Monday, August 31, 2026

The Best Places to Eat in Vancouver, by the Record

  1. Rank 95. Di Beppe

    Italian



  2. Rank 95. Long’s Noodle

    Shanghainese Noodles


  3. Rank 95. Memory Corner

    Taiwanese Chinese


  4. Rank 95. Uno Beef Noodle

    Chinese Noodles


  5. Rank 95. Uno Beef Noodle

    Chinese Noodles







  6. Rank 112. Café Medina

    Mediterranean

    The line outside on weekend mornings is its own kind of landmark, and the smell of Belgian waffles from the kitchen doesn't help anyone's patience. Café Medina is a brunch spot with a Mediterranean lean, the sort of place where regulars shuffle to the counter without looking at the menu. Egg dishes carry the morning, and the orzo paella with chorizo and a fried egg on top has a way of ending the debate over what to order.


  7. Fanny Bay runs its own shellfish farms, so the oysters on your tray were in the water embarrassingly recently. It's a seafood restaurant and raw bar on Cambie, a short walk from the stadiums, which explains why it fills up fast on game days. Sit at the bar and let the shucker guide you, or go for the grilled oysters, hot and bubbling with Creole butter. The Michelin Guide has it listed as a selected restaurant.


  8. The wood-burning ovens looming above the dining room are a clue to this upscale Italian restaurant's origin story: it was meant to be a pizzeria. The pivot to fine dining came later, and the room never quite forgot its roots, which suits everyone fine. Friendly servers keep things from getting stiff, the kitchen leans into simple preparations done well, and the enclosed patio splits the difference between a proper night out and a relaxed one.


  9. Rank 114. Bacaro

    Venetian


  10. Rank 114. Bar Gobo

    Natural Wine Bar

    The cooking comes out of a kitchenette tucked behind the bar, which tells you everything about Bar Gobo's priorities. It's a natural wine bar on Union Street where the pours run exclusively from small, hip producers and the room is about as fussy as its namesake root vegetable. A short prix fixe rotates with the seasons, and the flavors land with more clarity than the setting would suggest. No attitude from the staff, despite the very correct wine list.


  11. Rank 114. Carlino

    Northern Italian

    Tucked onto a terrace inside the Shangri-La Hotel, this elegant Northern Italian restaurant draws from the Friuli region, where the cooking carries a Germanic and Slavic undertow you don't expect. Freshly made pastas lead the way, including regional shapes rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic. The menu keeps things seasonal and unfussy, and at dinner you can hand the whole decision over to the kitchen, which suits anyone who finds menus exhausting.



  12. Rank 114. Giardino

    Tuscan


  13. Tucked onto the second floor of a shopping mall on Marine Drive, this sprawling Cantonese banquet hall is the kind of place locals fill on weekends without needing to tell anyone about it. Dim sum runs through the afternoon, with dumplings packed with shrimp that actually justify the wait. Dinner pivots to a broader seafood menu, lobster and abalone among them. The room fits large groups comfortably, which is the whole point.


  14. Crystal bead chandeliers and a floor-to-ceiling cherry blossom mural set the scene, though families and groups make sure the room never takes itself too seriously. This is a big, boisterous Cantonese dining hall in East Vancouver, selected by the Michelin Guide, where dim sum is the main event. Diners tick off choices from a photo menu, and everything arrives from the kitchen freshly made and steaming.


  15. Octopus figurines colonize every surface of this cozy, been-around-forever sushi shop on Cornwall, which either charms you immediately or makes you wonder if you've wandered into a marine biology gift store. Luckily the fish is the real draw: supremely fresh nigiri that rotates with the seasons, maki that wanders happily off-script, and specials worth paying attention to. Reservations are famously hard to come by, which tells you something about the neighborhood's loyalty.


  16. A corner spot on Homer Street that slides easily between a quick tapa and a full pasta dinner depending on what you're after. The Italian menu wanders pleasantly, from generously portioned hummus with warm flatbread to lobster and crab ravioli in a chipotle coconut milk reduction, which sounds like a fever dream but turns up on tables constantly. Slide into a side booth and plan to spend longer than you meant to.


  17. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the inner harbour at this polished downtown steakhouse, where the nautical decor leans into the setting without going full sailor. It draws a spendy waterfront crowd, but the kitchen is doing careful work beneath the glamour: the Louie salad with lump crab is a genuine reason to order it, and the fish and chips comes out lighter than you'd expect. A Michelin Selected Restaurant.


  18. Rank 114. Sushi Bar Maumi

    Omakase Sushi

    A counter with room for barely twenty, where the chef works through a dozen-plus nigiri at a pace that suggests he has never once second-guessed himself. This is omakase sushi on Robson Street, priced closer to a nice dinner out than a flight across the Pacific. The fish is fresh, the pours run from sake to Japanese whisky, and the whole thing moves with a quiet confidence that makes the room feel smaller and more deliberate than it actually is.


  19. Six seats at the bar and two small tables make the math on reservations here pretty unforgiving. Sushi Jin is a quiet omakase counter that a lot of Vancouver hasn't found yet, which is either a shame or a favor depending on how you feel about crowds. The chef works in a traditional Japanese register with a personal edge, and the nigiri runs from delicate hirame to fatty otoro topped with Hokkaido uni. The Michelin Guide has it listed.


  20. The charcuterie board here skips the cured meats entirely and goes full Pacific Northwest seafood instead, which tells you most of what you need to know. Wildlight is a premium-casual restaurant anchored in the leləm̓ Village development, with a bright, wood-and-natural-materials room that pairs with Chef Warren Chow's sourcing-forward kitchen. The Michelin Guide has it listed, and the menu earns the attention.


  21. Rank 128. Fat Mao

    Thai Noodles




  22. Duck confit on pancakes is the kind of move that sounds like a dare until you're halfway through and quietly reconsidering your whole morning. Argo is a neighbourhood diner on Ontario Street where the soups taste like someone actually waited, the fried chicken and waffles show up with conviction, and the servers have the easy warmth of people who've seen you in this booth before. Vancouver Magazine gave it a Gold Medal for Best Casual, which tracks.


  23. Rank 131. Fat Mao

    Thai-Style Noodles

    The nham ngeaw, a tomato broth tangled with pork ribs, vermicelli, and dried red cotton tree flowers, is the kind of bowl that makes you question why you ever eat anything else. Fat Mao is a noodle shop in Chinatown serving Thai-style soups in a no-fuss room where the food does all the work. Chef Angus An keeps the menu tight and the broths deeply considered, which is a polite way of saying this place is far more serious than its vibe lets on.






  24. A floor-to-ceiling latte art mural greets you at this homey coffee shop near Emily Carr, where students and profs tend to stake out a corner and stay awhile. The loft upstairs has a long counter built for exactly that. Single-origin beans, espresso with a chocolate-leaning sweetness, and a chocolate chip cookie that earns its reputation round out the picture.



  25. The coffee shop that bloomed from an architecture firm's rose-petal vision sits beside Emily Carr University, which tells you something about the crowd. Inside, birch plywood and a fabric fin installation dropping from the ceiling give it the feel of a gallery that also pulls excellent espresso. Beans are sourced from farms the team has visited in person, and pour-overs and lattes are brought to your table. The paved plaza out front fills up fast on sunny days.


  26. Rank 137. Nemesis

    Coffee

    The wood-and-rose-petal structure here bloomed from the minds at Perkins & Will, which tells you something about the coffee shop before you've ordered anything. This is a specialty cafe that takes its sourcing seriously, roasting beans from farms the team has visited across Central and South America and India. Pour-overs and lattes arrive at the table. Croissants from Dope Bakehouse change with the season. On sunny days, the brick plaza fills up fast.


  27. Rank 137. Nemesis

    Coffee

    The building itself stops people mid-pedal: a wood-based rose-petal structure designed by Perkins & Will, sitting next to Emily Carr University in False Creek Flats. This coffee shop roasts beans sourced from farms across Central America, South America, and India, with pour-overs and lattes brought to your table. On sunny days, the brick plaza fills with art students who clearly have better taste in coffee shops than the rest of us.





  28. Baristas here share tasting notes from their own in-house brewing, not whatever the bag says, before your cup even arrives. This sleek coffee shop sits below grade in Arthur Erickson's Waterfall Building, just outside Granville Island, with concrete floors, light-wood benches, and a single pop of royal blue holding the room together. The featured beans rotate through roasters from Edmonton to Amsterdam, and the Tokyo loose-leaf teas are worth your attention too.


  29. Spun copper pendants hang above the coffee bar at this Railtown roastery cafe, with a 60-kilogram Joper roaster from Portugal visible behind it. Pallet has several Vancouver locations, but this one is the source, and the bright, plant-lined room draws a neighborhood mix of loft dwellers and laptop workers in equal measure. The single-origin long black is the move, and the raspberry lemon loaf makes a solid case for staying longer than planned.


  30. Spun copper pendant lights hang above the coffee bar, and behind it sits the roastery with a Joper roaster imported from Portugal. This bright, airy coffee shop on Oak Street is one of several Pallet locations around Vancouver, each with its own personality. The high ceilings, exposed wood trusses, and a wall of plants set a mood that's industrial but welcoming. Fresh pastries round out the single-origin espresso program nicely.


  31. Copper pendant lights hang above the bar, and behind it sits a Portuguese roaster the size of a small car. Pallet is a bright, airy coffee shop on Kingsway, part of a roaster group with several Vancouver outposts. The beans lean Ethiopian and Colombian, a long black with single-origin espresso is the move, and fresh pastries cover the basics. The open industrial room with high wood-truss ceilings fills easily with laptop workers and actual conversations alike.


  32. Spun copper pendant lights hang above the coffee bar, and behind it sits the roastery with its Portuguese-built drum roaster, which does a lot to explain the smell when you walk in. This is a bright, airy coffee shop with high ceilings, exposed wood trusses, and enough varied seating that you can have a real conversation or quietly work through your afternoon. Fresh pastries round things out when you need something to eat.


  33. Copper pendant lights hang above the espresso bar, and behind it sits a roaster big enough to make a point. Pallet is a coffee shop with several Vancouver locations; this one on Melville draws the laptop crowd and the lingerers alike into a high-ceilinged industrial room softened by trailing plants and blown-glass lights. Single-origin long blacks are the move, and the raspberry lemon loaf holds its own.


  34. Copper pendant lights hang over the coffee bar, and the roastery sits right behind it, so you watch the whole operation while you order. Pallet is a bright, roomy coffee shop with high ceilings, exposed trusses, and enough varied seating that you can actually stay a while. The pastry case runs to things like raspberry lemon loaf. A long black with single-origin espresso is the move if you can't decide.



  35. The entrance is half-hidden behind a concrete and rusted metal cylinder on a busy stretch of East Hastings, which keeps the right people curious and everyone else moving. Inside, this coffee shop goes full cave: moss walls, dark wood, angular mirrors doing their best stalactite impression. Four small in-house roasters mean tight batches and serious room to experiment, and the staff will ask your flavor preferences before they recommend anything.


  36. The entrance is buried inside a concrete-and-rust cylinder on a busy street, which sets the tone: this coffee shop rewards the curious. Inside, moss-covered walls and mirror angles that suggest stalactites make it feel like a very good cave. The team roasts in small batches on four compact roasters behind the bar and tailors drink recommendations to your flavor preferences, so let them lead. Waffle donuts rotate through glazes like pistachio spice.


  37. The pain au chocolat in the glass case is close enough to the queue that resisting it becomes someone else's problem. This Yaletown coffee shop splits its identity evenly between serious cafe and in-house bakery, with pour-overs from Canadian roasters and bread baked on the premises. Wood beams, marble tables, and brass-rod geometry on the walls give it a look that earns its following of counter-sitters who never quite leave.




  38. The sign above the door reads "Non-conforming since 1992," which sets expectations correctly for this dark, low-key coffee bar on Commercial Drive. Regulars settle in at the community table or claim a two-top for an hour of work, while foot traffic drifts over from Grandview Park across the street. The beans come from Milano Coffee, roasted to the original Conca d'Oro blend. The art on the walls depicts the neighborhood; so does the room itself.





  39. Rank 159. Crab Hot Lau (Kingsway)

    Northern Vietnamese

    The rice field crab hot pot arrives with a broth so layered it borders on suspicious, built from noodles imported from the chef's hometown in northern Vietnam. This is a bustling, no-frills Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsway where the room runs loud and the food runs bold. Vancouver Magazine gave it the gold for Best Vietnamese, and the kitchen has since expanded to two more locations without the original losing any of its momentum.








  40. Rank 159. Japadog

    Japanese







  41. Rank 159. Straight Brooklyn Pizza

    Neapolitan Pizza





  42. Rank 178. Nook

    Italian


  43. Rank 178. Nook

    Italian


  44. Rank 178. Nook

    Italian

    The rigatoni boscaiola has a following serious enough that regulars debate whether to bother with the specials. They should bother with the specials. This casual Italian spot on Denman runs multiple locations around Vancouver, each with its own daily menu alongside the pasta and pizza standards, which is a harder trick to pull off than it sounds. Vancouver Magazine has given it gold for Best Chain three years running.


  45. Rank 178. Nook

    Italian


  46. Rank 178. Nook

    Italian


  47. Rank 178. Oddfish

    Seafood




  48. Rank 178. Zoomak

    Modern Korean

    Zoomak calls itself a modern Korean tavern, which undersells the kitchen by a comfortable margin. The housemade kimchi alone earns its keep, showing up alongside crispy pork bossam and turning up again warm over steamed tofu. Korean fried chicken and pork belly fill out a menu where picking a favorite feels like a trap. The room is loose and friendly, the prices keep pace with the vibe, and nobody's making you feel bad for ordering another round.


  49. Rank 188. Baby Dhal Roti

    Homestyle Caribbean










  50. Rank 188. Kishimoto

    Japanese


  51. Rank 188. Kook

    Korean Barbecue


  52. Rank 188. La Quercia

    Italian



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Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

    How we score →

    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

      How we score →

      Stay Score

      The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

        How we score →

        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. It runs on the scored places nearby: more good stuff within reach, higher score. If it looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.