Two Vancouver restaurants named among North America’s 50 Best
For a restaurant, an award or best-of accolade can attract a rush of new diners and create buzz.
“I can say, with 100 per cent certainty, that being named the No. 1 best restaurant in Canada changed our restaurant forever,” says Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, executive chef at Michelin-starred restaurant
In 2022, it received a
first-place ranking on the 100 Best Restaurants list
chosen by a panel of Canadian chefs, critics, food writers and others.
“Our website crashed from such high volume, and we filled up all available reservations in a matter of minutes — 2022, 2023, and well into 2024,” he said.
“As soon as we released a three-month block of availability, it would be sold out immediately.”
The celebrated local restaurant, located at
3593 Main St., has just added another notch to its awards tally.
Published was recently named to the inaugural list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants. The eatery took the No. 28 spot on the list, joining 11 other Canadian hotspots.
Published was joined on the list by
Richmond’s Baan Lao, which ranked No.12.
The Steveston restaurant, helmed by Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng, serves up Thai Royal cuisine in keeping with its perfectionist traditions.
Baan Lao was also named the Best Restaurant in West Canada at the awards.
Canada scored other noteworthy wins with North America’s Best Sommelier Award going to Montreal’s Vanya Filipovic and the Icon Award going to Chef Normand Laprise.
Stieffenhofer-Brandson called Published’s ranking on the list “surreal.”
“It’s always the talk of the cooks and chefs sitting around, eating a staff meal when the latest World’s 50 list comes out,” he notes. “And for us to be now included amongst such highly regarded restaurants is really a dream come true.”
Specializing in contemporary cuisine with a focus on sustainability and local sourcing, Published has previously been recognized on a few 50 Best Discovery lists. The ranking on the first North American list, revealed in a ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday night, sees the eatery among rarified restaurant royalty.
“To be included as one of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants out of nearly one million restaurants in North America is really a true honour,” says Stieffenhofer-Brandson.
Featuring restaurants located within the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean (Mexico is represented on a Latin America list), the 50 best list was chosen by the
North America’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The panel includes 300 independent restaurant experts, including chefs, journalists, educators and others.
Votes are done confidentially and anonymously and the resulting list is meant to be a “
straightforward reflection of the best dining experiences the Academy members have experienced.”
More than just a movement of the needle for reservations, Stieffenhofer-Brandson says culinary awards are a major point of pride for restaurant teams.
“Accolades like this are so validating for all the hard work our team puts in day in and day out,” Stieffenhofer-Brandson says. “Published on Main is nearly six years old, and we continue to push on, continue to strive for creating memorable dining experiences and cooking delicious and interesting food highlighting the best of our region’s ingredients.
“It takes a lot of small jobs done exceptionally well, and a lot of people working together in harmony to deliver that.”
Amid a turbulent year for Vancouver restaurants that has included several closures
, Stieffenhofer-Brandson underscores how a best-of ranking boosts recognition not just for his restaurant but Vancouver’s culinary capabilities as a whole.
“Vancouver is certainly gaining a lot more attention the last few years, and I feel like it’s certainly about time,” says Stieffenhofer-Brandson. “We’re a small ‘big city,’ and we definitely fly under the radar compared to other big restaurant cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco.”
The greatest draw for both diners and chefs, is the city’s proximity to what Stieffenhofer-Brandson calls some of the greatest products available in the world.
“An ocean a stone’s throw away, full of pristine seafood. The forest is loaded with mushrooms, berries, greens, and loads of other wild edibles. Incredible farmers and producers from Pemberton Meadows, the Fraser Valley, Delta, into the Okanagan growing and raising us the vast array of poultry, livestock, dairy, beautiful stone fruit, coveted tomatoes, grapes for wine — the fresh sheet lists are limitless,” he says.
“With our extended growing season, cooking and restaurants in Vancouver is fun and exciting, and I’m excited for us to have broader global exposure and recognition.”
And that abundance of ingredients, coupled with the city’s diverse communities, makes for a delicious mix of dining options.
“A true melting pot,” Stieffenhofer-Brandson says of the city’s food scene. “Whether you are grabbing hangover dim sum with some pals on a gloomy Sunday, eating a tasting menu somewhere on Main Street, tripping out to Richmond for sour-cabbage fish soup, a big bowl of rigatoni with vodka sauce in East Van, or loading up on some beautiful direct-from-the-farm vegetable dishes before heading to karaoke at the Princeton, there is something for everyone.”
These 11 Canadian restaurants just made the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Restaurants
50. Beba (Montreal)
44. Mhel (Toronto)
43. Alma (Montreal)
29. Le Violon (Montreal)
28. Published on Main (Vancouver)
22. Montreal Plaza (Montreal)
12. Baan Lao (Richmond) –
Best Restaurant in West Canada
11. Quetzal (Toronto)
5. Tanière3 (Quebec City) –
Art of Hospitality Award
3. Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Jordan Station, Ont.) –
Best Restaurant in Central Canada
2. Mon Lapin (Montreal) –
Best Restaurant in East Canada
Source: vancouversun.com