Gold: Sushi Hil
Where other spots across the country may boast the best beef (Alberta, we’re looking at you) or maple-tinged anything, Vancouver is where you come for some of the world’s best sushi—so you know you’ve got a good thing going when you’ve been voted best by both the critics and the people at large, and Sushi Hil deserves this gold. The restaurant occupies that rare niche that is less expensive than the city’s more pricey omakase offerings, but chef Hilary Nguy keeps it authentic with a classic approach to the cornerstones: beautifully selected and cut sashimi embellished with just the right lifts of spiced vinegars and fresh herbs that highlight the inherent sweet cleanness of top-notch seafood. “The room small and the focus is dialled-in,” wrote one judge. “It’s a fun and lively room—the number-one place I’d send an out-of-towner to.”
3330 Main St.
sushihil.com
Silver: Yuwa
Silver winner Yuwa is known for pushing the envelope with both sake and wine (which is why you’ll find co-owner and sommelier Iori Kataoka earning this year’s Sommelier of the Year spot—see page 54), but the institution is a supremely sleek Japanese restaurant “with a sense of Armani quiet luxury that draws a monied west-side clientele,” said one judge. Service at the Kitsilano restaurant is engaged and sharp, with standout dishes including their oden (with a deep broth, long-simmered pieces of daikon and a surprise of grilled bluefin tuna), Spanish mackeral “that did not shy away from the metallic tang of oily fish,” and a luscious black sesame pudding glazed with sweet sticky honey.
2775 W 16th Ave.
yuwa.ca
Bronze: Kishimoto
Commercial Drive’s Kishimoto stays on the list with its bronze; the restaurant is revered for its freshness, vibrancy and simple dedication to making it all from scratch: “Sauces and seasonings are built from the ground up, not just poured from a bottle,” wrote one judge.
2054 Commercial Dr.
kishimotorestaurant.com
Honourable Mentions
Oku Izakaya
2 Water St.
okuizakayabar.com
Dosanko
100–566 Powell St.
dosankorestaurant.ca
