CANADA Signature Dish Awards 2026

Braised Pork Hock

Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant

♦ 5225 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5P 3V4
♦ (+1) 604-321-2888

Kalvin’s may be better known for its bold Szechuan and Taiwanese dishes, but the Braised Pork Hock shows a more comforting side of the kitchen. The pork is slowly braised until the skin turns soft and silky, with the meat tender enough to fall away from the bone. The sauce is rich and savoury, but the dish never feels overly heavy. This is the kind of pork hock that belongs in the middle of the table, ready for everyone to dig into — hearty, familiar and made for sharing.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall with Bird’s Nest

Day&Night Angus Beef . King Crab

♦ 680 Silver Star Blvd Suite 306, Scarborough, ON
♦ (+1) 416-609-1111

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall has long been associated with elaborate Chinese banquets, and Day&Night Angus Beef . King Crab takes the classic in a particularly generous direction. The broth is slowly simmered with premium ingredients, including bird’s nest, allowing the flavours to build gradually without becoming heavy. What makes this version especially appealing is its accessibility: diners can enjoy a dish traditionally reserved for grand occasions without the sense that it has to be an once-in-a-lifetime indulgence. It is luxurious, comforting and made for sharing.

Claypot Rice à l’Orange

Belle Isle

♦ 1455 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON
♦ Not publicly listed

Belle Isle takes the familiar Cantonese claypot rice and gives it a distinctly personal spin. Created by Keith Siu and Ronan Shaftoe, the dish is rooted in Shaftoe’s memories of Hong Kong and his time in Tsuen Wan. Fragrant rice is topped with 13-spice confit duck, dried tangerine soy and duck-fat shallots, then cooked until a crisp layer of rice forms at the bottom of the pot. The duck brings richness, while the dried tangerine adds a gentle citrus note that cuts through it. It feels nostalgic without trying to recreate the past — a very Belle Isle take on a classic.

Deep Fried Chicken Wing with Sour Plum Powder

Landmark Hotpot House

♦ 4023 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2X9
♦ (+1) 604-872-2868

We’re willing to put this up against just about any chicken wing in Canada. Landmark Hotpot House’s version is deceptively simple: chicken wings fried until crisp and golden, then dusted with house-made sour plum powder. The wings stay juicy inside, while the powder brings a punch of sweet, sour and savoury flavour that makes it very hard to stop at one. It is the sort of dish that was probably never intended to be the star of the menu — until everyone at the table starts ordering another plate.

Ginger Fried Beef

Silver Dragon

♦ 106 3 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0B6
♦ (+1) 403-264-5328

Ginger beef is one of the great stories of Chinese Canadian food — a dish that grew out of Chinese restaurant kitchens in the West and eventually became a Calgary classic in its own right. At Silver Dragon, a Calgary Chinatown institution since 1966, it remains a longtime favourite. Thin strips of beef are fried until crisp, then coated in a fragrant ginger sauce that hits the sweet, savoury and spicy notes just right. It may not be a traditional dish from China, but it is very much part of the Chinese Canadian table.

Lobster Mountain

Jumbo Lobster Restaurant & Fishman Lobster Clubhouse

♦ Jumbo Lobster: 9019 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4A3
♦ (+1) 905-889-8898
♦ Fishman Lobster Clubhouse: 4020 Finch Ave E, Toronto, ON M1S 3T6
♦ (+1) 416-321-0250

If there is one dish that feels larger than life in Toronto’s Chinese dining scene, it is Lobster Mountain. Built around oversized Canadian lobsters, the dish arrives in a dramatic pile, covered with crispy garlic and seasoning. The presentation gets the attention, but the freshness is what keeps people coming back. The restaurant group maintains its own lobster holding facilities on Canada’s East Coast, allowing it to select exceptionally large lobsters for the dish. It is extravagant, unapologetically so, and has become one of the most recognizable dishes in Toronto Chinese dining.

Pork Ball / Pork Tripe Ball Rice Noodles

UNCLE

♦ 3480 Moncton St, Richmond, BC V7E 3A2
♦ (+1) 604-285-6667

UNCLE brings a taste of Chaoshan comfort food to Richmond with this bowl of rice noodles and handmade meatballs. The house-made pork balls are tender and savoury, while the pork tripe balls have a firmer, bouncier texture and a deeper meaty flavour. They are served with flat rice noodles in a clear broth, finished with fragrant dried garlic. Nothing about the bowl is flashy, and that is the point. It is the kind of food that lets good ingredients, careful preparation and regional tradition do the talking.

Roast Suckling Pig

Chinatown BBQ

♦ 130 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC
♦ (+1) 604-428-2626

Whole roast suckling pig is one of those Cantonese dishes that still makes an occasion feel like an occasion. At Chinatown BBQ, it is made to order, with the pig roasted until the skin is thin, crisp and beautifully blistered, while the meat underneath stays tender and juicy. There is no need to dress it up with much else — when the roasting is done right, the crackling and the meat speak for themselves. A classic Vancouver Chinatown celebration dish, and one that is best enjoyed with a table full of people.

Please note: Recommend to order at least five days in advance.

Sablefish with Pickled Greens

Rockies & River Restaurant

♦ 8060 Silver Springs Blvd NW #140, Calgary, AB T3B 5K1
♦ (+1) 587-885-5818

Sichuan cuisine is often associated with heat, but this dish shows another side of the region’s cooking. At Rockies & River Restaurant, tender sablefish is paired with aged pickled greens, creating a broth that is tangy, savoury and deeply aromatic. The fish stays soft and naturally sweet as it absorbs the flavour of the broth, while the fermented greens bring just enough acidity to keep each bite lively. Comforting without being heavy, it is a quietly satisfying bowl with more depth than its simplicity suggests.

Garlic Sichuan Chili Wok-fried Québec Lobster

Oncle Lee Kăo

♦ 112 Rue McGill, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E5
♦ (+1) 514-303-1100

Québec lobster has plenty of natural sweetness, and Oncle Lee Kăo lets that quality come through while giving it the full Cantonese & Sichuan garlie and sichuan peppercorn treatment. The key is in the wok: the lobster is cooked over high heat so the seasoning becomes intensely fragrant without overpowering the meat. Every piece picks up the savoury coating, including the shells and legs, which are impossible not to pick at. It is a straightforward Cantonese preparation, but one that shows just how much difference proper wok technique can make.

Sliced Fatty Beef Rice Roll

Hei Hei Rice Roll

♦ 2430-8260 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC
♦ (+1) 604-370-9090

At Hei Hei Rice Roll, the rice rolls are made fresh to order from stone-ground rice, with the sheets pulled thin enough to stay silky while still holding their shape. Here, tender slices of fatty beef add just enough richness to the soft, slightly chewy rice roll. A drizzle of soy-based sauce is all it really needs. It is a simple combination, but that simplicity leaves nowhere to hide — the rice has to be good, the beef has to be tender, and the texture has to be just right. Hei Hei gets all three right.

Please note: the sliced beef rice rolls pictured include optional add-ons of black truffle, soft-heart egg and egg.

Sweet & Sour Pork with Pineapple

Sanbo Chinese Restaurant

♦ 4600 Number 3 Rd Unit 121, Richmond, BC V6X 1E4
♦ (+1) 604-278-2616

Sweet and sour pork is one of those dishes everyone knows — which is exactly why getting it right is harder than it looks. At Sanbo Chinese Restaurant, the pork is fried until crisp on the outside while staying tender inside, then tossed in a sweet-and-tangy sauce with fresh pineapple. The balance is the important part: enough acidity to keep the sauce lively, enough sweetness to make it satisfying, and just enough sauce to keep the coating from turning soggy. A familiar Cantonese classic, done the way it should be.