, and you can actually make a reservation (which is a bonus in a town known for its long line ups). Start your night with an Aperol Spritz or Negroni (available on tap) and then nosh on handmade pasta, bagna cauda, and anything from the wood fire oven.

Everyone knows that juniper berries are a key ingredient in the world’s best gins. So if you fancy a tipple, this Chinatown eatery is the place for an exceptional gin-based cocktail). The drink list – which features seven different variants on the classic gin and tonic – was originally curated by award-winning Vancouver bartender Shaun Layton, and the baton has now been passed to talented mixologist Max Borrowman (previously of Torafuku). Chef Sarah Stewart does up an impressive, Cascadian-inspired menu of sharing plates, plus the most delicious and inventive charcuterie boards – try the seafood-based one for a real treat. Reservations are encouraged and Happy Hour runs daily from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.

Railtown’s shining star is famous for its rustic pasta dishes and a strict no-reservations policy. Since winning Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year Award in 2015, the line-ups at Ask for Luigi have eased up slightly and getting a table isn’t so impossible (especially during the not-quite-as-busy lunch service). The intimate dining room feels as if you’re eating at Nonna’s place, and the kitchen delivers some of the most authentic handmade pasta (even some gluten free) in the city. From braised boar ragu to chestnut and mascarpone ravioli, all of the pastas and antipasti plates are served family-style, which feels just right given the restaurant’s communal atmosphere. Wine and prosecco are available on tap, and in keeping with true Italian aperitivo culture, you’ll want to linger into the night.

Whether you’re looking for innovative fusion dishes, family-style comfort foods or elegant French cuisine, there’s an award-winning restaurant to suit every palate on this list. Bon appétit!