Best African & Caribbean

★ KILIMANJARO SNACK HOUSE

789 Kingsway, Vancouver kilisnackhouse.com

Gold winner Kilimanjaro

Snack House celebrates an unsung yet pervasive cuisine in our city: East African Ismaili Indian, its flavours rooted in central Asia and India—think silk road spices meeting tropical coconut and cassava in dishes like creamy coconut goat curry or chicken akni with cassava stew, brightened up with a side of carrot pickles and piping hot paratha. Davie Street’s Arike takes home silver for chef Sam Olayinka’s skilled techniques and elegant balance of PNW ingredients, creating inventive updates to traditional Nigerian dishes (boar ragout with cured tomato vinaigrette and Parmesan, or chicken dumpling with mango talkari). “The dishes are not a simple replating of traditional dishes,” noted one judge, “but reflect balance and intelligent re-composition so that flavours unfold on the palate in a beautiful narrative.” Bronze winner Baby Dhal ’s comforting

Trinidadian cuisine brings terrific heat and deep, luscious flavours—don’t leave without the classic Trini street food known as a★ Arike 1725 Davie St., Vancouver arikerestaurant.com

★ Baby Dhal

2707 Commercial Dr., Vancouver babydhalroti.com

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Fassil

736 E Broadway, Vancouver fassil.ca

Calabash Bistro

428 Carrall St., Vancouver calabashbistro.com doubles: soul-warming chickpea curry between two pieces of fry bread. Honourable mentions go to the warm and comforting Fassil for classic Ethiopian dishes and the alwaysbuzzy Calabash Bistro, where playful dishes like Kung Fu roti (and live music) lead to dancing the night away.