British Columbians don’t have to travel far if they want to eat in one of Canada’s best restaurants — as long as they live in Vancouver.
The province features 18 entries in the 2023 edition of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List, with 15 of those entries located in the Lower Mainland metropolis.
The exceptions are a pair of establishments in Whistler — Wild Blue and Bearfoot Bistro — and one, Pluvio, in Ucluelet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
Montreal restaurants dominate this year’s list with 27 eateries on the annual ranking, led by Mon Lapin in the No. 1 spot.
The 2023 list of exceptional eateries includes several Michelin-starred restaurants including Toronto’s contemporary French favourite Alo in second place, Vancouver’s locally-sourced Published on Main in third and Toronto’s Edulis in fourth.
Published on Main previously held the top spot on the 2022 list of best restaurants.
Toronto is home to 18 of the hotspots, including the double Michelin-starred Sushi Masaki Saito in 19th place. Vancouver has 15 restaurants on the list — including four in the top 10 — Ottawa has eight, Calgary has seven and Halifax boasts four.
Editor-in-chief Jacob Richler and the team behind the rankings also announced their top 10 best new restaurants, led by Toronto’s Prime Seafood Palace.
Now in its ninth year, the gastronomic catalogue celebrates the country’s best places to dine as decided by 135 judges chosen for their reputation and knowledge of the culinary scene.
Officials say the judges do not receive any direction on where to go and what to eat and no free meals are accepted.
This year’s judges included “Top Chef Canada” judge Mijune Pak, Vancouver restaurant critic Mia Stainsby and celebrity chef Michael Smith.
The list of 100 best restaurants includes two each from Quebec City, Winnipeg, Edmonton, St. John’s, N.L. and Whistler, with the rest of the entries scattered among smaller communities across the country.
The full announcement, including 50 best bars and awards for various categories including best sommelier and pastry chef, can be found online here. Here’s a look at the top 10:
1. Mon Lapin, Montreal
2. Alo, Toronto
3. Published on Main, Vancouver
4. Edulis, Toronto
5. Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Jordan Station, Ont.
6. St. Lawrence, Vancouver
7. Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ont.
8. Beba, Verdun, Que.
9. AnnaLena, Vancouver
10. Kissa Tanto, Vancouver
—Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
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