B.C. restaurant Baan Lao wins best in North America award for 2026

This fine Thai restaurant prides itself on sourcing ingredients directly from farmers, growers and fishers, and uses rice tilled from a 15-acre farm in Thailand that has been in the chef’s family for eight decades. (Sarawut Yuttanava)

RICHMOND — A Richmond, B.C., restaurant has been named the best in North America by a global hospitality and culinary industries group, in a first for a Canadian establishment.

Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has been named North America’s Best Restaurant by the World Culinary Awards, topping a group of 22 Canadian nominees and 18 in the United States.

The restaurant was also named the top Canadian restaurant for the third straight year.

The awards were established in 2020, with winners determined by weighted voting among the public and registered members of the culinary industry.

Baan Lao opened in 2021 and serves “Royal Thai tasting menus with individually plated courses.”

The previous six winners of the North American award have all been from the United States, including two wins each by Le Bernardin in New York and The French Laundry in California.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.