Four Okanagan restaurants have been recognized as among the best in the country.
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, online reservation company OpenTable announced its top 100 restaurants in Canada for 2023 and four of them are in the Okanagan.
Making the list is:
• Home Block at CedarCreek Estate Winery - Kelowna
• Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate Winery - West Kelowna
• Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate - West Kelowna
• The Restaurant at Phantom Creek Estates - Oliver
The list is based on over 1.1 million reviews and dining metrics including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, and five-star reviews from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. All the metrics are calculated to make an overall score.
This year’s list features 41 restaurants from Ontario, 20 in British Columbia, 19 in Alberta, 16 in Quebec, three in Nova Scotia, and one in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As the pandemic has passed, more people went out over this last year the data was recorded and the statistics show it. Restaurants saw an increase in popularity for special occasions, with the most notable being a 35 per cent increase on Valentine’s Day from the last year. Second was Mother’s Day with a 10 per cent increase.
Many families are also looking for places that fit what they’re looking for. Key phrases that saw the most growth in reviews over the last year are, family style (+28 per cent), good vibes (+24 per cent), and family-friendly (+22 per cent).
Canadians are also trying new foods and becoming more diverse. In the last year, Chinese food was a +16 per cent increase, Greek saw a +15 per cent increase, and Middle Eastern +12 per cent.