St. Lawrence Restaurant

"A One MICHELIN Star Québécois bistro offering refined French-Canadian cooking with seasonal fixed menus." - Michael He

"This is the best Québécois food in Vancouver, and on a scale of richness from air to butter, most of the menu is a croissant. Try classics like the foie gras éclair and pâté en croûte du jour, and make sure you save time later in the day to go lie down somewhere. All the curtains and candle holders around the dining room make it an obvious choice for a special date or anniversary, but just know for planning purposes that it’s one of the most popular places in town, so you should book well in advance (check for reservations on the first of the month prior to your visit)." - carolyn b heller, amber gibson

"This is the best Québécois food in Vancouver, and on a scale of richness from air to butter, most of the menu is a croissant. Try classics like the foie gras éclair and pâté en croûte du jour, and make sure you save time later in the day to go lie down somewhere. All the curtains and candle holders around the dining room make it an obvious choice for a special date or anniversary, but just know for planning purposes that it’s one of the most popular places in town, so you should book well in advance (check for reservations on the first of the month prior to your visit)." - Team Infatuation

"Since opening in summer 2017 under the experienced hand of chef J.C. Poirier, an alum of Montreal’s Toqué, St Lawrence in Japantown has been one of the city’s toughest reservations to score, and it’s only become more difficult since the restaurant received a Michelin star. Stepping through the velvet curtain into the small dining room, you leave behind Vancouver and its passion for clean, fresh, lean cuisine, and dive into a delicious butter-hosed world where old-school French technique meets Québecois cuisine. The music, wine list, and staff are (mostly) French, and the $148 ($109 USD) tasting menu (now the only option) groans with decadent treats. You’ll need to prepay in order to secure a reservation, but even with the upfront outlay, add any possible delicious extras once you’re seated and hang the consequences." - Nikki Bayley

"St Lawrence feels like small Quebec café, complete with silky sauces and serious culinary technique. Thematically riffing off French Canadian cuisine, the restaurant doesn't put on any airs—neither in the kitchen nor the space itself. The decor—blue painted wainscoting, an assortment of tchotchkes, and Quebecois nostalgia—is by turns quirky and rustic. It's the perfect place to enjoy chef JC Poirier's unpretentious and satisfying food. For a starter, try the novel take on steak tartare, elevated here with the unexpected addition of chevre noir. But the mains are where St Lawrence shines. Tourtiere, a regional staple, is made with venison; drizzle it with maple syrup for maximum Quebecois effect. Local ling cod is done in a delicate saffron sauce; a thick-cut pork chop is dressed decadently with Oka cheese and a house-made butcher sauce. Oh, and even if you have to split it, do try the grilled hanger steak with bone marrow and—duh—frites." - Guy Saddy, Nicole Schnitzler