For the 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, we continued our new tradition of Editors’ Choices: picks from our editorial team which highlight the rooms in the city that serve a specific purpose, in addition to having great food and service.
Editors’ Choice: Best Rooms for Rubbing Elbows
Bacchus, 845 Hornby St., wedgewoodhotel.com
Giardino, 1328 Hornby St., umberto.com
Some restaurants are about the food; others are about who you might run into between the bread basket and dessert. This year’s winners understand that dining is as much a social sport as it is a culinary one. Bacchus remains the city’s most reliable power-lunch and late-night rendezvous, where politicos, visiting celebs and well-heeled locals cut deals while settled comfortably in lush leather booths.
And then there’s Giardino, with its Tuscan vibes and lush secret courtyard; this spot draws the West Van set into town for red-wine-soaked dinners and hot gossip, comfortably hosted by servers who have been around so long they feel like family. It’s two very different vibes, but both institutions remind us that sometimes the best seat in the house is the one where you’ve got an eye on everyone else.
