Published on Main is a pacific northwest restaurant in Mount Pleasant, Vancouver.
Published on Main from 2020 is chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson's wood-fire tasting room on Main, Canada's Best Restaurant 2022 and Michelin-starred 2022.
Signature dishes: Tasting menu, BC sea urchin, Wood-fire plates
Must order: The tasting menu; chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson sets the seasonal pace.
Tip: Tock reservations open 30 days out and book within hours; the chef's counter takes a separate higher-priced menu.
Address: 3593 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3N5
Kissa Tanto on East Pender from chef Joel Watanabe and Tannis Ling is a Japanese-Italian room with a 1960s Tokyo jazz cafe feel, Michelin-starred 2022.
Signature: Spaghettini vongole, Tagliatelle bolognese, Crispy tuna otsumami
Order: The spaghettini vongole and the crispy tuna otsumami, the kitchen's signature crossover plates.
Tip: Reservations open 30 days out on Resy; Tuesday is the harder seat. The bar takes walk-ins for spaghettini and a Negroni.
Bao Bei on Keefer Street since 2010 is Tannis Ling's modern Chinese brasserie, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022, the city's reference natural-wine Chinese.
Signature: Shao bing pork belly, Mantou with chicken, Spicy peanut noodles
Order: Shao bing pork belly bun with the spicy peanut noodles; pair with a sake highball.
Tip: No reservations; the bar walks in from 17:30. Sunday evening is the easier seat.
Maenam on West 4th since 2009 is chef Angus An's modern Thai room, Michelin recommended 2022, the city's reference Bangkok-meets-BC kitchen.
Signature: Crispy oyster pad Thai, Spot prawn curry, Whole Fraser Valley duck
Order: The crispy oyster pad Thai with the chef's tasting; chef Angus An runs the kitchen.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable open 30 days out; the bar walks in for pad Thai and a Tiger beer.
Tojo's on West Broadway runs chef Hidekazu Tojo's omakase since 1988, the kitchen credited with inventing the California roll and the BC roll.
Signature: Tojo's omakase, BC roll, Spot prawn nigiri
Order: The omakase at the sushi counter; chef Hidekazu Tojo invented the BC roll here in 1974.
Tip: The omakase counter books two weeks out on OpenTable; the dining room takes shorter notice.
Miku on Granville with a Coal Harbour patio has popularised flame-seared aburi sushi in Vancouver since 2008, sister to Minami room in Yaletown.
Signature: Aburi salmon oshi sushi, Aburi prime ebi oshi, Sashimi tower
Order: The Aburi salmon oshi sushi, the dish that defined Miku and aburi-style sushi in Vancouver.
Tip: Patio bookings on OpenTable need a month for summer Saturdays; lunch walks in. Try Minami in Yaletown if Miku is full.
Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown under chef Frank Pabst since 2000 is Vancouver's reference seafood room, Ocean Wise certified and an Unsung Heroes host.
Signature: Seafood tower, Wild BC salmon, Sablefish
Order: The seafood tower with raw oysters, plus the wild BC sablefish from the wood grill.
Tip: The raw bar walks in early evening; the dining room books a week out on OpenTable. February's Unsung Heroes menu is the calendar event.