The Review: Visiting French-Canadian Hot Spot Chez Celine Is “Like Being Wrapped in a Hug”

When I showed up to Chez Céline on a rainy Friday evening in August without a reservation, the line of diners waiting for tables shot me looks that said, “Well, that’s ballsy.” And, to be honest, it was—but luck was on our side. It was clear that you’d typically be hooped if you didn’t make a reservation at this 48-seater in Fraserhood, so being turned around and put on the waitlist seemed generous, not punitive.

The corner eatery was well into its evening service by the time we were beckoned back to the restaurant via text. Lively music punctuated livelier conversation, wine was being free-poured into glasses, dishes were being delivered to tables and met with squeals, oohs and ahs. Despite having only been open for three months at that point, Chez Céline felt like it had been here forever. And though the sheen of a new restaurant gives itself away—the space is clean, bright and well-designed, with marble tabletops, scalloped light fixtures, textured ceiling tiles and little hints of the restaurant’s chien motif (a little dog ornament placed on a shelf, on a tabletop and so on)—the atmosphere itself seems to signal that this spot has a natural-lived in confidence. It’s chummy, it’s familiar, it’s energetic—like being wrapped into a tight, excited hug upon seeing an old friend.

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That hug extends to the layout: tables are so close together you can practically rub shoulders with your neighbours. It’s not the siloed experience that notoriously cold Vancouverites are wont to seek out, so it feels almost radical. And yet it works—a little proximity warms everybody up. You overhear recommendations, swap opinions and even clink glasses with your fellow diners before you’ve even exchanged names.

Servers glided through the room with wine bottles in hand, recommending pours based on nothing more than a quick chat about what the guests like. I, in particular, am partial to natural orange wine—and, judging from the eclectic collection of bottles lining the room on live-edge shelves, I could tell this was exactly the place I could find something interesting. Of course, they had just the thing: a 2022 Palavani Khikhvi Qvevri dry amber wine from Georgia ($14 by the glass) that’s mineral-esque in taste and deceptively easy to drink. It’s crafted in the ancient Georgian way, my server explained, in a qvevri—a large clay amphora—which is then buried.

Then, the food. We started with the housemade Boursin ($10), creamy and fragrant, followed by beef tartare bright with herbs, served alongside a rustic bread—bannock-like in texture, perfect for breaking the crust and ripping apart with glee.

And while we’re on the topic of breaking the crust, the concept behind Chez Céline is just that. It’s the sister spot to Michelin-starred restaurant St. Lawrence by Chef J-C Poirier, who runs the new eatery alongside Margaux Herder and David Lawson. Chez Céline models the Quebecois-style casse-croûte (translating to “breaking the crust”—a quick snack): relaxed but lively snack shacks popular in French Canada for their poutines, burgers and maple treats.

Of course, Chez Céline is a little more elevated than all that (though they do boast a killer side poutine), which can be seen right from their starter menu. The oysters Florentine ($18), for example, is two plump oysters cooked gently under a buttery, spinach-laced blanket—made for an ideal two-top date bite.

Our main, the cavatelli with mushrooms ($29), was earthy and rich, its truffle-kissed butter clinging to perfectly textured noodles. On the side, the celebration salad ($12), sourced from Glorious Organics Farm, was unexpectedly dazzling: 17 varieties of lettuce arranged in a simple, cloud-like mound. The menu is spare and clean—but what they do, they do well.

For dessert, the triple crème brie with brioche and honey ($15) leaned savoury, almost cheekily so. But the maple crème caramel was the real showstopper: a soft, custardy flan bathed in syrup so pure I swear I started hearing The Tragically Hip’s opening riff to “Fifty-Mission Cap” revving up in my head. So often, “Canadian cuisine” gets lazily reduced to maple syrup. Here, it’s done with intention.

Even the bathrooms keep the Canadiana theme alive, with kitschy French-Canadian iconography—including fighting shots of the Montreal Canadiens—that remind you where the heart of this place lies. That’s a conversation piece you can bring back to your fellow diners—you know, the strangers you’re suddenly rubbing shoulders with. Yes, on arrival, you jump into the energy of visiting an old friend; but on leaving, you might walk out with a few new ones.

The Deets

4298 Fraser St. chezcelinerestaurant.com

Open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner;  weekend brunch from  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.