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Capping a remarkable year of accolades, Baan Lao makes history as the only Canadian restaurant to win twice.
Photo courtesy Gonzalo Castro Fernandez
Baan Lao wins best restaurant in Canada for second consecutive year at the 2025 World Culinary Awards
Published 10:31 PDT, Fri October 24, 2025
Last Updated: 10:38 PDT, Fri October 24, 2025
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For the second year in a row, Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has been named Best Restaurant in Canada at the World Culinary Awards. The back-to-back honour solidifies Baan Lao’s standing at the forefront of Canadian fine dining and reaffirms its place as a global leader in Royal Thai cuisine.
This consecutive win makes Baan Lao the first Canadian restaurant to receive the award twice. Previous national recipients have included St. Lawrence, Toqué! and Alo, alongside international winners such as Le Bernardin, Atelier Crenn and CORE by Clare Smyth.
Set on the picturesque Steveston waterfront in Richmond, BC, Baan Lao is led by chef-proprietor Nutcha Phanthoupheng, a former nurse and cancer researcher from Thailand who came to Canada with a dream of healing through food. Her signature 18-item tasting menu honours centuries-old traditions passed down from the Thai royal court while embracing the finest local ingredients. Each dish is an exquisite work of art, served on handcrafted plateware and complemented with premium tea, wine, cocktail and sake pairings curated by world-class consultants.
“I feel very happy,” says chef Nutcha. “I opened Baan Lao to help people in Canada understand authentic Thai cuisine and the beauty of Royal Thai cuisine. Thai food is not only street food—fine dining is part of our culture and history. This award helps more people discover us.”
The international recognition follows Baan Lao’s debut at No. 12 on the inaugural 2025 North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, for which it was also named Best Restaurant in Western Canada. Earlier this year, Baan Lao was named Best Destination Restaurant in Canada by Canada’s 100 Best.
Now in its sixth year, the World Culinary Awards celebrate excellence in global hospitality, honouring leading restaurants, hotel restaurants and culinary institutions worldwide. Online voting is open to the culinary community, industry experts and consumers. The gala ceremony and awards dinner was held on Oct. 23, 2025 at Forte Village Resort in Sardinia, Italy.
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