Vancouver Eats – Pad Thai Battle, Dessert Dinner, Winter Domes

The November edition of Vancouver Eats is serving up delicious winter menus, new openings and events to be found around the region. We’ve curated a list of our newest culinary favourites, events, along with notable limited edition menus around Metro Vancouver.

Vancouver Eats – Pad Thai Battle, Dessert Dinner, and Winter Domes

Before we get into the latest Events, Openings, and New Menus, the results of the The Elite 30: Chinese Restaurant Awards are here! The Chinese Restaurant Awards (CRA) announced the winners of their inaugural Elite 30 Canada Awards, which unveiled live at a special awards ceremony at The Vancouver Club on October 29, 2025. Now in its 16th year, this marks the first time the CRA has ranked Chinese restaurants across Canada and Asia, celebrating culinary excellence and the chefs who are shaping the future of Chinese cuisine. Vancouver favourites – Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, Chang’ An, Landmark Hotpot House, Din Tai Fung, and MOTT 32 all landed spots in the top five of the list.

Upcoming Events

Pad Thai Contest Returns for Year Three with Longtail Kitchen, Sen Pad Thai & Sainam

• Where: Longtail Kitchen (810 Quayside Dr. Unit 116, New Westminster), Sen Pad Thai (1689 Johnston St., Vancouver) & Sainam (1235 Davie St., Vancouver)
• When: On now until November 21, 2025
• Details: Full House Hospitality announced their third annual Battle of the Pad Thai. Kicking off on World Pad Thai Day on November 7, 2025 and running until November 21st, Longtail Kitchen, newcomer Sainam and reigning champ Sen Pad Thai will go head-to-head in a battle to claim bragging rights for Best Pad Thai. Guests are invited to cast their votes to help crown this year’s champion.
  • Longtail Kitchen is featuring a Holy Duck Pad Thai with Duck Breast and Crispy Chicken Skin.
  • Sainam is featuring Pad Thai with Salted Egg Yolk and Crispy Oyster Mushroom.
  • Sen Pad Thai is featuring Pad Thai Khao Soi.

Whistler Cornucopia 2025 Celebrates Canada’s Top Chefs and Drink Makers

• Where: Locations at Whistler vary, see full schedule here
• When: On now until November 16, 2025
• Details: Whistler’s annual celebration of food and drink, Cornucopia, returns to the resort with an exciting program spanning the full 11 days. This year’s festival has an expansive lineup of chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and craft cocktail creators. Reserve your spot and learn more about the full line-up. Key events include:
  • Signature Event: Night Market – Taste of Canada (Friday, November 14)
  • The Culinary Stage Series: Live Demonstrations from Top Chefs (sessions and dates vary)
  • Raise a Glass: World-Class Drink Seminars (sessions and dates vary)
  • Zero Proof Lounge (Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15)

Shake It Off: D/6 Bar & Lounge Debuts New Hands-On Cocktail Masterclasses for Group Events

• Where: Parq Casino (39 Smithe St., Vancouver)
• When: Masterclasses are currently available November 12th, 14th, 16th, 20th, 23rd, 25th and 27th. Visit here or email [email protected] for confirmed times and to book
• Details: Held in D/6’s private quarters located behind the hidden bookcase, this cocktail learning activity is ideal for groups and private events for the upcoming holiday season. Each two-hour hands-on seminar will lead groups of up to 10 participants on the history behind traditional and contemporary cocktail culture and how to craft classics like the Mojito, Whisky Sour and Old Fashioned for $70 per guest plus tax and gratuity.

Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts Private Iron-Chef Inspired Events

• Where: 101 – 1505 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver – campus adjacent to Granville Island
• When: Availability varies, book here or email [email protected] or call (604) 734-4488 (ext. 1)
• Details: Perfect for a holiday event, the PICA Iron Chef Experience accommodates groups of up to 45 and divides participants into groups that are presented with a secret ingredient they must use to prepare two courses in one hour. After the countdown ends and a PICA chef judges the courses, a winning team is crowned as Iron Chef champions before all guests gather to enjoy a three-course menu prepared by PICA’s culinary team.
  • The three-course plated celebration menu following the challenge offers guests a choice of Aubergine + Lavash, Tuna Tataki or Autumn Harvest Salad as a first course and a choice of Braised Local Grass-Fed Short Rib, BC Ling Cod à la Poêle or Sweet Corn Risotto as a second course, with a Chef’s Inspired selection for dessert. Special diets and allergies can almost always be accommodated.

Metro Vancouver Croissant Crawl

• Where: Participating locations across Vancouver
• When: Now until November 16, 2025
• Details: The Metro Vancouver Croissant Crawl is on now, where you can chart your own delicious route to over 30 bakeries, cafés and restaurants. Over the course of two weeks, enjoy crisp, flaky, golden croissants in every form imaginable, whether that’s classic, stuffed, drizzled, cubed and everything in between.

Botanist Welcomes Three Pastry Chefs for Exclusive Seven-Course Dessert Collaboration Dinner

• Where: Botanist at Fairmont Pacific Rim (1038 Canada Pl., Vancouver)
• When: November 18, 2025,
• Details: Fairmont Pacific Rim Executive Pastry Chef Kate Siegel, who was named Vancouver Magazine’s 2025 Pastry Chef of the Year, will welcome three of Canada’s most talented pastry chefs to Botanist for an exclusive, one-night-only pastry collaboration dinner — Boulevard’s Kenta Takahashi, Wentworth Hospitality Group’s Oliver Bernardino and Monarque’s Lisa Yu. The handmade courses are all dessert-themed with special beverage pairings. Guests will also get to take home bonbons and treats by Takahashi to enjoy the next day – including chocolate bonbons, marshmallows, mini stollen and madeleines.
  • Tickets are available online.

Fairmont Waterfront Silent Disco & Dinner for Winter

• Where: ARC at Fairmont Waterfront (900 Canada Place, Vancouver)
• When: Friday, November 14, 2025 and Friday, January 23, 2026
• Details: This winter, Fairmont Waterfront invites guests to the anticipated the return of its well-loved silent disco series – ARC After Dark: Silent Disco Edition – a relaxed, indoor reimagining of the hotel’s sold out summer event, now taking place at ARC Restaurant. In a new twist for the season, guests are invited to begin with a coastal-inspired three-course meal from ARC’s signature Province to Plate menu, carefully curated by Executive Chef Harris Sakalis. From ocean-fresh seafood to farm-to-fork creations, each dish reflects the flavours and spirit of the West Coast, celebrating locally sourced ingredients from across British Columbia.
  • Ticket includes dinner and dancing, $139 including taxes & gratuities.

New Openings

Jeju Restaurant To Open In Vancouver

• Where: 540 East Broadway, Vancouver
• When: Opening November 13, 2025
• Details: Jeju Restaurant, the acclaimed modern Korean eatery in Tofino, BC, and a finalist for enRoute magazine’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022, is set to open a new location in Vancouver. In the vibrant Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, the custom-designed contemporary space honours both Jeju Island in Korea and Tofino in Canada. Owners Sungeun “Sung” Kim and Yunyoung “Dylan” Kim, with Dylan serving as executive chef, are excited to bring Jeju’s signature dishes and service to the city where they met and started their hospitality careers. The restaurant will serve dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Reservations can be made online.

Giusti Brings La Cucina Italiana to Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood

• Where: 209 East 6th Avenue
• When: Now Open, seven days a week, from 5:00pm to 10:00pm
• Details: A new Italian restaurant is open in Mount Pleasant, Giusti. Located in a century-old-building (formerly Bar Susu, The Whip), brings together timeless regional recipes, a deep respect for simplicity and a team of seasoned Vancouver talent. Led by acclaimed chef Mark Perrier, guests can expect to explore Italian cooking that spans the country’s diverse culinary landscape – from handmade pastas to aperitivi. Menu highlights include a wide variety of vegetable-forward pasta dishes and starters. Reserve your spot.

Cappello Enoteca to Officially Opened on October 21, 2025

• Where: 6011 Hastings St., Burnaby
• When: Now Open, Tuesday to Saturday, from 5:00pm to late
• Details: Il Cappello Enoteca, the flagship (and first) full-service restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Giancarlo and Daniela Cusano, has opened their doors for guests. Their menu is rooted in traditional Italian cooking, presented through a fresh, modern lens of evolution. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant offers seating for 100 guests across an intimate dining room and an enclosed, year-round patio. The space is designed to feel refined yet relaxed, where guests are invited to, in true Italian fashion, metti giù il cappello, sei a casa — lay down your hat, you’re home. Reservations now available online or follow along for updates on their dishes.

Seasonal Menus

Minami Introduces new Fall/Winter Menu

• Where: 1118 Mainland St., Vancouver
• When: Now available throughout winter, open 12:00pm to 9:30pm seven days a week
• Details: Minami, Yaletown’s destination for contemporary Japanese cuisine, is excited to launch a new fall/winter menu featuring new seasonal specialties. They are introducing brand new oshi dishes made for sharing and savouring together. The line-up is headlined by the Aburi Bincho Oshi, the newest addition to Minami’s iconic collection. The new Bincho Oshi brings together BC albacore tuna, sweet shrimp, green onion, cucumber, shiso, yuzu aioli and land caviar for a layered bite. Reservations are now available online.

Winterlust, A Dome Dining Experience, Returns to H Tasting Lounge

• Where: The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
• When: November 5, 2025, through March 15, 2026
• Details: In one of five glittering, glamorously appointed translucent domes, experience a new seasonal menu from Chef Andrii Olshevskyi throughout the winter season. HTL’s extraordinary culinary team turns out stunning menu options, including four premium caviar services, each complete with sour cream, blinis and crème fraîche. Two show-stopping seafood platters (for two or four), served either chilled or hot, boast delicacies such as crab, prawns, mussels, scallops, clams and all the accoutrements. Another group favourite will be Thor’s Hammer, a massive 24-hour braised beef shank with sherry glaze, confit baby potatoes, maple glazed carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts, charred broccolini, and red wine jus. Among the dessert highlights are HTL’s mile-high Mille-feuille or Pastry Chef Martha Ebro’s ‘Walk in the Forest’ with a milk chocolate and burnt orange mousse, matcha chocolate ‘soil’ and raspberry cream. Reservations can be made through Tock.

1888 Sea to Sky Tasting Menu

• Where: Five Sails at the Pan Pacific Hotel (999 Canada Place, Vancouver).
• When: Available now until early March
• Details: Five Sails Culinary Director, 2025 Canadian Culinary Champion and current Flavour Network Top Chef Canada contestant Alex Kim is paying homage to BC farms, fields and fisheries. The tasting menu gets its name from the address of Pemberton’s North Arm Farm at 1888 Sea to Sky Highway 99 and its inspiration from the farm-fresh finds that are delivered to the Five Sails kitchen daily from the farm as well as other Pacific Northwest ingredients like West Coast oysters, Dungeness crab and Yukon arctic char.
  • Reserve your spot online for $175 per guest plus tax and gratuity.

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