Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is a seafood restaurant in West End, Vancouver.
Joe Fortes on Thurlow is Vancouver's long-running upmarket seafood house since 1985, named for Vancouver's first lifeguard, plus a rooftop oyster bar.
Signature dishes: Oysters on the half shell, Cedar plank salmon, Crab cakes
Must order: A dozen Read Island oysters with a glass of BC sparkling, plus the cedar plank salmon.
Tip: The rooftop oyster bar walks in for sundowner oysters from 16:00 May to September; the dining room books on OpenTable.
Address: 777 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5
Phnom Penh on East Georgia Street since 1985 runs the Cambodian and Vietnamese kitchen the city sets its bar by, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022.
Signature: Crispy chicken wings, Butter beef carpaccio, Pho ga
Order: A double order of the crispy chicken wings and butter beef carpaccio; Phnom Penh's reference plates.
Tip: No reservations; arrive before 18:00 or after 20:30 to skip the line. Cash takes a discount.
Sushi Masuda on West 1st Avenue is chef Hirofumi Masuda's small edomae counter since 2018, Michelin-starred in the inaugural 2022 Vancouver guide.
Signature: Edomae omakase, Akami tuna, Hokkaido uni
Order: The omakase at the counter; chef Hirofumi Masuda trained at Sukiyabashi Jiro and Sushi Saito.
Tip: Reservations on Tock open 60 days out and book within minutes; one omakase price point.
Fable Kitchen on West 4th from chef Trevor Bird is a farm-to-table room since 2012, Top Chef Canada finalist and the city's reference Kits neighbourhood pick.
Signature: Wood-grilled steelhead, Crispy chicken, Brunch poutine
Order: The crispy fried chicken with smashed potatoes; a Top Chef Canada Kitsilano standby.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; Sunday brunch books on Resy.
Ask for Luigi in Railtown since 2013 is J-C Poirier's Italian handmade-pasta room, the same kitchen behind St Lawrence, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022.
Signature: Tagliatelle bolognese, Cacio e pepe, Pappardelle with rabbit ragu
Order: Handmade pappardelle with rabbit ragu, the kitchen's reference pasta from chef J-C Poirier.
Tip: No reservations; walk-in line from 17:00. The bar opens 30 minutes earlier.
Masayoshi on Fraser Street is chef Masayoshi Baba's small edomae sushi counter since 2014, Michelin one-star from the inaugural 2022 BC guide.
Signature: Edomae omakase, Akami nigiri, Steamed egg custard
Order: The omakase counter set, the only menu format; chef Masayoshi Baba sets the pace.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Tock and book within minutes; counter only.
Savio Volpe on Kingsway from chefs Mark Perrier and Paul Grunberg since 2016 is a Roman trattoria with a wood-fired grill, Michelin recommended 2022.
Signature: Wood-grilled meats, Hand-cut tonnarelli, Whole grilled trout
Order: Hand-cut tonnarelli cacio e pepe with the wood-grilled lamb chops.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; the bar walks in for grilled antipasti.
