With the Michelin Guide in its third year of recognizing Vancouver restaurants, there are now 10 dining establishments bestowed with a coveted one-star designation.
In 2022, the Guide began with an initial eight, adding just one restaurant each in the ensuing two years. The latest Vancouver restaurant to earn a star is Sushi Masuda.
While it might strike some folks to pop into a restaurant that does a $150 or even $325 per person tasting menu for an ad hoc dinner, the reality is that most of Vancouver's one-starred restaurants require planning, often weeks in advance.
Is there a secret to getting a table at top restaurants, like St. Lawrence or Masayoshi? Honestly, it's mostly about timing, patience, and luck. Some release openings by the month, or a month in advance, while others will take bookings as they come.
These days, most of the places on the Vancouver Michelin Guide with one-star distinctions only do online reservations, and typically that means a partial or complete deposit, dining time limits, and penalties for late changes, cancellations, or no-shows.
Additionally, restaurants like Burdock and AnnaLena, which in the past had a la carte menus, now only do tasting menus. Vancouver's one-starred restaurant roster also features three premium omakase sushi bar experiences.
Odds are you won't be able to stroll in and expect to grease a palm or two with cash and a wink or name-drop your way into a table if you aren't already on the books. To help you snag your seats, here's how reservations work at all 10 of Vancouver's Michelin Guide one-star restaurants.
AnnaLena
This Kitsilano spot from Chef Michael Robbins and Operations Manager Jeff Parr specializes in modern Pacific Northwest fare and opens up reservations online 30 days in advance on Resy. "If there are no times showing as available, we are fully booked," the restaurant notes on the platform.
AnnaLena, which has had its one-star designation from the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years, offers a tasting menu only and can accommodate some dietary restrictions with a minimum 48-hour advance notice done via telephone.
Seating is available in the dining room and bar. The six-course menu is $149 per person, paid in advance.
The restaurant is known for its avant-garde and theatrical course presentations (like an oyster covered in shaved foie gras served in a cooler with dry ice) and its acclaimed wine program. AnnaLena's Reverie Beall earned the Guide's 2024 Sommelier of the Year award, too.
Barbara
Barbara is a tiny operation, with limited seats available nightly to reserve to enjoy the tasting menu. Take note that Barbara can only accept parties of up to four people, does not accept cash, and requires credit card details to secure a reservation (a no-show or cancellation less than 48 hours in advance will be charged a fee.
Reservations are taken online via OpenTable only and Barbara has no telephone. Some seats are available for walk-ins, as are standing tables for customers to use for drinks only.
Barbara offers a $98 three-course menu plus an amuse, mid-meal snack, and dessert; guests choose from three options per course.
Burdock & Co.
Chef/owner Andrea Carlson's cozy Mount Pleasant restaurant continues to be a standard bearer for its use of local, seasonal ingredients with impeccable technique. Opened in 2013, Burdock was built on Carlson's mission to take inspiration from the local environment and reflect the season and region in her beautiful dishes.
The restaurant is tasting menu only ($150), though that menu will, of course, change throughout the year. Burdock is also known for its wine program, and its wine director, Kelcie Jones, was the Michelin Guide's 2023 Sommelier of the Year winner.
Reservations for one to four people (table or bar) can be booked online via Tock; seats require a $50 deposit per person.
iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House
The restaurant's origins in China date back to 1864, though this contemporary spot aims to serve "a fusion of traditional Chinese food with a North American flare." One of Quan Ju De's signature menu items is their Beijing Duck, which takes about 55 minutes to prepare upon ordering and is only available on the dinner menu.
Reservations can be made online via the restaurant's website.
The lunch menu is a bit different from the dinner one, but in both cases, there are some multi-course meal options priced for the table or by the guest. For example, diners can experience a four-course dinner for $298 per person or $198 four-course lunch. However, they have an $88 lunch combo meal for two and a $299 dinner combo option for four diners, as well as an a la carte menu. Look for dishes like Shanghai Style Smoked Fish with Plum Sauce, the restaurant's signature duck soup, or Braised Radish with Crab Meat in Supreme Broth.
iDen & QuanJuDe boasts it is the only one-star Chinese restaurant in Canada.
Kissa Tanto
Kissa Tanto is an elegant little hideaway located on an upstairs level in Chinatown. The menu is flexible enough to serve you well for a full meal of shared plates or a visit to enjoy some drinks and a couple of snacks or dessert.
Speaking of drinks Kissa Tanto's Fraser Crawford earned the Guide's 2024 "Exceptional Cocktails" award.
Kissa Tanto has three kinds of dining experiences: Tables for two to four guests, bar seats for one to two guests, and an omakase-style option for parties of two to four or five to six people. Reservations are done via Tock and open up 30 days in advance at midnight.
Masayoshi
Masayoshi - that is sushi master Masayoshi Baba - is the heart of this omakase sushi bar on Fraser Street. Among the chef's extensive experience is a decade of learning under Vancouver's acclaimed Chef Hidekazu Tojo at Tojo's. His menu reflects premium ingredients guided by the seasons and presented with the utmost reverence and care.
The compact 24-seat restaurant offers two nightly seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. The sushi bar is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis; seats are assigned in the order reservations are received by the restaurant. Masayoshi also has a firm policy for charging a fee for customers who walk out or cancel if they are unhappy with their assigned seating.
Omakase is $220 per person; reservations are made via Tock and a $50 deposit must be made on the meal per person. For cancellation, reduction in numbers or date change, at least three days' notice is required to avoid a cancellation fee.
Okeya Kuijiro
Anointed with one star by the Michelin Guide as the sole addition to the stellar line-up in 2023, Okeya Kuijiro came to Vancouver's Yaletown by way of Montreal.
Okeya Kyujiro is an intimate, reservation-only omakase restaurant, known for its meticulously crafted multi-course sushi experience and "theatrical" presentation. How theatrical? Well, operators refer to your meal as a "show." Your 90-minute dinner is $325 per person and will include 20 courses, dessert, and a tea ceremony, and you must put a deposit down.
The restaurant also has a slightly more "affordable" option, which is a $150 15-course omakase brunch (not quite a "show"). Brunch is offered starting at 12:15 p.m. on Friday to Sunday only.
Published on Main
Published on Main's much-lauded menu featuring whimsical, elegant, modern fare has been a massive draw since its earliest days and can be enjoyed mix-and-match a la carte or through a tasting menu "experience."
To secure a seat for a la carte dining for a group of up to six people, book online via Tock or by phone (call between 2 and 5 p.m.) or in person (pop in between 5 and 10 p.m.).
The 10-course, two-and-a-half-hour tasting menu option is available for seatings at 5, 6, and 8 p.m. from Sunday through Wednesday and 5, 6, 7, and 8 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday. Book via Tock.
You may be able to score a walk-in counter seat at Published; your best bet is to arrive at opening or later in the evening (around 8:30 p.m.) to see if they can accommodate you.
St. Lawrence
Chef/Owner J-C Poirier has been dishing up his soulful, beautiful Quebecois fare for a few years now, but St. Lawrence remains one of the most coveted reservations in Vancouver. To enjoy this cozy, charming restaurant, you will (generally) need to plan ahead; St. Lawrence opens up reservations a month in advance at a time, releasing seats on the 1st of each month (for bookings the following month). There is always the option to check current availability, however, to see if anything has opened up for the immediate month.
St. Lawrence is currently offering a four-course table d’hôte menu, with options for each course. Reservations can be made for parties of up to five people in the dining room. To be notified when St. Lawrence opens up reservations, sign up for the restaurant's newsletter. Bookings are made via Tock and are pre-paid; as of November 1, the tasting menu is $135 per person, and all guests at the table must participate.
A newer way to dine at St. Lawrence cropped up recently, as the restaurant has now opened up its bar seats for walk-in guests who must order a la carte.
Sushi Masuda
The lone addition to the pantheon of one-starred Michelin Guide restaurants in Vancouver for 2024 is this small sushi bar operation. Yoji Masuda, who also was chosen as the Guide's pick for its Young Chef award this year, runs the Japanese restaurant with his wife, Akari.
Sushi Masuda serves an omakase menu (recommended for diners ages 13+) with adventurous bites, priced at $260 per guest. Reservations (which have already filled up for the immediate time) are made through Tock and are for groups of one to three diners. The restaurant opens 10 minutes before service and cannot guarantee you will receive all your courses if you are late. Your deposit is non-refundable if you cancel less than seven days in advance or if you are more than 20 minutes late (which could result in a default cancellation).
The restaurant also does not permit guests to wear heavy colognes, perfumes, or scents of any kind.
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