Golden Plates 2026: Vancouver's best food and drink roundup
Georgia Straight honours top restaurants, chefs, bars, and neighbourhood spots across 30+ categories. Here are standout winners.
Georgia Straight's Golden Plates awards for 2026 recognise the city's best food, drink, and dining culture across more than 40 categories. The list spans established institutions and emerging hotspots across Vancouver's neighbourhoods.
Best Restaurant honours go to Dovetail, Savio Volpe, and AnnaLena. Dovetail also claimed Best Chef (Ejner Christiansen) and Best Bartender (Danica Dreyer). Published on Main won Best Restaurant – Fine Dining, while Lunch Lady took Best Restaurant – Casual and Best Cheap Eats goes to Tacofino.
For those seeking comfort, Cockney Kings Fish & Chips earned Best Comfort Food, sharing the category with Burgoo and DownLow Chicken. Blue Water Café claimed Best Restaurant – Seafood, while Elisa won Best Restaurant – Steakhouse. The Acorn leads plant-based dining, and Miku tops Japanese.
Cafe culture highlights include Café Medina for Best Breakfast, Jam Cafe for Best Brunch, Nemesis for Best Coffee Roaster and Best Coffee Shop. Thomas Haas earned Best Chocolatier.
Bar standouts include Keefer Bar (Best Cocktail Bar), Dear Gus (Best Wine Bar), and Irish Heather (Best Pub). For craft, 33 Acres won Best Brewery, Odd Society Best Distillery, and Salt Spring Wild Cider Best B.C. Cider.
A complete list of winners across cuisines—from African and Caribbean to Vietnamese, Thai, and Mediterranean—appears in the full Golden Plates feature, recognising the city's diverse culinary landscape.