Announcing the Finalists for the 2020 VanMag Restaurant Awards

There’s a lot going on in the world right now… but no matter what, we’ve still got to eat.

That’s why we’re thrilled to announce this year’s finalists for Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant Awards. It’s our 31st annual celebration of the city’s best rooms—from hidden gem hole-in-the-walls to lineup-out-the-door hot spots to worth-it culinary splurges—and for the 31st year in a row, our judges ate their way through Vancouver before debating and casting their ballots in a private, accountant-tabulated vote.

In addition to being up for gold, silver or bronze in their categories, one of the names on this list will be the one-and-only Restaurant of the Year.  We’ll be celebrating all of the winners in our annual Restaurant Awards issue of the magazine this May, and at our big awards bash (we’ll be announcing the date and venue soon!). Our Chef of the Year will also be announced the day of, too… so for now, it’s anyone’s game.

We’ll be sharing the contenders for Best New Restaurant in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that. And if you missed our announcements of the Best Bartender, Best Bar, Best Sommelier and Best Brewery Awards earlier this year, go catch up now so you know where to drink as you’re plotting your dinner plans for the next few months. 

In the meantime, go taste your way through our 2020 VanMag Restaurant Award Nominees and place your bets. Who will be taking home the gold this year?

Category Finalists

Best Casual

Chancho Tortilleria
DownLow Chicken Shack
Downlow Smash Burger
Fat Mao Noodles
HK BBQ Master

Best Chain

Cactus Club Cafe
Earls
Joey
Nook
Tacofino                 

Best Chinese

Chang ‘An
Chef Tony
Dynasty
Mott 32
New Fishport Bistro

Best European

Bacchus
Bauhaus
Chambar
Como Taperia
The Magnet

Best French

Au Comptoir
Le Crocodile
Provence Marinaside
St. Lawrence
Tableau Bar Bistro

Best Indian

Dosa Corner
My Shanti
Sachdeva Sweets
Swad Indian Kitchen
Vij’s

Best Italian

Ask for Luigi
Autostrada Osteria
Cioppino’s
La Quercia
Osteria Savio Volpe

Best Japanese

Dosanko
Masayoshi
Stem Japanese Eatery
Tetsu Sushi Bar
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine

Best Korean

Hanwoori Korean
Insadong Korean
Joong Won
Royal Seoul House
Sura Korean BBQ

Best Latin

Chancho Tortilleria
El Santo
La Mezcaleria
La Taqueria
Rinconcito Salvadoreno

Best Pan-Asian

Longtail Kitchen
Phnom Penh
Pidgin
Torafuku
Ugly Dumpling

Best Pizza

Bufala
Corduroy Pie Company
Farina a Legna
Pizzeria Farina
Via Tevere

Best Seafood

Ancora
Blue Water Cafe
Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar
Landmark Hot Pot House
Oddfish

Best Steakhouse

Atlas Steak and Fish
Elisa
Gotham Steakhouse and Bar
Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar
The Victor

Best Thai

Bob Likes Thai Food
Jitlada
Kin Kao
Maenam
Unchai

Best Upscale

Blue Water Café 
Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar
Cioppino’s 
Hawksworth
The Pear Tree

Best Vegetarian

Aleph Eatery
Beetbox
Do Chay
The Acorn
Virtuous Pie

Best Vietnamese

Anh and Chi
Co’m Vietnamese
Do Chay
Hanoi Old Quarter
Mr. Red Café 

Best West Coast

Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar
Burdock and Co
Farmer’s Apprentice
Mak N Ming
Nightingale

Best Okanagan

Home Block at CedarCreek 
Liquidity
Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek
Row Fourteen
Waterfront Wines

Best Victoria
House of Boateng
Nowhere
Part and Parcel
The Courtney Room
Wild Mountain

Best Whistler

Alta Bistro
Araxi
Bar Oso
Red Door Bistro
The Grill Room
The Mexican Corner

Best Neighbourhood: The Nominees

Best Chinatown

Bao Bei
Chinatown BBQ
Kissa Tanto
Oyster Express
Torafuku

Best Downtown

Bacchus
Blue Water Cafe
Botanist
Boulevard
Hawksworth
Tavola

Best East Side

Dachi
Kishimoto
Livia
Ugly Dumpling
Via Tevere

Best Gastown

Ask for Luigi
Bauhaus
L’Abattoir
Pidgin
St. Lawrence

Best Mount Pleasant

Burdock and Co.
Como Taperia
Koon Bo
Masayoshi
Osteria Savio Volpe

Best North Shore

Ancora
Bufala
Olive and Anchor
Terroir Kitchen
Two Rivers Meats

Best West Side

AnnaLena
Grapes and Soda
La Quercia/L’Ufficio
Maenam
Yuwa Japanese Cuisine