AnnaLena Vancouver wins the city's first two Michelin stars
Michael Robbins's Kitsilano restaurant is promoted in the 2026 Michelin Guide Vancouver. Below it, ten one-star tables stay put, none of them new, and Barbara drops to the recommended list.
AnnaLena Vancouver now holds two Michelin stars, the first restaurant in the city to reach that level. The Michelin Guide announced the promotion on 6 October with its 2026 Vancouver selection, which adds no other new star.
The restaurant sits at 1809 West 1st Avenue in Kitsilano, across English Bay from the downtown towers. Chef Michael Robbins opened it in 2015 and co-owns it with Jeff Parr, according to Scout Magazine. It serves a seasonal tasting menu that Michelin files under contemporary cuisine.
AnnaLena was one of the eight restaurants starred when the guide first arrived in Vancouver in 2022, and it has held that star since. The second one took four more editions.
Vancouver waited four more editions for a second star, and the rest of the list barely moved.
What the inspectors saw at AnnaLena Vancouver
The guide's note opens with what is missing: no white tablecloths, no formal atmosphere. What the inspectors describe instead is a tasting menu built on seasonal produce with accents from several cuisines, and service, cocktails and wine pairings that keep pace. The dish they single out is peak-season Sungold tomatoes with a house-made XO sauce and caramelized buttermilk infused with Thai green curry.
“Today we celebrate reaching new heights for Vancouver, with the first Two Starred restaurant being awarded to AnnaLena,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide.
AnnaLena Vancouver had not hidden the plan. In January 2024 Robbins told Scout Magazine that the team would start working toward a second star as soon as the first was confirmed, and the dining room has given up seats along the way.
Ten one-star restaurants, none of them new
Below AnnaLena the list barely moves. Ten restaurants hold one star in 2026, among them Published on Main, St. Lawrence, Kissa Tanto, Masayoshi and Sushi Masuda, and none is a newcomer. Barbara, starred since 2022, now appears among the recommended addresses. Two weeks earlier, Toronto's 2026 guide also held its stars steady.
The Bib Gourmand category, for good cooking at moderate prices, reaches 16 with two additions: Chef's Choice Seafood Restaurant, promoted from the recommended list, and Kavita. Four restaurants enter as recommended: Jay Nok, Jeju, Niwa and Peya. In all, the selection covers 72 restaurants and 23 types of cuisine.
Four special awards went to people rather than rooms: Chris Enns of Peya for cocktails, Mark Taylor of Bacchus as sommelier, Yash Shah of Kavita for service and Vish Mayekar of Elem as young chef.
The promotion lands in a city that is not easy on independent restaurants; Fable Kitchen closed in September after 14 years. The answer at AnnaLena Vancouver has been to get smaller. It now has fewer seats than it opened with, and from this week many more people trying to book them.
