It's not your typical year in the restaurant world, but there is a great reason to celebrate today in Vancouver. That's because Canada's 100 Best has just revealed their picks for the top restaurants across the country, and Vancouver is well-represented with 19 spots on the rankings.
Even more reasons to rejoice: Vancouver's St. Lawrence Restaurant has earned the number two slot for 2020, moving up from 5th place in 2019, and the only restaurant in western Canada to crack the top 10 this year.
St. Lawrence is, which offers a fine-dining take on the hearty meat-forward fare of Quebec, has been a dazzling gem in the crown of Vancouver dining since it opened in 2017. At the helm is chef/owner J.C. Poirier, the Quebec native who always pushes himself and his award-winning restaurant to be ahead of the curve; St. Lawrence recently re-opened to dine-in customers, and is breaking the mold by requiring customers pre-pay in full in advance for their meals. Now, of course, it may be even harder to come by a table or one of their "a la maison" meals to take-home, thanks to their landing on the 100 Best list.
While the top 10 is focused on established heavy-hitters in Toronto (Alo, Edulis) and Montreal (Joe Beef, Toqué!), Vancouver makes an impressive showing all the way to the end of the 2020 rankings. Additionally, Galiano Island's Pilgrimme has made the cut, upping the tally for B.C. spots to 20, a solid one-fifth of the list.
Here's how B.C. restaurants show on this year's Canada's 100 Best Restaurants:
- St. Lawrence, Vancouver (2)
- Kissa Tanto, Vancouver (12)
- Hawksworth, Vancouver (19)
- Boulevard, Vancouver (24)
- La Quercia, Vancouver (33)
- Botanist, Vancouver (39)
- L'Abattoir, Vancouver (40)
- Como Taperia, Vancouver (55)
- Masayoshi, Vancouver (58)
- Cioppino's, Vancouver (59)
- Savio Volpe, Vancouver (65)
- Mott 32, Vancouver (72)
- Elisa, Vancouver (76)
- The Pear Tree, Burnaby (80)
- Pilgrimme, Galiano Island (82)
- Published, Vancouver (88)
- Nightingale, Vancouver (91)
- Tojo's, Vancouver (92)
- AnnaLena, Vancouver (97)
- Maenam, Vancouver (99)
Now in its sixth year, Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list is compiled by a meld of expert and informed opinions from not only the nation’s food critics, seasoned diners, and food industry insiders.
You can see the full list of 100 (with details about each of the restaurants in the top 50) on their website.
