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Vancouver’s Best Restaurants, Ranked

A fresh panel of local industry pros created this list of essential restaurants for Summer, 2018. Rank them with your picks!
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Vancouver’s Best Restaurants, Ranked

The Scout 25 is what you should feel confident giving to anyone who asks “Where should I eat in Vancouver?” It’s our list of the city’s best and most essential restaurants. It’s decided four times a year by a panel of restaurant industry veterans and food experts, and then ranked in a poll that allows each reader to pick their top three restaurants. No bullshit. No politics. Just reliable deliciousness.

PICK YOUR THREE FAVOURITES

View Results

THE SCOUT 25 | SUMMER, 2018

  • Acorn
    Acorn
  • Ancora
    Ancora
  • Anh and Chi
    Anh and Chi
  • AnnaLena
    AnnaLena
  • Ask For Luigi
    Ask For Luigi
  • Bao Bei
    Bao Bei
  • Burdock & Co.
    Burdock & Co.
  • Chambar
    Chambar
  • Cinara
    Cinara
  • Cioppino's
    Cioppino's
  • Hawksworth
    Hawksworth
  • Kissa Tanto
    Kissa Tanto
  • L'Abattoir
    L'Abattoir
  • La Quercia
    La Quercia
  • Mackenzie Room
    Mackenzie Room
  • Maenam
    Maenam
  • Mak N Ming
    Mak N Ming
  • Nightingale
    Nightingale
  • Osteria Savio Volpe
    Osteria Savio Volpe
  • Phnom Penh
    Phnom Penh
  • Pidgin
    Pidgin
  • St. Lawrence
    St. Lawrence
  • Torafuku
    Torafuku
  • Vij’s
    Vij’s
  • Wildebeest
    Wildebeest

– in alphabetical order –

Acorn
3995 Main St.

Vancouver’s vegetarians are fortunate to have this innovative, conscientious, good-looking eatery on their side, and so are those who are red in tooth and claw. The cooking is so interesting and the results so palatable that the fact that there is no meat on the menu is inconsequential. The kitchen – home to innovative and highly imaginative chef Brian Luptak – is in lockstep with the local seasons, as is the idiosyncratic cocktail program. Tables are hard to come by, but the service is mercifully swift. If you can’t get in right away, cool your jets at sister restaurant The Arbor next door.

Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio
1600 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC

An exciting and especially good looking Japanese/Peruvian fine dining restaurant from the same group that gave us Cibo, Uva, and the Beach Bay Cafe. Executive Chef Ricardo Valverde and Sushi Chef Yoshihiro Tabo collaborate in the most delicious ways, dreaming up stacked platters of sustainable sashimi and ceviche that relish in the bounty of our shores. Though the interior is breathtakingly attractive, the seawall patio steals the show.

Anh and Chi
3388 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

An innovative, always interesting and very cocktail-capable Vietnamese restaurant with refined design and service sensibilities in an oddly-shaped address on Main Street (pictured at top). Favourites include black mushroom and jicama spring rolls, crispy fried chicken wings, comforting noodle soups, lemongrass chicken and savoury crepes. Secret weapon: sidewalk patio.

AnnaLena
1809 West 1st Ave.

Owner/chef Michael Robbins has become a real – if undersung – star in BC’s culinary firmament. Here, with the confidence and patience of an established artist and the skillset of a forward-thinking chef twice his age, he has carved out a niche that lets him – together with second-in-command Erin Searle – interpret modern Canadian cuisine as they see fit. The results are invariably as nice to look at as they are a pleasure to consume. Bright and breezy room with garage door frontage and playful motifs throughout.

Ask For Luigi
305 Alexander St.

A small, simple, charming, home run hitting Italian joint from chef JC Poirier, whose fine dining skills are expertly cloaked by uncomplicated cooking. The restaurant’s Rockwellian, eastern seaboard aesthetic comes across loud and clear in the tight seating, black and white chessboard flooring and wooden wall panels, but its made modern by plenty of natural light and modish service staff. Best table in the house: #14.

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie
163 Keefer St.

A smash hit from its first service back in 2009, this self-styled “Chinese Brasserie” has since kept its cool with consistently imaginative (and invariably tasty) French-inflected Shanghainese cooking from chef Joël Watanabe and an atmosphere that has yet to shed a single glint of its cozy, transportive patina. Menu changes are cause for mourning (and then celebration). Nightly line-ups best endured with a cocktail.

Burdock & Co
2702 Main St.

Former Bishop’s executive chef Andrea Carlson’s modern, affordable, and attractive expressions of BC ingredients. The small and minimalist (but nevertheless comfortable) dining room seats a nightly cross-section of neighbourhood locals and visiting gourmands. Vegan and vegetarian dishes tempt amidst the meatier options. Only “naturalist” (organic, biodynamic) wines crack the short but exemplary list.

Chambar
568 Beatty St.

The casual, cool, perennially stylish Belgian-Moroccan hybrid expanded last year by moving two doors south, multiplying its seating capacity, and adding sumptuous breakfast and lunch options to its CV. From perfect waffles dipped in lavender chocolate to Mussels “Congolaise”, the kitchen earns most of its praise by sidestepping tradition with excellent results. Superb cocktail and wine programs. Best table in the house: #60.

Cinara
350 West Pender (Closed)

The cooking at co-owner/co-chef Lucais Syme’s small, intimate restaurant is Northern Italian in heart and soul, but he and partner Gillan Book allow for pan-European flavours and traditions to occasionally take starring roles. The small dining room is calm and capable. The mostly Italian wine list is amplified by a short selection of original cocktails worth trying. Without a doubt one of the most mature, reliable eateries in the city.

Cioppino's Yaletown
1133 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC

VPN-certified pizzerias and cool trattorias might abound today, but there wasn’t much in the way of “mentionable” Italian in Vancouver a decade ago (see also CinCin, Il Giardino). Chef Pino Posteraro’s legendary Yaletown icon has held the milieu’s fort down in this city down for over 15 years. Today, the sprawling celebrity-magnet dishes outstanding food that almost always shines above the rest. It’s expensive, but it’s worth every cent.

Hawksworth Restaurant
801 West Georgia St.

David Hawksworth’s eponymous, Munge & Leung-designed restaurant on the ground floor of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia raised the bar for hotel eateries in Vancouver by attracting a discerning, well-heeled, and largely local clientele out of the gate. The dining room is chameleonic — it can feel both casual and formal, depending on the crowd. Lively lounge. Deep wine list. Superlative cocktails. Excellent service. Best of all? Ambition, and lots of it.

Kissa Tanto
263 East Pender St.

Named 2016’s best new restaurant in Canada by enRoute Magazine, this gorgeous, jazz-inspired Italian/Japanese hybrid is the follow-up to Chinatown’s popular Bao Bei (and is very much its equal when it comes to food, cocktails, service and atmosphere). Fills up nightly with bar stools welcoming walk-ins. Arguably the most creative menus in Vancouver — there is bona fide genius in the pastas! Best table in the house: #43.

L'Abattoir
2178 Carrall St.

A reliable, modern, stylish, formality-free den of French-inspired West Coast fine dining in the heart of casual Gastown. Exacting co-owner/chef Lee Cooper’s knack for artful presentations often inspires diners to clog Instagram with their unequal renderings. Home to an always interesting list of wines and some of the best cocktails in town. Weekend brunches kick ass. Best table in the house: #11.

La Quercia
3689 West 4th Ave.

Far from the madding crowds of downtown, the West Side gem is worthy of the trek and the reservation (which you’ll most definitely need). Chef/owner Adam Pegg has a savant-like affinity for the cuisines of Northern Italy, so dishes here often have an ethereal, dream-like quality to them, especially in fall and winter. Tip: Pegg’s casual walk-in spot L’Ufficio is right next door (different room, same kitchen and chef). Best table in the house: #1 or #6.

The Mackenzie Room
415 Powell St.

A small, artful, seasonally-minded restaurant with a breezy chalkboard menu and a bar program built to be explored. Though newly imported from Toronto, confident co-owner/chef Sean Reeve was a quick study with BC ingredients, and it shows brightly on the plate. Order a la carte or explore a distillate of the entire menu. Off the beaten path address (facing Oppenheimer Park) doesn’t keep it from filling up, so book ahead.

Maenam
1938 W. 4th Ave.

Owner/chef Angus An’s modern, sophisticated takes on the cuisine of Thailand is one of the best things to happen to Vancouver’s culinary scene in the past 25 years. Dinner is always an impactful affair, with each dish – from the ling cod decked in a multitude of spices to the selection of aromatic curries – lingering like bold statements. Shockingly affordable tasting menus and uncommon wine pairing opportunities.

Mak N Ming
1629 Yew St. (Closed)

Sitting pretty on the Yew St. slope in the heart of Kitsilano, chefs Makoto Ono and Amanda Cheng have shown through hard work, perseverance, and plenty of critical acclaim that quiet and cool fine dining with style still has a pulse on Vancouver’s West Side. Given the quality of the ingredients, the imagination that goes into the French/Japanese plates and their respective deliciousnesses, both their $54 and $78 tasting menus are wicked worth it.

Nightingale
1021 West Hastings St.

Stylish, sophisticated and well served by a veritable army of well trained staff, chef David Hawksworth’s voluminous second restaurant is a welcome addition to the city’s Financial District. The more casual first floor bar and lounge (with double height ceilings) caters to a largely corporate crowd while the second storey is more intimate (albeit with the action of an open kitchen). Mediterranean theme leans heavy on Italy, with delicious results. Best table in the house: #702.

Osteria Savio Volpe
615 Kingsway

This casual, sexy, Italian-themed restaurant is designer Craig Stanghetta’s first-ever foray into ownership. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s the best-looking looking eatery to open on the East Side in many years. Chef/co-owner Mark Perrier’s constantly changing menus are designed with sharing in mind. Aim for any of the pastas (made in house daily) or the large format steaks. The all-Italian wine list is short but adventurous. Bonus: excellent soundtrack. Best table in the house: #99.

Phnom Penh
244 E Georgia St.

No restaurant typifies Vancouver’s melting pot more deliciously than Phnom Penh, the Cambodian-Vietnamese-Chinese family institution in Chinatown with the perennial line-up. The wait is worth it, with lemon-garlic fried chicken wings, green onion oyster pancakes, Chinese sausage fried rice, and butter beef being the chief rewards. A bland interior design gives the flavours extra pop.

PiDGiN
350 Carrall St.

A hugely creative and endlessly interesting fixture on the Downtown Eastside spinning predominately Japanese flavours with local and European accents. New Executive Chef Wesley Young is just making his mark with a new menu for Fall, but you can expect dishes to be elegant without being precious, pairing as appropriately with the tapped sake and soju as they do with Craig Stanghetta’s striking design. Best table in the house: #70.

St. Lawrence
269 Powell St.

This newcomer from the Kitchen Table Group (see also diBeppe, Ask For Luigi, Pourhouse, Joe Pizza, Pizzeria Farina) arrived in Railtown this past summer to critical acclaim. Co-owner/chef JC Poirier serves up highly personal, borderline delicate love letters to staples from his home province of Quebec (think hearty tourtiere, terrines, etc.). The room is transportive and gorgeous, but tricky to find a seat in. Book well in advance or cross your fingers.

Torafuku
958 Main St.

This loud, sleek, pan-Asian fun-fest has got serious game on both the food and cocktail fronts. The irreverent willingness of the kitchen to take risks sets Torafuku (“Lucky Tiger”) apart, but while co-owner chef Clement Chan and his crew indulge in experimentation, taste is the ultimate arbiter of what makes it onto the menu. Ideal avenue of attack is to arrive with several friends who are willing to share.

Vij's Restaurant
3106 Cambie St.

New location already firing on all cylinders. Possibly the best known and most universally respected restaurant in Vancouver, Vij’s is as famed for its innovative twists on traditional Indian fare as it is for its nightly line-ups and no reservations policy. Requires several visits to get to know, and we envy anyone who gets to try it for the first time. Try the wine marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek cream and saag paneer. Inspired wine list.

Wildebeest
120 West Hastings St. (Closed)

This informal, good-looking, good-times charmer with high standards does it all, from roasted bone marrow, chicken gravy poutine, and bison carpaccio to pappardelle in smoked quail ragu and addictive smoked castelvetrano olives. Good soundtrack serenades the professional service. Near the top of the standings in the brunch big leagues. Getting better with age. Bar program second to none. Best table in the house: #41.

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HONOURABLE MENTIONS

(Multiple votes) Au Comptoir, Bishop’s, Bistro Wagon Rouge, Blue Water Cafe, Boulevard, Cacao, Cafe Medina, Campagnolo, Cibo, CinCin, Espana, Fable, Fayuca, Gotham, Homer St. Cafe, Hy’s Steakhouse, Kirin, La Mezcaleria, Le Crocodile, Masayoshi, Minami, Miku, Nicli Antica Pizzeria, Nook, Royal Dinette, Sun Sui Wah, Tableau, Tacofino, West.

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ABOUT THE SCOUT 25

The Scout 25 was inspired by the website Eater, which offers widely respected lists that detail the top 38 restaurants in every city it operates in. The “Eater 38” is an invaluable tool for food-loving travellers wary of online review sites. When the website closed its Vancouver outlet in 2014, we decided to develop our own version.

The Scout 25 is, of course, very different. Our list is developed in consultation with over a dozen people of prominence working in the restaurant industry – the idea being that no one is a better judge of restaurants than the people who toil in them.

The list of restaurants and the group that decides it changes four times a year, on the first day of each season. How much it changes, of course, is up to the panelists. For the Summer 2018 edition only four restaurants changed; twenty-one remained the same. The panel included one winemaker, one restaurateur, one brewery tasting room manager, two executive chefs, one sous chef, three servers, one sommelier, one general manager, one bartender, and two citizen gourmands.

Only establishments that have been open for more than 6 months are considered.


THE AUTUMN SCOUT 25 ARRIVES ON SEPT. 22, 2018

There are 10 comments

  1. I know it may be a little old school, but no mention of Joe Fortes ? I always visit there when in town . Had an amazing lunch on a Hawaii layover last time .

  2. Still surprised not to see Botanist anywhere on the list. It’s the best new restaurant, along with St. Lawrence and Mak N Ming.

    Masayoshi, which has won lots of awards already, is terribly underrated too.
    Same with Blue Water Cafe.

    Mission – rest in peace!!

    So it was Bauhaus, The Farmer’s Apprentice, Mission and West out …
    And Ancora, Cioppino’s, Anh and Chi, and The Mackenzie Room in?

    Thanks!! Love your site and the top 25.

  3. Why is this called Vancouver’s Best Restaurants, Ranked when they are in fact not ranked?

    The list is good, but I think there is a conspicuous void in Chinese restaurants on this list, especially since we are widely considered to have the best Chinese restaurants in the world outside of Asia. Dynasty, for example, seems like a glaring omission considering what they’ve been able to do in recent years.

  4. Hi Jason. Thanks for commenting.

    The 25 restaurants are ranked by our readers, who are given three picks of 25 choices in the poll at the top of the feature. I’m sorry you missed that. Please don’t forget to vote!

    Regarding the “glaring omission” of Chinese restaurants, I 100% agree. It is a “conspicuous void”. I can only account for the restaurants chosen by our panel(s); the only criteria being that the restaurants must be in Vancouver (ie. not Richmond, Burnaby, etc.) and open for at least six months. Some Chinese restaurants – eg. Sun Sui Wah, Dynasty Seafood, Kirin – have made the “Honourable Mention” cut, but never the main list. Except the French-Shanghainese hybrid of Bao Bei, which has been on every single list since we started the Scout 25 a few years ago (and always ranked in the top 10).

    If you work in some capacity in the restaurant industry, perhaps you would consider being on a future panel? If so, please let me know!

  5. There is a few good restaurants forgotten all the time that in my opinion are among the most consistent and well executed food and service in vancouver, such as Il Giardino, Lupo, Le Crocodile to mention a few.
    Longevity doesn’t mean boring and outdated!!

  6. Stem Restaurant at Royal Oak and Rumble in Burnaby. Close to Skytrain.
    Fantastic Japanese food.
    Killer wine list.

  7. Yo For real, there’s a spot off Hastings on Main that sells fried chicken by the piece at $2 bucks for the whole leg and thigh, @$1.50 for the wing with the weird end cartilage that I would say would contest as an off piece delicacy… that place is dope. cash only. Def’s honourable mention. Plz and Thankz.

  8. Would love to see restaurants that aren’t on food scenesters’ radar, like the truly stellar Yuma, or Delhi 6, which is on par with Vij’s but with plush booths and no lineups.

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