Gold: Nightingale
For a long time, Hawksworth at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia has been the place to go if you want to impress a dinner date or a business connection with a stunning room and similarly stunning menu (the grilled venison loin with dark chocolate jus is something legendary chef David Hawksworth does with style), but his upscale-casual offshoot Nightingale has caught the attention of our judges, earning the gold spot for Best Informal Contemporary. Standouts on the menu are “a perfect ham and pineapple pizza” made with guanciale, pineapple and habanero and a spaghetti and manila clam pasta that has set a new standard for classic vongole. Paired with excellent and intuitive service, Nightingale is “a big, popular restaurant that does everything right.”
1017 W Hastings St.
hawknightingale.com
Silver: Good Thief
Taking home silver is the Michelin Bib Gourmand cocktail and snack haunt Good Thief. A vibey Vietnamese street-food ambiance is met with consistently good and creative dishes (crunchy on the outside, sumptuous on the inside frog legs are a snack you’ll come back to—trust us), plus a rotating menu makes it new and fun to visit regularly.
3336 Main St.
goodthief.ca
Bronze: Nero Tondo
Bronze winner Nero Tondo debuts with outstanding fanfare. “Some rooms just have mojo,” wrote one judge of their experience at the Railtown eatery. “Vibe, service and just the sheer delight that all the staff had was worth the trip alone.”
1879 Powell St.
nerotondo.com
Honourable Mentions
June
3305 Cambie St.
juneoncambie.com
Niwa
1875 Powell St.
restaurantniwa.com
