CÉLINE-EBRATION: VANCOUVER’S CHEZ CÉLINE SCORES FOUR TIMES

C’est magnifique! Québécois-inspired restaurant Chez Cèline marked its first anniversary in fine style last night, bringing four accolades from the 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards and the 2026 compilations of Canada’s Best Restaurants and Canada’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants back to its cozy confines in the heart of Vancouver’s Fraserhood at 4298 Fraser Street.

Opened in the spring of 2025 on the corner of Fraser & 27th, Chez Céline is a charming enclave that channels the edge charm of Montréal, effortless elegance of Paris and communal warmth of Québéc’s beloved casse-croûtes. A sister restaurant in spirit and intention to Railtown’s Michelin-Starred St. Lawrence, Chez Céline is led by four key St. Lawrence alumni: Owner and Chef J-C Poirier, Designer Dara Dammann-Poirier, Head Chef Margaux Herder and General Manager David Lawson.

Chez Céline grabbed the gold in the Best French Restaurant category at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards held last night at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, finishing ahead of Downtown’s Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie (silver) and Gastown’s L’Abattoir (bronze). Chez Céline also took home the bronze in the Best New Restaurant category behind Elem (gold) and Kavita (silver).

“It’s a vibe, Chez Céline: and a golden spot you can’t help wanting to go back to again and again,” writes the Magazine in its roundup of winners. “J-C Poirier and Margaux Herder’s ode to Quebec’s casse-croûtes ‘is what you want in your neighbourhood,’ said one judge, adding that it’s ‘comfortable and cozy while being subtly refined, and damn delicious.’ Don’t miss ‘one of the best tartares in the city,’ bright with herbs and excellently salty with anchovies. Feature dishes always deliver — case in point is an incredible fennel salad with preserved lemon, grapefruit and smashed Castelvetrano olives.”

The restaurant was also named to the No. 10 spot on the 2026 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants, as well as No. 60 on the latest annual compilation of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants that were announced last night.

“While Chef-Owner J-C Poirier’s first Québécois restaurant, St. Lawrence, is a Michelin-starred affair of ingredient layering and pristine plating, this new space goes in the refreshingly opposite direction,” Canada’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants said of Chez Céline. “Many items on the menu are written as bare-bones as possible: Lamb Belly Brochette + Good Anchovies; Arctic Char with Sauce Meunière. What you read is truly what you get.”

“Chez Céline might be run by J-C Poirier, the chef-owner behind Vancouver’s St. Lawrence, but it’s something different altogether,” said Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. “At this Montreal-style bistro the food is simple, laid back and even a little whimsical, whether it’s an indulgent foie gras sandwich with fruit preserves or a tantalizing swirl of soft-serve ice cream drizzled with olive oil. C’est parfait.”

Chez Céline and St. Lawrence were among only 14 Vancouver restaurants to be named to the prestigious annual list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants.

“At Chez Céline, our goal is to keep it really simple,” says Poirier, who also saw his Michelin-Starred St. Lawrence earn the No. 40 spot on the 2026 compilation of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. Poirier is no stranger to the ‘Best French’ category at the Vancouver Magazine Awards — he and his St. Lawrence team previously won a trio of them in 2019, ’20 and ’23.

Poirier, Dammann-Poirier, Herder and Lawson were all on hand last night to accept the award for Best French Restaurant at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, with Lawson giving a shout-out to the Vancouver dining scene and those who work in it.

“Thank you very much for this award, it means a whole heck of a lot. Merci beaucoup,” said Lawson. “We work darn hard like the rest of you and we feel very privileged to be acknowledged for this award. We are always chasing a moment — not just the four of us, but the whole crew that’s at Chez Celine. You guys all know it: you’re going out for dinner on a Wednesday night — none of us go out on Fridays — you walk into a restaurant and you feel that buzz in the room and you tell yourself ‘I’m in the right place. This is where I should be right now’. That’s a mega credit to those gathered here. The Vancouver dining scene is great and it’s just an absolute privilege to be considered as part of that honourable community of restaurants. Last of all, go Habs go.”

RESERVATIONS

Reservations for Chez Céline can be made via OpenTable here.

For more information or to stay up to date on all the latest news, visit stlawrencerestaurant.com, become a fan of  follow @stlawrencevan on Instagram.

ABOUT CHEZ CÉLINE | Opened in 2025 and nestled in the heart of Vancouver’s Fraserhood, Chez Céline is a sister restaurant to Railtown’s Michelin-Starred St. Lawrence that welcomes its guests with the edgy charm of Montréal, the effortless elegance of Paris, and the communal warmth of Québec’s casse-croûtes. This kitchen of honest cuisine gears its menu toward fun dining, not fine dining — simple, soulful dishes leaning into a generous sense of joie de vivre — while the adventurously curated beverage program juxtaposes wines that feel alive on the palate with unapologetically unfussy cocktails. Chez Céline is a true neighbourhood restaurant in every sense of the word, where memories are waiting to happen.

4298 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC V5V 4G2 | Open for Dinner Tuesdays to Sundays 5 p.m. to late and Brunch Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | chezcelinerestaurant.com | Instagram: @chezcelinerestaurant