If you’re a foodie living in Vancouver, you’ve probably heard a LOT more about MICHELIN Stars over the past few years. Vancouver has always had an amazing food scene, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the MICHELIN Guide officially came to Vancouver, putting our city on the global culinary map.
I’ve had the chance to visit several of Vancouver’s MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, from contemporary tasting menus to Beijing duck, French-Canadian cuisine, and Japanese yakitori. So if you’re looking to experience some of the best restaurants in Vancouver, here’s my guide to the MICHELIN-Starred spots I’ve personally tried!
When did Vancouver get its first MICHELIN Stars?
The MICHELIN Guide officially announced Vancouver as a new destination in July 2022, and the very first Vancouver selection was revealed on October 27, 2022. The inaugural guide awarded eight Vancouver restaurants one MICHELIN Star, along with 12 Bib Gourmands.
Since then, Vancouver’s MICHELIN scene has continued to grow. In 2025, Sumibiyaki Arashi and Sushi Hyun joined the list, bringing Vancouver’s total to 12 starred restaurants.
Why should you visit a MICHELIN-Starred restaurant?
For me, the biggest reason is that a MICHELIN Star is about more than just fancy food. These restaurants are showcasing chefs who are incredibly intentional about their ingredients, techniques, flavours, and overall dining experience.
And Vancouver’s MICHELIN restaurants are especially fun to explore because they aren’t all doing the same type of cuisine. You can experience everything from Chinese and French to contemporary Canadian and Japanese, which really shows off how diverse Vancouver’s food scene is.
Here are the ⭐️ MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in Vancouver that I’ve personally visited and would recommend!
1) AnnaLena
AnnaLena was one of Vancouver’s original MICHELIN-Starred restaurants when the guide first launched here in 2022. I actually visited before they got a star and it was one of my most memorable meals at the time. Located in Kitsilano, it has a much more relaxed and approachable atmosphere than you might expect from a MICHELIN-Starred restaurant, but the food is seriously elevated.
Their tasting menu is seasonally inspired and constantly changing, with creative dishes that combine different flavours and techniques. Their mussels and torn bread still live rent-free in my mind many years later. I love that it doesn’t feel overly stuffy or formal, so if you’re looking for a MICHELIN-Starred experience that still feels fun and approachable, AnnaLena is a great place to start.
2) St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence is another one of Vancouver’s original MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, but instead of French fine dining in a formal setting, it takes inspiration from Québécois cuisine and French cooking. It’s super cozy, never pretentious, and feels almost like stepping into a little French bistro instead of a ‘fancy’ Michelin Starred restaurant!
The menu changes all the time so you’ll never get bored, and I’ve been impressed every time I visited. I also love the open kitchen, which makes the whole experience feel more personal and interactive.
3) Sumibiyaki Arashi
Sumibiyaki Arashi is one of the newer MICHELIN-Starred restaurants on this list, earning its first star in 2025. This tiny 14-seat restaurant in Mount Pleasant specializes in Japanese sumibiyaki and yakitori, with everything cooked over binchotan charcoal.
This is such a fun experience because you’re sitting right at the counter and can watch the chefs prepare and grill each course in front of you. The focus is on incredibly precise chicken cookery, from classic yakitori cuts to more unique parts, along with seasonal dishes throughout the omakase. If you love Japanese food and want something more intimate, this one is definitely worth putting on your Vancouver food bucket list!! Reservations are hard to come by so make sure you grab them way ahead of time!
4) iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House
If you want to experience something a little different, iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House is a very unique MICHELIN-Starred restaurant in Vancouver. This is a Chinese restaurant specializing in Beijing duck, with QuanJuDe tracing its history all the way back to Beijing in 1864. They do get mixed reviews but honestly my experience was very good when I came so I would still recommend them if you’re looking for an elevated Peking Duck experience in Vancouver!
The dining room is also part of the experience, with a luxurious gold-accented interior that feels much more elevated than your typical Chinese restaurant. Of course, the star of the show is the crispy, juicy Beijing duck, but there are also plenty of other luxury Chinese dishes to explore if you’re looking to make it a big celebratory meal.
Are MICHELIN-Starred Restaurants Worth It?
At the end of the day, I do think it’s worth trying MICHELIN-Starred Restaurants especially if you’re someone who loves food and wants to experience what different chefs are the world are capable of. That doesn’t mean every MICHELIN-Starred restaurant will be your personal favourite, but the whole point is that you’re getting a carefully curated dining experience with a level of consistency and technique that MICHELIN inspectors have deemed exceptional.
And honestly, I love that Vancouver’s MICHELIN scene is so diverse. Whether you want Chinese, French, Japanese, or contemporary cuisine, there’s a MICHELIN-Starred restaurant here that can give you a completely different experience.
Also, if you haven’t followed my Instagram already, go check out @eatingwithkirby for more awesome food reccos + recipes!
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