For the 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, we continued our new tradition of Editors’ Choices: picks from our editorial team which highlight the rooms in the city that serve a specific purpose, in addition to having great food and service.
Editors’ Choice: Best Wine Bars
Dear Gus, 2040 Quebec St., deargus.com
Bar Tartare, 54 Alexander St., bartartareyvr.ca
There are plenty of great spots to grab a glass of wine around here (see Vancouver International Wine Fest’s rundown of the best wine lists in the city on page 58), but seeking out a wine bar, specifically, delivers a different experience: one of lingering and discovering something surprising. And in the case of Dear Gus and Bar Tartare, some of the city’s best small plates, too. The bottles at both are freshly curated daily and poured by-the-glass for optimum experimentation: at Mount Pleasant’s Gus, quaffing herbaceous Greek dafni or mineral-y reds sourced from the Canary Islands in the intimate, European-chic tasting room while throwing back oysters; in Gastown, industry cool-kids fill up Bar Tartare’s sidewalk patio for sharable snacks from the week’s rotating chef, sipping whatever natural rosé pairs best with their vibe.
