Chinese Restaurant Awards

09/18/2026

This September 23, DIM SUM GALA 2026, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, welcomes Chef Toby Chen, representing Vancouver Community College’s Asian Culinary Arts program, for an evening celebrating the artistry, heritage and future of dim sum. Scotiabank

Chinese cooking has always held a special place in Toby’s heart. C ⚡️ Toby

A graduate of VCC’s Asian Culinary Arts program, Toby has been part of Chinese Restaurant Awards events since 2015. His career has taken him through some of Vancouver’s notable kitchens, including L’Abattoir and Missing Chopsticks, where he served as Chef de Cuisine, while his connection to Chinese culinary education has remained an important part of his journey. Vancouver Community College VCC Culinary Arts

In 2024, Toby and his fellow alumni represented VCC’s Asian Culinary Arts program at the World Championships of Cooking in Taipei, returning to Vancouver with a silver medal.

This September, he represents VCC once again, joining chefs from Vancouver and Hong Kong at the Dim Sum Gala.

For us, Toby’s participation also speaks to something important: passing culinary knowledge from one generation to the next. Programs like VCC’s Asian Culinary Arts help preserve the foundations and techniques of Chinese cooking while giving emerging chefs the skills and confidence to carry them forward in their own way.

After more than a decade of sharing this journey with Chinese Restaurant Awards, it is especially meaningful to welcome Toby back to our kitchen — this time proudly representing the program where his own journey began.

— Where Dim Sum Becomes a Bond.

09/11/2026

A VANCOUVER STAY, CELEBRATING GREAT TASTE.

Together with Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Chinese Restaurant Awards is celebrating the people, restaurants and culinary community shaping Chinese dining in Canada. Hyatt Regency Vancouver

One winner will receive a one-night stay with breakfast for two at Hyatt Regency Vancouver, plus two invitations to the 17th annual Chinese Restaurant Awards Ceremony on September 23.

Join us for a celebration of hospitality, community and the continued evolution of Chinese dining in Canada.

THE EXPERIENCE ——

✨ One-night stay at Hyatt Regency Vancouver

✨ Two tickets to the 2026 Chinese Restaurant Awards Ceremony in afternoon of September 23

TO ENTER ////////////////

1/ Follow and Hyatt Regency Vancouver

2/ Then tell us in the comments: What is your favourite Chinese restaurant?

Entries close September 12 Saturday 6pm PDT. The selected guest will be contacted directly by .

Chinese Restaurant Awards × Hyatt Regency Vancouver
Where Taste Leads.

09/10/2026

This September 23, DIM SUM GALA 2026, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, welcomes Chef Alex Kim of Five Sails by Alex Kim for an evening celebrating the artistry, heritage and future of dim sum. Scotiabank

What we cook often begins with memories of what we have eaten — flavours that stay with us, meals we return to, and discoveries that become part of our own story.

For Korean Canadian chef Alex Kim, Vancouver’s dim sum tables are a familiar pleasure. This September, he brings those experiences together with his Korean heritage, adding a personal interpretation to our dim sum celebration and a few surprises for our guests.

The 2025 Canadian Culinary Champion and Top Chef Canada Season 12 finalist recently became Chef-Partner and Co-Owner of Five Sails by Alex Kim — a new chapter for one of Vancouver’s most accomplished culinary talents.

At Chinese Restaurant Awards, we believe the possibilities of cuisine are limitless when we welcome cultural exchange and collaboration. We have long invited chefs from different backgrounds to join us at the table, where traditions can meet in harmony and inspire something new.

Alex’s contribution celebrates that spirit: a shared love of food, expressed through memories, heritage and the joy of cooking together.

Reception 6PM | Gala 7PM
Fairmont Pacific Rim · Star Sapphire Ballroom
1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC

— Where Dim Sum Becomes a Bond.

Reservations are now closed. Waiting list only. DM for inquiries.

09/09/2026

50 restaurants. Plenty of reasons to plan your next meal.

Introducing the Top 50 Honourees for the 2026 Elite 30 Canada Awards, selected by our Canada Taste Advisors Panel.

From a favourite wonton noodle house to a restaurant reimagining the tasting menu, this year’s selection celebrates the many ways Chinese cuisine finds a home in Canada. With 12 restaurants joining the list for the first time, there’s even more to discover—and come back for.

Congratulations to all 50 honourees and the teams behind them.

The final Elite 30 ranking will be revealed on September 23 at Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.

Explore the full list and our Taste Advisors’ recommended dishes. Where will you eat next?

Discover the Top 50

Chinese Restaurant Awards presents the 2026 Elite 30 Canada Top 50 Honourees—restaurants shaping the diversity and evolution of Chinese dining across Canada.

09/08/2026

Twenty more reasons to explore Chinese dining in Canada—from a comforting bowl of wonton noodles to Sichuan barbecue, Taiwanese favourites and thoughtfully crafted tasting menus.

Meet the remaining 20 of our 2026 Elite 30 Canada Top 50 Honourees, selected by our 21 Canada Taste Advisors. Each brings its own character to the table—and deserves a place on your dining list.

Listed alphabetically. Go on our website for the recommended dishes.
*New on the list

Master Beef Hot Pot — Calgary ｜ Hotpot / Alberta Beef

Master Hung BBQ Restaurant* — Richmond ｜ Cantonese BBQ / Cantonese

Max Noodle House — Richmond ｜ Cantonese Noodles / Congee

Memory Corner — Richmond & Burquitlam ｜ Taiwanese

MIMI Chinese — Toronto ｜ Modern Chinese

Miss Qu Barbecue & Restaurant — Scarborough & Richmond Hill ｜ Sichuan / Chongqing Jianghu BBQ

MOTT 32 — Toronto & Vancouver｜ Modern Chinese

Nian Yi Kuai Zi — Markham & Scarborough ｜ Sichuan

Northern Dumpling Kitchen* — Richmond Hill ｜ Northern Chinese / Dumplings / Noodles

Oncle Lee Kăo — Montreal ｜ Modern Montreal Chinese

Osmanthus Chinese Fusion Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Jiangnan / Shanghainese Fusion

R&D — Toronto ｜ Modern Canadian Asian

Sea Harbour Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese / Dim Sum

Southern Delicacy* — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese

SUNNYS Chinese* — Toronto ｜ Regional Chinese

The Fish Man — Richmond ｜ Sichuan / Cantonese Seafood

The Jade Seafood Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese

Wonton Hut — Markham ｜ HK-style Wonton Noodles

Xi’an Flavour — Richmond ｜ Shaanxi / Xi’an

Yuan’s Garden Restaurant* — Richmond ｜ Shanghainese / Nanjing / Huaiyang

The full Top 50 is now yours to explore. Which restaurant will you visit next?

The Elite 30 Canada ranking will be revealed on September 23 in Vancouver.

Where Taste Leads. CANADA.

09/08/2026

A favourite dim sum table. A bowl of noodles worth crossing the city for. A restaurant you’ve been meaning to try—and one you’re glad to see recognised.

Meet 30 of the 2026 Elite 30 Canada Top 50 Honourees, selected by our 21 Canada Taste Advisors. Go our website for recommended dishes.

Here are the first 30, in alphabetical order.
*New on the list

aKin — Toronto ｜ Modern Asian

Bamboo Grove — Richmond ｜ Cantonese

Belle Isle* — Toronto ｜ Chinese-inspired

Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun* — Ottawa ｜ Shanghainese

Car’s Dessert — Richmond ｜ HK Desserts

Cha Kee — Richmond ｜ HK style Café

Chang’An Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Shaanxi / Xi’an

Chef’s Choice Seafood Restaurant* — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese / Dim Sum

Chinatown BBQ — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese BBQ

Day&Night Angus Beef · King Crab* — Scarborough ｜ Cantonese

Din Tai Fung — Vancouver ｜ Taiwanese / Shanghainese

Dynasty Seafood Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese / Dim Sum

Fishman Lobster Clubhouse — Scarborough ｜ Cantonese Seafood

Flavourful House — Richmond Hill ｜ Cantonese

Geng Shi Ji — Richmond ｜ Hunan

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Shunde / Dim Sum

Gol’s Lanzhou Noodle — North York ｜ Lanzhou Noodles

Happy Family Restaurant* — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese

HK BBQ Master — Richmond ｜ Cantonese BBQ

iDen & Quan Ju De Beijing Duck House — Vancouver ｜ Peking Duck

Jiangnan Wok — Richmond ｜ Jiangnan / Huaiyang

Jumbo Lobster Restaurant — Richmond Hill ｜ Cantonese Seafood

Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Taiwanese / Szechuan

Kingwell Roasted BBQ* — Calgary ｜ Cantonese BBQ

Lady 3 Kitchen* — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese Rice Pot

Lai Wah Heen — Toronto ｜ Cantonese / Dim Sum

Landmark Hotpot House — Vancouver ｜ HK Hotpot / Cantonese

Lanxuan Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese / Dim Sum

Long’s Noodle — Richmond ｜ Shanghainese

Loon Fong Hot Pot — Richmond & Richmond Hill ｜ HK Hotpot

The Elite 30 Canada ranking will be revealed September 23 in Vancouver. The remaining 20 honourees follow in our next post.

Where Taste Leads. CANADA.

09/08/2026

MEET 4 OF OUR 21 CANADA TASTE ADVISORS

Lee Man Lee Man
Chair of the Taste Advisors Panel & Founding Judge, Chinese Restaurant Awards • Vancouver
An eye for craftsmanship, consistency and the care that makes a restaurant worth returning to.

Jennifer Kwan Jennifer K + May Bunny 🐰
Former Yelp Elite • Toronto
Helping put GTA Chinese restaurants on the map at very beginning, one discovery at a time.

Jacob Ung Jacob Ung
VP, BC Region, Liver Canada / COO, Property Copilot • Vancouver
A passionate advocate for the depth and sophistication of Chinese dining in Canada.

Patricia Lau Patricia | Calgary | Alberta
Food Writer & Influencer / Contributor & Restaurant Panel Judge, Avenue Calgary • Calgary
An Alberta voice exploring Calgary’s regional Chinese cuisines, with a special love for Sichuan.

WHY CANADA?

This is where the Chinese Restaurant Awards began—and where, for nearly two decades, we have celebrated a dining culture shaped by heritage, local ingredients and its communities.

Our 21 Canada Taste Advisors bring different backgrounds and perspectives, united by a deep appreciation for Chinese cuisine and the people behind it.

More Canada Taste Advisor introductions to come.

SEPTEMBER 8
TOP 50 HONOUREES REVEALED

SEPTEMBER 23
ELITE 30 · 12 SIGNATURE DISHES · INDIVIDUAL HONOURS

09/06/2026

And there were more.

Part Two of our look back at the dishes that received the most nods from our Asia Taste Advisors in 2025.

Different cities. Different styles of Chinese cooking. Plenty worth ordering.

This October, our attention turns to 2026 — and to Chinese dining across Asia outside Mainland China.

What will be on our Taste Advisors’ radar this time?

2026 Asia Awards. Coming in October.

OCTOBER 6
HONOREES REVEALED

OCTOBER 26
ELITE 25
ESSENTIAL 25
CHINESE-INSPIRED
INDIVIDUAL HONORS

#首本名菜

09/05/2026

What were our Taste Advisors ordering in Asia?

We went back to their 2025 recommendations to find the dishes that received the most nods across the panel.

Some are signatures. Some are classics. All gave more than one Taste Advisor a reason to recommend them.

Here’s Part One.

And as our Taste Advisors look across Asia outside Mainland China for 2026, we’re curious: what will catch their attention this year?

The 2026 Asia Awards arrive this October.

OCTOBER 6
HONOREES REVEALED

OCTOBER 26
ELITE 25
ESSENTIAL 25
CHINESE-INSPIRED
INDIVIDUAL HONORS

#首本名菜