Get your tickets now to the Restaurant Awards celebration May 4—limited tickets left!
Showstopping, refreshing, delightful, decadent. These are the words our Restaurant Awards judges used to describe their experiences at the absolutely stellar list of restaurants up for consideration in the 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.
Judges and readers alike did some serious legwork to uncover some of the best meals, rooms and experiences across Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler over the past year, and we’re delighted to finally present the fruits of their labour: a well-curated list of more than 250 restaurants across 40 categories here on our 37th annual Restaurant Awards finalist list.
Sure, this behemoth list may not seem like it’s whittled down to the bare bones, but that’s just proof that our dining scene is just too juicy to contain, from the city’s booming omakase experiences to our readers’ favourite downtown restaurants.
And we’ll be whittling it down even further as we announce the winners on May 4, 2026 in the magazine (you’ve got your free subscription, right?), online and at our annual Restaurant Awards event.
Want your own personal reservation to experience it all? We’re thrilled to be hosting this year’s awards ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver… and tickets are on sale now.
Believe us when we tell you: These always sell out, so grab yours now to be the first to know who takes home the gold in these categories and more, including the coveted Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year awards.
But before you start, you’ll probably want to read the full finalist list first—due diligence and all that. So no more dilly-dallying. Here we go. Congratulations to every very-tasty contender here, and best of luck on May 4.
2026 Vanmag Restaurant Awards: Judged Division Finalists
This division is judged by our expert panel—who have been working (and eating) hard since late last summer. For more information on how judging works, you can read this outline.
Best African & Diaspora
AxumBaby Dahl RotiCalabash (now closed)FassilJambo GrillKilimanjaroMoltaqa
Best Casual
AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza
Argo
Chinatown BBQ
Fat MaoLiviaNorthern CafeRed Wagon
Best Chain
Big Way Hot Pot
Crab Hot Lau
GuuJoey
NookSulaTap and Barrel
Best Chinese
Ban Bu XianChinatown BBQ
Din Tai Fung
Dynasty
Landmark Hotpot Mott 32Seaport City
Best Fine Dining
Botanist
Boulevard
Elisa
Five Sails
HawksworthMott 32
Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie
Best French
Chez CélineCollective Goods
June
L’AbattoirLe Crocodile by Rob Feenie
St Lawrence
Best Indian
Kavita
LilaParatha 2 Pasta
Peya
Sula on Davie
Tasty Indian BistroVij’s
Best Informal Contemporary
Bar Bravo
Gary’s
Good ThiefJune
Nero TondoNightingale
Niwa
Best Italian
Angela PastificioBuca di Roma (now closed)CinCinElio VolpeGiardinoLa Quercia and L’UfficioSavio Volpe
Best Japanese
Dosanko
KishimotoMotonobu Udon
Oku Izakaya
Sushi Hil
Yuwa
Best Korean
Keumsan
Kook
NuiSo HyangSumiSuraZoomak
Best Latin American
Baja Racing
Chancho
ChupitoCuchillo
Monarca
Ophelia
Suyo
Best Mediterranean
Casa MolinaComo
Espana
Nammos
Pax RomanaSelene
Best Middle Eastern
Best New
Angela Pastificio
Chez Celine
Elem
June
Kavita
Nero Tondo
NiwaSumibiyaki Arashi
Best Omakase
Masayoshi
Okeya Kyujiro
Sushi HyunSumibiyaki ArashiTetsu
Best Seafood
Bar Bravo
Blue Water CaféBoulevard
DynastyFanny Bay Oysters
Five SailsOddfish
Sustainability Award Finalists
Botanist
Dosanko
Elem
Fanny Bay Oysters
Mott 32
The Acorn
Best Thai
Bai Bua Thai
MaenamSainamSilom
SongUnchaiZab Bite
Best Upscale Contemporary
AnnaLena
BotanistBoulevardElemKissa TantoL’AbattoirPublished on Main
Best Victoria
Cafe Malabar
Chobap
Janevca
Marilena
Part and Parcel
Rabbit RabbitUgly Duckling
Best Vietnamese
Anh and Chi
Bonjour VietnamCrab Hot LauHoi An Cafe
Linh Cafe
Lunch LadyMadame Danh
Best Whistler
Alta
Araxi
Bar Oso
Il Caminetto
Lorette
Red Door
Wild Blue
2026 Vanmag Restaurant Awards: Readers’ Choice Finalists
Readers’ Choice: Best Chinatown
Bao Bei
Chinatown BBQ
Cofu Chinatown
DD Mau
Fat Mao
Kissa Tanto
Phnom Penh
Readers’ Choice: Best Commercial Drive
Bar Corso
Caffe La Tana
Kulinarya
Livia
Lunch Lady
Magari by Oca
Nomo Nomo
Readers’ Choice: Best Downtown
Autostrada
Big Way Hot Pot
Boulevard
Desi Indian Lounge
Hello Nori
Nightingale
Riley’s
Readers’ Choice: Best Fraserhood
Ama
Bar Bravo
Chez Celine
Les Faux Bourgeois
Nammos
Pampanga’s Cuisine
Savio Volpe
Zab Bite
Readers’ Choice: Best Gastown
Bar Tartare
Di Beppe
Is That French
L’Abattoir
Oku
Water Street Cafe
Readers’ Choice: Best Hastings-Sunrise
Dachi
Folietta
Nero Tondo
Peya
Red Wagon
Selene
The Green Brunch and Well-Being
Readers’ Choice: Best Kerrisdale
Asa Sushi
Big Way Hot Pot
Bufala
Minerva’s
Okini
Vegan Shoku
Readers’ Choice: Best Kitsilano
AnnaLena
Cockney Kings
Delara
Oddfish
Maenam
Provisions
Pho Japolo
Readers’ Choice: Best Mount Pleasant
Anh and Chi
Burdock and Co
Casa Molina
Como Taperia
District Eleven
Lila
Published on Main
Readers’ Choice: Best West End
Big Way Hot Pot
Espana
Hello Nori
Maxine’s
Noah’s Cafe
Nook
Sainam
Readers’ Choice: Best Yaletown
Blue Water Cafe
Brix and Mortar
Dovetail
Elisa
Homer St. Cafe
Provence Marinaside
West Oak
Readers’ Choice: Best Neighbourhood Wildcard
Casereccio Foods
Collective Goods
Gary’s
Niwa
Northern Cafe
The Mackenzie Room
Readers’ Choice: Best Cocktail Bar
Ama
Bar Corso
Good Thief
Keefer Bar
June
Meo
Nomo Nomo
Readers’ Choice: Best Steakhouse
Black + Blue
C | Prime
Chop Steakhouse
Gotham
Hy’s
The Keg
Readers’ Choice: Best Brunch
Café Medina
Elio Volpe
Glowbal
Homer St. Cafe
Maxine’s
Northern Cafe
Provence Marinaside
Readers’ Choice: Best Pizza
AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza
Elio Volpe
Ignite
Nook
Onda by Casereccio
Thank You Pizza
Via Tevere
Readers’ Choice: Best Plant-Based
Chickpea
Cofu Chinatown
Do Chay
Folke
Meet
The Acorn
Readers’ Choice: Best Sushi
Coast
Hello Nori
Miku
Tom Sushi
Toshi
Kishimoto
Blue Water Cafe
Sushi Hil
Snag your tickets to the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards here.
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