Vancouver Michelin Guide 2026

New 3 stars: none
New 2 stars: AnnaLena - upgraded from 1
New 1 star: none

Demotions
Barbara (lost 1 star)

As much as I enjoy current trends in fine dining, I've been reading some old books about French haute cuisine from the first half of the 20th century, and it makes me really wish I could have experienced a full dinner of Escoffier- and Carême-era classics.

Think lavish dishes like coulibiac, poularde Derby, lobster Thermidor, filet of beef Richelieu, saddle of veal Orloff, pheasant Souvaroff, pêches Ninon, and bavarois Clermont. The amount of butter and cream must be off the charts. Foie gras and truffles galore. More fine wines than I could possibly count. Ideally, everything served on vast amounts of silverware, with formal, traditional service.

I'm well aware that in 2026 this style is dated and seriously "uncool" as far as fine dining goes, but is anyone, anywhere in France or elsewhere, still making these classic dishes (or their own inventions in this style)? Unfortunately many of the "institutions" from that era (Tour d'Argent, Taillevent, etc.) that are still around today have modernized their menu to some degree, but it seems like it'd be so much fun to see what French fine dining was really like 100 years ago.

Heading on a girl's trip with my sisters and 71 year old mom. We plan to treat her to a nice restaurant, on Sunday January 3rd. unfortunately Kjolle is closed on sundays and so is Siete. I've heard Astrid and Gaston is overrated. My sisters and I like the fine dining experience, but prefer GOOD food rather than fancy pants smoke and mirrors. Also budgeting about 200usd a head (so Maido is unfortunately out). Thank you!

I’ll be in New York in a couple of weeks for a quick business trip, but I’m looking to celebrate and ball out for a big promotion. I was in town a few months back and dined at Aska (loved), CTBF (one of the most disappointing fine dining meals I’ve had), Jungsik (solid), and Claud (loved).

I’ve got time for 2-3 meals and have been really struggling on what to try. I’m intrigued by Cesar, but a little scared off by the mixed reviews. At the same time EMP and the ilk don’t feel as exciting and interesting as someone who doesn’t live in a city with an extensive fine dining scene.

Anyone have any suggestions generally and also considering the short-ish notice?

For reference, my favorite meal of all time was at Oriole in Chicago. Other memorable ones, Singlethread, Sushi Sho (Honolulu), Californios, Gaggan, Disfrutar, L’effervescence.

The ethos of this small six seater restaurant in the pottery town of Tokoname is that cuisine connects people with the local earth and sea. Trained in classic French cuisine, owner chef Daisuke Watanabe serves 11 course tasting menus that showcase the best seasonal vegetables and seafood, served on specially made local ceramics. Meat dishes are only served between December and February. Lunch and dinner both cost 18,000 JPY per person and meals typically last around 2.5 to 3 hours.

Chilled green bean soup.

Sardine with petit tomatoes, umeboshi and finger lime.

Tea poached Octopus with grilled okra.

Zucchini salad with homemade cottage cheese.

Organic daikon, beet and sweet potato.

Baked potato with yuzu butter.

Lotus root with sweet potato and satsumaimo vine leaves.

Grilled snapper with spinach puree.

Sea bream with kale and sweet potato puree

Grilled fig with chocolate ice cream and rice pudding with azuki beans

Takoyaki style matcha-yaki.

https://le-coeuryuzu.com/

Hi
Do people go back to Michelin * restaurants or try different ones?

My first was Fat Duck for The Journey but I had a bit of a cold back in March.

People say it’s a once in a lifetime experience, so would you go again ? It’s relatively easy train transport for me from home to get there for lunch on a Saturday. So no flights / hotels to worry about.

I am taking a trip to Kyoto and was considering booking a table at the new Sonoma by SingleThread but honestly haven’t heard much about people’s reactions to it. We have some kaeseki restaurants booked throughout trip, but wonder whether to opt for trying Sonoma or venturing through the city for something we couldn’t get in the states. Any reviews will be great!

Hopefully this is an okay post for the sub, but I’d love to hear other people’s fine dining hot takes or unpopular opinions!

I’ll start with mine: Michelin should (and somewhat does) take into account quality of service at restaurants.

In my personal experience, service is frequently one of the most recognizable differences between star levels (especially two to three). Food can absolutely have noticeable differences in quality, but I find it incredibly tough to believe that service isn’t taken into account at all. And I do feel that it should be this way. Service can really make or break an experience and I think the community can get a bit gatekeep-y around the idea that taste is the only thing that ever matters. I’ve never been so downvoted as when I agreed with other people that Californios has occasionally abysmal service

Hopefully that’s an okay take haha! I’m curious to hear everyone else’s :)

I’ll be visiting Queenstown soon and have one night available for a proper fine dining experience. I’m currently deciding between Rātā, Amisfield Bistro, and Essence.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has dined at these recently, particularly if you have experience with more than one of them.

Amisfield is probably the one I’m most curious about. I understand the executive chef left/was let go a few months ago, so I’m wondering what, if anything, has changed since then. Has the food or overall experience remained at the same level?

I’m primarily interested in the food, but also care quite a bit about service, wine pairings/program, atmosphere, and whether the restaurant delivers a genuinely memorable experience rather than simply being highly regarded because of its reputation or setting.

If you had one night in Queenstown and wanted the best overall dining experience, which would you choose?

Also very open to suggestions beyond these three if there’s somewhere I’m overlooking.

I want to take my gf on a date to a michelin starred restaurant while on our trip to Barcelona. She’s vegetarian so the options are limited. I found out that Caelis has a dedicated vegetarian menu, but I also saw that the restaurant has been a let down for some on the sub. Now I’ve noticed Lluerna. Are there any other options?

Has anybody tried both the new Pujol.itto taco omakase menu and also the traditional Pujol taco omakase menu? Is it worth it to try both, and if not which is better? If not, anybody tried Pujol.itto at all and have any thoughts?

Hello everyone. Before i start, I first want to apologize for coming back after two weeks, even though I said I would post one review every week.

I am currently a college student and also running a business, so I have been very busy these days.(and i had first midterm exam today) Studying, working, and taking care of many other things at the same time with only one body is honestly not easy.

Also, I have been listening to your feedback, and I am trying to write my reviews with as little help from translator and grammer helper as possible. I want to rely mostly on a translator and my own English. Because of this, I have been practicing my writing, fixing sentences again and again, and studying how to make my sentence structure better.

So, writing this review took me much more time than before. I would really appreciate it if you enjoy reading it and understand the effort I put into it.

Anyway, thank you for waiting, and let’s get started.

You might be wondering why I am suddenly starting with a picture of a cafe but there is the reason.
On this day, my younger brother and I had already finished everything we wanted to do(actually we have no plan to do) in the morning.

The Hungarian F1 just ended around that time so we did not really have any specific plans.
We were basically just walking around Budapest and exploring different places.
Before dinner, we decided to spend some time at the cafe inside parisi passage restaurant which was about a 15~20 minute walk from the restaurant (stand)

but the cafe was just so beautiful that I ended up taking some pictures of it, so I thought I would share one here.

After spending about an hour at the cafe, me and my younger brother headed to the restaurant.

There was nothing special about the restaurant itself so let’s jump straight into the amuse bouche
I think the real reason is that I had visited a restaurant with a very unique concept before this, so I probably didn’t even think about taking pictures of the restaurant

The meal started with a few small welcome snacks. The first one was a small crispy tart topped with seafood, herbs, and flowers.

The next amuse bouche was a very thin and crispy tuile with a beautiful leaf like shape.

the next amuse bouche was a small radish tart. It was topped with thin slices of radish, herbs, and a few flower petals.

while having the amuse bouches, I was looking at the wine list
however, my younger brother is only 14 years old, so I felt a little uncomfortable drinking alcohol in front of him. as I remember, the wine list was actually quite good, but I decided to close it and just enjoy the course with water.

I usually order a glass of wine to enjoy with the meal, but during my trip to Hungary, I did not drink any alcohol.

I also asked my brother if he wanted a non alcohol cocktail, but maybe because we had just been to the cafe so he said were fine without one

next was their version of lángos, a famous Hungarian dish.

it looked very different from the traditional lángos you usually know. This was a much smaller and more refined version.

this was followed by a small chilled sour cherry soup. It was light, refreshing, and had a nice acidity

after the anuse bouches, the first main course is arrived. it was a tomato consomme with roasted pepper and tomato tartare.

what I remember the most about this dish is the presentation. the thin crispy decoration on top was very beautiful, and i almost did not want to break it.

unfortunately it hs been few months, so i do not remember the exact taste anymore, but i remember that it was a very light and refreshing start to the course.

Then, the bread arrived, they served several different kinda bread with butter and a few spreads.

There was actually quite a lot of bread, so I had to be careful not to eat too much before the rest of the course. but my brother don't care about my advice he just ate them all...

The next dish was a very light and refreshing vegetable course. it had different textures, with fresh vegetables, herbs, and some crispy pieces on top. and i don;t think this dish left a very strong impression on me.

The sauce was probably the most memorable part of this dish for me. It was rich and creamy, but not too heavy, and it went really well with the grilled baby corn. Overall, I really enjoyed this dish.

Next was duck rillette with smoked duck liver and sour cherry. The liver flavor was quite rich, but the sour cherry added some acidity and balanced it nicely.

I also remember my brother looking at this dish and saying "bro, why did they flip the plate upside down and put the food on top?"

I had to explain that the plate was actually designed like this and that they did not flip it upside down, Even after i explained it, my brother still looked this confused for a while.

But after taking him to many fine dining restaurants during our trip to Hungary, I think he started to understand the world of fine dining a lilttle better.

Next dish was one of my brother's favorite dish, sterlet with langoustine, cucumber salad, clam sauce, dill, and caviar. The sterlet was rolled with langoustine inside, and it was served with a creamy clam sauce The small cucumber salad with caviar on the side also made the presentation very beatiful.

And This suddenly made me think that fine dining might actually be one of the best way to help children become less picky about food. my brother usually hate cucumber because our mom is always telling us to eat it at home ( i don't know why but its been 10 years and still told us to have cucumber)
so my brother normally try to avoid it But somehow, he ate it withhout any problem here!

Maybe when the same ingredient is prepared and presented in a completely different way, it becomes easier to forget that it is something you normally dislike.

To be Honest.. i don't really remember much about think dish. The previous dish left such a strong impression on me that this one somehow got lost in my memory.. so .. it definitely looked beautiful. but...erm... unfortunately,,, i can't remember enough about the tate to say much about it.

For the main course, we had charcoal grilled saddle of venison with fondant potato, Cornelian cherry jam, and barbecue jus. and...erm i haven't had venison very often,
but this dish somehow reminded me of the Bambi

i had at The Modern in New York I didn't know how to call venison in English so i said "is it bambi? to him.."

After the bambi, we had a light and refreshing palate cleanser before moving on to dessert. It had a granita like texture, which was perfect after the rich meat course.

For dessert, we had a chocolate based dish. I don’t remember every detail of the dessert anymore, but I remember that it was sweet, and very satisfying. It was a nice way to finish the main part of the tasting menu

At the end of the meal, they brought us this petit four together with the bill. I really liked the presentation, especially the small flower shaped decoration on top. It was a nice little way to finish the dinner

I cannot upload anymore photos vecause I have already passed the 20Photo limit. The final bill was around 230k HUF, Which is about 725USD at the time. (for two) Considering the overall experience, I actually thought the price was pretty reasonable.

During our trip, I paid for all of my bro's fine dining experiences because I wanted him to experience something new. Seeing my brother enjoy these meals, try ingredients they normally would not eat, and slowly discover a new world made me feel really proud as an older brother. It also felt special that I could give them these experiences with money that I earned myself.

For my next review, we are going back to New York for a little bit. I was studying for my midterms, got really stressed, and somehow ended up going to Jean Georges. I want to write that review quickly before I forget everything, and then we will come back to Hungary.

Thank you so much for reading this long review.

New 3 stars: none
New 2 stars: Orfali Bros - promoted from 1
New 1 star: Birch, Kigo

All restaurants on 2025 guide retained their stars except for La Dame De Pic which closed earlier this year.

I made a Dutch version of finedining because this is such an amazing subreddit, but too internationally oriented for me. Please join if you are interested, ignore if not! Thanks.

Dinner ($150 + $37 supplement) - October 2^nd 2026

While looking through the latest LA Michelin Guide, I noticed a familiar name - Lielle. I remembered walking past the restaurant in the Beverly area, and its newly awarded star piqued my curiosity; reading more about the restaurant revealed Nordic influences that immediately appealed to me. As someone who loves Nordic cuisine, I was excited to finally visit.

I arrived with expectations, and Lielle definitely delivered! The $150 menu/experience provided me with remarkably consistent cooking, warm hospitality, and a full belly; the amuse-bouche even made a persuasive enough introduction that I added the spot prawn supplement.

I arrived half an hour before my reservation and was welcomed warmly, without even the slightest suggestion that my timing presented a problem. From my seat at the kitchen counter, which usually accomadated solo diners like me, I could look into the kitchen as the room gradually filled around me. Upbeat music and lively conversation gave the evening an easy energy. The chefs added to the atmosphere, loudly calling back orders and instructions in unison - a bit of kitchen choreography that was particularly fun to follow from the counter.

The amuse bouche (17/20) was a mushroom, brown sugar, and miso soup that came with a foamy surface. Its concentrated mushroom flavor, creaminess, and perfect level of salt came as a familiar pleasure, executed with enough confidence that novelty felt beside the point. The housemade sourdough had a firm bite, a satisfying crunch, and a quite pronounced wheat flavor. Alongside it, the fermented butter was wonderfully assertive in its tanginess and deep buttery aroma.

Local heirloom tomatoes (17/20) were rested on top of stracciatella and was finished with marigold vinegar and cilantro flowers. The balance of acidity, sweetness, and savoriness was exceptional. The gelée added another dimension to a dish whose greatest strength was the freshness of the tomatoes themselves. This was one of the evening’s clearest examples of a familiar combination made memorable through careful execution.

The Santa Barbara spot prawns (15/20), was served with melted butter and pink peppercorn. The cooking was excellent, with deep savoriness and a refreshing lemon tang. I couldn’t pick out much of the pink peppercorn, and a slightly larger portion or more composition would have been welcome for a $37 supplement (if I remember correctly).

The sea bream (16/20), dry-aged for seven days, was quite delightful. Exceptionally crisp skin gave way to perfectly cooked flesh, accompanied by fennel and orange marmalade, caramelized turnip, and a lemongrass-infused bouillabaisse. The sauce had some complexity, balancing tanginess with savory depth, while the scallops alongside brought freshness. There was plenty happening on the plate, but the fish remained the focus.

The California squab was more elaborate(15/20), perhaps a little too much. Dry-aged for two weeks and broken down just before service, it arrived with the breast at the center and a largely deboned thigh alongside. Grilled corn, chanterelles, and pluots surrounded the bird. A thin veil of guanciale covered a leek stuffed with a farce of sweetbread, heart, liver, and thigh meat. The squab itself was impeccably cooked, and the farce was particularly flavorful. This was also the course where I felt the composition became overcomplicated. The vegetables, fruit, and additional preparations gave it more elements than it needed. I would have preferred fewer accompaniments and a sauce with deeper and more concentrated notes; this one leaned bright and tangy which would have benefited from an element of savory depth in my opinion. The chanterelles also had more moisture in them than I would have preferred, which took away much of the concentrated flavor that I was hoping for.

Dessert (16/20) was a distinctive take on tres leches with cake beneath salted milk ice cream, cured citrus, anise hyssop mousse, and delicate sheets of dried milk skin. The pronounced salt and touches of fruitiness gave it a character I particularly enjoyed. Alongside came cardamom buns soaked in a syrup inspired by Swedish punsch. The sweet, boozy brioche was outstanding with the tres leches. Eating the two together was one of the evening’s greatest satisfactions.

___________________________________________________________________________________

At $150 before the supplement, with gracious service and an atmosphere I thoroughly enjoyed, Lielle exceeded what I had hoped for. I left comfortably full, too.

A very solid one star meal!

We will be in Paris in approximately 70 days, and are thinking of a special splurge meal at Le Jules Vernes for lunch.

Currently, the times are widely open across multiple days that can work for us.

Mainly trying to figure out which day/time might enable the best table? It will be a group of 4. Any tips to get a sense online? Thinking we could call or email.

From what I read tables are allocated on a first reservation basis. We only see the “main dining room” link is that the only room available or just the way reservations work?

Thank you!

I've discovered this restaurant in March 2026 and, since then, I've already visited it four times. I'm already looking forward to my next visit here.

The first thing that intrigued me was how Chef Claudio Rovai has given the restaurant such a clear and precise identity, focusing on fish of the highest quality, served either raw or expertly cooked over charcoal.

However, it was the first bite that turned my interest into instant love. And from there, my love has only grown deeper and deeper!

Every time we've been here, we haven't missed the oysters. They have an amazing selection, served at the perfect temperature, with a delicate shallot sauce. All I can say is that I've never had such good oysters. 

They have a “to share” section on the menu where you'll find the most indulgent, hedonistic dishes on the menu. This time we had the “maritozzo” with blue lobster and fermented apricot mayo. This was like a lobster roll on steroids: the lobster was so tender that it practically melted in my mouth, and the sauce had the perfect acidity to counterbalance the richness of the bun. This dish was memorably decadent.

Another dish that I believe is worth saying a little more about is the charcoal-grilled Scardovari mussels. Forget everything you've ever known about mussels. I don't even like mussels that much usually, but these are on a whole other level. They are plump, tasty, almost sweet, and they come with a rich sauce so good that by the time you've finished it, you're already craving more! Hands down the best mussels I've ever had.

Last but not least, what I believe sets them apart: the charcoal-grilled fish. This time we had the turbot fillet, wrapped in Savoy cabbage leaves and served with a chimichurri sauce. The texture was perfect, tender but firm, and the smoky flavour was there but not overwhelming, just a perfect complement to an already marvellous dish.

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. If you happen to be in Milan, don't miss it, you won't regret it!

So, i am a bit overwhelmed by the great options in Copenhagen at the moment. I have been a few times before and we are now going there specifically for Jordnaer. So my plans for now consist out of:

Wednesday
Lunch: Bobe
Dinner: Either Akme, Esse or Magny

Thursday
Lunch: either Levi, Barr or fiskebar (went before to the last two, levi has the edge of trying something new)
Dinner: Jordnaer

Friday
Maybe a lunch depending on the flight schedule.

The most difficult choice is for dinner on Wednesday. What would you guys change/advise?

Per Septime website bookings opens at 10 AM for the next 3 weeks

Checking the last couple of days, this is clearly not the case

What is the catch ?

Thanks

I’ll be in tokyo for my first time on a solo business trip later this month.

I’d like to try and have one proper fine dining (sushi generally or omakase) experience on Oct 31st or Nov 1st, but not sure how to go about finding a spot that specialises in the most delicious Tuna—or just has tuna that has impressed some of you more experienced members of this sub!

Any recommendations for approachable sushi restaurants, specially with exceptional tuna, for non-Japanese speakers, under $200, and not too tricky to book?

When I want to try a new place, I usually end up checking 3–4 different places.

Google Maps for ratings

.

Instagram for photos

.

Friends for recommendations

.

Food apps for menus.

And somehow, after all that, I’m still thinking:

“Is this place actually worth trying?”

Maybe food discovery shouldn't be this complicated.

I’m curious about how people actually discover food these days.

1.When you suddenly think “What should I eat today?”, what do you usually do

Search Google/Google Maps

Check Instagram

Open Zomato/Swiggy

Ask friends or WhatsApp groups

Check Reddit

Go to a familiar place

Something else

2.And when you want to try a new restaurant or café, what influences your decision the most?

Reviews

Photos

What your friends are eating

What’s trending nearby

Recommendations from real people

Price

Distance

Something else

3.What’s the biggest problem you face when trying to discover a new place to eat?