We’re certainly not gatekeepers here at VanMag (hey, we have our very own Restaurant Awards in order to give love to all our favourite places to eat in the city), but we’d be lying if we said that publishing the latest winners of the Chinese Restaurant Awards might impact our ability to get a reservation. Lucky for you, we’re a generous bunch, happy to share the news about the best local eateries—whether it’s through our own Reader’s Choice Awards (ahem, nominations are currently open), the 2025 Michelin Awards or, in this case, the 16th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards.

This year, the show was a little different, as the awards included not just Vancouver restaurants, but debuted a ranked list of Chinese restaurants in Canada known as the Elite 30, all of which were unveiled live at a special awards ceremony at The Vancouver Club on Wednesday (October 29).

“There is so much talent and such a diverse range of Chinese cuisines across the country—it felt like the right time to create a dedicated list that truly celebrates this culinary richness,” said Rae Kung, managing director of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. “We have our Elite 30 determined by such an esteemed group of taste advisors, who deeply understand and appreciate the traditions and evolution of Chinese cuisine, [which] makes this inaugural list all the more meaningful.”

Among the Elite 30 list were 19 B.C restaurants (from Vancouver and Richmond), including Jiangnan, Cantonese and modern Chinese—just to name a few of the diverse tastes across Chinese cuisine.

So, to show you just how totally fine we really are to reveal Vancouver’s hottest spots to get Chinese food, we’re announcing the award winners below.

The 2025 Chinese Restaurant Award Winners

In the top spot is Vancouver Cantonese spot Dynasty Seafood Restaurant (also the winner of Best Chinese in the 2025 Vanmag Restaurant Awards), followed by Shaanxi/northern Chinese restaurant Chang’ An.

Also making the list is Hong Kong-style hotpot spot Landmark Hotpot House and 2025 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Award Silver winner Mott 32. The restaurant, which specializes in Peking duck and modern Chinese cuisine, also has a spot in Toronto.

Elsewhere in Vancouver proper, northern Chinese and Peking duck restaurant iDen and Quan Ju De Beijing Duck House; Taiwanese/Shanghainese dim sum spot Din Tai Fung; Taiwanese-Sichaun spot Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant and Chinatown BBQ all made the list.

Rounding out B.C.’s big wins were more than a handful of Richmond restaurants. Cantonese eateries took the majority of the city’s wins, with Sea Harbour Restaurant, Bamboo Grove Restaurant, Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant, Lanxuan Restaurant, The Jade Seafood Restaurant and Max Noodle House (known for its Cantonese noodles and congee) all made the list. The Fish Man, a Sichaun and seafood restaurant, also veers Cantonese, while Cantonese BBQ spot HK BBQ Master, too, earned a spot on the list.

Two Richmond Jiangnan restaurants also earned a nod: Jiangnan Wok and Osmanthus Chinese Fusion Restaurant.

Xi’An Flavour, a Shaanxi/Xi’an restaurant, rounds out the list.

Now, go ahead and start booking those reservations.

Special Awards

In special awards, Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s Carol Lee was named Cultural Ambassador of the Year for her vision, leadership and impact in celebrating Chinese culture in her community; and Garley Leung of Vancouver’s Dynasty Seafood Restaurant was crowned Dim Sum Chef of the Year.

Giving us an ever-growing list of dishes that’ll really knock our socks off, though, is the Vancouver/Richmond-specific Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards, with 13 new winning dishes that we’ll soon be on the hunt for. Here they are below.