a Best Thai

★ MAENAM

1938 W 4th Ave., Vancouver maenam.ca

Maenam returns to the top of the charts this year after a brief 2022 dip to silver: welcome back, old friend. Despite the fact Chef Angus An is now juggling a culinary empire (see: Fat Mao, Longtail, the other Fat Mao, et cetera), Maenam continues to up the ante for the city’s Thai scene. “So complex, yet balanced and intriguing—some blaze boldly, others are expressed more delicately,” said one judge. Song by Kin Kao places silver this year, still riding high from its pandemic pivots. When they could have been selling casual Thai food for takeout during the darkest days of COVID, they took a riskier, experimental route. The result? “Even the tofu excites me here,” said one judge. Bronze winner Unchai goes beyond the Canadianified Thai cannon (no offense, pad thai) to bring regional specialties to life: moo cook foon (grilled pork salad) and khaw kling (spicy dry-fried curry paste with ground chicken). Honourable mentions go to Baan Lao and Longtail Kitchen—the former high-end, the latter happily casual, but both excelling in the art of tasty Thai.

★ Song by Kin Kao 317 E Broadway, Vancouver songyvr.com

★ Unchai 2351 Burrard St., Vancouver unchai.ca

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Baan Lao 100 Bayview St., Richmond baanlao.ca

Longtail Kitchen

810 Quayside Dr., New Westminster longtailkitchen.com

St. Lawrence offers a marriage of classic French cuisine and the gastronomic identity and culture of Les Québécois. At its heart, St. Lawrence showcases time-honoured traditions in an elevated-yet-approachable space where food, drink and atmosphere combine for a transportive dining experience unlike any other.

One of the most celebrated restaurants in Canada, St. Lawrence was proudly awarded One Star by the Michelin Guide in 2022.

Of The Year

★ FANNY BAY fannybayoysters.com

Oysters get us excited. Not just because they’re believed to boost libido; the local oysters served by our neighbourhood restaurants are top-notch. And if you’re emptying shells at L’Abattoir, Fish Man, Como Taperia, Boulevard

Kitchen and Oyster Bar, or 30-plus other restaurants in the city, chances are the oysters you’re enjoying are from our 2023 Vanmag Restaurant Awards

Producer of the Year: Fanny Bay. One judge voted in Fanny Bay’s favour for “sheer complexity, scale, sustainability and quality,” and many others remarked that the recognition is well-deserved given the company’s 40-plus-year history of providing awesome shellfish to Vancouver and beyond. Shuck yeah.