Chinese Restaurant Awards Unveils Canada’s Top 50 Honourees,
finalists for the 2026 Elite 30 Canada Awards
The 2026 Chinese Restaurant Awards (CRA) North America today unveiled its Top 50 Honourees, the finalists for this year’s Elite 30 Canada Awards. The ranked Elite 30 Canada — recognizing the country’s finest Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants — will be announced at the CRA’s 17th Annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.
This is a milestone year for the Chinese Restaurant Awards. Following the launch of its Canada and Asia Guide in 2025, the CRA expands into the United States in 2026, extending a mission that began in Vancouver and now celebrates world-class Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine across North America and Asia.
“The Chinese Restaurant Awards have never been about ranking restaurants for the sake of ranking,” says Rae Kung, Managing Director of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. “Our goal is to help diners discover truly exceptional Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants, while recognizing the people whose passion and craftsmanship continue to elevate the cuisine around the world.”
Elite 30 Canada Awards
The Elite 30 Canada Awards are selected by the Canada Taste Advisors Panel, chaired by founding judge Lee Man. Expanded from 15 to 21 advisors this year, the diverse panel has enjoyed meals at restaurants that represent a variety of regional cuisines at cities across Canada.
“Our advisors have a great understanding of Chinese cuisine because they’ve spent a lifetime experiencing its flavours, the unique traditions, and regional nuances and complexities,” says Lee Man.
The Awards place exceptional taste above all else. Advisors first evaluate the quality and execution of the food before considering consistency, hospitality, and the overall dining experience. This creates a guide designed first and foremost for diners.
This year, 12 of the Top 50 Honourees are first-time finalists, reflecting the continued evolution of Chinese and Taiwanese dining across Canada. Metro Vancouver leads with 31 Honourees, while the Greater Toronto Area has 15. Calgary has two Honourees, Montreal returns with Oncle Lee Kăo, and Ottawa is represented by Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun.
As the Chinese Restaurant Awards continues to grow internationally, its purpose remains unchanged: to celebrate culinary excellence, give greater recognition to chefs and restaurateurs, and help diners discover the best Chinese and Taiwanese dining experiences.
Top 50 Honourees — Finalists for the Elite 30 Canada Awards (alphabetic order)
*new 12 restaurants got on the list for the first time
- aKin — Toronto ｜ Modern Asian, Tasting Menu
- Bamboo Grove — Richmond ｜ Cantonese
- Belle Isle — Toronto ｜ Chinese-inspired *new
- Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun — Ottawa ｜ Shanghainese *new
- Car’s Dessert — Richmond ｜ Hong Kong-Style Desserts
- Cha Kee — Richmond｜ Hong Kong-Style Café
- Chang’An Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Shaanxi / Xi’an
- Chef’s Choice Seafood Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese *new
- Chinatown BBQ — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese BBQ
- Day&Night Angus Beef · King Crab — Scarborough ｜ Cantonese *new
- Din Tai Fung — Vancouver ｜ Taiwanese / Shanghainese Dim Sum
- 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 ｜ Cantonese / Shunde & Dim Sum
- Gol’s Lanzhou Noodle — North York ｜ Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles
- Happy Family Restaurant — Vancouver ｜ Cantonese *new
- HK BBQ Master — Richmond ｜ Cantonese BBQ
- iDen & Quan Ju De Beijing Duck House — Vancouver ｜ Northern Chinese / 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 *new
- Lady 3 Kitchen — Vancouver ｜ Hong Kong style Rice Pot / Cantonese Home-style *new
- Lai Wah Heen — Toronto ｜ Contemporary Cantonese / Dim Sum
- Landmark Hotpot House — Vancouver ｜ Hong Kong-Style Hotpot
- Lanxuan Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese and Dim Sum
- Long’s Noodle — Richmond ｜ Shanghainese
- Loon Fong Hot Pot — Richmond and Richmond Hill ｜ Hong Kong-Style Hotpot
- Master Beef Hot Pot — Calgary ｜ Hot Pot (Alberta Beef Specialty)
- Master Hung BBQ Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese BBQ / Cantonese *new
- Max Noodle House — Richmond ｜ Cantonese Noodles & Congee
- Memory Corner — Richmond and Burquitlam ｜ Taiwanese
- Mimi Chinese — Toronto ｜ Modern Chinese
- Miss Qu Barbecue & Restaurant — Scarborough and Richmond Hill ｜ Sichuan / Chongqing Jianghu BBQ
- MOTT 32 — Vancouver & Toronto ｜ Modern Chinese & Dim Sum
- Nian Yi Kuai Zi — Markham and Scarborough ｜ Sichuan
- Northern Dumpling Kitchen — Richmond Hill ｜ Northern Chinese (Dumplings & Noodles) *new
- Oncle Lee Kăo — Montreal ｜ Modern 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 *new
- Sunnys Chinese — Toronto ｜ Modern Chinese *new
- The Fish Man — Richmond ｜ Sichuan / Cantonese Seafood
- The Jade Seafood Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Cantonese & Dim Sum
- Wonton Hut — Markham ｜ Hong Kong-Style Wonton Noodle House
- Xi’an Flavour — Richmond ｜ Shaanxi / Xi’an
- Yuan’s Garden Restaurant — Richmond ｜ Shanghainese / Nanjinese / Huaiyang *new
The 21 Canada Taste Advisors (Listed in alphabetic order)
Note: All ballots underwent a final conflict-of-interest review after voting closed. Advisors declared any relationships with restaurants under consideration and recused themselves from related votes. See “How the Awards are Decided” for more details.
Lee Man — Chair of Judging Panel
- Bernice Chan, freelance journalist and cultural writer of South China Morning Post – Vancouver
- Carmen Chan, Singtao A1 Chinese Radio Host and sake sommelier – Toronto
- Jennifer Kwan, Yelp Elite Reviewer – Toronto
- Leslie Yip, VP Business Solutions of Singtao Media – Toronto
- Ling Chu, Restaurant Critic – Fairchild Radio – Vancouver
- Peter Hum, Restaurant Critic – Ottawa Citizen – Ottawa
- Renée Suen, Restaurant Critic – Toronto
Influencers and frequent diners –
- Canmen (Sam Lung, Tat San Hui, Wingo Chan), Youtuber – Vancouver and Calgary
- Dr. Peter Chan, Monarch Dental Centre – Vancouver
- Jacob Ung, Vice-President of Liver Canada’s BC Region – Vancouver
- Jenice Yu, CEO of eatFish.ca – Vancouver
- John Ho, F&B logistic specialist – Toronto
- Johnny Cheng, CPA accountant – Toronto
- Leon Ng, Founder of LNG Studios – Vancouver
- Patricia Lau, Instagrammer – Calgary – @miss.foodie
- Tony Kwan, Partner of PLLR Lawyers – Vancouver
Plus one Taste Advisor who chooses to stay anonymous.
The Elite 30 Canada Awards, the top 30 ranked restaurants drawn from Canada’s Top 50 Honourees list, will be unveiled at Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Canada on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. This year also marks the expansion of the Signature Dish Awards to cover all of Canada, presented as the 12 Signature Dish Awards. They will be presented alongside the US distinctions, including the Elite 12 United States and a slate of individual awards. These include the Premier Visionary Award, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Dim Sum Chef of the Year, and Master Chef of the Year, each conferred separately in the Canada and US regions.
For more information, the Awards Standards and introduction of the Taste Advisors, please visit www.chineserestaurantawards.com.
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ABOUT CHINESE RESTAURANT AWARDS
Founded in 2008 in Canada, the Chinese Restaurant Awards is the world’s longest-running restaurant awards platform dedicated exclusively to Chinese cuisine. Established to deepen public appreciation of Chinese dining and foster cross-cultural exchange, the organization has become an influential voice celebrating the diversity, creativity, and excellence of Chinese restaurants through awards programs, chef collaborations, and curated culinary experiences. Following its 2025 expansion into Asia, the platform will further expand into the United States in 2026, broadening its North American presence and spotlighting the evolving landscape of Chinese dining across Canada and the U.S. Through its international expansion, the Chinese Restaurant Awards aims to create a new standard for discovering Chinese cuisine while connecting chefs, restaurants, media, and dining audiences through meaningful culinary and cultural experiences.
Chinese Restaurants Awards 2026 North America is generously supported by Scotia Wealth Management, China Eastern Airlines, The Dalmore, Lee Kum Kee, Destination Auto Group, Oakridge Park, Tom Lee Music, Steinway & Sons, Hilton Vancouver Downtown, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Mt. Boucherie Winery Estate, Granriviera Mimosa, eatFish.ca, Geoduck Canada, Golden Eagle Sablefish, Wingtat Game Bird Packers, Kiu Yick Trading, CBC, GoCanada.com, Tastet, Sing Tao, and Vancouver Community College.
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