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.