The 2026 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list has recognized Ottawa chef Briana Kim as the city's standout performer, though the capital's dining scene saw a decline in representation. Released on May 4, the prestigious national ranking includes only three Ottawa restaurants, a drop from four in the previous year.
Antheia's Debut
Kim's newly opened restaurant, Antheia, secured the 76th position on the list. Despite opening very late in 2025—on December 7—the restaurant impressed judges in less than a month of operation. Located on the second floor of a building in Ottawa's Chinatown neighborhood, Antheia is an innovative, plant-based, fermentation-forward establishment with limited seating: just 12 guests at the chef's counter and four additional seats at tables.
Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief and publisher of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, praised the restaurant. “I have heard great things about Antheia,” he said. “I imagine she will do extremely well on the list next year. We will do everything we can to draw attention to the quality of what she’s doing in the meantime.”
Community Leadership Award
Kim also received this year's community leadership award. Richler noted that Kim's decision to stay in Ottawa after closing her previous restaurant, Alice, demonstrated a commitment to her community. “Briana caught our attention not just for the quality of what she does, but because after closing Alice, she had so many opportunities elsewhere,” he said. “Nonetheless, she decided to begin her next chapter at home in Ottawa, which we see as giving something back to your community.”
Kim's Culinary Journey
Self-taught as a chef, Kim studied political science at the University of Ottawa and worked at Health Canada before embarking on a culinary career over 15 years ago. She opened Cafe My House in 2009, later moving it to Hintonburg. After closing that, she launched Alice in 2019 in Little Italy, which ranked 31st on the 2023 Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list. That same year, Kim won the Canadian Culinary Championship. She closed Alice in February 2024 to focus on Antheia, which she considers the fullest expression of her culinary vision.
Other Ottawa Restaurants
The two other Ottawa restaurants on this year's list are Atelier and Arlo. Chef Marc Lepine's tasting-menu restaurant Atelier, in Little Italy, ranked 54th, down from 41st last year. The Centretown fine-food-and-wine spot Arlo ranked 77th, dropping from 49th in 2025.
Future Prospects
Richler mentioned that Antheia's late opening should make it eligible for next year's list of best Canadian new restaurants. “For someone who opens in November or December, it’s not really fair to be judged against people who opened in January,” he said. “I think next year we’ll make an allowance for Briana and see how she does on that list too.”
On June 17, Kim will participate in an exclusive Canada's 100 Best Restaurants collaborative dinner in Quebec City, alongside chefs from Restaurant Pearl Morissette (ranked first) and Tanière3 (ranked third), the only two Canadian restaurants with two Michelin stars.
