We trust our esteemed Restaurant Awards judges wholeheartedly, but we also know they’re not the only passionate eaters in the city. So we turn to you, our readers, when we’re hungry for even more delicious options around town—whether it’s a secret brunch spot at a lumberyard or essential dining on the Drive.
Best Chinatown: Kissa Tanto
263 E Pender St., kissatanto.com
The vibey second-floor eatery expertly marries Italian and Japanese cuisines through their common ground: masterfully crafted house-made noodles, delicate seafood and bold, addictive sauces. It’s no wonder the restaurant has secured two wins in a row.
Best Commercial Drive: Lunch Lady
1046 Commercial Dr., thelunchlady.com
It’s back-to-back wins for Nguyen Thi Thanh’s Vietnamese street food staple. The slurpable soups are so meticulously balanced and so chock-full of aromatic toppings you’ll swear you’ve been transported to old Saigon (small stool included).
Best Downtown: Nightingale
1017 W Hastings St., hawknightingale.com
The wood-fired pizzas at Nightingale are the stuff of legend at this point—but we’d be remiss not to mention the righteous selection of seasonal vegetables (like Japanese sweet potatoes with mushroom xo sauce) or the crunchy perfection that is its fried chicken.
Best Fraserhood: Savio Volpe
615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com
Savio Volpe has won the hearts (and stomachs) of the people once again with its delicate, handcrafted pastas, wood-fired proteins and pitch-perfect Italian-inspired cocktails.
Best Gastown: L’Abattoir
217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca
The French-leaning West Coast cuisine at L’Abattoir always feels both grounded in seasonality and full of creativity. Well-honed technique and exceptional flavour pairings are the driving force here—think dishes like charred leeks with cheddar sauce and sunflower pesto.
Best Hastings-Sunrise: Dachi
2297 E Hastings St., dachivancouver.com
Dachi comes out on top again for Hastings-Sunrise thanks to its expertly curated selection of innovative small plates and natural wine. Devilled eggs with candied anchovy stands out as one of the neighbourhood’s best bites.
Best Kerrisdale: Bufala
5395 West Boulevard, bufala.ca
Bufala is back on top again, charming locals with its scratch-made, stone-oven-fired Neopolitana-style pizza. Italian classics abound on the menu, but delightful departures from the norm (like, say, nduja and potato) keep readers coming back for more.
Best Kitsilano: AnnaLena
1809 W 1st Ave., annalena.ca
Our Best Upscale winner for 2025 has also come back for round two as the fave in its local ’hood. The visionary, hyper-local take on Canadian West Coast fare continues to raise the bar via an exceptional, rotating tasting menu.
Best Mount Pleasant: Anh and Chi
3388 Main St., anhandchi.com
Mount Pleasant’s love for the modern Vietnamese cuisine at Anh and Chi might mean encountering a lineup (this is the restaurant’s second Readers’ Choice win for a reason)—but the fantastic bún bò huế and out-of-this-world-delicious chicken wings are worth the wait every time.
Best West End: Maxine’s
1325 Burrard St., maxinescafebar.com
The bistro fare at Maxine’s is just as fantastic during its bustling brunch service (the house-made bacon is a do-not-miss delight) as it is during dinner, when shared plates reign supreme. Try the steak tartare (topped with smoked egg yolk and comté) on the year-round patio and transport yourself to a slice of Parisian heaven.
Best Yaletown: Elisa
1109 Hamilton St., elisasteak.com
Our 2025 Restaurant of the Year is a Yaletown star for its flame-grilled cuts, impressive wine list and curated selection of adventurous small plates and sides—like braised rabbit or whole wood-grilled lobster.
Best Neighbourhood Wildcard: Gary’s
1485 W 12th Ave., garysrestaurant.ca
The South Granville restaurant continues to wow with its rotating menu of outstanding seasonal dishes (the cured and raw trout with sauce gribiche is a knockout), always ready to be paired with a well-curated list of low-intervention wines.
Best Bar: Brix and Mortar
1137 Hamilton St., brixandmortar.ca
The brick-lined Yaletown room carries nearly 400 bottles of wine and gets creative with its signature cocktail list (the gin-based Purple Rain includes creme de cassis and blackberry dust). Find rotating cocktails on tap and a slew of balanced mocktails here, too.
Best Brewery: 33 Acres
15 W 8th Ave., 33acresbrewing.com
Sure, you can grab 33 Acres’ Mezcal Gose from most local liquor stores, but a pint is best enjoyed in the brewer’s sunny, snake-plant-accented concrete-and-wood space in Mount Pleasant.
Best Brunch: Northern Cafe
1640 E Kent Ave., northerncafeandgrill.com
A true local legend since 1949, this cozy diner above a lumberyard specializes in a beautiful marriage of home-style breakfasts and Asian flavours: fluffy pancakes share top billing with handmade wontons.
Best Coffee Shop: Nemesis
Multiple locations, nemesis.coffee
The coffee (from direct-trade sources) is strong, but the menu packs just as much of a punch. Dope Bakehouse provides tiramisu croissants and cornflake cookies; the breakfast sandwich comes on a croissant bun.
Best Happy Hour: Earls
Multiple locations, earls.ca
The iconic West Coast chain serves up a steal of a deal from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily (and then again from 9 p.m. onward) including half-price cocktails, $3 off wine and draft beer, plus exclusive Happy Hour dishes perfect for sharing with the whole gang.
