The restaurant biz is full of highs and lows. Case in point, last week, eight Vancouver restaurants earned coveted Michelin stars in the prestigious publication's first-ever foray into the city. This week, absolutely zero Vancouver spots landed on the final top 10 list of the nation's best new places to eat.
Back in mid-August, we were asking ourselves: Can Vancouver score itself the honour of having the "Best New Restaurant" in Canada two years in a row?
As we learned Tuesday night (Nov. 1), the answer is: Nope.
Air Canada's enRoute revealed its 10 picks from coast to coast for 2022 for its prestigious annual Canada's Best New Restaurants rankings.
And while Vancouver's Bar Susu, Elephant, and Delara were on the "long list" of finalists, they didn't make the Top 10.
Only one B.C. spot landed on the list, too; North Saanich's Fox & Monocle at position nine.
Ultimately, top honours went to Toronto's Restaurant 20 Victoria. Canada's biggest city landed a trio of restaurants on the list, while Calgary wound up with bragging rights for two spots making the Top 10.
"We’re talking about the revivals and reinventions that burst onto the dining scene this year, from a Vietnamese offshoot splashing up pho with canoe-cut bone marrow to reshuffled dream teams coaxing us to make up for lost meals with herbaceous tasting menus," reads the verbal drumroll ahead of the winners' list.
Canada's Best New Restaurants 2022 from enRoute
- Restaurant 20 Victoria (Toronto)
- Mastard (Montreal)
- MIMI Chinese (Toronto)
- Perch (Ottawa)
- Một Tô (Calgary)
- Hearts Tavern & Bar (Kimberley, ON)
- Fonda Balam (Toronto)
- Major Tom (Calgary)
- Fox & Monocle (North Saanich, B.C.)
- Restaurant Alentours (Quebec City)
Vancouverites seeking award-winning dining, however, remain spoiled for choice. In addition to snagging reservations at the eight one-star restaurants singled out by Michelin, Vancouver diners can seek out the dozen "value"-focused spots the Guide deemed Bib Gourmand-worthy, along with a lengthy list of recommended local places. Take heart, as Bar Susu, Elephant, and Delara - who didn't make it into the enRoute Top 10 - all landed on Michelin's impressive "Recommended" list alongside some other worthy restaurants.
