ANNALENA NAMED TO NORTH AMERICA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS

AnnaLena was named No. 35 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, announced at a live ceremony in New Orleans last night. The honour places the Kitsilano dining room among the continent’s best, and marks the restaurant’sdebut on one of the most closely watched lists in global hospitality.

Now in its second year, North America’s 50 Best Restaurants is the newest regional edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Unlike a guidebook of anonymous inspectors, the list is decided by a voting academy of more than 1,000 chefs, food writers and seasoned diners, each casting ballots for the most memorable meals they have had – making a place on it a vote of confidence from the industry itself. 

The recognition caps a remarkable run for the restaurant and for owners Chef Mike Robbins and longtime business partner and General Manager Jeff Parr. Earlier this year, AnnaLena placed No. 12 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants 2026 – the highest-ranked restaurant in British Columbia. The restaurant earned its first MICHELIN star in 2024, when the MICHELIN Guide debuted in Vancouver, and has retained it every year since. 

AnnaLena opened in March 2015 in a small Kitsilano storefront steps from the beach, named for Robbins’ grandmothers, Anna and Lena. It was built around the fun and freedom of a visit to grandma’s house – and that same creativity has allowed AnnaLena to evolve alongside Robbins, Parr and their team – in menu, format and design. Robbins treats it as a living reflection of where he is in his life, reworking and refining the experience year over year rather than resting on what came before. The restaurant has recently been reimagined again – key updates include the renovation of the bar to bring the chefs into the dining room, and a reduced seat count to deliver a more personal guest experience. 

“I don’t know if we deserve this, but we earned this,” shared Robbins. “Goals, effort, blessings, repeat. Twelve years in, we’re really starting to understand the old saying, ‘it was always about the journey, not the reward’. Thank you to everyone who voted for us, and allowed us to represent our city on this big of a stage. Support like this has given us the opportunity to keep pushing, evolving, and taking AnnaLena to places we never thought possible.”

About AnnaLena

AnnaLena opened in 2015 in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, the work of Chef-owner Mike Robbins and partner and General Manager Jeff Parr. Named after Robbins’s two grandmothers, the restaurant is known for its seasonally focused tasting menu built on British Columbia ingredients and a dining room that pairs fine-dining precision with a playful, unpretentious spirit. AnnaLena has held a MICHELIN star since the guide’s 2024 Vancouver debut, the same year AGM and Wine Director Reverie Beall received the MICHELIN Guide Vancouver Sommelier Award, and was named No. 12 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants in 2026.