Vancouver Has A New Michelin Star Restaurant & 5 Cheaper Options Were Added To The Guide

Michelin has finally added more Vancouver restaurants to their guide, including a new One Star restaurant and five more Bib Gourmand spots. The longer list gives foodies the chance to explore the different fine dining restaurants in Vancity.

On October 5, the Michelin Guide 2023 ceremony took place at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, where they added a ninth restaurant to the Michelin Star list, along with more Bib Gourmand restaurants and 12 recommended spots.

"The famously anonymous Michelin Guide inspectors once again were impressed with the culinary community here," Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guides, said in a press release.

"This sort of steady growth is what we often see in second-year selections, and it is definitely a harbinger of great things to come. We are very proud of the passionate chefs and restaurant teams here in Vancouver, and they make their city very proud," Poullennec added.

Okeya Kyujiro is the only new restaurant that received One Star in the 2023 ceremony. It's a Japanese restaurant helmed by Chef Takuya Matsuda.

From the sounds of it, the restaurant offers a dramatic experience. "Hosts dressed in stunning traditional clothing guide you to a dark room, lit only by the faintest glow from votive candles. A black curtain is raised ceremoniously only when the clock strikes the precise minute of your seating," the inspector shared.

Michelin's critics said the omakase experience is "a memorable show from start to finish."

Their highlights include the "chawanmushi with cherry blossom, shatteringly crispy tempura sandbar fish, spicy firefly squid on a bamboo skewer and a presentation of two uni petals from different Japanese waters served with seaweed jam."

Five new restaurants were added to the Bib Gourmand list for serving great food served at a reasonable price. These Vancouver restaurants include Farmer's Apprentice, Karma Indian Bistro, Motonobu Udon, Seaport City Seafood and Sushi Hil.

Additionally, Michelin added Archer, Bao Bei, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Elisa, Folke, Hanai, Moltaqa, Regal Mansion Cuisine, Sushi Jin, Suyo, Tetsu Sushi Bar, and Wildlight Kitchen + Bar to its recommended list.

The news comes a few weeks after the Michelin Guide revealed its updated Toronto recommendations, which included two new One Star restaurants and four Bib Gourmand spots.

Toronto and Vancouver are currently the only Canadian cities in the Michelin Guide.