Four city venues make the North America’s 50 Best Bars list
The winning team at Toronto’s Bar Pompette. Jessica Blaine Smith photo
Since opening in 2021, the French-accented Bar Pompette has charmed cocktail lovers across Toronto. Now it’s wooed the judges of North America’s 50 Best Bars, too. When NA50BB announced its 2025 list on April 29 in Vancouver, Bar Pompette landed at No. 7, the best showing for a Canadian bar since the list was first compiled in 2022.
The 36th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards have been revealed. (Now, let’s eat!)
Elio Volpe came onto the Vancouver dining scene in spring 2024. The Cambie Village hot spot was named Best Italian and Best New Restaurant in the 36th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, announced May 5, 2025. Lindsay William-Ross/V.I.A. photo
It’s time to celebrate, Vancouver!
The 36th annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards were announced Monday, May 5, 2025 at a ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, recognizing the best and the brightest in the city in a broad spectrum of categories.
14 top spots in Vancouver plus two in Richmond make the prestigious annual rankings
Vancouver’s Elem is one of 14 dining spots in the city to land on the 2025 Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list. Elem also landed on the bonus “Best New Restaurants” list for this year. Photo by Melody Lu/courtesy of Elem
The nation’s culinary scene is in the spotlight, as Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants revealed its list of the top places to dine on Monday, May 5.
Of the 100 restaurants ranked, 14 are in Vancouver, two are in Richmond, and three more are located elsewhere in British Columbia.
The winners were revealed during a lively ceremony held here in Vancouver Tuesday night
The 2025 list of North America’s 50 Best Bars was announced in Vancouver on April 29. The prestigious annual ranking included two Vancouver spots, with Botanist Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim ranking 26th. Photo courtesy of North America’s 50 Best Bars
A pair of acclaimed Vancouver bars have not only maintained their presence on a prestigious awards list but one has also risen in the ranks, as North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2025 were revealed last night at an exciting bar star-studded ceremony held right here in Vancouver.
Vancouver is the host city for North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and that means several awesome cocktail events with visiting bar stars
Vancouver will host the announcement of North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2025. Leading up to the event was first the revelation that three local bars have been named to the expanded rankings, including Prophecy. Several events in the city will showcase our fantastic cocktail pros along with visiting guest bartenders from around the world. Photo courtesy of North America’s 50 Best Bars
What’s shaking in Vancouver? Quite a bit, when it comes to the cocktail scene.
The announcement of the 2025 North America’s 50 Best Bars rankings takes place in Vancouver for the first time on Tuesday, April 29, and there are several prominent local and global bar stars stirring up some excitement as part of the festivities.
Leading up to and capping off the awards ceremony there will be numerous events showcasing incredible spirits and talented cocktail pros, including those visiting from around North America and beyond. Top spots for tipples across the city will be opening up their bars for collabs, showcases, seminars, and guest shifts.
Along with Vancouver serving as host city for the first time is another thrilling first: An extended list of rankings honouring spots 51 to 100 was recently revealed.
Tara Davies (left) and Erik Vazquez are back behind the bar with Chupito at the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand spot’s new home in Mount Pleasant. Rubén Nava/Lessnoise Studio
“A new chapter is unfolding!” shared Chupito via email this week. Specifically, the former shipping container bar and seasonal hangout known for its excellent cocktails and elevated but approachable Mexican dishes is ready to welcome guests in a new indoor-outdoor space in Mount Pleasant.
The new French meets West Coast brasserie will be “a space unlike any other in Vancouver thus far.”
Cambie Street’s highly-anticipated debut June has set an opening date for early April 2025 and will feature an exciting drinks menu and French-inspired West Coast food. Photo by Luis Valdazon/courtesy of June
Located in Cambie Village in the former Biercraft space, June is a bi-level French-inspired brasserie from the team behind Vancouver’s award-winning Keefer Bar.
The 4,500-square-foot space features seats for 100 in the upstairs dining room, with 35 more seats downstairs in the bar area coming soon, along with three planned patios.
The perfectly restored French Line bar at Le 9e, the ninth floor of the Eaton Building in Montreal. Instagram.com/lefrenchline photo
Step through the glass doors and let the elevator whisk you back to another, more gracious time. Welcome to Le 9e, a perfectly restored Art Deco masterpiece on the ninth floor of the Eaton Building in downtown Montreal.
Back in 1927, Lady Flora Eaton, whose family owned the Eaton’s department stores, commissioned the French architect Jacque Carlu to design a restaurant inspired by the dining room in the Île-de-France transatlantic ocean liner. It became one of the finest examples of Art Deco design in Canada, and the place for ladies to lunch after their shopping sprees. But in 1999 the company filed for bankruptcy and the restaurant closed, a bagpiper mournfully playing Amazing Grace to mark its passing.
Our expert panel chooses their favourite bourbons — and the cocktails they make with them
Bourbon barrels aging in a rickhouse. iStock.Getty Images Plus/Try Media photo
Its name might be shrouded in mystery, but bourbon’s unmistakable flavour is anything but uncertain. Some believe it was named after Bourbon County in Kentucky, where early settlers first distilled whiskey using local corn, while others trace it to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, a key market for the spirit. Regardless of its name, what’s undeniable is bourbon’s distinctive taste thanks to the strict regulations that define it. By law, bourbon must be made from at least 51 per cent corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. These standards, combined with time-honoured traditions, give bourbon its rich, complex flavour that continues to captivate whisk(e)y lovers worldwide.
We caught up with a panel of industry experts from B.C. and Ontario to uncover their go-to bourbons and the cocktails they love crafting with them. From tried-and-true classics like the Old Fashioned to inventive new creations, these cocktails reflect the versatility and character of bourbon, proving there’s a perfect tipple for every palate. So, grab your glass, and get ready to explore the bourbon picks and cocktails these pros can’t stop sipping.
