These are the most remarkable restaurants in Vancouver's Class 21. Congratulations!
While 2021 proved to be another tough year for Vancouver restaurants, this year saw several incredible new places to enjoy a good meal come to life. Faced with already difficult considerations such as slow City Hall and exorbitant permits and rents, 2021 also meant more restrictions and concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Looking back over the year, there are several new Vancouver restaurants (and a couple in Richmond) that stood out. These are the businesses that represent several exciting additions to the local culinary scene, for a variety of reasons.
In addition to these phenomenal fine dining destinations, Vancouver also boasts an array of stunning accommodations convenient to food lovers. From luxury hotels to down-to-earth apartments, you can stay close to the restaurants that caught your attention. Find your next stay at Vancouver's top-ranked accommodations at http://www.britishcolumbiahotels.net/en/vancouver-hotels-30519/type/apartments-3/.
Giovane Bacaro
Linguine de Mare. Photo courtesy of Giovane Bacaro
What happens when a well-established local restaurant group takes over a café concept in one of the city's best luxury hotels? Culinary magic, frankly. Kitchen Table already had Italian dishes on the menu when they moved into the Fairmont Pacific Rim's Giovane space, but with the launch of their restaurant Giovane Bacaro, they've propelled Vancouver towards more diverse regional Italian cuisine. Bacaro is meant to evoke hiding out in a restaurant or bar in Venice in both its style and menu offerings. Here, you'll sip on a refreshing spritz and find yourself saying "These are the most incredible and addictive crisps" as you happily munch away. From shareable plates of cichetti to heartier - and incredibly beautiful - pasta-centric main courses, Bacaro is a wonderful addition to Vancouver.
Café Linh - Vancouver House
Duck cassoulet at Linh Café. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
Sure, this isn't the first or only location for Linh Cafe, but it's still a key launch in 2021. That's because it represents some serious upward mobility for an established independent spot that's gone from modest roots in Kits to a big contemporary house in the new Vancouver House development. And having this family-run French-Vietnamese spot in Vancouver House further reinforces just how exceptional the dining options just steps away from this polarizing public art chandelier really are. (Will Momofuku join the ranks with Linh Cafe, Autostrada and Ca Marche Creperie? That remains to be seen).
Alimentaria Mexicana
Duck flautas at Alimentaria Mexicana. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is great
There are several remarkable facets to Alimentaria Mexicana, which opened this summer. First, the location: Granville Island continues to offer boundary-pushing restaurants that are a culinary draw for locals and tourists alike (remember those?). Then there's the food. Vancouver is slowly moving out of its comfort zone when it comes to Mexican cuisine. Maybe we've all watched a lot of food travel shows over the past couple of years, but it seems Vancouver diners want to feel up to dishes like a clay pot stew - cazuela - of cactus and halloumi or sopes (a kind of cornmeal patty) topped with bone marrow.
The tavern at Loula
Calamari is on the menu at Loula's Taverna, a new addition to Commercial Drive. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
Commercial Drive has always been one of Vancouver's busiest corridors, but a recent spate of new openings has given this strip of history a welcome new lease on life. Loula's is a family affair, a Greek love letter to traditions as expressed through the next generation. The joy bubbles up inside Loula and extends to the food, which is fresh, simple and worthy of envy.
Maxine's Café & Bar
Beautiful golden fries at Maxine's. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
There's a French revolution going on in Vancouver, and Maxine's is at the forefront of it. The day-to-night bistro is a draw from brunch to happy hour and for decadent multi-course dinners where you'll want to throw all the rules out the window and revel in all things rich and buttery.
Oh Carolina
Oh Carolina is a grocery shop and cafe in Mount Pleasant. Oh Carolina Café & Grocery / Facebook
Did you ever think the local grocery shop would become a culinary hot spot? That's what happened when the folks behind places like Bells and Whistles and Lucky's Tacos turned their attention to more casual concepts (they closed gourmet gem Wildebeest earlier this year). The result: the humble corner of 12th and Carolina is now a go-to for carefully selected small-batch packaged food and a breakfast and lunch menu with dinner events and specials to keep things buzzing in the off hours.
Shameless buns
Sausage party: sinigang fries with longaniza, a sexy egg and spicy sauce. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
Well done to the owners of Vancouver's Shameless Buns food truck for surviving a hellish year. They faced a battle with Richmond City Hall over where they could park, continued to support local artisans in the Filipino community through their Magkasama Market events and opened a brick and mortar location in South Vancouver. Suddenly, Vancouverites are talking more about sinigang, spam fries and all things ube.
La Cantine Drive
This one's a game changer. That's because The Drive Canteen is designed to be the ideal hangout zone for families who love urban art, trainer culture, snacks and old-school video games. It's a hybrid snack shop that has also become a default hub for non-alcoholic drinks - not just shakes and howlers, but wine, beer and non-alcoholic spirits. Plus, you can choose your own nacho adventure (based on homemade seasoned chips) and buy snack selections that combine childhood nostalgia with affordability or a chance to support a small Vancouver-based producer. Frankly, this place is just damn cool.
Nemesis - Great Northern Way
A seasonal menu focused on local ingredients and sustainability is on offer at Nemesis GNW. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
The third location of Vancouver's Nemesis café stands out for its design: it's the large red "petal" building facing the new Emily Carr campus on Great Northern Way. Inside, it's a light, bright and airy place that slips between a spot worthy of a quality cup of coffee and an incredible pastry shop from the Dope Bakehouse branch of Nemesis and a place to sit down for a good meal.
Zarak
Zarak is a new Afghan restaurant in Vancouver. @zarakvancouver / Instagram
The team behind Surrey's Afghan Kitchen have just opened their first venture in Vancouver, called Zarak. While Vancouver has been home to Afghan cuisine for decades, Zarak represents a modern step forward and a new way to experience the cuisine.
Carlino
At Carlino, the Shangri-La Vancouver's newest restaurant, the focus is on "fai tu" meals, which are dishes chosen by the chef and enjoyed with the family. Mark Yammine / Courtesy of Carlino
Again, the history of regionalism in the kitchen is a powerful 2021 Vancouver restaurant trope. But perhaps what's most admirable about Carlino is that it's the product of self-awareness and a case study in what to do when things aren't going. right. Carlino, which just opened in early December, is the second iteration of Kitchen Table's tenure at the helm of Vancouver's Shangri-La Hotel restaurant. When their daring Chinese-Italian concept Miantiao didn't work well for the setting, they regrouped and tried again, without letting Miantiao languish any longer. Now you have Carlino, offering dishes from the Friuli region of northern Italy through a BC lentil at the hands of local chef great Mark Perrier.
Nancy Go Yaya
Kaya toast on pandan brioche at Nancy Go Yaya in Vancouver. @nancygoyaya / Instagram
Vancouverites love queuing for restaurants, and that's been the case since day one at Nancy Go Yaya, the little Chinatown spot specialising in Singaporean street food and other classics. This is where you can try elevated dishes like Kaya Toast - with a runny egg in soy sauce for dipping - and familiar dishes like Nasi Lemak and Laksa.
the elephant
Rabbit Laab is on the opening menu at Elephant, a new restaurant in East Vancouver, featuring dishes from chef Justin Lee. Photo courtesy of the elephant
There was an immediate murmur of delight after Elephant opened its doors in the former Trans Am space in East Vancouver. That's thanks to the expert restaurateurs behind Dachi, who launched the modern wine bar with a bold, boundary-pushing chef in the kitchen. That person is Justin Lee (sometimes known by his social media handle as 'Justin Ell'), and his opening menu at Elephant, the 18-seater, quickly became an absolute hot spot.
Chupito
Aguachile with prawns, scallops, octopus and lots of heat at Chupito in summer. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is awesome
Eating out is a way of life in Mexico, but in 'Raincouver' it was always limited to the 'terrace season' before the pandemic. Then we embraced al fresco and Chupito was born, a backyard bar-centric place with a great menu that set up shop behind La Taqueria on the outskirts of Gastown. You enter through the alleyway and are greeted with a "chupito", a small sip of something to start, before venturing into fresh and vibrant Mexican cuisine that will take you (mentally) to the seaside. Chupito has chosen to take a break for the colder months, but will be back in March 2022 to welcome Vancouverites in need of an escape.
Delara
Delara is a modern Iranian restaurant in Kitsilano. @delararestaurant / Instagram
File one more in the global food column with a modern twist thanks to Delara, which is the Persian restaurant that moved into the space vacated by Burgoo in Kitsilano. Specifically, Delara offers Iranian dishes for brunch, lunch and dinner prepared with seasonal ingredients with a base in tradition but an eye on what a contemporary Vancouver diner is looking for.
Prime: Bruno & Baan Lao (Richmond)
Pad Thai at Baan Lao, a new dining destination in Richmond. Lindsay William-Ross / Vancouver is great
Two restaurants south of the city limits stand out this year, largely because they can be quite unexpected for what the community is known for. While upscale restaurants aren't new to Richmond, diners now have Bruno, which has a distinct Pacific Northwest sensibility and focus with a healthy dose of showmanship thanks to elaborate presentations and a very modern, luxurious space. You could be served oysters amid a haze of dry ice, or duck in a wicker picnic basket on a bed of lavender at Bruno's, and you'll most likely have a fun - if indulgent - time.
In Steveston, you're also in for dinner and a show, but in the royal Thai tradition at Baan Lao, which completely transforms what you know about popular takeaway and mall cuisine in the hands of a chef/owner wildly. passionate about technique and ingredients. Here, a Thai meal is a fourteen-course affair with a few charming set pieces, but never at the expense of the food, which is brilliantly flavoured and cleverly presented.