The edgy charm of Montréal, the effortless elegance of Paris, and the communal warmth of Québec’s casse-croûtes come alive inside a beaming French bistro on the corner of Fraser & 27th in Vancouver.¹
My expectation was that Chez Céline would be a typical Parisienne bistro. Tables set close together, hushed voices, menu, or no menu, just a blackboard, worn seats and wooden tables, poor lighting, fabulous food.
So is Chez Céline the typical Paris bistro I was expecting? The answer is yes, and no. It’s complicated.
The restaurant is too new to have that shabby look of a typical French bistro, the tables are a pristine white marble. Beautiful but not chipped or stained. The seating is too comfortable to be mistaken for a typical French bistro and it has bathrooms. Whereas the last bistro I visited in Paris the bathroom was next door and you had to go outside to get there. So in this case the no is a good thing. That being said it is important to give Chez Céline it’s due, this isn’t Paris. But neither is it Montreal or Quebec City, it is all those things rolled into one and it’s a delight, so the answer is also yes!
The atmosphere is decidedly one of excitement, from the servers to the guests there is a lively vibe here that I hadn’t expected. It’s noisy, on purpose. There is a level of enthusiasm that is hard not to recognize. This is not a place for the stodgy diner looking for formality, Chez Céline is where you go to have great food and a lot of fun. Indeed there were birthday celebrations and of course the celebration of the serving of the traditional maple syrup custard or maple crème caramel which makes the rounds of the restaurant accompanied by a sparkler in a glass and presented at the table with much fanfare. But I’m getting ahead of myself so I will start at the beginning.
We decided that the best course of action would be to let our host choose the dishes that he thought best represented the restaurant. So we put our selections choices in the hands of our host, David Lawson. Of course I couldn’t help but mention that I had heard about the Chez Céline foie gras sandwich. That was all it took and just like that the menu was decided.
We started with little cheese triangles with a crispy coating.
crispy cheese bites, an amuse bouche of sorts. Quite tasty.
Our starter was in fact the Chez Céline foie gras sandwich.
A generous portion of Quebec foie gras absolutely everything we expected. Rich and creamy, sandwiched between two pieces of house baked sour dough bread with spicy raspberry compote.
Just to keep things fresh the next couse was Scallop Crudo + Sauce Verde.
Deliciously fresh with thin slices of crisp radish and the wonderfully flavourful Sauce Verde. The serving was ample for two and was a perfect balance of freshness with a tangy and flavourful sauce.
Next we enjoyed a Cucumber Salad + STRACCIATELLA.
A base of shredded cucumber it was crunchy and rich, topped with salty sea asparagus. A perfect foil for the richness of the main course.
The hit of the evening had to be the Sausage stuffed whole Quail.
This one wasn’t on the menu but was the special and special it was. Superbly done the skin was crunchy and meat fork tender and succulent. The sausage stuffing was perfect. Served with green beans, crunchy kernels of corn and warm tomatoes. One Quail was more than enough for two. And as if this exquisite dish wasn’t wonderful enough the thick slice of fois gras made the dish heaven on the plate. Not to mention it was very filling.
But still we had one more Quebec surprise. A Maple Crème Caramel to share.
Presented at the table with a base with a lighted sparkler inside. So good, so rich and so sweet and we loved every bite.
There were so many traditional French items on the menu that we have to go back to try the escargot, beef tartare, baked oysters, spring greens raviolo or the frites + aioli. Rumour has it the Pork Chop with maple cider sauce is not to be missed.
As you can no doubt tell Chez Céline has a varied and quite extensive menu that makes guests into regulars.
A selection of four wines was brought to the table for us to choose which one would accompany our dinner. It should be noted here that the wine list at Chez Céline is extensive and can get quite expensive. It proved best to put our decision into Lawson’s hands and we were not disappointed.
Jean Paul Brun Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay
Côtes-du-Rhône Les Cassagnes de La Nerthe Château La Nerthe
Albahra Envinate
Chez Céline
Best French at VanMags,
No. 10 on Canada’s Best New Restaurant &
No. 60 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurant List
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 chezceline.com become a fan follow @chezcelinerestaurant on Instagram.\
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.
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.
The menu changes often and not all dishes are always available. The Quail was a special and not listed on the menu. Dinner was complimentary to facilitate this feature. A gratuity equal to 20% of the cost of the meal and wine was left for the Chez Céline team. With thanks.
¹ courtesy of the restaurant website
