“It was so hard to narrow down places for this list—I could have chosen 80!” says Korean-born, Vancouver-based Alex Kim, chef and culinary director for Five Sails and Glowbal Restaurant Group. He’s also the crowned winner of the 2025 Canadian Culinary Championship, which took place earlier this year in Ottawa (more about that here), and the kind of person who brings dozens of really good donuts over to a friend’s house for a hang—our kinda guy.
Tableau Bar Bistro
1181 Melville St.
Three must-haves here for Kim? Classic French onion soup, the burger and sweetbreads. “There aren’t many places in the city that serve sweetbreads—here they pan-sear them and serve it with pommes puree and a demi glace.” As for the soup, last year Kim spent 2.5 months eating his way around Europe with his wife. Two of those weeks were spent in Paris eating a lot of caramelized onion broth. “My wife ordered French onion soup nine different times.”
Nook
195 W. 2nd Ave.
For Italian comfort food with a dog-friendly patio and top-notch service, Kim heads straight to Nook Olympic Village. “Our dog—half-maltese, half-poodle—loves dining with us on our lap. We order the rigatoni arrabiata and the gnocchi pomodoro, and we always add the Italian burrata on top for $8.”
Mello
223 E. Pender
Kim loves the not-too-sweet brioche donuts from Chinatown’s Mello—matcha or cereal milk flavours are the faves. “When I go over to a friend’s house, I often bring a dozen or two.” (Um, can we be friends?)
Kook Korean BBQ
2800 E. 1st Ave.
For the full-on Korean grill experience with friends, Kook is the spot. “We love the marinated beef short ribs and doenjang jjigae miso stew,” he says. Sometimes the staff helps guests out with the grill, but (naturally!) Kim likes doing it himself. “I caramelized it on one side, then flip to let it caramelize on the other from the sweet marinade.”
Anh and Chi
3388 Main St.
Here at our Readers’ Choice winner for Best Mount Pleasant restaurant, it’s all about the house specials, the beef noodle soup pho, and those beloved dine-in-only crispy prawn-turmeric cakes (bánh khọt) served with fresh lettuce and Vietnamese herbs to wrap around. “Eating salad or leafy herbs with some protein is very similar to how Korean people eat—the textures are so familiar.”
Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
Multiple locations
“Love this place.” Kim’s order: mixed berries and honey mascarpone atop a liège waffle.
Okeya Kyujiro
1038 Mainland St.
This theatrical omakase spot is a special-occasion fave. “It’s been Michelin-awarded the past few years [ed’s note: and Vancouver Magazine-awarded!] and the whole experience is very whimsical, sometimes they play violin, and the service is a very true Japanese omakase experience (made right in front of you) but taken to the next-level.”
NamSan Korean Cuisine
8580 Alexandra Rd.
For pure nostalgic “home food,” Kim heads to Richmond. “They’re famous for their pork stew; they make their own bone broth—it’s really deep, garlicky and white. The pork is braised then shaved. You can also add in blood sausage. It’s not the type of place I would suggest to friends who have never tried Korean food… I would say go to Kook first, then if they like it, go here.”
Mumu Kitchen
1738 Davie St.
Lots of Korean fried chicken places are opening up in the city, but Kim’s choice is Mumu near English Bay. “It has this Supreme fried chicken, which is dusted with Korean sweet cheese powder on chicken—it’s a cheesy, crispy treat.” On our way!
Next up on Kim’s to-try list? “I’d really like to go to Elem.”
