Surprise! Michelin Adds 10 More Vancouver Restaurants to Recommended List

Honesty time: we weren’t expecting to hear from Michelin until the fall, when the 2023 Vancouver Michelin Guide will be announced. Since the tire-company-slash-globally-esteemed-food-guide dropped the very first Vancouver list in October 2022, we haven’t heard much from the puffy white guy. To refresh your memory: eight restaurants got a Michelin star, 12 got a “Bib Gourmand” nod and 60 total were recommended.

Those three different designations—star vs. Bib Gourmand vs. recommended—caused a bit of confusion. And now, Michelin is stirring the proverbial (delicious) pot again: it’s added 10 more restaurants to the recommended list.

Archer, Bao Bei, Farmer’s Apprentice, Folke, Hanai, Karma Indian Bistro, Motonobu Udon, Okeya Kyujiro, Sushi Hill and Sushi Jin have all been added to the list. To be clear, they haven’t earned a star (yet)—but they are on the recommended list, bringing the total list of Michelin-recommended Vancouver restaurants to 70.

Many of these restaurants are quite new (almost half of them opened in the last two years) but there’s also a few long-adored favourites. Here’s all the deets (and yes, of course we’re going to bring up our own Restaurant Awards—any excuse to talk about ourselves).

The 10 Vancouver Restaurants Added to Michelin’s Recommended List

Archer

This Pacific Northwest restaurant opened in fall 2021 (here’s our coverage of the opening). The smoked oysters are delicious, the room is beautiful, and their recently introduced brunch menu has a truly spectacular cereal milk French toast. They also have a stellar cocktail and mocktail list–here’s how to make the rhubarb sour.

It’s currently closed for maintenance, but check IG for updates.

1152 Alberni St.
archerdining.com

Bao Bei

Chinatown fave Bao Bei was named one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants and earned the Vanmag Best New award when it opened in 2010, and has earned numerous accolades since (most recently as finalist for Best Chinese in 2022). We’re honestly surprised that it wasn’t on the list in the first place. It’s a fabulous date night spot —don’t miss the mantou buns with braised pork, hoisin, pickled ginger and cucumber.

163 Keefer St.
bao-bei.ca

Farmer’s Apprentice

Farmer’s Apprentice also earned a Best New Restaurant award from Vanmag when it opened in 2014 (and it snagged Best Casual that same year). Myself and fellow editor Nathan Caddell can also confirm that the restaurant (and their pop-up, Basta Barbecue) had one of the best dishes at last Sunday’s Brewery and the Beast—and there was some very tough competition.

1535 W 6th Ave.
farmersapprentice.ca

 

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Folke

I’m pleased to say I booked a reservation at Folke for next week a few days ago with no knowledge of the forthcoming Michelin nod, so I’ll be starting to charge for psychic services soon. This vegetable-focused restaurant earned silver in the Best New category of our 2023 Restaurant Awards—it just opened in spring 2022.

2585 W Broadway
folkerestaurant.com

Hanai

Another face we saw at Brewery and the Beast—co-owner Miki Ellis was just serving up sesame-coated chicken wings off a hot grill on Sunday. Co-owner Stephen Whiteside earned a spot on our 2023 Premier Crew for outstanding front-of-house service. This is the place to get a taste of Hawaii in Vancouver (and meet some pretty wonderful people).

1590 Commercial Dr.
hanaivancouver.com

Karma Indian Bistro

This Kitsilano restaurant (the second on this list, it’s just a few blocks away from Folke) opened in summer 2022. It’s serving traditional Indian favourites in a cozy room. Time to make a reso.

2741 W 4th Ave.
karmaindianbistro.ca

 

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Motonobu Udon

I’ll admit this spot wasn’t on my radar, but it was on our art director’s—she’s raving about their perfectly chewy handmade udon noodles (brag alert). The restaurant bravely opened in August 2020, and dishes include Nikitofu udon (with beef brisket and thin-fried tofu) and Umewaka udon (with japanese pickled plum and seaweed).

This is the beginning of a Michelin-recommended Japanese extravaganza—read on for more.

3501 E Hastings St.
motonobuudon.ca

 

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Okeya Kyujiro

It’s the second Japanese restaurant on this list, and earned an honourable mention in Best New Restaurant in our 2023 Restaurant Awards. Okeya Kyujiro’s omakase is spectacular, while pricey ($300 per person)—it’s dinner and a show, all in an intimate, elevated space.

1038 Mainland St.
okeya.ca

Sushi Hil

A third Japanese restaurant! Woot woot! Sushi Hil earned bronze in Best New in and an honourable mention in Best Japanese in our 2023 Restaurant Awards. Here’s an excerpt from our judge’s thoughts on the chirashi royale: “the dish sang with abundance and each element was distinct and bright, balancing indulgence and restraint perfectly.”

3330 Main St.
sushihil.com

Sushi Jin

In the famous words of DJ Khaled: anotha one. Sushi Jin is the fourth Japanese restaurant on this list of 10, and also the second instance of me being totally clairvoyant (I made an Instagram reel this morning, again, before I knew about this announcement). The restaurant earned finalist status in the Best Japanese category of the 2023 Restaurant Awards. I can say firsthand that the passion that Chef Jin puts into every single component of his beautiful dishes is truly amazing: here’s a little taste.

750 Nelson St.
sushijin.business.site

 

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