A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

May the Prettiest Restaurant in Kitsilano Rest in Peace

The ever-evolving Restaurant Graveyard series looks back at the countless, long-shuttered establishments that helped to propel Vancouver’s food and drink forward. Full A-Z with maps and photos here. May they never be forgotten!

Opened in the winter of 2016, Mak N Ming was a sophisticated 28-seat restaurant located just up from the beach on Kitsilano’s Yew Street slope. The name was a play on the names of the operating owners, chefs Makoto Ono and Amanda Cheng. Their cuisine – a refined amalgam of Japanese and Modern European (mostly French) culinary techniques and seasonal West Coast ingredients – was confidently expressed in multi-course, wine-paired tasting menus. Designed by Scott & Scott (see also Torafuku, Kin Kao), the dining room was small, sleek and wood-panelled — an intimate space that subtly elevated guest expectations. (With no bar and the two-person kitchen tucked away out of sight, it was perfectly suited for the restaurant’s heartfelt ‘omotenashi’ approach to service.) Mak N Ming received glowing reviews in both the Vancouver Sun and the Globe & Mail, and was deemed Canada’s 4th best new restaurant by enRoute magazine in 2017. It closed in the summer of 2021, its owners stating a desire to move on to something new and on a larger scale.

  • MakNMing_images_59 (unnamed work in progress)
  • Mak N Ming
  • MakMing_images_55 (hibiscus pear pavlova (poached pears, meringue, ginger pastry cream))
  • MakMing_images_48 (pork chop, black truffle, cauliflower (sous-vide pork, cauliflower puree, cauliflower rice))
  • MakMing_images_46 (mushroom chawanmushi (seasonal mushrooms in mushroom stock_dashi custard with fried enoki, micro red shiso))
  • MakMing_images_29 (breads (sweet roll and nori bun))
  • MakMing_images_26 (kombu cured snapper, tofu sauce (kombu cured snapper on tofu_miso sauce, fresh mizuna, crispy fish scales))
  • MakMing_images_25 (table setting_first course (snapper)
  • MakMing_images_10 (table setting_chair)

Mak N Ming
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
1629 Yew St.
(Closed)
604-737-1155

On Liquor, Licensing and Loopholes, with Keenan Hood of The Keefer

We catch up with The Keefer Bar’s General Manager, Keenan Hood, for a recap on the closing of the Keefer Yard, and the successes of the past couple of years…

The Cozy Prairie Themed Bar Tucked Away on Cordova Street

This cozy, unpretentious Saskatchewan-themed Gastown tavern was a beer- and bourbon-lovers' living room, with a food menu that could have been featured entirely in Scout's 'Comfort Food Guide to Vancouver'.

The Slick, Pacific Rim-Inspired Restaurant Was a Yaletown Fixture for Five Years

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen was a professionally-run, West Coast meets Asian restaurant owned by the legendary Bud Kanke.

Remembering the West End’s Charming Ligurian Restaurant and Its Stunning Patio

The 110-seat restaurant and bar specialized in the regional cuisine of Liguria, with seafood dishes figuring highly.