The Acorn Restaurant
Vegetarian restaurant · Riley Park-Kensington ·
Vegetable-forward fine dining with seasonal tasting menus
Vegetable-forward fine dining with seasonal tasting menus
"An enduringly popular vegetarian haven with warm, cozy vibes and charming service, built on strong ties to organic BC suppliers and an imaginative menu that satisfies; dishes like sunchoke with salal berry and burnt onion and beer-battered halloumi show a deft grasp of texture as well as taste, with many options vegan and gluten-free—first-timers should trust the tasting menu to explore unfamiliar ingredients." - Michael He
"I appreciated how this plant-led restaurant treats vegetables with the same reverence often reserved for meat, drawing on Vancouver’s farmers, foragers and sea to create hyper-seasonal, sustainable plates; the kitchen is ingredient-first and globally curious, using techniques like fermentation, pickling, preserving, bread-baking and pasta-making while centering whatever is arriving from farms and foragers that day. The harvest dish is the one not to miss: it changes with the seasons, centers on a peak vegetable and is often supported by house ferments, pickles or preserves, capturing the restaurant’s ethos of local, zero-waste, flavor-forward, proudly plant-led cooking." - Sophie Mendel
"Built into the fabric of how they cook and operate, The Acorn practices strict locavore and zero-waste principles: if it doesn’t grow locally they don’t use it, they preserve peak‑season produce so items like tomatoes and peaches can appear in winter without flying anything in, recycle comprehensively, receive grower deliveries in reusable totes, and keep their carbon footprint low. The team finds flavour through technique and creativity, turning kitchen trim into cocktail ingredients and favouring a wine list of sustainable, minimal‑intervention producers. A signature example of their whole‑ingredient approach is the shiitake dish—locally grown shiitake roasted with Haida Gwaii seaweed, stems fermented into an XO‑style sauce, fresh ginger made into a silky emulsion, and ginger leaves finished as an aromatic oil—showing how nothing is wasted and every element contributes to the dish." - Sophie Mendel
"This high-end local vegetarian institution opened up ahead of the curve back in 2012, when the phrase “plant-based” was barely on anyone’s radar. Spring for the $85 chef’s tasting menu, which is always way more food than we expect, and one of the best ways to spend two hours at any table in Vancouver. You’ll leave full and maybe with a new appreciation for the power of vegetables. The menu changes weekly, but there’s always a focus on fermentation—think pickled beets and preserved mandarins. Budget willing, this is the perfect date spot to woo a vegetarian lover, or take the plant-based cynic in your life to blow their mind, and your own in the process." - Thalia Stopa
"If you guys are like me, you might have dreaded the prospect of going out for a bland, unsatisfying vegetarian meal. But the Acorn is so amazing, that even a boorish meat-eater like me dreams of the next chance visit this award winning restaurant. Everything on the menu is delicious, but do not miss the Beer Battered Halloumi!" - Wendy Wan & Drew Ng