B.C. restaurant takes top honour in nationwide ranking
Posted May 31, 2022 7:58 am.
Last Updated May 31, 2022 7:59 am.
A marquee list of Canada’s best restaurants has returned after a pandemic-induced hiatus, ushering with it what some hope is a revival for fine dining in this country.
Canada’s 100 BEST magazine has ranked Vancouver’s Published on Main as the winner of the Best Restaurant category for its chef who “translates a Nordic sensibility to British Columbia cuisine through his abundant use of finely balanced fermentations, aerated hay custards and foraged ingredients, tramping through local forests to collect most of the wildflowers, fir tips and mushrooms himself.”
It’s the first time a Vancouver restaurant has been ranked #1.
Toronto’s Alo restaurant ranked second for its cutting-edge techniques and luxurious ingredients.
Canada’s BEST restaurant ranking places the St. Lawrence restaurant in Vancouver as the third place pick. (Canada’s Best 100)
Third on the list is back in B.C., with St. Lawrence in Vancouver taking the prize for its “temple of Québécois and classical French cuisine.”
Rounding out the 10th spot is the River Café in Calgary, which exclusively uses Canadian and oftentimes Albertan ingredients for its rich flavours and seasonal menus.
Calgary restaurant Major Tom won Best New Restaurant, after it was able to overcome COVID-related delays and challenges.
For Best New Restaurant – Major Tom in Calgary took the prize. (Courtesy: Julya Hajnoczky)
Read the full list here
In the Best Destination category, Pluvio in Ucluelet, B.C. took home the honours, a bright spot following a challenging few years for the restaurant and community — a tourist hotspot which saw its small coastal community relying instead on locals to survive financially.
Judges were asked to vote on a different dining experience, focusing only on the food and not the décor in order to “even the playing field between those restaurants in cities that were in total lockdown while others were open for business” throughout the year.
While the list features some very prominent chefs, there are few women, and actually no women in the top 10 restaurants who take on the role as executive chef.
B.C.’s top restaurant finalists
1. Published on Main
3. St. Lawrence
9. Boulevard
23. Oca Pastificio
25. Hawksworth
29. Kissa Tanto
32. La Quercia
37. Pluvio
41. AnnaLena
46. Tojo’s
47. Tetsu
48. L’Abattoir
61. Botanist
68. Maenam
73. Bearfoot Bistro
75. Savio Volpe
78. Say Mercy
79. Baan Lao
89. Araxi
90. Cioppino’s
95. Bacchus
96. Nightingale
With files from The Canadian Press
