New, buzzy and worth the hype: Vancouver's fall dining guide

From a charming, 36-seat Portuguese tasca to a buzzy, chargrilled Peruvian chicken concept, and an elevated Vancouver staple stepping into its new era, here’s where to eat and drink this fall in Vancouver, depending on what you’re in the mood for and in no particular order.

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Brothers Justin and Cristian Isidro’s new Fraser Street restaurant might be a deeply personal ode to their own heritage, but the restaurant instantly felt like home to me. Named for their mãe (Portuguese for mother), the duo designed Maria Celeste to make every visitor feel like family. I was thrilled to indulge in an exclusively Portuguese wine list while devouring modern takes on classics like pica-pau, or tartare “woodpecker bites,” made with carrara wagyu rump and pluma de porco obérico with fresh clams during my visit.

Justin, the former longtime director of operations at Kissa Tanto, Meo and Bao Bei, also took home the Michelin Guide Vancouver’s first service award in 2022. Cristian, a chef with Michelin-calibre training and experience in kitchens from Vancouver to London to Porto, teamed up with Studio Roslyn to design the cosy, 1,300-square-foot room and bring the concept to life. If you’re going to head to one new spot in the city this season, make it Maria Celeste and enjoy the Portuguese tasca vibes.

Where: 4181 Fraser St., Vancouver When: Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. Order this: Pluma de porco ibérico ($64).

It doesn’t get much newer than Cloudstreet Restaurant, which just launched inside the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver. Taking over the space of its predecessor, Mosaic Grille & Bar, which operated in the hotel for more than 20 years, Cloudstreet promises patrons a menu of Pacific Northwest cuisine, incorporating the best bounty B.C. has to offer, in a redesigned interior complete with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Chef de cuisine Craig Sung — who formerly helmed the kitchen at now-closed West End gem, Forage — heads-up the food program at Cloudstreet. Guests can expect an array of dishes like seafood chowder, tuna niçoise salad and a Cloudstreet signature burger. If you need a new, central place to head for a morning meeting or a business lunch, this downtown addition looks like it fits the bill.

Where: 655 Burrard St., Vancouver (inside the Hyatt Regency Vancouver) When: Breakfast 6:30 to 11 a.m. lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. dinner 5 to 9:30 p.m. Order this: West coast crab and prawn toast ($26).

Chef Ricardo Valverde and his team are at it again, and this time, with delivery-only concept RICO Chicken. The chef/owner of award-winning SUYO and UCHU Cevicheria & Raw Bar recently launched this casual project, which offers folks 24-hour marinated roasted chicken from Windberry Farms in Abbotsford, chargrilled over live fire.

In addition to the certified organic chicken, RICO serves up housemade sides like Peruvian cornbread and garlic rice as well as sauces such as Fuego Baby hot sauce and RICO Gravy, made from a combo of slow-roasted chicken bones and herbs. Unlike SUYO or UCHU, where you’re invited to pull up a chair and stay for a while, RICO is exclusively available for delivery through Uber Eats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes.

When: Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 9:30 p.m. (throughout Metro Vancouver) Order this: Half charred boneless chicken ($29).

Dovetail has a new little sibling, and it’s located just down the block from the popular Yaletown restaurant. Already a bona fide hot spot — and the crowds during my Friday night visit confirmed it — Bevel describes itself as a New York-inspired modern steak house.

On top of the familiar come-one-come-all vibes of its sister spot, Bevel’s drink menu has a great selection of sips, namely for martini lovers. The six varieties up for order — from a Vesper to a lychee — make this destination a good bet for a drink or two if you’re in the neighbourhood.

With a pizza dough recipe more than three years in the making and a menu of pre- and post-night-out hits like an everything bagel-inspired house bread and steak tartare, partner-operators Colin Denton and Ejner Christiansen seem to have found the recipe for success in Yaletown … again.

Where: 1165 Mainland St., Vancouver When: Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Order this: Spicy Pep Pizza ($33).

Exciting news for fans of Botanist, as the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s award-winning restaurant has officially entered a new era. Amanda Healey has taken the culinary reins at the Coal Harbour restaurant, bringing her two decades of experience working in international kitchens, as well as Vancouver institutions like Hawksworth Restaurant. Healey will continue the work laid down by Botanist’s opening chef, Hector Laguna, over the last nine years.

I visited the restaurant to check out Healey’s new tasting menu, and it’s packed with local ingredients and put together with precision. I was especially fond of the Nova Scotia lobster tortellini with osietra caviar. If you’re curious to see where Healey takes Botanist next, this is a great place to start.

Where: 1038 Canada Place, Vancouver (inside Fairmont Pacific Rim) When: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Order this: Botanist tasting menu ($180 per person).