Richmond restaurant Baan Lao wins North America’s best restaurant award for 2026

Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine, a Thai restaurant in Richmond, B.C., has been named North America’s Best Restaurant by the World Culinary Awards, marking the first time a Canadian establishment has won the award. It topped a field that included 22 Canadian nominees and 18 from the United States. The restaurant was also named Canada’s top restaurant for the third consecutive year.

Established in 2020, the awards use weighted voting by the public and registered members of the culinary industry to determine winners. Baan Lao opened in 2021 and serves “Royal Thai tasting menus with individually plated courses.”

The previous six winners of the North American award were all from the United States. New York’s Le Bernardin and California’s The French Laundry each won twice.

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